Can’t have your PA drooling over you,Abby thought acidly.We both know where that leads—straight to the unemployment office.
She’d been honest, but she was going to leave with her head held high and her pride intact. She hadn’t committed a crime by falling in love with him, not unless you could callbeing a complete idiota crime.
‘I hope you let your grandmother know how fond I was of her, Gabriel. And, just in case you’re tempted to feel sorry for me, I’ve thought this through and I’m looking forward to what lies ahead.’
‘Who said anything about feeling sorry for you?’ Gabriel flushed darkly and wondered what shiny future she was looking forward to. He certainly wasn’t interested in hearing about any shiny future that involved men. ‘I’m sure you’ll land a pretty spectacular job without too much trouble.’
‘Job?’ Abby blinked.
‘You said that you were looking forward to what lies ahead...’
‘Oh, yes. Sure. Yes, I think there are some exciting opportunities out there, and it’s going to stand me in very good stead that I’ve worked with you and for your company.’
She hadn’t been talking about a new job or exciting opportunities,Gabriel thought sourly.She’d been talking about a different type of excitement lying in store for her, the sort of excitement he wasn’t interested in hearing about.
He walked towards the door that connected their two offices, his the much larger. Then he paused, his hand on the door knob.
‘I’m not good for any woman who wants the fairy-tale ending. You’re better off without a man like me,’ Gabriel said roughly. She was looking up at him, her eyes wide and clear, her skin still golden from the days spent out in Seville. He wanted to reach out and yank her towards him, which just went to show how irrational the whole business of lust could be.
‘I think I probably am,’ Abby replied truthfully. ‘But I’m grateful to you, Gabriel.’
‘How so?’
‘I’d locked myself away after my broken engagement, gone into protective mode. When I finally told myself that I had to get back out there into the dating pool again, I had so many clauses and conditions for the kind of guy I was looking for that there was no room left for spontaneity. You showed me that there’s no such thing as the perfect guy.’
‘Is there a compliment buried in there somewhere?’
‘I’ll get over you,’ Abby said with a lot more confidence than she was feeling. ‘Because we all get over broken hearts, and the next time I get involved with someone I won’t make a tally of the things they have or don’t have. I shall just go with the flow and accept that relationships don’t have to lead to anything. You made me appreciate the concept of just having fun. Yes, I fell for you, but what I’ll take away is the fact that I learned how to be impulsive—I think for the first time in my life.’
‘Good.’
‘And you’re moving on too,’ Abby couldn’t resist adding, wanting and needing to feel the twist of the knife inside her when he admitted that he’d found her replacement. ‘But then I don’t think you’re the kind of guy to ever let the grass grow under his feet.’
Gabriel scowled darkly when he thought about his disaster date. ‘I’m going to head out,’ he said, strolling to fetch his jacket which had been tossed on one of the chairs. ‘You can leave whenever you like, but make sure there’s someone here to cover the essentials.’ He began slipping on the jacket as he walked back towards her. ‘I’d say,’ he murmured, ‘Thanks for the good times, but I think that might sound a little too B-movie.’ He reached out. He couldn’t help himself. The urge to feel the smooth, satiny curve of her cheek was irresistible.
He felt her stillness under his hand. Her eyelids fluttered and she took a wobbly step back, but it was as if his magnetic pull was too powerful for her, because she remained staring up at him, her lips parted, her grey eyes wide and panicked.
Her whole body thrummed with forbidden sexual awareness.
He was going to kiss her.
Abby felt his intent and saw it in the darkening of his eyes. He let his gaze drop to do a leisurely tour of her face and her body, then back to her face, and still her stupid legs seemed to have forgotten the basic principles of movement.
Did he think that he could make a pass at her after she’d poured her heart out? She’d told him she was in love with him, and he’d informed her that that just wasn’t going to do and, yes, it was the right thing for her to clear off.
Sohow dared henow touch her like this and set her whole body ablaze with acraven yearningthat could never, ever reach a satisfactory conclusion?
Did he imagine that he could take what he wanted because she was vulnerable? Because she was in love with him?
She jerked back and turned away, but she was shaking like a leaf, and had to take a few deep, steadying breaths to get herself back under control.
‘I don’t think so,’ she told him coldly. ‘You don’t get to touch me.’ She jerked open the door and scooted through, heading straight for the safety of her desk, behind which she remained standing to look at him, cool and remote. Inside, however, she was a mess.
She tilted her chin up and maintained eye contact. ‘I’ll make sure that Rita is on the case first thing in the morning to find a replacement.’
Caught having to subdue a runaway libido, Gabriel nodded curtly and walked towards the door. ‘Good luck with your job search, Abby, and whatever other searches you intend to indulge.’ He looked at her, her flushed face, the rigid stance of her body, the proud angle of her head, and he was assailed by a tidal wave of memories that were both uninvited and unwanted. ‘Oh, and leave your company laptop and phone with HR, would you? Company policy.’
And with that he was gone, quietly shutting the door behind him, exiting her life without a sound.
