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He shrugged. “Whatever you want to call it. Roman being seen with us suggests that Zack approves. It means the press will believe we’re serious. You can stay with me at my place. In a few weeks when the heat dies down, we can quietly break up, if that’s what you want. But you should know that I’m going to do everything in my power to make you want to stay.”
She couldn’t stop the way tears suddenly formed in her eyes. “I don’t belong in your world, Gabriel. I don’t even want to. I know that eventually I’ll forgive you for that report. I won’t be able to help myself. But the price I would have to pay to be with you is too much.”
He softened, moving toward her to take her hand. She allowed it, needing comfort at the moment. “What are you talking about, baby? The press?”
She shook her head. “It’s not just the press. It’s all of it. Mad didn’t tell me. You say he wanted me taken care of, but he didn’t tell me. For all I know he was gathering intelligence on me so he could fight in case I ever found out and wanted a piece of the pie.”
Gabriel sighed and tugged her closer. “I don’t think so.”
“And you. I won’t ever really fit, you know. I don’t know which spoon to use or who the power players are. I like computers because they don’t lie to me. Code doesn’t bend the truth. It does what I tell it to do. I’ll always be a nerd from a small town. You can put me in this dress, but you’ll never forget where I came from and neither will your friends. Before you know it, you’ll see me as a liability and you’ll go right back to those supermodels and actresses you love so much.”
His arms went around her and he held her close. “Baby, you can’t think that.”
She let him hold her. It might be the last time. “I do. Can’t you see how much better it would be if we parted civilly? I can’t be what you need and I don’t even want to try to fit in. I can’t stand the backbiting and the manipulation.”
“If you don’t like my world, it’s only because you haven’t seen how you’re changing it. Everly, since the moment I saw you at that bar, something shifted inside me. I don’t like how my world works, either. So change it with me. We don’t have to play by anyone’s rules but our own. And as for you not being enough for me . . . you are my amazing nerd goddess and I am in awe of you. I am fascinated by the way your mind works and enthralled by how strong you are. You’re a mystery to me and I’ll go to my grave trying to solve you.” He stepped back, his face flushed with emotion. “So listen and listen good, Everly Parker. I’m going to seduce you. I’ll be beside you constantly, holding your hand and kissing you every time you’ll let me to remind you how good we are together. You might sleep in another bedroom tonight, but I assure you, you’ll be thinking about me and how much pleasure I can give you. You’ll lie in bed and remember all the ways I put my hands and mouth on you. I’ll be a few feet away, thinking about how good you feel and taste. I’ll wish I could hold you close and show you how much I want to be with you. I’ll keep looking for a way to make that happen and I’ll be completely ruthless about it. When you’re ready, all you have to do is walk down the hall. I’ll be more than happy to make everything up to you and show you what we’ve been missing.”
He stepped away, leaving her with shaking hands.
Everly was fairly certain she wouldn’t think about anything else tonight.
THIRTEEN
Gabe opened the door and gestured for Everly to enter first. She was still a little pale from the impromptu press conference they’d held in a nearby hotel, but he thought it had gone well. By tomorrow, everyone would know that he and Maddox hadn’t been embroiled in a love triangle with Everly. The public eye would still be on them, but the frantic throng of hungry paparazzi would likely dwindle now that they’d introduced Everly as Maddox Crawford’s long-lost sister and Gabriel Bond’s love interest.
At most, he had a few weeks to convince Everly to stay with him and see if they could build any sort of future. Right now, his chances of winning her back weren’t looking good.
The receptionist’s eyes widened as they walked through the double doors of Crawford Industries’ lobby. Jennifer stood, her professional suit crisp. Her face, however, looked both stunned and haggard. “Mr. Bond.” She nodded. “Everly, I’m so glad you’re back. The press keeps calling. I tell them we have no comment, but they only dial us again immediately and ask the same questions. The system wasn’t designed to handle this many calls. What should I do? The whole office is in chaos.”
In the background, the electronic ring of the phone trilled nonstop. Beyond the reception area, Gabe heard voices raised, doors slam. This wasn’t the cool, professional lobby he’d seen yesterday. Apparently, none of the other executives had handled this crisis. He smelled blood in the water, and the sharks were circling. Damn it, Everly had been right. With Mad gone for good, they both needed to be here until the fervor died down. Without a firm hand, all sense of order would implode.
“Call Amanda and Hilary and ask them to handle the traffic.” Everly was calm and cool, as though being presented with a problem to solve actually helped focus her. “The extra phones plug into the system and I can reroute all calls from numbers not stored as one of our contacts. That way, you can manage the regular clients while the other ladies can handle the reporters. Has anyone in PR written a script they can follow? Has legal blessed it?”
The woman handed her a lone page over the counter. “I received it ten minutes ago.”
Everly scanned the document, then nodded. “Crawford Industries won’t comment on the private lives of its executives. Perfect. Copy this, then pass it to Amanda and Hilary. Tell them to recite the script verbatim, then hang up. Nothing more.”
The phone kept ringing, an insistent drone.
“One moment.” Jennifer dispatched the call quickly to another department in the building, then sent Everly a grateful smile. “Will do. I’ve still got calls on hold. Nearly every line.”
Everly nodded. “Well, now we’ve got a plan. It’ll be all right. I noticed the guards are on the doors downstairs. Are they being rotated regularly?”
“Yes. Scott already volunteered to handle that and posted a schedule.”
“Thank goodness. Let me know if you need anything else.”
Everly turned away. She didn’t even look at Gabe before pushing through the frosted glass doors and striding through the sea of cubicles, heading toward her office.
Luckily, she couldn’t walk very fast in those heels. He needed to thank Roman for that later.
“Everly, you know, this isn’t going to work if you can’t look at me.”
She turned back and frowned. “What are you talking about? I can look at you.”
He very deliberately took her hand an
d brought it to his chest, urging her closer. “If the employees don’t buy that we’re having a real relationship, they’ll talk to the press and we’ll be right back where we started.”
“Gabriel, I’m a female executive. A young female executive. Do you know how hard it is to get people to take me seriously? I wasn’t trying to ignore you. I was trying to be professional.” She extracted her hand from his. “We shouldn’t have to give them PDA in the office to convince them. And I don’t want chins wagging that we’re being inappropriate here, especially since you’re my boss.”
Gabe leaned closer. He could see her point and wondered how hard it had been for her. He would try to make sure she had it easier in the future. “I won’t be your boss for long. I’m merely a caretaker for Crawford Industries. And I’m your boyfriend, according to that interview we just did. You lost your brother. I lost my best friend. No one expects us to be cold and professional.” He tugged on her hand, drawing her closer. “Besides, everyone is watching.”
Everly glanced around and finally noticed all the eyes on her. She cursed under her breath, but laid her palm against his, tangling her fingers in his own. “I don’t like subterfuge.”
He was used to it, having been exposed to it for a good majority of his childhood and his whole adult life. But to Gabe, they shared nothing pretend. “That will be over soon.”
They made their way to her office where Everly locked up her purse and sorted through her messages. Gabe looked around at her multiple monitors and all the other assorted devices. He wondered briefly if he could ever measure up to her love of all things
