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Gabrielle had an embarrassed sense of being ignored, but what could she do? It wasn’t as if she was his girlfriend and had any claims on him. But it did feel disrespectful to be brushed aside, when Kiera had to know Adam came here with her.
Gabrielle’s tension kept building. Now she just wanted to leave. The food being served looked and smelled delicious, but Gabrielle could only poke it around with her fork, her appetite nonexistent. She gave a start when Adam turned to her to ask if she was okay.
She wanted to round on him with a, what do you think? “Thanks, I’m good,” she said with a smile. She felt less than good. In fact, she felt downright queasy. Was it something in the food making her hypersensitive?
Catching Adam watching her, she had to force herself to fork some food into her mouth. It was vegetable salad, but as she brought it to her mouth, the whiff of tomato almost made her gag.
She quickly set down the fork and tried to catch her breath. What the hell was wrong?
“Are you sure you’re okay? You look pale, Gabrielle.”
Gabrielle glanced at Adam and saw the look of concern, but just beyond him was Kiera, whose face had a disdainful look – like she was wondering why Adam would even bother with her.
Gabrielle was wondering the same thing. And it made her stomach lurch even more sickeningly. “I’m sure I’ll be fine with some fresh air. Please excuse me.”
With as much dignity as she could muster, Gabrielle rose and walked away without giving Adam the chance for more questions. It was a marvel she made it out of the hall without toppling. She dragged a hand along the wall to steady herself as she stumbled to the side of the exit.
Finally, she was outside and dragged in a few needed breaths. Another five minutes in there and she’d have puked. The scent of the rich food had turned her insides for some reason. She hoped she wasn’t getting a bug. That would be a disaster right now for her job prospects.
Ugh, the job seems to be the center of my whole world right now. Gabrielle hated that everything hung in the balance, and that one wrong step could ruin her chances of keeping her position at A.B. Financial.
Suddenly, the horizon didn’t seem so starry, she thought with a sigh. It was the perfect job and opened the door to so many opportunities. But she also saw a whole stream of heartache ahead if she continued staying around Adam. Why hadn’t she seen all this beforehand?
“Gabrielle, there you are. I’ve been searching all over,” said Adam from behind her.
She forced a smile and turned to him. “I’m sorry for causing you any trouble.”
“Forget about that.” His gentle hand on her shoulder made her face him fully as he examined her features. “You really look unwell. Has the event been that much of a strain?”
Dude, you’d never even guess how much. Gabrielle gave an irreverent inner snort. Seeing him all sympathetic pricked her nerves, especially when he’d all but ignored her existence over the past hour or more.
“It looks like I’ll have to make this an early night,” she said. “But you don’t worry about me, and go ahead back to the party.”
“You can’t expect me to do that,” he said, and frowned when she laughed tightly.
“I’m guessing you can’t be worried about being left alone. Sorry I couldn’t fulfil my duties to the letter, Adam,” she put in pointedly, “But I don’t think you’ll be in any want of company, not with Kiera there to take my place.”
Adam stared at her. “What has Kiera got to do with this?”
“Oh please.” Fighting off her sudden giddiness, she angrily turned away again. She needed a taxi, stat. She had to get away from this whole mess before she keeled over.
Adam’s hand fell on her shoulder again. “Gabrielle, I asked you a question.”
“Well, you might not like the answer.” She jerked his touch away, hating how it sent those shivers through her aching body.
“If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were jealous.”
Gabrielle flashed angry eyes to his and saw the hint of a smile on his lips. The devil was laughing at her pain, she knew it. She wanted to hate him, wanted to lash out but she just felt weak and filled with despair. She realized that everything she’d been running from, and all she’d held herself off from, had been too much to withstand. She was in love with Adam, and now her life had officially hit rock bottom.
*
Adam smiled at the thought that Gabrielle might be jealous. That had to be a sign she wasn’t as immune to him as she’d made known all this time. All evening, he’d had to physically restrain himself from kissing or touching her. Just looking at her made him want her more than ever.
