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She turned and gave me an exasperated frown. “But you don’t do it unless I force you to.” Her face softened. “I’m sorry. I know I’m meddling, but that’s what people do when they love you and they’re worried about you.”
“Hey,” Gabe said. He was wearing a sport coat and dark jeans again. He looked slightly dressed up.
“Hey yourself. Hopefully, we didn’t pull you from anything too important.” For some reason, I crackled with jealousy, suddenly wondering where he’d come from.
“I wanted to be here, remember? You didn’t actually invite me.” He took a step toward me, and I could see the stubble on his chin. He was so tall and handsome, it almost hurt to have him in my kitchen. “Are you okay?”
“No,” I said in a low tone.
“I’ll just leave you two alone,” Hannah said before she quickly ducked out.
“That?
??s a first,” I called, but I wasn’t mad at her. She was meddlesome, but she was all I had. I also happened to know for a fact that her heart was in the right place.
Gabe came closer, reaching out and rubbing my arm. “Do you want to talk about it?”
Heat rushed through me at his touch. “Not really. Clive Warren threatened me today. I’m still processing.”
“I want to help, if I can. Actually, I’d like to go after him and crack his skull open.”
I considered the man in front of me. Gabe was right there, saying all the right things, but part of me—the part that never should have trusted Clive Warren—felt the need to vett him. There was too much at stake. It was imperative that I exercise flawless judgment from here on out.
“Why is that?” I asked. “Why would you do that for me?”
Gabe regarded me patiently. “I know you’re not big on human interaction outside of the lab…but is it so hard for you to believe that I care about you?”
“Care about me? Or care about my company?” The harsh words tumbled out before I could stop myself, and I instantly regretted them.
He dropped his hand from me and backed away, probably worried that my spiteful paranoia was contagious. “Jesus, Lauren. You are what I care about.”
“I’m…sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”
He shrugged. “We can forget about our business deal. If that’s what you need to trust me enough to give me a chance, consider it done.”
I believed him, so I shook my head. “I don’t want to jeopardize our business arrangement or…anything else.”
Gabe’s gaze pierced mine. “Do you have any idea what you do want?”
My immediate and uncensored reaction, which I felt deep in my gut and farther below, was a distinct hell yes. To start with, I wanted him to put his hand back on me. I already missed his touch. But I hesitated, unsure of what to say. “I would like to explore…other partnership opportunities…with you.” I groaned inwardly at the inadequacy of my words. “But it just seems like a lot, all at once.”
And by the way, if I seem awkward and unsure of myself? I’ve never had a boyfriend, or even a second date.
He nodded, as if he understood, which soothed me a little. “It has been a lot all at once.”
“I still don’t understand.” My heart was pounding in my chest. “Why me, I mean?” I couldn’t wrap my head around why he was pursuing me in anything other than a professional capacity. Gabe could have any woman he wanted, and I hadn’t exactly made things easy for him.
He cocked his head, his eyes boring into mine. “Do you think I’ve gotten to where I am today because I’m lucky?”
I shook my head, confused. “No. Of course not.”
“That’s because it wasn’t luck. It was because I saw a market hole early, and I filled it. I’m an early adopter. I can see how something is extraordinary before anyone else can.” He swallowed, and I could see a muscle in his jaw pop. “And I can see that you are extraordinary, Lauren.”
My heart swelled.
“When you’re not being extraordinarily frustrating, that is.”
“Thank you—for the first part, anyway. It means a lot to me.” In fact, it meant everything to me at the moment, but my logical brain couldn’t make sense of the overwhelming amount of raw feeling that was coursing through my body.
