“Oh, let him come,” Mia said, keeping her tone light so Ash didn’t pick up on what she was doing. “It’ll keep you from lecturing me on God knows what. Ash sticks up for me.”

“See, she likes me better,” Ash said smugly.

“Okay, what time do you want us to come pick you up?” Jace said in mock resignation.

“Six is fine. Will that work for you guys? I won’t need long to change and get ready. Are we eating casual or what?”

“I know this great pub that serves food that’s right up your alley, baby girl. Wear jeans and we’ll hang out there,” Jace said.

Meaning he was doing this for her because hanging out in pubs wasn’t exactly Jace’s thing.

“Perfect.”

The door opened and Gabe stuck his head in, a frown creasing his forehead. “Hey, have you guys seen…”

He halted when he saw Mia sitting in front of Ash’s desk and then he glanced at Jace and Ash with suspicion. “Am I interrupting anything?”

“Not at all,” Ash said nonchalantly. “We were just keeping Mia company while you kissed and made up with your ex.”

Mia’s eyes widened at Ash’s daring. Holy shit but he was going to get them both in hot water with Gabe.

“Shut the fuck up, Ash,” Gabe snarled.

“Nice,” Jace muttered. “Now you’re sending Mia back in there with him when you were supposedly rescuing her from that fate.”

Mia rose, hoping to head off any further snarkiness from Ash.

“I’ll see you guys tomorrow night for dinner,” she said hurriedly as she nudged Gabe back through the door.

She shut the door behind her, effectively sealing off Gabe from Jace and Ash and any further comments either of them would make. Without waiting for Gabe, she walked down to his office and entered.

Gabe came in behind her. She could feel his presence, overwhelming. Could feel the heat radiating from him. He was like a seething lion. Appropriate since Ash had been so convinced she was heading back into the lion’s den.

“You’re going to dinner with both of them?”

She turned, her brows drawn at the odd note in his voice. “Yes. Ash invited himself. Jace is picking me up at six. I’m going straight to my apartment after work.”

He closed in on her, his gaze intense and brooding. “Just don’t forget who you belong to, Mia.”

She blinked in surprise and then she laughed. “You can’t seriously think that Ash…” She shook her head, unwilling to even voice such a ludicrous idea.

He tipped her chin up, forcing her to meet his gaze. “Maybe you need a reminder.”

There was something in his tone, in the raw power flowing from his body that made her remain silent and accepting.

“Get on your knees.”

She sank to her knees, awkwardly situating herself so that the plug remained intact. He fumbled with the zipper of his pants and pulled out his semi-erect cock.

“Suck it,” he ordered. “Make me come, Mia. I want that gorgeous mouth of yours wrapped around my dick.”

He tilted her head back, dug his hands into her hair and then pulled her toward his growing erection. The tip bounced against her lips and then he pushed, forcefully opening her lips to his advance.

Then he was inside her, pressing deep, rubbing back and forth over her tongue. He was even more intense than usual, and she wondered just how affected he’d been by Lisa’s visit. Was he even now trying to erase her presence in his office?

But then she caught the look in his eyes and she softened all over. He was angry. Not at her. There was need. Almost desperation in his gaze. His hands roamed freely over her head and then to her face, caressing, touching, almost as if he were apologizing for that desperate need.

She reached up and wrapped her hand around the base of his cock and then gently pushed him away with her other hand so she could lever up further on her knees. She slowed his pace, taking him in long, leisurely sucks.

This would be no mindless release for him. She would show him her love, even if he didn’t want it. He needed it. He needed her. Even if it was the last thing he’d ever tell her.

Her hand coaxing up and down in time with her mouth, she gripped him, working from base to tip, letting the tip dangle precariously on her lips before sucking him in whole again.

“Goddamn, Mia,” Gabe breathed. “Goddamn, what you do to me.”

His hips bucked forward and the warm, salty burst of his release filled her mouth, and still she sucked him deeper, wanting all of him, taking all of him. She lavished every bit of love and attention on him, taking him sweetly, moving slowly, and forgoing the frantic pace of earlier.

She licked from the head to his balls, leaving no inch of him untouched.

Finally she slid her mouth down and allowed him to slip from her lips. She stared up at him, a picture of perfect submission—of acceptance. And she allowed him to see her. Really see her.

He flinched and then he lowered himself to his knees in front of her so they were nearly eye level. And then he pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly as his body heaved from the ease she’d given him.

“I can’t be without you,” he whispered. “You have to stay, Mia.”

She stroked her hands over his back and then up to his head and held him lovingly.

“I’m not going anywhere, Gabe.”

Chapter twenty-one

Mia bent over Gabe’s desk, palms flat on the surface, her skirt hiked up as Gabe withdrew the plug. She closed her eyes and breathed out her relief. She’d been on the edge the entire afternoon. Now maybe she could come down off that edgy high.

Gabe carefully cleaned her bottom, taking his time smoothing the cloth over her flesh before lowering her skirt and giving her a light pat.

“Go get your things. We’ll run by the apartment to change and then we’ll go to dinner.”

She wanted to sag onto the desk and lie there for the next fifteen minutes while she recovered from teetering on the edge for so long. Instead of reprimanding her for not immediately following his order, Gabe slid his hands over her shoulders and then lifted her upward, pulling her into his arms.

She snuggled into his embrace, inhaling his spicy scent and his warmth. He kissed the top of her head and murmured, “I know I push too hard, but God help me, I can’t seem to do anything else.”

She smiled against him and hugged him, wrapping her arms around him to squeeze. He seemed surprised by the gesture. He went still but then he squeezed her tighter against him and buried his face in her hair.

“Don’t let me change you, Mia,” he whispered. “You’re perfect the way you are.”

But he had changed her. Irrevocably. She’d never be the same.

When he let her go, he turned away, almost as if he loathed the fact that he’d whispered what he had. She straightened her clothing and pretended not to see his discomfort. She went to her desk, grabbed her purse and then turned back to Gabe, a bright smile on her face.

“Shall we go?”

Gabe held out his arm and she went ahead of him, his hand pressed to her back as he let them out of his office. They said their good-byes to Eleanor who was preparing to leave as well and then they ran into Ash at the elevator.

Mia’s heart plummeted. Wasn’t he supposed to be at a dinner meeting with Jace? God, what if he’d tried to go into Gabe’s office? Had he been there and found it locked? Worse, could he have heard anything?

“Ash, I thought you were with Jace,” Gabe said easily.

Ash grinned and Mia marveled at how damn good-looking the man was.

“Forgot a folder with important info on the people we’re meeting for dinner. Jace is schmoozing and giving my excuses for being unavoidably detained.”

Mia snorted. “Jace schmoozing? That’s your forte, Ash. How on earth did you finagle being the one to retrieve the folder? He’s probably about to crawl out of his skin right now.”

Ash chucked her on the chin and then pulled her into a squeeze. “Missed you, kiddo. And yeah, I didn’t give Jace a choice. I cut and run before he could be snarly.”

She hugged Ash back, comforted by his obvious affection for her. Until today, it had been a good while since she’d been with Ash or Jace. She missed that. Missed their steady, reassuring comfort. “Missed you too. It’s been too long, Ash. I was beginning to think you didn’t love me anymore.”

They got onto the elevator and Ash gave her a look of mock horror. “Not love you? I’d slay dragons and lay them at your feet. I adore you.”

She rolled her eyes. “Don’t overdo the charm. You wouldn’t want to use it all up because it’s totally wasted on me.”

He slung an arm over her shoulders, grinning the entire while. “It doesn’t hurt to dream.” He gave a dramatic sigh. “One day, you’ll be mine.”

“Yeah, right after Jace removes your balls,” Gabe said darkly.

Ash winced, which only made him even more damn sexy. It was a shame she wasn’t attracted to him because he would be so good in bed. Flirty. Fun. Full-on down-and-dirty sex. But if the rumors were true and he and Jace tended to have sex with the same woman, that would be incredibly awkward…

She shuddered at the thought. There were just some things she didn’t need to know about her brother for God’s sake. And picturing him naked with Ash may well have ruined any appreciation she had for Ash. Which was sad, because the man did fuel some sigh-worthy moments.

“See you later tonight, Gabe,” Ash said as he broke from the elevator. “Jace awaits and if I don’t get there soon, he’ll run off the investors before I have a chance to charm them.”

Gabe held up a hand in a wave and Mia called back a good-bye. Then Gabe ushered her into his car for the ride to his apartment.

“You’re seeing Ash tonight?” Mia asked when they settled in for the ride. “So are we not going out?”

Gabe’s lips tightened. “You’re going to dinner with me, as planned. I have to meet Jace and Ash around nine for drinks.”

“Oh,” she said, wondering what that was about. But it wasn’t as if it weren’t a normal occurrence. When all three were in town and not traveling in different directions, they spent a lot of time together.

And she supposed if that changed all of a sudden along with the timing of her coming to work for Gabe, it may set off some alarms with Jace especially.

“What should I wear?” she asked, changing the topic.

Gabe’s gaze fell on her, sweeping up and down until she may as well have been naked.

“One of your new dresses. The black one with the slit up the thigh.”

She lifted her eyebrows. “Going fancy tonight?”

He didn’t react. His expression was inscrutable. “I’m going to take you for a nice, quiet dinner and dancing. Good music, good food, beautiful woman. Not much more a man can ask for.”

She went warm with pleasure at his compliment. Her smile was quick and his lips quirked almost as if he couldn’t help but react to her pleasure.

Then his expression grew serious. “You’re not just a beautiful woman, Mia. I don’t want you to ever forget that. You’re more than that. Don’t ever let me take so much there’s nothing left.”

His cryptic warnings were growing in frequency. She wasn’t sure what to make of them. Was he warning her or himself? Gabe was an enigma. She never really was certain what he was thinking unless they were having sex. That was a no-brainer. She knew exactly what his thoughts were then.

When they arrived at his apartment, they went up and Mia disappeared into the bathroom to ready herself. If they were going fancier, she wanted to wow Gabe. She wanted to appear sophisticated. Like she belonged at his side.

She curled her hair and then arranged it in an elegant upsweep, allowing a few curls to fall loosely at her nape and down the sides of her neck. She applied light makeup, going with mascara and a pale lip gloss that made her lips shine but not appear overly dramatic. There was something to be said for less is more. The art of wearing makeup was to appear as though you were wearing none at all.

Her dress was wow worthy. She still couldn’t believe how she looked in it. With the tall heels, she had enough height to carry off the long dress with the daring slit. Her legs appeared long and shapely with the aid of the shoes.

Even though Gabe had bitched about the backless dress she’d worn to the grand opening, he’d chosen this dress that only had two strings crisscrossing the back. The rest was bare and it dipped daringly low to hover just above her ass. The small of her back was enticing, just inviting a man’s hand to rest there.

She wore no bra and the bodice was form fitting enough she had no worries there, although the neckline dipped, as did the back of the dress, to hint at the upper swells of her breasts.

Evidently Gabe was in an interesting mood. He was usually quite snarly about anyone—especially other men—seeing her in anything remotely revealing. But tonight she looked and felt like a sexy beast. She liked the confidence it gave her.