Rush (Breathless #1)(63)

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 br**sts.

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.

When she exited the bathroom, Gabe was sitting on the edge of his bed waiting for her. His eyes flared with instant appreciation, causing her to do a twirl. She turned around, hands up, and then faced him again.

“Will I do?”

“Fuck yeah,” he growled.

As he stood, her gaze drifted appreciatively over him as well. The expensive three-piece suit made her mouth water. On another man, it would be boring. Staid almost. But on Gabe? It was divine. Black slacks. Black coat. White shirt with the top button unfastened. He looked expensive casual, like he didn’t give a f**k what anyone thought, and that just made him even sexier.

“I take it where we’re going a tie is optional?” she teased.

One half of his mouth turned up. “They bend the rules for me.”

And who wouldn’t? Who could possibly say no to Gabe Hamilton? Apart from the fact that he had more money than God, he had a natural charisma that drew women and men alike. They responded to him. Some feared him, others hated him, but everyone respected him.

“Would you like something to drink before we go?” Gabe asked.

She slowly shook her head. The longer they remained in his apartment, the more likely they were never to make it out to dinner. And she was looking forward to an actual date with him. So far there had been sex and work and not much else.

He held out his hand to her and she slipped her fingers through his. He tugged her toward the elevator and they rode down to get into his car.

On the way over, she battled over whether to bring the thing with Lisa up. She was dying of curiosity but she didn’t want to open a big can of worms either.

She glanced sideways at him and he caught her gaze, lifting his eyebrows in question.

“What?” he asked.

She hesitated and then figured she may as well take the plunge. He wouldn’t leave her alone until she spilled what was on her mind anyway.

“Uhm, Lisa…”

Before she could continue, Gabe’s face became like ice and he held up his hand, halting her in midsentence.

“I refuse to ruin a perfectly good evening by discussing my ex-wife,” he bit out.

Well. And that was that. And really, she wasn’t going to complain. She didn’t want to ruin their evening either. Even if she was dying of curiosity over what Gabe thought about the whole thing. And maybe a little frightened…

At the restaurant, they were taken to one of the back tables in a private alcove. It was perfect. The interior was dimly lit but candles burned at each of the tables, and an array of Christmas lights was strung through decorative shrubs, lending a festive, holiday feel. It made her long for Christmas.

She loved the holidays in the city. Jace had always taken her down to Rockefeller Center for the lighting of the Christmas tree. It was one of her favorite memories of him and her together.

“What are you thinking of?” Gabe asked.

She blinked and focused her attention on him. He was watching her, a curious expression on his face.

“You looked very happy. Whatever occupied your thoughts must have been good.”

She smiled. “I was thinking of Christmas.”

“Christmas?”

He looked baffled.

“Jace always took me down for the lighting of the tree. It’s one of my favorite memories with him. I love all the lights and the hustle and bustle of Christmas in the city. Love window-shopping and looking at all the displays. It’s the very best time of the year.”

He looked thoughtful for a moment and then shrugged. “Lisa and I always spent it in the Hamptons, and then when she and I divorced, I just worked through the holidays.”