“What’s wrong with Gabe Fuller?”
Brooke’s brow creased. “What do you mean?” As far as she knew, nothing was wrong with the man. Then, a thought occurred. “He’s all right, isn’t he?”
“Other than a personality problem, he’s fine.”
She wasn’t sure why Phil had called her in to discuss Gabe. As far as she was concerned, he was the company’s problem now. They didn’t need media communication involved.
“I don’t understand.”
“He’s being impossible. Damn stubborn.”
“What’s happened?”
Phil slammed his hand down on the desktop. “He’s being completely unreasonable.”
“What?”
“He won’t negotiate, and he’s making stupid demands. If it doesn’t stop, we’re going to have to dump him.”
They were getting nowhere. Brooke approached Phil, getting in his face, so he had to look her in the eye. “Phil, what’s going on?”
For weeks now Gabe had been trying to get in touch with her. She’d refused his calls and ignored his messages on social media. Whatever was going on, she didn’t have a clue. She certainly wasn’t expecting the response she got from Phil.
“He keeps throwing up roadblocks. But he says he’ll drop everything and cooperate if you go talk to him.”
Dumbly, Brooke pointed to herself. “He wants to talk to me?”
That was his big demand. He wanted to talk to her, and until he did, Miles was getting nothing out of him. Apparently, a phone call wouldn’t work. They were way past that, Gabe had said.
So, she found herself back in the parking lot in front of Gabe’s office building.
She slammed the car door shut and stomped across the asphalt.
When she opened the door, Sophie greeted her, but Brooke wasn’t interested in formality. “Is he in?”
Mumbling a quick yes, Sophie hadn’t even stood before Brooke was through the outer office and bursting into Gabe’s private domain.
“What the hell, Gabe?”
At his desk, typing something on the computer, Gabe glanced up at the interruption. “Hey, Brooke. How are you?”
“I just drove two hours to get here, so don’t give me that crap. You dragged me out here. Why?”
As if he had all the time in the world, Gabe reclined in his chair. He cocked his head. “What’s wrong with a little chat first?”
Approaching the desk, she slapped her hands on the surface and leaned toward him. “Gabe, Miles will fire you if you don’t smarten up.”
“I had to do something to get your attention. You wouldn’t return my calls. I would have gone to see you, but I had no idea where you lived, and Kevin wouldn’t tell me.”
Brooke almost smirked over that. “I’m here now, so spit it out.”
“Fine.” He came around the desk. Refusing to be intimidated, she held her ground.
“I asked you if you needed me. If you wanted me.”
Brooke’s eyes narrowed. She’d answered those questions. Sure, she’d lied, but that was beside the point.
“You never asked me.”
“Asked you what?”
“If I need you. If I want you.” She looked up into his big brown eyes and almost swooned when he said, “Because I do.”
“What?” she squeaked.
He took her face between his hands. “Brooke, I need you. I want to be with you. I like spending all my time with you. You’re constantly on my mind. I want you to be my girlfriend. My real girlfriend this time.”
She tried to pull back, but he wouldn’t release her. “This is just because I left. Or because of my mom. You don’t have to feel sorry for me. I’ve got a life going somewhere else. I’ll be fine.”
“But I won’t. I don’t want to think about you with Chase, Mark, Kevin, or anybody else.”
She shook her head. “What are you talking about?”
“I want you to be with me, Brooke. Nobody else.”
This didn’t make any sense to her. “What about the motel room?”
“I canceled my lease the day after the funeral.”
“Why?”
He grinned and kissed the tip of her nose. “Because I don’t need a room full of horny women to make me happy, I need you. You’re the woman I care about.”
Damn. She thought she’d gotten a handle on her crying, but Gabe had her close to tears. “I don’t understand,” she choked out.
“I love you.”
She blinked in an attempt to chase away the tears.
He ran his thumbs over her cheekbones. “This is the first time I’ve ever done something like this. Could you say something? Please?”
She pushed onto her tiptoes, threw her arms around his neck, and kissed him. His hands dropped from her face, and he hugged her, drawing her nearer.
He whispered against her hair a moment later, “God, I missed you.”
“I missed you, too. Did you really cancel your contract at the motel?” That left her in awe.
He nodded. “I hate that our first time wasn’t special. I was so selfish about what I wanted…what I thought I wanted.”
She hugged him. “It was special. I’d never done anything like that before. And let’s be honest, if I hadn’t stumbled across that motel, your perception of me would never have changed. We wouldn’t be here now.”
“Maybe. We also wouldn’t be here now if I hadn’t forced your company to send you. Why haven’t you returned my calls?”
It seemed almost stupid now. “I thought it would be safer if I walked away. I was growing attached to you again. When you broke things off, I would have been crushed.”
“What made you so sure I would have broken it off?”
“It was a fake relationship.”
“It didn’t feel like more than that to you? Because it sure as hell felt like more to me.”
She frowned at him. “Of course, it felt like more, but it’s not like we ever talked about that.”
“Because you took off! It seems every time I turn around, you’re running away from me.”
Coyly, she smiled up at him. “Do you really want to argue?”
“No.”
“Good, because I love you, too.”
“Thank God!” He gathered her close once more. “Will you go with me to Amelia’s wedding as my girlfriend?”
“For real this time?” she teased.
“For real this time.”
“Yes, I’d very much like to go with you.”
Gabe gathered her close and laid his lips against hers. They had so much to work out. She lived and worked in a different town. He was giving up his sexual lifestyle for her. Yet, none of those things worried her. He was in love with her. All of her fears and worries melted away beneath his kiss, his touch.
When he kissed her this time, Brooke thought about his grandfather’s words. Now she knew for sure they were kerosene and flame.