“Um, Earth to Mel!” The irritated ping in Jess’s voice wrenched me from my thoughts. “Come on. Don’t tell him then. Get drunk and show him your boobs. Maybe he’ll throw you a pity fuck or something.”
I shut my computer off and slung my backpack across my back, pinching my phone between my ear and my shoulder. “What kind of crap pep talk is this?”
I was thankful everyone else in my office had gone home for the night. They didn’t need to know about the pathetic accountant hopelessly in love with her best friend.
Jess heaved a sigh in my ear. “Goddamn, you guys drive me crazy. You’re basically in a romance movie, and everyone’s just waiting for you to bone already.”
I rolled my eyes. I loved Jess, but sometimes her blunt nature was a bit overbearing. “I’m hanging up now. I’ll see you at the club. Tell Gabe I’m sorry to be late, but I’ll be there in a few minutes.”
“Um, he’s not here. Unless he’s in the horde of writhing bodies on the dance floor. But knowing Gabe, I doubt it.”
I blinked. “He’s not there yet? We agreed to meet there, right?”
“Yup. I got the memo, at least. Don’t worry, I’m sure he’ll show soon. He wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
We said our goodbyes, and I tucked the phone into my backpack. Odd that Gabriel wasn’t at the club yet. Those kinds of places weren’t exactly his scene, but he was never late for anything.
In a hurry to make up for lost time, I ripped open the front door to my office building and rushed outside.
“Oof!” I crashed into a rock-hard body standing just outside the door. “Ouch— Oh gosh, I’m so sorry—” A tangle of words tripped out of me, flustered that I’d walked straight into someone. I couldn’t help being embarrassed about my clumsiness, but it was the norm. Accidently mowing down strangers was a time-old song I’d learn to live with.
Lifting my attention, my gaze locked with the towering figure whose shadow swallowed me, my heart thundering in my chest like a lovesick schoolgirl as I found myself starring into the deepest eyes of blue.
