“But your job—”
“Has no bearing on my personal life. Who I sleep with is separate. My choice. And I choose you.” He reached out to snag me by the waist and pulled me in between his splayed legs. “You said you wanted me. I want you as well. I held off on my attraction because I didn’t think it was right, but after what happened between us today, I can’t go back to the way we were.” Gabriel nuzzled my neck, and I kissed him until I saw stars.
“I don’t want that either.” I tugged him to his feet. “I’m hungry.”
He grinned and licked his lips, sending a full-body shiver through me. “So am I. Let’s go.”
Arms around each other, we left the food on the island and headed to the bedroom.
It was too soon for me to tell Gabriel it went beyond sex. Way beyond. I didn’t want to freak him out. I’d already scared myself with how much I wanted him.
Chapter Eighteen
Gabriel
I opened the door to the bank and let Ronan in first, then kept on his heels. We might be lovers, but I still had a job to do, and I was now even more vigilant in protecting him from people who wished him harm.
Over the past month, the groups in front of his apartment had dwindled to only one or two people, but the social-media hate was on the rise. His Twitter and Instagram had been set to private, yet every day I reviewed his DMs and was shocked by the vitriol I saw there. The only arguments we had were about me wanting to report it and Ronan refusing.
“Maybe it’ll stop. Just keep an eye on it for me,”was all he said, frustrating me to no end. Every morning I scoured IP addresses, writing them down, along with taking screen shots of every message. Each night we spent together made me more determined to do anything I could to keep Ronan safe.
We waited in the private-client area, and I noticed Seth tracking Ronan as he passed by, his mouth thinned to a hard white line. I guessed losing a big account would make for some bitterness, but it was his fault. I made sure Seth saw I’d noticed him, and he turned his head away quickly.
A woman in a sharp navy suit and with a beautiful gold-and-diamond necklace came to greet Ronan. “Mr. Michaels, welcome. I’m Gena Harrison, your new private-client manager.” The overhead light gleamed off her silver hair.
“Nice to meet you. This is Gabriel Sachs, my…friend.” He stumbled over the word, and my heart squeezed tight. Damn, he was sweet when flustered, and I kind of liked that he didn’t add that I was his security.
“Gabriel.” She nodded to me but immediately refocused on Ronan. “I’m glad you stopped by so that I could introduce myself and see about maximizing your growth.”
Ronan took the chair in front of her desk. “Gabriel, come sit.”
But sitting wasn’t my job. “I’m fine. I’ll be over here where I can see everything.”
Ignoring his scowl, I left them and stood by the entrance to the area, making a mental note of who entered and left and who chose to take the path closest to Ronan. I couldn’t help overhearing their conversation.
“I can schedule something in the future, but I’m here for a different reason. Right now, in addition to the trust for the children’s ward that I’ve got in the works, I want to do something to help the families who don’t have enough insurance to cover their medical expenses. Something where I’d be notified if they’re unable to pay for care so I could help with expenses.”
“I can get our legal team on it. We have many people who set up philanthropic accounts. I’ll have someone talk to you.”
This was something new he hadn’t discussed with me, and if I hadn’t already been crazy about him, this would’ve been all I needed to send me over the edge. Ronan’s kindness to these sick children couldn’t be faked, and he wasn’t using it to win points with a public who still saw him as a monster.
Ronan stood, shook Gena’s hand, and joined me. “All set. I want to go to Best Buy before I report to the hospital.”
As we left the bank, I noticed Seth shooting Ronan a death glare. Stupid fool. He’d already lost a huge account. Time to move on.
“Just ignore him,” Ronan murmured. “He’s a jerk and a failure. A lose-lose combination.”
“I didn’t think you noticed.” Outside, the wind had picked up, and I shivered, pulling up the zipper on my jacket. The sun shone bright, though, so I slipped my shades over my eyes.
“Are you kidding? Even I could see he’d like to put a knife in my back.”
“Not happening. Not while I’m around, at least.”
“I know you’ll keep me safe. I trust you.” Ronan slanted a smile at me from under his ridiculously long lashes, and I couldn’t help the jump my heart took. That morning I’d woken up early and had spent several minutes staring at him as he slept. He’d told me of his nightmares and restlessness, and I’d now seen it firsthand. I’d spent the better part of the night holding him while he cried out and shook with unknown terrors.
“I won’t let anyone hurt you.”
We ambled down Broadway until we came to the electronics store, and once inside, Ronan had a field day. He not only purchased several thousand dollars’ worth of games and equipment, but gift cards as well. Once the delivery to the hospital ward had been arranged, we went to lunch at a ramen place, and he explained, “I wanted to give each family a gift card they can use for food, clothing…whatever they want. It’s not a huge amount, but it should help.”
