“Thanks,” I say, blinking up at him in a mix of astonishment and relief as the other man staggers away. Then I shake my head because I’m still not sure I’m actually seeing him or if it’s the night’s four martinis playing tricks on me. “What . . . what are you doing here?”
“Someone told me about this hot new club that just opened,” he says, only the barest trace of wry humor in his deep voice. “I thought I’d come check things out.”
“Is that right?” I tilt my head, unable to keep the big grin off my face.
Definitely blamingthaton the martinis, because if I were even a little more sober, I’d be holding my cards a lot closer to my chest. Instead, I feel ridiculously thrilled to be staring at Gabe’s handsome face under the spinning lights of the club.
“After what happened between us yesterday at my place, I didn’t think I’d ever see you again,” I admit, my unfiltered thoughts slipping right off my tongue.
I see Gabe’s gaze slide to my left, where Mel is still standing in mute confusion beside me.
“Oh. Sorry. This is my friend Melanie Laurent,” I explain. “Mel, this is Gabriel Noble.”
“This is him?” Her eyes go wide when I glance at her. “Oh. Um, hi. Nice to meet you.”
“Hello, Melanie.” He nods at her, but he’s already looking at me again. His brow is slightly furrowed, his hazel eyes dark and serious. “You okay?”
It takes me a second to realize he’s not asking about my state of sobriety, or the fact that I can’t seem to stop staring at him. “Yeah, I’m fine. Thanks for getting rid of that guy.”
“Who was he?”
I give a vague, dismissive wave of my hand. “No one.”
“You don’t know him?”
“No.”
“Have you seen him before?”
I shake my head, feeling more satisfied than I should to be on the receiving end of Gabe’s stern, almost possessive, interrogation. “He’s just some rando who recognized me and refused to go away. At least, until youshowed up.”
Gabe grunts, his expression schooled, yet radiating an unmistakable menace as he flicks his gaze into the crush of people. Although I’ve never seen Gabe in uniform, I can imagine how formidable he must have looked garbed for war and armed to the teeth with heavy weapons. Because right now, even dressed in his dark suit and graphite-gray buttoned shirt, there is no mistaking the fact that he is a dangerous man, a skilled and lethal warrior.
God help me, I’ve never wanted him more.
A heated, heavy silence pulses between us as he looks at me. If I’d been doubting that he wanted me yesterday, it’s hard to think it now.
Even Mel seems to pick up on the tension that smolders in our silence. She rests her hand against my upper arm and awkwardly clears her throat. “You two probably want to, ah, catch up. I’m sure I saw Paige across the way just a minute ago. I should go find her.”
I think I say something in reply before Melanie takes off, but I can’t be sure.
I can’t be sure of anything so long as Gabe holds me trapped in the hooded intensity of his dark eyes.
“Did you really only come here tonight to check out the club?” I ask him. “Or did you come here to look for me?”
“What do you think?”
I reach for his hand, lacing my fingers between his. “I think I want you to ask me to dance.”
He makes a low sound in the back of this throat. “That’s probably not a good idea.”
“I think it’s an excellent idea. One of my better ones, in fact.”
A slow grin spreads over his sensual mouth, making the quick flutter in my stomach kick into a steady, warming pound in my core. But he still shakes his head in slow denial. “I don’t dance. I’ll only step on your toes.”
I smile. “You’ve been stepping on them since we met, Boy Scout. Why stop now?”
I don’t wait for him to refuse again. Still holding on to his hand, I swivel and sway to the tempo of the current track’s bass-heavy beat. Gabe’s feet stay rooted to the floor, but his eyes follow my every move. They are hooded and unblinking, searingly hungry.
