She shook her head. “I want to go home. To my apartment.”Ash and Jace exchanged quick, worried glances.When the elevator opened, Jace stalked out, leaving Ash and Mia to follow at a slower pace. By the time they got to the exit, Jace was already back, and as promised, he and Ash hovered so closely around her that it was hard to see who she was or what she was wearing.They surrounded her as she got into the car and then they quickly climbed in and shut the door behind them.To Mia’s relief, Jace supplied her address for the driver to take them to her apartment.“How long has this been going on?” Jace demanded.“That’s none of your business,” Mia said stonily.Jace’s expression grew stormy. “The hell it isn’t. That son of a bitch abused you and took advantage of you.”“Oh for fuck’s sake. He did not. It was a completely consensual relationship, Jace. Get off your holier-than-thou pulpit for a minute. He didn’t do a damn thing that I didn’t want. He was very clear as to what I was agr
And La Patisserie was temporary this time. She’d made it clear to Louisa and to Greg that she was pursuing other jobs. She’d work at the café while she explored other possibilities and then she’d take that step out, stop hiding and embrace her future. A future without Gabe Hamilton.She shivered in the damp cold. It was a gray, overcast, dreary day perfectly suited to her mood. She hadn’t slept the night before—how could she? Caroline had stayed up with her until she’d started yawning and Mia had shooed her to bed. And then she’d lain in her own bed, staring up at the ceiling, remembering every minute of her relationship with Gabe.Checking her watch, she realized she’d have to get a cab when she’d intended on walking. Jace would be at her apartment soon, and she didn’t want him freaking out on her again.Tugging her coat tighter around her, she waded through the passersby to get to the corner so she could hail a taxi.The biggest thing she struggled with was having to return to a rou
“You didn’t give our friendship a whole hell of a lot of consideration when you jumped into bed with my sister,” Jace said icily. “You knew I’d be pissed. Hell, I warned you off that very first day, Gabe, and you fucking lied to me.”“Mia didn’t want you to know,” Gabe said. “She didn’t want to hurt you, and she didn’t want you to lose your mind. I agreed because I only wanted her, and I didn’t give a shit what I had to do to have her.”“What is she to you, Gabe? Entertainment? A challenge because she’s untouchable? She’s way out of your league and you damn well know it.”Gabe slammed his fist down on the desk, glaring Jace down. “I want to goddamn marry her.”Jace lifted one eyebrow. “You swore you’d never marry again after Lisa.”Gabe pushed off the desk and turned, pacing a tight line in front of Jace’s desk.“I said a lot of things. And no other woman has ever made me second-guess my decisions. But Mia…She’s different. I can’t live without her, Jace. With or without your blessing,
“Why is he sending you flowers, for God’s sake?”Mia rolled onto her back. “Oh that’s only part of it. He was here last night. And then he showed up at La Patisserie today.”“What the hell? Why?”“I have no idea,” Mia said wearily. “To drive me crazy? Who knows? I slammed the door in his face last night. Today I just ignored him.”“Good for you,” Caroline said in a savage tone. “Want me to go kick his ass?”Mia laughed and then leaned up to hug her friend. “I love you, Caro. I’m so glad I have you.”Caroline squeezed Mia back. “That’s what friends are for. And hey, if you decide to kill him, you know I’ll help you hide the body.”Mia burst into laughter again, her heart lighter than just a moment before.“Hey, what do you want to eat tonight? I was thinking about takeout, but if you wanted we could go down the street to the pub and hang out for a while.”Caroline studied Mia intently. “Are you sure? I don’t mind cooking for us if you want to hang here.”Mia shook her head. “No, let’s
Mia spent the weekend with Jace—or rather he spent it with her. Ash was in and out, bringing takeout and generally fussing over her. The two men brought movies, and they crashed on the couch watching TV until Mia would drift off into a fever-induced sleep.By Monday morning she was feeling better, but not well enough to tackle work, so she called in to let Louisa and Greg know she wouldn’t be there.Jace and Ash headed into the office but told her they’d be back, because they had something special planned for the evening.Through it all, she hadn’t heard a single peep from Gabe. No flowers, no gifts. Just silence. It unnerved her and had her questioning every decision she’d made with regard to him.She didn’t have the heart to tell Jace she didn’t feel up to whatever he and Ash had planned. They’d both been so great over the weekend, pampering her endlessly and working so hard to cheer her up.Whatever they had planned, she’d be prepared and she’d take it with a smile. Jace had told h
(BOOK 2 STARTS HERE)Jace Crestwell tapped Gabe Hamilton on the shoulder and when Gabe turned, Jace grinned. “You’ve hogged my sister long enough. It’s my turn to dance with her.”Gabe didn’t look happy with the interruption. He and Mia had been solidly glued to one another for the past hour, but he grudgingly took a step back and Mia smiled radiantly as Jace took Gabe’s place.The entire ballroom of the Bentley Hotel was decorated for Christmas, a nod to the fact that above all else, Mia loved Christmas, and it was also a well-known fact that Gabe would do damn near anything to make his new fiancée happy.And, well, Gabe moved fast when he wanted something, if nothing else. He’d started planning the engagement party the moment he got his ring on Mia’s finger. Almost as if he were afraid she’d change her mind unless he got the ball rolling immediately.It was pretty funny for Jace to see his friend in knots over a woman. The fact that the woman in question was Jace’s sister was a litt
“Thank you,” he whispered. “You okay? You got somewhere to sleep tonight?”She didn’t, but she wasn’t going to tell him that. So she lied instead. “Yeah.”Some of his tension eased and he nodded. “Good. I’m working on it, Bethy. I’ll have a place for both of us soon.”She shook her head in denial, knowing it was what he always said, and also knowing it wasn’t going to happen.He leaned forward and kissed her forehead. For a long moment, she closed her eyes and imagined different circumstances. But that was pointless. It was what it was and wishing for it to be different was like pissing in the wind.“I’ll be checking on you,” he said.She nodded. And then, as he started to melt back into the shadows of the alley, she looked up and said, “Be careful, Jack. Please?”His smile was just as shadowy as the night. “Always, babe.”She watched him go as the knot in her throat grew bigger. Damn it. Rage built but she knew it was also a useless emotion. Her fingers curled and uncurled at her sid
She cleared her throat. “Hotel is fine, and I don’t care. If it’s hot and tastes good, I’ll eat it. Nothing too fancy. In fact, what I really want is a burger. And fries.”She’d kill for both right now.“And orange juice,” she finished in a rush.Amusement glimmered on Ash’s lips but Jace was still utterly serious.“Hamburger. Fries. Orange juice. I think I can handle that,” Jace said. Then he checked his watch. “People will be cleared out in fifteen. How much time you need to finish?”She blinked. “Uh, not everyone will clear out in fifteen minutes. I mean even if the guests of honor leave, people always hang out afterward. Especially when there’s food and drink.”He cut her off before she could say more.“Fifteen minutes, Bethany. They’ll be gone.”It was a promise. It wasn’t speculation on his part.“How much time you need?” he asked impatiently.“Thirty minutes maybe?” she guessed.He touched her again, his fingers gliding over her cheek and up to her temple, where he toyed with l