His Unlikely Lover (Unwanted #3) (33 page)

“Chase and I were only eight.” It was the year before the Richmonds had moved in next to the Braddocks. “And our world just fell apart. One day everything made sense and the next it didn’t. Nothing felt permanent or safe and according to my mum, I started rearranging things in the closets and kitchen cupboards a couple of months after that. When it proved too hard to control the communal areas in the house, I focused only on my room. The habit stuck with me. If I don’t maintain complete governance over every minute detail of my surroundings, I feel like things are spiraling out of control.”

“Did you ever hear from him again?” she asked softly, and he flicked her a sideways glance.

“Who? My father?”

“Yes.”

“We get a Christmas card and a birthday card—one between the two of us—from him every year.” Bobbi couldn’t help the surprised sound that emerged from her throat.

“You never mentioned that before,” she said, and he shrugged.

“It’s not important. He’s a narcissist. He
never
makes any kind of polite inquiry as to how we are, but always assumes that we must be dying to know what his latest adventure is. The reality is that both Chase and I lost interest years ago, but it would never occur to Leighton Braddock that maybe his sons don’t
want
to know about his awesome trips to far-flung places. I’m sure he imagines we think he’s the coolest dad in the world.” A reluctant laugh huffed from him. “He’s such an arse. I don’t even think he realizes that Mum has divorced him and remarried. I’m pretty sure if he ever swans back here someday he expects to reconcile with his lovely wife and have amazing relationships with his adoring sons.”

“Ooh,”
Bobbi said, wincing, keeping her tone light. “It would almost be worth it just to see him get a huge dose of reality smacked in his face.”

They lapsed back into silence for the remainder of the drive as Bobbi reflected upon what she had just learned. She knew Gabe better than most people but had never known how badly his father’s abandonment had affected him. Learning that she didn’t know everything there was to know about him was kind of exciting. It was like listening to a much-loved CD for the hundredth time only to unexpectedly discover a beautiful, hidden track at the end.

She glanced out of the window when the car took a turn and saw that they were on their street. Her heart sank when Gabe bypassed his gate and drove to hers. Security let them in and he didn’t say anything as he maneuvered the Jeep up the long drive toward the house and drew it to a stop in front of the steps leading up to the front door.

“Should I come over later?” she asked in an unsteady voice, and his hands tightened perceptibly on the steering wheel, while he kept his face forward.

“I would
love
that,” he muttered before turning to face her. “But . . . I don’t want us to rush this.”

“Gabe . . . that cat’s been out of the bag for a while now,” she teased, and his teeth gleamed in the dark as he grinned.

“And what a pretty cat it is. One that I would love to pet and stroke and play with.”

She choked and blushed furiously. “Uh . . .” She was at a complete loss for words.

“
But
we’re doing it right this time, Bobbi. So you stuff that gorgeous little pussy . . . cat right back in the bag.”

“Enough with the cat analogies,” she groaned.

“
You
started it,” he pointed out. “I merely ran with it.”

She shook her head and slammed a palm to her face.

“You going to give me a good-night kiss?” he asked huskily, and she dipped her head coyly.

“Only if you walk me to the door,” she retorted.

“It’ll be my pleasure.” He leapt out of the Jeep and hurried around to help her down like she was one of his elegant blondes and Bobbi thrilled at the gentlemanly treatment. He took her hand and placed it in the crook of his elbow before walking her up the short flight of stairs and onto the well-lit porch.

He stopped right in front of the door and turned to face her, maintaining a frustratingly polite distance between their bodies.

“I had a great evening,” he said.

“Me too.”

“Does that mean you’ll be willing to go out with me again?” he asked, and she rolled her eyes.

“Of course.”

“Good.” His eyes dropped to her mouth and his tongue wet his lips. Her eyes followed the movement hungrily. He stepped closer to her and inhaled deeply, then exhaled on a shuddery breath before cupping her neck with his palms. He used his thumbs to tilt her jaw and she barely had time to reflect upon how much the masterful gesture turned her on before his lips dropped onto hers for a drugging, sucking, gentle kiss that obliterated her thought processes until all she could do was enjoy the sensuality of his expert mouth.

The kiss demanded nothing and left her wanting so much more. When he lifted his mouth, hers followed his blindly until he stood upright and removed the temptation from her reach.

“I’ll pick up my car at lunchtime,” he said, and she was in too much of a daze to do anything other than nod. “And we can have lunch together?”

“Lunch. Yes.” She nodded again.

“Good night, Bobbi mine,” he said, and the endearment had her smiling radiantly and truly feeling like
his
after the wonderful evening they had just enjoyed together.

“Yes, good night,” she repeated. He stood there unmoving and she gazed up at him dreamily.

“Aren’t you going in?” he asked, and she snapped out of her haze and flushed.

“Uh,
yes
. Of course!” She fumbled with the lock and opened the door . . . eventually.

“See you tomorrow.” She stepped inside and he nodded. “Good night.” She closed the door before he could respond, quickly reset the alarm, and then stood on tiptoe to peer out of the peephole, wanting to see what he did next. He was smiling as he turned away and when he went down the stairs, he did so with a bounce in his step that she recognized as happiness.

She hugged that knowledge to her chest as she floated up to her room. He was happy. She had done that. Even if this relationship of theirs
was
doomed, she would not have exchanged tonight for anything else in the world.

“Good morning.” Gabe was slightly embarrassed by the singsong quality in his voice when he joined his brother for breakfast the following morning. Chase, who had been staring broodingly into his coffee, looked up and smiled when he saw Gabe’s grin.

“You’re in a good mood,” he observed.

“Why
wouldn’t
I be?” Gabe said after sitting down opposite him. “It’s a gorgeous summer morning. The sky’s blue, the birds are out, everything smells fresh and awesome.”

“You didn’t join me for our jog this morning,” Chase said.

“Slept in,” Gabe informed before crunching into a slice of whole-wheat toast.

“Good evening last night?” Chase asked.

“The best.”

“When will you see her again?”

“Lunch.” He couldn’t wait. He had enjoyed her company so much the night before that he had disclosed more about himself than he ever had to anybody else. It had been revelatory—he felt like he could tell her anything because she already knew him so well and wouldn’t judge him.

Their conversation had been interesting, easygoing, and had flowed as readily as the wine, and it hadn’t been filled with only the fluff and banter that had characterized their previous discussions. It had felt more significant, like he was really getting to know her for the first time, and the more he learned the more he liked and respected her.

“Jeez, look at you,” Chase groused good-naturedly. “You’re beaming so damned brightly, you’re practically blinding me.”

Gabe’s grin merely widened and he winked at his brother before diving into his breakfast.

“Hey, boss, your boyfriend’s here for his car.” Sean’s embarrassingly loud voice rang out across the shop floor where Bobbi was consulting with one of her few new female clients about fixing the brake line on the woman’s Mini Cooper.

Bobbi winced and smiled apologetically at the woman, who returned the smile politely. Her client was one of those young twenty-somethings who had the sleek and pampered appearance of a woman who had money and enjoyed spending it on herself. The kind of woman Bobbi should probably have been when one took her background into consideration.

She ignored Sean, knowing that Gabe wouldn’t interrupt her while she was in consultation with a client, but a quick peek over the woman’s shoulder told her that he had a clear view of them both. He waved at her and she waved back self-consciously. The woman glanced over her shoulder to see who Bobbi was looking at, and her entire body went on alert—shoulders up, chest out, chin up, and a sexy hair flick. She stopped listening to Bobbi and spent her energy projecting “I’m available” vibes toward the other end of the large workroom. Didn’t she hear Sean call Gabe Bobbi’s boyfriend for God’s sake? Or did she think Sean had meant someone else?

Bobbi grimaced as she gathered that that was probably exactly what the woman thought. She wouldn’t for a second think Gabe was the “boyfriend” in question.

Bobbi kept talking and explaining what would be done to her car, but the woman was a lost cause, and in the end, Bobbi just told her how much the service would cost and offered her a replacement car while they fixed her Mini.

“All good.” The woman dismissed her as her eyes hungrily followed Gabe, who was inspecting his Lamborghini and chatting amiably with Sean.

“I’ll get the keys,” Bobbi mumbled.

“Thank you. I’ll just . . . have a look around while you do that.” Bobbi watched as the woman made a beeline for Gabe.

“This is some car,” she said when she joined the two men. Sean looked immediately lovestruck, but she ignored him and focused her laser-like attention on Gabe. Bobbi had to admit that he looked even more gorgeous today. In that charcoal pinstriped suit, with a pale blue shirt and dark-blue-and-gray-striped tie, he oozed that conservative elegance Bobbi found so irresistible.

“I noticed it from across the room,” the woman was saying, and Bobbi rolled her eyes.
Yeah, right
. She hadn’t noticed the car until Gabe had been standing right beside it. Some more hair flicking followed combined with a ridiculous amount of eyelash fluttering. Bobbi snorted and tried not to feel insecure. Smelling of engines and looking grubby, when Bobbi stood beside a woman like that, it would be hard not to find her lacking.

Bobbi made quick work of getting the keys to the woman’s replacement car and joined them a moment later. The woman was asking Gabe all these breathless and
interested
questions about his car, ignoring poor Sean, who looked crestfallen.

“Here you are, Ms. Simms,” Bobbi announced, holding up the keys. “She’s just a Fiat but she’s quite reliable.”

The woman looked irritated by the interruption, and when she took the keys, she wrinkled her nose when her fingers brushed against Bobbi’s hand.

“I don’t know about you but I always find the whole garage experience to be such a chore,” she told Gabe in a confiding voice. “Everything and everybody’s just so . . .
dirty
. No offense of course.” The last was directed to Bobbi and absolutely devastated Sean. Gabe’s eyes narrowed as he took in Sean’s face before they shifted to Bobbi, who maintained a carefully and politely blank expression on her face.

“Well,” he said, reaching out and grabbing Bobbi’s hand before yanking her over until she was plastered against his side. She had had a bit of an oil spill that morning and her overalls were somewhat the worse for wear, but he didn’t hesitate and kept her firmly tucked beneath his arm. “Sometimes a bit of dirt isn’t so bad, is it sweetheart?” he asked Bobbi before dropping a long and very hot kiss on her surprised mouth.

“Hey there,” he whispered when he lifted his lips and she blinked, completely flustered.

“Uh, hey yourself,” she replied.

“You ready for lunch? I’m starving. My good friend here, the mechanical genius Sean, tells me that my car is all fixed and ready to go.” He completely ignored the flabbergasted Ms. Simms, whose jaw was gaping unbecomingly.

“Nearly ready, I just need to finish up with my client,” she said, and he grinned before releasing her reluctantly.