Reunion [NOOK Book]

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Chapter One

    Dinner that night was more like a wake than a meal. Mike had done his best to keep a civil conversation going, but it seemed to be a lost cause. Gabriel had little to say to Laura, and she had even less to say to him. But Mike was beginning to believe that the strain between them had nothing to do with locking Gabriel inside his room. He'd seen the way Laura looked at Gabriel when she thought he wasn't watching. And he'd caught Gabriel stealing glances at Laura off and on all night. Their lack of conversation had nothing to do with animosity and everything to do with a growing attraction they were trying to ignore.

    As soon as it was decent, he made his excuses and bade them good-night. Laura followed the men into the hallway, escaping up the stairs before either one could object. Gabriel watched her go without comment, but Mike could tell by the look on Gabriel's face that his mind was not on the business at hand. In his own opinion, this day was long overdue. It was about time Gabriel Donner invested something of himself into a personal life.

    The thought made Mike smile all the way home.

    The clock in the upstairs hallway was striking eleven when Gabriel knocked on Laura's door.

    "Come in," she called, then watched the door swing inward, her eyes widening with apprehension.

   It was Gabriel. Right on time. He dangled a key and a lock in the air.

    "I'm heading to bed. Come do your duty."

    The skin crawled on the back of Laura's neck, but she did as heasked.

    They walked side by side toward his bedroom without speaking. Each locked into their own thoughts. Each struggling to come to terms with a growing attraction to the other that neither could afford.

    Laura's hair was still damp from her shower. Wisps of short curls stuck fast to her forehead and the sides of her cheeks. Gabriel wanted to touch them, to see if they were as soft as they looked. Her bathrobe was belted loosely, revealing far too much of the dainty pink gown beneath for his peace of mind. His fascination with this woman was increasing on a daily basis. He alternated between admiration for her gutsy attitude and a growing desire to explore the woman she was.

    She walked with her head held high and a slight swagger to her steps, like a woman who was sure of her place in the world. Once Gabriel had been the same way. He wanted that life back and was willing to do anything it took to reclaim it. Even to the point of being locked up each night like a criminal, which he feared himself to be.

    But Laura was still ambivalent about the whole idea and felt compelled to speak her mind one more time. She paused in the middle of the hallway near a recessed light, unaware that the glow had cast a halo around her head, or that Gabriel seemed stunned by her sudden angelic appearance.

    "Gabriel, please reconsider. What if the house catches on fire? You would be locked inside your room with no way of getting out."

    He knew she was upset, but it was all he could do to tear his gaze away from the light in which she stood. It was only after he felt the touch of her hand on his arm that he was able to answer.

    "You would call the fire department and then come let me out," he said.

    She persisted. "What if something happens and I can't get to you? What if—"

    The halo seemed to be spreading, like a white-hot fire, enveloping her head and shoulders. He needed to touch her, wondered if it would burn him if he did. But he didn't move.

    "And what if nothing happens? Or what if it does and you do get to me?" he countered.

    She took a step forward, and as she did, the halo seemed to engulf her whole body, leaving her framed from head to foot in the light.

    "But what if—"

    He couldn't breathe, couldn't swallow. Suddenly the urge to fall into her fire and let himself be consumed was too strong to deny. He took her by the shoulders and pulled her close, then closer still, until their lips were separated by little more than a breath.

    "What if I kiss you—right now—before you have time to slap my face?"

    Someone gasped. Laura thought it was herself that she heard. But after his mouth had descended and their breaths, then their lips, had merged, she wasn't so sure. After that, the thought of answering him had been impossible ... and unnecessary. It could have been his swift intake of breath that she'd heard, or the groan that had ripped up his throat as she willingly returned the kiss.

    Finally one of them had taken a slow step back. She didn't remember who had made the first move, but it must have been her. Surely she had better sense than to get mixed up with this man and his problems.

    Surely.

    Gabriel was torn between what he wanted and what he knew he should do. The last thing he wanted was to let her go, but right now, he had no choice.

    "Laura, I—"

    "Don't say a word," she muttered, then opened the door to his room and almost pushed him inside. "Don't you dare ruin what just happened with some pissant apology that will make me sorry I ever set foot in this house. Right now, I don't want to hear anything out of your mouth but good night."

    Gabriel stood without moving, watching the expression on her face as she closed the door between them. Only after he heard the padlock snapping in place did he punctuate her last remark.

    "Laura ..."

    She paused in the hallway. His voice was soft, just above a whisper, but she heard it all the same. "What?"

    "Good night," he said.

    She splayed her hand on the door, as if by wish alone she could still touch him.

    "Yes, good night." Then, loath to break the tenuous tie between them, she added. "Sleep well."

    She was almost out of earshot when she heard him call out to her again.

    "Laura."

    She sighed. He wasn't making this easy for either one of them, and she suspected that he knew it. She turned and walked a few feet back to his door.

    "What?"

    The taste of her was still on his lips. He closed his eyes and leaned his forehead against the door.

    "We're not finished with that."

    "Not finished with what?"

    "With that kiss," he whispered.

    Her cheeks flamed, and her knees went weak, but Gabriel couldn't see her reaction. All he could hear was a surprising acceptance in her voice.

    "I know."

    It wasn't until later that it dawned on him to wonder what else she might know, but it was too late to ask. She was already gone.