“
In two months I get to take this patch off my eye."
This was the perfect opening to ask what kind of accident he’d had.
"How did you injure your eye?" She tried to keep her tone light and easy.
"I was down in the print shop and managed to splash some corrosive liquid into it.
As luck would have it, I wound up wearing an eye guard to heal the damage. The quick work of the doctor saved my sight, for which I’m thankful. A person doesn't fully appreciate their eyesight until something happens to it."
"You are lucky
.”
For some reason, she
didn’t feel so enthusiastic about the patch being only temporary. Not that she was ever going to see him again. In reality, the patch gave him a devil-may-care look and Gabby found it most appealing, too appealing for her pulse rate that was rising just looking at him.
Cole drove up to the apartment building and cut the engine. He stepped out and walked around to the passenger side. Gabby waited for him to open her door.
Before she had been angry with him, but things had changed a bit during the evening.
Walking toward her apartment,
she reached into her handbag and removed her keys. Before putting the key in the lock, she turned to him and glanced at his dark features.
"I hope I've been of some help to you
.”
"You
have.”
She notice
d how he kept watching her intently. For some reason, he focused on the indention in her chin, as though he found the small cleft fascinating. She didn’t know when their eyes locked, but Samantha felt the need to break eye contact with him. Foreign sensations seized her clear thinking. The crazy notion filled her head that he had created a spell over her and she felt powerless to break it, no matter how hard she tried.
Slowly, he lowered his head and his mouth gently captured her lips beneath his.
For some reason, she didn't feel surprised or shocked at what he was doing. It all was so natural. Instead, she closed her eyes intending to savor the tender kiss.
The kiss that had started so pleasantly soon changed to a slow sensuous one.
She automatically lifted her arms and draped them around his neck, running her fingers compulsively through the dark hair that touched the edge of his sweater. The pleasing smell of his after-shave filled her nostrils in the next instant. Moving her mouth beneath his, she openly invited his lips to continue ravishing hers in a kiss that suddenly caused ringing noises in her ears.
O
pening her mouth fully, she felt his tongue invade private territory. And invade it he did, with a quickness she loved. He continuously plundered her mouth as no other man had ever done. Hearing a moaning noise, reality struck her realizing it came from her lips. She let him smother her mouth again beneath his without protest. The kiss stretched endlessly, with his tongue keeping up the tantalizing element that sent her emotions' sky rocketing. Her response must have let him know how she savored his passionate capture.
His arms gently held her against him.
She could feel every sinewy muscle of his body pressed close to her. The wild thumping of his heart reached out to her and almost made an impression against her chest.
She
discovered how his excitement matched hers as his mouth continued to possess hers, not relinquishing its hold. Again, her thoughts were on how the kiss seemed to be never ending.
A horn honking near the building brought her quickly back to earth with a thud.
Pulling away, she lowered her gaze in embarrassment over her natural response to him. She had let him make love to her, enjoying every second.
Taking a deep breath, she glanced up at his f
ace, shadowy in the dim lighting. "Good night, Cole,” she said before putting the key in the lock. "If you should need more help in finding Samantha, contact me." Quickly turning, she swallowed the urge to throw herself into his arms again and feel his lips devouring hers. The feeling was so powerful that she had to restrain herself.
She unlocked the door and pushed it open. Wild euphoria and other emotions
she didn’t recognize filled her. The sooner she got inside, the faster she would be able to control her emotions.
"Hold on a minute,
” he said, stopping her by reaching out and gripping her shoulder. "There’s one other thing I'd like for you to do."
She waited nervously for him to tell her what it was.
Chapter Four
"I
want you to come to California with me in case I find my sister.” This brought an end to her silent question.
Gabby
couldn’t believe what he was asking. She didn’t miss the wary look on Cole’s face waiting for her answer. He expected her to say no, although his idea had left her speechless, but it had lifted her spirits. She had thought their next meeting would be in a courtroom.
“I don’t understand why you need me,
” she eventually said, still puzzled with what he wanted her to do. She didn’t know anything about his sister, except for the letter. Gabby didn’t have any idea how she could help him. Besides, hadn’t he already said Samantha might be at their aunt’s home?
"If she is in California,
I’d like you to talk her into coming back to Chicago," he explained, making her believe he still wasn’t certain he’d find her at his aunt’s. “She may not be ready to listen to what I have to say, but you have a way of convincing her very easily. I’d really appreciate it.”
Gabby knew she could be taking
his meaning either way. He could have meant the part about convincing as a compliment, or that she was an interfering woman. The last of his phrase didn't do much for her ego, but for now, she wasn't going to dig into what his silent thoughts were.
What he
suggested had never entered Gabby's mind. An entire weekend alone with Cole would certainly be a challenging situation for any woman. For her it would be doubly hard. She didn't know if she would be up to the temptation of being near him. Something about him made her morals self-destruct. Hadn't he proved that to her only minutes ago on her doorstep? He had kissed her into willingly submitting to him without any effort.
Another thought filled her head.
All of the Powers family must feel worried over Samantha's disappearance. She tried putting herself in their position and could understand the agony they must be going through. If she could help solve their family problems, as well as problems at the newspaper, she would accompany him.
"All right, I'll go, but I still don't
know how it’s going to do any good."
He continued to gaze at her for several seconds without
saying a word. Gabby grew uneasy as he persisted in watching her. She couldn't understand what his thoughts were behind the shuttered look.
"I'm going to drop the lawsuit against you and the newspaper,
” he said softly, with a low sigh. "I was so angry when she disappeared that I did a foolish thing in contacting my attorney.”
S
he couldn't believe her good fortune. It had taken only one evening to resolve things. Gabby knew Joe would be grateful.
"Thank you, Cole
.” She accepted his offer without hesitation. "I wasn't so worried that you named me in the suit, but the newspaper couldn't survive a lawsuit. Joe's been a fair employer to me and I didn't want to cause him any trouble."
"I've met Joe Brandon a few times and he always seemed like a team player
. When I filed the lawsuit, I didn’t feel it was the right thing.”
Silence reigned between them for the next few seconds until Gabby decided to end it. "Would you like to come in for a cup of coffee? It's Friday night and early yet." The words tumbled out before she gave them a thought. She hoped he didn't think she was suggesting they take up where they had left off minutes ago.
"I'd like that very much
.” He followed her into the living room of her apartment.
"Have a seat and I'll brew a fresh pot
.”
She turned the corner and headed into the hallway.
She didn't glance back, but she could hear Cole moving around the living room. When she finished brewing the coffee, she removed two cups from the cabinet and placed them on a tray. Gabby carried the loaded tray down the hallway toward the living room. Cole saw her and stood, taking it from her.
"Thanks,
” she murmured softly.
"I wouldn't want you burning yourself over a cup of coffee
.” He smiled at her, causing her to look away.
This was the second time he
had bothered to smile at her and the small gesture had her heart pumping madly.
Get a hold of yourself; it was nothing more than a friendly smile. It didn’t mean a thing.
She sat near him on the couch and pour
ed the coffee. "You take cream and sugar, don't you?"
He nodded
. "How did you know?"
"After watching you in the restaurant tonight, I didn't have too many doubts
. The way you finished off that piece of pie, I'd say you like all kinds of sweets."
Cole smiled
at her again, hiding what he was really thinking.
Yes, he liked all kinds of sweets especially when they came in the variety of one Gabby Fallon. He figured she would probably be shocked if she knew what he was thinking. He couldn’t get over how adorable she looked and almost edible in her tightly molded jeans and sweater.
She had such a sweet quality about her, but he guessed also a very provocative woman buried just below the surface. He could see it in the way she moved and talked, and in her big brown eyes. He also saw the desire that lay just inside her, waiting for some man to arouse it and pull it to the surface. Sensuous was the word that came to his mind.
"Is Gabby really your name?"
He suddenly needed to know more about the bewitching woman gazing across at him.
"No, my full name is Gabrielle, but everyone has always called me Gabby.
It was my mother’s idea to pin a name like Gabrielle on me, which I’ve always thought sounded old and obsolete. She loved it and thought I would, too. I wouldn’t dream of telling her any different and hurting her.”
"Gabrielle is a beautiful name
. Do your parents live in Chicago?”
Something in him was driving him on as he heard himself asking about her personal life.
There it was again, he thought silently. The need to know everything about her burned in him like a raging fire. He had never felt like this about another person, and he had certainly dated many women in the past few years, but most had been shallow. He couldn’t remember any of them being quite like Gabrielle Fallon.
"My mother lives in a small town in down state Illinois
. My father died several years ago.”
"Is
that all the family you have?"
"Unfortunately, I'm an only child
. I don't believe my parents' could have handled another one like me." A small chuckle followed her statement as a light of amusement filled her eyes.
"And why's that?"
Cole gave her a puzzled look.
"I always had such a driving ambition to write
. Sometimes, my need to express myself always landed me in trouble. I usually wrote into the newspaper in our hometown expressing my views on different subjects. Even if my views didn't conform, I still had to air them."
"That doesn’t seem so bad.
Everyone is entitled to express his or her views in one way, or another.”
"Yes, I know, but at the time, my father didn't feel th
at way. Poor dad, I know now how patient he was with me."
A faraway look came into her eyes
. He could tell by her voice that she still missed her father, although she hadn’t said it aloud.
She shook her head
and glanced over at him. "Enough about me. What about your family?”
"There really isn't much to tell.
My older brother Richard lives in New York and my younger brother Jason owns the restaurant where we ate tonight," he explained, replacing his cup on the coffee table. "Jason's daughter, Susie, works at the restaurant for her dad in her spare time when she's home from college. My mother and father are retired and live in a suburb on the outskirts of Chicago."
"Does Samantha live with your parents
?”
"No, she has an apartment in New York near Richard and his wife."
He noticed the puzzled expression lining her face and decided to explain further. "Samantha came to visit mom and dad, and while in Chicago, she canceled her wedding plans. Richard and Samantha have always been close and he knew something was bothering her. He had called me while she visited and asked me to keep an eye on her. I feel I've let him down in not keeping her here."
"
How do you know she's pregnant?”
"She confessed to
mom the day before she disappeared." He shrugged his shoulders. "Her fiancé, Michael, came down last weekend to help search for her, but he had to return to his job in New York. It seemed strange he never mentioned the fact that she was pregnant, but maybe Samantha hadn’t told him yet."