6. Hayden

“I—You—This...” Gabby fumbled a moment before looking at the sack in her hands and gulping in miserable guilt.

“What’s in there?” I demanded, setting my hands on my hips. “You didn’t steal anything, did you?”

“I…” Her eyes were huge as they veered back to me. Then she bobbed her head up and down in confirmation as if her body was answering me without her permission, even as she whispered, “No.”

“You little thief,” I accused softly, striding toward her. This was why I stayed away from women and relationships. Being attracted to someone didn’t make them decent or honest or worth the price of your thoughts. It just made you lose your stupid head and want things you shouldn’t.

“What the fuck did you steal?”

“Nothing!” she screeched.

She didn’t try to dodge away from me until I’d nearly reached her, which was why she was too late when she finally gasped and veered backward, trying to escape me.

I leapt forward and caught her wrist all too easily.

“What—” she started when I hooked an arm around her waist and tugged her flush against me. “Hey, watch it, buddy.”

“What’s in the bag?”

“Let me go.” Struggling to break free, she growled and twisted, but I wasn’t about to lose this match. Locking my arm tight, I reached past her for the sack to see for myself what was inside. I couldn’t believe I’d been daydreaming about a freaking thief.

The wildcat fought back and tried to hold her sack out away from me, except my arm was longer than hers, and it took nothing for me to also gain possession of it.

“No!” She looked up at me, her eyes big and brown, full of fear but also steely determination. “It’s nothing, I swear.”

Just as stubborn and determined as she, I arched an eyebrow. “Nothing, huh?” I tugged and pulled the bag closer. “Then why can’t you show me what’s in there?”

“It’s nothing important!” she cried desperately. “Nothing worth anything, anyway. Please.” She clamped her other hand over mine, refusing to give up her hold.

Pausing at the word please and the frantic way she held on to me, trying to salvage her possessions instead of breaking free and making a mad dash to save herself, I studied her face, momentarily sucked into her beauty.

Shaking her head, she insisted, “I would never take anything valuable.”

But she’d definitely taken something.

My gaze ran down her body. She was so stunning it hurt my throat to breathe when I looked at her. And, in that gown—

I shook my head and gritted my teeth. “And what exactly do you consider valuable? The dress you’re wearing is easily worth fifteen hundred.”

“Dollars?” she wheezed, her eyes growing large. “Holy shit. Who in their right mind would pay that much for a freaking dress?” Looking down at herself, she started to take a step back as if to distance herself from the dress, except it moved with her. Since she was wearing it.

I used that moment of distraction to claim her sack from her, but she felt my attempts and snapped her gaze up.

“No!” she cried again, resisting and pulling the bag back.

But there was no breaking free of me. No matter how much she tugged, she couldn’t get me to loosen my hold, either.

“Let go,” I commanded.

“Fuck you,” she seethed from between gritted teeth. “I worked my ass off for this shit. I’m not leaving without it.”

“You worked for it?” I repeated incredulously. Then I snorted. “Yes, I can imagine breaking in was incredibly exhausting for you. But some people still consider it stealing, sweetheart. So drop the bag.”

“Except I cleaned a goddamn stain on the floor for it,” she argued, glaring at me. “So I actually earned it. Sweetheart.”

Okay, that made absolutely no sense whatsoever. I shook my head. “You did what?”

She sighed as if irritated by my lack of understanding. Then she flailed out her free hand helplessly. “There I was, just walking down the hallway outside this apartment, minding my own business,” she started.

To which I muttered, “I’m sure.”

“I was!” Narrowing her eyes, she continued, “But then the woman who lives here—your wife, or whoever.”

“Not hardly,” I answered dryly.

Sighing out an annoyed frown, she went on again. “Well, whoever she was, she opened the door, mistook me for—for a maid and—”

“A maid?” Pulling back, I scanned her from head to toe and sniffed bitterly. “You?” With a body like hers, she was more suited for a model’s career.

A rosy flush stained her cheeks. Flustered, she stammered a moment before saying, “Well, I wasn’t wearing this at the time.”

“Obviously.” That part I fully believed. “Because it’s not yours.”

I knew for a fact that no one else could own a dress like the one she currently wore. It was the original prototype we’d just created at JFI. The design had recently passed the production stage, and the first release of any copy wouldn’t hit stores until early next year. And it was the only dress I’d ever designed.

Usually, I stuck to my own department and sketched shoes. But for some reason, an idea for this dress had hit me, and I was damn proud of how it’d been accepted by both Nash and Lana for production.

The girl in my arms was literally wearing a one-of-a-kind. So I couldn’t conceal a smirk when her blush darkened as she cleared her throat and quickly glanced away.

“Anyway, where was I?”

“Being mistaken for a maid,” I reminded her helpfully.

“Oh, yeah. Right.”

“Which I still don’t buy,” I added smugly.

She huffed through a growl and bit out, “If you haven’t noticed, I’m half Latino.”

Well, that was random. I shook my head, really confused now. “Your point?”

She lifted her eyebrows meaningfully as if that should suddenly make everything abundantly clear to me. Then she stressed, “My dad’s from Venezuela.”

“Again,” I said, lifting my eyebrows right back at her. “Not seeing a point.”

“Well, maybe it’s also escaped your attention then that every single fucking employee in this bigoted building is of Hispanic descent, but it hasn’t escaped mine. So, why wouldn’t your wicked witch of a lady friend think I was the help?”

“André’s not Hispanic,” I said logically.

“André’s an asshole.”

“French, actually, I believe.”

“Oh my God!” She lifted her hands incredulously. “Are you always this damn annoying?”

Annoying? Huh. “No one’s ever called me annoying before.”

She set a hand on her hip and eyed me dryly. “You must not get out much.”

I almost laughed. But then I paused, trying to remember the last time I’d honestly laughed. Stunned because this little spitfire of a thief had almost made me laugh, I blinked at her in astonishment. Then I shook my head, jostling my head back into the game as I said, “So you were walking innocently down the hall, where you were accosted out of nowhere by some racist stranger who mistook you for a servant, and then what? You figured she deserved to be robbed because she was a bad person, so you broke in after she left to perform your own brand of justice?”

“Well…” She shifted as if uncomfortable, and her gaze went leery with guilt. “Not exactly. You see, she—” Motioning blindly, Gabby waved a hand toward the opening of the hall. “She told me to go inside and clean a stain on her floor.”

“Okay,” I drew out slowly when she didn’t elaborate further. “And then what?”

“Then…” Growing even more agitated, she scowled at me as if blaming me for all her problems before she muttered, “I mean, she left the door wide open for me, so…”

“So?”

“So I went inside and cleaned it.”

“You cleaned it?” I repeated, squinting deeply into her eyes. “The stain? On her floor?”

“Yes,” she answered, staring right back at me with the same intensity. “That’s what I just said.”

I pulled back, sniffing. “Why the fuck would you clean her floor after she insulted your entire heritage?” I lifted my hands, not believing her bullshit story in the least. “Because I can’t imagine she was polite about her request.”

“Wow.” Lifting her eyebrow as if impressed, she blew out a whistle. “You know her well.”

“You have no idea,” I growled, only to get right back on track. “Where’s this stain?”

“I told you.” She furrowed her brow incredulously. “I cleaned it. It no longer exists.”

Blowing out a breath, I shook my head, impressed by her story. What a clever little liar, inventing a cleaned stain, which in turn would wipe away all evidence that might’ve proven her tale untrue.

So very creative.

But I wasn’t one to give up easily. “How long ago?” I pressed.

“How long ago what?” she asked with a bewildered shake of her head.

“How long ago did you clean this notorious stain? Will the carpet still be wet where you scrubbed so thoroughly, working your ass off to make it disappear?”

“Oh my God, no. You do not scrub carpet stains, honey. That’s like begging them to permanently set in. You blot them.”

“Well then, honey,” I spat back. “Where did you blot the carpet clean?”

She sighed and rolled her eyes. “I just told you. In the hall.”

I splayed out a hand, offering her to lead the way. “Show me.”

“Holy shit. You just don’t give up, do you? Fine. It’s this way.” Then she smirked. “Prepare to be proven wrong.”

When I snorted, she spun away defiantly and started for the hallway. There was a back exit she could access by going further down that hall. I didn’t know if she was aware of it or not, but I wasn’t taking any chances, so I leapt after her and snagged her hand, which caused her to startle in surprise and glance up at me questioningly before she sarcastically sniped, “Wow, I didn’t realize you cared.”

“Always,” I quipped back with an engaging grin, only to take it a step further and draw her fingers to my mouth so I could gently kiss her knuckles, really egging her on.

She slowed to a stop, gaping at me as if I’d lost my mind. So I batted my lashes, feeling as if I’d just won that sparring match. “Can’t let my lovely prisoner escape on me, now can I?”

And, yes, victory was mine. I had rendered her absolutely speechless. She stared at me with nothing to say in return.

I leaned toward her and softly prompted, “The stain, my love?”

“The stain?” she repeated absently, as if she couldn’t even remember what a stain was. Then she jumped and blinked herself present again. “Oh, right. The stain.” After a quick scan at the floor, she pointed. “It was there.”

Keeping hold of her hand, I knelt down on one knee. She tried to pull her fingers free, but I refused to let go, so she snapped, “Really? You still think I’m going to run when I’m busy trying to prove my innocence to you?”

“Of course not,” I countered. “I just can’t seem to relinquish such soft, beguiling fingers.”

“Oh, give me a break.” She sniffed as I smoothed my palm across the carpet, pausing when I encountered damp fibers.

Holy shit, she might’ve actually told the truth here.

Above me, a smug voice taunted, “Wet, isn’t it? Huh. Guess I’m not such a liar, after all.”

I peered up at her, dazed by the realization that I’d been wrong. I always assumed the worst about people, and I was very rarely mistaken.

“Why would you clean her carpet?” I couldn’t help but ask.

She did that uncomfortable shifting thing again, transferring her weight from one leg to the other as her gaze darted away. She’d done that before, when she’d confessed a truth she hadn’t wanted to share.

Then she scowled at me and muttered, “Look, I have a strange compulsion to clean carpet stains, okay. It involves blood and dead mothers, and just don’t ask. All right?”

“All right,” I whispered. The agony and torment in her eyes had my lips parting as I continued to study her.

Every emotion in her features was genuine, I realized. What you saw is what you got with this woman. The concept was so refreshing and startling that I couldn’t seem to look away. I wanted to reach up and simply touch her, just to experience what true purity felt like.

I’d only ever met one other person who was so honestly sincere. And I’d already thrown down twenty-eight grand for an elevator to be fixed in her building just to make her happy. It made me wonder what lengths I’d go to for the beauty in front of me, since I was actually attracted to her. She had some bite to her, too, not the sickening sweetness Kaitlynn did. That made her so much more alluring.

Jesus, this woman just might have the power to destroy me.

She frowned at me suddenly and jostled my hand as if to get my attention or shake herself free. “Seriously, why are you still kneeling like that? You look like you’re going to propose.”

I lifted an eyebrow. “Maybe I am.”

Was I? I knew I didn’t want to let her go. I knew I wanted her. I knew I might never encounter anyone like her again. But trusting the things bubbling inside me was impossible.

I tightened my grip on her fingers as a cold sweat took over. What the hell was happening here?

“Oh my God.” Gabby huffed out a moody breath and tugged at my hand again, manually trying to yank me upright. “You are so ridiculous. Get your ass up, right now.”

Ridiculous. There came another term no one had applied to me before. She definitely saw me through interesting eyes. Lovely, dark chocolate brown eyes with the thickest lashes that fringed them spectacularly.

Damn, she was gorgeous.

“No, I don’t think I will,” I told her mildly, refusing to move. “You’re kind of cute when you’re irritable and uncomfortable like this.”

“And your looks seriously decline when you’re being a pain in the ass.”

Pain in the ass. Hmm, that was getting closer to what people usually called me.

I tsked. “So, this probably isn’t an ideal time to ask where you want our wedding to take place, hmm?”

“Stand. Up. Now,” she growled.

I smiled through my un-cooperation, until my gaze fell to the white trash bag she continued to clutch tightly in her free hand.

Sobering, I nodded to it. “Tell me what’s in the sack.”

Sighing, she tipped her face toward the ceiling. When she glanced down at me again, she looked almost defeated.

“My brother’s sick,” she said. “Okay?”

I squinted at the sack, not sure what that meant.

“This,” she lifted the bag a few inches and shook it, “is just a couple things I thought would suffice as payment for cleaning the carpet. It’s to make him feel better.”

With a nod, I settled my attention on her full, sequined skirt. “And the dress?”

Flushing, she bit her lip and shuffled awkwardly. “It was pretty. I was going to put it right back after I saw how it looked on me. No one was supposed to see or ever know about that. But you walked in before I could return it, and…” She shrugged. “You know the rest of the story.”

I opened my mouth to tell her I was glad I’d gotten to see her in it. It was beautiful on her, as if it had been designed just for her. But that was impossible, wasn’t it? I didn’t even know she existed when the vision for its creation had entered my head.

Strange.

Before I could ponder the phenomenon further, the distinct sound of a door unlocking echoed down the hall from the front of the apartment.

Wide brown eyes gaped at me, letting me know she heard it too.

“Shit!” I surged to my feet beside her, squeezing her hand tight. “She’s home.”

“Wait. What do you mean shit?” Eyes going wide, she gasped. “Oh my God, you’re not supposed to be here, either. Are you? I thought you looked way too sneaky, backing into the apartment the way you did.” Expression going murderous, she smacked me hard on the side of my shoulder. “You fucking hypocrite! Treating me like a burglar when you broke in too.”

“Shut up,” I hissed at the sound of the front door swung open. Slipping my wallet from my jacket, I flipped it around with one hand in order to flash my keycard, waving it in front of her face as I whispered, “At least I have a key and I know who lives here.”

She opened her mouth, looking pissed, but I set a finger over her mouth to quiet her. We could argue later. Right now, I had to come up with a plan to save us both from the wrath of Lana, who I could hear tossing her car keys on a side table in the front room.

“Just so you know,” I murmured as quietly as possible, pocketing my wallet as I stepped closer. “I’m doing this for your own damn good.”

Her eyes flared with worry. “Wait. Doing what?”

In answer, I wrapped a hand around the back of her neck, hauled her up against me, and slanted my mouth across hers.

She muffled out a sound of surprise, which I ignored because holy shit.

What the hell had I just done? The kiss was supposed to be a cover, a ruse. Except, damn, a guy could get hooked on a mouth like Gabby’s.

Her lips were warm but tensed in shock, and they tasted like orange candy. Orange gum maybe, or orange-flavored Tic Tacs. I closed my eyes and sank against them as heat and need flooded my system.

Kissing her was like sipping on sweet nectar from the—

“What the hell is going on here?”

There was no way to fake the way Gabby and I jerked apart, since our surprise was one hundred percent genuine. I’d completely forgotten about my mother the moment I sank against Gabby.

She seemed similarly struck. Slapping a hand over her mouth, she gaped at me from shocked brown eyes.

I was still licking her taste from my bottom lip as I turned to confront the irate woman at the opening of the hall.

Seeing me, Lana only frowned harder before demanding, “What the hell are you doing here?”

Wow. Wasn’t she just the soul of motherly adoration?

I ran my hand across my mouth, still feeling that kiss, before answering, “I’m here to see you. Why else would I visit?”

“Hmm. You must want something.”

“Again,” I shot back just as drolly. “Why else would I visit?”

She sniffed before her judgmental gaze slid to Gabby. “Well, whatever you’re asking for, my answer is no. Now, who is she? And why is she wearing my dress?”

Lifting up Gabby’s hand as if to show her off, I smiled at her lovingly before announcing, “She’s my fiancée, and we’re getting married next week, so she needed a dress to wear to the ceremony. I thought we could borrow a little something from you.”

While Gabby’s mouth fell open as she gaped at me, Lana merely sniffed.

“Is she pregnant, or does she just need a green card?”

Gabby’s incredulous gaze shifted to Lana. “Excuse me?”

But I merely sighed, used to my mother. “Well, there went your invitation to the nuptials.”

“I’m heartbroken.” Lana transferred her glower from Gabby to me. “So, stop being an asshole and tell me what’s really going on here?”

“Asshole.” I snapped my fingers and turned to Gabby to point at her. “Now, that’s what people typically call me.”

She merely blinked at me, speechless.

I returned my attention to Lana. “You might not have noticed, because why would you care what I was wearing, but I happen to be dressed up too. I was on my way to the Halloween celebration at work, in fact. You remember that little shindig, right? The one you tried to sabotage and get canceled, but failed? Anyway, this stunning creature…” I opened my hand to put Gabby once again on display. “…is my date for the evening, and she needed something to wear that matches my costume. I figured you might have a dress or two to spare from that limitless closet of yours. But you weren’t home to ask, so we helped ourselves to your things. Not that the dress she picked is technically yours, though. Is it?” I lifted a censorious eyebrow. “Last time I saw that little number, it was property of JFI.” Pissed to learn that my own creation had ended up with her, I snarled, “Which is so interesting to me. Do you steal every prototype gown the company designs? Tsk, tsk. I wonder what Nash would think of that.”

“JFI is mine,” Lana bit out from between clenched teeth as she glared. “Not his. So every article of clothing made by the company belongs to me, and I don’t want her wearing my things.” Pointing at Gabby, she snarled, “Take it off.”

Eyes widening, Gabby clutched herself. “Right here?”

“Yes. Please,” I answered, grinning at her lasciviously.

After sending me an impatient glower, she turned to Lana. “I was just trying it on. My street clothes are—” She seemed to think about that a moment before glancing down at the bag in her arms. Then she lifted it. “They’re in here. I’ll just—I’ll go change back into them right now. Right away.”

“You do that,” Lana said, her eyes narrowed threateningly. Then she snapped her fingers and pointed at me. “And, you. Go with her. Don’t take your eyes off her. I don’t trust that whore anywhere alone in my apartment.”

“Easy,” I warned, sending her a hard stare. “You might want to watch how you address the mother of your future grandchildren.”

Next to me, Gabby choked out a sound of surprise.

Lana’s jaw bunched. “I do wish you’d stop joking like that.”

“But I’m having so much fun watching your face turn purple and swell with horrified indignation whenever I—”

“Come on,” Grabby growled, grabbing my arm and yanking me along behind her, forcing me to stop sparring with Lana.

Being led by her was incredibly erotic. Especially when she seemed pissed.

I couldn’t help but follow wherever she led.