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“Promise?”
I laugh and there’s a lot of coordination that follows. Who gets what security protection and who’s riding with who to go where. Funny thing about the next few minutes is that I’m reminded of Cat calling me family. How can it not? This crazy chaos that alternates hugging and fighting, fighting and hugging, that finally leads to me and Gabe being escorted to his office by Adam, feels like family.
Chapter seventy-seven
Gabe
The walk back to the building is short and Adam and I keep Abbie between us, out of the reach of random, psycho reporters. This whole mess has been a shit show that leaves us now needing security to go along with legal counsel. The irony of which is that none of these problems would exist if not for her ex coming after her. If not for her ex, if not for my father, I suspect we wouldn’t have met.
We enter the building and leave Adam at the lobby level, to fend off any press that might follow. Abbie and I have just stepped into the elevator, when my phone buzzes with a text and I pull it out, expecting Reid but finding the dog walker, complete with a photo of Dexter shaking her hand.
“Real serial killer there,” Abbie teases, glancing over my shoulder. “The dog walker might need security instead of us.”
“Dexter’s good at fooling everyone,” I say, but I’m thinking of me, not my new furry best friend. I’m thinking about what Reid said to me earlier today, about how I hide behind jokes and laughter. There was nothing funny about what I wanted to do tothat reporter for touching Abbie. “Maybe we should bring him to work with us. I bet that dog would kill for you.”
“Dexter would get fat from treats and the staff would be distracted by him. Plus Dexter would tell the world we’re a couple in his jabbering doggy style. Which brings me to a topic we should have addressed already. If I’m working here, no touching, kissing, or familiar stuff at work.” She pushes out of my arms. “I have to earn respect. I can’t do that if everyone knows we’re together.”
“We’ll never be able to hide, Abbie.”
“We will,” she insists. “We have to. This matters to me. I don’t want to be the girl you’re banging, Gabe.”
“Any girl I was just banging wouldn’t be at the office with me.”
“Please.”
That one word undoes me. Holy hell, she undoes me. “Fine. Agreed.”
She gives me a prim nod and a smile. “Thank you.”
The elevator halts and she turns to face forward. I grimace, disliking this new arrangement. “I’ll change your mind about this,” I promise right before the doors open. I glance over at her. “In my office. With my tongue.”
Her lips quirk. “Then I guess I better not go to your office.”
The doors open and she exits the car. I follow, and I don’t touch her, kiss her, or check out her ass as I introduce her to the staff. I do, however, coordinate her meeting with Human Resources for one hour from now. That done, I lead her not to my office, but hers. Once we’re inside, I shut the door, and pull her around, pressing her against it. “This is uncalled for, Mr. Maxwell,” she teases. “None of this at the office.”
I cup her backside and pull her to me, about to prove her wrong, when someone knocks on the door. “You have three seconds and I’m coming in.”
At the sound of my brother’s voice, I pause a lean from kissing Abbie, my efforts to convince her to fuck me on her desk on hold but not for long. Grimacing while she laughs, I open the door to find Reid is standing there, his shoulder on the frame. “We should debrief after the Reese meeting.”
“Come the hell in,” I say, opening the door wider.
Reid pushes off the door, and joins us in Abbie’s office, giving her a quick once-over. “Heard you took a chunk of that reporter’s hair out.”
“Did I?” Abbie asks. “I sure hope so.”
Reid’s lips twitch. “Try harder next time. HR is ready for you now, not later.”
“In other words, get out of my own office,” Abbie says. “Not too subtle there, Reid, but good try.”
“Tell Carrie I tried,” he says. “She won’t believe you, but tell her anyway.”
Abbie laughs. “Right. I’ll tell her. Gallant effort.” She heads for the door. “I’ll find my way to Human Resources.” And then she’s gone, shutting Reid and I inside alone.
The two of us step to the window, our thinking positions, side by side. A window, any window really, always the place where we both overlook the city and let the superpowers flow. And we need fucking superpowers right now. “Do you think dad’s behind this?” Reid asks.
“We drove him out,” I say. “Of course, he’s behind at least some of this. I have a good mind to just go choke the bastard out and call it done.”
“But would it be done? There’s more to this than meets the eye.” We turn to face each other. “The question for me is,” he continues, “does this all come back to that property the shelter sits on, or was that all her ex’s bullshit to fuck with Abbie?”
