Chapter Five
Elle watched the buildings fly by as Gabe drove away from downtown. What was she doing? Just because he pushed all her buttons and accused her of being attracted to him didn’t mean she had to actually go to lunch with the man. But she’d gotten so freaking angry when he smirked at her. As if he had women crawling into his bed every night. Heck, maybe he did. She clenched her fists, nails digging into her palms.
But, darn it, the fool man was right. She had been checking him out. Seriously, though, who could blame her? He might be an arrogant a-hole, but being in the same room as him made her body hum in anticipation. She knew all too well how good his skin felt against hers.
No. She wasn’t going to think like that. Elle shifted, wrapping her arms around herself. This car was really too small for comfort. Seriously, there was a mere six inches separating them and she could smell him—or his cologne or whatever. Not to mention that every time he shifted gears, his elbow brushed her arm, sending waves of warmth through her. Betraying heat started between her legs as memories swamped her. Good lord, he’d had magic hands. She’d never felt like that before.
Enough was enough. “Can you turn on the AC or something?”
He glanced at her long enough to raise his eyebrows. “This car doesn’t have AC.”
Of course it didn’t. Why would this Neanderthal invest in something so basic? She recrossed her arms and fought not to slouch. “Then open a window or something.”
He laughed. “Babe, I have crank windows.”
It was like God hated her. She leaned forward and muscled the window down. As soon as the breeze hit her face, she could breathe again. Elle closed her eyes and strove for calm. She could do this. It was only one lunch. It wasn’t like she was marrying the guy.
What a nightmare that would be.
“Don’t call me babe. I’m not a floozy. Or a freaking talking pig.”
For a long moment, she hoped he would just let the silence stretch out between them. She wasn’t that lucky.
“You weren’t this pissy the other night.”
Elle dug her fingernails into her palm so hard, she was surprised she didn’t draw blood. She was in serious danger of losing her temper if she didn’t calm down. When she spoke, she clipped her words in an effort to avoid screaming at him. “Let’s get one thing straight—that was a mistake. A really stupid mistake. And we are never going to speak of it again.”
“You think so?”
Which part? She refused to ask him to clarify. “Yes.”
“Then I suppose I’ll just have to change your mind.”
Was there no deterring this guy? She was being downright rude and it didn’t seem to faze him. She didn’t get it. Gabe was the kind of guy who got around, she was sure of it, which meant wanting sex couldn’t be the reason he was sniffing around her. He could, no doubt, get it anywhere. Sure, what they’d done had blown her mind, but it had to be pretty freaking tame compared to what he was used to. And as her ex-boyfriend had been so kind to point out, tame equaled boring. About as sexy as fucking a corpse, were the words Jason had used when he’d dumped her in front of all their friends.
Tears pricked her eyes, and she angrily blinked them away. Jason was an ass who’d used her just because he could, and cheated on her the entire time he was doing it. It was ridiculous that she kept hearing his voice in her head, picking away at her hard-won confidence. Just because she’d been down and darn near broken when he walked away didn’t mean she was a loser. She might not be a porn star by night, or racy, or a wild child, but Elle had a lot going for her. Just because he didn’t see it didn’t mean someone else wouldn’t—someone like Nathan. Except she hadn’t seduced Nathan. She’d sneaked into bed with his brother.
Maybe she should just give up on men and join a nunnery.
“What is going on in that head of yours that’s putting a frown on your face?”
“I’d make a terrible nun.”
She hadn’t meant to say that out loud, darn it. Gabe stared for so long, she made frantic motions for him to watch the road. “A nun?”
“Yes.”
“I’m not going to pretend I’m familiar with nuns, but you, babe, are no freaking nun.”
His words shouldn’t have sent a thread of warmth through her, but they did. Clearly her hormones didn’t care if he represented everything she’d sworn off in men—they just knew he made her feel good. Simple chemistry, even if it was annoying. It didn’t matter. She could get through this.
“So how long have you worked for my brother?”
She sighed. Obviously they were going to force polite conversation, no matter how much she didn’t want to. “About a year now.”
“Do you like it?”
“Yes, of course.” She frowned when Gabe laughed. “What’s so funny?”
“Nothing. I just thought you’d be happier in one of those fancy museums in Seattle, rather than a little gallery here in town.”
“Are you kidding?” She half-turned to face him. “It’s the best job in the world. I spend every day surrounded by art, talking about art, buying and selling art. It’s heaven.”
Okay, wow, she hadn’t meant to say so much. Usually when she started going off about her passion, people gave polite smiles and changed the subject.
Gabe just grinned. “I know what you mean.”
She didn’t see how he could know what she meant. Nathan was the cultured one. The artist. This man was as opposite from his brother as two people could be. He didn’t say anything else, though, which left their conversation in an odd lull. Elle turned to the open window and hoped he’d get the hint.
Thankfully, Gabe did. They spent the rest of the ride in silence. It wasn’t until he pulled into a gravel parking lot that she actually looked at the building. “You’ve got to be joking.”
“What?” Bless his heart, he actually seemed baffled.
“I’m not going in there.” As if the parking lot wasn’t bad enough, the peeling paint and bars on the window were more than enough to convince her this was a terrible idea. Bars on the freaking window. Elle had never been in a restaurant that needed something like that, and she didn’t want to start now.
“Lou’s has the best burgers in town.”
“I don’t care. I have no plans for getting shot today.”
Gabe actually had the audacity to laugh at her. “You’re being dramatic.” He got out of the car before she stopped sputtering and lumbered around to open her door. “Here’s the deal—we’re here, so I’m eating. You can sit in the car and wait for me, or you can come in and enjoy a burger. Your choice.”
It wasn’t a choice and he darn well knew it. The only thing worse than going into that heap was sitting in the parking lot alone. God only knew what could happen to her out here. Elle clutched her purse to her chest and climbed out of the car, telling herself it was only lunch. She could get through one meal without throwing something at his smug face. Really, she could.
Elle followed Gabe into the pub, stopping just inside the door to let her eyes adjust to the gloom. Holy crap, she was going to get hepatitis just from sitting in one of these booths. Maybe waiting in the car wasn’t such a bad idea. Before she could back out the door, Gabe grabbed her hand and towed her through the room. It was empty but for three older men at one side of the bar and a group of women at the opposite end.
The men were the types she imagined frequented trashy bars across the world: backs bent and clothes worn from a lifetime of hard work. The women were apparently workers of another nature. No, that wasn’t fair. She shouldn’t judge people on how they were dressed, but who in the heck hung out in a place like this wearing miniskirts and six-inch heels? Not to mention the intense amount of makeup. Elle checked her watch to make sure she hadn’t blacked out or time-traveled—yep, it was still only noon.
Gabe gave her a little push into a booth in the back of the room, and she cringed at the way the tears in the fake leather scratched the back of her legs as she slid over. This might actually be a new low point in her life. Goody.
The bartender didn’t even come to their table. He just leaned over the bar and yelled, “Whaddya want?”
“Two burgers, a Bud, and…” He glanced at her.
“A Diet Coke.”
“A Diet Coke,” Gabe finished.
“Got it.” The bartender disappeared through a doorway leading off the bar. Either he was taking in their order or, if his voice was any indication, going off for a smoke break. “Heck, maybe he’s going to Narnia.”
“What?”
Crap, she hadn’t meant to say that out loud either. “I cannot believe you brought me here.”
“What’s wrong with here?” Gabe looked around as if he couldn’t figure out what the problem was. No surprise there. He no doubt frequented places like this. It would never cross his mind that she wouldn’t be comfortable. Yet another reason her night with him was one giant check in the mistake column.
She shifted, trying to keep the tear in the seat from digging into her thighs. It might have worked if the entire seat weren’t covered in tears. And, seriously, she didn’t even want to know what was making it sticky. Elle was going to need a bleach bath after this.
The bartender reappeared before things could get even more awkward, bringing two plates of burgers and fries. At least they looked edible, which was more than she’d been expecting. The faster she ate, the faster she could get out of this place and back to the gallery.