12 Days of Gabriel–A series of vignettes told from Gabriel’s POV:
Mad for You #1
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She’s here.
The thought branded my bones. Emma Adams, the love and obsession of my life, stood only a couple of feet behind me. Pretending she wasn’t right there, that I couldn’t scent her perfume, was hell. What else could I do? She’d scuttled her way into the corner. It was obvious she didn’t want me to recognize her.
Still, it was difficult to talk business when all I wanted to do was turn around and kiss Emma’s gorgeous mouth. All I wanted was to be with her, to hear her laugh and for Emma to see me as someone worthy of her love.
And that’s what all this is about. Love.
Just like before, way back in high school, Emma stood there, so close yet so far away. I felt her stare boring into my back. It was a physical thing, her stare. I imagined happiness as being forever under her visual spotlight. All I had to do was turn around, to acknowledge Emma’s presence and force her to acknowledge mine.
It was a delicious urge.
I was so close to shelving all my plans of respecting her space when the elevator doors opened. The nominally pretty passenger behind me breathlessly said, “Excuse me.”
I immediately squashed my urge to sigh. Emma had always thought me a man-whore. Having a stranger mooning over me would do little to change her impression. Summoning my manners, I answered with a smile, “Of course. Thank you again for holding the doors.”
“Anytime!”
The young woman didn’t move an inch. She continued to look up at me, infatuation shining brightly in her dark eyes. The faster I helped the woman on her way, the better. “What’s your name, dear?”
“Samantha.”
She stood there, expectant, when all I wanted was for her to quickly move. Preferably, far from me. Rick seemed to have picked up my mood. An irritated scowl flashed across his face. “I don’t want to hold you up any further. Thank you again for your kindness, Samantha.”
Rick immediately started speaking. Samantha finally left my side. Her stretched smile reached out, beckoning for me to return it. Not a chance. I neatly evaded it by focusing on my assistant.
And then my darling, sweet, precious Emma snorted. She snorted in disgust at what she thought was going on between me and the recently-departed Samantha.
I closed my eyes in triumph and trepidation. My life was going to change forever after this moment. Emma and I would begin again. I’d be the man she needed me to be, the one I didn’t even know how to construct seven years before when we were in high school. And I would win her love—by any means necessary.
I looked over my shoulder. My heart pounded a tattoo of her name. I schooled my voice to present the appropriate amount of shock, as if I hadn’t known she was there all along.
“Emma?”