****
Claire Sutton’seye still hurt. She’d pressed peas over the damnthing, and she’d gone to the emergency room, all for nothing. She was going tohave to wait for the swelling to go down. How was she going to get a joblooking like this? A nice black eye because of her ex.
That fucking bastard. Tony would pay the moment she found him. Ifhe thought he could get one over on her like this, he was very much mistaken.She was pissed off. Sticking her earbuds in, sheturned up a rock song so that it was blaring, killing a few brain cells in theprocess.
She closed hereyes, lifted her hands in the air, and started to sway her hips from side toside.
The bedroomRhianna had given her was just amazing. It was a sparein her brother’s penthouse suite, and it was bigger than the apartment she’djust gotten kicked out of. Again, another of Tony’s mistakes. He hadn’t paidthe rent even though she’d left the money out to be paid. Stolen.
She had the worsttaste in men. Simple as that. She’d sworn off men now. They weren’t worth hertime. There was no way a few orgasms was worth any ofthis. It just wasn’t happening.
She was thirstyand hungry. Rhianna was taking a private phone call in her own room, and Clairehad already been told to treat the place like it was her own. Glancing down ather panties and vest top, she shrugged. Rhianna had said her brother was neverhome, and she didn’t want to fight through her dirty clothes to find something decent.All courtesy of her landlord. She’d come home from getting fired to find herclothes strewn out on the street as if she was worthnothing, which to him, was probably the truth.
No matter how manytimes she tried to tell the man she’d paid him, he had shown her his recordsand she’d seen that no money had been paid for two months. It didn’t matter herpromises, he was done. So now she had no clean clothes, and Tony had taken offwith her savings. He’d cleaned out her checking account as well.
Broke.
Opening thebedroom door, with her music still blasting away, she kept on dancing. Therewas no way in hell she was going to let all of her worries bother her. She wasbigger than them. Swinging her hips harder, faster, she allowed the music toseep into every fiber of her being and just consume her.
She opened thefridge and found a yogurt. Smiling to herself, she couldn’t recall the lasttime she’d enjoyed a fruit yogurt. After pulling off the lid, she lookedthrough the drawers and found a spoon. Dipping into the creamy dessert, sheswallowed it down with a moan. Flavor exploded on her tongue. She hadn’t eatensince last night, and she was starving. Before coming to Rhianna, she’d triedto figure something out. It seemed people didn’t like to hire someone withblack eyes.
She wasn’t goingto think about it.
Just keep ondancing and eating. That was all she could do.
When a pair ofhands wrapped around her neck, and she was crushed to a veryhard, large chest, she let out a squeak.
The earbuds wereremoved.
“What do I havehere?”
She clawed at thehand around her neck. Her heart raced and she closed her eyes as his breathbrushed across her ear.
“I didn’t leave awoman half-naked in my apartment.” He was so strong as he lifted her and movedher with ease, pressing her against the fridge. She let out a start as thecoldness touched her butt cheeks.
Claire wouldrecognize this man anywhere.
So much forRhianna’s brother not coming home.
He stared at her.
She hadn’t seenhim since she was eighteen at their graduation. Gabriel Locke had always beenscary. He rarely spoke to her and when he did, it was always filled withdisapproval.
He believed shewas the reckless one, always convincing Rhianna to go to parties, which turnedout to be the other way around. His sister liked to go out and party. Shemostly followed along. She adored Rhianna and loved her like a sister.
“I know you,” hesaid.
Knowing this wasGabriel and not some thief, she offered him her best dazzling smile.
“Claire.”
The way he saidher name was filled with contempt.
“Gabriel.”
“I don’t recallgiving you permission to walk around in your underwear.” He glanced over at themess she’d made.
“Gabriel, what thehell are you doing?” Rhianna said.
Slowly, he let hergo. He hadn’t grabbed her too tightly to leave a mark. His gaze focused on her blackeye and he stepped back.
“I was giving yourfriend a welcome,” he said.
“Yeah, well, mostpeople tend to do that with a shaking of the hand, orsaying hi. Claire, so sorry about my brother.” Rhianna glanced down at her andsmiled.
She held her handsup. “I thought you said he was never home.”
“I come home everysingle night. It’s after two,” Gabriel said. He nudged her away from the fridgeand she stepped into the yogurt, nearly falling over but his arms captured herbefore she hit the ground.
She quickly stoodup, trying to gain her footing before she took a tumble again. There was atowel on the kitchen counter and she used it to wipe her foot. “I’ll just cleanthis mess up.” She got on her hands and knees and started on the spilledyogurt, very much aware of his gaze on her.
Could their firstimpression have been any worse?
“You two betterlearn to place nice,” Rhianna said.
“I don’t playnice.”
Gabriel didn’tlinger. He grabbed his beer and left. She watched him go, breathing out when hefinally left.
“What were youdoing?” Rhianna asked.
“I was hungry. Ididn’t think he’d be back. When did he get so…?”
“Assholebrotherly?”
“Yeah, I guessso.” She was thinking sexy, hot, and dangerous, but she wasn’t going to speakthose words aloud. Rhianna hated it when people wanted to date her brotherrather than be friends with her. It was a sore point and seeing as she’d neverreally liked Gabriel, Claire had promised her best friend to never date him. Tonot have anything to do with him.
But wow, the manwas … different.
“Don’t worry. He’sharmless and he’ll help you out. Maybe we could ask him to keep an eye on Tony.He could help get your money or some of your possessions back.”
“I doubt it.Seeing as I’m
