and if she were any other woman, he'd be trying to figure out a way to talk her out of her clothes again-and again. He'd be in his car, on his way to her house, trying to get her to straddle naked in his lap.
He liked her. Okay, he more than liked her.
He liked her a lot. But liking a woman a lot wasn't love. Even if a relationship with her wasn't as complicated as hell, she wasn't the type of woman he could see himself settling down with. He didn't want to hurt her, but he had to stay away from her.
Taking a deep breath, he combed his fingers through the sides of his hair, then dropped them to his lap. Maybe he had nothing to worry about. Nothing to feel guilty over. She might not expect anything. She was a big girl. A smart girl. She probably knew that making it in her bed, on her floor, and in her shower had been a big mistake. She was probably dreading the thought of seeing him again. They'd made each other feel good for a couple of hours, real good, but it couldn't happen again. She had to know that too. She had to know there wasn't a possibility of any sort of relationship between them.
With the curtains drawn and the lights out, Gabrielle sat alone in her darkened living room and watched the five-thirty local news. The Hillard theft was once again the top story, only this time Kevin's picture flashed on the screen.
'A local man was arrested today in connection with the biggest theft in the state's history. Businessman Kevin Carter…' the newscast began. Film footage showing the front of Anomaly ran as the broadcast continued. It showed police carrying out Kevin's Nagels, his computer, and his files. They'd emptied his desk and had searched the store for stolen property. She knew everything they'd touched, because she'd been there. She'd gotten dressed and driven to her store, and she'd watched them do it. Her and Mara and Francis and her lawyer Ronald Lowman. Standing side by side. Everyone but Joe.
Joe hadn't come back.
The story continued through the first segment and into the second. A photo of William Stewart Shalcroft appeared in one corner, and Kevin in the other, as a police spokesman answered questions. 'With the help of an informant,' he said, but failed to mention her name and that she was innocent, 'we've had Mr. Carter under surveillance for some time…' He continued, then the report moved to the human interest side, and Mr. and Mrs. Hillard appeared and thanked the Boise P.D.
Gabrielle pressed the off button on the television remote and tossed it on the couch beside her cordless telephone.
Joe hadn't called, either.
Her life was falling apart in Technicolor for the whole world to see. Her business partner, a man she trusted enough to consider a very close friend, was a thief. The news channels hadn't mentioned her name, but anyone who knew her probably assumed she was guilty by association. She and Ronald had briefly discussed her options, such as closing the store and reopening under a new name, but she didn't know if she had the heart to start over again. She'd think about it once the shock wore off and her head cleared.
The telephone on the couch beside her rang, and her stomach tumbled. 'Hello,' she answered before it had a chance to ring twice.
'I just saw the news,' her mother began. 'I'm on my way over.'
Gabrielle swallowed her disappointment. 'No, don't. I'll come over to your house in a while.'
'When?'
'Later tonight.'
'You shouldn't be alone.'
'I'm waiting for Joe,' she said, then she wouldn't be alone. After she hung up with her mother, she ran a bath. She added lavender and ylang-ylang and set the phone beside the tub, but when it rang again, it wasn't Joe this time either.
'Did you watch the news?' Francis began.
'I saw it.' Gabrielle hid her disappointment for the second time. 'Listen, can I phone you back? I'm expecting Joe to call me.'
'Why don't you call him?'
Because she didn't have his home number and he wasn't listed in the telephone book. She'd checked-twice. 'No, I'm sure he'll call when he gets off work. Until then, he probably won't be able to talk to me about the case.' Or about them. About what would happen now.
After Francis hung up, Gabrielle got out of the tub and dressed in a pair of new khaki shorts and a white T-shirt. She left her hair down because she thought he liked it best that way. She didn't even try to tell herself she wasn't waiting by the phone. No matter how hard she tried, she would never be that good a liar. With each tick of the clock, her nerves wound a bit tighter.
At seven-thirty, a handicapped man selling lightbulbs had the misfortune of calling. 'No!' she screeched into the receiver. 'I've had a really bad day!' She pressed the disconnect button and sank onto the couch, certain she'd just created the worst karma imaginable. What kind of woman yelled at a disabled man?
The kind of woman whose life was in shreds and who should have been more concerned about her business than her love life but wasn't. The kind of woman whose nerves were raw. The kind of woman who knew in her heart and in her soul that if she could just hold on to Joe, everything would be okay.
She didn't even know his telephone number. If she needed to speak to him, she had to call the police station, or leave a message on his pager. She'd made love to him, and he'd touched her heart like no man had ever touched her before. He'd touched her body and stirred a response like nothing she'd ever experienced. It was more than sex. She loved him, but not knowing what he felt for her tied her stomach in knots. The uncertainty drove her crazy and was worse than anything she'd ever felt in her life.
They'd made love, then he'd run out of her house like he couldn't get out fast enough. And yes, she knew he hadn't had a choice. In the rational part of her mind, she knew leaving the way he had hadn't been his decision, but he hadn't kissed her good-bye. He hadn't even looked back.
The doorbell rang, and she jumped. When she looked through the peephole, Joe stared back at her from behind his mirrored sunglasses. Her breath caught in her throat, and a pain settled in her heart as if she'd swallowed air.
'Joe,' she said as she swung the door open. Then she was incapable of uttering another word past the emotion clogging her chest. Her hungry gaze took him in all at once, from the top of his dark hair, black T-shirt and jeans, to the tips of his black boots. She slid her gaze back up to his intensely masculine face, with his characteristic five o'clock shadow and the fine lines of his sensual mouth. A sensual mouth he'd pressed to the inside of her thigh less than twelve hours ago.
'Did you see the news?' he asked, and there was something in his voice, something in the way he stood, that set off warning bells in her head. 'Have you talked to your lawyer?'
Finally, she found her voice. 'Yes. Do you want to come inside?'
'No, that's not a good idea.' He took a step backward to the edge of the steps. 'But I did want to talk to you about what happened between us this morning.'
She knew what he was going to say before he opened his mouth. 'Don't say you're sorry,' she warned, because she didn't think her heart could take hearing his regret, as if what they shared together had been a mistake. 'Don't tell me that it never should have happened.'
'Not saying it doesn't make it right, Gabrielle. What happened was my fault. You were my confidential informant, and there are strict policies and procedures concerning how I treat you. I broke those rules. If you would like to speak with someone in internal affairs, I can give you the name of who to contact.'
She looked down at her bare toes, then back up into her reflection in his glasses. He was talking about rules again. She didn't care about rules or policies or speaking to anyone but him. He was talking about what they'd done but not how he felt. He might not love her, but he had to feel the connection between them.
'I was wrong, and I am sorry.'
That admission hurt, but she didn't have time to dwell on the pain. If she didn't tell him, he would leave not knowing what was in her heart. If he still left, she wouldn't always wonder whether his knowing would have made a difference. 'I'm not sorry. You don't know this about me, but I don't believe in indiscriminate sex. I can hardly expect you to believe that after what happened this morning, but I have to have deep feelings for someone.'
His lips formed a straight line, but she'd gone too far to turn back now. 'I don't know how this happened,' she continued. 'Until a few days ago, I didn't even know I liked you very much.' With each word she uttered, creases
