Lost Without You

“We’ll see you Sunday at three, right after church.”

“See you then.” Gabrielle ended the call as fresh tears surfaced on her cheeks. How could one phone call from her mother make her come apart? She was so wrapped up in her own thoughts that she didn’t hear Shane come up beside her.

Shane bent down until he was eye to eye with Gabrielle. “Are you okay?”

Gabrielle turned away and swiftly began wiping away the tears with the back of her hand. She didn’t want him to see her like this.

“Gabrielle,” he said more sternly, grabbing both her shoulders and turning her around to face him. “What’s wrong? Did something happen?” He’d never seen her so, so…vulnerable, and it called out to every male instinct in him to protect her.

“Everything is fine.” She kept her head low, but Shane lifted her chin with his hand.

“Everything is far from fine,” he said, peering into her eyes. “Whoever it was on the other end of that call obviously upset you a great deal. Is there anything I can do?”

His burning eyes held her. She couldn’t believe Shane was being so nice to her. Where was the arrogant, cocky man she was used to?

Shane reached in his suit pocket and handed her a handkerchief and then scooted himself next to her on the bench. That tiny act of kindness had Gabrielle questioning everything she’d ever thought about Shane. She accepted the handkerchief and used it to wipe her eyes, blow her nose and get control of her emotions.

“Feel better?” Shane asked, pushing her hair back so he could see her face. Her skin was bright, nearly translucent. Seeing Gabby in this light, so vulnerable, made her seem more human and attractive, which surprisingly had his groin tightening in response. What was wrong with him? This was Gabby Burton, Gabrielle Burton, the hard-nosed chemist who’d been driven to beat him at all costs in perfumery school. So why was he finding himself wondering what lay beneath that cool reserve of hers?

Gabrielle’s mouth curved into a smile, and Shane found his heart beating just a little bit faster. “Yes, much.”

“Good. So what do you say we go back inside and get back to work?” Shane asked.

“Sounds good.”

* * *

The rest of the afternoon went by quickly, as did the remainder of the week. Gabrielle found herself enjoying her position immensely. She’d even offered her opinion to Shane about what chemical to put in the new skin-care lotion, and he hadn’t bitten her head off. They were definitely making progress. She’d caught him staring at her again several times, but he’d looked away, as if his hand had been caught in the cookie jar.

She was so deep in work on one formula on Friday evening that the time got away from her, and when she glanced up, she noticed that only she and Shane were still in the lab. She glanced at her watch and realized it was nearly 7:00 p.m., way past quitting time. She walked over to Shane and leaned over his shoulder to see what he was working on.

The scent of Gabrielle wafted to Shane’s nose. It wasn’t the scent of any perfume, because his nose didn’t detect any notes. It was her natural smell. Not to mention he could feel her warmth from behind him. He spun around on his stool. “You ready to get out of here?” he asked, surprising himself. “We could grab a cocktail, and you could finally let your hair down for a change.” He could use a drink; he was wound up too tight.

“After that flattering invitation, how can I turn you down?” Gabrielle asked curtly. “And if you hadn’t noticed, my hair is down.”

“Oh, c’mon, Gabby.” Shane continued to call her by her nickname. “I was just razzing you. Don’t tell me you can’t take the heat? I remember you dishing it out in school rather well.” He recalled how she’d once called him an egotistical spoiled rich boy.

“I can take the heat!” Gabrielle huffed. “I’ll just get my suit jacket.”

“Leave it!” Shane ordered before she could make a move. He went to the laboratory door and held it open. “You could stand to loosen up a bit and go with a more casual look.”

Gabrielle’s cheeks burned fire as she walked toward him. “Oh, I will show you I can loosen up. Just you wait.”

“Bring it on, Gabby,” Shane said as he followed her through the double doors. He was eager to finally see her look less like a schoolmarm and more like a woman.

* * *

The jazz lounge Shane took her to was filled with the after-work set wanting to ease the load after a hard day. Gabrielle could sure use a drink. The phone call with her mother a few days ago had released some emotions she’d thought she’d buried. She’d thought she was long past caring if her parents wanted to see her, so it had surprised her when her mother remembered her favorite meal.

Shane, meanwhile, was uneasy. He’d been feeling off-kilter all day and was happy when Gabrielle had insisted on driving separately in her rental car. It gave him some breathing room and time to figure out what it was he was doing. He’d never dated a coworker, much less a subordinate. Though cocktails after work hardly qualified as a date, he would never have thought he would willingly spend time in Gabrielle Burton’s company. Yet there was something about her that intrigued him. He wanted to know more.

They slid inside a plush velvet booth and a blonde waitress in an electric-blue bustier came over to ask for their drink order. She was buxom, just how he liked his women; he couldn’t even tell if Gabrielle had a figure under the dour clothes she wore. “We’ll have two Scorpions.”

Gabrielle huffed from his side. “Do you always order for your women? Because I’m quite capable of doing so myself.”

Shane smiled at her Miss Independent stance. “It is their signature drink. Trust me, you’ll love it. It has bite.”

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