Rush

would have looked like the Holy Grail. I’ll be damned if she ends up
     another notch on their bedposts.”
    Gabe should have felt guilty. But then he already knew he was consigned to hell for
     all he planned to do to Mia and for
what
he had planned for her. She sure as hell wouldn’t be just another notch on his bedpost,
     so he could put aside any discomfort caused by Jace’s heated retort.
    Gabe’s intercom buzzed and then, “Mr. Hamilton, a Miss Houston is here for Mr. Crestwell
     and Mr. McIntyre.”
    Gabe’s eyebrow rose. “Taking the brunette to California with you?”
    Ash grinned. “Hell yeah. It’ll make the flight time a lot shorter with her along.”
    Gabe shook his head. “Send her in, Eleanor.”
    A moment later, the gorgeous brunette Gabe had seen Jace and Ash with the night before
     walked into his office. Her high heels tapped on the marble floor, then went silent
     when she stepped onto the carpet.
    Ash held out his arm and the woman slid comfortably onto his lap, angling her legs
     in Jace’s direction. Jace laid his hand over one calf and slid it possessively up
     to her knee, never once glancing in her direction. It was as though he were simply
     reminding her that at least for the present, she was his.
    Gabe couldn’t help but make comparisons between the woman on Ash’s lap and Mia, which
     was stupid, given that this woman was far out of Mia’s league. She was older, more
     experienced, and she damn well knew the score with Jace and Ash. Mia had no idea what
     Gabe had in mind for her, and he’d be lucky if she didn’t run screaming from his office.
    In the past, Gabe wouldn’t have minded the scene in front of him. It wasn’t unusual
     for Jace and Ash to have a woman in the offices. But today he was anxious for them
     to leave. He didn’t want Mia to suffer any more discomfort than she had to and he
     damn well didn’t want Jace privy to what Gabe had in mind for his little sister.
    He made a show of checking his watch and then glanced back at Ash, who had a possessive
     arm around the curvy woman. Hell, they hadn’t even bothered to introduce her, which
     was sign enough that they didn’t plan for her to be around long.
    “Car picking you up here?” Gabe asked.
    “Are we keeping you from something?” Jace inquired.
    Gabe leaned back in his chair, forcing a bored look to his face. “Just have a lot
     of e-mails and messages to catch up on. I didn’t geta damn thing done yesterday with all the last-minute details of the reception to take
     care of.”
    Ash snorted. “You sound like you’re trying to make a point that Jace and I were conspicuously
     absent and you were forced to take care of things all on your own, but we all know
     what a control freak you are. There was little point in Jace or me trying to step
     in because you have to have things just so or your universe is tilted.”
    “Anal bastard,” Jace said in agreement.
    The brunette giggled, the sound annoying Gabe. So she may be older than Mia, and more
     experienced, but he couldn’t ever recall Mia giggling like some silly teenager.
    “Get the hell out of my office,” Gabe said with a scowl. “Unlike you two, I have work
     to do. Get your asses to California and get the contractor lined up. We need to be
     damn sure we break ground on time. We don’t want a bunch of pissed-off investors when
     I spent the last months schmoozing and stroking them to get where we want.”
    “Have I ever failed?” Ash asked mockingly.
    Gabe waved his hand, making a dismissive motion. No, Ash hadn’t ever failed. Gabe
     had no worries on that issue. The three of them made a solid team. Their strengths
     and weaknesses complemented one another very well.
    HCM wasn’t just a business. It was a corporation forged in friendship and fierce loyalty.
     The very things Gabe was about to test, all because he was obsessed with Jace’s little
     sister. Jesus, but if that wasn’t fucked up.
    Thankfully, Jace rose, his hand sliding from the woman’s leg. He reached to pull her
     up from Ash’s lap, and she settled comfortably between him and Ash as they moved toward
     Gabe’s office door.
    Jace paused and then turned, a frown on his face. “I’ll try to call Mia on my way
     out but can you check with her while I’mgone? Make sure everything’s okay and she doesn’t need anything? I hate that I missed
     her last night.”
    Gabe gave a short nod, controlling his features carefully. “I’ll take care of