Rush

opponent he fully
     intended to wipe the face of the earth with.
    She blew out her breath. She knew it had to suck to have your parents split up after
     so many years. Gabe had grown up in a healthy, stable home environment while she and
     Jace had struggled to pull the pieces back together when their parents were killed.
     In a way, Gabe’s parents’ divorce was much like losing them, even if they were still
     alive, because nothing would ever be the same again and he’d be forced to view his
     parents as separate entities now.
    She grimaced when she saw Stella return to where Gabe and his father stood. The woman
     had no hesitancy whatsoever as she looped her arm through Gabe’s, turning up her one-hundred-watt
     smile as she blatantly flirted.
    Her tinkly laughter drifted to Mia as she neared with the drink. To Mia’s surprise,
     Gabe returned Stella’s smile, one of those seductive, killer smiles that immediately
     put Mia’s back up. It was a smile Gabe used when he was on the prowl. A smile that
     told the woman there was no question he was interested.
    What the ever-loving hell?
    Mia stood a few steps in front of the men, unnoticed, as she attempted to control
     the vicious jealousy—and anger—that surged through her veins. She wasn’t a jealous
     person, she reminded herself.
    To hell with that. She was insanely jealous and she wanted nothing more than to tear
     the blonde’s hair out by the roots. Was Gabe out of his mind? Was this the sort of
     woman who appealed to him? One clearly out for only what she could gain?
    But then he preferred no emotional entanglements in his relationships. He demanded
     it. But over her dead body was he going to flirt with some floozy when he had a contract
     with Mia. She’d kick both their asses if that’s what it took.
    She shoved forward, extending the drink to Gabe’s father.
    “Thank you, my dear,” Mr. Hamilton said with a warm smile.
    Stella turned a pout up at Gabe. “Dance with me, Gabe. The music’s just going to waste
     and I’m ready to move.”
    Gabe chuckled and it grated on every one of Mia’s nerves.
    “If you’ll excuse us,” Gabe said to his father. He didn’t even look at Mia as he guided
     Stella toward the section marked for dancing.
    Mia stared in absolute astonishment as Gabe pulled the blonde into his arms—way too
     damn close for some casual dance—and he smiled down at her. Smiled! He rarely smiled
     at anyone.
    And he’d left her with his father, which was awkward enough given the fact that Gabe
     had just walked away with his father’s date. She couldn’t very well escape to the
     bathroom again. She’d already used up that excuse.
    She noticed Mr. Hamilton’s frown as his gaze drifted to where Gabe and Stella were
     dancing. She was helpless to avert her own gaze, her anger growing by the minute when
     she saw Gabe’s hand suggestively slide down the woman’s body.
    To hell with this. She wasn’t going to stand around while Gabe felt up some other
     woman—his father’s date no less! She’d done her duty. She’d been nice and personable.
     She’d schmoozed his investors and rattled off all that useless trivia she’d spent
     the afternoon memorizing.
    She had better things to do. Mainly go home and vent to Caroline.

chapter sixteen
    “What a jerk,” Caroline said. “I can’t believe he let that skank attach herself to
     him like that. Especially when he has you!”
    Mia smiled at the fierce loyalty in her friend’s voice. The two were slouched on the
     couch after Mia had rid herself of the dress that just stood as a mockery of her entire
     evening. Fat lot of good it had done to look fabulous when Gabe’s attention was directed
     elsewhere.
    No one knew of her relationship with Gabe, which meant no one knew of her embarrassment,
     but it hadn’t prevented the heavy cloak of humiliation she suffered.
    “Who knows what he’s thinking,” Mia said wearily. “But I wasn’t going to hang around
     there and watch those two make goo-goo eyes at each other. It was nauseating.”
    “And you shouldn’t!” Caroline exclaimed.
    Her eyes gleamed with sudden light, and that was a signal to Mia that she should probably
     run.
    “So is he as good as I imagine him to be in the sack?”
    Mia sighed in exasperation. “For God’s sake, Caro.”
    “Hey, give me something to work with here. All I have are fantasies. You have the
     real thing.”
    “He’s a god, okay? He blew me away. Nothing to compare