The Better Brother

Gabriel had sent over a car to take me to the restaurant. The driver was waiting down in the lobby with a few security guards. He led me out into the cold night where an SUV was parked in front of the building.

“Do you know anything about this restaurant?” I asked while I buckled my seat belt. “I’ve tried looking it up several times on the internet, but I only found a website detailing their menu and desired attire.”

William drove through the parking lot in the direction of the freeway. “It’s not directly here in Chicago. It’s on the outskirts of the city. Beautiful place to go to.” He glanced up in the rearview mirror to catch my eyes with a smile. “I’ve taken my wife there a few times under Mr. Bradley’s invitation. You’re going to enjoy it. The food is amazing, the atmosphere is nice, and it’s very private.”

I slumped back in the passenger seat. The nerves in my stomach twisted together in a ball again at the mention of the place being private. That could be trouble. Delicious, orgasmic trouble.

The rest of the drive passed by silently as the city lights disappeared behind us. It was all back roads from the freeway until William turned into a gravel parking lot that was full of cars. A small, two-story house materialized in the darkness, looking like a cottage on the hillside with oak trees and a wraparound porch. Strings of white lights wrapped around the entire house, giving the place an enchanted look.

William pulled up to the front porch steps, and my stomach dropped. What was Gabriel trying to do? The question echoed in my mind uneasily while the front door opened a moment later.

Gabriel had picked the most expensive and secluded restaurant to have a conversation in. Obviously, I knew that money wasn’t a factor when he picked this type of place, but it seemed terribly romantic for a simple conversation. I only saw couples walking up to the front door as Gabriel emerged from the soft glow of the lights inside. He was dressed exquisitely, with his dark pants, white button-up, and a dark sweater vest. His dark hair was styled back from his sharp face.

Those damn butterflies in my stomach started all over again when Gabriel opened the passenger door to offer his hand for me to take. Not wanting to be rude, I took his hand while I slid out of the passenger seat and waved to William, who nodded back at us. Sparks went up my arm at the feel of Gabriel’s sturdy fingers holding mine. I pulled my hand from his, not willing to draw any attention to the two of us until I knew what this extravagant dinner was all about.

“You look nice,” Gabriel said. His eyes raked me up down, leaving hot trails along my skin. “Come inside.”

I followed him up the front porch steps to walk inside the warm restaurant that smelled of garlic and freshly baked bread. My stomach twisted into a million knots when Gabriel placed his hand on my lower back to usher me past the hostess stand and up the grand stairs to an even more private dining space. The tiny room had several vases of flowers spread throughout, along with flickering candles that bathed the room in soft light.

My heart lodged itself into my throat. This felt like a romantic date, which both excited and frightened me. I shrugged out of my coat to hand it over to the waiter who immediately approached our table. He hung it on a coat rack in the corner and returned to our table to ask if I’d like some wine to start with.

“Just a small glass,” I said to the waiter, not willing to let alcohol lower my inhibitions again tonight. That was how things had gotten so complicated with Gabriel in the first place. “Can I have some water also?”

The waiter nodded at me. “Of course. I’ll be back with that in just a moment.”

A smile spread across Gabriel’s face then. We waited in awkward silence until the waiter returned with our glasses of wine and water, followed by some garlic bread that I didn’t even bother touching. It smelled absolutely divine, but the butterflies in my stomach prevented me from being able to eat.

I waited for him to break the silence. It was his idea to come out to a nice place to talk in privacy. He could make the first move.

“I imagine you’re wondering why I asked you to come out here tonight,” he said.

“A little,” I said. “You said that you wanted to talk about something.”

Gabriel propped his elbows up on the edge of the table to gaze at me. “I wanted to clear the air between us. Things have gotten a bit—”

The ringing of my cell phone interrupted him. It sounded jarring in the peaceful silence surrounding us. He stopped short and looked down at my purse hanging off the back of my chair.

I reached into my purse with an apologetic glance. “I’m sorry. I thought I had put it on silent.”

“It’s okay. Go ahead and answer it.”

“No, thanks,” I said, recognizing my mother’s cell phone number. “I think it’d be better if I didn’t take it. It’s my mom so—”

“Answer it,” Gabriel said firmly. “She’s been calling me for the past few days, too. I think she needs to speak with you about something.”

This was the last thing I wanted to deal with in the middle of a fancy dinner with Gabriel. I contemplated letting it roll over to voicemail again, but I hit the answer button at the last second. I knew she’d keep calling until she got ahold of me.

“I’m a bit busy right now, Mom. Can I call you later?”

“You won’t return my calls, so I know you won’t call me later,” she said dryly. “What are you doing right now?”

“Right now?” I swept my gaze over Gabriel as he diverted his attention away to give me a small bit of privacy to talk. “I’m in the middle of something that isn’t any of your business. What do you need?”

“I was calling to surprise you,” she said merrily. “We’re here in Chicago!”

My heart dropped to the pit of my stomach. “You are? When did you get here?”

“A few hours ago,” she said. “That’s why I’ve been trying to get ahold of you. I didn’t want to just show up to Gabriel’s penthouse unannounced.”