Frowning, he pulled her in closer when she settled her head on his shoulder once more. Again, confusion swamped him. He didn’t like this. He had a path to follow and she was diverting the steps. He hadn’t expected to fall for a woman, not this early in the game.
He closed his eyes. He wasn’t falling for her, not really. She was sweet and beautiful, amazing in bed. They were caught up in some sort of island voodoo magic that had them screwing like rabbits. As if they couldn’t get enough of each other.
It was the heat in the air and the coolness of the water, the vibrant colors and the welcoming softness of her skin. He could blame his erratic behavior on all of those things.
It was easier that way.
Much, much easier.
Chapter Fifteen
Two weeks later…
Gabriella had cloistered herself away in the lab that Worth had arranged for her personal use. It was filled with two talented lab technicians who did as she requested, no questions asked, plenty of supplies, and an endless array of raw materials and synthetics gathered according to her needs.
She worked long days. Calculating formulas only to scrap them, recalculate them again and again until she was finally somewhat satisfied.
Again, somewhat.
Talking to Rhett had been sporadic. The plane ride back to New York, he’d been quiet, pensive. She wondered at his behavior. Was he embarrassed over how much they’d shared while in Maui? That final night together, when he’d been so fierce, so primal, had she gotten too close to the real Rhett? So close that he shut himself completely off from her?
Only a few times had they spoken since their return, always by phone. He’d been polite. Charming. The usual reckless, devil-may-care Rhett he displayed for all to see. Not the sweet, thoughtful man she’d spent long, blissful nights with. Not the raw, sexual beast who’d made love to her so thoroughly that final night…
Ella frowned. Made love was far too formal and flowery of a term for what they’d shared that evening. Fucking was the only proper description for it. Powerful, animalistic fucking at its most primal level, she’d relived those moments countless times in her memory. Perhaps she masturbated to those very same memories, though it always ended with a bitterly disappointing climax, her fingers never enough.
So she threw herself into her work. Creating the elusively perfect scent, using synthetic elements she knew most would consider odd, so she kept them to herself. The executives at Worth wouldn’t understand the use of synthetics, of bits of musk from wild animals that reproduced the scent of sex, the smell of a human body after it was so perfectly spent. That a particular element in algae smelled like the sea, how another synthetic created heat and warmth that enhanced the juice like the brightest sun.
It made no sense…yet made perfect sense to her logical, analytical mind. It was all calculations and formulas, mathematical problems and chemistry experiments. Yet it was also plenty of doodling in her notebook, staring at nothing and dreaming of salty breezes and warm, spicy skin.
Basing the scent on her idyllic time with Rhett didn’t help ease her worries. She’d tried her best to prepare herself for this…letdown. The island fling, how easily he forgot about her. How he moved on like she didn’t matter.
That hurt the most. The realization that she didn’t seem to matter much to any man in her life. Was she such a doormat they believed they could walk all over her without a care? They could always count on her being there, to take what they reluctantly delivered despite her always accepting, always willing to give, give, give.
She was tired of it. Her father had treated her in such a manner her entire life. Alarmingly enough, Rhett displayed many of the same traits. Men were selfish, the entire lot of them. And she was an idiot to believe she could change any of them.
Upon her return stateside, her father announced he was leaving for Italy. Good riddance, she’d privately thought, still hurt by his seeming betrayal. She hated how much she missed him, how alone she felt. Worth had settled her into a temporary living arrangement, one they provided for employees such as her, who received the apartment as part of their salary
She knew she was lucky. She had the job, the opportunity of a lifetime. But she was lonely and—scared. What if they hated the three juices she created for Worth? What if they released her from her contract early and sent her packing? Rumors would swirl. She wasn’t good enough. She couldn’t hack it. She was a disappointment, nothing like her brilliant father. She’d return to Vermont, her tail tucked firmly between her legs, her father shaking his head at her absolute failure.
His I told you so would be devastating to hear.
Thank goodness for Tessa Worth. They’d become closer, having lunch a few times in the two weeks she’d been in the city. Tessa had also invited her to dinner one night and she’d accepted, enjoying the time spent with Tessa and Alex and their sweet toddler, Charlotte. Tessa had confessed she was pregnant with another, that she’d only told Alex the night before and he was beside himself with happiness.
Studying the formidable, intimidating Alexander Worth at the dinner table that evening, Ella couldn’t imagine him “beside himself with happiness”. He was always kind toward her, offering her polite smiles, chatting with her about a variety of subjects. She appreciated his efforts in getting to know her. He was nothing like his brother, though. Easy to talk to, easy to smile, easy to laugh, that was Rhett. Alex was much more guarded with his emotions.
But spending time with Alex made her miss Rhett terribly. They looked so much alike, yet were so very different. The family connection was enough to make her wistful. Make her yearn for what she could no longer have.
Her rational brain told her she should’ve never become involved with him and had only herself to blame.
The phone in the lab rang, the sound jarring in the utter, clinical silence of the room. Ella grabbed it, surprise coursing through her as she answered with a tentative hello. The sterile white lab phone never, ever rang.
“Gabriella.” The low timbre of Rhett’s voice was unmistakable. “We meet tomorrow at one o’clock.” He’d emailed her two days ago, letting her know everyone at Worth—including himself—was growing anxious. They wanted to sample what she’d come up with this week and no later. “Are you ready?”
Taking a deep breath, she smiled, knowing he couldn’t see her but hoping somehow that smile came through in her voice, her attitude. “I’m ready. Shall I come to the Worth building then?”
“We’ll send a car for you. Let Kara know your schedule, send her an email and I’ll ensure the car will pick you up wherever you are.”
“I can already confirm I’ll be at the lab all day tomorrow.” This was the tone of their discussions now. Pleasant. Businesslike. Formal yet friendly, though never too friendly. He crossed no lines. He was the epitome of the professional businessman. Her superior. Her boss.