Read Online Rush by Maya Banks - Free Book Online Page A

lot more expensive than marriage.
    He was perfectly content with the way he managedrelationships now. No financial or emotional risk involved. No bruised egos. No hurt
     feelings. No betrayal.
    He glanced down at his phone and pulled up the photo he’d taken of Mia just a few
     weeks earlier. She hadn’t even known he’d taken the picture. She’d never seen him,
     never known he was there.
    She’d walked out of a shop on Madison Avenue just a ways in front of where he was
     standing, and he’d been transfixed by the image she presented. Standing on the sidewalk,
     hair blowing in the breeze as she hailed a cab.
    He’d been nearly paralyzed by lust. Not that he hadn’t already known, but in that
     moment, he’d realized that he
had
to have her. There was something about her that he found irresistible. His fascination
     with her had reached the point of obsession. He was taking a photo of her without
     her knowledge just so he could pull it up and see her as he’d seen her on that day.
    Young, vibrant. So very beautiful. And her
smile
. When she smiled, she lit up the world around her. He failed to see how anyone could
     look beyond her when she was present.
    She was…captivating.
    He didn’t quite know what made her so special. Perhaps it was nothing more than the
     forbidden nature of their relationship. She was his best friend’s little sister. She
     was fourteen years younger than he was. She was a woman he should leave alone.
    But what he should do and what he was going to do were two different things.
    He wanted Mia, and he’d do whatever it took to possess her.

chapter six
    MONDAY, HCM OFFICES, PRESENT TIME
    Mia stood in the doorway of Gabe’s office staring at him.
    So he wasn’t as sure of her as he’d initially appeared. Relief still simmered in those
     dark blue eyes.
    She opened her mouth to tell him she hadn’t given him her decision, but it wasn’t
     a good idea to tease him. He seemed so on edge, and the last thing she wanted was
     to start things by pissing him off.
    “I’m here,” she said huskily.
    He reached down and took her hand and then pulled her toward the sitting area on the
     opposite end of the room from his desk.
    “Would you like something to drink?” he asked.
    She shook her head. “I’m fine. Too nervous to drink anything.”
    He motioned her down on the small leather couch and then sat next to her, pulling
     her hands up and into his lap.
    “I don’t want you to be nervous or afraid of me, Mia. That’s not my intention at all.
     I gave you a very detailed outline of what our relationship will be to allay any fears
     or confusion. I merely wantyou to know precisely what our agreement will entail. But I never intended for you
     to be frightened or intimidated.”
    She stared back at him, determined to be confident and straightforward. “I trust you,
     Gabe. I always have. It’s the reason I’ve decided to accept your proposal.”
    Something primal entered his eyes. It made her feel extremely vulnerable, but the
     sensation was sinfully delicious, eliciting a shiver.
    “But I have a few conditions of my own,” she said cautiously.
    One eyebrow lifted and amusement twisted his lips. “Do you now?”
    If she wasn’t firm and didn’t stand her ground, she never stood a chance in this relationship.
     Regardless of whether she was turning over power to him, she wasn’t going to be some
     spineless twit who chose to cower rather than to speak her mind.
    “There was a clause that…bothered…me.”
    “And that was?”
    She tried to control her blush because even saying it aloud made her extremely self-conscious.
    “The one about birth control and condoms.”
    He frowned. “Are you unable to take birth control? It’s not a problem, Mia. I would
     never force you to take something you can’t for health reasons. While my preference
     isn’t to wear condoms, I would do so if it meant protecting you when other means aren’t
     available to us.”
    She shook her