![]() I no longer had to worry that Gideon would learn things about my past that would drive a wedge between us. He was never going to appear on my doorstep out of the blue. I was never going to turn a corner and run into him. I was now living in a world without Nathan Barker in it. I accessorized with a small pair of gold hoop earrings and kept my makeup light.Įverything had changed. I closed my eyes and moaned my surrender.īECAUSE of the heat and humidity, I chose a lightweight linen sheath dress and pulled my blond hair back in a ponytail. Effortlessly he held me, aroused me, possessed me. He growled and surrounded my nipple with the wet heat of his mouth, his tongue worrying the hardened point. I rode his leg with a slow slide, licking my lips. Despite hours of pleasure and a very recent orgasm, I was primed for him in that moment, aroused by his skill and strength and self-assurance, his command of himself and of me. He deepened my arch, until my tender sex hugged his hard thigh and I couldn’t help but be hyperaware of the power of his body as he supported my weight and his. Pressed against him from hip to ankle and bowed backward in a yielding curve, I felt my robe slide apart, exposing my breast. “I’ll give you romance.” Pulling me into him, Gideon dipped me with consummate ease. “I think your odds of getting laid are pretty good.” His returning smile was so wicked it revved me up a notch. I wonder if he puts out on the first date?” I accepted his hand up and tried to lighten the mood with a teasing reply. You’ll find the key-and the key to the penthouse-on your keychain.” ![]() “Your new neighbor would like to invite you over for a late dinner. He stood and held his hand out to help me up. The surge of relief I felt must have shown on my face, because Gideon’s gaze softened and filled with the regret I’d seen so many times now. Corinne stuck around for some of that, and when she left, I had plenty of staff on hand to vouch for my whereabouts.” It took most of the night dealing with the FDNY, the insurance company, and making emergency arrangements for food service. It hurt to think of how he might have filled the hours with her. “The night that Nathan died … she was your alibi.” I couldn’t say more. I’d hoped we could be friends, but she wants what she and I used to have, and I want you.” I leaned into his touch, letting it soak into me and chase the chill away. Wherever I am, whatever I’m doing, I belong to you.” There wasn’t a second that passed when you weren’t on my mind. Gideon’s fingertips glided softly down my cheek. “Just be with me,” I whispered, my eyes stinging all over again. I had to swallow past a painful lump to ask, “When can we be together again?” Even thinking about going without him for any length of time made me feel sick. How long would it be before I saw him again? Days? I couldn’t repeat the last few weeks of my life. The warmth I’d felt bled away, replaced by a flare of panic at the reminder that we were hiding our relationship. “I prefer ‘selectively deviant.’ But we’ll keep that to ourselves.” “Shut up.” I slid off him and smacked his shoulder. “I put directions on how to track my phone in your purse.” “I hate to freak you out,” I muttered between desperate kisses, “but you’ve got it real bad for me.” I kissed him hard, my heart pounding and blood roaring in my ears. I surged into him, knocking him off-balance and onto his back. Keeping you safe is goddamned self-preservation! Tolerate it for me, if you won’t do it for yourself.” If something ever happened to you, it would kill me, too. Can you understand that? You’re my heart and soul. This”-he gestured impatiently at himself-“is just a fucking shell. Hindsight didn’t just make things crystal clear it smacked me upside the head and knocked some sense into me. Give me credit for trying to balance your independence with keeping you safe.” Do you think I want to micromanage you? There have been extenuating circumstances. Scowling fiercely, he crouched in front of me. The sofa and sofa pillows in Gideon’s office had been skewed from a fight, not from a lunch quickie with Corinne. What I’d originally suspected was lipstick was Nathan’s blood. ![]() ![]() Nathan must have visited the Crossfire Building the day I’d found Gideon freshly showered with a crimson stain on the cuff of his shirt. Gideon’s reaction to meeting Nathan the first time had to have been violent. Nathan had raped me repeatedly for years and documented it with pictures and video. Brett Kline had only kissed me and Gideon had beaten him up. I’d realized Gideon would never allow Nathan to simply stroll into his office with photos of me being abused and violated, then just stroll back out again. “Give me a minute.” I’d figured out a lot of it already during the time we’d been apart. ![]()
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