Gideon folded over me, his hair falling forward to
tickle my chest, his lungs heaving. “God. I can’t go
days without this. Even the hours at work are too
long.”
I ran my fingers through the sweat-damp roots
of his hair. “I missed you, too.”
He nuzzled my breasts. “When you’re not with
me, I feel—Don’t run anymore, Eva. I can’t take it.”
He pulled me up to stand in front of him,
keeping his cock in me until the soles of my heels
touched the hardwood floor. “Come home with me
now.”
“I can’t leave Cary.”
“Then we’ll drag him out of here with us. Shh…
Before you complain, whatever he hopes to get
out of this party, I can make happen. Being here
accomplishes nothing.”
“Maybe he’s having fun.”
“I don’t want you here.” He suddenly seemed
distant, his tone far too controlled.
“Do you know how badly it hurts me when you
say that?” I cried softly, my chest tight with the pain
of it. “What’s wrong with me that you don’t want
me around your family?”
“Angel, no.” He hugged me, his hands roaming
my back in soothing caresses. “There’s nothing
wrong with you. It’s this place. I don’t—I can’t be
here. You want to know what’s in my dreams? It’s
this house.”
“Oh.” My stomach knotted with worry and
confusion. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”
Something in my voice lured him to press a kiss
between my eyebrows. “I’ve been rough with you
today. I’m sorry. I’m edgy and agitated being here,
but that’s no excuse.”
I cupped his face and stared into his eyes,
seeing the tumultuous emotions he was so used
to hiding. “Don’t ever apologize for being yourself
with me. It’s what I want. I want to be your safe
place, Gideon.”
“You are. You don’t know how much, but I’ll find
a way to tell you.” He rested his forehead against
mine. “Let’s go home. I bought some things for
you.”
“Oh? I love gifts.” Especially when they came
from my self-professed unromantic boyfriend.
Cautiously, he began to pull out of me. I was
shocked to feel how wet I was, how copiously he’d
come. The final few inches of his cock slid out in a
rush and semen slicked my inner thighs. A
moment later, two audacious droplets fell to the
hardwood floor between my spread legs.
“Oh, shit.” He groaned. “That’s so damn hot. I’m
getting hard again.”
I stared at the brazen display of his virility and
felt warm. “You can’t go again after that.”
“Hell if I can’t.” Cupping my sex in his hand, he
rubbed the slickness all over me, coating the outer
lips and massaging it into the folds. Euphoria
spread through me like the warmth of fine liquor, a
sense of contentment that came solely from the
knowledge that Gideon found gratification in me
and my body.
“I’m an animal with you,” he murmured. “I want to
mark you. I want to possess you so completely
there’s no separation between us.”
My hips began to move in tiny circles as his
words and touch reignited the desire he’d goaded
with the thrusts of his cock. I wanted to come
again, knew I’d be miserable if I had to wait until
we reached his bed. I was a sexual creature with
him, too, so physically attuned to him and so
positive that he would never physically hurt me,
that I was…free.
I encircled his wrist with my fingers and gently
directed his hand around my hip to reach for me
from behind. Nipping his jaw with my teeth, I
gathered the courage he inspired in me and
whispered, “Touch me here with your fingers.
Mark me there.”
He froze, his chest lifting and falling rapidly. “I
don’t”—his voice strengthened—“I don’t do anal
play, Eva.”
Looking into his eyes, I saw something dark
and volatile. Something very painful.
Of all the things for us to have in common…
The raw passion of our lust gentled into the
warm familiarity of love. With my heart breaking, I
confessed, “I don’t either. At least not voluntarily.”
“Then…why?” The confusion in his voice moved
me deeply.
I hugged him, pressing my cheek to his
shoulder and listening to the slightly panicked
beat of his heart. “Because I believe your touch
can erase Nathan’s.”
“Oh, Eva.” His cheek pressed to the crown of
my head.
I snuggled closer. “You make me feel safe.”
We held each other for long moments. I listened
to his heartbeat slow and his breathing smooth
out. I inhaled deeply, relishing the mix of his
personal scent mixed with the scent of hard lust
and harder sex.
When the tip of his middle finger slid gossamersoft
over the pucker of my anus, I stilled and pulled
back to look at him. “Gideon?”
“Why me?” he asked softly, his beautiful eyes
dark and stormy. “You know I’m fucked up, Eva.
You saw what I…that night you woke me…You
saw, damn it. How can you trust me with your body
this way?”
“I trust my heart and what it tells me.” I smoothed
the frown line between his brows. “You can give
my body back to me, Gideon. I believe you’re the
only one who can.”
His eyes closed and his damp forehead
touched mine. “Do you have a safeword, Eva?”
Startled, I pulled back again to study his face. A
few members of my therapy group had talked
about Dom/sub relationships. Some required total
control to feel safe during sex. Others fell on the
opposite side of the line, finding that bondage and
humiliation satisfied their deep-seated need to
feel pain to experience pleasure. For those who
practiced that lifestyle, a safeword was an
unambiguous way to say “stop.” But I couldn’t see
how that had any relevance to me and Gideon.
“Do you?”
“I don’t need one.” Between my legs, the gentle
stroke of his finger became less tentative. He
repeated his question, “Do you have a safeword?”
“No. I’ve never needed one. Missionary, doggy
style, B.O.B…. that’s about the extent of my mad
skills in the sack.”
That brought a touch of amusement to his
otherwise severe face. “Thank God. I wouldn’t
survive you otherwise.”
And still that fingertip massaged me, spurring a
dark yearning. Gideon could do that to me, make
me forget everything that happened before. I had
no negative sexual triggers with him, no hesitation
or fears. He’d given that to me. In return, I wanted
to give him the body he’d freed from my past.
The long case clock near the door began to
chime the hour.
“Gideon, we’ve been gone a long time.
Someone will come looking for us.”
He put the slightest pressure against my
sensitive rosette, barely pressing. “Do you really
care if they do?”
My hips arched into the touch. Anticipation was
making me hot all over again. “I don’t care about
anything but you when you’re touching me.”
His free hand lifted to my hair and held it at the
roots, keeping my head still. “Did you ever enjoy
anal play? Accidentally or by deliberation?”
“No.”
“And yet you trust me enough to ask me for
this.” He kissed my forehead as he drew the
slickness of his semen back to my rear.
I gripped his waistband. “You don’t have to—”
“Yes, I do.” His voice had that wickedly
assertive bite to it. “If you crave something, I’ll be
the one to give it to you. All of your needs, Eva,
are mine to fulfill. Whatever it costs me.”
“Thank you, Gideon.” My hips shifted restlessly
as he continued to lubricate me gently. “I want to
be what you need, too.”
“I’ve told you what I need, Eva—control.” He
brushed his parted lips back and forth over mine.
“You’re asking me to lead you back into painful
places and I will, if that’s what you need. But we
have to be extremely careful.”
“I know.”
“Trust is hard for both of us. If we break it, we
could lose everything. Think of a word you
associate with power. Your safeword, angel.
Choose it.”
The pressure of that single fingertip became
more insistent. I moaned, “Crossfire.”
“Umm…I like it. Very fitting.” His tongue dipped
into my mouth, barely touching mine before
retreating. His finger rimmed my anus over and
over, pushing his semen into the puckered hole, a
soft growl escaping him as it flexed in a silent plea
for more.
The next time he pressed against the ring, I
pushed out and he slipped his fingertip inside me.
The feeling of penetration was shockingly intense.
Just as before, surrender weighted my body,
leaving me languid.
“Are you okay?” Gideon asked harshly as I
sagged against him. “Should I stop?”
“No…Don’t stop.”
He pushed fractionally deeper and I clenched
around him, a helpless reaction to the feel of
something gliding across tender tissues. “You’re
snug and scorching hot,” he murmured. “And so
soft. Does it hurt?”
“No. Please. More.”
Gideon withdrew to his fingertip; then slid in to
the knuckle, slow and easy. I quivered in delight,
astonished by how good it felt, that teasing bit of
fullness in my rear.
“How’s that?” he asked hoarsely.
“Good. Everything you do to me feels good.”
He withdrew again, glided deep again. Leaning
forward, I thrust my hips back to give him easier
access and pressed my breasts against his
chest. His fist in my hair tightened, pulling my
head back so he could take my mouth in a lush,
wet kiss. Our open mouths slid across each other,
growing more frantic as my arousal built. The feel
of Gideon’s finger in that darkly sexual place,
thrusting in that gentle rhythm, had me rocking
backward to meet his inward drives.
“You’re so beautiful,” he murmured, his voice
infinitely gentle. “I love making you feel good. Love
watching an orgasm move through your body.”
“Gideon.” I was lost, drowning in the powerful
joy of being held by him, loved by him. Four days
alone had taught me how miserable I’d be if we
couldn’t work things out, how dull and colorless my
world would be without him in it. “I need you.”
“I know.” He licked across my lips, making my
head spin. “I’m here. Your cunt’s trembling and
tightening. You’re going to come for me again.”
With shaking hands, I reached between us for
his cock, finding it hard. I lifted the layers of my
underskirts so I could insert him into my drenched
sex. He slid in a few inches, our standing
positions preventing deeper penetration, but the
connection alone was enough. I wrapped my arms
around his shoulders, burying my face in his neck
as my knees weakened. His hand left my hair, his
arm clasping my back and holding me close.
“Eva.” The tempo of his finger thrusts
quickened. “Do you know what you do to me?”
His hips nudged against mine, the wide crest of
his penis massaging a sweetly tender spot.
“You’re milking the head of my dick with those
hungry little squeezes. You’re going to make me
come for you. When you go off, I’m going with
you.”
I was distantly aware of the helpless noises
spilling from my throat. My senses were
overloaded by Gideon’s scent and the heat of his
hard body, the feel of his cock rubbing inside me
and his finger pumping into my rear. I was
surrounded by him, filled with him, blissfully
possessed in every way. A climax was building in
force, pounding through me, pooling in my core.
Not just from the physical pleasure but from the
knowledge that he’d been willing to take a risk.
Once again. For me.
His finger stilled and I made a sound of protest.
“Hush,” he whispered. “Someone’s coming.”
“Oh God! Magdalene came in earlier and saw
us. What if she told—”
“Don’t move.” Gideon didn’t let me go. He
stood just as he was, filling me front and back, his
hand caressing the length of my spine and
smoothing my dress down. “Your skirts hide
everything.”
With my back to the room’s entrance, I pressed
my flaming face into his shirt.
The door opened. There was a pause then, “Is
everything all right?”
Christopher. I felt awkward being unable to turn
around.
“Of course,” Gideon said smoothly, coolly in
control. “What do you want?”
To my horror, he resumed the push and
withdrawal of his finger. Not with the deep strokes
of before, but slow shallow thrusts that didn’t
disturb my skirts. Already aroused to a fever pitch
and hovering on the verge of orgasm, my nails
dug into his neck. The tension in my body from
having Christopher in the room only ramped up
the erotic sensations.
“Eva?” Christopher asked.
I swallowed hard. “Yes?”
“Are you okay?”
Gideon adjusted his stance, which moved his
cock inside me and bumped his pelvis against my
pulsing clit.
“Y-yes. We’re just…talking. About. Dinner.” My
eyes closed as Gideon’s fingertip grazed the thin
wall separating his penis from his touch. If he
nudged my clit again, I’d come. I was too wound
up to stop it.
Gideon’s chest vibrated against my cheek as
he spoke. “We’d be done sooner if you’d go, so
tell me what you need.”
“Mom’s looking for you.”
“Why?” Gideon shifted again, rocking into my
clit at the same moment he gave a quick, deep
thrust of his finger into my rear.
I climaxed. Afraid of the wail of pleasure that
wanted out of me, I sank my teeth into Gideon’s
hard pectoral. He grunted softly and started
coming, his cock jerking as it pumped thick spurts
of scorching semen into me.
The rest of the conversation was lost beneath
the roar of my blood. Christopher said something,
Gideon replied, and then the door shut again. I
was lifted to sit on the armrest and Gideon started
thrusting between my spread thighs, using my
body to rub out the rest of his orgasm, growling in
my mouth as we finished off the rawest, most
exhibitionistic sexual encounter of my life.
Afterward, Gideon led me by the hand to a
bathroom, where he lightly soaped a washcloth
and cleansed between my legs before he paid the
same attention to his cock. The way he took care
of me was sweetly intimate, demonstrating yet
again that as primal as his desire for me was, I
was precious to him.
“I don’t want us to fight anymore,” I said quietly
from my perch on the counter.
He tossed the washcloth down a concealed
laundry chute and refastened his fly. Then he
came to me, brushing his cool fingertips down my
cheek. “We don’t fight, angel. We just have to
learn not to scare the hell out of each other.”
“You make it sound so easy,” I grumbled. To call
either of us virgins would be ridiculous, yet
emotionally that’s just what we were. Fumbling in
the dark and too eager, completely out of our
depths and self-conscious, trying to impress and
missing all the subtle nuances.
“Easy or hard, doesn’t matter. We’ll get through
this because we have to.” He pushed his fingers
through my hair, restoring order to the disheveled
strands. “We’ll discuss when we get home. I think
I’ve discovered the crux of our problem.”
His conviction and determination soothed the
restlessness I’d been feeling the last few days.
Closing my eyes, I relaxed and enjoyed the tactile
delight of having my hair played with. “Your mother
seemed startled that I’m a blonde.”
“Did she?”
“My mother was, too. Not about me being a
blonde,” I qualified. “That you’d be interested in
one.”
“Was she?”
“Gideon!”
“Hmm?” He kissed the end of my nose and ran
his hands down my arms.
“I’m not the type you usually go for, am I?”
His brow arched. “I have one type: Eva Lauren
Tramell. That’s it.”
I rolled my eyes. “Okay. Whatever.”
“What does it matter? You’re the woman I’m
with.”
“It doesn’t matter. I’m just curious. People don’t
usually stray from their preferred type.”
Stepping between my legs, he put his arms
around my hips. “Lucky for me that I fit your type.”
“Gideon, you don’t fit any type,” I drawled.
“You’re in a class by yourself.”
His eyes sparkled. “Like what you see, do
you?”
“You know I do, which is why we really should
get out of here before we start screwing like
minks again.”
Pressing his cheek to mine, he murmured,
“Only you could blow my mind in a place that’s
always made my skin crawl. Thank you for being
exactly what I want and need.”
“Oh, Gideon.” I wrapped my arms and legs
around him, holding him as close to me as
possible. “You came here for me, didn’t you? To
take me away from this place you hate.”
“I’d walk into hell for you, Eva, and this is pretty
damn close.” He exhaled harshly. “I was about to
go to your apartment and drag you away with me
when I learned you’d come here. You have to stay
away from Christopher.”
“Why do you keep saying that? He seems very
nice.”
Gideon pulled back, sifting my hair through his
fingers. His eyes stayed fiercely locked to mine.
“He takes sibling rivalry to the extreme, and he’s
unstable enough to make him dangerous. He’s
reaching out to you because he knows he can hurt
me through you. You have to trust me on this.”
Why was Gideon so suspicious of his halfbrother’s
motives? He had to have a good
reason. It was yet another thing he didn’t fully
share with me. “I do trust you. Of course I do. I’ll
keep my distance.”
“Thank you.” Catching me by the waist, he lifted
me off the counter and set me on my feet. “Let’s
grab Cary and get the hell out of here.”
We made our way back outside with my hand in
his. I was uncomfortably aware that we’d been
gone a very long time. The sun was going down.
And I was panty-less. My ruined boy shorts were
presently stuffed into the front pocket of Gideon’s
jeans.
He glanced at me as we entered the marquee.
“I should’ve told you before. You look gorgeous,
Eva. That dress is amazing on you and so are
those fuck-me red heels.”
“Well, clearly they work.” I bumped my shoulder
into him. “Thank you.”
“For the compliment? Or the fucking?”
“Hush,” I admonished, flushing.
His dark velvet laugh turned every female head
in hearing distance and some of the men’s, too.
Placing our linked hands at the small of my back,
he pulled me close and smacked a kiss on my
mouth.
“Gideon!” His mother glided toward us with
sparkling eyes and a wide smile on her lovely
face. “I’m so happy you’re here.”
She looked like she might hug him, but his
posture altered subtly, charging the air around him
with an invisible field of power that encompassed
me as well.
Elizabeth drew to an abrupt halt.
“Mother,” he greeted her with all the warmth of
an arctic storm. “You can thank Eva for my being
here. I’ve come to take her away.”
“But she’s having a good time, aren’t you, Eva?
You should stay for her sake.” Elizabeth looked at
me with a plea in her eyes.
My fingers flexed around Gideon’s hand. He
came first, that was never in question, but I
couldn’t help but wish I knew the story behind his
coldness toward a mother who seemed to love
him. Her adoring gaze slid over the face that had
shades of her own, drinking in every feature
hungrily. How long had it been since the last time
she’d seen him in person?
Then I wondered if maybe she’d loved him too
much…
Revulsion made my spine stiffen.
“Don’t put Eva on the spot,” Gideon said,
rubbing his knuckles against my tense back.
“You’ve gotten what you wanted—you’ve met her.”
“Perhaps you’ll both come to dinner later this
week?”
His only answer was an arched brow. Then his
gaze lifted, luring my attention to follow it. I found
Cary emerging from what appeared to be a
hedgerow maze with a very recognizable pop
princess on his arm. Gideon gestured him over.
“Oh, not Cary, too!” Elizabeth protested. “He’s
the life of the party.”
“I thought you might like him.” Gideon bared his
teeth in something that was too sharp to be a
smile. “Just remember that he’s Eva’s friend,
Mother. That makes him mine as well.”
I was hugely relieved when Cary joined us,
breaking the tension in his easygoing way.
“I was looking for you,” he said to me. “I was
hoping you’d be ready to go. I got that call I was
expecting.”
Looking into his sparkling eyes, I knew Trey had
reached him. “Yes, we’re ready.”
Cary and I walked around to say our good-byes
and offer our thanks. Gideon remained at my side
like a possessive shadow, his demeanor calm but
markedly aloof.
We were all walking toward the house when I
spotted Ireland off to the side staring at Gideon. I
stopped and looked up at him. “Go get your sister
so we can say good-bye.”
“What?”
“She’s standing to your left.” I looked to our right
to hide my prodding from the young girl whom I
suspected might hero-worship her eldest brother.
He gestured Ireland over with a brusque wave
of his hand. She took her time ambling over, her
pretty face schooled into an expression of militant
boredom. I looked at Cary with a shake of my
head, remembering those days all too well.
“Listen.” I squeezed Gideon’s wrist. “Tell her
you’re sorry you two didn’t get to catch up while
you were here and she should call you sometime,
if she wants.”
Gideon shot me an arch look. “Catch up on
what?”
Rubbing his biceps, I said, “She’ll do all the
talking if given a chance.”
He scowled. “She’s a teenage girl. Why would I
give her a chance to talk my ear off?”
I pushed onto my tiptoes and whispered in his
ear, “Because I’ll owe you one.”
“You’re up to something.” He eyed me warily for
a moment; then pressed a hard kiss to my lips
with a growl. “So we’ll leave it open and say you
owe me more than one. Quantity to be
determined.”
I nodded. Cary rocked back on his heels and
twirled one index finger around another in a sign
meaning wrapped around your finger.
Only fair, I thought, since he was wrapped
around my heart.
I was surprised when Gideon accepted the keys
to the Bentley SUV from one of the valets. “You
drove? Where’s Angus?”
“Day off.” He nuzzled against my temple. “I
missed you, Eva.”
I settled into the front passenger seat, and he
shut the door behind me. As I secured my seat
belt, I saw him pause by the hood, making eye
contact with two men dressed in black who waited
beside a sleek black Mercedes sedan at the end
of the drive. They nodded and got in the Benz.
When Gideon pulled out of the Vidal driveway,
they followed directly behind us.
“Security detail?” I asked.
“Yes. I took off fast when I was told you were
here, and they lost the tail for a while.”
Cary went home with Clancy, so Gideon and I
headed straight to the penthouse. I found myself
getting turned on from watching Gideon drive. He
handled the luxury vehicle the way he handled
everything—confidently, aggressively, and with
skillful control. He drove fast but not recklessly,
weaving easily over the curves and straightaways
of the scenic route back to the city. There was
almost no traffic until we hit the gridlock of
Manhattan.
When we arrived at his apartment, we both
went straight into the master bathroom and
undressed for a shower. As if he couldn’t stop
touching me, Gideon washed me from head to
toe; then he dried me with a towel and wrapped
me in a new robe of embroidered teal silk with
kimono sleeves. He finished by pulling a pair of
similarly hued drawstring silk pants out of a
drawer for himself.
“Don’t I get panties?” I asked, thinking about my
drawer of sexy underwear.
“No. There’s a phone hanging on the wall in the
kitchen. Hit speed dial one and tell the man who
answers that I want him to pick up double my
usual dinner order from Peter Luger.”
“All right.” I headed out to the living room and
made the call; then I had to search for Gideon. I
found him in his home office, a room I hadn’t been
in before.
I didn’t get a good look at the space at first
because the only lighting came from an angled
picture light on the wall and a barrister’s lamp on
his polished wood desk. Plus my eyes were more
interested in focusing on him. He looked utterly
sensual and compelling sprawled in his big black
leather chair. He held a tulip glass of some liquor
that he warmed between his hands and the beauty
of his flexing biceps sent tingles racing through
me, as did the tight lacing of muscles on his
abdomen.
His gaze was on the wall illuminated by the
picture light, which snagged my attention, too. I
was startled when I saw the art—a huge collage of
blown-up photos of him and me: the picture of our
kiss on the street outside the gym…a shot of us
from the press gauntlet at the advocacy dinner…a
candid of the tender aftermath of our fight in
Bryant Park…
The focal point was the image in the center that
had been taken while I slept in my own bed, lit only
by the candle I’d left burning for him. It was an
intimate voyeuristic shot, one that said more
about the photographer than it did the subject.
I was deeply touched by the proof that he’d
been falling along with me.
Gideon gestured at the drink he’d poured for
me in advance and set on the edge of his desk.
“Have a seat.”
I complied, curious. There was an edge to him
that was new, a sense of purpose and calm
determination paired with laser-precise focus.
What brought on his mood? And what did it
mean for the rest of our evening?
Then I saw the small photo collage frame lying
on the desktop next to my drink and my worry
faded. The frame was very similar to the one
already on my desk, but this one held three photos
of Gideon and me together.
“I want you to take that to work,” he said quietly
“Thank you.” For the first time in days, I was
happy. I hugged the frame to my chest with one
hand, and picked up my glass with the other.
His eyes glittered as he watched me take a
seat. “You blow kisses at me all day from your
picture on my desk. I think it’s only fair that you be
equally reminded of me. Of us.”
I exhaled in a rush, my heartbeat not quite
steady. “I never forget about you or us.”
“I wouldn’t let you if you tried.” Gideon took a
deep drink, his throat working on a swallow. “I
think I’ve figured out where we made our first
misstep, the one that’s led to all the stumbles
we’ve had since.”
“Oh?”
“Take a drink of your Armagnac, angel. I think
you’ll need it.”
I took a cautious sip of the liquor, feeling the
instantaneous burn, followed by recognition that I
liked the flavor. I took a bigger drink.
Rolling his glass between his palms, Gideon
took another drink and eyed me thoughtfully. “Tell
me which was hotter, Eva: sex in the limo when
you were in charge or sex in the hotel when I
was?”
I shifted restlessly, unsure of where the
conversation was leading. “I thought you enjoyed
what happened in the limo. While it was
happening, I mean. Obviously not later.”
“I loved it,” he said with quiet conviction. “The
image of you in that red dress, moaning and
telling me how good my cock feels inside you, will
haunt me as long as I live. If you’d like to top me
again in the future, I’m definitely game.”
My stomach tensed. The muscles in my
shoulders began to knot. “Gideon, I’m starting to
freak out a little. All this talk of safewords and
topping…it feels like this conversation is leading
somewhere I can’t go.”
“You’re thinking of bondage and pain. I’m
talking about a consensual power exchange.”
Gideon studied me intently. “Would you like more
brandy? You’re very pale.”
“You think?” I set the drained glass down. “It
sounds like you’re telling me you’re a Dominant.”
“Angel, you knew that already.” His mouth
curved in a soft, sexy smile. “What I’m telling you
is that you’re submissive.”
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