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.”