He smiled.
“I need to check in with Cary again,” I said with a sigh. “See if Mom’s left yet.”
“You okay?”
“Yeah.” I leaned my head on his shoulder. “There’s nothing like a little Gideon therapy to make things look up.”
“Did I mention I make house calls? Twenty-four-seven.”
I sank my teeth into his biceps. “Let me take care of this, then I’ll make you come again.”
“I’m good, thanks,” he shot back, clearly amused.
“But we haven’t played with the girls yet.”
He bent down and buried his face in my cleavage. “Hello, girls.”
Laughing, I shoved at his shoulders and he pushed me backward until I sprawled on the floor between the sofa and coffee table. He hovered above me, his arms tight and hard from supporting his weight. His gaze roamed, caressing my bra, then my bare tummy, then my thong and garters. The ensemble I wore post-shower was fire-engine red, chosen to keep Gideon revved.
“You’re my lucky charm,” he said.
I squeezed his biceps. “Really?”
“Yep.” He licked the upper swell of my breast. “You’re magically delicious.”
“Oh my God!” I laughed. “Cheesy.”
His eyes smiled at me. “I did warn you about me and romance.”
“You lied. You’re the most romantic guy I’ve ever dated. I can’t believe you hung those CrossTrainer towels in your bathroom.”
“How could I not? And I wasn’t kidding about you being lucky.” He kissed me. “I’ve been working on offloading my share of a casino in Milan. Those black magic roses arrived just as a bidder threw in a small winery in Bordeaux that I’ve had my eye on. Guess what it’s called … La Rose Noir.”
“A winery for a casino, huh? So you remain the god of sex, vice, and recreation.”
“Endeavors that help me satisfy you, my goddess of desire, pleasure, and corny one-liners.”
I ran my hands down his sides and slid my fingers beneath his waistband. “When do I get to try the wine?”
“When you’re helping me brainstorm the advertising campaign for it.”
With a sigh, I said, “You don’t give up, do you?”
“Not when I want something, no.” He rose to his knees and then helped me sit up. “And I want you. Very, very much.”
“You have me,” I said, using his words.
“I have your heart and your insanely sexy body. Now, I want your brain. I want everything.”
“I need to save something for me.”
“No. Take me instead.” Gideon’s hands reached around to cup the bare cheeks of my ass. “Not an even trade in quality, I’m sorry to say.”
“You’re bargaining like mad today.”
“Giroux was happy with his deal. You will be, too, I promise.”
“Giroux?” My heart thudded. “No relation to Corinne?”
“Her husband. Although they’re estranged and facing divorce, as you know.”
“No way. You do business with her husband?”
His mouth twisted ruefully. “First time. And likely the last, although I did tell him that I’m involved with a special woman—and she’s not his wife.”
“The problem is that she’s in love with you.”
“She doesn’t know me.” He cupped the back of my head and rubbed our noses together. “Hurry up and call Cary. I’ll clean up dinner. Then we’ll suck face.”
“Fiend.”
“Sexpot.”
I scrambled up to head to my purse for my phone. Gideon grabbed a garter and snapped it, sending a shock wave of sensation across my skin. Surprisingly aroused by the nip of pain, I slapped his hand away and hurried out of reach.
Cary answered on the second ring. “Hey, baby girl. You still doing okay?”
“Yes. And you’re still the best friend ever. Is Mom still hanging around?”
“She bailed a little over an hour ago. You stayin’ over at loverman’s?”
“Yeah, unless you need me.”
“Nah, I’m good. Trey’s on his way over now.”
That news made me feel a lot better about spending a second night away. “Say hi to him for me.”
“Sure. I’ll kiss him for you, too.”
“Well, if it’s from me, don’t make it too hot and wet.”
“Spoilsport. Hey, remember how you asked me to do some digging on the Good Doctor Lucas? So far, I’ve come up with a whole lotta nada. He doesn’t seem to do much else besides work. No kids. Wife is a doctor, too. A shrink.”
I glanced at Gideon, cautiously ensuring that he didn’t overhear. “Seriously?”
“Why? Is that important?”
“No, I guess not. I just … I guess I expect psychologists to be astute judges of character.”
“Do you know her?”
“No.”
“What’s going on, Eva? You’re all cloak-and-dagger lately, and it’s starting to piss me off.”
Climbing onto a bar stool, I explained as much as I could. “I met Dr. Lucas at a charity dinner one night, then again when you were in the hospital. Both times he said some nasty things about Gideon and I’m just trying to figure out what his deal is.”
“Come on, Eva. What else could it be besides Cross banged his wife?”
Unable to reveal a past that wasn’t mine to share, I didn’t answer. “I’ll be home tomorrow afternoon. I’ve got that girls’ night out. You sure you don’t want to come?”
“Go ahead, change the subject,” Cary bitched. “Yes, I’m sure I don’t want to come. I’m not ready to hit the scene. Just thinking about it gives me hives.”
Nathan had jumped Cary outside a club, and Cary was still recovering physically from that. Somehow, I’d forgotten that it was the mind that took longer to heal. He played it so cool, but I should’ve known better. “The weekend after next, you want to fly out to San Diego? See my dad, our friends … maybe even Dr. Travis, if we’re up for it?”
“Subtle, Eva,” he said dryly. “But yeah, sounds good. I may need you to front me some money, since I’m not working right now.”
“No problem. I’ll make the arrangements and we can square up later.”
“Oh, before you hang up. One of your friends called earlier—Deanna. I forgot to tell you when we talked before. She has news and she wants you to call her back.”
I shot a look at Gideon. He caught my eye and something on my face must have given me away, because his eyes took on that familiar hard gleam. He headed toward me with that long, agile stride, the remnants of dinner carted neatly in the original delivery bag.
“Did you tell her anything?” I asked Cary in a low voice.
“Tell her anything? Like what?”
“Like something you wouldn’t want to tell a reporter, because that’s what she is.”
Gideon’s face took on a stony cast. He passed me to drop the trash in the compactor, then came back to my side.
“You’re friends with a reporter?” Cary asked. “Are you nuts?”
“No, I’m not friends with her. I have no idea how she got my home number, unless she called up from the front desk.”
“What the hell does she want?”
“An exposé on Gideon. She’s starting to get on my bad side. She’s all over him like a rash.”
“I’ll blow her off if she calls back.”
“No, don’t.” I held Gideon’s gaze. “Just don’t give her any information about anything. Where did you tell her I was?”
“Out.”
“Perfect. Thanks, Cary. Call if you need me.”
“Have a banging good time.”
“Jesus, Cary.” Shaking my head, I killed the call.
“Deanna Johnson called you?” Gideon asked, his arms crossing his chest.
“Yep. And I’m about to call her back.”
“No, you’re not.”
“Shut up, caveman. I’m not into that ‘me Cross, you Cross little woman’ bullshit,” I snapped. “In ca
se you’ve forgotten already, we made a trade. You got me, and I got you. I protect what’s mine.”
“Eva, don’t fight my battles for me. I can take care of myself.”
“I know that. You’ve been doing it your whole life. Now, you’ve got me. I can handle this one.”
Something shifted over his features, so swiftly I couldn’t identify whether he was getting pissed. “I don’t want you to have to deal with my past.”
“You dealt with mine.”
“That was different.”
“A threat is a threat, ace. We’re in this together. She’s reaching out to me, which makes me your best shot at figuring out what she’s up to.”
He threw up one hand in frustration, then raked it through his hair. I had to force myself not to get distracted by the way his entire torso flexed with his agitation—his abs clenching, his biceps hardening. “I don’t give a shit what she’s up to. You know the truth, and you’re the only one who matters.”
“If you think I’m going to sit around while she crucifies you in the press, you need to revisit and revise!”
“She can’t hurt me unless she hurts you, and it’s possible that’s what she’s really after.”
“We won’t know unless I talk to her.” I pulled Deanna’s card out of my purse and dialed, blocking my number from showing on her Caller ID.
“Eva, damn it!”
I put the phone on speaker and set it on the counter.
“Deanna Johnson,” she answered briskly.
“Deanna, it’s Eva Tramell.”
“Eva, hi.” The tone of her voice changed, assuming a friendliness we hadn’t yet established. “How are you?”
“I’m good. You?” Studying Gideon, I tried to see if hearing her voice had any effect whatsoever. He glared back, looking deliciously pissed off. I’d become resigned to the fact that whatever his mood, I always found him irresistible.
“Things are churning. In my line of work that’s always good.”
“So is getting your facts straight.”
“Which is one of the reasons I called you. I have a source who claims Gideon walked in on a ménage composed of you, your roommate, and another guy, and flew into a rage. The guy ended up in the hospital and is now pressing assault charges. Is that true?”
I froze, my hearing drowned by my roaring blood. The night I’d met Corinne, I’d come home to find Cary in a four-body sexual tangle that included a guy named Ian. When Ian had lewdly—and nakedly—propositioned me to join them, Gideon had refused the offer with his fist.
I looked at Gideon and my stomach cramped. It was true. He was being sued. I could see the proof of it in his face, which was devoid of all emotion, his thoughts hidden behind a flawless mask. “No, it’s not true,” I answered.
“Which part?”
“I have nothing further to say to you.”
“I also have a firsthand account of an altercation between Gideon and Brett Kline, allegedly over you being caught in a hot clinch with Kline. Is that true?”
My knuckles whitened as I gripped the edge of the counter.
“Your roommate was recently assaulted,” she went on. “Did Gideon have anything to do with that?”
Oh my God … “You’re out of your mind,” I said coldly.
“The footage of you and Gideon arguing in Bryant Park shows him being very aggressive and physically rough with you. Are you in an abusive relationship with Gideon Cross? Is he violent with an uncontrollable temper? Are you afraid of him, Eva?”
Gideon spun on his heel and walked away, striding down the hallway and turning into his home office.
“Fuck you, Deanna,” I bit out. “You’re going to rip an innocent man’s reputation apart because you can’t deal with casual sex? Way to represent the sophisticated modern woman.”
“He answered the phone,” she hissed, “before he was done. He answered the fucking phone and started talking about an inspection at one of his properties. Midconversation he looked at me lying there waiting for him and he said, ‘You can go.’ Just like that. He treated me like a whore, only I didn’t get paid. He didn’t even offer me a drink.”
I closed my eyes. Jesus. “I’m sorry, Deanna. I mean that sincerely. I’ve met my share of assholes and it sounds like he was one to you. But what you’re doing is wrong.”
“It’s not wrong if it’s true.”
“But it’s not.”
She sighed. “I’m sorry you’re in the middle of this, Eva.”
“No, you’re not.” I hit the end button and stood with my head bent, holding on to the counter while the room spun around me.
8
I FOUND GIDEON pacing like a caged panther behind his desk. He had an earpiece in his ear and he was either listening or on hold, since he wasn’t talking. He caught my eye, his face hard and unyielding. Even dressed in boxer briefs, he seemed invulnerable. No one would be fool enough to take him for anything else. Physically, his power was evident in every slab of muscle. Beyond that, he radiated a ruthless menace that sent a chill down my spine.
The indolent, well-pleasured male I’d eaten dinner with was gone, replaced by an urban predator who dominated his competition.
I left him to it.
Gideon’s tablet was what I wanted, and I found it in his briefcase. It was password protected and I stared at the screen for a long while, startled to realize I was shaking. Everything I’d feared was happening.
“Angel.”
Looking up, I caught his eye as he appeared from the hallway.
“The password,” he explained. “It’s angel.”
Oh. All the rampant energy inside me vanished, leaving me feeling drained and tired. “You should’ve told me about the lawsuit, Gideon.”
“At this point in time there isn’t a lawsuit, only the threat of one,” he said without inflection. “Ian Hager wants money, I want nondisclosure. We’ll settle privately and be done with it.”
I sagged back into the couch, dropping the tablet onto my thighs. I watched as he walked toward me, drinking him in. It was so easy to become dazzled by his looks, enough that one could fail to see how alone he was at heart. But it was past time he learned to include me when he faced difficulties.
“I don’t care if it’s a nonstarter,” I argued. “You should’ve told me.”
His arms crossed his chest. “I meant to.”
“You meant to?” I shoved to my feet. “I tell you I’m broken up over my mother not telling me something and you don’t say a word about your own secrets?”
For a moment, he remained hard-faced and immovable. Then he cursed under his breath and unfolded. “I came home early, planning to tell you, but then you told me about your mom and I thought that was enough shit for you to deal with in one day.”
Deflating, I sank back onto the couch. “That’s not the way a relationship works, ace.”
“I’m just getting you back, Eva. I don’t want all the time we spend together to be about what’s wrong and fucked up in our lives!”
I patted the cushion beside me. “Come here.”
He took a seat on the coffee table in front of me instead, his spread legs bracketing mine. He caught my hands in both of his, lifting them to his lips to kiss my knuckles. “I’m sorry.”
“I don’t blame you. But if there’s anything else you have to tell me, now would be the time.”
He pressed forward, urging me to stretch out on the couch. Coming over me, he whispered, “I’m in love with you.”
With everything going wrong, that was the one thing that was totally right.
It was enough.
WE fell asleep on the couch, wrapped up in each other. I drifted in and out of consciousness, plagued by anxiety and thrown off my schedule by our earlier long nap. I was awake enough to sense the change in Gideon, hear his fast breathing, followed by the tightening of his grip on me. His body jerked powerfully, shaking me. His whimper pierced my heart.
“Gideon.” I wriggled around to face him, my agitated move
ments waking him. We’d drifted off with the lights on and I was grateful that he woke to the brightness.
His heart was pounding beneath my palm, a fine mist of sweat blooming on his skin. “What?” he gasped. “What’s wrong?”
“You were slipping into a nightmare, I think.” I pressed soft kisses over his hot face, wishing my love could be enough to banish the memories.
He tried to sit up and I clung tighter to hold him down.
“Are you okay?” He ran a hand over me, searching. “Did I hurt you?”
“I’m fine.”
“God.” He fell back and covered his eyes with his forearm. “I can’t keep falling asleep with you. And I forgot to take my prescription. Goddamn it, I can’t be this careless.”
“Hey.” I propped myself up on my elbow and ran my other hand down his chest. “No harm done.”
“Don’t make light of this, Eva.” He turned his head and looked at me, his gaze fierce. “Not this.”
“I would never.” God, he looked so weary, with dark smudges under his eyes and deep grooves framing that wickedly sensual mouth.
“I killed a man,” he said grimly. “It’s never been safe for you to be with me when I’m sleeping, and that’s even truer now.”
“Gideon …” I suddenly understood why he’d been having his nightmares more frequently. He could rationalize what he’d done, but that didn’t alleviate the weight on his conscience.
I brushed the thick strands of hair off his forehead. “If you’re struggling, you need to talk to me.”
“I just want you safe,” he muttered.
“I never feel safer than when I’m with you. I need you to stop beating yourself up for everything.”
“It’s my fault.”
“Wasn’t your life perfectly uncomplicated before I came along?” I challenged.
He shot me a wry look. “I seem to have a taste for complicated.”
“Then stop bitching about it. And don’t move, I’ll be right back.”
I went to the master bedroom and swapped my garters, stockings, and bra for an oversized Cross Industries T-shirt. Pulling the velour throw off the foot of the bed, I went to Gideon’s room and grabbed his medicine.