Where would I go? I’d closed up shop on my business. I’d moved out of my apartment. My parents’ guest room beckoned, with all the emotional damage that would come along with it.
I wastired. Life in the city was a grind, and most of the time I was pretending to be a savvy, put-together woman that I was pretty sure was entirely false. Marswood Harbor was the first place that had ever felt like home.
And then there was Gideon. He looked at me like he saw right through to the heart of me. We’d known each other just over two weeks, yet he’d managed to make me feel appreciated in a way that none of my partners or family members had before. He’dapologizedafter our horrible wedding night. Henry had never once apologized like that. Sure, my ex might’ve told me he was “sorry he made me feel that way,” but he’d never come to me with a half-sweet almond milk matcha latte in his hands and a simple apology on his tongue.
Maybe this wasn’t a love story for the ages—maybe once our six weeks were over, we’d settle into companionship. We’d never truly fall in love. I’d eventually accept that love just wasn’t in the cards for me.
Or maybe not. Maybe this little kernel of connection between us was real.
Didn’t I deserve to find out?
Slowly, Gideon shifted his body and stood. He crossed the room and came to a stop in front of me, his toes an inch from mine. My heart began to rattle. I sucked in a hard breath, and Gideon’s lips twitched. They tugged into a half smile, pulling atthe undamaged skin on his right side. Then he lifted a hand and softly, so softly stroked my cheek with the backs of his fingers.
My heart took off.
I closed my eyes and leaned into the touch, sighing when he turned his hand to cup my cheek with his palm. His thumb rubbed my lips, a gentle brush, and I parted them on an exhale.
“If you stay here much longer, Sadie,” he rumbled, “I’m not going to be able to let you go.” His thumb pressed down on my bottom lip, and I opened my mouth. Pupils flaring, Gideon watched the movement. His chest rose and fell unsteadily, his thumb still holding my lips open. “You should leave,” he whispered.
My body was a bowstring, ready to be plucked. My nipples were hard points beneath my bra, and wetness soaked into my panties. The last thing I wanted to do was leave. I wanted Gideon’s ravenous gaze on my body again. I wanted his hands to touch and claim and possess. I wanted everything—wished I could have everything. The everlasting love of a happily-ever-after. The pleasure of good sex. The ability to take his body into mine the way I knew he wanted. The wayIwanted but could never have.
Most of all, I wanted him to know me—all of me, secrets and flaws and all—and keep looking at me exactly as he was in this moment, forever.
My tongue slid out to lick the tip of his thumb, and his body went rigid from head to toe. Drunk on the intensity of his reaction, I swirled my tongue around again, tasting the salt of his skin.
“Sadie.” His voice was a tortured groan, as if he wanted meto stop. But instead, he pushed his thumb into my mouth. I fastened my lips around it and sucked. He grunted?—
And the door flew open. “Gid—oh, shit. Sorry! Sorry!”
“OUT,” Gideon bellowed, his eyes on mine, his thumb sliding out of my mouth as he shielded me from view of the door.
“That flash drive Sadie got did have footage of Mr. Titty on it,” Jack said from the doorway. It sounded like he’d stepped around the corner but had stayed near. “Thought you’d want to know.”
Gideon let out a shallow breath, his eyes blazing as they circled my face. “Fine.”
“Yep,” Jack said, and closed the door to leave us alone again.
“This isn’t over,” Gideon warned, sending a thrill rushing down my spine. Then he tangled his fingers with mine again and dragged me, face flaming, out into the other room.
We all watched the video on the screen. A hooded figure dressed in all black other than a pair of white shoes darted into view. They spray-painted breasts onto the side of Rock Bottom with a few smooth, practiced movements, signed their work, then glanced over their shoulder and sprinted off toward the forest behind the bar. A moment later, a motorcycle came to a stop in the frame. Cash got off his bike, stared after the graffiti artist, then considered the new breasts on his clubhouse’s wall.
“That’s it,” Jack said when the video stopped.“Do we think Mr. Titty vandalized Sadie’s car?” Jack asked, leaning back in his chair. It squeaked slightly as he spun around to look at us.
Connor glanced up sharply. “What? Why would he do that?”
Jack shrugged. “He knew, somehow, that she was getting this footage, and got spooked?”
Gideon was staring at the still frame of Cash on screen. “Mr. Titty has a motive. He wouldn’t be so prolific if it was just the thrill of tagging all these buildings. He’s trying to make the town look unappealing to newcomers.”
“Newcomers like me,” I said, finishing the line of thought.
Gideon’s palm slid up my spine. It was embarrassing how much I loved that touch. How much I’d missed him reaching for me like this, especially when Gideon didn’t even seem to notice what he was doing. His brows were drawn and his eyes were still on the screen. “We know that whoever vandalized Sadie’s car wants her to leave. That could be Mr. Titty escalating to direct threats. Instead of making the town unappealing to new residents, he’s trying to scare them off directly.”
Knox hummed from his chair, his hand coming up to rub his jaw. “Could be a coincidence.”
“I don’t believe in coincidences,” Gideon said darkly.
“Cash doesn’t want newcomers in town,” Bennett, the youngest brother, piped up to say. “If Marswood Harbor grows, his territory gets threatened.”
