Benito chuffed. “You know, in the two years I’ve watched you regrow your business, I thought you were a smart man. At times I even admired you. Now I realize how wrong I was. You’re a thug, Gideon. A stain on this world that I will look forward to scrubbing out.”
“Keep talking.” Gideon sneered.
Benito eyed his watch. “Unfortunately, I have to go. I have a very important meeting.” He was all teeth when he smiled. “I’m sure you’re eager to get your family home from their vacation. I’m sure they had fun sailing along the Atlantic Ocean.”
Gideon moved to strike, but I intercepted. “He wants you to hit him, Gid. Don’t.”
“Get the fuck off my property, now!” Gideon roared.
Benito shrugged and turned to get into the SUV but before he got in, he left us with some parting words.
“I see, hear, and know everything, Hendrix. My reach is far, and I don’t take kindly to people who interfere with my plans. You’d be wise to remember that.”
Gideon was seething. We watched as the SUV drove off, and the whole time I held him back from racing after it like a lunatic.
“I’ll kill him.”
“You can’t just kill a gubernatorial candidate, babe.”
“Fuck!” he yelled, spun on his heel, and stormed into the house.
I looked at Raff and Danny. “Get in touch with security on the yacht. I want them more vigilant, and double up at the port at pickup this weekend.”
“You got it.” Danny and Raff left, and I followed a very angry Gideon.
I found him in the kitchen slamming cabinets. A cold bottle of vodka stood open, and he held a very full glass in his hand.
“You’re letting him rile you up.”
He turned and stared at me as he chugged his drink. He swallowed but was no calmer. “He keeps threatening my family. Remember what happened the last time someone did that?”
I smirked. “Yes, I was there.” Of course, we were referring to the time I’d run into the house that was on fire to rescue Olivia, Owen, and Matteo when Lorcan had tried to kill them.
“Smartass.”
I rotated my hips to look at my butt. “You think it’s smart?”
Gideon snorted right while he was sipping, causing the vodka to spurt in his face.
“Careful.” I moved closer to him slowly. “Don’t want you choking on that…I do have something else you can choke on, though.”
He placed his tumbler on the counter, encircled my waist with his arm, and gripped my ass. “Mmm, you smell like the sun.”
“Wanna role-play?”
He quirked a brow. “Role-play?”
“Yeah, you be Icarus, I’ll be the sun, and I’ll make you burn, baby.”
His head flew back, and he laughed so hard he had to hold on to me. “Oh, shit. Penn, that was so bad.”
I beamed. “You loved it.”
He wiped his eyes, face red, and all anger washed away. “I did. And for some strange reason, I love you.”
I pressed my hand to my chest. “Excuse me? Strange reason?”
He chuckled and held me so close, not an inch of me wasn’t touching him. We stood there in silence for a beat before Gideon spoke.
