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“I think I’m done for the night.” She pulled on her shorts and resumed her comfortable-looking spot. “I had this really gorgeous guy call and talk me to orgasm just now, and I’m feeling all loose and relaxed, so I’m going to jump in the shower and head to bed to read for a bit. One of my favorite authors has a book out and I’ve been dying to start it.”
I wish I was there. He didn’t say it again. It was one thing to put those words out there when talking about sex—it was entirely another to do it now that the desire had cooled.
It was the truth, though.
He wanted to be there to pull her into a relaxing shower, to exchange small talk about nothing important while they got ready for bed, to settle in while she read her book and he finished answering the last few emails of the day. Gideon wanted it so bad, he could barely breathe past the need.
He couldn’t say any of that now without scaring the shit out of Lucy.
But he managed a smile. “You’ll have to tell me about it when I see you.”
Lucy gave him a strange look. “You want to hear about my book?”
“Sure.” If only because it was something she was interested in and obviously passionate about—and had been for as long as he’d known her, though she used to hide them under a pillow when he and Jeff would walk into the room. Jeff had always made snide comments that he covered up as joking, and Gideon should have paid more attention to Lucy’s reaction to those comments. He’d known his friend was a jackass, but he hadn’t realized the depth of the damage Jeff was dealing her.
“That’s nice of you to say, but we really don’t have to talk about my romance novel addiction.”
Damn it, she was doing it again. He leaned forward until his face filled the video screen. “I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t want to know. Nothing but honesty between us, remember? It interests you, so I want to know more. It’s as simple as that.”
She opened her mouth, seemed to reconsider arguing with him and shut it. “That makes sense.”
“Because it’s the truth.” He stomped down on his anger. Hard. It wasn’t directed at Lucy, and it wasn’t fair to take his fury at himself and Jeff out on her. Gideon kept his tone low and even. “Enjoy the rest of your night, Lucy.”
“You, too.” She looked away and then back at the camera. “If you change your mind about Friday, I’ll understand.”
God, she was fucking killing him. “I’ll see you Friday night.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
LUCY HAD EVERY intention of staying awake to greet Gideon. If nothing else, she was sure nerves would keep her alert until he arrived. She hadn’t counted on the long day.
It had started at 5:00 a.m. when she’d gotten a call from the office that there was a new client on retainer and that Lucy was needed at the woman’s home immediately. Things had only gone downhill from there. The client—accused of money laundering—was as high maintenance as they came, so Lucy’d had her work cut out for her.
Throw in the partners dragging her into a boardroom for a progress report the second she’d set foot in the office, and she was exhausted. Her other clients couldn’t be shoved to the back burner, no matter how important the new one was, so she’d worked late to ensure she was ready for court on Monday.
All of it had added up to an exhaustion she couldn’t fight, no matter how entertaining the newest episode of her favorite medical drama. Her blinks became longer and longer, and the next thing she knew, she roused to the feeling of strong hands sliding up her thighs.
That alone should have scared the crap out of her, but Gideon’s scent wrapped around her, setting her at ease even before she was fully awake. She blinked down at him as he hooked his arms beneath her and lifted her off the couch. “I can walk.”
“Humor me.” He strode down her hallway without turning on any lights and toed open the door to her bedroom. She hadn’t bothered leaving lights on in her room and Lucy regretted that when Gideon set her on the bed and stripped in quick, efficient movements. She moved to do the same, but he beat her there, carefully pulling her oversize T-shirt off. Since Lucy had been expecting him, she hadn’t worn anything else.
His quick intake of breath was a reward in and of itself. She ran her hand up his chest. “Hey.”
“Hey.” He guided her to lie on the bed, quickly put on a condom and covered her with his body. “You looked comfortable on the couch.”
“I was.” She wrapped her legs around his waist and arched up to kiss his throat. “This is better.”
