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A barb of something like jealousy embedded itself in Lucy’s throat. He’d spent a full week in endless meetings between Seattle and Portland, and a few of the people he’d met with had been women. It shouldn’t matter. Lucy had no claim on Gideon. Not really. They might be exclusive for the time being, but there was a looming expiration date. He could have plans to hook up with one of those women—or both—and Lucy didn’t have the right to be upset about it.
That didn’t change the fact that her chest ached at the very thought.
“Maisey Graham has been married to her high school sweetheart since the month after graduation, and he owns his own business, so relocation isn’t out of the question.” Gideon spoke low enough that she had to lean in to hear his words, very carefully not looking at him. “Jericha Hurley will be eighteen in two months, though she’s damn near a certified genius and she’s got her pick of companies vying for her attention.”
He knew.
The ache in her chest got worse. She managed to breathe past it—barely. “It’s none of my business.”
“Honesty, Lucy.”
She didn’t want to be honest. She wanted to shove her head in the sand. They crossed the road and kept going down the block. She tried to pinpoint exactly what the problem was. Easy enough—I’m jealous of the thought of Gideon spending time with other women. Not just spending time, though. Having long meetings, likely alone, on the other side of the country. “It’s not that I think you’d do that after you told me we were exclusive.”
“The fear is there all the same.” He set his free hand over hers and squeezed. “That’s not something you just get over.”
Maybe she would have. If she’d put half the effort into dating that she’d put into her career, she’d have worked through what was apparently a hair trigger. Or maybe it wouldn’t have mattered. There was no way to tell, and it was a moot point. “We have to fix this.”
“What?”
“This is another issue. I can’t very well marry someone if the thought of them being alone in a room with a woman is going to send me into a jealous spiral. They’re all businessmen, and so that sort of thing will pop up. There’s no avoiding it.” She latched on to the idea, turning it over in her mind. “We can start at the lingerie shop.”
Gideon pulled them out of the path of foot traffic and guided her to the brick wall of a nearby storefront. He let go and took her by the shoulders. “Lucy, stop.”
“Don’t take that tone with me. I’m not being crazy.”
“Everything about this situation is crazy. No, don’t get your back up. It is and you know it, and I’m here willingly, taking part in it.” He looked like he wanted to shake some sense into her. “You’re asking me to... What? Flirt with someone in front of you? More?”
More?
Her entire body clenched as if trying to reject the very idea of Gideon doing more with someone else. I am out of control. “If that’s what it takes.”
A muscle jumped in his jaw. “No.”
“Excuse me?”
He shook his head. “Absolutely not. You pick one of these assholes and he flirts with another woman in front of you—or at all—and you get out, Lucy. You hear me? That is not normal, and no man who respects his partner would put them in that situation where they have to wonder if something more is going on. I would never so much as look at another woman if I was with you—in your presence or not.”
“But—”
“But nothing. There are a lot of gray areas in relationships. This isn’t one of them. Short of there being extenuating circumstances that are agreed upon by both parties, there is a clear line and no one should be crossing it.”
She stared. This was supposed to be all in theory—a test run of sorts—but Gideon spoke like it was a personal attack on him. Because it is. She didn’t know what to do, so she slipped her arms around his waist and pulled him in for a hug. “I’m sorry.”
He cursed, but he wrapped his arms around her. “You have nothing to be sorry for.”
“I’m blurring the lines.” She wasn’t even sure where the lines were at this point. Having sex was one thing, though they hadn’t even done that right because she was too busy enjoying herself to pay attention to whatever he tried to teach her. On what was supposed to be her second date, she was more excited about pushing Gideon’s buttons than she was about meeting her actual date.
And now she was getting jealous.
He pulled her tighter against him. “We’ll talk about it tonight.” He stepped back and reclaimed her hand. “Come on.”
