Page 33 of Tempting Devil
Returning my attention to Gideon, I nodded. “Sure.”
“Thank you.”
He unbuttoned his suit jacket and slid into the barstool, his eyes focused forward, his expression pensive as my pulse steadily increased. The air between us crackled with the same intensity it always had. But tonight it felt even more powerful. Even more explosive.
Even more dangerous.
When I wasn’t sure how much longer I could take the mounting tension, he finally spoke. “I’m sorry, too.”
“What?” I furrowed my brow. “Why? You have nothing to apologize for, Gideon. I was?—”
He grabbed my hands in his, the warmth of his touch seeping into my marrow.
“You’ve been through a lot over the past few days. Honestly, I don’t know how I’d react if I learned the fingerprints of someone I cared for and who was supposed to be dead were recently found on a glass. I’d probably be clinging to hope just like you are, even though I know it’s not possible.”
“It’s still no?—”
“Do you remember what I told you?” he interrupted.
“You’ve told me a lot of things.” I bit my bottom lip. “Some of which I’m not sure I can repeat in public.”
He flashed me a conniving grin, the heat in his stare causing my core to clench, especially when he leaned closer, his gaze dipping to the cleavage of my dress.
“And I’ll happily say all those things to you again.” He lingered for a beat before pulling back, his expression turning serious once more. “I told you I didn’t mind you bringing up your past or Samuel. That your past made you into the woman you are now.”
He moved a hand to my cheek and gently cupped it.
“That still remains true, Imogene, despite my behavior. I am still falling for that woman. More every damn minute. If there’s anyone who should apologize, it’s me. I fucked up.”
“So did I. Like I said in my text, I have trouble trusting people. I’m always looking for an ulterior motive for why someone would be interested in me.”
“I’d be lying if I said my intentions have always been pure.” His gaze roamed over me with a possessive hunger.
“Is that right?” I retorted in a husky voice, squeezing my thighs together to dull the throbbing need filling me from his proximity. His voice. His scent.
“I do quite enjoy making you come, Imogene,” he whispered in a low, gravelly voice that made my entire body ache for his touch. “It gives me immense…pleasure. The way you move. The way you feel. There’s nothing better.”
When he inched toward me, my lips parted as the promise of his kiss hung in the space between us. But instead of giving me what I’d been craving since he left yesterday morning, he pulled back, leaving me a frustrated bundle of need.
“But that’s not why I like spending time with you,” he stated, taking my hand in his and brushing my knuckles. “I like spending time with you because you make me feel alive. I forgot what that was like,” he mused absentmindedly as he studied our joined hands. “So maybe we give this another shot,” he suggested, his voice stronger once more. “And this time, I’ll do everything in my power to make sure we don’t get into another argument.”
“I wouldn’t go that far.” I smirked, playfully waggling my brows.
“No?” He tilted his head.
“Because then we’d miss out on having makeup sex.” I curved toward him. “And Gideon?”
“Yes?” His voice cracked.
There was something incredibly powerful about the idea that I was able to get under his skin. When I first met him, especially after witnessing him take out my attacker, I thought he was invincible. Infallible. A god living amongst mortals.
Instead, he was just like everyone else.
Just as scarred as everyone else.
His were just more visible than most.
“I really like makeup sex,” I murmured, my breath kissing his lips.