Page 71 of Tempting Devil
Why would he have me sleep in here when there were a handful of other rooms he could have offered?
Maybe he just wanted to make sure I was comfortable after tonight so he gave me the most luxurious room in the house. Still, I didn’t want to impose. Didn’t want him to feel like I was kicking him out of his bedroom.
Frowning, I closed the drawer and slipped out of the closet, not stopping until I stood in front of the door to his room. Or the room where he said he’d be sleeping tonight.
“Gideon,” I called out as I knocked. “You didn’t need to give up your bedroom for me. I’m going to sleep in one of the other rooms, but I wanted to let you know first so you wouldn’t get worried.”
I paused, waiting for his response, but none came. I pressed my ear up to the door, straining to listen for any movement from within, hearing nothing.
“Gideon?” I called out again, testing the doorknob with a gentle hand.
To my surprise, it gave way, and I tentatively pushed open the door, stepping into another luxurious bedroom, if a bit smaller than the others and without an ocean view. It was darker and colder, the windows covered with blackout curtains. Regardless, there was no sign of Gideon.
I was about to head back into the hallway to continue my search for him when a partially open door caught my attention. If the bedside lamp wasn’t illuminated, casting a subtle glow on the space, I probably wouldn’t have noticed it. But the cement floor and plywood walls seemed out of place compared to the plush carpeting and lavish furnishings in the room.
Stepping closer, I placed my hand on the door and pushed it wider, taking in the room that resembled a bleak prison cell.
If I didn’t know better, I would have assumed Gideon was just having this space remodeled.
But I knew better.
Especially when my eyes fell on the threadbare blanket on the floor beside a framed picture of us, making me all but certain this was where Gideon actually slept at night.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Imogene
I stared at the blades of the ceiling fan, my eyes growing blurry as I watched each hypnotic circle. I’d have given anything for even a minute of rest. But despite my utter exhaustion, sleep still evaded me. Every time I closed my eyes, all I saw was that cell-like closet Gideon slept in.
As much as I wanted to hate him for deceiving me in such a hurtful way, it was becoming increasingly difficult. The more I learned about what he’d endured, the more I saw how it still tormented him, the harder it became to hold on to that anger.
Unsure I could stomach spending another sleepless night staring at the ceiling, I threw the duvet off me and slipped out of the bedroom, hoping to distract myself with a movie or a book.
Everything was eerily quiet as I padded down the stairs, making me wonder if Gideon was even here. I hadn’t so much as heard his footsteps in the hallway since his abrupt departure earlier.
But as I turned the corner into the kitchen and found the French doors open to the terrace, I came to an abrupt stop.
It wasn’t just the fact that Gideon stood shirtless on the terrace, his head bowed, his muscular arms corded as he leaned against the railing.
It was all the scars marring his body.
I’d seen them before.
But this was the first time I saw them knowing he was Samuel, the reality of everything he’d endured staring back at me. He’d told me the stories. I’d even stumbled upon where he slept. But this… This was when it all truly sunk in. His past was no longer an abstract notion, a horror story he told to justify his actions.
It was real.
Sensing my presence, he straightened and faced me, his piercing gaze locking onto mine. Yet he made no move toward me.
On a hard swallow, I took a slow step in his direction, then another, the ocean breeze causing a chill to trickle down my spine.
I was no longer thinking. Just feeling.
Maybe this was what I should have done all along.
When I was mere inches away, I timidly raised my hand, stopping just short of a jagged scar along his abdomen.
Answering the question on my face, he nodded his permission.