Page 52 of Ruthless
She blew out a long sigh, and her eyes turned haunted. “I can’t lose anyone in my family, Gideon. I’ve lost too much already. I can’t lose them, too.”
In two long strides, he was at her side and pulling her into his arms. When she didn’t resist, he sent up a prayer of thanksgiving that she was allowing him this. “I promise you, Eve. I will do everything in my power to prevent anything from happening to you or anyone in your family.”
Her face against his chest, her words were muffled when she said, “I’ve missed you.”
“I’ve been right here all along. I’ll always be here for you.”
“I know,” she said softly. She raised her head, and as he looked down on her beautiful face, with eyes so deep blue he felt as if he could dive into them and stay forever, his heart flipped over. She was no longer looking at him with anger or distrust.
“How was the op in Puerto Rico?”
“A little more dangerous than we’d planned.” He described what they’d been there for and what had actually happened.
“That is weird. It’s a good thing you have a relationship with the chief of police there.”
“We went through DGSE training together. He stayed a couple years longer than I did.”
“So he’s French?”
“Has dual citizenship. His mother’s French. His father is from Puerto Rico. He lived in San Juan until he was sixteen, then went to live with his mother in Paris.”
“You’ve never mentioned him.”
“What? You think I’m going to introduce you to a young Antonio Banderas look-alike with a French accent? I’m not that masochistic.”
“Ha! This coming from the guy that all the female OZ employees refers to as a young Brad Pitt with muscles?”
He cocked his head. “Brad Pitt? And all this time, I’ve been going for a Chris Hemsworth vibe. Even been practicing my Australian accent.”
Her response was an inelegant snort. “Your Australian accent is second to none, but if you’re going for a Hemsworth, I’m voting for Liam.”
Winking at her, he said, “If that’s what you like, then that’s what I’ll go for.”
Speaking the absolute truth, Eve shook her head and said softly, “I like you just the way you are. Don’t change a thing.”
At his smile, her heart tripped over itself. Oh, how she had missed that smile. There was no one who could make her feel joy in the midst of a crisis more than Gideon Wright. The tension in her body eased considerably at their teasing. She had been so worried that they’d lost that altogether.
Gideon hugged her close and whispered, “Whatever you want.”
Like a slow-moving fire, heat weaved sensually throughout her body. He had opened the door with that kiss three weeks ago, and she’d been dreaming of kissing him again ever since. Only, this time, longer and harder. How was it that she had put these feelings on hold for years, but now that they’d returned, they wouldn’t leave her alone?
When his arms loosened and she thought he was letting her go, she resisted. Rising up on her toes, she pressed her mouth to his. The indrawn breath she heard almost made her smile, but then she lost all coherent thought when Gideon took over.
Her kiss had been a soft, tentative exploration. Gideon took it to a different level, feeding the spark within her, causing a massive wildfire to spread, consuming everything in its path.
As his mouth moved over hers in a slow, devouring caress, she melted into his arms with a low groan of surrender. How had she forgotten how glorious his taste was? And how could she not have remembered how he could take control of a kiss and turn it into something so much more than lips meeting and tongues tangling? This was an immersion in sensuality she hadn’t felt in years. Feelings she’d worked for years to bury resurfaced like an exploding rocket.
She molded herself against him, letting him know in no uncertain terms that she wanted more. That she wanted everything. All the feelings she’d squelched for so long were coming back to life, and they were bringing along a whole host of new ones.
Swamped by pleasure and heat, Eve savored the delicious feelings, all her worries put on hold for the moment. Gideon’s strong arms holding her, his mouth eating at hers—those were the only things she wanted to think about…to feel.
A shudder ran through his big body, and he pulled away from her and growled, “What’s going on here?”
Sanity returned with a crash. Breathing as if she’d just run a sprint, Eve pulled partially away and stared up at him. What had she been thinking? She’d been the one to initiate the kiss. She had, in fact, practically thrown herself at him.
“No, don’t look like that, sweetheart.”
A deep blush heated her face. Embarrassment wasn’t a comfortable emotion for anyone, and she was no exception.