Page 66 of Shattering Dawn

“I’m sure, damn it.”

“Okay, okay. Give me a minute.”

She freed herself to turn down the bed. He sank onto the chair and set about removing his low boots. She sat on the edge of the bed and took off her own boots. By the time she finished he was back on his feet.

He started to unbuckle his trousers. She watched, riveted. It was the sexiest thing she had ever seen a man do in her entire life.

Without warning a shot of electricity snapped through her—and not in a good way. She went cold.

Gideon paused in the act of unzipping his trousers.

“Having second thoughts?” he asked.

She could tell he was braced for rejection. She felt the heat rising in her face and was grateful for the shadows.

“No,” she said.

But that was a lie. The truth was that she was suddenly feeling rattled. Unsettled. Nervy. Anxiety was setting in fast.

Shit. Not now. Not a panic attack. Not tonight.

She turned away, scrambled awkwardly out of her clothes, and then got quickly into bed. She grabbed the top sheet and yanked it up to her shoulders.

Now she was shivering.

What she was experiencing was connected to Gideon. She was certain of it. Yes, it had been a long time since she’d been intimate with a man, but that didn’t explain the nerves. What was wrong with her? She was not afraid of Gideon. The opposite was true. She trusted him.

A disturbing thought struck: she did not trust herself.

What if her reaction to the prospect of a sexual encounter tonightwas a side effect of her recently enhanced senses? What if her new vision was going to ruin the possibility of ever having a love life?

Gideon got out of his trousers and sat down on the edge of the bed.

“Amelia, tell me what’s going on,” he said quietly.

“That’s just it,” she managed. “I don’t know. I can’t stop shivering. I thought it was the result of coming down off the adrenaline jag but I’m pretty sure that’s not it. I think my intuition is trying to tell me something important.”

Gideon watched her with eyes that were no longer heating with desire. Instead, she sensed grim resignation.

“Your intuition is telling you that going to bed with me would be a very bad idea,” he said. “It’s probably right.”

“No, that’s not it.”

“Yes it is. After what happened back there at the hotel you finally understand what I can do with my talent. Your intuition is warning you not to get any more involved with me. You should listen.”

He started to push himself up off the bed. His aura was still igniting the space, but she knew he was in complete control.

And just like that, comprehension struck.

She sat up and clamped a hand around his arm. “Sit down. This is important.”

Her senses were going off like fireworks, and the physical contact intensified everything. She uttered a shocked gasp. Gideon flinched. She knew he had experienced the little jolt of lightning, too.

“Sorry,” she said. She yanked her fingers off his arm. “That was my fault.”

“What is going on?” he rasped.

She took a deep breath. “I think that this”—she waved one hand to indicate the bed—“you and me together. Like this. In bed—”