Book 1 - Page 34 (1/2)

”So? I was, too.”

His hands went to his hips. Then his arms crossed like mine. ”Christ, Eva.”

I watched him squirm and felt a flare of hope. ”If that's all you've got, we're done.”

”The h.e.l.l we are.”

”We've already hit a dead end if you're going to take a head trip every time we have s.e.x.”

He visibly struggled with what to say. ”I'm used to having control. I need it. And you blew it all to h.e.l.l in the limousine. I didn't handle that well.”

”Ya think?”

”Eva.” He approached. ”I've never experienced anything like that. I didn't think it was possible for me to. Now that I have...I've got to have it. I've got to have you.”

”It's just s.e.x, Gideon. Super awesome s.e.x, but that can seriously screw with your head when the two people doing it aren't good for each other.”

”Bulls.h.i.+t. I've admitted I f**ked up. I can't change what happened, but I can sure as s.h.i.+t get p.i.s.sed that you want to cut me off because of it. You laid out your rules and I adjusted to accommodate them, but you won't make even a tiny adjustment for me. You have to meet me halfway.” His face was hard with frustration. ”At least give me a d.a.m.n inch.”

I stared at him, trying to figure out what he was doing and where this was going. ”What do you want, Gideon?” I asked softly.

He caught me to him and cupped my cheek in one hand. ”I want to keep feeling the way I feel when I'm with you. Just tell me what I have to do. And give me some room to screw up. I've never done this before. There's a learning curve.”

I placed my palm over his heart and felt its pounding rhythm. He was anxious and pa.s.sionate, and that had me on edge. How was I supposed to respond? Did I go with my gut or my common sense? ”Done what before?”

”Whatever it takes to spend as much time with you as possible. In and out of bed.”

The rush of delight that swept through me was ridiculously powerful. ”Do you understand how much work and time a relations.h.i.+p between us is going to take, Gideon? I'm wiped out already. Plus I'm still working on some personal stuff, and I have my new job...my crazy mother...”

My fingers covered his mouth before he could open it. ”But you're worth it, and I want you bad enough. So I guess I don't have a choice, do I?”

”Eva. d.a.m.n you.” Gideon lifted me, hitching one arm beneath my rear to urge me to wrap my legs around his waist. He kissed me hard on the mouth and nuzzled his nose against mine. ”We'll figure it out.”

”You say that as if it'll be easy.” I knew I was high-maintenance and he was obviously going to be the same.

”Easy's boring.” He carried me over to the bar and set me down on a barstool. He pulled the dome off my place setting and revealed a ma.s.sive cheeseburger and fries. The meal was still warm, thanks to a heated granite slab beneath the plate.

”Yum,” I murmured, becoming aware of how hungry I was. Now that we'd talked, my appet.i.te had returned full force.

He snapped open my napkin and laid it over my lap with a squeeze to my knee; then he took the seat beside me. ”So, how do we do this?”

”Well, you pick it up with your hands and put it in your mouth.”