I was left bereft once again when he pulled away.
“Come on.” He pulled the key out as the door opened.
Gideon’s redheaded receptionist said nothing this time, although she eyed me strangely. In contrast, Gideon’s secretary, Scott, stood when we approached and greeted me pleasantly by name.
“Good afternoon, Miss Tramell.”
“Hi, Scott.”
Gideon gave him a curt nod. “Hold my calls.”
“Yes, of course.”
I entered Gideon’s expansive office, my gaze drifting to the sofa where he’d first touched me intimately.
Lunch was arranged on the bar—two plates covered in metal salvers.
“Can I take your purse?” he asked.
I looked at him, saw he’d taken off his jacket and slung it over his arm. He stood there in his tailored slacks and vest, his shirt and tie both a pristine white, his hair dark and thick around his breathtaking face, his eyes a wild and dazzling blue. In a word, he amazed me. I couldn’t believe I’d made love to such a gorgeous man.
But then, it hadn’t meant the same thing to him.
“Eva?”
“You’re beautiful, Gideon.” The words fell out of my mouth without conscious thought.
His brows lifted; then a softness came into his eyes. “I’m glad you like what you see.”
I handed him my purse and moved away, needing the space. He hung his coat and my purse on the coatrack, then moved to the bar.
I crossed my arms. “Let’s just get this over with. I don’t want to see you anymore.”
Gideon shoved a hand through his hair and exhaled harshly. “You don’t mean that.”
I was suddenly very tired, exhausted from fighting with myself over him. “I really do. You and me…it was a mistake.”
His jaw tightened. “It wasn’t. The way I handled it afterward was the mistake.”
I stared at him, startled by the fierceness of his denial. “I wasn’t talking about the sex, Gideon. I’m talking about my agreeing to this crazy strangers-with-benefits deal between us. I knew it was all wrong from the beginning. I should’ve listened to my instincts.”
“Do you want to be with me, Eva?”
“No. That’s what—”
“Not like we discussed at the bar. More than that.”
My heart started to pound. “What are you talking about?”
“Everything.” He left the bar and came closer. “I want to be with you.”
“You didn’t seem like you did Saturday.” My arms tightened around my middle.
“I was…reeling.”
“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 hell we are.”
“We’ve already hit a dead end if you’re going to take a head trip every time we have sex.”
He visibly struggled with what to say. “I’m used to having control. I need it. And you blew it all to hell 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 sex, Gideon. Super awesome sex, but that can seriously screw with your head when the two people doing it aren’t good for each other.”
“Bullshit. I’ve admitted I fucked up. I can’t change what happened, but I can sure as shit get pissed 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 damn 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.