Tempting Nora (24 page)

"Do you want to know when I first real
ized I was in love with you?" He nuzzled her palm, his breath warm against her sensitive skin.

"Uh-huh," she said, startled she was able to come up with
something that coherent. Her mind had left the moment Gideon had touched her wrist. 

"
I realized I loved you the day at the park when you threw cake at me." He pressed a soft kiss to the top of her thumb. "When I was dripping with icing, I looked at you and thought, What kind of crazy woman would do something like this?'"

The words drew her from her kiss induced stupor.

"Wait a second…" She frowned at him.

"Then I realized something." He smiled, unperturbed by her frown. "I love the way you always do things I don't expect."

Gideon kissed the tip of her index finger.

"O-oh," she stammered, unable to keep
herself from blushing.

"I love the way
a V appears between your eyebrows when you're lying." He kissed the tip of her middle finger. "I love the way you're secretly shy, even though you talk big."

"
Hey," she said, wondering whether or not she should be offended. Unfortunately, she was unable to formulate a counterargument when his mouth brushed her fingertips.

"I love the way you lick your lips when you're about to eat cake." He kissed the finger that was right before her pinky. "I love the way you value your
morals."

Her eyes widened as he kissed the tip of her pinky
slowly. The man was in no hurry. He took his time, seducing her in a way that was irresistible.

"After I thought of all of th
ose things, I realized that I didn't just love those traits—I loved you. Every last part of you." His lips skinned the inside of her arm. "Funny how things work out, right?"

All she managed was a nod. Gideon, like usual, was
handling the entire situation with able hands. Whenever he kissed or touched her, her brain was a complete mess. Of course, maybe giving him control was her way of loving him. She trusted him enough to let him steer, even though she liked being the one who held the reins. The thought made her eyes widen. Unfortunately, she couldn't think anymore after Gideon sucked on the sensitive skin of her inner arm, causing her to let out a faint whimper that she hadn't meant to make.

With a grin, Gideon straightened up and curled his fingers in her hair. His hands steadied her, comforted her,
and enchanted her. As he searched her face, she wondered how on earth she hadn't noticed that he was in love with her before. After all, his love for her showed in his eyes, making her feel safe and warm while still excited. That loving gleam was something no person on this planet could fake. She sighed, unable to tear her eyes away from his handsome face, as he leaned in so close their foreheads pressed together.

"I love you," he said, his deep voice echoing in her ears.

It didn't matter how many times she heard him say he loved her. She still enjoyed hearing it.

"I love you too," she said, knowing he needed to hear those words just as much as she did.

Gideon groaned and she could feel how much he wanted her. Still he wasn't rough. He kissed her forehead, the tip of her nose, her cheeks, her eyelids. He seemed to be fond of gently brushing his lips against her face, but she didn't mind. It felt like he loved every inch of her, making his adoration seep into her skin until it reached her soul. As she breathed out a sigh, Gideon finally journeyed down to her lips and captured them.

No matter how many times Gideon kissed her, she was never disappointed by the rush of emotion that swept through her body.
She loved embracing him. In fact, she loved it so much that she could scarcely believe that she'd live a whole twenty-eight years without experiencing his kiss. As she opened her mouth and accepted him, he rocked his body against hers, pressing his sculpted torso against her feminine curves. As his lips moved against her own, a soft moan escaped his mouth. The sound he made spoke of longing, of desire so fierce it rippled through his very core. She felt the same need within herself. Still even now, she couldn't escape the feeling that kissing him was forbidden. Despite that, she knew that no one could ever stop her from seeking out his embrace. That was how good being with him felt.

And t
hat was how much she needed him.

As she wrapped her arms around his back, he
pushed his body against hers again, causing hot friction. He kissed her jaw so urgently that her skin ached from his touch. His breathing was ragged, but it was only then that she realized her own breathing was ragged as well. As he devoured her skin with his hungry lips, his breath became her breath and his heart became her heart. The thought of the two of them becoming one was something that stirred the deepest parts of her soul.

"Nora, Nora, Nora," he said, half singing her name as he ran his hand under her shirt.

As she buried her head in his shoulder, desperate to continue but unsure that they should, Gideon let out a pained sigh.

"Touching you is torture and n
ot touching you is torture." He stepped away, his eyes dark.

"I'm sorry."
Her heart ached for him.

"Don't be sorry," he said. "I love you, so I'll wait."

She wasn't sure why, but those words brought tears to her eyes.

"Thank you, Gideon," she
said.

He managed a small nod.

"I'm going to take a cold shower," he said. "I don't think I'll be out for a while. While I do that, why don't you sleep in my bed? You must be exhausted."

"You want me to
sleep in
your
bed?" she asked. "That isn't right. I can go on the couch."

"I'll
sleep on the couch." He held up his hand to stop her from saying anything more. "If I look at your face one more second, I'm going to lose my self-control. No more arguing."

Before she could say anything
else, Gideon disappeared down the hall. She heard Mr. Fleas whimper at her feet. When she looked down, the dog gave her an accusatory glare.

"What?" she said. "I love him. Is that so wrong?"

The dog barked and rolled onto his back, displaying his pink belly. Maybe it hadn't been an accusatory glare after all.

Chapter Fifteen

If a nuclear war was occurring outside of her window, Nora wouldn't have had a harder time sleeping. She lay in bed, staring at the wall, overwhelmed by everything that had happened in the last twenty-four hours. She'd almost been burned alive and then Gideon had told her that he loved her. Naturally she couldn't sleep, even though her head throbbed because of how exhausted she was. The fact that she was in Gideon's room didn't help either. And that wasn't because she was enthralled by being in his private space.

Like
the rest of the apartment, his bedroom was lonely and cold. The warmest thing in the entire room was the painting on the wall, which portrayed a young woman sitting by a stream. She sat up, wondering what she was supposed to do. She longed to sleep, but being in a foreign room was unnerving after everything that had happened.

"
You're not a baby," she said to herself. "You shouldn't be too scared to sleep."

Yeah, right.
She was too scared to sleep and she knew it.

As she groaned and clutched a pillow to her chest, somebody knocked on the door.

"Gideon?" she said.

"No, it's
Aunt Tess," Gideon said.

That smart aleck…

"I don't have an Aunt Tess," she said.

Gideon opened the door
. She sucked in air when she saw him. Normally the man wore the same clothes—a pair of jeans, a t-shirt, and a black leather jacket. This was the first time she'd ever seen him in anything else. He wore plaid pajama bottoms and a light grey sleep shirt that clung to every inch of perfect muscle. Despite the fact a long time had passed since their embrace, his hair was wet from his shower. There was something sensual about seeing him in his sleepwear with his hair still damp.

"I'm surprised you're still awake," Gideon said, ignorant
of the desire that once again erupted within her. "You were so exhausted in the truck that I thought you'd fall asleep right away."

"I couldn't sleep." Well, that was obvious, but what else could she say?

Gideon sat down on the bed next to her.

"Why?" he asked.

"Well, I'm still nervous after the fire." She looked down at the bed, embarrassed. "I want to sleep, but I can't. It's not even dark outside yet. I don't know what I'm going to do once it's night."

"Do you want me to stay in here with you?" he asked.

Sleeping together in the same bed would be dangerous. After all, she wasn't sure she could keep her hands to herself. Something about being with Gideon made her lose all sense of self-control. 

"Are you sure we can
handle that?" She couldn't believe she was even having this problem.

"I'll be on my best behavior, b
ut we do need some ground rules," he said.

"Ground rules
or bed rules?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Bed rul
es might suit the situation better." He looked like he was fighting back a smile. "I think no kissing in bed should be a given. I can't make a rule about not touching you. It just so happens that I'm a cuddly sleeper."

He gave a roguish grin that made a chill run down her spine.

"I'm not even going to ask who told you you're a cuddly sleeper." She rolled her eyes.

After shrugging, the man studied her. 

"Is it alright?" he asked. "Should I stay?"

For a moment she considered telling him no, but she knew she would only be making herself miserable. The truth was she wanted him at her side tonight.

"Yeah." She nodded. "You should stay."

And if
she made a mistake, then she would have nobody to blame but herself.

"Okay." Gideon
touched her shoulder, making warmth spread through her limb.

After he pulled back the blanket
and lay down, she remained sitting, trying to get her bearings straight. It felt like there was an angry snake twisting in her stomach. The truth was she now had a whole new reason to be nervous. She'd never slept beside somebody before, so she wasn't sure what she was supposed to do. Should she slide to the edge of the bed and put as much distance between her and Gideon as possible? Should she curl up next to him and lay her head on his shoulder? There were too many options and she wasn't sure which one was most appropriate. As her palms became slick with sweat, she barely fought the urge to cry out, "What am I supposed to do?"

Her
dismay must have been obvious because Gideon watched her with an amused smile and said, "Don't think too hard. You might have an aneurism."

"
Having an aneurism is the last thing I have to worry about." Being bludgeoned to death by Amon was the first.

"I don't know. I've never seen somebody's face so sweaty." He grabbed her arm. "Are you going to
lie down or what?"

"Um…" She bit her bottom lip.

Gideon sighed and yanked her down on top of him. Her lips brushed his collar bone and her hips pressed against his pelvis. The sudden closeness made her blood rush through her veins. He really needed to warn her before he pulled her down on top of him like that. If her body was burning up before, it was nothing compared to now. 

"Nice and cozy." Gideon
grinned, his caramel eyes sparkling.

"
I don't know if cozy is the word I'd used to describe this." Hot was more like it.

"The only reason you aren't cozy is because you're stiff as a board," he said. "If you're too scared to
let me sleep in bed with you, I can leave."

Gideon slid out from underneath her and climbed out of bed,
but she grabbed his arm before he could take a step. Her heart thundered and her thoughts whirled.
I can't believe I'm about to beg him to stay with me.
The truth was having him in bed beside her was nerve-racking, but the alternative, having him leave, was even more so.

"Please stay." Good grief, she hated the way she sounded
so desperate. "I was tense because I wasn't sure what to do with myself. I've never slept next to anyone before, so it made me nervous."

To her relief, Gideon placed his hand on hers.

"Here I was thinking you were scared I was going to make a move on you," he said.

"
No, that's not it." She was more worried about her own self-control than his.

Gideon slid back into bed beside her. Once again, she found herself staring at him, wondering what she was supposed to do. The man met her
eyes and gave an exasperated sigh.

"Oh, come here." He pulled her into his arms.

She gasped in shock. One second she'd been watching him, the next she was in his arms. Though she didn't have any complaints about being held, she was alarmed that Gideon had managed to surprise her yet again. It was no wonder that she was having trouble keeping herself in check when he kept pulling her against him. Everything from how he smelled to the way his large hand pressed against her back made her yearning fiercer. It was also hard to ignore his warm breath dancing on the nape of her neck. She wrapped her arms around him and dug her fingers in his shirt, secretly longing to remove his clothes but knowing that she wouldn't.

One thing for sure, she didn't think
she could ever sleep when she felt like this. She was too excited after having Gideon embrace her so suddenly. As she groaned, Gideon chuckled, causing a hot burst of air to tickle her sensitive neck yet again. Her skin covered with goosebumps as she tried hard not to focus on how much she would love his lips on her body.

"You're still stiff.
" Gideon sounded amused. "Are you that nervous?"

Nervous wasn't the right word, but she wasn't going to let Gideon know that she was drowning in her own desire. Doing so would be willingly giving her body
to him for the taking.

"Uh-huh," she said, trying her best to nod while in his arms.

"Don't be nervous," he said.

"I'll try."
She shrugged.

"Just focus on me.
"

Gideon pulled back enough to
look at her face. As he cupped her cheek, he watched her. There wasn't a lustful glint in his eye. No, right now he gazed at her with burning affection as if there was nowhere he would rather be than at her side. Being observed should have made her uncomfortable, but it didn't. She'd always loathed being stared at, certain that people would see the blemish on her forehead or the fact that her teeth weren't as white as they should be. That wasn't the case with Gideon. She felt no judgment, only love. Though her pining for him grew stronger, she didn't want this moment to end. She felt as though this time was special.

As she searched Gideon's eyes, some
of the nerves that she'd felt dissipated, leaving only yearning. As she let out a sigh and allowed herself to relax, Gideon gave a slow, easy smile that was different than the roguish grins that he normally produced. She realized Gideon had more expressions than she ever thought possible. He was a person of such depth it was breathtaking. She was certain it would take her a lifetime to figure him out.

At that moment, she
realized a lifetime of trying to figure out Gideon sounded glorious.

Finally
, she found her eyes closing. A lifetime with Gideon. A week ago, she would have hated having such thoughts. Now, as he caressed her back, she decided wanting him wasn't such a bad thing. She thought of the moment back in her apartment when she believed she was going to die. At the time, she'd thought about how much she wanted a husband and kids, but the people she'd imagined in her life had been faceless. Not anymore. Now her spouse had a face. Gideon's face, to be exact. She wondered if it was foolish, wanting him to be the person who made her family complete. Right now the idea of him remaining by her side forever sounded pretty darn great.

"Gideon," she said, noting how sleepy she sounded
.

"Yes." His voice was affectionate.

"Don't leave me." She nuzzled his shoulder.

"I won't." He threaded his fingers
in her thick hair. "I promised I would sleep here with you and I will."

"No, I don't
just mean tonight." She couldn't bring herself to open her eyes. "I mean don't ever leave me."

He held her close
, so close that her breath was chased from her lungs. The feeling of his arms pinning her to his chest made her heart pound. He clung to her as if he didn't have any intention of letting her go, as if he wanted to cleave onto her for all eternity just like she wanted to do to him. She didn't mind that her body ached from his desperate embrace. Being closer to him was all that mattered.

"I won't leave you." He nuzzled her ear, his breath warm. "I promise."

Because of those words, she found herself melting as if her body was made of hot butter. Gideon was not like her mom who'd abandoned her in front of an orphanage. He was not like her dad either who'd run for the hills the moment he found out that her mom was pregnant. Gideon was different from her parents. She was sure of it.

Comforted by her contemplation, she
found herself struggling to remain awake as she let out a heartfelt sigh. Her final thought before sinking into total darkness was,
I'll never be alone again…

For the first time,
she realized that was exactly what she wanted.

****

Nora looked around, uncertain of where she was. There were nothing but red rock formations and blackened trees in sight. Ominous dark clouds overcast the sky. Despite the lack of sunlight, she was agonizingly hot.
Where the heck am I?
she wondered, distraught.

"Is anybody there?" she yelled, praying for
a response.

No one answered.

At that moment, she was hit with the most crippling feeling of loneliness she'd ever experienced before. The loneliness attacked her heart, making her long to curl up on the ground and weep. She'd only been in this secluded world for a few moments and yet the loneliness hit her so hard it was crippling. One thing for certain, she had to get out of here.

She broke into a run, which was a sign of how scared she was. Normally the only thing that
could have forced her to move fast was an approaching enemy or the prospect of cake. Despite how little she exercised, she didn't grow breathless from her sudden sprint. Instead when she rushed around a boulder, she felt the same as she always did—fine.

Unfortunately, that
was when she saw a man chained to a rock formation some distance away.

At first she didn't believe what she was
seeing. Why was there a man chained to a rock in such a place? Even though she wanted to escape more than anything else in the world, she rushed forward to help him. After all, there was no way she was leaving somebody behind in this horrible pit, especially somebody who'd been shackled. It was only when she drew closer to the man that she realized that it wasn't just some stranger who'd been chained to stone. It was Gideon.