Entwined With You

that?”
    Sadly, I could, recalling times when I’d dropped to my knees for a guy just to shut off my brain for a while. Encounters like those had never been about foreplay or sex.
    “So is she one of the girls you screwed or not?” I hated asking the question, but we had to get it out of the way.
    He turned his head to look at me. “Once.”
    “Must’ve been some lay for her to be so bent out of shape over it.”
    “I couldn’t say,” he muttered. “I don’t remember.”
    “Were you drunk?”
    “No. Jesus.” He scrubbed at his face. “What the hell did she tell you?”
    “Nothing personal. She did mention you having a ‘dark side.’ I’m assuming that’s a sexual reference, but I didn’t ask her for details. She was playing it like we had an affinity because we’d both been thrown over by you. The ‘Dumped by Gideon Sisterhood.’ ”
    He glanced at me with cold eyes. “Don’t be catty. It doesn’t suit you.”
    “Hey.” I frowned. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to be a total bitch. Just a little one. I think I’m entitled, all things considered.”
    “Whatthe hell was I supposed to do, Eva? I didn’t know you existed.” Gideon’s voice deepened, roughened. “If I’d known you were out there, I would’ve hunted you down. I wouldn’t have waited a second to find you. But I didn’t know, and I settled for less. So did you. We both wasted ourselves on the wrong people.”
    “Yeah, we did. Dumbasses.”
    There was a pause. “Are you pissed?”
    “No, I’m good.”
    He stared.
    I laughed. “You were getting ready to fight, weren’t you? We can play it that way if you want. Personally, I was hoping to get laid again.”
    Gideon slid over me. The look on his face, the melding of relief and gratitude, caused a sharp pain in my chest. I was reminded of how important it was for him to be trusted to share the truth.
    “You’re different,” he said, touching my face.
    Of course I was. The man I loved had killed for me. A lot of things became inconsequential after a sacrifice like that.

3
    “A NGEL .”
    I smelled the coffee before I opened my eyes. “Gideon?”
    “Hmm?”
    “If it’s not at least seven o’clock, I’m going to kick your ass.”
    His soft laugh made my toes curl. “It’s early, but we need to talk.”
    “Yeah?” I opened one eye, then the other, so I could fully admire his three-piece suit. He looked so edible, I wanted to take it off him—with my teeth.
    He settled on the edge of my bed, the embodiment of temptation. “I want to make sure we’re solid before I leave.”
    I sat up and leaned against the headboard, making no effort to cover my breasts because we were going to end up talking about his ex-fiancée. I played dirty when warranted. “I’ll need that coffee for this conversation.”
    Gideonhanded me the mug, then stroked the pad of his thumb over my nipple. “So beautiful,” he murmured. “Every inch of you.”
    “Are you trying to distract me?”
    “You’re distracting me. Very effectively.”
    Could he possibly be as infatuated with my looks and body as I was with his? The thought made me smile.
    “I missed your smile, angel.”
    “I know the feeling.” Every time I’d seen him and he hadn’t gifted me with his smile had been another cut to my heart until I’d been bleeding nonstop. I couldn’t even think of those occasions without feeling echoes of the pain. “Where did you hide the suit, ace? I know it wasn’t in your pocket.”
    With a change of clothes, he’d transformed himself into a powerful, successful businessman. The suit was bespoke, and his shirt and tie were immaculately matched. Even his cuff links gleamed with understated elegance. Still, the fall of dark hair that skimmed his collar warned others he was far from tamed.
    “That’s one of the things we need to talk about.” He straightened, but the warmth in his gaze remained. “I took over the apartment next door. We’ll have to make our reconciliation seem suitably gradual, so I’ll keep up the appearance of using my penthouse for the most part, but I’ll be spending as much time as possible as your new neighbor.”
    “Is it safe?”
    “I’m not a suspect, Eva. I’m not even a person of interest. My alibi is airtight, and I have no known motive. We’re just showing the detectives some respect by not insulting their intelligence. We’re making it easy for them to justify their conclusion that they’re at a dead end.”
    I took a sip of