Page 47

I deliberately choose the most threadbare of Gideon’s clean t-shirts and pull it over my still-damp, freshly-showered body. Unlike his shirts, which are all piled high on an open shelf, I have no idea where he keeps his clean boxer briefs, and it would be awfully rude of me to just start digging around in his boudoir.

Instead of immediately drying my hair, I let it hang damp over the shirt. And when I hear him walk in the front door, I tease my nipples into hardened points. Thanks to the wet spots on the material from my hair, their dusky color and pebbled state are obvious.

As I make my way down the hallway, Gideon appears around the kitchen corner. His eyes dip to the splotchy, slightly wet fabric sticking to my breasts, but being the gentleman that he is, he forces his gaze up to mine and clears his throat. “Hey… Was just comin’ to find you. Would you like to eat with me?”

My heart squeezes with affection, even as the air adds a chill to the moist shirt against the tips of my breasts and my bareness from the waist down—coupled with the sight of my sweaty, and thickly muscledsoulbound.Arousal quickly gathers between my thighs.

“I’d love to… I just…”

Gideon’s brows knit together with concern, and he immediately closes the distance between us, tilting my chin up and sweeping his thumb down my jaw. That small action has my throat working and my clit tingling.

“What’s the matter, sweetheart?”

My teeth dig into my bottom lip in an attempt to tame it, trying to prevent a full-blown grin. “I don’t know where you keep your underwear, and it didn’t feel right to just start digging around…”

Gideon’s thumb stills against my jaw as his gaze remains fixed on me. Moments from last night replay a delicious montage in my mind. I have no doubt he’s experiencing the same thing. Finally, his palm lands on the small of my back as he ushers me back into his room, and then into the small space of his walk-in closet. “Anything you need, darlin, feel free to dig around. The only things hidden in this house are my guns...”

Gideon pulls open the top drawer of a chest that’s pushed against a wall and pulls out a black pair of boxer briefs. “You ever been shootin’ before?”

A grin tilts my lips.

Guns are popular among humans in Caerwynath. Due to the fact that my magical prowess doesn’t extend beyond healing, after my violent experiences in the Paltorian war camp, I hired a human mercenary to tutor me in weaponry.

Gideon hands me a pair of his boxer-briefs, waiting for my reply.

“Yes, I have, actually.”

Please, offer to take me to a shooting range.

“You any good?”

My grin unfurls, and I have no doubt that even with my unintentionally glamoured canines, I look slightly unhinged.

“I am.”

A mirthful smile leaps across his face, faltering slightly as I bend low to step into his boxer briefs. I make sure that for just a beat, he can catch a glimpse of my pussy as I pull them up over my hips.Akashbless this man’s willpower because his gaze doesn’t waver from mine.

“You wanna go shootin’ sometime?”

I nod, barely able to suppress my giddiness. “I would love to.”

Gideon nods, scratching at his beard, grin still lopsided and as handsome as ever.

“I’ll put it on our to-do list. Gotta get you some proper clothes first, which’ll be a day-long endeavor. I’ve got a few things to take care of before the cold fronts start, but just gimme a few days, and we can make a day trip of it.”

I open my mouth to argue, but… he’s not wrong. As much as I don’t want to be a burden on him, I’m at his mercy in most ways. As if he can sense my resistance, his mouth gives a knowing quirk. “As much as I enjoy the sight of you in my clothes, angel, you’re gonna need some of your own.”

My throat works. It’s been so long since someone bought me something. Bought me gifts. Not since my parents passed. A wave of guilt washes over me.

“I just… you’re already doing so much?—

Gideon frowns. “And not a damn thing I don’t want to.”

Trepidation is a palpable weight on my chest.

“Just some sweatpants or something cheap. Nothing fancy.”

Gideon chuckles, pressing a fleeting kiss to my forehead with heart-squeezing tenderness. “We’ll cross that bridge when we get there, sweetheart.”