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“Maybe.” She blew out a ragged sigh. “I’m nervous. We haven’t… I mean, I haven’t…” One more sigh, then she added, “It’s been a long time since I’ve done anything with anyone who mattered.”
That was the most she would say about what she’d occasionally had to do on a deep-cover op. It wasn’t something either of them ever discussed. She knew he’d had to do the same thing, and while it might seem disgusting to some, saving lives had always come before anything else.
More than once, she had wanted to ask how far he’d had to go to protect his cover. She hadn’t for two reasons. One, she feared her reaction if he’d told her he’d gone very far. And two, she didn’t want him to ask her the same thing.
They had skirted uncomfortable things like this for years. But now that they were at a point she hadn’t thought they’d ever reach, she was exquisitely aware of the difference between what she’d had to do for the job and what she wanted with Gideon. She hadn’t been this anxious in decades.
Apparently seeing her anxiety, he pressed his forehead to hers. “Hey, it’s us. You and me. This doesn’t have to be hard.”
“Well, actually…” She grinned as she pressed against him. “It does.”
“Now there’s an opening I can’t resist.”
The double entendre was so very Gideon. Eve laughed, the tension easing out of her. He kissed her again, and all amusement vanished as a new exciting emotion took hold. Hot need rose up within her, and Eve opened her mouth and her heart to the desire spiraling through her. A desire that had been living within her for years was about to be set free in the best way possible.
Taking her lips again, a small part of Gideon was shouting hallelujah, while another part—the sane part—was asking what the hell he was doing. That part reminded him that Eve might have forgiven him for his deception but he had yet to earn back her trust. It was telling him to back off and wait until all harsh feelings had been set aside forever. Having denied himself for so long, he easily ignored the warning. This moment was surreal. A dream he’d never believed could come true. Any doubts that he had disappeared like air beneath the heat of longing.
Clothes disappeared, and when he broke his kiss to look down at her, every dream culminated into this magnificent reality.
Slender and fine-boned, her smooth, silky skin a honey-golden tone, Eve Wells was so elegant and feminine it was hard to believe she was as deadly as she was beautiful. But she had proved that more than once.
“You’re gorgeous. You know that?”
He smiled as he watched a slight pink blush cover her whole body. Lowering his head, he touched his mouth to the tiny dimple in her chin. She moaned softly, and with a smile now curving his mouth, he kept going, tasting, skimming, reveling in her softness, her scent.
Unable to wait any longer, he growled, “Hang on.” With that, he lifted her into his arms, allowing her to wrap her legs around his waist. Walking swiftly to her bedroom, he laid her on the bed and followed her down.
Seeing only passion gleaming in her eyes, Gideon explored every inch of her body, delighting in her moans and the occasional soft growls telling him to stop torturing her.
“I’ve waited a long time for this, my love,” he said.
For the next several hours, Gideon showed her exactly what he’d been dreaming about doing to her for over a decade. This was Eve, the love of his life, and he finally had her in his arms, where she belonged. Where he wanted her to stay forever.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
The moment she woke, she knew her life had changed forever. Gideon’s scent was all around her, all over her, and she loved it. Last night, they had made up for all the years of longing, of deprivation and desolation. They had ravished each other, feasting as if this was their last night together. Instead, it was just the beginning.
“I hear you smiling.”
The gruff, sleepy tone of the man beside her did indeed make her smile. She was sated and satisfied to the nth degree, but that sexy, growly voice sent zings of arousal throughout her body.
“I know your hearing is better than most, but actually being able to hear someone smile is like a superhero power.”
“And that surprises you?”
“Not at all.” She rolled over and faced him, the smile he’d heard firmly in place. “After experiencing your amazing stamina last night, I’m ready to put you in that category.”
Pulling her closer, he buried his face in her hair. “That was years of self-denial.”
“Let’s not wait that long again. Okay?”
Peppering soft kisses along her jawline, he rasped, “Agreed.”
His rough hands roamed over her body, creating the pulsing need he’d satisfied only a few hours ago. She was both exhausted and exhilarated. Moaning her approval, her hand glided down his stomach, and she wrapped her fingers around him, loving his hardness, relishing the pleasure it could give.
“I wish you—” He cut off when the chime at her door sounded.
“Damn,” she growled. “That’s the problem with not being able to leave this apartment. Everyone who comes to that door is family, and they know I’m here.”