Page 27

WINNOW

I ’ve just finally caught my breath when, in an alarmingly smooth and practiced manner, Gideon sits up and scoops me into his arms to haul me onto his shoulder, toting me down the hallway.

With a yelp, I clutch onto him. Trigger barks excitedly in response, following us down the hall and into the bedroom.

“What’re you doing?!”

“Taking you to your bed, obviously.”

“But I won! Without deceit or fuckery!”

Gideon cackles, and his hand comes down on my left butt cheek with a swift smack that makes my core give a needy clench. When his palm soothes over the stinging spot in apology, my clit throbs in response and slickness blossoms between my thighs.

“I’m pretty sure that no matter where you’re from, sabotaging my inevitable win with laughter would be considered fuckery. ”

When Gideon arrives at his bedside, I expect him to toss me down, but instead, he steals my breath by laying me down with heart-rending gentleness.

We’re both grinning like fools, and there’s a moment where he hovers over me, bracing his arms on either side of my head, and I wonder—hope—that he’s going to kiss me.

With a frustrated grunt, as if holding himself back, he presses his forehead to mine briefly before straightening. I can’t help but pout.

“But you promised.”

Gideon crosses his arms over his broad chest, tongue curling over his teeth as he seems to ponder this fact.

“Perhaps so, but it’s a matter of conscience now, and making you sleep on that lumpy sack of springs makes me feel worse than not honoring a bet I should have won in the first place.”

I purse my lips, trying to hide my grin as the words slip out of me. “You could sleep with me in here.” My cheeks flush. “I mean… like, sleep, sleep. As in actually sleep. No devilry.”

Gideon chuckles, hand scrubbing over his jaw. “No devilry, huh? You think you can keep your hands to yourself?”

I feign indignance, tossing a pillow at him that he catches.

“With ease.”

Gideon’s lips curl into a guilty smirk. “Well, if you want me to be entirely honest, woman, I’m not sure I’d be able to get all that much sleep.”

My lips part as a bolt of arousal shoots straight to my clit.

“Oh.”

It’s on the tip of my tongue to reassure him—fuck, encourage him that I am absolutely okay with that, though it feels a little bold.

You’ve only known him for two days!

I attempt a nonchalant shrug, pressing my thighs together.

“Well, that doesn’t sound so bad to me.”

Gideon quirks a brow at me, opening his mouth to reply, but in terror of rejection, an alternative tumbles out of me.

“Well, we can at least hang out together. If you want. It’s barely 8:30.”