Unless he was sending one of his brunette

“acquaintances” out on buying sprees…?

I pushed the unpleasant thought aside.

When I’d checked out the drawers he had set aside for me in his bathroom, I found al of my usual cosmetics and toiletries in al my usual shades. I didn’t bother to ask how he knew, which might’ve led to me freaking out. Instead, I chose to look at it as more proof of his attentiveness. He thought of everything.

The highlight of my morning had been helping Gideon dress in one of his seriously sexy suits. I’d buttoned his shirt; he’d tucked it into his pants. I’d fastened his fly; he had knotted his tie. He’d shrugged into his vest; I’d smoothed the finely tailored material over his equal y fine shirt, amazed to find that it could be just as sexy putting clothes on him as it was to take them off. It was like wrapping my own gift.

The world would see the beauty of the packaging, but only I knew the man inside it and how precious he was. His intimate smiles and his deep husky laugh, the gentleness of his touch and the ferocity of his passion were al reserved for me.

The Bentley bounced lightly over a pothole in the road and Gideon tightened his hold. “What’s the plan after work?”

“I get to start my Krav Maga classes today.” I couldn’t keep the excitement out of my voice.

“Ah, that’s right.” His lips brushed over my temple.

“You know I’m going to have to watch you go through dril s. Just thinking about it makes me hard.”

“Didn’t we already establish that everything makes you hard?” I teased, nudging him with my elbow.

“Everything about you. Which is lucky for us, since you’re insatiable. Text me when you’re done and I’l meet you at your place.”

Digging in my purse, I pul ed out my smartphone to see if it stil had a charge and saw a message from Cary. I opened it and found a video plus a text; Does

X know his bro is a douche? Stay away

from CV, baby girl *smooches*

I started the playback but it took me a minute to figure out what I was seeing. When comprehension set in, I froze.

“What is it?” Gideon asked with his lips in my hair.

Then he stiffened behind me, which told me he was looking over my shoulder.

Cary had filmed the video at the Vidal’s garden party. From the eight-foot-high hedges in the background, he was in the maze, and from the leaves framing the screen, he was in hiding. The star of the show was a couple locked in a passionate embrace.

The woman was beautiful y teary, while the man kissed over her frantic words and soothed her with gentle strokes of his hands.

They were talking about me and Gideon, talking about how I was using my body to get my hands on his mil ions.

“Don’t worry,” Christopher crooned to a distraught Magdalene. “You know Gideon gets bored fast.”

“He’s different with her. I—I think he loves her.” He kissed her forehead. “She’s not his type.” The fingers I had linked with Gideon’s tightened.

As we watched, Magdalene’s demeanor slowly changed. She began to nuzzle into Christopher’s touch, her voice softening, her mouth seeking. To an observer, it was clear he knew her body wel —where to pet and where to rub. When she responded to his skil ed seduction, he lifted her dress and fucked her.

That he was taking advantage of her was obvious. It was there in the contemptuously triumphant look on his face as he screwed her until she was limp.

I didn’t recognize the Christopher on the screen. His face, his posture, his voice…it was like he was a different man.

I was grateful when my smartphone battery died and the screen abruptly winked off. Gideon wrapped his arms around me.

“Yuck,” I whispered, snuggling careful y into him so I didn’t get makeup on his lapel. “Majorly creepy. I feel bad for her.”

He exhaled harshly. “That’s Christopher.”

“Asshole. That smug look on his face—Ugh.” I shuddered.

Pressing his lips to my hair, he murmured, “I thought Maggie would be safe from him. Our mothers have known each other for years. I forget how much he hates me.”

“Why?”

I wondered briefly if the nightmares Gideon had were related to Christopher, then I put the thought aside. No way. Gideon was older by several years and tougher al the way around. He’d kick Christopher’s ass.

“He thinks I got al the attention when we were younger,” Gideon said wearily, “because everyone was worried about how I was handling my father’s suicide. So he wants what’s mine. Everything he can get his hands on.”

I turned into him, pushing my arms underneath his jacket to get closer. There was something in his voice that made me hurt for him. His family home was a place he said haunted his nightmares and he was terribly distant from his family.

He’d never been loved. It was as simple—and as complicated—as that.

“Gideon?”

“Hmm?”

I pul ed back to look at him. Reaching up, I traced the bold arch of his brow. “I love you.” A violent shudder moved through him, one hard enough to shake me, too.

“I don’t mean to freak you out,” I reassured him quickly, averting my face to give him some privacy.

“You don’t have to do anything about it. I just didn’t want another minute to go by without you knowing how I feel. You can tuck it away now.”

One of his hands gripped my nape, the other dug almost painful y into my waist. Gideon held me there, immobile, locked against him as if I might blow away.

His breathing was ragged, his heartbeat pounding. He didn’t say another word the rest of the ride to work, but

he didn’t let me go either.

I planned on tel ing him again one day in the future, but as far as first times went, I thought we’d both done okay.

At ten o’clock sharp, I had two dozen long-stemmed red roses delivered to Gideon’s office with the note: In celebration of red dresses and limo rides.

Ten minutes later, I received an interoffice envelope with a note card that read:

Let’s do that again. Soon.

At eleven o’clock, I had a black-and-white cal a lily arrangement delivered to his office with the note: In honor of black & white garden party dresses and being dragged into libraries…

Ten minutes later, I received his reply: I’ll be dragging you to the floor in a minute…

At noon, I went shopping. Ring shopping. I hit six different shops before I found a piece that struck me as being absolutely perfect. Made of platinum engraved and studded with black diamonds, it was an industrial-looking ring that made me think of power and bondage. It was a dominant ring, very bold and masculine. I had to open a new charge account with the store to cover the hefty cost, but I considered the months of payments ahead of me worth it.

I cal ed Gideon’s office and talked with Scott, who I cal ed Gideon’s office and talked with Scott, who helped me arrange a fifteen-minute window in Gideon’s packed day for me to stop by.

“Thank you so much for your help, Scott.”

“You’re very welcome. I’ve enjoyed watching him receive your flowers today. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him smile like that.”

A warm rush of love flowed through me. I wanted to make Gideon happy. As he’d said, I lived for it.

I went back to work with a smile of my own. At two o’clock, I had a tiger lily arrangement delivered to Gideon’s office fol owed by a private note sent via interoffice envelope:

In gratitude for all the jungle sex.

His reply:

Skip the Krav Maga. I’ll give you a workout.