Ellie sat on her bed with her head in her hands going over what had happened since she’d got up that morning. Her whole world seemed to have been picked up and set spinning in the opposite direction.
She’d had sex with Gideon.
The grin that had plagued her since he’d agreed to carry on the fling until the end of the weekend broke out again.
This was perfect. She could have her fill of him, then walk away at the end with no regrets and no messy ending.
Despite turning her on more than she’d ever thought possible, Gideon was not the type of man she believed she’d settle down with. He was exactly what she needed right now to give her confidence a boost, to make her feel like an attractive woman again, but that’s all it would be. She knew him too well to expect anything more than that.
They’d agreed to have an hour away from each other to cool things down a bit before Penny and Will arrived.
Ellie didn’t want Penny to know about this fling with Gideon, so they’d agreed to keep it quiet. She didn’t want to have to explain herself or justify her actions. She wanted it to be something special and secret between them, something she could remember fondly on cold, lonely nights, when she felt like thinking about it. Not something that could be brought up at any time and catch her by surprise. Not that she’d told Gideon any of that.
This time away from him was good. She needed a clear head when she met Will. She wanted her judgment to be sound and unbiased by how she felt right now. Which was pretty bloody mixed up.
An hour. To herself. With Gideon two doors down. What the hell was she going to do with herself?
She picked up her smartphone and scrolled through her blog reader trying to find something to capture her attention. Nothing did.
She’d only been on her own for twenty minutes but it felt like hours.
Going to the window, she looked out at the stunning view of the Cotswold countryside. Lush green and yellow fields stretched away from her for miles. This house was really something. It was a shame it held such sad memories for Gideon.
What would it be like to live in a place like this? It was like something from another world. Whoever Gideon ended up marrying would be in for a treat — if he ever found a woman perfect enough to commit to that was. She wondered idly what she would be like. Some svelte, striking socialite no doubt. Someone worthy of this lifestyle. The thought made her stomach plummet so she pushed it away.
Glancing at the clock on her phone she was frustrated to see only three minutes had passed since she’d last looked at it. Maybe she should go for another shower, just to pass some time.
A loud rap at the door sent her heart into her mouth, and before she could say anything, Gideon came striding in. The look on his face was fierce, and with a jolt of fear she wondered what she’d done wrong.
“It’s only been half an hour,” she said, her voice shaking with sudden nerves.
“Shut up,” he growled, walking toward her. He grabbed her arm and hauled her toward the bed, giving her a shove so she toppled backward onto it.
He grinned mischievously at her surprise before climbing onto the bed, trapping her body under his.
“What did I do?” she asked, as he looked down at her, his pupils large against the vivid green of his irises.
“Nothing yet,” he replied with a bewitching smile, “but I’m anticipating some very naughty behavior.”
Before she could get her head around that statement, he kissed her, forcing her lips open and sliding his tongue against hers. Ellie’s body exploded with lust, her carefully made plans smashed around her.
She moved her hands up into his thick, dark hair and pulled him even tighter against her. He groaned with pleasure and dropped his hips down against her to show her exactly how much he wanted her again.
This was ridiculous. It had been less than an hour since her last orgasm and she was already panting for more. He smelled so good she wanted to eat him up.
“Gideon,” she managed to say when he came up for air and began kissing along her jaw line, sending exquisite tremors of feeling through her ear and down her throat. “Don’t you think we should … ”
“I said shut up,” he murmured, pulling the buttons of her jeans open to give his hand room to slip inside her panties and find the wet heat waiting for him.
“Oh my God,” Ellie breathed as his fingers opened her up and slipped inside, pressing into the sensitive wall of her vagina and gently stroking her g-spot. His thumb moved in rhythmical circles against her clit and she arched her pelvis toward him desperate to increase the friction.
The slight soreness from their earlier lovemaking only increased the intensity of the feeling and she longed to have him inside her again.
“Gideon, please, I need you in me,” she said against his lips.
He drew away from her just enough to pull his belt open and release himself from his jeans and boxers before pressing his body against her again, his hard cock trapped between them.
He stilled for a moment, raising his head.
“What is it?” she groaned, frustrated at the distraction.
“Nothing, I thought I heard something,” he said, before shoving her jeans and knickers down to her ankles and moving down the bed to pull them off completely. He picked up one of her bare feet and kissed her instep, warming the skin with his breath.
Ellie shivered in delight at the ticklish sensation that sent thrills shooting up her leg straight to her clitoris. He kissed up the inside of her calf, moving up to the sensitive skin of her inner thigh.
“Jesus, Gideon, just come here and fuck me,” she groaned, staring up at the ceiling, as her body gave a throb of need.
She heard him laugh as he moved swiftly up her body until he was positioned above her again. He took a moment to roll on a condom before lowering himself down, the tip of his erection teasing her clit.
He stilled again and raised his head. “Oh no,” he groaned.
“What? What is it?” Ellie said, frustrated to have lost his full attention again.
There was a ringing sound coming from far away.
“What’s that?” she asked, her heart already sinking as the answer dawned on her. It was the doorbell. Penny and Will. They were here earlier than she’d expected.
Gideon pressed his forehead against hers. “Saved by the cliché,” he said, rubbing his nose against hers before drawing away.
Ellie sat up and scrabbled around for her clothes, pulling them on quickly. Her face flamed at the thought of facing them in this state. She still ached to feel Gideon inside her.
“You go down first,” he said, his voice rough and strained, “I need a minute.”
“Okay.” She nodded at him and smiled at his pained expression.
Walking out of the bedroom, she was about to close the door on him when he said her name. She turned to face him. His eyes bored into hers.
“To be continued,” he said, giving her a wicked smile.
Her insides turned over and all she could do was nod back at him in response and flee.
She ran down the stairs, pulling her fingers through her hair, hoping she wouldn’t give herself away when Penny laid eyes on her. She wouldn’t be surprised if her debauched behavior was written all over her face.
She needed to pull herself together. Now.
There was another long, loud ring on the doorbell just before she reached the door and Ellie made herself take three long deep breaths before opening it up to let in her best friend and her new worst enemy.
• • •
Gideon sat on the edge of Ellie’s bed and stared at the wall. The little minx had taken him over.
After they’d parted ways to “cool off,” the need to be inside her again had plagued him to the point of madness. As he’d paced his bedroom he became acutely aware of the self-imposed deadline for their fling and he decided he was damned if he was going to waste a precious hour of their time here. Now that he’d given in to his need, he found he couldn’t get enough of her. He’d never wanted to have so much sex in one day — the fact that she was out of bounds only seemed to make him want her more.
Ellie’s obvious enjoyment at being allowed to let loose excited him and he loved seeing her lose control.
He rubbed a hand over his eyes. Thinking about her like this wasn’t helping him get his dick under control. It was going to be tricky being with her on their own now, and they each had a mission to accomplish, which would only add to the complication.
He cursed under his breath. If Penny and this Will character had turned up half an hour later, he wouldn’t be feeling like he was about to explode with pent up sexual energy.
He got up and checked his reflection in the mirror. His eyes looked brighter than normal, which he put down to sexual frustration. Running a hand through his hair, he made for the door.
The chatter of voices floated up from the hallway and he took a moment to watch them all from his vantage point on the landing.
Will was standing back from the women, his arms pulled across his chest and his head tipped down as if he found something on the floor fascinating.
From where Gideon stood, he looked to be pretty tall and well-built with dark blond hair in a buzz cut and a square-jawed, handsome face. He wasn’t anything like Gideon had expected. Penny was so petite — and if he was being unkind — mousey. The two of them didn’t seem to fit somehow. Or was that Ellie’s influence getting to him?
He was distracted for a second by Ellie laughing at something her friend said. He watched her lean forward and hug Penny to her, pulling her face into her riot of curls. His cock twitched in response to the sight of her rounded ass encased in those tight jeans.
Jesus, it was going to be hell not being able to touch her.
He knew why she didn’t want Penny to know about their fling and he agreed with her reasoning. This was going to end soon so there was no point in telling anyone else about it. His chest tightened at the thought, but he ignored the uncomfortable sensation. The sooner he got Ellie back into bed the better.
Steeling himself, he walked down the stairs to join the show.
• • •
In her peripheral vision, Ellie saw Gideon walking down the stairs toward them and steeled herself to deal with his all-consuming presence without giving the game away.
“Hi, beautiful. How are things?” he said to Penny as he drew closer.
She turned to look at him as he came down the last couple of steps and gave him a broad smile.
He bent down to kiss her and Ellie noticed a tell-tale flush on Penny’s cheeks as she kissed him back.
“Um, I’m okay. You?”
“Ah, you know … ”
Will — who had only given Ellie a perfunctory smile and handshake when they were introduced — came up behind Penny now and wrapped an arm protectively around her.
Penny jumped a little at his touch, but tipped her head back and smiled at him before turning to Gideon. “Gideon, Will. Will, Gideon.”
Both men nodded at each other. “Welcome to my humble home,” Gideon said with a lazy grin.
“Thanks for inviting us,” Will said in return, his blank expression giving nothing away. The guy was a nightmare to read.
“Is it just you and Ellie here at the moment?” Penny asked, looking around at the sweeping staircase and the grand high ceilings.
“Yes. Gareth and Ali are coming for lunch tomorrow and I find myself between unsuitable girlfriends at the moment.” He glanced over at Ellie and gave her a slow, teasing grin.
A warm flush of arousal burned in her belly and crept its way through her body. She flashed him a warning with her eyes and glanced at Penny, who mercifully hadn’t noticed the exchange.
“Sorry we’re a day late. We, uh, couldn’t get out of our other arrangement.” Penny’s eyes dipped to the floor as she said this and Ellie wondered why she suddenly looked so uncomfortable. Was she lying? She knew Penny well enough to recognize that her body language screamed “awkward” and it worried her.
Will had turned away from them, too and was staring out of one of the floor-length windows, apparently fascinated by the view of the driveway.
“It must be nice to be so popular, Will,” Ellie said and saw him stiffen in response, “I hope you’re not going to make us fight for Penny’s attention when you’re married.” She kept her tone light, but he obviously felt the sting behind her words because he turned his dark gaze on her and looked at her coldly.
The atmosphere seemed to drop a couple of degrees and everyone stood there like dummies until Gideon had the wherewithal to break the silence.
“Okay, so, let me show you where you’re sleeping and you can freshen up if you like before dinner.”
“Thanks, Gideon,” Penny said, giving him a nervous smile.
“I’ll take the bags up,” Will said, his voice rough with tension. “You stay here and talk to your friend.” The emphasis on his last word left Ellie in no doubt that Will was having as much of an issue with her as she was with him. She guessed Penny must have said something to him about her accusations of gold-digging, and he was holding a grudge about it.
Well, good. Perhaps if he were already on edge, he’d be more likely to break under questioning and give Penny an insight into his true intentions.
Will went to grab the bags and followed Gideon up the stairs, answering his question about the drive over with a curt reply.
When Ellie turned back to Penny, she was disturbed to see a confused frown on her face.
“You all right, Pen? You seem a bit flustered.”
“Hmm? Oh, yeah. Fine.” Her friend turned to give her a weak smile, pushing her fringe away from her face.
“You sure?”
“Yes, yes … it’s just Gideon making me feel like a gawky teenager.”
Ellie tried to ignore the strange feeling of possessiveness that twisted in her gut. “He still has that effect on you?” She gave Penny a quizzical look, unsure whether her friend was deliberately misleading the conversation so she didn’t have to admit something about Will.
“Yeah. He’s one of those people, isn’t he? You’re so aware of him in the room you can practically taste him. You know what I mean?”
“Hmm.” She tried not to think about that and motioned for her friend to follow her into the sitting room. Plonking herself onto a sofa, she patted the seat next to her. Penny sat down where she was shown.
“I can’t believe he can still do that to me, after all this time,” she said distractedly, surveying the grand room.
“Yeah.” Ellie took a deep breath. “Does Will make you feel like that?”
Penny gave a small start at the abrupt change in focus. “Will? Um … yes. Yes, he does.”
Ellie smiled uncertainly at her friend and Penny smiled back, her gaze not quite meeting Ellie’s.
“You don’t sound very sure, Pen.”
Penny looked directly at her now, her expression cold and wary. “I don’t get it, Ellie. I don’t see or hear from you for months, you don’t return my calls, and never turn up to the things I invite you to; then you suddenly appear out of the blue and start accusing my new fiancé — whom you’ve never bothered to meet — of being a money-grabbing leech.”
Ellie realized she’d pushed things too far too soon and held her hands up in apology. “Pen, what can I say? I’m an idiot. I know I’ve been incommunicado. I needed some time to sort my head out. I’m sorry. I’ve been neglecting you. It’s just the way you talked about him, it made me wary.”
“Wary? Why?”
“I don’t know, you sounded a bit … strained … ” She petered out, not knowing how to broach her fears without getting her friend’s back up again.
Penny nodded slowly, still not quite meeting her gaze. “I’m sorry if I was a bit weird. I felt guilty being so happy when you were going through all that crap after Paul left. I was afraid you’d think I was rubbing my happiness in your face.”
Guilt made her stomach contract painfully. “God Penny, I’m sorry.” She put a hand on her friend’s knee, trying to communicate how bad she felt. At the time it hadn’t occurred to her how much her disappearance from her friend’s life would affect Penny. She’d only thought about herself and her own misery.
Penny put her hand over Ellie’s where it rested on her knee. “Will … gets me, you know? I know he seems sort of closed off, but he’s kind and intriguing and smart, and I’m crazy about him.” Her face became alive with pleasure and Ellie felt a flush of something akin to shame, but she fought against it. She still didn’t trust the guy, but she couldn’t let on to Penny in case she said something to him and gave him the upper hand.
“I’m really sorry, Penny. I never should have said that stuff about Will. You love him and that’s all that matters.”
Her best friend stared at her suspiciously, unsure whether to believe the apology.
But after a few moments her expression softened and Ellie felt the tension she’d been storing up since they’d arrived begin to drain away. They’d known each other since they were five and couldn’t stay upset with each other for long.
“Look, I know it all seems a bit sudden, but he’s really great, Ellie, and he genuinely cares about me.”
Ellie tried for a convinced smile. “I’m sure he does. You’re right; I haven’t given him a fair chance. He must be great if you like him.”
“Love him.”
“Love him. Yes.”
“Ellie, you don’t need to worry about me, I can look after myself.”
“Sure you can. Just like I can.”
The two friends smiled at each other.
“It’s great to see you out and about; I’d almost given up on you seeing the light of day.”
Ellie snorted. “That’s what Gideon said.”
“So are you two getting on okay? You always seem to rub each other up the wrong way whenever you’re together.”
Her heart picked up its pace at the thought of him. “We’ve done a bit of rubbing,” she couldn’t resist saying, staring down at her hands, desperately trying to control the mischievous grin that threatened to break out on her face, “but we’re getting on fine.”
When she looked back to check that she hadn’t given herself away, Penny was staring around the room again with a far-away look in her eyes. “It’s great to finally see his amazing house. Whenever he talked about it he made it sound so intriguing.”
“Yeah, but I don’t think he’s got great memories from when he lived here with his grandparents,” she said, grateful for the change in subject.
“I’m not surprised. They sounded pretty fierce.”
“Yeah, controlling, too, if his sister’s need to disappear is anything to go by,” Ellie said, remembering the lack of emotion he’d displayed during their conversation about Harriet’s abandoning him. The memory made her uneasy.
“It’s a wonder he’s as sane as he is considering what he’s had to deal with,” Penny said, giving a small smile.
“Oh, I don’t know, I think he’s probably suppressing some insane control-freak urges under that glossy veneer,” she retorted, wiggling an eyebrow at Penny and delighting in her giggling response.
Ellie reached over and hugged her friend close to her. “I so glad you’re here.”
“Me, too,” Penny said, hugging her back fiercely.
It felt so good to be laughing with her friend again. She finally pulled back to run her hands over her tired face. “You know I haven’t been away since I was cruelly dumped for an über-fertile bimbo.”
“Oh, Ellie,” Penny said, giving her a sad frown. “You’re so much better off without Paul. What a piece of work.”
“Yeah, well. At least I don’t have to put up with his snoring and his cheesy feet anymore — that’s her problem now. Serves her right, the thieving cow.” She flashed a forced grin.
Penny raised an amused eyebrow. “Ah, the next stage. Anger.”
“Yeah, feels good.”
For a moment, it felt like it could have been ten years ago when they were both single and meant everything to each other.
“Listen, do you mind if I go and find Will? I could do with a shower before dinner,” Penny said suddenly.
The mention of his name jolted Ellie out of her cozy reminiscing. “Sure, go ahead,” she said, waving her friend away, attempting to appear casual and unconcerned. She watched Penny walk away and yearned to drag her back and hold her tight so she couldn’t be corrupted by a man she seemed to love and trust implicitly, even though they’d only just met.
Something still didn’t feel right about it. Will’s possessiveness and Penny’s anxious defense of him made her as nervous as hell.
• • •
Gideon made Thai green curry for supper. The spicy-sweet aroma filled the kitchen while Ellie, Penny, and Will sat around chatting. At least Ellie and Penny did; Will hardly uttered a word unless directly addressed.
Ellie had to make a concerted effort not to keep staring over at Gideon as he moved around the kitchen with his panther-like grace. She kept having flashbacks to their sex marathon, and it was all she could do to keep her body relaxed and her mind on the conversation. She needed to concentrate now, if she was going to find out Will’s game.
To her surprise, Penny kept giving Will hurt little glances across the table, and it seemed like every time she took a small sip of her drink, he would glare over at her as if he believed she was deliberately trying to get drunk and would make a fool of herself and maybe him, too. Had they had a row? Perhaps things weren’t quite as rosy as Penny had made out. If she was smart about it, a little bit of gentle prodding might yield some answers.
“So, Will, what do you do for a living?” she asked, turning her gaze directly on him, keeping her expression as innocent as possible.
Penny shuffled uncomfortably next to her. “Will’s between jobs at the moment, Ellie, I told you that.” Her expression pleaded with Ellie to shut up and she almost cracked under the pressure to placate her friend.
“So what’s your next move, Will? How are you going to keep my best friend in the manner she deserves?” she plowed on, determined to get some sort of answer out of him.
He looked directly at her this time, his cold gaze steady and searching. “I’m going to work something out after the wedding.” His voice was level but held a hint of anger.
“Right,” Ellie replied, determined not to be put off by his abruptness. “It’s a good thing Penny’s so generous with her money. Weddings are pretty expensive, I hear.”
There was a stunned silence around the table as her words sunk in. Ellie turned to see Penny blinking rapidly before looking away, while Will just frowned down at the table.
Gideon broke the tense atmosphere by clearing his throat and announcing that dinner was ready.
They ate in silence to begin with, Penny throwing Ellie the odd, hurt glance but unable to give her the telling-off she so clearly thought she deserved.
Luckily Gideon stepped in at this point, asking Penny about their plans for the wedding and the two of them kept up a steady stream of chatter until they’d all finished eating.
Ellie kept giving Will surreptitious glances, trying to gauge his reaction to the wedding talk, but his face remained blank.
“Right,” Gideon said, tapping both palms onto the table, “You two go and relax in the sitting room,” he nodded toward Penny and Will. “Ellie and I will clean up in here.”
Penny gave him a grateful grin. “Thanks, Gideon, that was delicious.”
“You’re very welcome,” he replied, smiling at her. “Here,” he said passing her the wine, “take the bottle with you. We’ll be up with the coffee in a few minutes.”
Will reached over and grabbed the wine, almost knocking Penny’s hand away in his haste.
Ellie stayed where she was at the table and watched them go, annoyance surging through her body at how controlling Will was.
The moment they were out of the door, Gideon put one hand on the back of her chair and leaned down, looking her directly in the eye.
“Subtle Ellie, very subtle. Why didn’t you just tell him outright you hate his guts? It would save us having to continue with this ridiculous charade.”
Ellie scowled at him. “He deserved it. He’s barely uttered a word since they arrived — how rude is that? He obviously thinks he’s better than the rest of us.”
Gideon raised a thoughtful eyebrow. “Maybe. There’s definitely something weird going on.” He moved away from her, grabbing a couple of plates from the table and dumping them by the dishwasher. “You stack, I want to watch your ass as you bend down.”
Ellie’s body flooded with heat. “That’s nice, Gideon, very gentlemanly.”
He gave her his foxy grin and came back to the table for more plates. “Remember, I’m not finished with you yet,” he said, his voice deep and guttural as he stood above her. “Not even close.”
Her breathing quickened as she imagined exactly what he was going to do to her once the other two retired to bed.
“Just in case you’re wondering,” he leant down until their faces were level and only inches apart, “I’m going to fuck you ’til you’re sore,” he said with a wicked glimmer in his eye.
Holy hell, if she’d thought she was turned on before, it was nothing compared to what she felt now. Did he behave this way with all his girlfriends? On second thoughts, she didn’t want to know. It was important for her to believe that this was something special between them that no one else had experienced — otherwise she’d drive herself insane with jealousy.
Wait, not jealousy, she checked herself. More like disgust at his crassness.
Looking up at him, she rubbed her tongue along her lip and bit down gently on it before raising an eyebrow in challenge.
Gideon groaned at her expression and moved forward quickly to kiss her, knocking her teeth off her lip before gently biting down on it with his own. The bite turned into a suck and he drew her bottom lip into his mouth before releasing it and turning away.
Ellie sat there for a moment, dazed, before getting up to stack the dishwasher while Gideon made the coffee. They didn’t speak again but Ellie was acutely aware of every move he made.
“Okay, gorgeous,” Gideon said finally picking up a tray laden down with a cafetiere, cups, and cream. “Let’s go.”
Ellie followed him out of the kitchen and into the sitting room where Penny and Will were talking quietly together. They stopped speaking abruptly as she and Gideon walked up to them, and Ellie wondered if they’d been arguing.
Maybe he was beginning to crack under the pressure and Penny was getting a good look at what a loser he really was.
She hoped so.
“So, Will, where are you and Penny going to live after you’re married?” Ellie asked as she flopped down onto the sofa opposite them while Gideon put the tray on the coffee table between them.
Will stood up suddenly, making them all jump in surprise. “I’m sorry, Gideon, I have to go to bed. I’m not feeling good,” he said, rubbing an agitated hand back and forth over his closely cropped hair.
“Sure mate, no problem. Hope it wasn’t my cooking that did it,” Gideon replied, turning to flash Ellie a surprised frown.
Will’s face broke out into the first rueful grin of the day. “No, dinner was great, thanks.” He nodded to them all before turning to leave.
They all watched him walk out in silence.
“I … think I might go up too,” Penny said once he’d gone. Her voice shook slightly and Ellie put out a hand toward her.
“Are you sure you don’t want a coffee first, Pen?” she asked, not wanting her friend to leave so soon. This would be the perfect opportunity to work on her some more about Will’s unsuitability.
“No thanks,” she said in a small voice before giving them a feeble smile and hurrying after her fiancé.
Ellie’s eyes welled with tears in empathy for her friend.
“Be careful what you wish for,” Gideon said, as he took in her weakened state.
“It’s for the best, Gideon,” she said defiantly, batting his statement away with her hand. She wouldn’t let it affect her. She couldn’t if she was going to help her friend. She knew what it was like to be in the grip of a controlling boyfriend and she wasn’t going to let it happen to Penny too. “We have to be hard,” she said.
“Hmm.” He sat next to her and gave her a seductive look, reaching his hand out to walk his fingers slowly up her inner thigh. “Speaking of which, I guess every cloud has a silver lining. You really turn me on when you’re making mischief.” The corner of his mouth twitched up and a shiver of awareness made the hairs on the back of her neck stand to attention.
“Alone again,” he said quietly.
“So we are,” she said, her voice shaking with the sudden onslaught of lust. How quickly she could switch from upset to exquisitely turned on when Gideon was around. She forced the thought of Penny out of her mind, and concentrated instead on the slow burn of arousal that licked between her legs.
“Shut the door,” Gideon said with a wicked gleam in his eye.
She frowned at him. “You do it. You’re closer.”
Gideon raised an eyebrow at her retort. “I made dinner, and the coffee. It’s your turn to do something useful.”
It was no good; she was totally pathetic in the face of his reasoning.
She got up to close and lock the living room door. When she turned back, Gideon was lounging on the sofa, his belt undone and his trousers pulled open at the fly.
“Come over here. I’ve got something for you,” he said, trying to suppress a smile.
It was too much for Ellie and she burst out laughing at his comical expression.
“What?” he said, barely able to keep his own face straight.
Ellie strode over to him and stood there, still shaking with laughter as he looked up at her from his prone position, a dark eyebrow raised.
“Strip,” he said, a lazy smile now playing about his lips.
At one time, someone suggesting that she take off all her clothes in front of him would have sent her running for the hills, but not anymore. At least not here, with Gideon. He’d already seen everything she had to offer, good and bad, and the fact he wanted more made her bold.
She pulled her t-shirt slowly over her head, then her bra away from her body, keeping eye contact with him the whole time.
He smiled as she revealed her breasts to him and she felt a surge of power at his delighted response. Next, she dropped her hands to her jeans and pulled them open before slipping them, with her panties, down over her legs until she stood totally naked in front of him again.
Gideon reached beside him for the condom he’d stashed on the arm of the couch and rolled it on to his exposed cock.
“Have a seat,” he said, gesturing to his lap with a grin.
Ellie grinned at him before putting one knee on either side of his thighs so she was kneeling on the sofa astride him, her hot, wet pussy just inches above his erection. She lowered herself slowly down until she felt the tip of his shaft pressing against her opening.
“Jesus, Ellie, you’re so fucking hot,” Gideon moaned as she pushed herself down hard onto him, taking him fully inside her.
They moved together, Gideon grasping her ass in an attempt to pull her even deeper onto him.
Ellie raised her hips before plunging down again, delighting in the depth of the penetration as Gideon’s cock hit her hard inside.
He brought his thumb down to massage her clit as she continued to move, and she bent to kiss him, their mouths and tongues slipping desperately over each other.
Ellie was aware of her orgasm already building inside her. All she could do was ride the feeling and hang on to him as it hit her hard, sending a rush of blood through her ears so she could even hear the intensity of her release.
As her world came back to rights she was aware of Gideon’s accelerated breathing against her neck and she pulled herself up again, until he was almost out of her before pushing down again.
Gideon groaned in pleasure so she did it again. Slowly.
“You’re killing me here,” he said before grasping her around the waist and swinging her around until she was lying back on the sofa with him above her. He thrust into her fast and deep, increasing the pace with each stroke.
Ellie rode along with him, loving the closeness of their bodies, the heat and power of his against hers as he pushed her slowly up the sofa.
“Touch yourself,” he gasped into her ear, and she did as he said, flicking her fingers against her clitoris.
“Tell me when you’re close,” he demanded, cupping her chin with one hand and staring directly into her eyes.
She stared back into his piercing green irises and felt herself begin to peak. “Now, Gideon,” she said, “now.”
Gideon bent his head to kiss her as the shock waves of her second orgasm took over. His mouth quivered against hers before he let out a low moan as he reached his own climax with her.
They lay still afterward, Gideon’s cheek laid against hers, his strong body still pressed to and inside her, her legs wrapped tightly around his back.
“We could stay like this forever,” she said, without really thinking about the words she was saying and felt him stiffen above her.
Damn it, what a stupid thing to say to a man who only wanted a fling.
He raised his head to look her in the eye and she managed to smile at him before rocking suddenly toward the open side of the sofa, catching him by surprise and tipping them both off on to the thick pile rug.
“Oof,” Gideon said, landing on his back with her now on top of him.
She laughed at his bewildered expression and he laughed back with her, holding her tight against him so she could feel the wracking heaves of his chest against hers.
He pushed her curls back from where they hung down like curtains on either side of his head. “You crazy woman,” he said, shaking his head. “It’s a good job I’m not hard. You might have snapped the old boy off and then where would we be?”
He pulled the condom off and raised an eyebrow.
This made her laugh even harder until her body shook with near hysteria, and she had to roll off him in order to hold her stomach and wipe the tears away from her eyes.
“Come on,” Gideon said, standing up and chucking her clothes at her, “let’s go have a bath in my en-suite.”
Ellie’s laughter finally dried up enough for her to pull her clothes back on and follow him out.
Her body ached from their exertions. A bath would be the perfect thing to do right now. How did he do that? Know exactly what she needed all the time.
They walked slowly up the sweeping staircase not speaking so as not to alert Penny and Will to their presence. It was quiet on the landing outside their door as they crept past it, and Ellie wondered if the couple had made up after their row earlier. She hoped not.
Following Gideon into his room, she closed the door quietly behind her and looked around. He’d kept the period features intact in here, including an enormous ornate fireplace that dominated one side of the room, but the rest of the furniture was in a modern art-deco-inspired style. To her right a super king-sized bed sprawled, enticing her with its plump-looking pillows and soft down duvet.
Gideon had already gone into the en-suite and set the water running into the bath. He poked his head around the door. “Come on in,” he said.
She walked in to find him already naked, waiting for her, the sight of his honed physique making her hiccough in delight.
“Ladies first,” he said, gesturing toward the deep double-ended tub that was now half full with water and frothy bubbles.
Pulling her clothes off quickly, she dropped them in a heap before stepping gingerly into the warm water. Lowering herself down, she groaned as the warmth of it stung the tenderness between her legs.
“Sore?” he asked with a smirk.
“Yes,” she said, pressing her lips together in fake annoyance. “Mission accomplished.”
“Good,” he said, stepping into the other end of the bath. “I always like to make good on my promises.”
The water rose around her as he sat down and she leaned her back against the end, drawing her knees up so they poked out of the bubbles.
“I hope Penny’s okay,” she said, lifting her hair up over the end of the bath so it trailed down behind her.
Gideon didn’t say anything, just looked at her steadily with his piercing green-eyed gaze.
She shifted her hips, uncomfortable under his scrutiny.
“So how many of your hot dates have you had in this tub then?” she asked, reaching for something, anything, to stop her thinking about the pain on Penny’s face when Will said he was going to bed without her.
“Are you sure you want to go there?” Gideon said, raising an eyebrow.
“Maybe not,” she conceded, bobbing her knees up and down beneath the bubbles.
“If it makes any difference to you, you’re the only person I’ve ever had a bath with,” he said, an amused twinkle in his eye.
Ellie shrugged, trying to appear unbothered, even though his admission had given her a little thrill of pleasure. “I’m surprised you haven’t run out of sex acts by now, considering how many girlfriends you’ve had.” She gave him a sly smile to show him she wasn’t entirely serious about giving him a hard time over it now. It would be pretty cheeky of her considering she’d just allowed herself to become one of the number.
“You consider this a sex act, do you?” he asked, giving her a provocative look.
“The two of us, naked in hot, frothy water, just inches apart? Sure, I think I’d categorize that as sexy.”
“That’s so sweet,” he said, “it almost makes you sound like a prude.” He waggled an eyebrow. “Which I know for certain you’re not,” he said before she had chance to pick him up on it.
“I never imagined myself being quite so debauched though.” She gave a sheepish grin.
“What! I can’t believe that’s true.”
“No seriously, I’ve never had so much sex in one day.”
“Really?” he said, clearly surprised by her admission.
“You might think I’m a highly sexed femme fatale, but it’s not generally my style,” she said with a self-depreciating smile.
“You surprise me. I’d have thought you’d be well versed in the art of seduction.”
His comment made her uncomfortable. She didn’t want him thinking she was generally uptight about sex, but she didn’t want to appear easy either.
“It’s all right for you men — you’re allowed to sleep around — but we women have our reputations to consider.”
She jumped as Gideon’s loud laugh reverberated around the bathroom. “All right, Jane Austen, I think you can probably get off your high horse now.” He splashed her gently and she frowned and wiped the droplets off her face.
Gideon shook his head at her and frowned. “I don’t think that’s true anymore,” he said. “If I met someone now I’d expect her to have had a few sexual partners already. I prefer women to have a bit of experience — it makes for a much better time in bed.”
“Really?” Ellie asked. “I thought men wanted inexperienced virgins so they can help them discover the joys of their sexuality.” She laid on the sarcasm to make absolutely sure he knew she was joking.
“Well, there is a certain appeal to that,” he answered with a seductive grin, making it impossible for her not to smile back. “But seriously, in my experience, when women turn thirty they start going through a lot of partners as they try to find their future husband.”
Ellie screwed up her nose in disgust. “Ugh, you make it sound so sleazy.”
“Clinical maybe,” he said, “but you know I’m right.”
Ellie thought back to her own fears about not being able to find someone to have children with before the health risks were too great and realized she might end up like that — going through partners at a rate of knots, looking for the perfect father for her unborn children — and her heart sank.
Gideon must have noticed the flash of panic that traveled through her, making her body tense, because he put his foot against her knee and pushed it gently until she looked at him.
“Give yourself a break will you? You’re going to give yourself a heart attack at this rate.”
Ellie snorted, desperately trying to recover her composure. “I’m worried I’m going to get too set in my ways to let someone mess with my routines. After six months of living on my own, I’ve got used to doing exactly as I please. I can do what I want, when I want and not have to justify anything to anyone.”
“Yeah, well, maybe you should find yourself a yes-man, someone who gets off on being bossed around. That would solve all your problems in one fell swoop.” He smiled at her again, but this time she couldn’t find it in herself to smile back. His comment brought it home to her just how incompatible the two of them were. Gideon would never stand for her bossiness and need for doing things her way.
“Hey, you’ve gone dark on me again,” he said, concern marring his handsome face.
“I’m okay,” she said, shrugging it off, her gaze dancing around the room as she tried to fight the growing unease their conversation had given rise to.
The water swished around her as Gideon moved toward her, sliding her forward as he pulled on her arms. She moved her legs to sit on either side of his body so they could get closer, facing each other. She looked into his eyes and saw concern and kindness and understanding there and it almost broke her heart.
“Forget about all that shit right now. Just enjoy being in the moment,” he said, putting one hand under her chin to draw her forward for a kiss while his other hand ran up the inside of her leg, sending an immediate current straight between her thighs. She did as he told her, giving in to the feeling and wiping her mind of everything but the sweet exhilaration of his body imposing itself on hers.