A Mate for Gideon(36)

She swallowed hard and he watched as the porcelain column of her throat worked. Jenna could feel his need for her. Her pupils were dilated and her eyes dropped to his lips. Her nostrils flared as she inhaled deeply.

No sex.

Kissing…another story all together.

Gideon leaned forward and closed the distance between them. He brushed his lips over hers. So damned soft. So familiar. So his. He cringed at the thought. It had just slipped out. They needed to take it slow. He needed to be sure that she meant it. That she wasn’t just running scared and grabbing onto the first opportunity at salvation. He could still remember how it had been between them before. From the second they had met. It was as if they had been made for one another.

Take it slow.

He breathed in her scent. “Jenna.” He whispered her name like a plea. His lips still on hers.

She pushed her mouth more firmly against his, and he was helpless but to deepen the kiss. His tongue moved against hers. Her hands fisted his shirt and a desperate moan escaped her. He slanted his mouth more firmly across hers. His first instinct was to touch her everywhere. To lay her down on the ground right there and take her. Then he was reminded of all she had been through. Although this was wrong, he couldn’t help himself. He would break every rule in the book to give this relationship another chance. Gideon would never forgive himself if he walked away now.

He had to fight to keep his hands on her back. To take it slow. He needed to give her all the space and the time that she needed to be sure that he was what she wanted. She also needed time to recover. To find herself again and to come to terms with all that had happened. The attraction was still there, but could they both move past everything that had happened? He sure as hell hoped so.

It physically hurt him to pull away from her. It took a few seconds for his eyes to focus. To pull himself out of the lustful haze. Her scent of pure rapture wound itself around him, threatening to pull him back down. Her lips were swollen, pinker than before. Glistening even in the shadows the leaves cast on her beautiful face.

Still utter fucking perfection.

“We need to head back.” Before he did something stupid. “Before we are missed. I will walk you to the edge of the forest.”

Jenna nodded.

He cupped her cheek, leaning in for a quick brush of the lips. Fuck, he wanted her more than he had ever wanted a female before. Nothing had changed there. The problem was that so many other things had changed. “When we get to the edge of the forest, keep walking until you get to the human accommodations. It would be better if we didn’t talk in case someone overheard us. We will need to continue to pretend that we don’t know one another.”

Her eyes seemed to cloud for a minute, then she nodded and smiled. “I understand.”

“Good.” He had to smile back at her. “I look forward to tonight.”

He was fucked if the scent of her arousal didn’t hit his nose at full force. He felt his pupils dilate when she pulled her lush bottom lip between her teeth.

It was going to take all of his willpower not to rut with her that very night.





Chapter 7




Using every ounce of strength in him, Gideon pushed the heavy weight up off his chest. He did this twice more, making a groaning noise with the efforts. He could feel sweat drip off his brow. His chest heaved and his muscles strained. His arms were shaking as he managed to get the bar back onto the stand above him. Lazarus stood over him, ready to assist. It hadn’t been necessary. It never was.

“Not too fucking bad.” The big male grinned. “For a pussy that is.” He made a grunting noise that Gideon realized was supposed to be a laugh.

“Yeah, well…takes one to know one.” Gideon was still breathing hard. He pulled himself upright, grabbing the towel at his feet. His body was drenched in sweat. He used the towel to wipe his face and then his chest. “That’s me.” He huffed. “I’m done.”

“Giving up so soon?” Lazarus raised his brow.

“Not all of us feel the need to pump iron several hours a day, besides, my shift starts soon…” Gideon shook his head.

Lazarus grimaced, looking every bit the warrior son of a bitch he was. “I’m a little frustrated at the moment. So what if I take it out on a few barbells and a punching-bag or two. I can’t find anyone willing to spar with me.”

Gideon had to laugh. “Can’t say I blame them, you fuck them all up. You do realize that there is a big difference between sparring and actual fighting, right?”

Lazarus’ frown deepened.

“What’s got you so depressed?” Gideon had to ask.

The big male ran a hand through his hair. It was shaggy and thick. Pretty much an unruly mess that suited the male perfectly. Lazarus was the vampire version of the Hulk himself, all he was missing was the cutoff pants and green tinged skin.