“Good,” Gideon said. “She deserved to be called out for it.”
“It didn’t even really register with her, to be honest,” Grace said. “She said that she assumed I would call her if I needed them. She has a point, you know?”
“No, she doesn’t.” Gideon reached out and took her hand. “She and your dad should have been calling the minute they found out about the fire at your complex. They’re shitty parents, Grace. Don’t defend them.”
“I’m not,” she said. “Anyway, after that, I saw Rayna at the grocery store, and we ended up going for coffee.”
“I didn’t know you and Rayna were friends,” Gideon said.
“We’re not. I mean, we might be starting to be friends now,” Grace said. “I like her. She’s funny and seems sweet. I might ask if she wants to hang out with Kira and Addie and me sometime. After we finished coffee, I came back home, that was around four I think, but I didn’t want to wake you in case you had just gone to bed.”
She stared at their clasped hands. Gideon released her hand and sat back, and she tried not to let the disappointment show on her face. “Do you want some more soup?”
“No, I’m good. Thank you.”
She stood and gathered their empty bowls, standing at the sink to rinse them. She didn’t know what to think or say. Gideon was acting like last night hadn’t happened and her plan to ask him to finish what they started was beginning to feel like a bad idea.
For all she knew, he could be horrified by what they’d done last night.
Hell, maybe he was trying to think of a polite way to tell her that her idea of staying at Addie’s empty apartment was a fine one and, oh by the way, could she leave right now before things got even more awkward?
“Gideon, I was thinking that maybe I should stay at Addison’s place. I don’t want to -”
She gasped when Gideon’s arms slid around her waist and he pressed a kiss against her throat. “If you really want to leave and go to Addie’s apartment, I won’t stop you, Princess.”
His hand slid up and cupped her tit, his fingers teasing her nipple through her shirt and bra. “But if you leave, it’s gonna make it a lot harder for me to eat your pussy tonight.”
She moaned, her back arching as he kneaded her breast and nipped at her throat. “Still want to leave, Princess?”
“I could – I could maybe stay another night,” she said.
“Good.” He took her hand and they walked upstairs to his bedroom. Her knees were quaking, and tension was a tight knot in her belly. She wanted Gideon so much, but what if last night had been a fluke? Letting him have control while she gave him a blow job was one thing, but she didn’t orgasm easily and never had. Hell, if she was being completely truthful, Gideon was the first man who’d ever made her come without her lending a helping hand, so to speak. She knew what she needed when it came to her own body and that was how she liked it. That night at Wanda’s had probably been another fluke, a consequence of wanting Gideon for so long that he was able to get her off with very little effort. It wouldn’t be like that again and she could already feel frustration edging in. Waiting for a man to bring her to orgasm only made her irritated.
“Get out of your head, Princess.”
She blinked at Gideon as he shut the bedroom door. “I’m not in it.”
“You are.” He pulled her into his embrace. The feel of his erection against her belly eased the tension. God, she wanted him. If giving up control was the only way to fuck him, she’d fake that she liked losing control. Hell, she’d fake her orgasm if she had to. She’d wanted to fuck Gideon for years and she was finally getting what she wanted. She wouldn’t ruin it.
His thumb traced the curve of her bottom lip. “Before we go any further, what happens tonight between us is… getting this out of our system, only. Right?”
She schooled her expression, determined not to show him how much his words stung. “Yes.”
“After tonight, we go back to being friends.”
She wanted to ask him if they’d ever truly been friends, but it would only make her sound petty. “Yes. Friends, only.”
“You’re sure about this, Gracie? It isn’t too late to change your mind,” he said.
“I’m not going to change my mind,” she said. “One night only, then it’s back to normal.”
The tension around his eyes eased, and he brushed his hand over her hair. “There are a few things we need to discuss before we do this.”
“Okay,” she said.
“I need a safe word from you.”
She blinked at him. “Why? Are you planning on spanking me tonight?”
“If you’re a good girl, no. If you’re not…” he shrugged before reaching down and squeezing her ass.
She arched into him and he grinned at her. “Be my good girl while you’re being fucked, and your perfect ass won’t be covered in my handprints.”
She wanted to say something sarcastic, but Gideon had dipped his head and was licking her throat, and her sarcasm disappeared under a wave of intense need. She clutched at his back, her fingers digging into the soft fabric of his t-shirt.
“Safe word, Princess.” He nipped at her throat. “Give me one.”
“Dandelion,” she said.
He smiled and kissed just below her ear. “If you want me to stop, say ‘dandelion’. I won’t stop for any other reason, sweet Gracie. Not for ‘no’ and not for ‘stop’. Only dandelion. Understand?”
“Yes,” she moaned. His hand was cupping her tit and she suddenly hated that she was wearing a bra. Bras were stupid.
“Let’s get you out of these clothes.” Gideon tugged on her shirt like he’d read her mind.
He stripped her of her leggings and t-shirt, and she tugged his shirt over his head. But when she reached for his pants, he shook his head and caught her hand. “No, not yet.”
“I want to see your dick,” she said.
“You’ve already seen it.”
“I want to see it again.”
“You can wait.” He reached behind her and unhooked her bra with practiced ease.
Suddenly feeling weirdly shy, she braced her arms against her bra, keeping it in place when Gideon swept the straps down her arms.
“Move your arms, Princess.”
“Gideon, I…”
“You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to see your beautiful tits,” Gideon said. “Show them to me, Gracie.”
She took a deep breath and dropped her arms. Gideon removed her bra and heat flared in her cheeks when he stared boldly at her breasts. Her nipples were hard, and he reached out and circled the right one with the tip of his finger.
She inhaled, her back arching a little, not even caring that a smug smile crossed his face at her reaction.
“Beautiful,” he said. “Even more beautiful than I could ever imagine.”
He stepped forward and cupped her tits, testing their weight in his hands before he kneaded them. His thumbs brushed over her nipples with feather-light touches that made her knees tremble.
She grabbed onto his arms and he said, “Need to lie down, Princess?”