Holding Out For A Hero: SEALs, Soldiers, Spies, Cops, FBI Agents and Rangers (93 page)

He assured himself he couldn’t go to hell just because his eyes were glued to her butt and his mind was picturing it naked.

She’d done more unpacking since he’d been there last, he noticed. Instead of a hodge-podge of color, the freshly-repaired living room was now warm and inviting. Sure, there was a mountain of pillows fluffed all over the deep burgundy couch, but it still looked like the comfy kind of piece a guy could kick back on. A pair of chairs in deep green leather angled toward the huge fireplace, and even though the floor was carpeted, she’d laid out a fancy rug. All in all, it was warm and colorful, like the woman standing in the center of it.

“Would you like something to drink?” she asked, gesturing to the low table in front of the couch. A tray held glasses, a pitcher of lemonade, and a plate of cookies.

“Cookies?”

Miki’s cheeks looked a little warm as she gave him a sheepish shrug. “It’s too late for lunch, too early for dinner. I wanted to make sure you kept your energy up.”

As innocent as her words were, Gideon still frowned. Why did he feel like he was missing something?

But all he asked was, “Homemade?”

“Of course. I’ve been doing a lot more cooking than usual today,” she muttered. With a little shrug that did wonderful things for that dress, she gestured for him to sit down.

Gideon waited until she was seated, then sat next to her. As soon as he did, she shifted just a little bit closer to him. He could smell her perfume, the subtle spicy warmth. His mouth went dry and he had to remind himself that she was a client, and that he was here to ask a favor. He’d damned the town once because he couldn’t keep it in his pants. He wasn’t going to do it again, dammit. With that reminder, he gulped down a drink of lemonade as soon as she handed it to him.

“So I met your mother.”

He almost spewed the bittersweet drink over the front of her. Gideon grimaced and swallowed quickly.

“Damn. Should I have brought you flowers?”

Her brows shot up. “Flowers? Like what, a funeral arrangement?”

“That bad?” He winced. “I’d hoped she hadn’t actually made an impression.”

Gideon didn’t detect any sarcasm in Miki’s snort of laughter. Instead, she just looked intrigued.

“She said a few things. I was hoping you’d fill me in on the details.”

“Don’t take anything my mother says as truth. I’d like to say she’s a sweetheart who just makes a bad first impression. But I can’t flat out lie to your face like that.”

“So your momma’s not a sweetheart?” Miki taunted with a flirty little smile. She leaned close enough for Gideon to see the faint shadow between her breasts. He quickly shifted his gaze back to her face and sucked in a deep breath.

“Hardly. I mean, no disrespect to my mother, but she’s...” How did a guy say his mother was a formidable hard ass with a heart of gold? At least, she used to have a golden heart, but she’d tucked it away for safekeeping when she’d taken to wearing his father’s ring around her neck. “She used to be a lot easier. Since my father died, she’s grown a hard shell.”

“Hmm,” she murmured.

Gideon winced.
Hmm
was never good.

“So what’s your mother like?” he asked, hoping to change the subject.

“I don’t think you could call my mother a sweetheart, either,” Miki said with a laugh. “Of course, she wouldn’t want you to. She’s strong, that’s something to admire. My mom always says she’s done my brother a favor by teaching him to expect strength in a woman.”

“I doubt my mother is looking for feminine strength in her quest to remarry me,” Gideon said, rolling his eyes.

“Nope, that wasn’t mentioned. Of course, I’m sure I’m not on her list since she told me straight out to leave you alone.”

Gideon groaned. Damn the woman. Was there no end to her interference?

Then Miki leaned closer. Close enough that her dress gaped again, this time giving Gideon a mind-fogging glance of her bountiful breasts encased in a blue silky bra. All thoughts of his mother fled as his body stiffened.

“What I really wanted to know is what she meant when she said she was your campaign manager. I’m guessing it doesn’t have anything to do with a plan to keep desperate divorcees from chasing after you.”

Grateful to talk about anything besides his mother’s horrifying obsession with his love life, Gideon rolled his eyes and gave a shrug before grabbing a couple of cookies. “My father was mayor, actually, my grandfather and great-grandfather before him, too. She’s never accepted the idea that I won’t run.”

“You don’t want to follow in the family footsteps?”

The lemonade swirling in his stomach, Gideon stared at his cookie, not able to meet her eyes. Hell, yeah, he wanted to. But as much as his ego demanded a leading role, his love for Rossdale—and yes, healthy respect for the fury of his ex-wife—were too strong.

“Let’s just say it’s not in the cards,” was all he said though.

Miki gave a little hum. Then she shifted. Just a little bit, but those couple inches were all it took to press their thighs together. Gideon almost moaned aloud. She smiled up at him, her midnight eyes a sparkling invitation.

“So...”

“So what?”

“So,” she wet her lips, “I’m not getting in the way of your, what did she call it? Your civic duty?”

“You? Hell, no,” he said, silently cursing his mother. “You’re hiring me to do a job. That’s how I make a living, pay taxes, all that civic stuff.”

His lusting after her and picturing her hair spread over his thighs, that wouldn’t interfere, either.

“Darlin’, don’t let anything my mother said bother you. She’s got her own issues. Probably the biggest is worrying that I’m gonna be out here with you, attracted and turned on. And that will get in the way of her matchmaking attempts with whatever horse-faced patsy she’s deemed acceptable this week.”

“Why would she worry about you being attracted to me?”

His gaze shifted to watch Miki nibble on her lower lip. He stared, wanting desperately to take over the job. As if hearing his thoughts, she pressed those full lips together and gave him a slow, sweet smile.

It was the smile that did him in.

Time to get serious.

Naked serious.

Gideon tossed the cookie back on the tray and set his glass next to it. Then he reached forward to brush the back of his fingers over the soft curve of her arm.

“Probably because, for all her irritating traits, she tends to be right. I’m very attracted to you. And here I am working for you.”

“So you’re all mine?” she asked softly.

“Oh, yeah,” he agreed.

“Well, then,” she took a deep breath, curved her hand over his thigh, “I’ve got a few ideas of just what I’d like you to fix.”

“You just tell me what you need, and I’ll take care of it,” he promised in a husky tone.

Miki swallowed, her eyes huge. Then she took a deep breath that seriously threatened his sanity.

“I need you, Gideon,” she told him, those huge eyes glinting with desire so intense it made Gideon want to strip bare and revel in the heat. “It’s like this fire burning inside me and only you’ve got what it takes to put it out.”

Miki traced her finger over the buttons on the front of his shirt. By the time she’d reached his belt, Gideon was ready to beg. His body flamed and his mouth watered for a taste of her. Except he knew that one taste wasn’t going to be enough. Not even close.

“Babe, I stoke that fire and it’s not something that’s gonna go out easy. It’ll burn long and hot, I guarantee it.”

“You’re big on those guarantees, aren’t you? How about you stop your talking and start showing me just how good you really are.”

“With pleasure,” Gideon said right before his mouth claimed hers.

There’s a New Witch in Town: Chapter Ten

Miki whimpered as Gideon’s mouth slanted over hers. Desire, already coiled in a tight spiral low in her belly, began to unfurl. Their only contact was their lips and his hand on her shoulder, but Miki was on fire for him.

At the gentle touch of his tongue across her lips, she shivered. She wanted to feel that tongue trace just as gently, just as sweetly, over her entire body.

She parted her lips in invitation, and oh yeah, baby, he took it. In a swift move, his tongue plunged into her mouth, an erotic dance of teeth and lips. The taste of him filled her and Miki’s thighs clenched in reaction.

Who knew a self-empowerment spell could work so well? Oh, not to attract Gideon. Even if that had been within her power, she’d never use magic to entice. But to strengthen herself enough to have the nerve to ask for what she wanted? Mmm, that had worked just fine.

“Mmm,” she murmured. “You are good.”

“Believe me,” he assured her, “I’ve spent a lot of hours fantasizing about you since you came to town.”

“About how you’d taste,” he said as his lips brushed lightly over hers. Miki gave a soft sigh at the sweetness of the move.

“About how you’d feel,” he continued as his hand swept down her shoulder to the curve of her waist, then cupped her hip. The warmth of his hand made her want to squirm, to shift so it dropped from on her hip to that aching valley between her thighs.

“About these long, luscious legs of yours and how close to heaven I’d get if I had them wrapped around me,” he told her as his hand caressed the naked flesh just beneath the hem of her dress, making her shiver.

It was that touch, and the image that flashed through her brain of her naked body wrapped around his, that scared the hell out of Miki.

His eyes left hers and dropped to his hand. To her breast. Miki swallowed, trying to wet her suddenly dry throat. Her nipples tightened to hard nubs beneath the silky fabric. With a faint smile, he laid his palm over one breast. He didn’t squeeze, or even move his fingers. Just let the heat of his hand reignite the dormant fire in her belly.

Her breath grew shallow as she waited. She licked her bottom lip as she felt the proof of his interest, his desire, stir beneath her hip.

“You react so sweetly to just my touch.” He lifted his hand, then with just the tip of his index finger, brushed over the straining tip. Miki bit back a whimper. “If your nipples are this hard, how is the rest of your body responding, Miki? I can see the lovely flush over your chest. Those hypnotic eyes of yours are dilated. Are you wet?” he asked huskily.

This time Miki couldn’t hold the whimper back. Perry had never talked to her. Following the modern woman’s sexual advice, Miki had never hesitated to let him know what she liked, but it had always been in the form of gestures. Or on the occasions he’d actually got it right, a soft moan of pleasure.

But Gideon seemed to demand not only words, but dialogue. His intense stare made it clear he wanted to know the answer to his question.

Hoping to hurry this along, maybe push him past his need to make a point and into a bigger kind of need, Miki squirmed a little on his lap. He grinned.

“Are you wet?” he asked a second time.

It was his grin, that devilish dare, that gave Miki the nerve to respond.

“Why don’t you touch me and find out?” she whispered.

His pupils flared and she felt, rather than heard, his groan. “Show me,” he said.

For a second, she wanted to yell in frustration. Why was he pushing her like this? Couldn’t she just lie back and enjoy their lovemaking without having to think? Without having to push past her comfort zone?

The she noticed the shallowness of his breath, realized the pressure against her hip had grown a lot harder since he’d begun trying to prove his point. And something clicked inside her. A need to meet him halfway, to leave average behind and explore her sexuality in a way she’d only wished for in the past.

So, grabbing her nerve along with his hand, Miki smiled. A slow, hopefully sexy smile that garnered a gratifying smile back. Holding the back of his hand, she trailed the palm over her breast again, pausing to press it tight against her straining nipple. Sensation spiked through her and she undulated lightly against him. His hand still in hers, she drew it down her body. Still self-conscious of her weight, she bypassed her not-flat abs to slide his hand over her hip, then to her thigh.

Her gaze locked on his, she took a deep breath, ears ringing slightly. Her entire being focused on Gideon, she gave them both what they wanted. She slid his hand beneath the silky fabric of her skirt and pressed his palm between her legs. Damp evidence of her desire was evident through her panties.

When Gideon’s hand slipped under the elastic band of her panties, she caught her breath and waited, her body so tense she was afraid she’d fly apart.

“You are wet for me,” he said in a husky voice. “Fully dressed, we have barely even kissed. And you’re hot, wet, and ready for me. I could slide into you right now, and your body would welcome me, wouldn’t it, Miki?”

“Oh, God, yes,” she breathed as he pressed the heel of his hand to her mound.

Miki gasped as he swung her around so she lay on the couch instead of on his lap. He stretched out alongside her, not over her, but in easy reach. The move had sent her skirt up, so it gathered around her waist, leaving her thighs and her damp panties right there for him to see.

But his focus was on her face. He brushed her hair off her temple, and Miki could smell the faint evidence of her desire on his hand. She pressed her lips together, nerves flashing again.

“God, Miki, your response to me drives me crazy. That’s anything but average. And look at you, you’re gorgeous.” His eyes followed his hand as he traced first one eyebrow, then the other. “You’ve got these midnight eyes that make a man want to beg to know what secrets you have hidden away in there.”

His hand moved over her jaw, then smoothed her mouth. “A beautiful smile and laugh that prove you’re more than just a pretty face and gorgeous body. Your sense of humor, playful teasing, they are as much a turn on as your sexy response.”

He slid his hand over her throat to her shoulder, where he pushed one of her dress straps down, then over to slide the other down. With a gentle tug, he pulled the dress away, baring her breasts.