PIPER PINCHED HER THIGH just to make sure she wasn’t dreaming.

Shit. When she’d asked Gideon to take her out all she’d been hoping for was maybe a movie or sharing a pizza on his patio. Her expectations were pretty low. It wasn’t like this was a real date, there was no reason for Gideon to go all out, and yet he had. Because once more he had to prove that he could be the best kind of guy out there. And she was a pretty awful person. This afternoon she’d admitted to Ellie that her friendship with Gideon was disposable. She didn’t know if she could trust him. That if they things went right and they slept together, she wouldn’t fret over losing him. That was before she remembered just how great he could be.

She kept her gaze on the sunset and forced herself to eat one bite at a time versus shoveling the food in her face. It didn’t only look good, it was good. From the light salad to the chicken and cream sauce stuff to the roasted veggies—and there was dessert coming.

“Champagne?” Gideon didn’t wait for an answer. He sat a flute full of golden, bubbling liquid in front of her.

“Trying to get me drunk?” She picked up the glass and narrowed her gaze.

“Hey, I know you’re a lightweight, but one glass? Really?” Gideon smiled, his dimples winking at her. Usually they were hidden under a thick amount of scruff, but he’d not only dressed up for this—he’d shaved, too.

“I can’t get over this whole look.” She greedily ate up the picture of him in slacks and a crisp, white shirt. He’d taken the jacket off and rolled his sleeves up to his elbows, which she quite liked. With his longer hair and slightly rough around the edges vibe, clean cut just wasn’t him. No matter how he dressed up, he would always be the jeans and flannel wearing guy in the Nirvana T-shirt to her.

“I do know how to dress like an adult.” He sat the bottle in a bucket of ice, held out his arms, and glanced down at himself.

“You clean up nice.”

“Not nearly as nice as you do.” He eased back into his chair and she inhaled his cologne, committing the scent to memory. He clinked his glass with hers. “To...being more than meets the eye.”

Drive the knife in a little deeper why don’t you?

She sipped her drink, the bubbles tickling her nose.

Piper needed to get herself under control. They were friends, and regardless of how much time had passed since they were last close, she couldn’t allow herself to discard a relationship that had weathered the toughest period of her life. Gideon was important to her, even if she couldn’t trust him to stick around. She’d probably have some torrid fantasy about him later—her intimacy deprived mind went there often—but that was something she could handle. No one needed to know her less than pure thoughts but herself.

“I’m sorry for being such a spaz today. I know this was a weird request. I am glad we’re spending time together.” She sat her glass down and picked at her plate. Bubbly would not help her self-control, that was for sure.

“You don’t have to apologize for anything. I am committed to this cause. We are going to get you dated. Dating. Date-something.” His smile widened and her heart squeezed.

God, he was handsome, but when he smiled? That was devastating.

“How do you think it’s going so far? Good? Bad? Would you change anything?” He turned toward her, aiming that full intensity on her.

“This is pretty amazing.” She glanced around the boat. The sun was almost completely gone, leaving them under the stars. “This might be the date to ruin all other dates.”

“Nah. You’ll have better ones.”

“Better than this?” She gestured at the table.

“This is just stuff. Who cares about stuff?” Gideon directed his stare back at her. “What makes the difference is who you’re with. If you’re with the right person, sitting on the curb of some street you can’t pronounce is ten times better than all this.”

“I seem to recall us getting pretty lost in São Paulo.” She covered her face with her hand. Of course he’d bring up that night. She’d been tipsy enough to kiss him if they hadn’t been rescued from that curb.

“That was a fun trip. I don’t get to do that sort of drop-everything-and-go sort of stuff anymore.”

“Yeah, me neither. Everything is scheduled to within an inch of its life.”

“Maybe you need more wiggle room. Time to do something just for you.”

“I’m trying to make that a priority, but my best friends are all practically married now. What’s the point of picking up and going somewhere by yourself? That’s kind of lonely.” She shrugged.

“You’ve got me.”

Piper kept her smile in place, but the old wound hurt. It was a nice line. She’d trusted him once, and he’d left. It was hard to forget.

She wanted to be someone’s priority. And she was willing to work on herself to be the kind of person a guy wanted to make time for. Which was why she was here, with Gideon, wading into these complex emotions she’d shoved under a rug and conveniently forgotten about until she was face to face with him.

“Done? Ready for dessert?”

Piper tipped her glass back and downed the champagne.

Screw it.

She wanted to enjoy tonight.

“And more bubbly, please?” she asked.

“You got it.”

Gideon served up a massive slice of cheesecake with two forks and brought the bottle to the table. Piper helped herself to another glass and didn’t hesitate when it came to desert.

She was flip-flopping, and she hated it.

When she’d arrived she’d been of the mind that her relationship with Gideon was disposable, that if things took a less friendly and more intimate turn—so be it. She’d harbored that secret fantasy long enough there was no reason to not act on it. But a few hours around him and she remembered how great a friend he could be. They were good together, and a friendship like that was worth protecting.

There were a lot of friendships she was hanging onto these days.

Tamara.

Miranda.

Rashae.

Gideon.

The girls she could understand. Life changed when a partner was added to a situation. There would be weddings, kids, and other changes. Those relationships would evolve, but hopefully not end.

If Piper needed the girls, she knew she could send up a flare, and they’d be there for her. Maybe not as fast or as focused as in previous years, but they were friends. She couldn’t count on Gideon. They would always have fond memories of São Paulo and other silly things they’d done, but the sun had set on that friendship.

“How’s your dad?” Gideon asked.

“Good. He’s updated the van, I’m told.”

“Really? Why doesn’t he upgrade to an RV or a nice travel trailer?”

“Too much commitment.” Piper chuckled.

“An RV is too much commitment?”

“With an RV you have to empty it, fill the water tank, keep gas stocked. He doesn’t want the responsibility.”

“How did you survive? Honestly?”

“I didn’t know it was weird until it was normal, and then living any other way was weird.” She shrugged. Explaining the logistics of growing up in a van and sleeping under the stars for much of her life was simply part of who she was.

“What’s he up to now?”

“Managing some music tour. Some things never change.”

Her dad was a hippie who never let go of his golden age. She could barely convince him to keep a cell phone, much less a permanent address. Whenever she wanted to find him, she had a list of active hippie enclaves and old band buddies to call.

“Someday I want to meet your dad. The stories he can tell.” Gideon shook his head.

“How’s your family?”

“Got an hour or two?” He chuckled. Where Piper had only ever had her dad, Gideon came from a family of nine and was the only sibling not married with children. “Everyone’s more or less good. My sister started this Facebook Group that’s just family. Each time she posts or comments on something she tags everyone. And I mean—everyone. It’s so obnoxious, but I love her.”

Piper chuckled and shook her head. She’d met most of his family. Her dad had gone radio silent, leaving her high and dry for a whole holiday season. She’d about decided to turn out the lights and sleep from Thanksgiving until after New Year’s when Gideon showed up on her doorstep with his Wrangler, a pumpkin pie, forks and a spare suitcase. They’d spent the whole weekend telling his family they weren’t together. That was around the time she’d begun thinking how to move beyond friendship with Gideon.

There’d been a night, over Christmas at his parent’s house, when he’d snuck into the room she was staying in. He’d climbed into bed with his laptop and they’d watched a Mannheim Steamroller performance. By the end of it they’d been cuddled up together. Deep down she’d wondered if this was the beginning of something more. A new chapter.

It hadn’t been a month after that when Gideon scored a new gig and he was just...gone. She’d just met Tamara, moved into an apartment across the hall from her, and that friendship took off, but she’d missed Gideon. She’d wanted to know if there was room for more, but they never had that chance.

“Hey, scoot over there.” Gideon patted her arm and pointed at the shorter bench seat.

Piper downed the last of her glass and slid around the corner onto the cushion. Gideon sat on the small bench next to her. It wasn’t that large, and for them to both fit they were pressed together, side by side.

“What—”

A boom, followed by a whine and a streak of light across the sky cut off her words. She flinched at the sound and watched the line of light. Another bang and the projectile burst into thousands of tiny lights. Another boom and another joined the first, painting the sky in a myriad of colors.

“It’s the baseball game.” Gideon looped his arm around her shoulder as if he’d been doing it for years.

She swallowed and stared at the fireworks.

Beautiful and fleeting.

Gideon’s warmth soaked into her skin along with the alcohol.

Better loved than lost, that was the phrase, wasn’t it?

She’d lost Gideon once. She’d like the chance to love him, even if for a moment. A night.

“And that’s where my spectacular date planning ends.” He cupped her shoulder and stroked her arm. “Cold?”

“A little bit.”

“The breeze is cool tonight.” He tipped his head up, still watching the fireworks.

Piper studied his profile, the messy hair, his clean-shaven face, the bump on his nose from when he’d broken it as a kid roller skating. He was a good guy, but he wasn’t part of her life anymore, no matter how she felt about their long dead friendship.

Gideon turned, his lips parted as though he were about to speak. Their gazes latched, and they stared at each other.

Their history was filled with moments like this. Hundreds of them, where she’d made the choice to turn away. It was easier that way. Less complicated.

Not tonight.

She wanted to know what it would be like. She was done turning away because she was afraid.

Piper leaned against him, closing the short distance between them. She pressed her mouth to his, focusing on his lower lip. Her stomach tightened and heat swept through her body, chasing the chill away.

On the scale of kisses, it wasn’t bad, and she was rusty at these things.

She planted her hand on his chest and eased away.

Gideon cupped the back of her head, holding her hostage, and sealed his lips over hers. She gasped and his tongue swept into her mouth. She clutched at the front of his shirt and pulled herself closer, eager for more of that. He suckled her lower lip into his mouth and teased it with his teeth. She twisted in her seat, but there was no good angle for side-by-side kissing. She couldn’t get close enough.

He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her across his lap.

Now that was better.

She cupped his face with both hands and lost herself in the feel of his lips against hers, his hands coasting up and down her back and sides. Her head swam with the sudden intensity of her need for more, everything he could give her. It was like someone flipped the switch, reminding the rest of her that she really liked intimacy. The way his touch made her hypersensitive to the point of goose bumps. How his lips on hers made her want to press even closer, so she could feel that on a deeper, more intimate level.

A foreign whine grew louder and louder.

They broke the kiss long enough to glance at a small speed boat slicing through the water twenty yards away.

Holy shit. She’d just kissed Gideon.

She swallowed and pushed to her feet, wobbling on her heels. She needed to process this.

“Piper. Piper, wait.” Gideon grabbed her hand.

Her knees weren’t cooperating and his hold on her put her just enough off-balance she sat down hard on the bench next to him.

She stared straight ahead. Her body felt as though it were pulsing. Sweat dampened her brow, down her back. Her stomach was all wound up. From one, albeit intense, kiss.

“Hey. Hey?” Gideon scooted closer. “Sorry. That just happened. It must have been the alcohol—”

“What?” Piper turned to stare at him.

“We went through that bottle pretty fast.” He blinked at her.

“That wasn’t that much alcohol, Gideon.” She pushed to her feet and shook off his hold. He sure knew how to foul what had been a perfectly pleasurable minute. “We’re adults. We had a moment, and we kissed. Don’t blame a couple of drinks for that.”

“I’m not I’m just—Piper. Come back here.”

She strode into the main cabin and stared around the space without any idea of what she should do next.

Gideon’s footsteps thumped on the floor, closing the distance.

She was trapped on a boat with him. Any other man and she’d be a nervous wreck, but with Gideon she was free to be pissed.

“Hey, talk to me.” Gideon grasped her by the shoulder and walked around to face her.

“I wanted to kiss you, so don’t blame it on the drinks.” She swallowed down her nerves and stared back at him.

Gideon blinked. The interior lights were bright enough she could see the tiniest muscle contraction. The skin around his eyes crinkled. He opened and closed his mouth a few times.

Her luck, he had a girlfriend he hadn’t mentioned, because tonight was supposed to be two friends hanging out. What else hadn’t he bothered to bring up? She hardly knew him anymore.

“You know what...” She closed her eyes and shook her head. Nerves tightened the muscles around her stomach and chest, working their way around her neck, choking off her ability to speak. A wave of nausea swept her to the point that her knees went wobbly and her mouth watered. She turned and set her gaze on the long sofa built against the wall of the main cabin.

“Piper. Piper—wait.” Gideon lunged for her, wrapping an arm around her waist and grabbed her right hand in his.

“I don’t—”

“I wanted to kiss you, too.”

They stared at each other, those six words on a loop in her head.

He wanted to kiss her? For how long? Why hadn’t he ever said anything? Was this recent, or had he wanted to for a while? She’d been pretty damn sure that last Christmas, but then he’d vanished and she’d lost not only her crush but her best friend.

For a long moment they stood there, neither speaking.

She swallowed down a whole new kind of nerves.

He’d wanted to kiss her. Now what?

Piper was talked to death. All she ever did was talk about shit. She wanted to get on to the doing.

Gideon shifted, pulling her to him, fitting their bodies together. She’d hugged him a thousand times, but this was different. More intimate. He stared at her mouth, so intent she could almost feel his touch there. She let go of his hand and slid it up over his shoulder.

She brushed her fingers along the back of his neck. One touch. That was all it took.

He leaned in, no bending required thanks to her silly heels, and slid his lips across hers. She sighed and pulled him closer, hungry for more than a teasing touch. His hold around her waist tightened, and he pressed his mouth to hers, his tongue slipping in to tease hers. She looped her other arm around his shoulder and leaned into him, giving herself up to this moment. Her head swam and the tide of lust rose.

How many times had she thought about what this might be like?

Gideon’s hand pressed against her back, his fingers drifting lower and lower until he palmed her ass. She wanted to get closer to him, wrap herself around him until she felt his heart beat and every breath he took. Until there was no discerning where one ended and the other began.

A high-pitched whine sliced through the fog of lust.

She tore her mouth from his and glanced out the open doors at the rear of the boat.

With all the lights on, whoever was out there horsing around could see them. Logically, they couldn’t care about her. At least, not Piper Erin. Rational wasn’t always her strong point, but she was getting better. Still, she’d had enough of her personal moments stolen without consent that the idea of anyone zipping around the boat while she made out with Gideon had her mouth watering in a not so great way again.

“What’s wrong?” Gideon sucked in a breath and cupped her cheek.

“I want to go downstairs.” Where there were walls and a door.

“They can’t see us. These windows are tinted and—”

“Gideon, I just—it’s—”

“Hey.” He squeezed her a bit, jostling her enough to shake her up. She stared into his green eyes and took a steadying breath. “I get it. You don’t have to say any more, okay?”

Piper gulped down a breath.

“Here.” He reached over to the wall and pressed a few buttons she hadn’t even realized was there.

The lights went down to a dim glow and blinds descended, covering all the windows. Even the back doors swung closed on command, shutting out the breeze and any prying eyes.

“Wow.” She glanced around the cabin, astonished at how fast it all happened.

“Still want to go downstairs? We could stay up here, have another drink, and watch a movie, whatever.” He slid his arms around her waist again, keeping a snug hold on her.

Once, a tight hug from him could stop her from spiraling into tears. Now she wanted more. More than a movie and cuddling, or even kissing. If Gideon got another gig tomorrow, he’d be gone and all of this would become a lost opportunity. No, she’d come this far, she wanted it all.

“I’d still rather go downstairs.”

“You’re right. I’m sorry. We’re still sharing the boat. I wasn’t thinking.”

Piper hadn’t even considered that. She didn’t want to have a detailed conversation about things that made her nervous and what didn’t. Right now her focus was on that big bed and Gideon. She had her priorities straight and though she’d waffled through the meal, there were no doubts now.

She grabbed his hand and took a step back, toward the front of the boat and the stairs.

Gideon got the hint and led the way, offering her a steadying hand down to the second level. The lights were lower here, too, making her even happier to hold onto him.

Her heart rate kicked up and her pulse felt as though it were galloping at an uneven rhythm. As soon as she was through the bedroom door she bent and unbuckled one shoe then the other.

“Better?” He chuckled.

“Pretty sure I was about to break my ankle.” She smoothed her hands down her dress and pressed her toes into the carpet.

Gideon held out his hand. If he had a plan, some idea for how to proceed, she’d let him lead. This was about as far as her nerves were getting her.

She took his hand, and he closed the distance between them, wrapping an arm around her waist. She might not be able to trust him with her heart, but he’d take care of her body.

“I was talking about the accommodations. Not having broken bones is ideal.”

“Oh.” Piper chuckled and ducked her head, heat crawling up her neck. “Yes, thank you.”

“I want to kiss you again.”

Those were beautiful words she’d remember.

“Piper?” He cupped her cheek.

“Hm?” She tilted her head, pressing into his palm.

“Look, I’m not sure how...”

“Don’t go there.” She searched his eyes, fully aware of the assumptions he was making. “Working with Dr. Yun, it’s made me realize that my problem has been with violating my privacy and being attacked. This, now, there’s no problem.”

“I’m going to ask this once,” Gideon closed his eyes and held her at arm’s length, “are you sure?”

“Look at me.” There was something freeing and a little frustrating about his level of care.

He opened his eyes, and she smiled.

“Yeah, I’m sure. And you don’t have to ask. I’ll tell you if I don’t like something.”

“Okay.”

He let go of her and took a step back, his fingers tugging at the buttons, the thin strip of flesh widening the lower he went. She stood back, enjoying the way he stared at her, the tantalizing reveal. He tossed the shirt toward a chair, but the garment fell short by a couple of feet. Next he toed off his shoes and loosened the catch on his belt.

“Is this a race?” She would lose. Getting out of her dress was an act of contortionism.

“Nope. Just getting this out of the way.”

His pants hit the floor, leaving him in a pair of black boxer briefs. He’d added a few tattoos over the years, of what she couldn’t tell. She couldn’t look away from his eyes with the intense, I want to eat you up, way he was staring at her.

Gideon took a step toward her and she swallowed. He closed the distance between then and once more his arms were around her, holding her tight. She flattened her palms against his chest, reveling in the feel of him. They kissed, lips sliding against each other, no sense of where one ended and the next started.

He tugged the zipper down her back, the cool, metal teeth casing her to shiver.

“That’s it,” he whispered.

Gideon leaned back just enough to slip her dress off her shoulders. It pooled on the ground, leaving her in the lacy shape wear she’d worn underneath. The garment was more decorative than helpful, but it’d done its job.

“Shit,” he muttered staring at her. “I kind of want that to stay on.”

“I can work with that.” She took a step toward the bed.

Gideon walked her backward until her calves hit the mattress. He gripped her by the hips and lifted her onto the platform bed. She lay back and couldn’t help but grin. She’d imagined this moment happening a dozen different ways, but nothing like this.

“What are you smiling about?” He leaned over her, hands braced on either side, his knee pressing between her legs.

“You.”

“You like stroking my ego, don’t you?”

“That’s not the only thing I can stroke.” She slid her hands down his chest, but his stomach was as far as she could reach.

“Later. You do that and I’ll be done before we start.” His gaze traveled down her body, then returned to her chest. “I think I’ll start here.”

He flattened his hand against her side, then slid it up to cup her breast. There were still layers of fabric between them, but she felt his heat, the press of his fingers. She arched her back while he continued to palm her breast, as though he were learning her shape and size.

She shrugged her left shoulder. That strap never stayed up and now wasn’t an exception. She reached up and pulled both the strap and cup down, exposing her breast to the cool cabin air.

Gideon muttered a curse and covered her with his hand. She groaned at the feel of his skin on hers and arched her back. He ducked his head and kissed the stiff nipple, freeing up his hand to delve into the cup of her other bra. He teased her with his lips while tracing her areola with his fingers, causing two different sensations to clash within her.

She clutched at his shoulders, digging her nails into his skin.

This was what she missed, this heady cocktail of pleasure, the yearning desire for another human being. For a time she’d thought this was something she’d never feel again, but each moment with Gideon proved her wrong. She could let go, she could enjoy sex.

He cupped her mound, his fingers pressing against her through the satin underwear. She lifted her hips, her words escaping her. He stroked her through the fabric, all the while his mouth made love to her breasts. She shifted her hips, guiding his hand to the right spot, the right speed.

“Fuck.” He pushed up staring at her with eyes gone a little wild.

She whimpered at the loss of his touch, her body vibrating on the knife edge of release. He pushed the lacy garment up her stomach with one hand and yanked her panties down with the other. She lifted her hips and helped push them off.

Gideon put one knee on the bed and cupped her, pressing his fingers to her folds. He muttered words she didn’t pay attention to. Not when he was touching her. This time he needed no guidance. He slipped his fingers inside of her and she fisted the sheets, arching her back.

It’d been long enough since she’d been connected to another person like this that the sensations of skin and warmth were almost new. He pumped his fingers and kissed her exposed breasts. She grasped a handful of his hair, not too tight, but she needed something to hold onto.

Piper pulled on Gideon’s hair, tugging his mouth up enough she could kiss him as the first fluttering of her orgasm robbed her of her senses and propelled her into pleasure.