GIDEON JOGGED UP THE stairs to Piper’s place. She hadn’t responded to any of his texts yesterday evening, citing some sort of phone-less pledge the girls had taken which meant Piper could only sneak texts in the bathroom. It made for nailing down plans for today impossible. They’d left everything up in the air, which wasn’t ideal.

He stopped on her door mat and blew out a breath.

Today’s date was full of character. He’d made a list of their favorite places and a game card to keep score of how well they’d held up over the years. Going places they’d been in the past was one way of easing Piper back into the public dating sphere without a lot of pressure.

He lifted his hand and knocked on the door, doing a little bounce on the balls of his feet.

This was going to be great.

A couple moments went by.

He checked the time.

It was eleven, and Piper’s car was in the lot out front.

Was she working? Had something going on?

The door opened and a dark skinned woman with curling hair stared at him. She was vaguely familiar, someone he’d seen around but couldn’t put a name to the face.

“Hi, is Piper home?” he asked.

“Uh...” The woman ducked back inside, but kept the door mostly shut.

There were several voices and an electric hum. She had people over.

Damn.

“Coming, coming, coming.” Piper’s voice got closer.

A familiar blonde head of hair ducked out the door and shut it behind her.

Gideon blinked at her, not quite sure what he was looking at.

“What...are you wearing?” He tilted his head to the left, then right.

“The left half of a jumpsuit.” She glanced down at herself. “Weird, right?”

“Interesting. I’ll have to see what it goes with.” He had no eye for imagining things like this, but given the past outfits the girls had worn, it was sure to be a show stopper. “I take it you’re busy today?”

“Yeah. Yes. Sorry. I wasn’t sure what you were asking yesterday, and then I tried to call...”

“Really? I never got a call.” He pulled his phone out.

“It went straight to voicemail a few times.”

“Shit...” He opened his Do Not Disturb app. Sure enough, he had incoming calls still muted. He’d never taken it off the other night because he’d been focused on getting ready for his date. “This was my fault. I fucked up.”

“I’m sorry,” Piper said.

“For what?” He pocketed his phone and smiled. He couldn’t be frustrated with her for trying.

“Just...” She glanced at his hand.

“Oh—right. For you.” He held the flowers out.

“Thanks.” Piper pushed her hand through her hair and glanced at the closed door behind her. “This is going to go on for a long time, but they all have dinner plans. Are you doing anything later?”

“Waiting for your call?”

“Do you mind? I couldn’t get a hold of you and I wasn’t sure about what you had going on... I’m really—”

“Piper, don’t be sorry. I fucked up.” He shrugged and turned his phone toward her. “This is me taking my phone off DND. See? And there’s...all my missed calls.”

Fuck.

He was losing his date day and gaining an afternoon of scramble work.

“Dinner?” she asked.

“I’ll wait for your call.” He pocketed his phone and smiled.

“Thanks.” Piper backed into her apartment, slipping in fast and shutting the door before he got a glimpse at the magic happening inside.

Well, hell.

Gideon stood there a moment longer. He had no one to blame for this but himself. Not only had he fucked up by missing her call, he had a long history of not showing up to shit. He wanted to be part of Piper’s life, which meant he had to show her that she was a priority and follow through with that.

He plodded back down the stairs to his Jeep, rolling ideas around. He tapped his email and stopped on the sidewalk.

What the hell?

He had a dozen emails from his problem clients. These guys were seriously a piece of work. He rubbed a hand over his face and climbed into the Jeep before sating his curiosity about what they wanted this time.

Sometimes he had to wonder if they read their emails before hitting send.

Gideon scrolled through the messages, his mood souring.

Maybe he should leave this email chain for his assistant to reply to. She was more diplomatic about out of contract requests, plus she knew how to be a buffer in these situations. It was what he paid her to do after all.

That decided, he eased the Jeep out of the lot and back onto the street.

He had a lot of good things going for him. A few new leads for projects and Piper was back in his life.

PIPER STOOD IN THE entry, the flowers clutched to her chest.

Despite all their girl talk yesterday, she wasn’t ready to discuss Gideon with the whole group. The other girls, Ellie not included, were thinking marriage and the long road ahead. Gideon wasn’t that kind of guy, which meant she had no business mingling these two pools of people. It would only lead to more frustration and heartbreak down the line when everyone realized she wasn’t enough for him.

Ellie stepped into the entry, a pair of scissors clutched in her hand.

“That was Gideon. He brought you flowers?” Ellie kept her voice at a whisper.

“Yes.” Piper gulped.

“What the hell?” Ellie nodded at the room behind her where the others were carrying on like normal.

Piper shrugged and blew out a breath. She’d just...figure this out as she went. Tamara knew Gideon from back in the day. The others had heard stories. Piper could always play this off as a visit from an old friend, right?

She straightened her spine and strode into the living room, which looked like the seventh level of cosplay construction hell. How she would get all that thread up out of the carpet was beyond her.

“Flowers?” Miranda said, drawing the one word out over several syllables.

“Who are they for?” Rashae asked.

“Uh, me?” Piper went into the kitchen and unwrapped the bunch of colorful blossoms.

“You? Did Kobe give them to you for getting you in trouble?” Rashae laughed at her own joke.

“No, it was Gideon stopping by, being random.” There. That was perfectly honest from her side of things. Granted, he likely saw it all very differently.

“Gideon? Why didn’t he come inside and say hi?” Tamara frowned at the door.

“Had somewhere he was going.” Piper pulled a vase down from the cabinet and filled it with water.

Ellie stood on the other side of the counter, her flat stare saying what she couldn’t.

“What?” Piper whispered.

“We’ve got to talk,” Ellie said, equally as quiet.

“Later?”

“Now.” Ellie turned to the room. “I’m taking Piper with me to pick up lunch.”

“Thank God for good Middle Eastern food,” Rashae said.

Piper got the flowers in the vase and stepped out of the partially made outfit. Ellie wouldn’t take no for an answer, and truth be told, Piper needed to talk to someone before she burst.

They escaped the apartment with only a few more questions, all about food, and no one curious at the sudden appearance of Gideon at her door.

“We’re taking your car,” Ellie announced.

“Okay.” Piper didn’t care so long as she got the secret out. She dove into the driver’s seat of her car and hit the lock button, as if the other girls were rushing to listen in. “I had sex with Gideon.”

“You said that and then you didn’t tell me how it went.” Ellie jabbed Piper’s shoulder.

“Really good.”

“Like, totally hot, good vibes, everything? You orgasmed, right?”

“Uh—yeah.” Piper swallowed.

“What’s that mean? Drive before someone comes looking for us.”

“Okay, okay.” She shifted into reverse and drove on autopilot.

“Spill.”

“It was good. The date was perfect. Nothing was weird. It was just...good.”

“That is so not descriptive enough. Come on.” Ellie groaned.

“What do you want me to say?”

“I want to live vicariously through you.” She grinned. “More than that—what the hell? He showed up today?”

“We kept talking in circles yesterday in a text, then the girls decided we were doing this today and I think he wanted to go have lunch or something.” And Piper had been in half an outfit.

“This is good. You can’t be available to him all the time. I mean, he’s the one that flakes out, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Then you can’t give him what he wants when he wants it.”

“I am so not good at this.”

Piper leaned her head back and groaned.

PIPER PULLED INTO GIDEON’S driveway at nearly eleven. Hours later than when she’d thought the girls would have left. She’d have liked to know that the guys were bringing dinner to her house instead of the girls going out for dinner. Despite what Ellie said, Piper wasn’t a fan of making plans and flaking out on them. That was why Gideon’s exit from her life had hurt her so badly. Growing up the way she had, without a firm home base, she’d relied on people being truthful and sticking to their word. Violating that meant cutting a tether and losing part of her world.

She killed the engine and climbed out.

All the lights were off, including the porch.

That didn’t mean anything. He had those fancy blinds that cut out all light so when he was working he could make his own schedule. It was still daunting to get out of the car, knowing Gideon might not want to answer.

She walked up to the door and blew out a breath. Since he’d stopped answering her texts a few hours ago she had no idea if he knew she was on her way or not. The last twenty-four hours were a bundle of weird dipped in surreal. She rang the doorbell and waited.

And waited.

And waited.

For all she knew Gideon had gone out. He didn’t like being home alone if he could be around people. It made more sense that he’d have found something to do besides wait for her.

“Okay.” She blew out a breath and turned toward the street.

This one was on her.

Piper stepped off the stoop and onto the walk leading to the driveway.

The door whisked open, the upper landing light casting a dim pool of illumination on the concrete. She turned and stared at Gideon framed in the doorway in nothing but a towel. Water droplets dripped off him and onto the tile.

“Hey, uh, sorry to bother you... Can I come in?” She swallowed and forced herself to not follow the path of a particular droplet down his chest and abs.

“Sure.” He stepped back.

She willed her heart to stop beating in her throat and crossed the welcome mat to slip by him and into the entry.

“I’m really—”

“Stop,” he snapped and shut the door hard enough it rattled the prints hanging on the wall.

Piper winced.

“Sorry. I’m sorry. For today, snapping, all of it.” Gideon scrubbed a hand over his face. “You do not owe me an apology, got it?”

“I just—”

“No buts or justs or anything.” The strain of the day showed in the lines of his face and the way he rubbed his temple.

“Will you let me get a sentence out?” She glared at him, but couldn’t bring herself to mean it. Some days were frustrating. She got that.

“Go ahead.”

“I assumed when I couldn’t get a hold of you, and you wouldn’t say clearly what you wanted to do, that you weren’t going to show up if we made plans.” There, she’d said it.

Gideon glanced away. The light from the living room cast long shadows on his face.

“I deserve that. Come in here? Want a drink? Something to eat?” He placed his hand on her back and guided her into the main room of the house.

“No, thanks.”

“Rough day?” She could see the signs in the crease around his mouth, the permanent wrinkle on his brow.

“Yeah, forgetting to take my phone off DND was a major mistake. I’ve spent the whole day dealing with bugs and fielding questions. It’s...not going as smoothly as I’d hoped. Sorry. I’m a little grumpy.”

“I’m used to you grumpy. It’s fine. Do the clients just not know how to work with the code?” She tried to keep her attention on his face and offering her sympathy, but it wasn’t every day she got this up front and personal view of a mostly naked Gideon. They hadn’t spent enough time together the other night for her to be bored of the idea.

“Yeah, I don’t think they are as...advanced as they believe they are. They want me to do stuff that’s outside our contract. I’m more than happy to answer questions and help a little, but they’re wanting more full time work and...no.”

“That sucks. I’ve had clients like that. Maybe after a few days they’ll figure things out or hire someone who can do the job?”

“Hope so. One of the guys went digging around my Facebook, like I had to explain to him why I take a day off here and there.” Gideon gestured to the sofa. “You didn’t come to talk about my crappy workload.”

“Hey, I was just hoping you were home and that you’d answer the door.”

“I am disappointed we didn’t get to have lunch, but it did kind of work out. Plus, I kind of deserved it. There’s a lot of things I wish I’d have done differently, looking back.” He stared at her, his words carrying meaning she didn’t know how to unpack.

“Me, too,” She whispered. If she’d been braver, maybe they’d have been together, though she doubted anything would have weathered Gideon’s work ethic.

“From here on out, let’s just agree to a quick phone call to nail shit down before I make an ass of myself?” He grinned and her heart crawled back into her throat, cutting off the circulation to her brain and causing her to get a little dizzy.

“It was sweet, and I feel really bad about it.” She sucked down a breath and put a hand on the back of the sofa.

“You shouldn’t. How many times have I left you high and dry? Turnabout is fair play.” He shrugged.

Piper couldn’t argue with that point. It was a little gratifying to hear him admit it.

“I mean, do you even want to go out again? With me, I mean.” Gideon stared at her, all that intensity aimed her way.

“I do,” she said. It might not be healthy, but she wanted it all with him while she could get it. One date, one night, and she remembered everything she loved about being with him. How they talked, the way he made her feel, the things she wanted.

“Oh. Okay.” He shifted his weight and glanced down at the floor. “Shit. I need to put clothes on.”

“Actually...”

Fuck it.

She took a step closer, until her chest pressed against his, and kissed him. They couldn’t eat that meal together and she already knew they could talk the night away. What she wanted was nourishment of a different sort. The years of forced isolation and celibacy left her starving for touch, intimacy of a naked variety that only a man could satisfy.

Gideon grasped the back of her head without hesitation and deepened the kiss. His tongue teased hers and he held her close. The strength of his arms steadied her. He’d catch her if she fell—or tripped, which was more likely.

She slid her other hand down his damp skin, enjoying the freedom. Her clothes absorbed the water, the coolness of it against her heated skin a tantalizing counterpoint.

“Did you turn the shower off?” she asked.

“Yeah.” He barely broke the kiss, his lips sliding against hers.

“Good.” She tugged at his towel. It didn’t take much, just one pull, and it fell to the floor.

“Fuck,” Gideon muttered.

“Too much?”

“No. It’s good.” He backed her into the living room.

She pivoted and gave him a push, sending a very naked Gideon sprawling onto the sofa.

This wasn’t what she’d planned. Her idea in coming over was all very PG. When he’d answered the door in nothing but a towel she’d gotten ideas, very naked ones.

Piper yanked her shirt over her head and toed off her shoes, all while Gideon watched her with those heavy-lidded eyes of his.

“Condom?” she asked.

“Kitchen counter, plastic bag.”

“You went shopping?”

“A guy can hope for another chance.”

She circled the sofa and snagged the box out of the bag. She ripped it open and tore off a packet.

This was crazy and Piper knew it. They should talk, get things straight, figure out what they were doing, except she didn’t want to do the responsible thing. She’d been doing the adulting since the moment she pulled up her big girl panties and decided to fight for her rights. Right now what she wanted most was to feel. To touch, kiss, and luxuriate in all that two people could do together. She wanted to be free in a way she hadn’t experienced in a very long time.

She returned to the sofa and tossed the condom at Gideon. She shimmied out of her jeans and left them on the carpet. Her mismatched underwear didn’t seem to faze him. Heat swept her body just from the way he stared at her.

Gideon reached out, wrapped his arm around her waist, and pulled her to him. She straddled his thighs and sat face to face with him. He slid his arms along her sides and around to her back. She leaned forward, and he met her in an open-mouthed kiss so full of need she could taste the yearning on her tongue.

His hands stroked her body, exploring her all over again. If she could purr and stretch like a cat, she would. He released the catch on her bra and pulled from between their bodies. She leaned back, giving him access to her breasts, yearning for his hands on her. He didn’t disappoint. Gideon toyed with her nipples, teasing her skin, all the while he kissed her shoulders, her neck, he never stopped lavishing her body with attention.

In this moment, she was the center of his world. Nothing would come between them. She shifted, grinding against him, keenly aware that the only thing separating them was latex, lace and satin.

“Fuck,” Gideon muttered.

Piper grinned. She wasn’t the only one affected by this moment.

Gideon reached between them and pulled her panties aside. A thrill shot through her. He was just as needy as she was. She shifted, and the head of his cock pressed against her entrance. She pressed down and gasped at the sensation of him sliding inside of her. They both groaned. She gripped his shoulders, and he grasped her hips. She panted for breath as the endorphins flooded her system.

“God damn, Piper. You feel so fucking good.” She shifted under her, finding a better position.

“Yeah?”

She grinned and rolled her hips, relishing the feel of him seated fully inside of her. He shifted with her, meeting her thrusts while his mouth made love to her breasts.

This was what she liked about sex. Two people, both aroused and after the same thing. There was nothing more honest. She couldn’t fake being turned on if she tried, and she had no doubt that Gideon was as into it as she was.

She dug her nails into his shoulders, his damp skin warm to the touch. She tilted her head back and gave herself over to what felt good. Right. Each thrust sent tendrils of pleasure snaking through her body, healing old wounds, reminding her that she was still alive.

Her orgasm came fast and sharp, far too soon for her liking. She wanted this to go on and on, revel in the mutually beneficial pleasure of it. She clutched Gideon tighter and groaned, her muscles going lax. Gideon kept going, pumping into her, muttering words she couldn’t understand. Not a moment later he groaned, clutching her close to his chest. He buried his face against her neck and they both sucked in deep breaths.

It seemed that neither of them had much stamina.

Piper smothered her chuckle by kissing his hair and face, clutching him close to hold off reality for a little while longer.

Gideon kissed her shoulder and then her neck. He leaned back enough to press his lips to her cheek in a tender gesture.

Last night they’d avoided talking about what they did because she’d fallen asleep. The whole reason she’d come over tonight was to talk. It would be wrong to put her clothes on and leave just to prevent sorting out exactly what they were doing. Deep down, she was scared of putting a label on it or even acknowledging that something would happen. It was a good sign that contemplating such a thing didn’t send her into a panic.

Gideon cupped her cheek, turning her face enough for him to gently kiss her mouth.

This she could do.

She sighed and leaned into him, but he only kissed her for a moment longer.

“I propose we grab a snack and go upstairs.” He stroked her back, his thumbs finding stress knots. “I’ll warn you, I haven’t slept enough since turning in the last project. I’m likely not long for this world.”

“Upstairs is good.”

Perfect, actually.

She craved more time with him, just being, not doing anything. Hell, she’d watch him sleep if it came to that, though the anxiety of the day had worn her down to the point she might pass out, too.

“Okay, your move then.” He slid his hands down the tops of her thighs.

Piper braced her hands on the back of the sofa and eased off the sofa. Gideon hissed and squeezed one eye shut. Her knees weren’t quite steady, but she was able to scoop up her clothes and not fall on her ass.

Gideon pushed to his feet a little slower in following her lead. She tried not to stare, but it was difficult not to.

He grabbed the towel that had somehow wound up on the arm of the sofa, pushed to his feet, and hitched the towel around his hips.

“Come on.” He grabbed her hand and tugged her after him, toward the stairs. He snagged the box of condoms on the way.

Her throat closed up, and she followed him, half tempted to pull his towel again. He paused on the second floor landing and gestured to the master bedroom.

“You want to use the bathroom in there? I’ll be a minute.”

“Sure.” She swallowed.

This was all so easy. Not exactly comfortable, but the only one awkward was her.

Piper shuffled into the bedroom and stopped just out of sight until she heard the hall bath door click shut.

She covered her mouth with her hand and danced in place. When she’d come over, she’d been looking to make an apology, figure out what went wrong, and instead they’d skipped straight to makeup sex. Or whatever that was. She’d take it.

The toilet down the hall flushed. There wasn’t time for a celebratory anything to commemorate this non-fluke moment in her life. She dumped her clothes on the chest at the foot of the bed then spied the laundry basket of neatly folded clothes. A familiar, very worn Nirvana T-shirt lay on top. Before she could think much about it she grabbed it and pulled it on taking comfort in the old, threadbare garment. She hustled into the bathroom and stared at herself in the mirror for a moment.

The woman looking back at her was familiar. A person she hadn’t seen in an awfully long time. She was glad that part of herself was back. This all just went to prove her theory. Intimacy was never her problem. It all connected back to being attacked. Conquering one part of her life and taking it back meant she could make a plan for how to handle her anxiety.

Piper finished in the bathroom then poked her head out. Gideon was still nowhere to be seen. She dove onto the bed and pulled the comforter up to her chin, reveling in the feel of cool sheets against her still warm skin. Gideon’s scent surrounded her, chasing away the last nerves gnawing at her. How could this be anything but perfect? A yacht, fireworks and luxury was nice, but that wasn’t her.

Footsteps rustled across the carpet. He must be worn out after the afternoon of catch up work. That was her least favorite, and it always took longer than she budgeted.

He shambled through the door wearing nothing but a pair of boxers he must have. She got a brief glimpse of a smile before he flipped the lights off and crossed to the bed. The mattress dipped under his weight as he settled in beside her. She wiggled her toes, all those nerves she thought weren’t bothering her coming back in force.

His arm looped around her waist and he tugged them closer together.

“Tell me about your day,” he said.

“Rashae sewed, took measurements, and we bedazzled a lot of things.”

“Glue your fingers together again?” He chuckled and stroked his hand down her back.

“No.”

“What are you wearing?” He lifted the comforter to peer into the darkness as though he could see the shirt.

“Your Nirvana T-shirt.”

“Thief.”

“It’s soft.” And it smelled like him. She had plenty of fond memories that included this shirt.

“Fine.” He slid his hand up under her shirt to splay against her back. The touch went no further.

“Rashae wants to do a series of Wonder Woman costumes from different eras, which means we’re making a lot of armor. Plus there’s the Sailor Moon mermaid photo shoot she wants to line up, and that means all the glitter, sequins and stuff.”

“That sounds exhausting.”

“It is, and usually I enjoy it more.”

“But?”

“Everything’s different now, you know?”

“Yeah. I do. It’s like when my brothers and sisters started getting married, and now there’s just me.”

“How do you deal with that pressure?” She rolled to her side and faced him.

“I do a lot of listening, not a lot of talking. Which, it sounds like that’s the root of your problem with them now.”

“Yeah.”

“You can talk to me.”

There was a time when she could have without inhibition. But she couldn’t allow herself to rely on Gideon. They could enjoy this period together, but it wouldn’t last.

“Are you going to stay long?” His fingers drew circles on her back.

“I didn’t really have a plan when I came over.” Last night, sleeping with a warm, male body next to her, had been nice. She missed the simple, intimate things more than sex.

“Then stay, and in the morning I can show you my new guitars.”

“Because you needed more?”

“Everyone needs more.” His nose bumped hers and he kissed her, his mouth soft.

She lay there, listening to Gideon’s breathing even out.

Being with him was easy, maybe too easy.