“What else do you need?” Her voice was breathy and a low thump of arousal sounded deep inside her.

Gideon was standing in front of her now. The heat of his body brushed against her damp skin and she drew a shaky breath.

“Fewer questions.” His voice was the familiar growl she’d come to expect from him.

“And if I don’t stop?” She held his gaze, lifting her chin.

He shrugged, mouth curved into a seductive smile. “I’d have to think of some way to shut you up. Maybe like this.”

He finally reached for her, pulling her against him. The towel fell away, dropping to the floor. His mouth was on hers, and she was surprised by the gentleness of his lips despite his tough words and gruff growl.

His hands slid down, cupping her ass, pulling her hard against his body. They stood like that for a long time, her body pressed to his, the hardness of his erection clearly evident against her stomach. The kiss made her weak, his lips and tongue driving her wild.

Slowly he began walking her backward until her legs hit the edge of the mattress. With his mouth still on hers, he tipped her backward, his hand behind her as he lowered her onto the bed.

Breaking the kiss, he straightened and she looked up at him as he stood watching her. He took a step back and she rose on her elbows, frowning. But he’d moved across the room, flipping off the overhead light. The room was bathed in the glow from the windows, soft shadows filling the corners.

With feline grace, he shed his shirt. As he came back to her, she heard the soft snap of the buttons on his pants coming undone, watching as he stopped to step out of them. The glow from the window gave her enough light to see him, lighting his broad chest and narrow hips, but his eyes were hooded, almost unreadable. But there was just enough light to see exactly how aroused he was. A thrill went through Lainey at the thought that it was all for her.

He climbed onto the bed and she pushed herself back, opening her arms to him as he settled between her legs. Everything about this moment was both perfect and unreal. As he buried his head against her shoulder, she ran her fingers through his hair. His arms slid beneath her body, holding her tightly against him. He held her for a long time as she ran her hands over his back, down to his buttocks, loving the feel of his warm skin beneath her hands.

Finally, he spoke. “I’d given up on ever having anything like this again.” Gideon lifted his head, looking down at her, his green eyes shining gold. Lainey reached up and trailed her fingers across his face and against the stubble on his cheek. Turning his head, he kissed the palm of her hand.

“It’s not impossible, you know. People do change. You’re not the same person you were.”

He shook his head, breathing out a deep sigh. “Lainey, you don’t know how tired I am of all of it. Tired of the work. So tired of being alone when I get home. After my last job, I decided I was finished. I was ready to pack it up, head to Baja, and live in some villa on the beach.”

Gently he brushed a strand of hair away from her forehead. “Then Scott called. He’d gotten me and my cousin Jordan out of a few jams; I owed him. I couldn’t say no.”

Questions sat poised on the tip of Lainey’s tongue. It might have been a small thing, but this was the first Gideon had mentioned his family. Lainey gave him a long look and hesitated. She had a feeling there would be time for those kinds of questions later. She had to give him what he needed first. Space and time to come to terms with her. With them. Because she wasn’t letting him go so easily now.

“Maybe fate had something else in mind instead of letting you run away to that villa in Baja.”

“I’m not sure I believe in fate. Or at least I didn’t before now. Maybe you’ve changed my fate.”

He bent his head, kissing her softly but firmly. His lips moved over hers, his tongue sliding between her lips. Lainey closed her eyes, letting the warm rush of sensations wash through her body. The passion she’d felt had blossomed, flaming into full-blown arousal.

Their kiss deepened and Lainey sensed any hesitation Gideon might have felt lessen. He kissed her like he had before, with passion and power, and she responded. Desire and arousal flowed through her body and she arched up beneath Gideon, pressing herself against his hard, muscled body.

For the first time since she’d met him, Lainey felt him open up, trying to let her in through the walls he had spent seven years building up around him.

Gideon bore down on her with his hips, pressing her into the mattress, his cock resting on her stomach. Lainey wiggled her hips, rubbing back and forth beneath him, increasing the contact and the heat between them.

She felt Gideon smile against her mouth before he lifted his head. In the gathering darkness, his face was cast in shadow, but she felt a change in his body, his arousal heightening, matching the rising tide in her body. It was time and she was ready, and she knew he was ready as well.

Wordlessly she shifted beneath him, rolling her hips, her legs parting. Gideon was there instantly, sliding into her smoothly, quickly. Lainey drew a sharp breath as he flexed his hips forward, filling her completely.

Every emotion she felt, every sensation flooding her body was heightened knowing how much it took for Gideon to be here with her, to come back to her knowing how he felt, about himself…and about her.

From then on, everything spiraled upward for Lainey as he began thrusting himself into her, his low groans against her shoulder matching her moans and cries. He was different, somehow more present, responding to her as they moved together. Everything seemed to fit, every movement and thrust and counter-thrust working to bring her closer to her climax.

Gideon raised his body, knees braced, as he continued thrusting hard into Lainey. She reached up, caressing his face, hands sliding down to his chest. She could just make out his face, lips parted, head thrown back. For an instant, he was outlined in the light from the window, and she saw the passion and lust she felt mirrored in his face. It was enough to send her over the edge.

She bucked up hard beneath him, her body twisting as she took her release. Wave after wave of ecstasy washed through her and she arched her back, her fingers twisting in the sheets. There seemed to be no end, her body taking on a life of its own, writhing beneath Gideon.

Gideon continued thrusting, his breath coming in ragged gasps. Lainey’s climax began to fade. She focused on Gideon, his body, his movements. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him down, her legs around his waist. With a low moan, he buried his face against her neck, open mouth pressed against her soft, hot skin.

His movements became sharp, erratic, and he thrust hard into her, over and over, as he came. Lainey felt every nuance of his climax, his heat flooding into her, the movement of his body beneath her hands.

With a final cry, he buried himself deeply inside her, holding himself steady as his orgasm peaked then gradually faded. Finally, he rolled onto his back, breathing hard, one arm flung across his face.

They lay in the warm darkness for a long time, bodies recovering, breath and heartbeat slowing. Lainey rolled over, fitting her body next to Gideon. She rose up as he slid one arm beneath her and she rested her head on his shoulder.

“What now?” Lainey ran her hand over Gideon’s chest, idly drawing circles on his taut skin.

Gideon gave her shoulder a squeeze. “I’m not sure. Some of that depends on you…what you want…” His voice trailed off.

The room had grown darker as the lights of the city had dimmed. Lainey marveled at where she was; in a foreign city with a man she’d only met a few days before. And she was on the edge of building some kind of relationship with him.

As crazy as it all seemed, somehow it all felt right. Beneath that tough exterior was a man she found she already had deep feelings for, a man who was undeniably attracted to her. But was that enough to risk her heart? Was it enough for her to venture into the unknown and charter the dark waters of a new relationship with this beautifully broken man?

It was.

She rested her hand on his chest, reaching past him to turn on the bedside lamp. She looked down at him, meeting his gaze. The hope and longing she saw there made her heart swell.

“Gideon, I won’t ask you for hard and fast promises. That wouldn’t be fair to either of us. I won’t beg you for something you can’t give me.”

His eyes searched hers for a moment and she saw relief mixed with something else cross his face. The half-smile she’d come to know, the one that crinkled the corners of his eyes, was back. In one powerful movement, he rolled Lainey onto her back, pinning her to the bed.

“I want to make promises to you, Lainey.” Then his soft grin turned wicked. “But tonight I want to make you beg for something else.” He leaned forward, kissing her hard with all the force she’d come to expect from Gideon Hunt. And she smiled, happy to have the panther she knew…and loved…back in her arms.

* * *