One with You
Stepping back and out of the way, I let them in. Angus and Raúl headed into the living room where Cary waited. Gideon hung back with me as I shut the door.
“You’re giving me that look, angel, but you wanted Angus with me. Explain.”
That made me laugh, which was just what I needed to break the tension. “How can I help it when it looks like you were stripping when I called you?”
“I can finish here.”
“You realize I may have to burn all your clothes after the wedding. You should always be naked.”
“Would make for interesting meetings at work.”
“Umm … maybe not, then. For my eyes only and all that.” I leaned into the door and took a deep breath. “Anne’s made contact with Cary since the dinner.”
All the warmth and lightness left Gideon’s eyes, replaced by a chill that warned of bad things ahead.
He started toward the living room. I raced to catch up, linking our hands to remind him that we were in this together. I knew it was a concept that was going to take some getting used to. Gideon had been standing alone for so long, fighting his own battles and those of the people he loved.
Taking a seat on the coffee table, he faced Cary and said, “Tell me what you told Eva.”
Gideon looked ready to tackle Wall Street while Cary looked ready to tackle a nap, but that didn’t seem to impact my husband at all.
Cary ran through it all again, his gaze darting occasionally toward Angus and Raúl, who stood nearby. “That’s it,” he finished. “No offense, guys, but you seem like a lot of muscle for a redhead who’s maybe a hundred twenty pounds soaking wet.”
I would’ve pegged Anne at a hundred thirty, but that was neither here nor there. “Better safe than sorry,” I said.
He shot me a look. “What can she do? Seriously. What’s everyone all anxious about?”
Gideon shifted restlessly. “We had an … affair. That’s not the right word. It wasn’t pretty.”
“You fucked her,” Cary said bluntly. “I figured that much.”
“Fucked her over,” I elaborated, stepping closer so I could rest my hand on Gideon’s shoulder. I supported my husband, even though I couldn’t condone what he’d done. And truthfully, the part of me that was obsessed with Gideon pitied Anne. There had been times when I believed I’d lost Gideon forever, and I had gone a little crazy myself.
Still, she was dangerous in a way I could never be, and that danger was directed at people I loved. “She’s not taking it well that he’s with me.”
“What? Are we talking Fatal Attraction–type stuff ?”
“Well, she’s a psychologist, so Fatal Attraction meets Basic Instinct would be more accurate. It’s a Michael Douglas marathon wrapped up in one woman.”
“Don’t joke, Eva,” Gideon said tightly.
“Who’s joking?” I shot back. “Cary saw her in that long wig she wore to the dinner. I’m thinking she wanted him to recognize her so they could chat.”
Cary snorted. “So she’s crazy town. What do you want me to do? Let you know if I run into her again?”
“I want a protection detail on you,” I said.
Gideon nodded. “Agreed.”
“Wow.” Cary rubbed at the five o’clock shadow on his jaw. “You guys are hard-core about this.”
“You’ve got enough going on,” I reminded him. “If she’s got an agenda, you don’t need to deal with it.”
His lips twisted wryly. “Can’t argue with that.”
“We’ll take care of it,” Angus said. Raúl nodded, and then both men headed downstairs.
Gideon stayed behind.
Cary looked back and forth between us, then stood. “I don’t think you two need me anymore, so I’m hitting it. I’ll catch you in the morning,” he said to me, before sauntering down the hall to his bedroom.
“Are you worried?” I asked Gideon when we were alone.
“You are. That’s enough.”
I took the spot on the sofa directly across from him. “It’s not so much worry. More like curiosity. What does she think she can accomplish through Cary?”
Gideon exhaled wearily. “She’s playing head games, Eva. That’s all.”
“I don’t think so. She was very specific in her comments to me at the dinner, warning me away from you. Like I don’t know you and wouldn’t want you if I did.”
His jaw tightened and I knew I’d struck a chord. He’d never really gotten into what they had talked about when he went to her office. It was possible she’d said something similar to him then.
“I’m going to talk to Anne,” I announced.
Gideon pierced me with his icy blue gaze. “The hell you are.”
I laughed softly. My poor husband. So accustomed to having his word be law and then choosing to marry a woman like me. “I know we’ve covered a lot of ground over the course of our relationship, but somewhere in there we did discuss working as a team.”