Page 53 of Worth the Risk

Gideon’s eyes turned almost black, and his thrusts grew frenzied as his need overtook him. I repeated the action, until the tips of my breasts glistened.

‘Fuck,’ he groaned, then he gave a guttural roar, his mouth-watering body straining as he came. The sheer pleasure of watching him lose control tipped me over the edge again.

Unbelievably, another climax slammed into me. My legs locked around his waist and he dropped on top of me, burying his face in my neck as shudders rolled through him. Long lazy minutes passed. When we’d caught our breath, he rolled off me, trailed kisses on my cheek before rising from the bed.

‘Stay right there,’ he instructed.

I couldn’t have moved if the world were on fire, so I contented myself with watching him head into the bathroom. He joined me beneath the sheets when he returned and pulled me close. Gentle fingers cupped my jaw, angling my face up to his. ‘Spend your day off tomorrow with me?’

My heart gave a little lurch even as I attempted to dampen down the excitement. ‘What about your guests?’

‘The moment my lawyers approve the deal, I’m tossing Vadim and his gang off the boat,’ he replied without an ounce of regret. ‘Until then, they can entertain themselves. My plan is to stay here with you for the next twenty-four hours.’

My brain attempted to skip ahead to what happened after tomorrow but I reined my thoughts in. What happened tonight had been unbelievable, so much more than I’d imagined. But it was still just sex.

Sex I wanted to experience a whole lot more of, sure. But—

‘Leonora.’

I blinked to find Gideon staring at me, incisive eyes attempting to burrow into my thoughts. Within the grey depths were deeper, turbulent waters I didn’t want to navigate.

It was just sex. Nothing more. ‘Sure, I’ll spend tomorrow with you.’

Sunlight was slanting through the shutters when I next opened my eyes. The space beside me was empty, but there was a note propped up against the pillow. I unfolded it and read Gideon’s impatient scrawl.

Gone to toss some Russians overboard. Stay where you are. I’ll bring breakfast.

Smiling, I traced my fingers over the black ink. Even the way he wrote indicated an arrogance that endeared and grated at the same time. He’d brought those qualities to bear with wicked results last night. The reminder heated me inside and out and I rolled over and buried my face in his pillow. He’d promised me an all-night fucking and he’d more than delivered.

The force of his possession lingered between my thighs, muscles I’d forgotten existed twitching with each movement. We’d eventually tumbled into sleep around dawn, my body draped over his in a useless heap of satiation.

The thought of another twenty-four hours experiencing more of the same sent a decadent thrill through me.

But...twenty-four hours and then what?

Acidic unease burned through my anticipation and my smile. Like black crows storming the horizon, unsettling questions flooded in.

The text about Gideon’s deal had interrupted our conversation last night but not before he’d dropped the bombshell of his fiancée. Pictures I’d seen online of him and his cousin Damian were over four years old. They’d been as thick as thieves before so it didn’t take a genius to surmise the two might be connected.

The burn in my chest intensified, startling me with the possibility that if Gideon’s playboy lifestyle was just a front, then it hid something deeper. A carefully guarded pain?

Whatever personal angst rode him last night had been close to the surface. And there’d been sizzling recognition when I retold Adam’s betrayal.

Someone I trusted took what belonged to me. More than one someone, actually. Between them they destroyed something precious.

Was I foolish getting involved, even temporarily, with Gideon? My misery didn’t want company, especially not if it involved an ex who’d driven Gideon to cultivate that veneer of a dangerous, transient Lothario.

Or was I way off base, overanalysing what should be a simple fling before we went our separate ways?

The sound of a helicopter taking off startled me. Gideon had successfully rid himself of his guests.

As the sound faded, I attempted to distance myself from my disturbing thoughts by flinging aside the sheets and rising from the bed.

My wobbly legs reminded me how thoroughly Gideon had used my body. No matter how today ended this would remain an unforgettable experience. So why did the thought of it ending make me anxious?

What the hell was wrong with me?

Impatiently catching my hair up in a knot, I hurried to the bathroom, eager to wash my thoughts away.

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