Page 65 of The Broken Heart Playlist
“Like a charge,” I admit, a breathless quality to my voice.
He takes a purposeful step toward me, closing the gap between us. “Like this?” he asks huskily.
Yes. Exactly like this. An electrifying tension I’ve never experienced with Joel. But Gideon only has to look at me and Ifeel the heat of his stare humming in my blood, a faint pulse of yearning filling my chest.
My lips are suddenly so dry I lick them and his eyes track the movement before snapping up to mine, dark and turbulent, blazing with all the unspeakable things he wants to do to me.
All the things I would let him do.
An intolerable heat sears my chest as the air around us becomes even more charged.
“I think you should go,” he murmurs, a rasp to his voice, as though he has trouble forming the words. “If you stay here another second, I might do something one, or both of us, will regret.”
“Gideon,” I whisper.
“You’re not ready,” he says, retreating into his house, moving us both back from what nearly dragged us under. “I wish you were, but you’re not.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
The dinner is scheduled for the following Saturday. The days leading up to it pass uneventfully. I have shoots nearly every day that week and Gideon is still heavily involved in sorting out operational issues at his previous company. He makes it a point, though, to regularly stop by with Uno, even if it’s just to say hi.
The dinner on Saturday goes even better than I dared to hope. I make coq au vin, which I pair with mashed potatoes and roasted fennel. Gideon has two helpings and is effusive in his compliments. Even Lisset enjoys the meal, although she painstakingly picks out all the mushrooms in her bowl of stew and sets them aside. The expensive red Burgundy Gideon brought with him loosens the faint tension in my chest, freeing me to smile and laugh more, much to Lisset’s delight and Gideon’s quiet pleasure.
I’m not laughing, though, when Gideon finishes his meal and runs his finger slowly over the rim of his glass. And I am absolutely not imagining that same finger trailing an unhurried path over my bare skin.
I wonder if I’m coming down with something.
Much to my relief, Lisset is well behaved throughout the meal and a surprisingly good sport in the three rounds of Monopoly Deal afterward. And much to my disappointment, Gideon is also well behaved. The perfect gentleman. Of course, I want him to act like a gentleman, but maybe there’s such a thing as too perfect a gentleman. In all our interactions, he avoids any innuendo or knowing smiles or lingering glances. The only timehe touches me is to tap his foot against mine when he suspects I’ve cheated (I toyed with the notion purely to see if he could catch me at it).
When we’re done with Monopoly Deal, Gideon grabs the toolbox he brought with him and retreats to Lisset’s room to build her desk, which he manages to finish in two hours with only one exasperated outburst. An overjoyed Lisset loops her arms around his waist to thank him and I have to look away.
It’s late and I instruct Lisset to brush her teeth and get ready for bed. When she skips away without a fuss, I suspect her plan is to dump dental hygiene in favor of organizing her desk.
I help Gideon gather up his tools, trying not to notice the way his muscles move under his skin, and see him to the front door.
“Thank you for an incredible meal,” he murmurs.
“Thank you for one very happy daughter.”
He shoves his hands into his jacket pockets. “I have an idea that might help Lisset become more comfortable with reading again.”
I straighten in the doorway. “What is it?”
“It’s better if I demonstrate it to you. Can you come round to my place tomorrow with Lisset?”
“You’re being mysterious.”
“Practical,” he counters with a smile. “It’s late.”
I tamp down my impatience. What idea has he come up with? Also, completely unrelated but still of appreciable significance, it will be my first time inside his house. I feel the spark of curiosity in my veins. “Is this simply an excuse to see me again?”
His body vibrates with laughter. “That’s one way of looking at it.”
[MESSAGES]
Tess:I heard Gideon had dinner at your house last night!
Kate:Yes.
