Megs wobbledas Gideon reached out to steady her.
“I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean—”
“No, it’s not your fault.” Megs grabbed onto his arm, lifting her foot to scan the damage as she tried and failed to ignore Gideon’s firm musculature under her fingers. She pulled the shoe off her foot. The straps had ripped through the sides of the shoe, which meant there was no way to reattach them and secure the sandal to her foot. Megs blew out a breath.
“I mean…it was totally my fault.” Gideon slid an arm around her waist. “Here, I’ll help you out to your car. You don’t want to walk barefoot through the parking lot, or all your attempts to avoid hepatitis will be a waste.”
Megs snorted a laugh and switched her broken sandal to her other hand. She hopped next to Gideon, allowing him to support her weight. As annoying as it was to only stand on one leg, she didn’t hate this. Gideon's shoulders were higher than hers, but he crouched to make it easier to use him as a crutch. He smelled like something woodsy—was it his aftershave? Deodorant?Whatever it was, she liked it.
“Is this your move? Make women all vulnerable by forcing them to make fools of themselves by eating food too big for their mouths, then trick them into relying on your manly strength to get back to their vehicles?”
Gideon barked a laugh. “This counts as manly strength? I think an octogenarian could accomplish this.”
Megs was glad it was his arms wrapped around her and not some elderly patron’s. She tried not to sink too far into his warmth. He was only helping her to the car, not inviting her to snuggle. Though that was exactly what she wanted to do.
Gideon walked, and Megs hopped across the parking lot to her car and even though her calf was beginning to ache, she lamented the fact that they were drawing closer. When they arrived, Megs leaned against the driver’s side door to give her leg a break. Gideon didn’t let go of her waist as she set the broken sandal on the roof. “At least it’s my left foot.”
“I could go to a store. Grab you a pair of flip-flops or something,” Gideon offered.
Megs shook her head. “No, it’s fine. These were old anyway.” She loved that he was trying to help, but wouldn’t take him up on it. If he went to the store . . . she’d have to let go of him.
“But you like these sandals.”
It wasn’t a question. How did Gideon know she liked them? He wasn’t wrong, shedidlike the sandals. They were worn down and the straps were bleached from sitting out in the sun all summer. They were one of her most comfortable slip-ons. “I’m sure I can find another pair if I want to, but I assure you, I have plenty of shoes sitting in my closet at home that will be grateful to get some love.”
They stood there under the streetlight, Megs leaning against the car, Gideon only inches in front of her with his hand still on her hip.
“Thank you for this,” Megs murmured.
Gideon’s hand twitched against her skin. “For ruining your only footwear?”
She grinned. “For making this night not suck as bad.”
“I’m pretty good at making nights not suck as bad.” Gideon’s hair fell across his forehead as he used his free hand to push up his glasses.
“An excellent endorsement. Is that in your course description?”
Gideon chuckled. “No, because this particular set of skills isn’t offered to students.”
“Right . . . ” Megs trailed off and swallowed hard as Gideon’s body moved closer. His eyes were dark in the dim light, and they seemed to drink her in. The toes of her left foot curled over her right as her heart rate spiked in anticipation.He was going to kiss her.
Which would be perfect, except . . . she’d tried to drop the class in the car, but the system had timed out. There wasn’t a reason to mention it, was there? She’d take care of it at home when she had better WiFi. Gideon didn’t need to know or worry about the fact that she wasn’t officially off his roster because she would be. And with his fingertips pressing into her skin, she wasn’t going to breathe a word of something that would pull his rules into question.
“I wondered if I could get your number,” Gideon murmured, his lips so close they nearly feathered against hers. Megs nodded and slid her hands over his arms. It had been ages since she’d felt attraction like this—since she’dlaughedlike this.
“Yes,” she whispered, barely keeping the tremor out of her voice for that one syllable. Had she ever kissed someone on an almost-first date? Never. Now she wondered what on earth she’d been waiting for.
She didn’t know much about Gideon, but what she did know so far was excellent. He was conscientious. Had integrity. The fact that he’d waited for her outside the building either meant he was kind and altruistic or that he’d hoped for this ending to the evening from the time she’d stalked into his office. Megs couldn’t decide which option was hotter.
Her breathing quickened as Gideon hovered there, and just when she thought her heart was going to burst through her chest, he pulled back and—
Megs watched in horror as he dropped his arm and reached for his phone in his pocket.“Seriously?”she gasped. Gideon looked up with alarm, and she swallowed hard. “Don’t you think we could exchange numbers after . . . you know . . . what we were about to be in the middle of?”
A hesitant smile broke out on Gideon’s face. “I didn’t want to be too forward.”
“You already took me to a drug operation parading as a burger joint and practically carried me to my car.” There she was, asserting herself again.Who was she tonight, and what had she done with Megs DeBosse?She shifted on her foot, still using the side of the vehicle for support. Gideon replaced his hands on her hips, and Megs barely kept her sigh from being audible.
Gideon’s voice was rough. “I was taught always to leave them wanting more.”
