“Think of it as networking.”
I laugh, pressing the phone to my ear. “He’s more calculating than you, more instinct than gruff.”
“Then we might get along better than you think.”
“He’ll want to meet you too,” I admit. “He’s curious.”
“Next week?”
“Maybe. Dinner somewhere public.”
“I can behave in public.”
“Define behave.”
He chuckles, the sound sending a shiver down my spine. “Long enough for dessert.”
I bite my lip, grinning at the ceiling. “This could be dangerous.”
“I like dangerous.”
“I noticed.”
“You sure about this?” he asks.
“Yes.” The answer slips out without hesitation. “It’s time.”
“Good. I want to look him in the eye. I want to see the man who gets to make you laugh when I’m not around.”
“Confident, aren’t you?”
“Always.”
He’s smiling; I can hear it. I roll onto my stomach, chin propped on my hand. “You know, you’re making me sound like some kind of prize.”
“You are. I just like knowing who I’m competing with.”
“You’re impossible.”
“Completely.”
I laugh again, the sound softer now. “Imagine the teasing though. You two in the same room.”
“I’m imagining.”
“The looks. The comments. The possibilities.”
“Keep talking like that and I’ll book a hotel instead of dinner.”
I groan, burying my face in the pillow. “You’re evil.”
“You like me that way.”
The TV fades to credits, soft light pulsing against my skin. When I close my eyes, I feel them instead of seeing them—Silas rough and grounding, Gideon sharp and deliberate, both waiting to see which one I’ll reach for first.
“Next week then,” Gideon says. “I’ll make a reservation and tell you the time and place.”
“Perfect.”
