I wet my lips. What I wouldn’t give to unwrap that gift…
“You should leave.”
“If I return tomorrow night, will you see me?” he asks as he hovers in the doorway.
“That depends.”
“On what?”
I offer him a tight-lipped smile, even as my whole body trembles. “On the state of your purse.”
Messenger Chat Between Gideon Blake and Winnie Preston
Gideon:Winnie, I have a spot of lady trouble and I need your help.
Winnie:Isn’t this something your bestie Alaric should help with?
Gideon:I already called him. He said, “I’m sorry, I can’t hear you, the castle is going through a tunnel” and made chugging noises until I hung up.
Winnie:Before I agree to help you, you have to clear up one thing for me.
Winnie:Did you murder Danny or Patrick?
Gideon:No.
Winnie:You SURE about that?
Gideon:I think I’d remember if I’d killed someone.
Winnie:And you didn’t pay someone to have them killed?
Gideon:Nope.
Winnie:If you’re lying to me, I will send Alaric around with the testicle-severing knife. I’m happy to help. What’s up?
Gideon:There’s this lady that I’m madly in love with.
Winnie:Arabella.
Gideon:No.
Winnie:So, not Arabella? Hmmmm.
Winnie:Is her name Schmarabella?
Gideon:No.
Gideon:You don’t know her.
Gideon:But I like her. A lot. And I want to show her how I feel about her, but she kind of hates me.
Gideon:Normally, my face is enough to have women throwing themselves at my feet. But this lady – whose name is absolutely NOT Arabella – is immune to my many charms.
Winnie:I think that we’re going to need to call in the troops on this one.
Gideon:What? No.
Gideon:Winnie.
