"Wynn and Darwin." Her smile grew, and her eyes sparkled under the dim lighting. "It’s so obvious they’re into each other. I don’t get it."
"In all the years I’ve known him, I’ve never seen him with a woman," Gideon said.
"You never met his ex-wife?"
Gideon shook his head. "I’ve heard about her, but they divorced years before I ever met him. Years before he even moved over to Hyperion." He lifted his hand, palming her cheek. Leaning in, he kissed her softly. It wasn’t a big, romantic kiss. Or even a passionate one. Just one that told her he was there, that he cared, and whatever this was, he wanted more.
"It’s getting late, and Darwin wants me to work more on that device and the patches you found."
"And he’s an early riser." She stood. He followed. She took her glass and washed it in the sink while he waited to rinse out his bottle before tossing it in the recycling bin.
They walked down the corridor toward the bedrooms. The bunker was quiet, and he liked the stillness. It surprised him that he didn’t feel trapped by the idea that he was a couple of stories underground. It was actually comforting in a weird way.
Or maybe it was the people.
Zadie stopped and leaned against the frame. "Well, this is me."
He stepped forward and kissed her again, because how could he not? She was one of the most amazing women he’d ever met. Kind, smart, beautiful. She’d touched his heart long before he’d ever laid eyes on her.
Her fingers curled into his shirt, and she pulled him a half step closer, deepening the kiss, just to the edge of danger before she pulled back. Blinking wildly, her lips slightly parted, she stood in his arms instead of moving into her room.
The hallway stretched empty in both directions. His door was three steps behind him. Hers was right there, the edge of her bed just visible in the low light.
She let go of his shirt. Slowly. One finger at a time.
He could ask. The question was right there. But Gideon had learned a long time ago that the things worth having were the things worth being patient for.
"Good night." He turned, took three strides toward his room, and closed the door, without glancing over his shoulder.
He stood in his room with his heart at his feet. He’d always had timing issues when it came to women. And he certainly didn’t understand them.
But Zadie was different. He didn’t just want her. He wanted to be with her.
She’d been sending the same signals, and he was the asshole who’d left her standing in the hallway because he was too afraid to get too close.
He reached for the door and curled his fingers around the knob. He was done letting fear stand in the way. The worst thing that could happen was that she’d turn him down.
Chapter Ten
Zadie stood in the hallway with her back against her doorframe, throat suddenly dry.
He'd left.
He'd kissed her like he wanted her. Like his mouth was making promises of what was about to come, and then he’d stopped.
She stared at the wood grain as a combination of desire and anger filled her veins.
He'd left her standing in the hallway after she’d… shit. She hadn’t explicitly invited him into her room. But she thought she’d conveyed the concept.
She touched her fingers to her mouth. It tingled. Her lips still held the shape of his.
The way she saw it, she had two options.
She could go to bed. Pull up the covers, stare at the ceiling, and spend the next four hours replaying every second of the evening while pretending she was fine. She wasn't good at pretending.
Or she could bang on his door and tell him what she wanted.
She thought about those options for about as long as it took her to push out a long breath. Turning, she paused and made a fist.
