Page 46 of Lethal Salvation

“Because every time I look at you my mouth waters.”

She stroked his face, and he closed his eyes. “You’re not who I thought you were.”

Gideon placed his hand over hers and turned his lips to her palm. “I am, Nadia. I’m still the arrogant prick you met. You just make me want to be a better man.”

“This is crazy.”

“I know, but I can’t stop the way you make me feel and I don’t want to.”

“Neither do I.”

Her words washed over him, and he had to be cautious that this wasn’t a reaction to the news of her mother’s death. “Let’s take it one day at a time and keep an open mind.”

“Okay.”

He let her hand go but tightened his arms on her.

“I’m fine now, you can let me go.”

“Never.” His voice was choked when he said it and he coughed to clear it as she looked at him with wide eyes. He desperately wanted to blurt out how absolutely in love with her he was but now wasn’t the time and he didn’t have a clue how she felt about him, just that she felt this connection. “I’m coming with you.”

Nadia shook her head. “No, it was a silly reflex. I can handle this on my own.” Her bottom lip disappeared between her teeth and her eyes welled again.

He cupped her shoulders in his hands, her warm skin silky under his palms. “I know you can handle it, but you don’t have to, and I want to be there for you. Please let me be there for you.”

“Are you sure? We have so much happening here.”

He wanted to smile like an adolescent in the first throws of love at her use of the term ‘we’. He wanted to be a ‘we’ with her. “It’s all settled. I’m going to work from my laptop and Damon can handle anything else.” She was weakening but he knew he needed to appeal to her sense of responsibility. “Plus, Bás says it would be better if I go with you because it makes life easier with the team being stretched.”

“How will you oversee Carter with the Macey deal?”

“I can Skype or Zoom, and Damon can be here in person. He might look soft and squidgy, but Damon is the cleverest business mind in our family, shit, that I know. He just hates it and doesn’t have the stomach for all the bullshit.”

Her lips tipped and he felt the knot in his belly ease at the sight. She might be hurting right now but she’d be okay, she was strong and resilient and his. She just didn’t know that last bit yet.

“Fine, as long as you’re sure. I know we need to keep this deal intact now.”

“We will.”

“I need to head home and pack and sort a flight.”

“Bás is handling our flight. We can head to your place and pick up some stuff now.”

“What about you?”

He hadn’t thought about him since hearing the news, his only thoughts were for her and her comfort. He shrugged. “I can pick something up when we get there.”

“You mean you don’t have clothes that aren’t three-thousand-pound suits?”

He chuckled and kissed her lightly on the mouth. He didn’t take it further. It was enough for having her in his arms. Seeing the lightness back in her eyes made his worry for her ease a little. “I’ll have you know I own sweatpants, jeans, and even a few pairs of board shorts.”

“Wow, you really like to cut loose when you’re not cutting people down in the boardroom?”

“I’d like to do very bad things to you in the board room, but for now, let’s get going.”

He stood and helped her, relieved to see a little more colour in her face.

“I’m gonna need to see those sweatpants on you.”