Bared to You

for days
!”
“Mom, if it’s about Gideon Cross—”
“Well, of course, it’s partly about him! For
goodness’ sake, Eva. You’re being called the
significant woman in his life. How could I not want
to talk about that?”
“Mom—”
“But there’s also the appointment you asked me
to make with Dr. Petersen.” The note of smug
amusement in her voice made me smile. “We’re
scheduled to meet with him Thursday at six
o’clock in the evening. I hope that works for you.
He doesn’t do many evening appointments.”
I plopped backward onto my bed with a sigh. I’d
been so distracted by work and Gideon that the
appointment had slipped my mind. “Thursday at
six will be fine. Thank you.”
“Now, then. Tell me about Cross…”
When I emerged from my bedroom dressed in
jersey pants and a San Diego State University
sweatshirt, I found Trey seated with Cary in the
living room. Both men stood when I came in and
Trey gifted me with an open, friendly smile.
“I’m sorry I look so ragged,” I said sheepishly,
running my fingers through my damp ponytail.
“Taking the stairs at work almost killed me today.”
“Elevator take the day off?” he asked.
“Nope. My brain did. What the hell was I
thinking?” Spending the night with Gideon was
enough of a workout.
The doorbell rang and Cary went to get it while I
headed into the kitchen for the Cristal. I joined him
at the breakfast bar as he signed the credit card
receipt and the look in his eyes when he glanced
at Trey had me hiding a smile.
There were a lot of those looks going back and
forth between the two men as the evening

---

progressed. And I had to agree with Cary that
Trey was a hottie. Dressed in distressed jeans,
matching vest, and a long-sleeved shirt, the
aspiring veterinarian looked casual but well put
together. He was very different personality-wise
from the type of guy Cary usually dated. Trey
seemed more grounded; not quite somber, but
definitely not flighty. I thought he’d be a good
influence on Cary, if they stayed together long
enough.
The three of us made it through two bottles of
Cristal and two pizzas between us, plus all of
Demolition Man
before I called it a night. I urged
Trey to stay for 
Driven
to round out the Stallone
mini-marathon; then I went to my room and
changed into a sexy black baby doll I’d been given
as part of a bridesmaid gift bag—sans the
matching panties.
Leaving a candle burning for Gideon, I crashed.
I woke to darkness and the scent of Gideon’s
skin, the lights and sounds of the city shut out by
soundproofed windows and blackout drapes.
Gideon slid over me, a moving shadow, his
bare skin cool to the touch. His mouth slanted
over mine, kissing me slow and deeply, tasting of
mint and his own unique flavor. My hands slid
down his sleekly muscular back, my legs parting
so he could settle comfortably between them. The
weight of him against me made my heart sigh and
my blood warm with desire.
“Well, hello to you, too,” I said breathlessly when
he let me up for air.
“You’ll come with me next time,” he murmured in
that sexy and decadent voice, nibbling at my
throat.

---

“Will I?” I teased.
He reached down and cupped my butt in his
hand, squeezing and lifting me into a deft roll of
his hips. “Yes. I missed you, Eva.”
I ran my fingers through his hair, wishing I could
see him. “You haven’t known me long enough to
miss me.”
“Shows how much you know,” Gideon scoffed,
sliding downward and nuzzling between my
breasts.
I gasped as his mouth covered my nipple and
sucked through the satin, deep pulls that echoed
in the clenching of my core. He moved to my other
breast, his hand pushing up the hem of my baby
doll. I arched into him, lost to the magic of his
mouth as it moved over my body, his tongue
dipping into my navel, then sliding lower.
“And you missed me, too,” he purred with
masculine satisfaction, the tip of his middle finger
rimming my cleft. “You’re swollen and wet for me.”
He pulled my legs over his shoulders and licked
between my folds, soft and provocative laps of hot
velvet against my sensitive flesh. My hands fisted
in the sheet, my chest heaving as he circled my
clit with the tip of his tongue, then nudged the
hypersensitive knot of nerves. I keened, my hips
moving restlessly into the devious torment, my
muscles tightening with the clawing need to come.
The light, teasing flutters were driving me
insane, giving me just enough to make me writhe
but not enough to get me off. “Gideon, please.”
“Not yet.”
He tortured me, coaxing my body to the brink of
orgasm, and then letting me slide back down.
Over and over. Until sweat misted my skin and my
heart felt like it would burst. His tongue was
tireless and diabolical, cleverly focusing on my clit
until a single stroke would set me off, then moving

---

lower to thrust into me. The soft, shallow plunges
were maddening, the flickering against the nerve-
laden tissues making me desperate enough to
beg shamelessly.
“Please, Gideon…let me come…I need to
come, please.”
“Shh, angel…I’ll take care of you.”
He finished me with a tenderness that made the
orgasm roll through me like a crashing wave,
building and swelling and spreading through me in
a warm rush of pleasure.
He threaded his fingers with mine when he
came over me again, restraining my arms. The
head of his cock aligned with the slick entrance of
my body and he pushed inexorably into me. I
moaned, shifting to accommodate the heavy
surge of his penis.
Gideon’s breath gusted hard and humid against
my throat, his big frame trembling as he slid
carefully inside me. “You’re so soft and warm.
Mine, Eva. You’re mine.”
I wrapped my legs around his hips, welcoming
him deeper, feeling his buttocks flex and release
against my calves as he demonstrated to my body
that it would indeed take his thick length all the
way to the root.
With our hands linked, he took my mouth and
began to move, gliding in and out with languid
skill, the tempo precise and relentless yet smooth
and easy. I felt every rock-hard inch of him, felt the
unmistakable reiteration that every inch of me was
his to possess. He drove the message home
repeatedly until I was gasping against his mouth,
thrashing restlessly beneath him, my hands
bloodless from the strength of my grip on his.
He spoke heated praise and encouragement,
telling me how beautiful I was…how perfect I felt to
him…how he’d never stop…couldn’t stop. I came

---

with a sharp cry of relief, vibrating with the ecstasy
of it, and he was right there with me. His pace
quickened for several slamming thrusts; then he
climaxed with a hiss of my name, spilling into me.
I sank lax into the mattress, sweaty and
boneless and replete.
“I’m not done,” he whispered darkly, adjusting
his knees to increase the force of his thrusts. The
pace remained expertly measured, each plunge
staking a claim—