Bared to You

Not running. Just
leaving.
I managed to hail a passing cab, and headed
home to nurse my anger.
I was jonesing for a hot bath and a bottle of wine

---

when I reached my apartment. Shoving my key
into the lock, I turned the knob and stepped into a
porn video.
In the few shocked seconds it took for my brain
to register what I was seeing, I stood riveted on
the threshold, flooding the hallway behind me with
blaring technopop. There were so many body
parts involved, I had time to hastily slam the door
behind me before I pieced them all together. One
woman was spread-eagled on the floor. Another
woman’s face was in her crotch. Cary was
banging the hell out of her while another man was
drilling him in the ass.
I threw my head back and screamed bloody
murder, completely fed up with everyone in my life.
And because I was competing with the sound
system, I ripped off one of my heels and threw it in
that direction. The CD skipped, which jolted the
ménage a quatre
in progress on my living room
floor into awareness of my presence. I limped
over and shut off the volume; then faced the lot of
them.
“Get the fuck out of my house,” I snapped.
“Right now.”
“Who the hell is that?” the redhead at the
bottom of the pile asked. “Your wife?”
There was a brief flash of embarrassment and
guilt on Cary’s face, and then he shot me a cocky
smile. “My roommate. There’s room for more,
baby girl.”
“Cary Taylor. Don’t push me,” I warned. “It’s
really, 
really
not a good night.”
The dark-haired male on top disengaged from
Cary and stood, sauntering toward me. As he got
closer, I saw his hazel eyes were unnaturally
dilated and the pulse in his neck was throbbing
viciously. “I can make it better,” he offered with a
leer.

---

leer.
“Back the fuck up.” I adjusted my stance,
preparing to ward him off physically if necessary.
“Leave her alone, Ian,” Cary snapped, pushing
to his feet.
“Come on, baby girl,” Ian coaxed, making me
sick by using Cary’s pet name for me. “You need
a good time. Let me show you one.”
One minute he was inches in front of me, the
next he was sailing into the couch with a scream.
Gideon moved into place between me and the
others, vibrating with fury. “Take it to your room,
Cary,” he bit out. “Or take it somewhere else.”
Ian was squealing on my sofa, his nose
spraying blood despite the two hands he tried to
staunch it with.
Cary snatched his jeans off the floor. “You’re not
my fucking mother, Eva.”
I sidestepped around Gideon. “Wasn’t screwing
up with Trey enough of a fucking lesson for you,
you idiot?”
“This isn’t about Trey!”
“Who’s Trey?” The bottle blonde asked as she
got to her feet. When she caught a good look at
Gideon, she visibly preened, showing off an
admittedly pretty body.
Her efforts earned her a glance so disdainfully
dismissive and unimpressed that she finally had
the grace to blush and cover herself with a slinky
gold lamé dress she picked up off the floor. And
because I was in a mood, I said, “Don’t take it
personally. He prefers brunettes.”
The look Gideon shot me was lethal. I’d never
seen him look so livid. He was literally vibrating
with suppressed violence.
Frightened by that glare, I took an involuntary
step back. He cursed viciously and shoved both of
his hands through his hair.

---

Suddenly 
bone 
weary 
and 
desperately
disappointed with the men in my life, I turned
away. “Get this mess out of my house, Cary.”
I headed down the hallway, kicking off my other
heel en route. I was out of my dress before I
reached my bathroom and in the shower less than
a minute beyond that. I stayed out of the range of
the spray until the water warmed, and then I stood
directly beneath it. Too tired to stand for long, I
sank to the floor and just sat beneath the stream
with my eyes closed and my arms wrapped
around my knees.
“Eva.”
I cringed when I heard Gideon’s voice, and
tucked into an even tighter ball.
“Goddamn it,” he snapped. “You piss me off
worse than anyone else I know.”
I looked at him through the veil of my wet hair.
He was pacing the length of my bathroom, his
jacket shed somewhere and his shirt untucked.
“Go home, Gideon.”
He halted and shot me an incredulous look. “I’m
not fucking leaving you here. Cary’s lost his
damned mind! That amped-up asshole was
seconds away from putting his hands on you when
I got here.”
“Cary wouldn’t have let that happen. But either
way, I can’t deal with him and you at the same
time.” I didn’t want to deal with either of them,
actually. I just wanted to be alone.
“Then you’ll just deal with me.”
I scooped my hair back from my face with an
impatient swipe of my hand. “Oh? I’m supposed to
make 
you
the priority?”
He recoiled as if I’d hit him. “I was under the
impression we were both each other’s priorities.”
“Yeah, I thought that, too. Until tonight.”
“Jesus. Will you drop it with Corinne already?”

---

He spread his arms wide. “I’m here with you,
aren’t I? I barely said good-bye to her because I
was chasing after you. 
Again.
”
“Fuck you. Don’t do me any favors.”
Gideon lunged into the shower fully dressed. He
yanked me to my feet and kissed me. Hard. His
mouth devoured mine, his hands gripping my
upper arms to hold me in place.
But I didn’t soften this time. I didn’t give in. Even
when he tried coaxing me with lush, suggestive
licks.
“Why?” he muttered, his lips sliding down to my
throat. “Why are you driving me insane?”
“I don’t know what your problem is with Dr.
Lucas, and I honestly don’t give a shit. But he was
right. Corinne got way too much of your attention
tonight. You pretty much ignored me during
dinner.”
“It’s impossible for me to ignore you, Eva.” His
face was hard and tight. “If you’re in the same
room with me, I don’t see anyone else.”
“Funny. Every time I looked at you, you were
looking at her.”
“This is stupid.” He released me and shoved
the wet hair out of his face. “You know how I feel
about you.”
“Do I? You want me. You need me. But do you
love Corinne?”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake. 
No.
” He shut the water off,
caging me to the glass with both arms. “You want
me to tell you I love you, Eva? Is that what this is
about?”
My stomach cramped as if he’d struck me with
the full force of his fist. I’d never felt that kind of
pain before, hadn’t known it existed. My eyes
burned and I ducked under his arm before I
embarrassed myself by crying. “Go home,

---

Gideon. Please.”
“I am home.” He caught me from behind and
buried his face in my soaked hair. “I’m with you.”
I struggled to get free, but I was too wiped out.
Physically. Emotionally. The tears came in a
torrent and I couldn’t stop them. And I hated crying
in front of anyone. “Go away. 
Please.
”
“I love you, Eva. Of course I do.”
“Oh my God.” I kicked at him, flailing. Anything
to get away from the person who’d become a
massive source of pain and misery. “I don’t want
your fucking pity. I just want you to