Tempting Nora (17 page)

"What's that?"
Gideon asked.

"He said that every person is born with a heart in one hand and a weapon in the other.
He told me he would rather use the heart than the weapon," she said. "At the time, I was fifteen years old and thought he was a weirdo. Then one night I lay in bed and really contemplated what he meant. That was when I understood it. Love is a choice. If God made it so we automatically loved everyone we met, then that wouldn't be free will, would it? No, we have to
choose
to love others, even when it's hard. And unfortunately, a lot of people choose not to love."

Gideon didn't say anything, so she continued.

"That woman hurt her children despite of God and not because of him. She was using the hand with the weapon and not the heart," she said. "God never, ever would have wanted those children to be abused. Yet at the same time, I imagine he felt the same way about that woman as I do about my mom—he must have pitied and loved her. So that's why I don't think you should be angry at God for what happened. That woman chose to do the wrong thing. You weren't to blame for that and neither was God. She was the one who made the wrong choice."

Another gust of wind blew
, showering the grass with even more black feathers.

"Where on earth are those feathers coming from?" She twisted around in Gideon's grip, trying to see
a bird.

Finally, Gideon released her, even though he didn't say
anything. When she stared into his eyes, she saw that his expression was laced with confusion.

"Are you okay?" she
asked yet again.

"Yes." He nodded. "
What about you?"

She contemplated the question for a moment. Even though her eyes were
sore from weeping and her heart ached, she realized that she was.

"Yeah." She nodded.

Neither of them spoke for a moment.

Finally, she said, "Thank you for staying with me."

"And thank you for opening up to me." He nodded.

As the two of them remained side by side, she felt as though her once dark world was being shrouded with light.

****

An hour later, Nora walked with Gideon up to her apartment. As she paused at the door, she stared into the other man's face. His dark hair hung in his eyes and he was grinning again. Still, despite the fact he wore his usual expression, something was different between them. A strange, magnetic pull drew them together, making her heart leap frantically. She realized at that moment that she had not only opened her
self up to him, but she had given him a piece of her heart as well. In return, Gideon had told her what she believed was his darkest secret. That meant that the two of them, for better or for worse, would always be bonded. While the thought of trusting him so much made her nervous, she realized that she didn't regret what had happened between them. She just hoped that Gideon wouldn't betray her trust.

As she
wrung her hands, Gideon stared down at her, searching her face. She wasn't sure what he was looking for, but she found herself gazing right back up at him. At that moment he glanced at her lips and she realized he wanted to kiss her.

"Nora, you're so beautiful," Gideon
said.

"Do you want mustard with that bologna?" she asked.

Gideon seized her chin and held it.

"You
are
beautiful," he said. "Remember what I told you about speaking badly about yourself?"

"Y-yeah."

As Gideon smoldered at her, a wave of heat swept through her body. She knew that she wasn't beautiful. At least, not to most people. Her hair was too bushy, her mouth was too wide, and her body was too plump. Yet when she stared into Gideon's eyes, she felt like she was the most gorgeous woman in the world. She realized she felt that way because she was seeing herself through his eyes.

And she loved it.

When Gideon traced her cheek with her thumb, she moaned. She knew that the man was going to try to kiss her again tonight.

She also knew that she was going to let him do it.

After all, how much harm could a few kisses cause in the scheme of things? She'd already confided in him and her secrets were far more important than her lips. The only fear that remained was that she would lose her self-control when he swept her up in his embrace. Still at that moment she was more afraid of not kissing him than kissing him.

As Gideon held her head still, she glanced at his lips. The man's
eyes darkened with desire. She wasn't sure what she expected—maybe a slow, awkward approach like she'd experienced with men in the past—but that wasn't Gideon. No, the man captured her mouth with such fierceness that she gasped in shock. His lips were not gentle but instead wild, passionate, and hungry. He kissed her as if he was half mad with desire. This was a man who knew how to kiss a woman. He took her with power, dominating her with primal intensity that left her breathless.

Her eyes fluttered closed as Gideon's thumb traced the front of her neck, making tingles run down her spin
e. His lips awoke her body and roused her soul. Tingles shot through her limbs and her skin covered with goosebumps. He placed his free hand on her hip, drawing the two of them closer together until she felt as if they were one flesh, one body. In that moment, he broke the kiss for only long enough to push her against the wall.

His lips found hers a second time. Her heart
beat in her ears, going faster and faster. His mouth was so rough against her own that her skin ached in the most delicious of ways. Unlike in her dream, Gideon didn't taste of chocolate. Instead his flavor was so original that she knew she'd never be able to describe it with words. At the thought of his delicious taste, a groan escaped her lips before she could stop it. Her cheeks reddened at the sound of her own feral whimpering. Never, not once in her entire life, had she made a sound like that. Her voice didn't even sound like her own. Heavens, they were just kissing. What on earth could this man do to a woman when he went further? The thought made heat curl in her belly and she realized she needed to stop before she lost control. Despite this kiss—this blissful, passionate, fiery embrace—she still had her scruples. She wasn't going to rip her clothes off in the middle of the hallway, even if she wanted to.

That was why she gasped for air and pulled away.

Gideon, grinning rakishly, stepped back. His hand still remained balanced on her cheek.

"I've been waiting forever
to kiss you," he said. "I'm glad tonight had a pleasant ending."

Her response was a not-so-
intelligent, "Uh-huh."

Suddenly, she couldn't look him in the eye.

"I can't believe it." Gideon sounded gleeful. "You're shy."

"I
'm not shy." She forced herself to look at him.

Gideon grinned at her, which of course made her think of the kiss. Her face caught fire.

"I'm going inside now," she sputtered.

Before he could make another wisecrack, she unlocked her apartment door and
sought refuge inside.

Chapter Twelve

Nora awoke with a fat orange butt in her face.

She groaned, blinking the sleep from her eyes, as she stared at Chubby's
plump rear-end.

"Not again, Chubby," she groaned.

Chubby always stuck his butt in her face whenever he felt like she wasn't giving him enough attention. After she pushed the cat away, she sat up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. As she yawned and stretched, she had the feeling that she was forgetting something important.

And then she remembered.

"I kissed Gideon," she said, not sure if she was terrified or ecstatic.

She thrust her fingers into her hair. Even though his lips on her
s had felt divine, she knew that the man would be even more incorrigible now that she'd accepted his advances. Probably he thought he was a few charming grins away from sweeping her into bed.

"Think again," she
muttered as if Gideon was in the room.

Yet even as she said the words, she remembered the hot, passionate kiss
they'd shared and her cheeks grew warm. The man's mouth pressing against hers had been heavenly. When her body melded against his, she'd felt as though she belonged in his embrace. It didn't matter that she was shorter than him and her soft bosom only pressed against his ribcage. The feeling of being a great match, of fitting perfectly together, was more spiritual than physical. She let out a dreamy sigh.

Unfortunately, it took only one
second for that dreamy sigh to become a horrified scream. She refused to have these thoughts about Gideon. They weren't going to be together, so she shouldn't think of him as a love match.

"I refuse to let myself be seduced by a cad!" she wailed at the top of her lungs.

Her neighbor pounded on the wall again. Fantastic. This was the zillionth time her neighbor had heard her screaming something awkward. Maybe having thin walls wasn't so great after all.

Muttering under her breath, she hopped out of bed and stole a glance at the clock.

She was late for work. Not just oh-I'd-better-pull-my-hair-into-a-ponytail kind of late. No, she was major late. As in, her shift was about to start in two minutes.

"Stupid Gideon." Maybe it was
unfair to blame her unpunctuality on him, but it made her feel better, especially since she'd experienced a moment of weakness last night.

After cursing Gideon, s
he rushed into the bathroom and washed up. Once she'd finished getting ready and fed the cat—the feline might asphyxiate from terror if he missed a single meal—she left her apartment and barreled down the steps.

That was when she collided with a rock hard chest and tumbled to the floor.

She was many things, but she wasn't clumsy. She hadn't crashed into somebody since she was a little kid.
Who did I run into, a football player? The guy is as hard as a rock.
As her butt throbbed, she stared at the slender legs of the person she'd collided with. She felt like she'd run headlong into a brick wall.

"I'm so sorry." She
stared up into a pair of cold blue eyes.

At that moment
she realized she'd run headlong into the creepy smoker guy she'd seen at the park with Gideon. Being on the floor in front of a man who had eyes as cold as ice didn't suit her one bit. She didn't know him from Adam, but she was half afraid he was going to kick her in the face because she'd crashed into him. After she scrambled to her feet, she dusted herself off.

"How nice to see you again, Nora,"
the man said.

As she frowned at him, she realized something horrible. She'd never told this man her name
, but he knew it anyway. She wouldn't have been more surprised if she suddenly levitated.

"How do you know my name?" Her fists tightened into ba
lls, just in case she had to throw a punch.

The man leaned closer and she smelled sulfur.
What the heck?
She drew back, wrinkling her nose.

"
Does it matter?" The man raised an eyebrow.

"
Of course." She wanted to shake him, but she didn't because she was terrified. Even her hair was standing on end. "I'm asking you again. How do you know my name?"

"
Through Gideon," the man said.

"You know G
ideon?" She narrowed her eyes, wondering how Gideon and this wacko were acquainted.

"
Yes." The man laughed, but his voice was as cold as his gaze.

She didn't think
the fact he knew Gideon was funny.

"Okay." She raised an eyebrow. "Well, I'd appreciate it if you d
idn't follow me anymore, Mr.…"

The
man grabbed her arm. His grip was so tight she knew she'd have bruises where his fingers were.

"Just call me Amon." A cruel smile crossed his face. "You
'll need to remember the name."

The words made her skin bubble with goosebumps. Even when he said the simplest things, she felt as though he was threatening her. Well, she was sick of being intimidated.

"Now listen here, Amon." Her eyes narrowed. "I have pepper spray and I'm not afraid to use it."

"Pepper spray?" Amon's eyes glittered with mirth.

"Yes." She nodded. "Now let me go."

At first she thought the man was going to step closer, but to her surprise, he loosened his grip and released her.

"I'm going to give Gideon one last chance." Amon gave her an onceover. "He'd better not waste it."

"
Huh?" What the heck was this loco guy talking about?

The two of them locked eyes.
She was submerged in an artic world. Finally, Amon stepped back and turned to leave.

She
groaned.
I'm going to have to be more careful.
That guy has a screw loose.
Still she couldn't help but notice shortly after she'd said she had pepper spray, Amon had released her arm. If he let her go because of that, then she didn't have much to worry about.

Unfortunately, all
wonderful thoughts of her spritzing the crazy guy ended the moment she realized why she'd run straight into him to begin with.

"I'm late,
" she yelled, running for the door.

Stupid crazy people, distracting her from her own tardiness.

****

Nora
wasn't waiting for Gideon. It wasn't her fault she happened to have frequent neck spasms that made her jerk her head in the direction of the door. Okay, who was she kidding? She was waiting for Gideon. She even had a good reason to talk to him. After all, they needed to have a conversation about his nutty friend she'd encountered in the stairwell that morning.

You're a liar,
said a voice in her head.
You just want to see him.

Her own thoughts made her blood run cold.

"Even my own mind is against me," she cried, causing the three customers in the store to stare at her.

Why did she have to lose control of her mouth when she was anxious? As she blushed, s
he ducked her head in shame. The two female customers giggled, but the man gave her a funny look and then walked out.

A
s she recovered from her impromptu outburst, the two women approached together with tea in hand. She rang up their purchases, trying hard not to make eye contact. If she did, the pair might start laughing at her expense again. As she handed the women their receipt, the door to the shop opened.

She looked up
and saw Gideon standing at the door. A smile crossed her face before she could stop it.
Bad mouth. You shouldn't be smiling just because he showed up.
Unfortunately, she couldn't stop herself.

"
That man is so gorgeous," one of the women said.

"I know," said
the other woman. "I didn't think it was possible to look that good."

Something roared in her heart. She had the urge to
steal the duo's bag of merchandize and say, "No tea for you." That was when she realized something horrifying. She was jealous. Oh no. She shouldn't be jealous. If her heart burned every time a woman swooned because of Gideon, she was going to be perpetually pissed off…well, even more so than she was already.

As she grumbled under her breath, the two women left the store. Gideon didn't
as much as turn his head in their direction. Instead he walked toward her, a grin on his face. When she gazed into his eyes again, heat erupted in her stomach and traveled through her limbs. At this rate, she was done for. She couldn't even look at Gideon without being turned into a human fireball.

As tingles rocketed around her body, Gideon dipped his head.
She realized he was going to kiss her again. If his lips met hers, she might just melt. That was why she had to stop him.

"What
do you think you're doing?" She turned her face away, preventing the meeting of lips.

Gideon
frowned as he placed his hands on her shoulders.

"Kissing you hello, of course." He grinned. "It's so much better than a handshake or, like you usually give me, a scowl."

"Well, you can't kiss me again." She ignored the scowl comment. "Last night I had a lapse of judgment."

An astronomical lap
se of judgment that she couldn't manage to make herself regret.

"I'm hurt."
Gideon pouted. "How can you go from hot to cold so quickly?"

"A woman has a right to change her mind." She sniffed.

"Oh, my heart." He let out a pained groan as he stumbled around dramatically. "I was so excited to kiss you I skipped to the tea shop."

He was a muscular bad boy who oozed masculinity from every pour. Men like him didn't skip. Ever.

"Skip?" She scrutinized him. "No way."

"Okay, I didn't skip," he admitted. "But I
thought
about skipping."

"That's not the same thing," she said.

"It's almost the same thing," he said.

"Almost doesn't cut it." Why were they even talking about this?

"If I do skip, will you let me kiss you?" He looked at her hopefully.

"No." She snorted and shook her head.

"You cut me to the core." He draped himself theatrically over the service desk.

"Move." She
pushed on his head, startled even then by how silky his hair was.

"Not until you let me kiss you," he said.

"I'm not going to." She couldn't believe this was happening.

"Then I'm not moving." The man managed to shrug, even while slouched.

"What if customers come in?" she asked. "How will I ring them up with you draped all over my desk like this?"

"It's your problem." He didn't
as much as move an inch.

"You're childish, do you know that?" She glared at him.

"Now the woman I like insults me." The man let out a morose sigh. "All I want is one miniscule kiss."

"
For heaven's sake," she muttered, knowing he was going to remain draped across her desk all day if she didn't give him what he wanted.

Gideon
sighed again, sounding so sad she almost believed he was miserable.

"Do you really want a kiss that bad?" She couldn't believe she was doing this.

The man snapped to attention.

"Yeah." A
rakish grin was on his face within milliseconds.

"You plan
ned this charade before you came into the store, didn't you?" She noted the lecherous sparkle in his eyes.

"I have to be clever in order to catch a minx like you." He
straightened up. "Do I get my kiss now?

He gazed at her lips.

"Fine. You get one kiss." She held her finger in front of his face. "One."

"One." He nodded eagerly.

"Not two." It would be so like him to push her boundaries. "One. Do you understand?"

"I'm perfectly able to count to one
, Nora." He smirked at her.

"It's not your counting abilities I'm worried about." It was his seduc
tion abilities.

"Well, I promise I'll be on my best behavior," he said. "One kiss. That's all."

His words did little to ease her nerves. Even on his best behavior, he was a force to be reckoned with.

"Get on with it then." She
wrinkled her nose.

"You're such a romantic." Gideon grumbled as he placed h
is hands on her shoulders again.

"Do you want to kiss me or not?"
she asked. "I can easily retract my offer."

"I do." The man's devilish grin was back. "Believe me, I do."

"Okay then."

As s
he gazed into Gideon's face, she noted that he was still watching her with the same annoyingly superior smirk. Still when he forced her against him, she shut both her eyes again and allowed the man that both frightened and excited her to capture her mouth. As his warm lips pressed against her own, she felt all resistance slip from her body. She plastered herself against him and tangled her fingers in his silky hair