The Gideon Affair

If he did that again, it was go

He shifted slightly, but it was just enough for her to experience an obviously aroused Edward cradled in the soft heat of her body.

“The question was insulting,” he growled. Wrapping a big hand about her neck, he immobilized her, plastered her to him with her hands trapped against his chest as he told her with his body what he meant.

“Who were you kissing the other night, Paige?”

She went completely still. Something about the tone he used tugged at her emotions. She’d hurt him with the question just as her blunder when they’d talked about the sex tape had wounded him.

Him, Edward. Not Gideon.

She raised a hand and stroked his chin, saying, “We’re calling that kissing?” She’d meant the jest to sound fu

His eyes narrowed briefly—she hadn’t expected that and then the grip on her neck intensified. She had a heartbeat to read his expression before his mouth crashed onto hers.

A balls-out claiming replaced the slow sensuous exploration from their first intimate encounter and shook Paige to her core. This time, he didn’t seduce her mouth. This time, he plundered. She felt consumed. It was intoxicating.

He gave her an opportunity to catch her breath and then went in for a second, even more devastating tasting that left her trembling with a desire so shocking she questioned whether any of this was real.

When he finished reducing her to a boneless heap of jelly, he ground his manhood into her and stared her down. “Who are you kissing, Paige?”

“Edward,” she whimpered in a tiny voice.

His eyes told her of his approval. “Look,” he ground out. “I know this seems fucked up, but let’s be honest. We made the jump to light speed before today, and we did that on our own.”

She had to agree with him. Once they had opened that door, there was no sense in pulling back. But figuring out their feelings was a far cry from will you marry me?

“Is what I’m asking a bit extreme? Yes. I’ll give you that.”

Did he have to punctuate that comment by squeezing her ass? He wasn’t playing fair.

“But ask yourself this … if we admit that there’s something real going on but do nothing while Joa

The door of the conference room flew open. There was a flurry of activity and voices in the hall and then who could only be described as none other than the dragon lady herself, Moira Ke

Clapping her bejeweled hands together with glee, she flounced into the room and chirped, “Children! Children! Now that’s what we want to see. Young lovers … okay, maybe not so young,” she mocked with a throaty laugh, “but lovers, all up in each other’s business while the fragrance of passion drifts through the air.”

Edward and she quickly drew apart, but he reached for her hand and held on tight. The gesture felt protective. Paige couldn’t recall ever feeling anything like that before.

“Mrs. Ke

The flamboyant public relations master made quite the show of dropping an enormous Birkin bag on the conference table as she instructed a hovering secretary to bring her coffee. Black. Stat.

This was no flashy industry troubleshooter with a PR squad. Nope. Moira Ke

Boy, she was good. Her smoke and mirrors approach was entirely understandable; after all, she was a powerful woman operating in a man’s world. Paige liked her on the spot, scary or not.

Turning to face them, Moira put her hands on her hips and looked Edward and her up and down as if they were up for auction. Something inside Paige broke loose, and she grunted a chuckle that she couldn’t deny. The other woman’s knowing smile went a long way to helping her calm down.

“So, you’re the famous Gideon Shaw. America’s sexiest man and melter of hearts all around the world.”

She felt him tense slightly, and then the ma

“Please. Call me Edward. Gideon’s on a lunch break, but I’ll fill him in on what we decide.”

Paige snickered. So did Moira.

After a pleasant enough handshake, the woman’s eyes zeroed in on Paige. “Ah, I see why Mikhail agreed so quickly to my suggestion. My dear,” she said with a lighthearted laugh, “central casting could not have done any better.”

Someone unfamiliar with the mindset and i

She sensed his confusion when both women threw back and laughed.

The secretary sent to get a coffee stumbled into their midst with a utilitarian looking mug filled with something dark and nervously plunked it onto the table. Paige’s eye roll was reflex.

At Cornell, she had an instructor who liked to ask students, “Would you serve the Queen of England a meal in a paper bag?” His point being that the paper bag wasn’t the problem if that was what she asked for. That did not mean though that the bag should be used, crumpled, ripped, or in any way less than what a person of the Queen’s stature would expect.

The way their guest eyed the crappy dollar store mug was nothing less than what Paige expected. Eek. She was going to have a little chat with Mickey about his agency’s hospitality resources.

Ignoring the coffee delivery along with the person who made it, the woman commanding everyone’s attention kept her focus on Paige like a hawk eyeing its prey. Not even the reassuring grasp of Edward’s hand around hers kept the nerves in her stomach from exploding.

No special effects could adequately depict what enduring a Moira Ke

Edward, ever the gentleman, intervened and formally introduced her in a way that left both women with no doubt about Paige’s status.

“Mrs. Ke

Completely surprising Paige, he kissed her hand before releasing it and added silkily, “She’s my muse goddess.”

Both women’s eyebrows shot upward.

“Plus, she not only knows where the graveyard is, but she also helped bury quite a few, if you catch my drift.”

That last came out dripping with Ba

“Ah-ha ha, I love it!” Grabbing each of their hands, the woman gave them a quick squeeze. “Please, call me Moira. Both of you. We’re going to get to know each other really well, after all.”

Abruptly turning away, she kept talking with her back to them as she swiftly erased the scribbling on the whiteboard. “Dimitri calling me in tells me that you’re family. He trusts me to take good care of you two.”

She whirled around and fiddled with an earring, pursed her carefully drawn lips, and faced them straight on.

Paige shifted from foot to foot, her hand sliding into the pocket of her skirt. She needed a mint but didn’t want to appear rude. There was so much unspoken subtext flying through the air she figured a safety net was probably a good idea.