The Gideon Affair

When his bloody rib eye steak arrived, she eyed him with mocking disdain and shook her head. “Only you would order steak, and a bloody one at that, in seafood heaven.”

His arched eyebrow made the waiter laugh when he replied, “The steak is on the menu, my dear, for all the poor guys who have to sit through this fishy bullshit because of a woman.”

“Oh, my god, and then she took an entire tray of steaming hot biscuits that were as light and fluffy as bricks and flung it across the room. One of ‘em flew off the baking sheet and hit the celebrity chef in the middle of his forehead. I haven’t looked at biscuits the same way ever since.”

How was it possible that he was having the best time he’d ever had on a date—while in a restaurant he loathed and out where everyone could watch? And with a woman who gave zero fucks about his celebrity status and happily dominated the conversation?

This must be what contentment feels like.

Relaxing against the low back of the sea-weathered rattan, his body angled in her direction, Edward listened to Paige prattle on. They already had a close relationship, which was what made this date a singular event. There was no first-date awkwardness. He wasn’t sizing her up for dessert … well, okay maybe he was. But not in a wham-bam way.

With all that weirdness out of the picture, he was free to enjoy the sound of her voice and get lost in sharing her un-self-conscious exuberance. His Paige was one of a kind. He was a lucky bastard.

She’d been going on for the last ten minutes, regaling him with humorous tales of her college exploits, when he’d paused to consider all she’d shared. Since their business association had always been about his career, Paige’s aspirations had taken a backseat. Had he benefitted from her impressive talents and wide range of skills? Hell, yeah. A sobering thought. Had she given up on her dreams to help him reach his? The notion did not sit well with him. Not one damn bit.

“What’s your professional take on this place?” His question came out of left field, but he was genuinely interested in her opinion.

Resting an arm on the sofa back, she fiddled with an earring, crossed her legs, and casually glanced around. It was no hardship to wait while she made her assessment because, from his vantage point, a stu

What would she look like at his beach house … wearing nothing but something decadent from Victoria’s Secret and standing in front of the wide windows on just such a gorgeous night?

“You’re more beautiful than the ocean at sunset.”

Her eyes shot to his.

Oh, shit … so he had said that out loud. He shrugged. No use pretending that wasn’t exactly how he felt.

The brief flash of a smile tugged at her mouth.

“So, my professional take on this place up till now is neutral.”

Edward relaxed, relieved she was going to let his blurted comment slide. This out-in-public thing was hard on both of them. Being on middle ground, where his alter ego was the main player, was probably not the time to express his desires.

“First, it was obvious you aren’t a regular here by the behavior of the parking attendant and front end staff. Having Gideon Shaw in their midst was unexpected.”

Hmph. She was good. “How could you tell?”

She was blushing. Good lord! Paige Turner was blushing. Tugging the hem of her dress down, u

Had she? He hadn’t noticed. Not when the lady by his side was earning the appreciative gaze of every man in her vicinity. Shit, to be honest, that hostess could have stripped naked, jumped up on the bar, and sang “It’s Raining Men,” and he wouldn’t have blinked.

“Then, the waiter had to ask for your drink order. If you were in any way a regular, he’d have known your preferences and been prepared with some waitery-shtick. He also wouldn’t have had to explain the chef’s special in such specific detail.”

She sat back and looked at him with comic triumph. “Plus, you gave poor Chase a heart attack when you turned green while he gushed about the squid pasta.” She chuckled, reaching for her drink, and smiled mischievously. “I think he was worried you were going to hurl on his shoes.”

Edward shared her laughter, murmuring, “I’m sorry, but the words ‘squid’ and ‘pasta’ should never be used in the same sentence.”

“It’s not what you think,” she teased. “Your reaction was hilarious, but I get what you’re saying.” Her mocking smile made it hard not to kiss the smirk off her pretty face.

A soft, warm ocean breeze swept across the patio. The occasional gusts made more and more tendrils of her hair escape confinement. As if he’d been doing it for a thousand years, he reached for the wayward curls and feathered them softly behind her ear. The act felt so natural and easy. He liked this new aspect of being with Paige. The touching. Yep. He liked it very much.

“I see why it’s such a trendy restaurant. They’ve covered all the bases starting with a fantastic menu.” She wiggled on the loveseat and turned toward the ocean. “And seriously …” Her voice lowered with a conspiratorial inflection. “This view. I mean … come on. When nature is the lead designer, well …” Her swift shrug was so damn cute.

He remembered her saying something similar when they were viewing the Wyoming property for his folks. Somehow, the gods saw it fit to bless him with an outdoor girl who took stopping to smell the roses to an eleven. Or maybe even a twelve.

When she turned back, Paige leaned close and ducked her head briefly then met his gaze with a bashful, hesitant grin. “Thanks for bringing me here. I know how much you love sushi …”

Goddamn, she was charming as shit. Keeping things light and humorous was working well, so he cut off her little speech with a provocative comeback.

“Yeah, well,” he wagged his eyebrows and growled, “I figured watching you eat slimy raw fish was a surefire way to douse the flames. Make sure you get safely home without being defiled along the way.”

He shuddered with mock dramatic emphasis and ground out a gag-worthy, “Blech.”

Paige’s gurgling laugh was music to his ears so when her hand shot out and smacked him hard on the chest, he was startled and raised his hands to ward off her attack.

“Asshole.” She snickered, smacking him again as he tried in vain to fend her off.

“Don’t make me haul you over my knee, young lady,” he barked.

Before he knew it, they were playing handsies on the beach patio of Nobu where everyone could see their antics. She’d try to whack him, and he’d smack her hands away and laugh. They were putting on quite a show.

“Hey, wait a minute.” In the blink of an eye, she went from playful to Nancy Drew. “What’ve you got stashed in your coat pocket?”

Leaping on him, she had the advantage of surprise until he realized what was happening. Stopping her questing fingers from slipping inside his coat until she zeroed in on the pocket, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her close.

Thinking they were still kidding around, she struggled against the restraint and nudged him with her body. If he were to lean back any further, she’d be lying on top of him. This was getting out of hand. Moving the wrist he held behind her back, he grabbed the hand still roaming his chest and pressed her fingers till they stilled.

“Enough,” he growled. “This isn’t the place … or the time.”

She immediately stopped moving. Hell. She might even have stopped breathing. He wasn’t sure. They stared at each other in silence for a long time. Sweat broke out at his hairline as he watched her face. She was biting and wetting her lips, her eyes glittering. Just as he began to speak, she interrupted.