Page 14 of Tempting Devil

To the present.

I pulled him closer, parting my lips to allow him access, our tongues colliding in a desperate battle as my fingers wrapped around his tie like a lifeline. Hungry for more of him, I fumbled with the knot until it gave way under my insistent hands, eager to explore every inch of him. But as I reached for the top button on his shirt, he grabbed my wrist, preventing me from going any further.

The memory of last weekend flashed through my mind. How he didn’t want me to see him shirtless. Exposed. Vulnerable.

I thought we were past that.

Especially after last night when I let him come inside me with no protection.

“What’s wrong?” I darted my eyes toward his.

“I don’t want you to think the only reason I came over here is to sleep with you. Don’t get me wrong,” he added with a laugh. “I love fucking you, but that’s not why I’m here. I came to check on you. Make sure you were okay. Not because I wanted to get off.”

“And I appreciate that,” I murmured, dragging my fingers up his chest and toying with the top button of his shirt once more. Then I hoisted myself onto my toes, nibbling on his earlobe. “But I do want to get off. I need this, Gideon. Need to forget the past. Need to live in the present.”

He held my face in his hands, his conflicted eyes locking with mine, as if torn between two impossible choices. For a moment, I expected him to reveal some earth-shattering truth that would destroy my world worse than the idea of Samuel Tate still being alive ever could.

Then he moved a hand to my hip and tugged me against him, not a breath separating us.

“I’ll always give you everything you want.”

I didn’t have a chance to utter another syllable before he crushed his mouth to mine, his kiss erasing all thoughts of my past from my brain.

Because right now, right here, all I cared about was Gideon.

All I saw was Gideon.

I prayed that would be enough to keep the ghosts at bay.

Chapter Six

Imogene

I stared at the ceiling, unable to quiet my mind long enough to fall asleep. I shouldn’t have had any trouble sleeping. Normally, whenever I spent the night with Gideon, my body was too exhausted, sleep coming easily.

But despite his ravenous appetite for me tonight, I couldn’t stop my brain from spinning.

Couldn’t stop thinking about that damn glass.

Couldn’t stop thinking about Samuel.

It was as if my brain was trying to tell me something. But what?

Discreetly slipping out of bed, I padded out of my room and down the stairs, using my phone to light the way to the kitchen. I opened one of the cabinets and retrieved a glass, filling it with water. As I drank, I leaned against the counter, my gaze fixated on Samuel’s name scrawled on the Banker’s box.

I could hear Melanie’s voice in my head, urging me to move on from the past and focus on my future. Maybe this box was the reason I couldn’t sleep, the contents stirring up old emotions and painful memories that were better left forgotten.

Determined, I set my glass on the counter and grabbed a trash bag from under the sink. Then I proceeded to dump the contents of the box into it. After tying the bag tightly, I carried it out to the back deck, dropping it onto the surface with a satisfying thud.

For years, Samuel’s ghost had been a constant presence in my life. Now that I was finally taking a step toward moving on from my past, I felt lighter, a weight lifting off my shoulders.

But I’d never be completely free when traces of Samuel’s memory still lingered in every inch of my home. It was time to let go of these reminders. I’d never forget him entirely, but I needed to stop surrounding myself with memories that continued to hold me hostage.Otherwise, I’d forever be trapped in a vicious cycle of taking one step forward, then three steps back.

Making my way into my office, I went through all my framed photographs adorning the bookshelves, removing any that included Samuel and placing them in the now empty Banker’s box. It wasn’t until I reached a photo of Samuel, Ollie, and me that I hesitated. All the other photos were group shots of Melanie, Liam, Samuel, and me.

But this one… This was special. It captured a moment when I was truly happy. I studied the photo of Samuel and me standing on the beach with Ollie between us. I could physically see how happy we were. Could physically feel the love we had for each other.

We shared something so special. But like Gideon told me last night. What I shared with Samuel helped me become the woman I was today. And he was falling for that woman. As much as I missed Samuel, I needed to let go of him.

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