Page 47 of Final Vendetta

The air whooshed out of my lungs in a relieved gasp at Gideon’s familiar voice. My arms dropped to my sides, the rolling pin slipping from my fingers and hitting the floor with a clatter.

“What are you doing?” His brow furrowed as he took in the scene.

“I thought…,” I stammered, adrenaline still coursing through my veins. “I don’t know. I guess I assumed you were sleeping at the other house tonight since it’s so late. When I heard the door open, I thought?—”

“Someone was breaking in.”

“I know it’s essentially impossible, but still…”

“I’m sorry.” He stepped toward me, but didn’t attempt to comfort me. “I didn’t mean to scare you.” His gaze floated over me, then the rolling pin, and finally the chaos of the kitchen. “Baking.” He laughed under his breath. “It always did relax you when you were stressed.”

“Usually.” I turned from him, refocusing my attention on cutting out sugar cookies.

“But not tonight?”

There was a hint of something in his voice. Sadness? An apology maybe?

“Not tonight.”

I pressed the cookie cutter into the dough, then glanced over my shoulder. I was about to ask him what he was doing back here, but stopped when I spied the suitcase off to the side. I hadn’t noticed it when he first walked in. Now it seemed to have an unavoidable presence.

“Going somewhere?” I asked, trying to sound casual, but my voice cracked.

Did he only come back so he could pack up his things?

“Yes. At least I hope so.”

I crossed my arms in front of my chest. “You hope so?”

He shrugged, the confident man he typically was nowhere to be found. “That all depends on you.”

“Me?”

“I’ve been trying so damn hard to be the man you deserve. When I saw them wheel you into the hospital after that accident…” He shook his head, his expression strained. “I figured it was the least I could do.”

“But I don’t want you to be the man youthinkI deserve,” I exclaimed, my frustration over the situation increasing yet again.

It felt like we were just replaying a broken record over and over again. But if this was what I needed to do in order for him to finally understand, I would.

“I want you to be the man you already are. Because I’m in love with that man. Even the dark, damaged parts. In fact, I think I love those parts even more. I don’t want this ideal of perfection you’ve somehow convinced yourself I deserve. I want real.”

He stared at me for what felt like an eternity. I expected for him to reiterate his argument against being that man. To my surprise, he stepped closer, touching his thumb and forefinger to my chin, forcing my eyes toward his.

It wasn’t a firm grip, but there was still something powerful about it.

“What did you miss?” he asked, his tone full of something I hadn’t heard in too long now.

“What do you mean?” I whimpered.

“What parts of Gideon Saint have you missed?”

I swallowed hard, my pulse increasing as desire flooded my veins.

“The way he looked at me with so much heat that I thought I’d combust.”

His pupils flamed as his greedy gaze raked over every inch of my frame, causing a shiver to roll through me. It reminded me of my birthday party. How, even when Liam paraded me around, I still felt Gideon’s eyes on me. Still felt the heat of his stare. Still felt his hunger.

“Like that?” he asked, pulling my body into his.

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