Page 80 of Gideon's Gratitude

Apparently taking that as the permission it was, he moved closer. He cupped my cheeks in his large hands and tugged gently.

I angled my head back, and within moments our lips touched. Light, at first.

Then he nibbled on my bottom lip. Demanded entrance.

I complied and opened my mouth.

He took full advantage and thrust his tongue in. Our tongues parried as each fought for dominance.

I wasn’t a pushover, and often gave as good as I got. Again, burning assailed me. I pulled away and lunged for the pan. I yanked it off the burner. Good thing it wasn’t the cast iron my grandmother favored. I flipped the pancakes. Phew, only minor singeing.

Archer surprised me by coming up behind, winding his arms about my waist and pulling me back against him.

Those powerful arms reassured. I smiled, even though he couldn’t see. “Why don’t you set the table while I rescue breakfast?”

The affectionate man brushed a kiss to my ear before releasing me. “Sounds good.” He washed up, then snagged cutlery, plates, and a couple of glasses.

I sorted out the pancakes, bacon, then grabbed syrup and butter. Within a few moments, we settled at the table and dug into our food.

We’d had a couple of bites before he held up a piece of bacon. “I love these when they’re crispy.”

“Limp bacon is kind of gross.” I poked my piece with my fork. “But charbroiled isn’t good either. Some kind of compromise.”

“Well, you compromised brilliantly.”

His praise warmed me. He did that—little compliments. So subtle I might’ve missed them

Except they reminded me of how Leo used to be.

Before.

He’d always been trying to make me feel good about myself. About how I was contributing to the house. How important I was to him. How much he valued me in a way my parents never had.

“Are you okay?”

I blinked. “Fine. Sorry, you were saying…?” Because I had the disconcerting feeling I’d missed something.

“I was just asking if you’d met any of your neighbors. Your grandparents owned this place for a while, right?”

“They knew just about everyone.” I pointed to his property. “Old coot is how they referred to him. I never knew if that was in a good way or a bad way. A couple of the houses down the road as well. Some people…” I considered. “A lot of people who live up here do so to get away from others. They want to keep to themselves.”

“You mean like I’d planned to?” He grinned ruefully. “That didn’t work out so well.” He pressed his hand to mine. “And I’m so glad it didn’t.”

Heat rushed to my cheeks. “Yeah, me too.” I turned my hand so he could grip it. “Why are you asking?”

“I met several of your neighbors this morning while walking Lucky.”

“You took Lucky off the property?”

“Yes. On leash, of course. I would never risk his safety, and I don’t know how fast people drive this stretch. There’s a bend in the road, but that’s not for almost half a mile.”

“True. I suppose it’s okay you took him off the property—I appreciate you put him on a leash. He knows the limits of my place. Well, most of the time. He doesn’t go out.”

“Neither do you.”

I met his gaze. “Whoever you met, they said something.”

“Nothing bad. They were two very friendly guys. Both gay. Both in relationships with other people. Both walking their dogs.”

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