Page 27 of The Problem with Dating
“Gideon...”
I let out a deep rumble as I finally let myself go inside her.“Fuck, baby,”I growled in her neck.
Fuck, this was perfect.
Echo was fucking perfect.
Chapter 15
Echo~
Iwas pretty sure I was in over my head.
Last night had been the best night of my life. It had definitely been the best sex of my life, evident by how tired I was today. Gideon had kept me up well past midnight, but I really couldn’t complain. Everything that man had done to my body had been worth it. However, since I wasn’t one to get dickmatized by good sex, the parts that had me feeling like I might be in over my head were the down times in between bouts of sex.
In between making the walls shake, the bed shake, the kitchen counter shake, the shower shake, and the couch, we had talked. He’d told me all about his parents, Louise and Robert, and his brothers, Sayer, and of course, Nathan. Gideon has spoken freely about working with his father and how much he adored and respected his parents. He’d told me all about his brothers and their families and how he’d die for each and every one of them. It had been a serious contrast to his gruff demeanor to hear the love he had for his family in his voice.
He also apologized in earnest for the misunderstanding the night we met. But after hearing more and more about Louise Hayes, I could hardly blame the man anymore. Louise sounded like a real piece of work, but how could you not love her? She was awesome, if you asked me.
In turn, I had told Gideon about my parents, Aunt Charmlee, and I’d even told him about Marco. Not the details, mind you, but how he had swooped in while at my most vulnerable, and how I had fallen for the security Marco had offered at the time. I kept the abuse to myself because it just wasn’t something I was ready to share with people. It was that I was ashamed, but I didn’t want it defining me the way it sometimes could.
Besides, there were far worse stories out there than mine. Yeah, Marco had been a controlling asshole, but he’d only hit me twice before I had walked out on him. I wouldn’t call myself an actual victim of continued abuse, but the subject had a way of making people feel uncomfortable. Like they weren’t sure how to react, so I had tabled those details for another time.
I also hadn’t spent the night, much to Gideon’s annoyance. When I had finally tapped out, Gideon had thrown me one of his t-shirts, so I could sleep in. And when I’d told him I was going home, his response had not been a positive one. It hadn’t been until I told him that I felt uncomfortable spending the night that he’d relented and had walked me back to my house. He told me to keep his shirt, though, and that had given me schoolgirl butterflies, not gonna lie.
And now, it was Tuesday afternoon, and Gideon and Nathan were working on the flooring underneath that bearing wall that was apparently a bitch to deal with.
When they had arrived his morning, I had let them in with a lot less attitude this time around. Nathan had chuckled at my good morning-like he justknew-and he probably did. I’d probably been glowing like a glowworm in the night. Hell, I probably still was.
It also could have been way Gideon had pulled me close by one arm, had kissed the top of my head, and had said good morning. Unlike yesterday, I hadn’t fought him and that could have been the thing that had given Nathan a clue, too.
Sitting in my living room, with baseball repeats on because Nathan had refused to help Gideon unless baseball was playing on my television, I’d been absorbed in a book when my phone chimed.
Unknown:Can u please give me a call?
My stomach sank as I recognized the phone number, even though it was no longer programmed in my phone.
Marco Romano.
I stared down at my phone and I wasn’t sure if my mind was blank with shock or running rampant with shock. I mean, why in the hell would Marco be contacting me after all this time? Or maybe he texted the wrong number? But then, why would he even still have my number in his phone?
Eyeing the message, I honestly didn’t know whether to respond or not. I wanted nothing to do with Marco. When I’d left, ties had been completely severed. We hadn’t had any children or mutual friends or anything that had made it necessary to keep in touch. I literally left Bratton and never looked back once.
So, what the hell?
Any thoughts to it being the wrong number quickly vanished as another text came in.
Unknown:I’m asking as a favor, Echo
It was Marco, alright. But what did he want? And did I even care? Was I even curious enough to text him back, or call him as he asked?
“We’re done fo-”
“Ah!”
Gideon’s brows rose up. “Uh…”
My chest was working in deep breaths. I’d been so caught up in my thoughts about Marco, I hadn’t heard Gideon walking up. I closed my eyes and tried to steady myself.
