"I have to be able to live my life, Gideon.
I still have to be me or this won't work."
"And I have to be me.
I'm not the only one who needs to compromise."
That hit me hard.
He wasn't wrong - I had a right to expect him to give me my space, but he had a right to be understood as the man he was.
I had to make accommodations for the fact that he had triggers, too.
"What if I want a girls' night out clubbing with my friends?" He caught my jaw in both hands and kissed my forehead.
"You can take the limo and stick to clubs I own."
"So you can have your security people spy on me?" "Keep an eye on you," he corrected, his lips sliding over my brow.
"Is that so terrible, angel? Is it so unforgivable that I hate taking my eyes off you?" "Don't twist this around."
He tilted my head back and looked down at me with hard, determined eyes.
"You need to understand that even if you take the limo and stick to my clubs, I'm still going to go crazy until you get home.
If that means you're driven a little crazy with my safety precautions, isn't that part of the give-and-take?" I growled.
"How do you make something unreasonable sound reasonable?" "It's a gift."
Grabbing his very fine, very taut ass in my hands, I squeezed.
"I need more coffee to deal with your gift, ace."
* * *
It had become somewhat of a Wednesday tradition for Mark, his partner Steven, and me to go out to lunch.
When Mark and I arrived at the little Italian restaurant he'd chosen and found Shawna waiting with Steven, I was really touched.
Mark and I had a very professional relationship, but somehow we'd managed to make that personal and it meant a lot to me.
"I'm so jealous of your tan," Shawna said, looking casual and cute in jeans, embellished tank top, and filmy scarf.
"The sun just makes me red and gives me more freckles."
"But you've got that beautiful hair to show for it," I pointed out, admiring the deep red hue.
Steven ran a hand through his hair, which was the exact same color as his sister's, and grinned.
"The things one sacrifices to be hot."
"How would you know?" Shawna shoved at his shoulder with a laugh, an effort that didn't budge her brother even an inch.
Where she was slender as a reed, Steven was big and strapping.
I knew from talking to Mark that his partner was very hands-on with his construction business, which explained both his size and the rugged condition of his hands.
We entered the restaurant and were seated right away, thanks to the reservation I'd made when Mark had invited me to lunch.