Arnoldo threw his dark head back and laughed.
I squirmed in my seat.
I loved seeing Gideon like this, relaxed and enjoying himself.
He looked at my empty dessert plate, then at me.
"Ready to go?" "Oh, yes."
I was dying to see how the rest of the night would go, how many more sides of Gideon I'd get to discover.
Because I loved this side of the man as much as I loved the powerful businessman in the suit and the dominant lover in my bed and the broken child who couldn't hide his tears and the tender partner who held me when I cried.
He was so complex and still a huge mystery to me.
I'd barely scratched the surface of who he was.
Which didn't stop me from being in too deep.
* * *
"These guys are good!" Shawna yelled as the opening act barreled headlong into their fifth song.
We'd left our seats after the third, working our way through a writhing crowd to the railing that divided the seating area from the mosh pit in front of the stage.
Gideon surrounded me, his arms caging me on both sides, his hands gripping the rail.
The audience pressed in around us, collectively pushing forward, but I was cushioned from it by his body, just as Shawna was by Arnoldo beside us.
I was sure Gideon could have gotten us way better seats, but I didn't have to tell him that the way Shawna had scored her fan-only tickets and the fact that she'd invited us meant her seats were our only option.
I loved him for understanding that and for going with the flow.
Turning my head, I looked at him.
"Is this band with Vidal, too?" "No.
But I like them."
I was stoked that he was enjoying the show.
Lifting my arms in the air, I screamed, feeling pumped by the energy of the crowd and the driving beat.
I danced within the circle of Gideon's arms, my body drenched in sweat, my blood raging.
When the act was done, the stagehands quickly set to work breaking down the equipment and setting up for Six-Ninths.
Grateful for the evening, for the joy, for the awesomeness of going wild with the man I loved, I turned and threw my arms around Gideon's neck, mashing my lips to his.
He lifted me and urged my legs around his waist, kissing me violently.
He was hard and pressing against me, luring me to grind into him.
Around us people whistled and catcalled things that ranged from "Get a room" to "Fuck her, man!" but I didn't care and neither did Gideon, who seemed as swept away by the sensual craziness as I was.
His hand on my buttocks rocked me into his erection while the other fisted in my hair, holding me where he wanted me as he kissed me as if he couldn't stop, as if he were starving for the taste of me.
Our open mouths slid desperately across each other.