I'll be thinking about you.
And your mouth."
"I love you, Gideon."
It took a couple of deep breaths after I hung up to compose myself enough to join Megumi again.
"I'm sorry about that."
"Everything all right?" "Yes.
Everything's fine."
"Things still hot and heavy with you and Gideon Cross?" She glanced at me with a slight smile.
"Umm ."
Oh yes.
"Yes, that's fine, too."
And I wished desperately that I could talk about it.
I wished I could just open the valve and gush about my overwhelming feelings for him.
How thoughts of him consumed me, how the feel of him beneath my hands drove me wild, how the passion of his tortured soul cut into me like the sharpest blade.
But I couldn't.
Not ever.
He was too visible, too well known.
Private tidbits about his life were worth a small fortune.
I couldn't risk it.
"He sure is," Megumi agreed.
"Damn fine.
Did you know him before you started working here?" "No.
Although I suppose we would have met eventually."
Because of our pasts.
My mother gave generously to many abused children's charities, as did Gideon.
It was inevitable that Gideon and I would've crossed paths at some point.
I wondered what that meeting would have been like - him with a gorgeous brunette on his arm and me with Cary.
Would we have had the same visceral reaction to each other from a distance as we'd had up close in the Crossfire lobby? He'd wanted me the moment he saw me on the street.
"I wondered."
Megumi pushed through the revolving lobby door.