A Most Excellent Midlife Crisis - Robyn Peterman Page 0,37

When you back an animal up against a wall and its existence is at stake, it will do anything to take others down with it.”

That scenario didn’t sound like a good time. The best option was that Clarissa was found by one of the Immortals before she tried to finish what she had begun with me.

“Why the hell is the Angel of Mercy—a complete oxymoron—after me in the first place?” I hissed, growing furious. “When it started, I thought it was because of you and me. However, Steve’s death was long before I even knew you. She has it out for me for another reason altogether.”

Gideon squinted and tilted his head to the side. “I hadn’t put that together.”

“Actually, I didn’t until right now either,” I told him.

We sat in silence and stared at each other for a few minutes. The plot kept getting stranger.

“You think she’ll come after me?” I asked.

He shrugged. “I wouldn’t put anything past Clarissa,” he ground out. “There was a reason Tim, Candy and Heather stayed with you while Charlie, John Travolta and I searched for her.”

“Thank you,” I said with a small grin.

“For what?”

“For calling my sperm donor John Travolta.”

Gideon laughed and kissed my nose. “It’s my great pleasure to make you smile and to piss the Archangel off. It’s killing him to have to answer to the name.”

“Warms my heart,” I said with a giggle, and then stiffened as a horrible thought dawned on me. “Shit. I think he knows.”

“He knows what?”

“I think John Travolta knows why she’s after me. His reluctance to go after Clarissa and his lifelong denial of being my sperm donor adds up to something very off,” I said, feeling ill. “I’d bet my squatters and my newly acquired car-door-ripping skills on it.”

Gideon looked at his watch and swore under his breath. “It’s midnight.”

“Tomorrow,” I said. “I’ll pay Darth Vader Daddy a visit in the morning.”

“With me,” he insisted.

“That’s fine,” I agreed. “I don’t know where he lives anyway.”

“We have about eight hours till it’s socially acceptable to smack down John Travolta,” he pointed out.

“What in the world will we do with eight hours?” I asked with a naughty grin. To hell with reality. I wanted to bang my beautiful lover. For all I knew, tomorrow could be my last day on earth… “Should we blow up more stuff? Outside?”

“I have a much better idea,” Gideon said. “You up for it?”

“I do believe the question is are you up for it?” I shot back.

Gideon threw his head back and laughed. “I am very up for it.”

“Very?” I asked, pulling my shirt over my head and tossing it aside.

“Very. Very. Very up for it,” he said, taking me into his arms and kissing me until I forgot my name.

“Wait,” I said, glancing around. “If we do it here, we might have an audience.

Gideon paused and then grinned. “Do you trust me?”

“Should I?” I asked.

“You should,” he replied.

“Then yes. I trust you.”

Famous last words.

However, I was definitely right to have trusted him.

Surprisingly, the Grim Reaper was a very trustworthy guy.

Chapter Twelve

“Where are we going?” I asked, peering out of the car window as we sped through the night. The stars danced on the horizon and a sliver-thin moon floated in a cloudless sky.

Gideon drove with a sure hand and a lead foot. It didn’t bother me a bit since I drove the same way. I had a general idea of our location, but we’d taken a lot of turns and I couldn’t be sure.

“It’s a surprise,” Gideon replied, watching the road.

“I’m not great with those,” I told him, noticing the big box of birth control sitting between us.

My smile grew wide. I ceased to care where we were going and just wanted to get there. While my world might be imploding, tonight was going to be perfect.

“I have a hunch you’re going to like this surprise,” he said, pulling off the road and cutting the engine. “We’re here.”

“Umm… okay. Wow.” I smiled politely and tried to figure out where here actually was.

All I could see were rolling meadows and trees. It was thirty degrees outside and there were no buildings in sight. I had to admit the property was gorgeous bathed in starlight, but it was freaking freezing outside. He was insane if he was planning to have sex on a blanket in the icy outdoors.

“You like it?”

“Is that a trick question?” I asked, trying to gauge how to proceed.

Gideon laughed and gave me a quick, hard kiss. Grabbing the condoms,