Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

Gideon

The last rays of the setting sun painted the sky a stunning mixture of pinks and purples as I stood beside Imogene on the terrace, basking in just how normal our life had become since she was released from the hospital over a month ago.

No more revenge. No more lies. No more secrets. Just us.

It was everything we always dreamed about.

Every morning, I woke up and made her breakfast, which we ate out here as we worked on a crossword puzzle together. Afterwards, we typically went for a walk on the beach. In the afternoons, I usually spent an hour or so in our home gym while she worked with her physical therapist.

Unlike before when I would insist on spending hours sparring with Henry to build up my physical and mental endurance, now my only purpose in working out was to stay in shape.

It still felt strange not to use every free minute of my day planning the downfall of the men who betrayed me. Any time I even considered asking Henry to use his skills and track down Liam, all it took was one look at Imogene to remind me what was important. She was. Nothing else.

I had to believe that karma would eventually catch up to Liam and he would pay for what he’d done.

Maybe he already had, which would explain why his whereabouts were still unknown.

“You didn’t hear a word I just said, did you?”

Imogene’s voice cut through the haze of my thoughts, bringing me back to the present.

Blinking, I focused on her face, the furrow in my brow mirroring her playful look of disapproval.

“Sorry. I went somewhere else for a minute.”

“Somewhere…bad?” she asked hesitantly.

I pulled her into my embrace, grateful to be able to hold her like this again without worrying about causing her pain.

“There’s no more bad.” I curved toward her. “Not with you in my life.” She sighed into me as I lowered my mouth toward hers, savoring in the feel of her tongue briefly swiping against mine before I pulled back. “So what were you saying?”

“Just that today is the anniversary of our first kiss,” she answered. “Eight years ago.”

“You remember the date?”

“And the kiss. It was pretty unforgettable. I’d never been kissed like that before in my life.”

“It was pretty memorable for me, too.” I pulled her close as we watched the sunset together. “I almost didn’t kiss you,” I reminisced, recalling the turmoil I’d felt back then.

It was refreshing to finally talk about that time in my life again. To not have to hide it anymore.

“I knew if I had one taste, I’d want more. I’d want all of you.”

“I had a thing for you since the second we were introduced,” she confessed with a wistful look in her eyes. “I didn’t think you’d be interested, considering I was still in college and you were this professional guy in your thirties.”

“Oh, I was very interested.” I playfully waggled my brows.

“What changed your mind about kissing me?”

I shifted her body to face me, keeping my arms wrapped around her waist. “I knew I’d regret it if I didn’t. So when we were all spending the weekend at your uncle’s lake house and I walked in on you standing in front of the refrigerator wearing just a t-shirt and a tiny pair of boy shorts, I snapped.”

“I’m glad you did.” She hoisted herself onto her toes, her lips brushing against mine.

“Best decision of my life.” I pressed my mouth more firmly against hers, memories from that first kiss eight years ago flooding back in an instant.

Imogene threaded her fingers through my hair, igniting a fire within me as she pressed her body against mine. I couldn’t get over how perfectly she fit in my arms. Like two puzzle pieces finally clicking into place after being lost for too long.

Her tongue traced the seam of my lips, and I eagerly opened for her, craving her more than I did my next breath.

These past few weeks as she healed from her injuries had been torture. I wanted nothing more than to make love to her.

But I didn’t want to do anything that might hurt her, even though her bruises had faded and she no longer needed a sling.

“Please,” Imogene begged, as if able to sense my inner turmoil. “I need to feel you. I don’t know if I can stand waiting any longer. This may be the longest I’ve gone without having an orgasm and it’s killing me.”

I groaned, wanting more than anything to give her what she needed. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

“You won’t. I’m better. Plus, if you don’t fuck me, I’ll need to break one of your rules.”

“My rules?”

Biting her bottom lip, she slowly nodded. “In Pebble Beach, you forbade me from getting myself off. You said you owned all my orgasms. So are you going to get me off or do I need to take matters into my own hands?”

I stared at her for several long moments. I was about to tell her that the man who told her he owned all her orgasms wasn’t me. At least I was trying not to be that man anymore. Trying to leave all traces of Gideon Saint in the past.

But one thing I learned about Imogene, as both Samuel Tate and Gideon Saint, was that it was nearly impossible to deny her.

The same remained true to this day.

“I’ll always give you what you need.” I gripped her hip and steered her back into the house. “Always,” I repeated, about to slam my mouth against hers.

Before I could, a loud chiming ripped through the space, forcing me back to reality.

After the past few weeks of living in this bubble with Imogene, the sound of my phone ringing felt foreign and unfamiliar.

But unlike weeks ago, I ignored it. There were no more pressing matters to discuss with Henry. My focus was on Imogene.

Nothing else.

I silenced my phone in my pocket and raked my eyes over Imogene’s face. From her doe-like eyes, to her flushed complexion, to her kiss-swollen lips. She was beautiful.

And she was mine, despite everything I’d put her through. I still struggled to wrap my head around the fact that I had her. That she was so willing to forgive me. But I’d spend the rest of my life doing everything in my power to earn that forgiveness.

“I love you so damn much,” I murmured as I dipped my head toward hers once more.

And yet again, my phone started ringing.

Imogene masked her annoyance with a smile, stepping out of my hold.

“Why don’t you see what he wants?”

She didn’t have to ask who it was. There was only one person it could be.

“If he’s called twice, it must be serious.”

She had a point. Not only was Henry calling after seven, which would have been after ten o’clock for him now that he was back in Atlanta, but he’d called again when I didn’t answer.

He wouldn’t do that if it wasn’t important.

“Just give me a minute,” I told her.

“Come find me when you’re done. Here’s a hint… I’ll be the naked woman in your bed.”

My dick throbbed at the image her words evoked. “You drive me crazy.” I covered her mouth with mine.

“That’s the point.” She nibbled on my lower lip, then spun, swaying her hips as she disappeared down the hallway.

I hastily yanked my cell out of my pocket and brought it up to my ear. “What’s going on?” I answered.

“Are you at Imogene’s?” Henry asked, his voice somewhat panicked.

“No.” I furrowed my brow. “We’re at the bungalow.”

“Fuck.”

“What happened?” I pressed, my anxiety mounting with every second.

“The system alarmed at the back door. Do you want me to call the police?”

I stared into the distance, my brain going a mile a minute. All reason told me it was probably just someone who noticed Imogene’s place had been empty, and they decided to break in.

But I couldn’t ignore the unsettled feeling in my gut.

“I’ll check it out.”

“Are you sure?”

“You know how I feel about the police. I’d rather not involve them unless necessary.”

“You’ll let me know what you find?”

“Of course. Talk soon.”

With that, I ended the call and shoved my phone back into my pocket.

“What’s going on?”

At the sound of Imogene’s voice, I darted my head up to see her lingering in the hallway, concern etched across her features.

I pushed out a sigh. “It’s probably nothing, but the back door of your townhouse triggered an alarm. I need to go check it out.”

“I’m coming with you.” She started toward the front door.

“Absolutely not.”

“You just said it’s probably nothing.” She crossed her arms in front of her stomach, something she wasn’t able to do a few weeks ago.

“Imogene…”

“Don’t Imogene me,” she retorted with fire in her gaze. “You can either drive me yourself or I’ll just order an Uber after you leave. Either way, I’m going. You can decide whether you want to drive me or let a complete stranger do the honors.”

I narrowed my gaze at her, hoping she’d back down. I should have known she wouldn’t.

“Fine. But you’ll stay in the car until I know it’s safe for you.”

“I can do that.” Flashing me a conniving smile, she spun around.

“Has anyone ever told you how stubborn you are?” I mumbled under my breath.

“Only you.” She winked over her shoulder, then opened the door and headed outside.

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