Chapter 7
chapter
seven
Gideon
I flit around my house—well, as much as a six-foot-five-inch gorgon can flit—picking up stray shirts I tossed on the back of the couch and carrying a glass and a plate to the kitchen. I have staff to do it, but I’m in a hurry and don’t expect them to pick up after me if I can do it. Verity will be at the house soon, and I want the place tidy when she arrives.
Verity and I have been working on the translations for almost a month, and my desire for the curvy human woman hasn’t waned the more I’ve gotten to know her.Instead, I find myself even more fascinated with her. Each new meeting with her brings me something I’ve been unfamiliar with for a while. Joy.
I smile, knowing she’s on her way. My smile grows when she arrives. I smile because I now have so many memories of her and have learned so much about her.I even smile when she leaves me, looking forward to our next time together, despite wanting to take her in my arms and never let her go.
Verity is a fascinating woman. I’m huge compared to her, which makes me protective of her. But I also love the other differences. She’s a studious woman and often quiet as she contemplates some theory or another. She’s also thoughtful and often brings me snacks and drinks when she comes to my home.
She loves to read more than anything, while I like to be active and experience what life has to offer. But I’ve started to read more, to be quiet and less noisy around her, and I’ve enjoyed it more than I thought. I’m a physical person, but lately, I enjoy the quiet moments indoors with Verity reading over the pages of the manuscript.
But that could be because Verity is far more sensual than she realizes. She often touches things, running a finger over my possessions, smiling with satisfaction as if she’s connecting with my belongings.And her cheeks flush when she’s excited about something. I’ve seen that flush on women before in my bedroom. And when she smiles at me, it makes me want to ravish her.Sometimes, it’s fucking hard to control myself.
I hear a knock at the door and go to answer it myself rather than let the butler do it. I know it’s Verity. I can sense her out there.I smile my most charming smile as I swing it open wide. “Verity! So glad you made it.”
Verity blinks up at me, her eyes on a spot somewhere between mine, and her mouth twitches with a smile. “Gideon. How are you today?”
“Just fine. Come on in.” I close the door as she glides into the house, her feet encased in shoes so soft and quiet they could be ballet slippers.
We soon settle into the usual places, with Verity at a table in my library and me on the other side. She seems unusually animated today as she digs out her phone, a pair of glasses she uses when reading, and a pad of paper with a pen stuck in it from her purse.
“I noticed something about one of the pages, Gideon. It’s been nagging at me for a few weeks, but I had a lightbulb moment this morning,” she says, reaching for the book. “I think I’ve found something.”
My eyebrows lift, and I lean forward, my interest piqued. “What is it?”
Verity takes a deep breath, trying to contain her excitement. “The Elysian Chronicles. It’s the key. I’ve been cross-referencing the languages—Sumerian, Greek, demotic, and the Voynichese script. They were all meant to be read together, each unlocking a part of the puzzle.”
I move around the table to look over her shoulder at her array of notes, translations, and sketches. “Show me.”
She points to a passage in the Elysian Chronicles, her finger tracing the intricate symbols. “This section here. I couldn’t make any sense of it until I noticed a pattern that matched one of the photos of text from the Lenayovitch Tome. It’s a complex cipher. Each language represents a layer. When you translate the Sumerian text and then use the Greek to decode it further, and so on, it finally makes sense.”
My heart swells with a strange warmth and something else—something deeper. “And what does it say?”
She swallows hard, no doubt feeling the weight of the discovery. “It’s a map. I mean, there’s still so much to decipher. It’ll take years, and I’ll need a team of researchers, archeologists, historians, people we can trust, but?—”
I squeeze her shoulder, stalling her. “I’ll make it happen. Whatever you need. This is your love child, Verity.” I pause, shaking my head. “Do you realize what this means?”
She nods, her eyes glowing as the enormity of it all sinks in. “It could change everything we know about ancient civilizations, about how knowledge was passed down and hidden.”
Pride and protectiveness fill my chest. I wrap my fingers around hers and tug her to her feet, brushing a stray lock of hair from her face. “I knew you were extraordinary the moment I saw you at that garden party, Verity.”
“Gideon,” she whispers, drawing my eyes to her lips and then up to her eyes. They’re a deep honey brown and make me hot all over when I catch her looking at my lips. I half expect her to pull away, maybe tell me to behave myself, but she doesn’t.
She simply holds my hand and watches me, her eyes moving over my face and slowly up to my eyes. They stay on mine for a second before moving back to my mouth. She still doesn’t trust that she can look into my eyes for long despite my reassurances. She still thinks she’ll turn to stone.
I reach out and trace my index finger over her soft cheek. The flesh beneath my finger is silky and pliant.Her pink lips part, drawing my gaze to her mouth. I can’t stand it any longer and tip her face up. A soft sigh of satisfaction escapes her lips as I move closer. I have to know what she tastes like, or I’ll fucking die.
Watermelon chewing gum. That’s what she tastes like. Watermelon chewing gum and everything I’ve ever wanted to taste. I inhale the scent of her light perfume and slide my hand into her ponytail. I tug her head back gently, opening her mouth to more of my kiss, to my tongue.
Her mouth is hot, her tongue slick, as I delve into her mouth. She’s accepted my kiss, but I don’t want to push her too far. Not yet.
I’ve been worried she thought I was gross because of my snakes or my size because she wouldn’t look me in the eye, but the hungry sound she makes in the back of her throat tells me something different. That she wants me.
She’s always played it cool with a gaze that would wither Medusa when she thought I was stepping out of line. But she doesn’t pull away and slap me or glare at me with her withering gaze. She touches my shoulder instead, moving it down to my chest when one of my snakes slithers near her hand. She leans into the kiss, kissing me back, her head moving to the right as I tilt it where I want it.
I pull away, looking at the woman I’ve spent the last month fantasizing about. I don’t want to pressure her, but I also don’t want her to say no. I want her more than I’ve ever wanted a woman in my life, and if she says no, if she pulls away in disgust, it will wreck me.
“Do you want me to stop?” I ask, looking at her pretty dark eyes. I could get lost in their depths, even when she’s staring at a spot somewhere around my forehead.
She looks dazed, her cheeks flushed and her lips swollen from my kiss. She’s so fucking beautiful.
“Do you want me to stop, Verity?” I repeat at her glazed look. “If you do, you need to tell me now,” I groan into her mouth, my body hard and throbbing for her. Every inch of me feels swollen, ready to explode if she touches me in the right spot. And I may just die if she asks me to stop.
“I don’t want you to stop, Gideon,” she whispers.
Her eyes flicker with a mix of desire and uncertainty as she looks at me. My body responds to her words, my heart pounding in my chest. I want her so badly that it’s almost painful.
“Are you sure?” I prod, wanting her to be absolutely certain.
She nods, her hair swinging in her ponytail. A tuft by her ear has come free, and I tuck the strands behind her ear, letting my fingers trail down the curve of her jaw.
“Do you know how long I’ve wanted to do that?” I ask, my voice low and rough around the edges.
“Do what? Tuck hair behind my ear?” she asks softly, as though afraid of breaking the spell.
“No.” I chuckle and shake my head. “How long I’ve wanted to kiss you?”
“No,” she whispers.
“Since the moment I laid eyes on you in that garden,” I confess.
I lean in to kiss her again, my fingers tangling in her hair as I thrust my tongue into her mouth. She moans into the kiss, her hands grabbing my shirt. I pull back again, my forehead resting against hers as we try to catch our breath. One of my snakes slides along her forehead, but she doesn’t shudder or pull away this time. She smiles at the sensation.
“I don’t want to pressure you,” I say, my voice barely a whisper.
“I know,” she replies, her voice just as soft. “But I want you.”
I can’t believe my ears. For so long, I’ve been convinced she’s out of my league, that someone as intelligent and fucking gorgeous as Verity would never be interested in a gorgon like me. But now, here she is, telling me she wants me as much as I want her.
I lean in again, my hands roaming over her body as I deepen the kiss. She tastes sweet and delicious, uniquely her. I can’t get enough of her, my hunger for her growing with each passing moment.
As I continue to ravish her mouth, my snakes slither eagerly around our heads, drawn by the heat and passion of our embrace. I know I need to be careful, that my snakes can be a turn-off for some people, but my woman doesn’t seem to mind at all.
I tear my mouth from Verity’s, my eyes locked on hers. “Are you sure you’re okay with my snakes?”
She pulls my head back to hers, back to her lips. That is answer enough.
I tug her dress from her body and toss it onto the floor with my shirt. Verity stands long enough to slip her panties off before she comes back to me, throwing one leg over my hips to settle on top of me in the chair.
I’m still wearing my pants, but her eager fingers undo the buttons. She’s in for a surprise. I’m not built like human men. My cock comes with a little surprise—hopefully, one she’ll like.
“Gideon,” Verity gasps as my cock springs free.
But it’s not the length or girth that has her gasping. It’s the tongue at the very tip, eagerly lapping at her skin.
I shudder in pleasure as her essence is transferred to my mouth. It’s not the same as putting my mouth on her directly, but I plan to do that very soon. Verity grips my shaft, grinding her hips against mine as the tongue protruding from my thick cock licks at her clit. I grunt, biting and nipping her neck and shoulder as she moves on me, lost to the sensation of her wet heat clasped around me while my extra tongue teases more of her sweet juices from her body.
But Verity is impatient. She moves, guiding me where she wants me. With a careful movement, she takes the first inch of me inside her slick walls, the tongue at the tip of my cock eagerly licking up every drop of her juices. I want to go slow, but Verity is setting the pace and taking what she needs, so who the fuck am I to argue? Still, I want to ensure she enjoys this, so I slide a hand between her legs to tease her clit.
“I’ve never felt anything like this,” she moans, her forehead on my shoulder as she swirls her hips over me.
I focus on her, on the sweet little sounds she makes as that extra tongue laps deep inside her. I groan into her hot mouth, and she gasps as she takes me all the way inside, tightening her walls around me.
Her release is quick, faster than I expected, but fuck if I’m disappointed. She’s fucking glorious as she leans back, her cheeks flushed with passion and her nipples as hard as diamonds.
“That’s it, little one, come for me. Come all over my fat cock, Verity,” I urge, still working her clit with my thumb.
I thrust into her, pounding into her cunt as it grips me like a vise. Fast. Hard. Deep. So fucking deep. And when Verity sighs my name, it’s my undoing. I can’t stop the explosion that jets from me.
I fill her with my cum as she rides me, eagerly sharing in my pleasure. My head falls back, and her eyes burn into mine for an instant. It’s the instant that fuses our souls.