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"No"

"What do you think about bringing her over for dinner when my dad’s in town?" Gideon’s head tilted to the side as he observed me

"You want to invite a seventeen-year-old to dinner with me and your dad"

"No, I want your family to meet my family"

"She’ll be bored"

"Hoould you know?" I challenged

"In any case, I think your sister hero-worships you

As long as you pay attention to her, I’hed, clearly exasperated

"Be real

I haven’t the slightest idea how to entertain a teenage girl"

"Ireland’s not soht as well be!" He scowled at me

It struck me then

"You’re afraid of her"

"Come on," he scoffed

"You are

She scares you"

And I doubted it had anything to do with his sister’s age or that she was a girl

"What’s gotten into you?" he complained

"You’re stuck on Ireland

Leave her alone"

"She’s the only fa to support that choice

His half brother Christopher was an asshole, and his mother didn’t deserve to have hihed and wrapped ot me

But there’s room for more people who love you in your life"

"She doesn’t love me," he muttered

"She doesn’t knowabout that, but if not, she’d love you if she knew you

So let her know you"

"Enough

Let’s go back to talking about s’mores"

I tried to stare him down, but it was impossible

When he considered a subject exhausted, there was no continuing it

So I’d have to go around it instead

"You wanna talk about s’ue

"All that aze narrowed

I ran ers over his shoulders and down his chest

"I could be persuaded to let you smear that chocolate all over me

I could also be persuaded to s to bribe ain?" "Did I say that?" I blinked innocently

"I don’t think I said that"

"It was ierously low, his eyes dark as his hand slid up under the hem of my tank top and cupped my bare breast

"I’ll invite Ireland to dinner with your father because it’ll make you happy and that makes me happy"

"Thank you," I said breathlessly, because he’d begun to tug rhythht

"I’ to do whatever the hell I ith melted chocolate and your body because it’ll please me and that will please you

I say when, I say how

Repeat that"

"You say - " I gasped as his h the ribbed cotton

"Oh, God"

He nipped htened, so quick to respond to that authoritative tone

"You say when

You say how"

"There are things you can bargain with, angel, but your body and sex aren’t negotiable"

My hands clutched his hair, an instinctive response to his relentless, deliciousto understand why I wanted hiain with? You have everything"

"Your tie

I’ll do anything for theh me

"I’m wet for you," I whispered

Gideon stepped away fro me with him

"Because that’s hoant you"

Chapter 12

Gideon and I arrived back in Manhattan just before ht sleeping apart, butand touching

Laughing and whispering

By silent agree the rest of our time away

We didn’t turn on the television or radio, because it see to share our ti, slow, lazy love on the third- story deck

We played cards and he won every hand

We recharged and reminded ourselves that e’d found with each other orth fighting for

It was the most perfect day of ot back into the city