Tempting Nora

by Evanston, A. M.

And yet the fact she'd been burned in a dream was inconceivable. Yeah, she'd just been sick, but that was different than injuring her hand. Still she couldn't ignore the evidence written right on her palm. At that moment, panic struck. If she'd been hurt, then Gideon must have been too.

  Even though she knew it was ridiculous, she raced to the bedroom and leapt onto the bed at Gideon's side. The man was still asleep, surrounded once again by those strange black feathers that she was starting to feel unnerved about. She unceremoniously rolled him over and yanked up his shirt, trying to spot any lash marks covered in unsightly maggots. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw no wounds.

  Unfortunately, her relief was short lived. She'd woken Gideon up and could tell by his groaning that he wasn't happy.

  "It's the middle of the night, Nora." Gideon rolled onto his back again. "What the heck are you doing?"

  Now that she saw his untarnished body, she was embarrassed that she'd thought for even a second that her dream had been real.

  "Um, I, ugh…" She felt like her tongue weighed ten thousand pounds.

  "Don't tell me that this was an ill-conceived attempt at seduction." He sat up, rubbing sleep from his eyes.

  "Good grief, you even think about things like that when you're only half awake," she muttered.

  "Talk about the pot calling the kettle black, gutter queen." He wrinkled his nose. "And you still haven't answered my question. What happened?"

  "It's hard to explain." She glanced at her hand.

  For the first time, Gideon inspected her face and all annoyance disappeared from his eyes.

  "I have a better question," he said. "Are you okay?"

  "I think so." Well, she was okay besides the fact that her hand hurt like the dickens.

  He cupped her cheek.

  "Do you throw up?" he asked.

  "How did you know?" She hadn't puked on herself, had she?

  "I can smell it." If he thought she was disgusting, his face didn't show it. Instead he smoothed the hair from her forehead, his eyes burning with concern. "Please tell me what's going on."

  "I had a nightmare." She was embarrassed to even admit it.

  "A nightmare?" His eyes widened. "Was it about the fire?"

  "It wasn't about the fire." She hesitated. "It was about, well, you."

  "About me?" He was about to smooth more hair from her face but froze.

  "You were shackled to a rock and I was trying to free you," she said. "I couldn't loosen the chains, no matter what I did."

  "I was chained up?" His eyes widened.

  "Yeah." She wondered why he looked so startled. "It was awful. I kept trying to set you free, but the chains wouldn't give. Somehow I knew that I was the only one who could save you."

  "Well, I'm right beside you now." His shock dissipated and he gave her a gentle smile. "Nothing happened to me."

  "I know it was wrong of me to come running in here like a maniac," she said. "But the thing is…"

  She glanced down at her hand again.

  "What is it?" Gideon searched her face. "You can tell me anything. You know that."

  "In my dream, I burned my hand trying to set you free." A shaky sigh escaped her lips.

  "Okay?" He raised an eyebrow.

  "I woke up with this." Trying not to flinch, she held up her blistered hand.

  At the sight of the injury, Gideon sucked in air. If an onlooker were to see his horrified expression, they would surely believe he was the one who'd had a nightmare and not her.

  "We need to bandage this." He took her hand in his. "It's a bad burn."

  "Yeah, I'm aware of that," she said, noting how much it hurt. "But what's worse than the injury itself is not knowing how I got it."

  For a moment Gideon didn't say anything.

  "What?" She chewed her bottom lip.

  "Maybe you got the burn in the fire yesterday." He sounded like he didn't believe the words, even as he said them.

  "How could I have been burned and not noticed?" She was flabbergasted. "I was examined by the EMTs and the doctor. They didn't see anything."

  "You think you were burned in the dream?" Gideon didn't sound skeptical, despite the fact that he should have.

  "No." She wasn't that delusional. At least, not now that she wasn't half-asleep. "I don't know what to think. Amon couldn't have come here and burned me, could he?"

  "Not without me knowing." A vein pulsed in Gideon's jaw.

  "Then I don't know. There has to be a logical reason." She refused to believe the burn had happened because of a dream. "And what the heck is with all of these feathers? You're dropping them on purpose just to drive me crazy, aren't you?"

  "What?" He raised an eyebrow.

  "The feathers." She scooped up a pile of black feathers with her uninjured hand and tossed them at him. "They're only around you."

  "What do they have to do with your hand?" Gideon suddenly couldn't meet her eyes.

  "I don't know." Her head was spinning, making her worry she might be sick again. "It's all so darn confusing. I don't know why any of this is happening to me."

  Somewhere along the line she'd started to yell. She guessed she was more panicked than she thought. Already, an overwhelming tidal wave of emotions hit her heart. It was amazing how a single dream and a couple of black feathers could push her over the edge. Gideon must have sensed the ambush of emotions because he pulled her into his arms and held her close. His touch didn't fix everything, but the warmth that seeped into her via his embrace made her less likely to hurl the first thing she laid her hands on.

  As she buried her face in his shoulder, she inhaled his sweet smell. His scent calmed her almost as much as his touch did. During that moment, logic did battle with her emotions. Gideon was healthy. If the dream had burned her hand, then Gideon should have been affected too. The nightmare hadn't been some message from the other side. No, it had merely been an aftereffect of almost being burned alive. Probably she was so afraid of losing Gideon to Amon that she'd had a nightmare. And as for the feathers, maybe Gideon happened to have a unique coat she'd never seen made from black bird feathers. It didn't make a heck of a lot of sense, but why should she start freaking out over a couple of feathers anyway? She should have been more frightened by the psychopath who was trying to kill her.

  "I'm sorry." She shook her head, grateful that her mind was back in order. "I think I lost it for a minute there."

  Gideon rubbed her back, soothing her with his warm, loving touch. His hands glided to her cheeks as he cupped her face again and stared deep into her eyes.

  "You've had a rough couple of days." Gideon nuzzled her skin, despite the fact he'd said she smelled of vomit. "Don't apologize. I was surprised you were holding up as well as you were."

  "I just hate feeling this weak," she said. "I'm supposed to be strong."

  "You are strong," he said.

  "No, I'm not. I'm only doing okay right now because you're helping me." The guy was like her personal support pillar. "And I just had a nervous breakdown because of some nightmare."

  "You are strong," Gideon said again so fiercely it made her eyes widen in shock. "In fact, you're one of the strongest women I've ever met. It's one of the things I love most about you. Relying on others doesn't make you a weak person. It just makes you a trusting one."

  "Really?" How was it that he knew what she needed to hear?

  "Really." He pressed a kiss dripping with love against her forehead.

  As he searched her face, she did her best to smile at him. She couldn't help but admire the way he remained by her side, proving that he truly loved her. One thing for certain, she was glad that her nightmare hadn't been real. The thought of those maggots devouring the flesh of a man who was so willing to take care of her was disturbing. She touched the side of his face, grateful to feel the uninjured skin. Pain shot through her hand as if somebody had thrust the jagged edge of a knife into one of the blisters on her palm. She cried out in agony and stared at her injury, dumbfounded.

 
What on earth? she thought as her hand throbbed.

  "What's wrong?" he asked.

  She gulped, forcing herself once again to see logic in the situation. It was perfectly normal for an injury to twinge. She had no reason to worry.

  "Nothing." She flexed her fingers. "I just felt some pain."

  Gideon climbed out of bed and offered her his hand.

  "Come on," he said. "You get washed up and then I'll bandage your burn. Maybe that will make it hurt less."

  She nodded and took his hand, grateful that she had somebody to trust.

  ****

  Nora didn't sleep again, despite the fact she and Gideon had gone back to bed after she'd washed the smell of vomit from her body and then bandaged her hand. She blew out a sigh and glanced at the bedside clock. It was almost time for her to prepare for work. Maybe it was crazy for her to want to go to the tea shop today of all days, but if she was going to be anxious and exhausted, then she might as well be anxious and exhausted at work. She was just sliding across the mattress when a heavy leg draped over her hip, pinning her in place.

  "Where do you think you're going?" Gideon asked.

  Oops. She hadn't known Gideon was awake. Of course she hadn't intended to leave for work without him—that would be suicide—but she hadn't wanted to have this conversation straightaway either. After all, she knew he wouldn't be happy about her choice to go to the tea shop after having yet another hard night.

  "I was going to get dressed for work," she admitted.

  "You're crazy," he said. "There was a fire in your apartment, you lost all of your things, and you're being hunted by Amon. If anyone deserves an emergency day off, it's you. Call your boss. I'm sure she'll understand."

  "It's not that I don't think she'll understand." Her boss was a kind woman who would immediately give her all the time off she needed. "I just want to keep my mind busy."

  "I can keep your mind busy." He inched across the bed toward her.

  "I'm not doing anything risqué with you," she said.

  "Wow. Just a few hours ago you yelled at me for saying inappropriate things while half-asleep, but you just did the exact same thing." His eyes sparkled rakishly. "Way to go, gutter queen."

  "So help me, Gideon, if you call me that one more time…" One of these days, she was going to throttle him. Now there was an activity that would keep her mind busy.

  "Gutter queen, gutter queen, gutter queen," Gideon chanted in her ear.

  She punched him in the chest.

  "Ouch." Even as he said the words, a devilish smile crossed his face. "You're going to get it now."

  "What are you going to do?" She didn't like his impish grin.

  Instead of answering, Gideon hauled her closer. The two of them were nose to nose. His long leg tightened around her hip, causing their pelvises to grind together. She should have contemplated escaping, but all she could think during that moment was, His body is as hard as a rock. She squeezed her eyes shut, hating herself. Her gutter queen status had been well-earned.

  Still she didn't think there was anything wrong with wanting Gideon. It wasn't like she ran around kissing any guy who locked eyes with her. No, the only one who made her squirm was Gideon. As she studied his face, his eyes dropped to her mouth. He was going to kiss her and she was going to let him. After she closed her eyes, she heard Gideon chuckle.

  "You want a kiss that bad, huh?" he asked.

  Her eyes flew open in horror when she realized he hadn't intended to kiss her after all.

  "Unfortunately, kissing is against the bed rules," he continued. "Or have you forgotten our carefully constructed set of guidelines already?"

  Darn it all, the man was right.

  "I didn't forget," she lied.

  "Uh-huh." He was smirking. "Then why did you give me that, 'Oh, Gideon, I want your lips all over me' look?"

  "You're lying." Her eyebrow twitched as she fought the urge to pummel him.

  "There's that magical V again." He pointed to the spot between her eyebrows. "I'm afraid you're the one who's lying."

  "I'm not," she said.

  "You are." He nodded with mock solemnness. "And that deserves extra punishment."

  Before she could stammer another reply, Gideon pushed her over and straddled her.

  "What the heck are you doing?" She already had trouble controlling herself when he wasn't on top of her.

  "According to the bed rules, I can't kiss you." He leaned forward until he was whispering in her ear. "But they don't say anything about tickling you."

  "Tickling?" She fought the urge to curl up like a potato bug to protect her sensitive sides.

  "Oh, yes." He stretched his arms as if he was about to begin a strenuous aerobic activity. "I'm the master of tickling."

  "Good luck with that. I'm not ticklish." It was a downright lie and they both knew it.

  "Brace yourself," he said, ignoring her comment about not being ticklish.

  With an evil cackle, he tickled her neck, torturing the sensitive skin. She clamped her mouth shut and glared at him, refusing to give as much as a giggle. Ticklers enjoyed uncontrolled laughter. If she didn't laugh, then he'd grow bored and find some other way to annoy her—like giving her ridiculous nicknames.

  When tickling her neck failed to give him the reaction he was looking for, his fingers roamed her body, seeking out weak points. She was dead serious until his fingers journeyed closer to her sides. Beads of nervous sweat covered her forehead. Uh-oh, she thought as his fingers journeyed over her ribcage and lingered.

  She giggled.

  Crap.

  "So your sides are ticklish." The devilish glint in his eyes became more prominent.

  She shook her head in terror, fearing the end was near.

  The man attacked both of her sides with a vengeance, rubbing her ribs so hard that she flailed. She tried to hold back her laughter, but it built inside her until she was certain she might explode if she kept her mouth shut any longer. A shrill shriek burst from her lips followed closely by a loud snort. She laughed so hard that her stomach ached, her eyes watered, and her face became sweaty from exertion. Still the other man pressed on. She tried to protect her sensitive sides, but the man held her down so she couldn't hope to shield herself from his assault. As tears of mirth ran down her face, she was certain she was going to die because she was laughing so hard she couldn't breathe. Death by tickling. Now that would be an embarrassing obituary.

  "Gideon, stop," she cried, still in the midst of a bought of laughter.

  Her words only fed the man's tickle lust. He continued until her sides grew sore and she writhed beneath him. Finally, after he tortured her for ages, he relented, laughing just as hard as she was. Once he'd managed to calm down enough to stop laughing, he propped himself up on his elbow and gazed deep into her eyes. His sudden stare chased the last giggle from her throat, but she still smiled.

  "You're so juvenile," she said. "Who tickles a twenty-eight-year-old woman?"

  "Admit it." He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "You liked it."

  Okay, maybe she was in a much better mood now than before. She sure as heck wasn't tired anymore either.

  "I guess it wasn't half bad," she mumbled.

  "I knew you liked it." He picked up her injured hand and ran his fingers along the bandage. "I didn't hurt you, did I? You were flailing around so much you had me worried."

  "No, I'm fine." Her hand still ached, but it didn't feel any worse than it had last night.

  Both of them were silent for a moment. As he lay on top of her, his heat seeped into her body, making fire ignite in her core. She noticed that her shirt had come up sometime mid-tickle and that his hand was resting on the bare skin of her hip. It was too easy to imagine him lifting her shirt up the rest of the way as he kissed every inch of her body. His hips even rested between her legs, pressing her against the mattress. Unfortunately, the crushing weight of her desire was even heavier than Gideon's body. At that moment, she realized she was in danger. Maybe Gid
eon was on his best behavior, but she was worried she was going to beg him to take her at that very moment.

  Not a good idea.

  "Gideon," she said.

  "Uh-huh?" His eyes were dark with desire. He must have realized the compromising position they were in too.

  She immediately came up with a not-so-phony excuse to leave his side.

  "If I'm not going to work today, then I need to call my boss so she can cover for me." She slid out from underneath Gideon.

  "You can use my phone. It's charging on the kitchen counter." Gideon nodded, his forehead glistening with sweat. "When you're done, it might be a good idea to leave the apartment for a while. You know, just to get some fresh air."

  She knew Gideon wasn't thinking about fresh air. No, the man was trying to make sure they didn't rip each other's clothes off. He was a smart man.

  "I need to buy some things anyway." She nodded. "I don't have a toothbrush or anything else."

  The fire in her apartment had incinerated it all.

  "Okay." Gideon nodded.

  She jumped out of bed and padded into the kitchen. With a groan, she slumped against the counter, hating the fact that her heart was still leaping wildly. If I want to keep my promise to myself, Gideon and I might have to elope. Drowning in self-disgust, she shook her head, determined to stop having inappropriate thoughts.

  Yeah, right. Like she could keep her mind out of the gutter. With Gideon around, she was going to last five minutes.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Nora gasped as Gideon parked his pickup truck in front of a crowded beach. Clear blue water lapped at the sand. A rambunctious group of teenagers were playing a game of volleyball. A sea of multi-colored blankets covered the golden shore. During the summer months, the beach was paradise. Well, if a person wasn't being stalked by a maniac.

  "Oak Street Beach?" Nora asked, recognizing the area at once. "Why are we here? I needed to buy toiletries."

  It wasn't that she didn't like the beach. It was just that she wasn't prepared for such an outing. Even leaving Gideon's apartment had been harder than she'd expected. She hadn't realized that his place had become some sort of hidey-hole for her until she stepped outside and all she could think about was the fire. One thing for sure, it was a good thing Gideon had talked her out of going to work today. She wasn't certain she could have handled talking to random customers.