A Mate for Gideon (The Program Book 2)

by Hartnady, Charlene

  “Ease me?” She could feel herself frown.

  “I’m not referring to sex even though I would very much like to rut you.” His eyelids became hooded. His voice was a low growl that did strange things to her.

  Then the penny dropped and she felt her eyes widen and her mouth drop open. “Ease me as in go down on me?” She felt her cheeks heat and shook her head. Her clit throbbed at the thought of him between her legs. She felt wet seep from her. “You are seriously forward aren’t you? No thanks. I’m not afraid of you, but…” She let the sentence hang. As much as he turned her on, he was still a total stranger and a vampire to boot. Jenna needed to get the hell out of there and fast before she did something stupid.

  He frowned. “You said yourself that you are attracted to me. I can scent your arousal yet you will not allow me to ease you? If go down means to lick and suck on your clit then yes, that is what I mean by ease.”

  She shook her head. “No. Definitely not. I’m not the kind of woman that goes around having sex, even oral sex, with people she doesn’t know.”

  He smiled for a few seconds. “Vampires are different than humans then. For us, rutting is like any other bodily function such as eating or sleeping. If there is a mutual attraction, then we act on it.”

  She shook her head. “Humans are different, well mostly. I can’t speak for my entire species but I like to know someone before hopping into bed with him. I have this little rule. I don’t have sex with someone until I have been on at least eight dates with them.” It was stupid since she’d only decided to do the whole eight date rule thing after her and Rob split a few weeks ago. Things had been rushed with Rob. They met, had sex by the second date. Were practically living together within a few weeks and engaged after six months. Too quick. She took a deep breath. The whole eight date thing was a good idea and she’d stick to it.

  Gideon smiled broadly, flashing those ivory fangs again. “How many dates until I could ease you? Would I have to date you eight times?”

  Jenna swallowed thickly. “I told you, no sex until the eighth date. It’s not just about sexual attraction for me...there should be more there. I like to have something in common with the person I’m with.” She shrugged. “It would be important that we got along and had fun as well.”

  Gideon nodded. “I understand. It would be important that we were compatible on a one-to-one level, not just sexually.”

  She nodded. “Yeah. Sounds about right.”

  “I am curious. Let’s just say that you and I were dating, when would I be allowed to touch you? I’m not talking about my mouth on you but there are other ways to make a female come.”

  A lump lodged itself in her throat, making it hard to breathe or even to think. She grabbed a glass of juice and drank it down. Gideon kept his dark eyes firmly on her the entire time. He was obviously being hypothetical. He didn’t really want to actually date her. A guy…vampire like him was way out of her league. “No kissing until the second date.”

  “By kissing, you mean mating of the mouths?” He raised a brow.

  “Yes…vampires kiss don’t they?”

  He nodded, throwing her a quick half smile. “Some of the females enjoy it.”

  “But you don’t like kissing?” she asked. Not sure why it was important to even know. It wasn’t like they were about to go on a date or anything anyway.

  He shrugged his big shoulders. “I don’t mind kissing I just don’t really see the point. What is acceptable on the third date?”

  “On the third and fourth dates, I would allow a little touching.”

  His eyes seemed to heat and drop back to her thighs.

  “Above the belt only.” She quickly blurted.

  “You would let me touch your magnificent mammary glands?” His voice had taken on a gravelly edge again.

  She had to giggle at his use of the words mammary glands. “I might.”

  He licked his lips. “You would. I can be very persuasive.” A deep growl that sent shivers through her. Good thing they weren’t about to go on any dates because he was probably right. “I can’t wait to hear of what is permitted on date five.”

  She felt herself blush and shook her head. “Urm…a little more touching.” She looked down at the food, unable to keep her eyes on his.

  “Date five.” His gravelly voice came from right next to her. Gideon was on his haunches. “Would a male be permitted to make you come? To ease you? You would be surprised what I could do with just my hands.”

  I’ll bet.

  Jenna sucked in a ragged breath. “You’re very forward.” She squirmed a little, feeling more turned on than ever before. As in ever.

  “I like to think of myself as being honest and open. Sex is something that vampires talk about freely. Do not be shy, Jenna. Would a male be permitted to make you come by the fifth date?”

  “Maybe…probably n-not…I don’t know.” This was hypothetical so she forced herself to relax. It didn’t work. “Maybe…I g-guess. Not with your mouth though.” She was stammering and stuttering feeling hot and bothered. Which led her to put a hand on her cheek, sure enough, her skin felt fevered.

  “I’ll take that as a yes.” A rough growl that had her heart hammering. “Eat.” He growled again. Gideon stood and walked towards the bathroom. “I’m going to shower.”

  She could feel herself frown. “Why are you going to shower again?”

  “I need to take care of this.” He looked down at his still erect cock.

  “Oh… I see.” Her mouth felt dry. She’d never met anyone more forward in her whole life. The thought of this very sexy vampire touching himself in the shower almost made her throw her eight date rule out the window.

  He smiled. “Finish your breakfast. You can shower once you are done and I’ll go and fetch our clothes. We need to hurry though.” He glanced at the digital clock on the bedside table.

  “Okay.” How silly of her, he obviously had stuff to do. It made her feel a little put out. For a second there, she was sure he was genuinely interested in her. Clearly she had read him wrong. Not all guys would be willing to date a woman first. Most of them wanted a home run on the first date.

  His eyes narrowed in on her. Dark and intense. Something flared to life inside of her. It was more than just arousal. Damn but he could be dangerous to her heart. Good thing he wasn’t interested in her.

  “We need to leave within the next half hour.” His eyes darkened. “I’m taking you out on a date.”

  She dropped her fork onto the plate with a loud, clang. “A what? Sorry?” She must’ve heard him wrong or something.

  “We will consider it our second date.” He grinned at her. “If we go out on back to back dates, we should hit number five in a day or two. I’m looking forward to feeling you clench around my fingers as you come…hard.”

  Fingers.

  More than one.

  Inside her.

  She made a squeaking noise as all the air seemed to leave her lungs, make that the whole damned room.

  “More than that, I’m looking forward to getting to know you.” On a devastating half smile that had her insides turning to Jell-O, he turned and headed for the bathroom.

  Shit.

  Shit.

  She could hardly think, let alone breathe. There was a big sexy, vampire in the room next to her and he wanted to date her. Get to know her. She pulled her bottom lip in between her teeth and bit down. He wanted to do wicked things to her.

  Jenna should grab her things and get out of there. Messing around with a vampire was not the cleverest thing to do. Instead, she took another bite of her crispy bacon. Gideon had said that he liked women with curves and it looked like she was going to need her energy. She looked down at her wedding ring. It was time. Jenna pulled it off, after looking around the room, she spotted her bag on the floor next to the desk. She put her ring into one of the pockets and zipped it shut.

  There were growling noises which grew into a rough, drawn-out groan coming from the bathroom. Jenna swa
llowed hard, her clit throbbed even harder. Thank god it was her turn next in the shower. If she didn’t do something about this throbbing ache, she was going to throw all of her rules right out the window.

  There was a light sting on the side of her arm. It brought her right back to reality. There was another sting, on the same arm followed by the sound of something landing on the ground next to her. She gasped. Jenna rubbed her arm while looking down at the sore spot. There was another sting on the side of her calve, this time she saw a small stone fall on the ground beside her. She looked around, paying particular attention to the area on her right. There was movement within the tree line a couple of hundred yards in that direction. Jenna squinted, even putting a hand over her eyes to block the sun so that she could see better.

  Her heart started wildly in her chest. It felt like the earth had dropped out from underneath her. It couldn’t be. Surely she was just imagining him.

  Gideon.

  He was waving his arm, gesturing for her to go to him. Jenna began to walk in that direction. She took deep breaths trying to calm herself down. This was the moment she had been waiting for. She prayed that he would give her a chance to explain and could only hope that she would be able to talk about everything that had happened. That he would actually give her a chance this time. She would just have to make him listen, force herself to spit it all out.

  As she drew closer, she noticed that he radiated tension. From the stiff line of his jaw to his dark eyes which regarded her solemnly. He put his hands to his lips gesturing for her to remain quiet and with a sweep of his hand he indicated for her to follow him.

  Gideon headed into the forest. Jenna swallowed thickly, trying hard to keep her fear under control. Gideon would never hurt her. He wasn’t anything like Liam. Even though she knew these things to be true, her breathing still came quicker and her mouth turned dry. She squeezed her eyes shut for a few seconds, breathing deeply through her nose and trying hard to get a handle on her emotions. Then she carried on after him. For whatever reason, it seemed that he had decided to give her a chance to explain and she was going to take it with both hands. This was her opportunity to be brave.

  You’ve got this.

  Jenna lifted her chin and curled her hands into fists, forcing her legs to work harder. At least it was cool under the thick canopy of trees.

  He chose a direction that was not thick with undergrowth and was much easier to navigate. She still needed to proceed carefully ensuring that she did not become ensnared in the thick protruding vines and roots. After ten minutes of walking, she could feel the light sheen of sweat on her forehead. At least the walk had calmed her down. She was able to think more rationally now. Even though her heart rate was up and she was breathing heavily, it was only because of the exertion.

  Gideon stopped so suddenly, turned so quickly that she collided with him. She sucked in a deep breath. Her hands came up and flattened on his hard chest. The soft leather of his vest beneath her fingers.

  His chest heaved, and his eyes locked with hers. His jaw clenched and his mouth became a thin white line. Then his lip curled back just a little as a low growl escaped. Jenna reacted instantly, she jumped backwards on a soft shriek, her back connecting with the thick rough bark of a tree.

  His intense, dark eyes instantly softened. “I’m not going to hurt you. I don’t know why you keep insisting on being so afraid of me.”

  She swallowed hard. “I’m not.”

  His jaw tensed back up. She could actually hear his teeth grinding together for a few seconds before he sucked in a deep breath. “We need to agree right now. No more lies, Jenna…”

  The last word he uttered almost brought her to her knees. Soft, pleading, almost desperate.

  She nodded once. “I am afraid. I’m sorry…you need to know that it’s not you.”

  Gideon folded his arms. “What are you afraid of then?”

  Breathing deeply, she kept her eyes on him. “Are you going to listen to what I have to say this time?”

  He shook his head. “I want you to go.” His eyes were dark and narrowed.

  She shook her head, putting her hands on her hips. Be brave Jenna. This is your chance. “I’m not going anywhere. Hear me out…please.”

  “I saw the answers with my own two eyes. I don’t need any explanations. There is nothing you can say to change my mind so it’s pointless.”

  Jenna clenched her jaw for a few seconds feeling more frustrated than she ever had before. “Then I’m staying right here.”

  His eyes narrowed into hers and he growled softly.

  Adrenaline coursed through her veins. She sucked in a deep breath, fighting for control.

  “I told you that I am not going to hurt you. Why do you keep insisting on being afraid of me?” he stuffed his hands into his pockets.

  “I have my reasons but the explanation would involve a discussion you clearly don’t want to have.”

  “Just go, Jenna. Pack your bags and leave tonight. Lazarus has said that you are not interested in any of the males, but I know better. As soon as you realize we”—he gestured between them—“are never going to happen, you will find another male to take as a mate. I refuse to allow that to happen.”

  “You are wrong. You left me!” She was yelling but couldn’t help it. He could be so damned stubborn. “It was never the other way around. You left.”

  Something ticked in his jaw. “You need to know that if another male chooses you, I will tell him everything. If I have to, I will tell Brant.” He shook his head. “You did a good job hiding evidence of your mate and child.”

  Pain coursed through her, followed closely by anger. “I’m not hiding anything so knock yourself out. Tell everyone about us. It’s what I’ve wanted from the beginning. I don’t want anyone else. Tell them.”

  His eyes blazed. “What game are you playing?”

  She shook her head. “None whatsoever. You left before without giving me a chance to explain properly. Without so much as a backward glance. You”—she pointed her finger at him—“left. You should’ve listened then. We could’ve avoided so much. Don’t make the same mistake. Hear me out…please.”

  “It won’t make a difference.”

  “It might. You never know.” She kept her eyes on him.

  He removed his hands from his pockets and folded his arms across his chest. “Would you agree to leaving immediately if I hear you out?”

  What choice did she have? “Hear me out and then if you want me to go, I will.” She swallowed hard.

  He nodded. “Fine.” He practically snarled the word. “Talk.”

  She felt herself flinch at his harsh tones.

  His expression softened just a smidgen. “Do not be afraid.”

  She sighed, feeling the tension inside her ease, just a little. “You will understand my fear once we have talked.” She looked down at her shoes for a few seconds before looking back up at him. She only hoped that she had the strength to do this.

  The gold flecks in his eyes became more pronounced as they darkened. “I need to stress to you that the chances of whatever you have to say swaying me is very small. I find it difficult to imagine a future with you in it.”

  His words stung but Jenna nodded again. “I understand.” Pain seared her at the thought of leaving here...of leaving him.

  His eyes softened up a little more. “I realize now that humans are very different from us. It’s just…what I thought that we had…what we shared…it should’ve superseded all of our differences. If you really cared for me, Jenna…loved me…” He shook his head, looking so sad and defeated that she took a half a step towards him, wanting to comfort him and to hold him. Knowing that this would be the total opposite of what he wanted, she moved back against the tree waiting for his eyes to once again return to hers.

  “Tell me about your first mate.” His eyes darkened back up and his fists clenched. He actually looked angry.

  Jenna sucked in a deep breath. “Rob and I married far too young. We got
along really well and at first everything was great. We had a really good relationship in all aspects.”

  Gideon growled, causing goosebumps to rise on her arms, legs, her whole body.

  She ignored him and the emotions that coursed through her and carried on. Gideon had said that he wanted the truth. “We had only been dating for about six months when we decided to tie the knot against the wishes of both sets of parents. Everyone said to wait, to get to know each other better first. They were right and we were wrong.” She licked her lips. “At two and a half years of marriage, we found that we were living past one another. I did my thing and he did his. We had separate friends, separate hobbies. I don’t know if you have ever heard the saying like two ships in the night. That’s what we were.

  “We had almost been married for three years when we both decided that we would rather go our separate ways. There was no fighting or arguments. I moved in with my mother and we began making arrangements for the divorce, put the house on the market. It was really quite civil. He’s a really good guy, we just weren’t meant for one another.” She smiled. “I met you a couple of weeks after moving out. Although we were still officially married at the time, as in legally. By that stage, we hadn’t really been together in the longest time. We hadn’t had sex in months.”

  She saw his jaw tense and his muscles bunch.

  “Marriages don’t always work out. I made a mistake. We were young and stupid. We rushed into things.”

  Gideon nodded, his nostrils flared. “How long did it take you after we went our separate ways…” He paused for a few moments and she watched as his throat worked. “For you to mate with the other male? Couldn’t have been more than a few months?” His eyes narrowed and he crossed his arms over his chest. His eyes began to blaze.

  “Liam and I never mated.” She blurted, having to work to maintain eye contact with him.

  “But you were living together and pregnant with his child? That would be considered mated in vampire terms.” His voice had deepened. His chest heaved. His eyes were so dark, so intense. “I can scent your fear again.”

  Jenna struggled to keep her breathing even. Her eyes dropped to the ground. Now that the moment had come, she wasn’t sure that she could go through with it. Panic rose up in her.