Rylee would kill me if I ruined her handiwork. Then again, she was probably upstairs asleep on my sofa, enjoying every minute of her few hours of freedom, and wouldn’t know the difference.
Besides, the whole date thing was now in question. As was the possibility of using the condoms I’d packed just in case.
Unless my vibrator became a whole lot more animated, I doubted they’d be necessary.
“Yes, you do.”
“Any tips?” I fiddled with my earrings.
Yes, I’d gone all out for this man. Lacy matching bra and panty set, the newest pair I owned. Earrings that weren’t bats or ghosts or grim reapers, but dangling silver ropes.
“Let him talk.” Vee turned toward me and inched up to lay her hands on my shoulders. “Don’t ‘Macy’ him. The guy needs support, not snark.”
“I should be insulted by your implication, but right now, I’ll just gratefully take the advice.” I tipped my forehead down to hers. “Thanks. Now go put your feet up and call your husband so he doesn’t march down here with that adorable baby of yours and get more ovaries exploding in the café.”
I walked outside and let the door swing shut behind me. Outside, the chilly August wind batted me back, making me grip the doorknob. I could still go back in. Let Gideon find me when he was ready.
If he was ready.
Hell, I had a power charger for my personal pleasure wand. Who needed men?
Then he turned and glanced my way, and the overhead lights along the back of my building illuminated the stark lines of his face. The hollows of his eyes. His clenched jaw.
And I couldn’t turn away.
I made myself go over to him. To just stand at his side, since he’d finally stopped moving.
“You don’t have to take me out tonight,” I said hoarsely.
So, we were going with that as our way of offering support? Okay, then.
He worked his jaw before glancing down at me with hooded eyes. “The fuck I’m not.”
I shivered, and it wasn’t entirely from the breeze kicking up again. I didn’t have a jacket, but the chill wasn’t what made me swallow hard.
“It’s too cold for this top, much as I like it.” His gaze moved over my bare shoulder as thoroughly as a caress before he whipped off his jacket and tucked it around me. “Don’t argue, Macy. Just do not. Not now.”
I didn’t. I just concentrated on breathing and not letting years of walls and protective barriers crumble under his hot, unflinching stare.
It wasn’t even entirely due to him. I felt guilty and worried about him and Dani and conflicted about doing any of this considering our working relationship.
Considering I already wanted to scale him like a fence and put his post to very good use.
I wasn’t stupid. I knew extreme sexual desire could make people do dumb things. I just hadn’t been in that position for a long time.
Then again, positions—and thinking about the wide variety of them—was half my problem right now.
“Don’t look at me like that either.”
His voice was like a sandpaper touch against my too tight skin. “How?”
“Like you don’t care what I say as long as I use my mouth in other ways.”
I cleared my throat. “What kind of woman do you take me for?”
“An incredibly smart, savvy, beautiful one. Who I very much want to take out tonight, come what may.” He ran a hand through his hair and cursed under his breath. “But it’s all fucked now, because she wants to take my baby from me.”
The pure agony in his voice had me laying a hand on his arm. He glanced down at it as if he didn’t understand what I was doing. I didn’t either.