Book 1 - Page 19 (1/2)
It was the Stoli and cranberry. I pounded it, draining the tumbler. My stomach churned for a moment, then settled. ”You own the building I live in?” I gasped.
”Oddly enough, yes.” He moved to sit on the table, facing me, his legs on either side of mine. He took my gla.s.s and set it aside; then warmed my chilled hands with his.
”Are you crazy, Gideon?”
His mouth thinned. ”Is that a serious question?”
”Yes. Yes, it is. My mom stalks me, too, and she sees a shrink. Do you have a shrink?”
”Not presently, but you're driving me crazy enough to make that a possibility.”
”So this behavior isn't normal for you?” My heart was pounding. I could hear the blood rus.h.i.+ng past my eardrums. ”Or is it?”
He shoved a hand through his hair, restoring order to the strands I'd mussed when we'd kissed. ”I accessed information you voluntarily made available to me.”
”Not to you! Not for what you used it for! That has to violate some kind of privacy law.” I stared at him, more confused than ever. ”Why would you do that?”
He had the grace to look disgruntled at least. ”So I can figure you out, d.a.m.n it.”
”Why don't you just ask me, Gideon? Is that so f**king hard for people to do nowadays?”
”It is with you.” He grabbed his drink off the table and tossed back most of it. ”I can't get you alone for more than a few minutes at a time.”
”Because the only thing you want to talk about is what you have to do to get laid!”
”Christ, Eva,” he hissed, squeezing my hand. ”Keep your voice down!”
I studied him, taking in every line and plane of his face. Unfortunately, cataloging the details didn't lessen my awe even a tiny bit. I was beginning to suspect I'd never get over being dazzled by his looks.
And I wasn't alone; I'd seen how other women reacted around him. And he was crazy rich, which made even old, bald, and paunchy guys attractive. It was no wonder he was used to snapping his fingers and scoring an o.r.g.a.s.m.
His gaze darted over my face. ”Why are you looking at me like that?”
”I'm thinking.”
”About what?” His jaw tightened. ”And I'm warning you, if you say anything about orifices, preapprovals, or seminal emissions, I won't be held accountable for my actions.”
That almost made me smile. ”I want to understand a few things, because I think it's possible I'm not giving you enough credit.”
”I'd like to understand a few things myself,” he muttered.
”I'm guessing the 'I want to f**k you' approach has a high success rate for you.”
Gideon's face smoothed into unreadable impa.s.sivity. ”I'm not touching that one, Eva.”
”Okay. You want to figure out what it's going to take to get me into bed. Is that why you're here in this club right now? Because of me? And don't say what you think I want to hear.”