Total pages in book: 133
Estimated words: 126589 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 633(@200wpm)___ 506(@250wpm)___ 422(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 126589 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 633(@200wpm)___ 506(@250wpm)___ 422(@300wpm)
“You don’t have to flap your lashes at me to get me to do shit for you, Beth,” he told her truthfully. “All you have to do is ask. And maybe flash some cleavage. Or better yet, cleavage combined with a wiggle in your walk and I’ll be your fucking slave.”
“Really?” She sounded doubtful.
“Absolutely. Tits and arse. I’m that basic.”
“So you’ll let me drive?” she asked.
He kept his eyes on the road and responded with no hesitation. “Nope.”
The long-suffering sigh coming from the passenger seat made him smile.
He caught the movement of her hands out of the corner of his eye, and was aware of her turning in the seat to face him
“What about… now?”
He shouldn’t look. He really should keep his eyes on the road. He definitely should not look.
He looked.
Fuck.
She’d unbuttoned the pretty floaty, flowery blouse far enough for him to see those small perky breasts, so prettily plumped by a pink, lacy bra.
He swallowed heavily and quickly diverted his attention back to the road.
“Still no, you evil temptress,” he growled, and she laughed.
“I’ll be sure to put some extra wiggle in my walk when we get to the wine estate later.”
“You don’t think you’ve tortured me enough these last couple of weeks?”
“No c-clue what you’re talking about,” she lied breezily.
“You’re a monster,” he said, with a morose shake of his head.
“Still n-no idea why you’d say that.”
She crossed her legs at the thighs and Gideon’s eyes were drawn downward. Oh, she truly was a villain. At first glance, she appeared to be wearing a long, pleated—seemingly modest skirt—but once she’d crossed her legs, the skirt fell open at the thigh, revealing a slit he hadn’t known was there until right now. The car swerved, and the car behind them honked in protest.
“Oh my God, eyes on the road, Gideon,” Beth squealed.
“Well, stop flashing your tits and thighs at me and maybe I’ll be able to focus better, woman! You’re going to be the fucking end of me. Of us both if you keep this up.”
“Fine.” She dragged her skirt back over the silky expanse of toned flesh and Gideon’s heart palpitations eased up slightly, even though he felt a twinge of regret at the cover up.
“So when do you think you’re going to stop punishing me for the nighttime spying?”
“I’m not punishing you.”
“What would you call it?”
“Call what?”
“What you’re doing in front of your windows every night after dark.”
“What do you mean?”
“The dancing and the slow undressing, teasing, tantalizing flashes of flesh…”
“Oh, but I thought you were no longer watching, Gideon,” she said, her tone completely artless. “You were supposed to stop, remember? I thought my home was back to being perfectly safe from prying eyes. And just because I happened to do a little bit of dancing in front of my windows, doesn’t mean you should continue watching.”
“Wicked,” he growled. “Wicked, wild, and wanton woman.”
She burst into happy laughter at his words.
“I appreciate a bit of alliteration as much as the next person, Gideon, but wanton? Have we somehow slipped into the 1600’s without my knowledge? Because that’s where that word belongs.”
“Menacing minx,” he said with relish, really leaning into the m’s.
“Oh, please stop,” she begged, laughing so hard now she was actually clutching her sides. “You sound the hero in an overwrought historical romance.”
“You knew I was watching. You wanted me to watch. Admit it.”
“Did you like what you saw?” Her voice had gone raspy, and a quick glance up at her confirmed that her eyes had slid to half-mast while her cheeks were flushed.
She looked turned on as hell. And that was turning him on.
“You damned well know I did,” he told her from between gritted teeth, squirming uncomfortably in his seat as the memory of some of those little performances—along with the sensual expression on her face—sent his cock rock hard again.
She smiled. The tiniest, smuggest smile he’d ever seen in his life.
“I’m glad.”
And there was nothing more to be said after that. She had checkmated him with those feminine wiles he’d been mocking just a few minutes ago and he hadn’t even seen it coming.
Chapter Eighteen
“Kenny!” Beth stood back and watched as Gideon engulfed his tall, slender sister in a bear hug. The woman had been waiting to meet them in the foyer of the swanky Cape Dutch styled mansion.
The effortlessly elegant woman with the black hair and blue-gray eyes looked a lot like Gideon. Only that male beauty didn’t translate as well onto female features. She wouldn’t be considered beautiful or pretty by flawed conventional standards. Yet, there was something striking and undeniably attractive about her.
She also exuded the type of sophistication that only came with wealth and privilege.
“Gideon, you’re looking well. I half-expected you to show up in torn jeans and a hoodie,” she said, running her critical gaze over his dark blue cargo pants, white button-down shirt, brown hiking boots and a dark brown waxed canvas jacket. Beth thought he looked hot as hell in the outfit.