After we’d cleaned up the mess from

After we’d cleaned up the mess from lunch, I tossed the sponge into the sink and said, “I need to make my Saturday phone call to my dad.”

Gideon shook his head. “Not possible. You’ll have to wait ’til Monday.”

“Huh? Why?”

He caged me to the counter by gripping the edge on either side of me. “No phones.”

“Are you serious? What about your cell phone?” I’d left mine at home before we went to the concert, knowing I had no place to carry it and having no intention of using it anyway.

“It’s heading back to New York with the limo. No Internet, either. I had the modem and phones taken out before we got here.”

I was speechless. With all the responsibilities and commitments he had, cutting himself off for the weekend was . . . unbelievable. “Wow. When’s the last time you fell off the face of the earth like this?”

“Hmm . . . that would be never.”

“There have to be at least a half dozen people freaking out because they can’t run something by you.”

He lifted one shoulder in a careless shrug. “They’ll deal with it.”

Pleasure surged through me. “I have you all to myself?”

“Completely.” His mouth curved in a wicked smile. “What will you do with me, angel?”

I smiled back, ecstatically happy. “I’m sure I’ll think of something.”

* * *

 
We went for a walk on the beach.

I rolled up a pair of Gideon’s pajama bottoms and put on my white tank top, which was indecent since my bra was heading back to New York along with Gideon’s cell phone.

“I have died and gone to heaven,” he pronounced, checking out my chest as we strolled along the shore, “where the embodiment of every wet-dream, spank-bank fantasy of my adolescence is real and totally mine.”

I bumped my shoulder into his. “How do you go from devastatingly romantic to crude in the space of an hour?”

“It’s another one of my many talents.” His gaze dropped again to the prominent points of my nipples, which were hard from exposure to the ocean breeze. He squeezed my hand and gave an exaggerated happy sigh. “Heaven with my angel. It doesn’t get any better than this.”

I had to agree. The beach was beautiful in a moody, untamed way that reminded me a lot of the man whose hand I held. The sounds of the surf and the crying of the gulls filled me with a unique sense of contentment. The water was cold on my bare feet, and the wind whipped my hair across my face. It had been a long time since I’d felt so good, and I was grateful to Gideon for giving us this time away to enjoy each other. We were perfect together when we were alone.

“You like it here,” he noted.

“I’ve always loved being close to the water. My mother’s second husband had a lake house. I remember walking along the shore like this with her and thinking I’d buy something on the water for myself one day.”

He released my hand and draped his arm around my shoulders instead. “So let’s do it. How about this place? You like it?”

I glanced up at him, loving the sight of the wind sifting through his hair. “Is it for sale?”

He looked down the stretch of beach in front of us. “Everything’s for sale at the right price.”

“Do you like it?”

“The interior’s a little cold with all that white, although I like the master bedroom the way it is. We could change all the rest. Make it more us.”

“Us,” I repeated, wondering what that would be. I loved his apartment with its old world elegance. I think he felt comfortable at my place, which was more modern traditional. Combining the two . . . “Big step, buying a property together.”

“Inevitable step,” he corrected. “You told Dr. Petersen failure isn’t an option.”

“Yep, I did.” We walked a little farther in silence. I tried to figure out how I felt about Gideon wanting to have a more tangible tie between us. I also wondered why he’d choose joint property ownership as the way to achieve it. “So I take it you like it here, too?”

“I like the beach.” He brushed his hair back from his face. “There’s a picture of me and my father building a sand castle on a beach.”

It was a miracle my steps didn’t falter. Gideon volunteered so little information about his past that when he did, it was nearly an earthshaking event. “I’d like to see it.”

“My mother has it.” We took a few more steps before he said, “I’ll get it for you.”

“I’ll go with you.” He hadn’t told me why yet, but he’d told me once that the Vidal home was a nightmare for him. I suspected that whatever was at the root of his parasomnia had taken place there.

Gideon’s chest expanded on a deep breath. “I can have it couriered.”

“All right.” I turned my head to kiss his bruised knuckles where they rested on my shoulder. “But my offer stands.”

“What did you think of my mother?” he asked suddenly.

“She’s very beautiful. Very elegant. She seemed gracious.” I studied him, seeing Elizabeth Vidal’s inky black hair and stunning blue eyes. “She also seems to love you a lot. It was in her eyes when she looked at you.”

He kept looking straight ahead. “She didn’t love me enough.”

My breath left me in a rush. Because I didn’t know what had given him such tormenting nightmares, I’d wondered if maybe she’d loved him too much. It was a relief to know that wasn’t the case. It was awful enough that his father committed suicide. To be betrayed by his mother, too, might be more than he could ever recover from.

“How much is enough, Gideon?”

His jaw tightened. His chest expanded on a deep breath. “She didn’t believe me.”

I came to a dead stop and pivoted to face him. “You told her what happened to you? You told her and she didn’t believe you?”

His gaze was trained over my head. “It doesn’t matter now. It’s long done.”

“Bullshit. It matters. It matters a lot.” I was furious for him. Furious that a mother hadn’t done her job and stood by her child. Furious that the child had been Gideon. “I bet it hurts like fucking hell, too.”

His gaze lowered to my face. “Look at you, so pissed off and upset. I shouldn’t have said anything.”

“You should’ve said something earlier.”

The tension in his shoulders eased and his mouth curved ruefully. “I haven’t told you anything.”

“Gideon—”

“And of course you believe me, angel. You’ve had to sleep in a bed with me.”

I grabbed his face in my hands and stared hard up into his eyes. “I. Believe. You.”

His face contorted with pain for a split second before he picked me up in a bear hug. “Eva.”

I slung my legs around his waist and wrapped my arms around his shoulders. “I believe you.”

Hasil (Bahasa Indonesia) 1:

Setelah kami telah membersihkan kekacauan dari makan siang, aku melemparkan spons ke wastafel dan berkata, "Saya perlu untuk membuat panggilan telepon Sabtu untuk ayahku."Gideon menggelengkan kepala. "Tidak mungkin. Anda akan harus menunggu 'til Senin.""Ya? Kenapa?"Ia dikurung saya ke counter oleh mencengkeram tepi di kedua sisi saya. "Tidak ada telepon.""Apakah Anda serius? Bagaimana ponsel Anda?" Saya telah meninggalkan saya di rumah sebelum kami pergi ke konser, mengetahui aku tidak punya tempat untuk membawanya dan memiliki tidak berniat menggunakan pula."Itu adalah menuju kembali ke New York dengan limusin. Ada Internet, baik. Aku punya modem dan ponsel yang dibawa keluar sebelum kami sampai di sini."Saya tercengang. Dengan semua tanggung jawab dan komitmen yang dia punya, memotong dirinya untuk akhir pekan ini... luar biasa. "Wow. Ketika itu terakhir kali Anda jatuh dari muka bumi seperti ini?""Hmm... itu akan menjadi tidak pernah.""Ada harus setidaknya setengah lusin orang panik karena mereka tidak dapat menjalankan sesuatu oleh Anda."Ia mengangkat bahu satu dalam mengangkat bahu ceroboh. "Mereka akan berurusan dengan itu."Kesenangan melonjak melalui saya. "Saya memiliki Anda semua untuk diri sendiri?""Sepenuhnya." Mulutnya melengkung di senyum yang jahat. "Apa yang akan Anda lakukan dengan saya, malaikat?"Aku tersenyum kembali, kegirangan bahagia. "Saya yakin aku akan memikirkan sesuatu."* * * Kami pergi untuk berjalan-jalan di pantai.Aku menggulung sepasang Gideon piyama pantat dan meletakkan di atas tangki saya putih, iaitu tidak senonoh karena bra-ku sedang menuju kembali ke New York bersama dengan Bala Tentera Gideon ponsel."Aku telah meninggal dan pergi ke surga," Ia diucapkan, memeriksa dada saya seperti kita berjalan di sepanjang pantai, "mana perwujudan dari setiap mimpi basah, memukul-bank fantasi masa remaja saya adalah nyata dan benar-benar saya."Saya bertemu bahu saya ke dalam. "Bagaimana Anda pergi dari meluluhkan romantis untuk minyak mentah dalam waktu satu jam?""Itu adalah salah satu dari banyak bakat saya." Tatapan turun lagi poin yang menonjol dari puting saya, yang keras dari paparan angin laut. Dia meremas tanganku dan memberi napas bahagia berlebihan. "Surga dengan malaikat. Tidak bisa lebih baik daripada ini."Saya harus setuju. Pantai yang indah di jalan murung, liar yang mengingatkan saya banyak orang tangan siapakah aku memegang. Suara ombak dan menangis camar dipenuhi dengan rasa kepuasan yang unik. Air adalah dingin di kakiku telanjang, dan angin whipped rambut saya di wajah saya. Sudah lama sejak aku akan merasa begitu baik, dan saya berterima kasih kepada Gideon untuk memberikan kita kali ini untuk menikmati satu sama lain. Kami adalah sempurna bersama-sama ketika kami sendirian."Anda seperti itu di sini," katanya."Aku selalu mencintai yang dekat dengan air. Suami kedua ibu saya memiliki sebuah rumah danau. Aku ingat berjalan sepanjang pantai seperti ini dengannya dan berpikir saya akan membeli sesuatu di atas air untuk diriku sendiri suatu hari."Dia merilis tanganku dan dikalungkan lengannya di pundak saya sebagai gantinya. "Jadi, mari kita melakukannya. Bagaimana tentang tempat ini? Anda seperti itu?"Aku melirik ke atas dia, mencintai mata angin memilah-milah rambutnya. "Apakah itu dijual?"Ia menunduk hamparan pantai di depan kita. "Semuanya untuk dijual pada harga yang tepat.""Apakah Anda suka itu?""Interior yang sedikit dingin dengan semua putih itu, meskipun saya suka kamar tidur utama seperti itu. Kita dapat mengubah seluruh. Membuatnya lebih US.""Kami," diulang-ulang saya, bertanya-tanya apa yang akan menjadi. Aku mencintai apartemennya dengan keanggunan dunia lama. Saya pikir dia merasa nyaman di tempat saya, yang lebih modern tradisional. Menggabungkan dua... "Langkah besar, membeli properti bersama-sama.""Langkah tak terelakkan," ia mengoreksi. "Anda mengatakan Dr Petersen kegagalan bukanlah pilihan.""Ya, saya lakukan." Kami berjalan sedikit lebih jauh dalam keheningan. Aku mencoba untuk mencari tahu bagaimana aku merasa tentang Gideon yang ingin memiliki dasi lebih nyata antara kami. Saya juga bertanya-tanya mengapa ia memilih kepemilikan properti bersama sebagai cara untuk mencapainya. "Jadi saya bawa Anda suka di sini, juga?""Saya suka pantai." Ia menyisir rambut kembali dari wajahnya. "Ada gambar saya dan ayah saya membangun istana pasir di pantai."Itu adalah keajaiban langkah-langkah saya tidak goyah. Gideon sukarela begitu sedikit informasi tentang masa lalunya ketika ia melakukannya, itu hampir acara exotis. "Saya ingin melihatnya.""Ibuku memiliki itu." Kami mengambil beberapa langkah sebelum ia berkata, "Aku akan mendapatkannya untuk Anda.""Aku akan pergi dengan Anda." Dia tidak mengatakan kepada saya mengapa belum, tetapi dia telah mengatakan kepada saya sekali bahwa Vidal rumah adalah mimpi buruk bagi-Nya. Aku menduga bahwa apa pun adalah akar dari parasomnia nya telah terjadi tidak.Gideon dada diperluas pada napas dalam-dalam. "Saya dapat memiliki itu dikirimkan.""Baiklah." Aku menoleh kepala saya mencium jarinya memar di mana mereka beristirahat di pundak saya. "Tapi berdiri Penawaran saya.""Apa yang Anda pikirkan ibuku?" tanyanya tiba-tiba."Dia sangat indah. Sangat elegan. Dia tampak ramah." Aku mengamati dia melihat Elizabeth Vidal tinta hitam rambut, dan mata biru yang menakjubkan. "Dia juga tampaknya cinta Anda banyak. Itu di matanya ketika dia memandang Anda."Dia terus melihat lurus ke depan. "Dia tidak mencintaiku cukup."Napas meninggalkan aku terburu-buru. Karena aku tidak tahu apa yang telah diberikan kepadanya seperti mimpi buruk tormenting, aku bertanya-tanya jika mungkin dia telah mencintainya terlalu banyak. Itu adalah bantuan untuk tahu itu tidak terjadi. Itu mengerikan cukup bahwa ayahnya melakukan bunuh diri. Untuk dapat dikhianati oleh ibunya, juga, mungkin lebih dari dia pernah bisa sembuh dari."Berapa banyak yang cukup, Gideon?"Rahang beliau diperketat. Dadanya diperluas pada napas dalam-dalam. "Dia tidak percaya saya."Aku datang ke sebuah mati berhenti dan diputar menghadapi dia. "Anda mengatakan apa yang terjadi padamu? Anda menyuruhnya dan dia tidak percaya Anda? "Tatapan dilatih atas kepalaku. "Itu tidak penting sekarang. Lama dilakukan."“Bullshit. It matters. It matters a lot.” I was furious for him. Furious that a mother hadn’t done her job and stood by her child. Furious that the child had been Gideon. “I bet it hurts like fucking hell, too.”His gaze lowered to my face. “Look at you, so pissed off and upset. I shouldn’t have said anything.”“You should’ve said something earlier.”The tension in his shoulders eased and his mouth curved ruefully. “I haven’t told you anything.”“Gideon—”“And of course you believe me, angel. You’ve had to sleep in a bed with me.”I grabbed his face in my hands and stared hard up into his eyes. “I. Believe. You.”His face contorted with pain for a split second before he picked me up in a bear hug. “Eva.”I slung my legs around his waist and wrapped my arms around his shoulders. “I believe you.”