“I don’t think you do. This” –he gestured impatiently at himself– “is just a fucking shell. You’re what drives me, Eva. Can you understand that? You’re my heart and soul. If something ever happened to you it would kill me, too. Keeping you safe is goddamned self-preservation! Tolerate it for me, if you won’t do it for yourself.”I surged into him, knocking him off-balance and onto his back. I kissed him hard, my heart pounding and blood roaring in my ears.“I hate to freak you out,” I murmured between desperate kisses, “but you’ve got it real bad for me.”

“Gideon cupped my face in his hands and kissed me, our flavors mingling. “Thank you.”“What are you thanking me for? You did all the work.”“There’s no work involved in fucking you, angel.” His slow smile was pure satiated male. “I’m grateful for the privilege.”I sank back onto my heels. “You’re killing me. You can’t be that gorgeous and sexy and say stuff like that. It’s overload. It fries my brain. Sends me into a meltdown.”His smile widened and he kissed me again. “I know the feeling.”

“I WAS seriously hurt because of you. Seeing you in another guy's arms, kissing him... It shredded me, Eva. Cut me open and left me bleeding. I kicked he ass in self-defense.”

“I love you, Gideon.”“God.” He looked at me with something that resembled disgust. Whether it was directed at me or himself, I didn’t know. “How can you say that?”“Because it’s the truth.”“You just see this”—he gestured at himself with a wave of his hand. “You’re not seeing the fucked-up, broken mess inside.”I inhaled sharply. “You can say that to me? When you know I’m fucked up and broken, too?”

“What are you doing?" he breathed. "You're going around, stirring up everything.""I've got time on my hands," I shot back, just as breathless, "since I dumped my asshat boyfriend."He growled, fiercely passionate, his hand in my hair pulling so tightly it pained me."You can't make this up with a kiss or a f*ck, Gideon. Not this time."Gideon & Eva”

“He caught me to him and cupped my cheek in one hand. “I want to keep feeling the way I feel when I’m with you. Just tell me what I have to do.”

“Love can be lost and found again. But that won’t happen for me. I won’t survive without you, Eva.”