Page 26 of Lethal Salvation

“I don’t always. It’s like anything, the longer you do it the easier it gets, but...”

She stopped and he turned his body so he was facing her as she kept her body to the glass. Her head was high, chin proud, but he saw a moment of vulnerability in the exhale before she smiled and turned to him. “But?”

“There are always the cases that slip past your defences and become more personal.”

“Is this one of those cases?”

He was almost holding his breath as he waited for her answer. He stepped closer until her arm was brushing his chest and the room felt charged with tension, some of it sexual for sure. But it was more than just sex, it was something he wasn’t sure he wanted to define. He just knew that this woman was important to him in a way that could change his life. It terrified him but he had the urge to lean into it instead of fighting it as he’d been these last months. To let things happen and see where they ended up.

“Yes.”

He was about to ask her in what way it was different but the sound of the elevator announcing a visitor had them both snapping out of the little bubble of truth they’d shared.

Nadia gave him a searching look filled with heat and something he couldn’t define before she moved from the window to greet her people. He followed, his eyes glued to the beautiful woman who was so dangerous to him.

Watching her in his space seemed natural as if she belonged there and he found he wanted her to stay. She warmed the cold spots of his penthouse, lighting them with a sense of home.

Stepping forward, he dropped his shoulders, lifting his chin as four men and a woman came into view. Nadia greeted them warmly, openly, and he saw true affection move between the group. Something he’d never really had, either at work or at home, at least not since his mother died.

“Gideon, I’d like you to meet the team and my friends.”

Her smile was small as she stepped beside him, planting herself in his court and it felt significant to him that she did it. Although maybe he was reading into things that weren’t there in an effort to make up for how blind he’d been.

“Nice to meet you.”

Nadia motioned to the first man. “This is Bás, my boss.”

The man was tall and broad, with an air of ‘I will hunt you down and kill you if you so much as breath at me wrong’. He was intimidating as fuck and that was from someone who was always considered the one to be wary of.

“Don’t listen to her, she’s the one who keeps us in line.”

His accent had an Irish lilt that was mellow but there in the way he said his D’s making them sound almost like a J.

Nadia snorted and then moved on to the next man. “This is Hurricane. He’s been in London the last few days watching my six.”

All of these men were huge but this guy was next level. This man had the shoulders of a linebacker, black skin, and hair cut close to his skull. He looked like he could crush you with one big fist but when he reached forward to shake Gideon’s hand, his grin was warm and sincere, and Gideon had the feeling he was a big teddy bear.

“Good to meet you, Gideon.”

“Likewise.”

“This is Titan.”

Titan was a good name for him. He was tall, his skin black but not as dark as Hurricane’s, but his nod in greeting was more watchful than the other two men so far. Gideon got the feeling he was sizing him up before making a judgment.

Gideon nodded back, letting them lead the introductions and size him up as he was them.

“Next up is Lotus. Don’t take any notice of her sharp tongue. She’s a pussy cat.”

He looked at the petite woman with dark hair and a face made for the cover of a magazine and knew without a doubt she’d be the one to take him down if he so much as stepped out of line.

“If by pussy cat you mean sleek panther, then yeah, that’s me.”

Gideon smiled as he took her hand. Her grip was firm and no-nonsense as was the look she gave him. “Nice to meet you, Lotus.”

“Lastly and by no means least, is Reaper.”

“Hell, are all your names meant to scare the crap out of people?”