Chapter 16

CHAPTER 16

I must have been out of my godforsaken mind!

The next three days unfolded in slow agony, Amelia's heart and mind tugging her in every which way. She knew that she should maintain her distance from Gideon, that she should try to let the next few weeks pass by without incident until she received her inheritance. That was the only thing she should be focusing on.

Yet, try as she might, the scene from the dining room remained seared in her memory—what might have happened if she hadn't come to her senses.

She let out a sigh, then began nibbling on her bottom lip as her gaze kept darting to the door. She was tired of hiding. She had sought refuge in her library, hoping that writing might clear the fog from her mind, but found she couldn't focus on anything.

Yet she didn't want to leave. She couldn't. Here, she was safe. Yes, three days had gone by. But three days had gone by in peace and she was beginning to hope that the same would hold true until she received what she wanted. A confrontation with Gideon would only muddle her feelings further, a complication she felt ill-equipped to handle at the moment.

Amelia tapped her feet. Perhaps it would not be so bad to just stretch her legs a little though, would it? And should their paths cross, she could pretend that nothing of significance happened. She was one-and-twenty after all, a woman in her own right. She might not have any experience in that regard, but she was mature enough to maintain her poise as a lady ought to, surely?

That's right , she thought to herself, standing tall and marching over to the door with renewed vigor. It happened and it passed. There is nothing more to it.

The moment she swung open the door, however, her newfound confidence died in her chest.

Gideon stood there, an imposing figure with an air of regal confidence, his hands casually tucked deep in his pockets. A single arched brow from him was enough to make her knees go weak. Desperately, she clung to the door's edge with all the strength she could muster.

"And where might you be rushing off to in such a hurry?" he asked, his deep baritone caressing her insides, rekindling the dormant embers of desire.

Amelia tried to quell the rapid beating of her heart. Seeing him now only flooded her with memories, memories of him hovering over her, lips fervently worshiping her nipples, his fingers dancing a tantalizing ballet between her thighs…

"Am I invisible?" he added with a frown, and Amelia snapped back to the present.

"Why—why were you lurking outside my chamber?" she managed to say past her suddenly dry throat.

"I was on my way to visit you actually," he answered easily. "I did not expect to have the door swung open in my face, however. You seemed to be on a mission."

He was acting… normal. As if nothing happened. How? How could he look at her with that casual curiosity when he'd had her panting and pliant in his arms just a few days ago?

Because I am not the first lady he has done such things with , she remembered suddenly. That thought was like cold water, dousing the flames of her desire. Gideon had made it no secret that he was a rake, after all. Such things must be normal for him.

For some reason, the mere thought of him caressing another woman in the way he had touched her filled her with an unexpected bitterness. She raised her chin defiantly as it escaped her in a sharp voice. "It is none of your business."

He didn't seem perturbed by her tart tone if that smirk of his was any indication. "Oh, I see. You were going to see me, weren't you?"

"Certainly not!" she protested.

"Then why are you blushing, Amelia?" As if he was tired of standing at the threshold, Gideon shouldered his way in. The room, which moments ago felt like her sanctuary, suddenly seemed a lot smaller.

Amelia opened her mouth to protest again, then caught herself in time. She was not about to engage in a verbal sparring match with him, especially not when he seemed to take delight in teasing her. "Are you going to tell me why you're here, or did you just come to waste my time?" she asked, folding her arms.

Gideon stopped in his tracks, then turned to regard her with raised brows. "My, how feisty. Who would have thought you had such a bite on you, my dear?"

"Only when someone insists on trying my patience."

Gideon chuckled, a deep, resonant sound that made her heart flutter despite her irritation. "I must say, you are quite adorable when you're so riled up," he said, closing the distance between them in a few swift steps. His bandaged hand came up to gently lift her chin, forcing her to meet his gaze. Then, he frowned. "Have you been sleeping well?"

Caught off guard by his sudden concern, she hesitated before answering honestly, "Not really."

"Why is that?"

Because my dreams are filled with you. "I don't know. Perhaps I am not yet comfortable here."

Gideon frowned again as if he didn't like her answer. "And have you been eating well?"

"Here and there."

"You should have at least three meals a day, Amelia," he chided gently.

"Since when have my eating habits concerned you?"

"I've said it before, have I not? I cannot have you wasting away under my roof, or it may give some people the impression that I do not treat you well."

"Maybe that is exactly what I'm hoping for," she said lightly. Gideon narrowed his eyes and Amelia couldn't resist the urge to lean into her jest—which deep down, she understood held a modicum of truth. "Perhaps my grand plan is to tarnish your reputation even further."

"Then you will have to do far more than just miss a few meals."

"Is that a challenge?"

His hazel eyes darkened with something she couldn't name. "Careful, my dear. I, too, have a tendency to lose control when pushed too far."

There was something hidden in his words. Amelia swallowed past the lump in her throat, the humor that had been mounting in her fizzling away as she was instantly brought back to their time together a few days ago. She watched, entranced, as he slightly tilted his head—as if he was well aware of the direction her thoughts had taken—because his were in the exact same place. The fleeting glance he gave to her lips didn't go unnoticed, nor did the gentle caress of her chin before he finally let his hand drop to his side.

Suddenly, there was nothing Amelia wanted more than for him to kiss her again. She was terrified of this longing, as if it was a voracious entity devouring her sanity. Her fingers itched with the urge to graze his stubble, to trace her fingertips across his lips, to feel his tongue against her skin. She could almost imagine him drawing her fingers into his mouth, sucking gently, before pulling her into his embrace. Amelia saw him lower his head into the crook of her neck, gently trailing his tongue upward, lingering just beneath her earlobe…

"Actually, there is another reason I have come to see you," he stated suddenly, jolting her from her lewd reveries. Amelia flushed in embarrassment and quickly put a few feet of distance between them. She couldn't think straight when he was near, she realized.

"What…" Amelia cleared her throat, gathering herself. "What is it?"

Gideon didn't move from where he stood. "I came to inform you that I will be away from the castle for a few days."

"A few days? Why?"

"Business matters. Nothing you need to concern yourself with."

"Business matters or matters concerning the Masked Rogue?" she asked boldly without thinking.

Frustration flashed in his eyes. "God, you're persistent. Whether it is or not, it is still none of your concern."

"Then why did you bother to come all the way here to tell me? You could have disappeared and I would have been none the wiser."

Gideon opened his mouth to respond, but then shut it again as if he hadn't thought of anything quickly enough. Shaking his head, he finally said, "I don't know why I came here. I just… thought you should know. But I suppose you're right. You have seemed perfectly content distancing yourself from me these past three days, after all."

Was she mistaken or did he sound… sulky?

"I shall leave you be then," Gideon said, turning back to the door. "If you prefer your own company, then I won't intrude any longer."

"That's not what I meant," Amelia tried to explain, though she couldn't fathom why she felt such guilt.

"Perhaps I shall see you when I return," he stated, his tone now formal. Without looking back, he left the room, and it took everything in her not to go after him.