Chapter 2
“Are we there yet?” he said instead, looking out the window. “The sooner we get this done, the sooner I can get something to eat.”
“In about ten minutes,” Jesse answered. “Why didn’t you eat something before we left?”
“Are you going to buy anything tonight?” Emma asked, facing Gideon. “The catalogue Michelle gave us looked really interesting.”
The glow of the streetlights they passed cast her normally dark-blonde hair in silver, and for a moment, Gideon savored her porcelain beauty. Though she had started out as a client Jesse was determined to save, Emma had slid into their insular lives effortlessly, finding a niche that seemed to have been carved just for her. Calling her a friend felt inadequate. She had been there—done too much—for such a simple term to suffice. For Jesse, she was a companion, sharing interests, sharing humor, drawing him back into a world of light when he’d spent so much time with Gideon in the dark. For Gideon, however, she was a reminder of what he’d spent so many years trying to escape. She had been so lonely when they’d first met her. It was a guilty pleasure to be able to strip her of that.
“My sole purpose here tonight is to make sure Jesse doesn’t bankrupt the business,” he said. “So if this is your clever way to get me lost in a different room while he spends a small fortune on books we don’t need, you’re out of luck.”
“Gideon, I resent that,” Jesse said. “I have a much better plan in mind.”
“It better involve lots and lots of blow jobs then.”
He could hear Jesse’s frown in his voice. “Well, it does. Am I getting that predictable?”
“No, it just means you’re smart enough to know the only thing that’ll work to distract me.”
“See,” Jesse said, “I told you I had this under control.”
Emma nodded. “So are you going to try to get your hands on that first edition you were talking about?”
The conversation lapsed into a round of taunts and teases that had Gideon relaxed by the time they reached their destination. He had to wait until they were out of the car before climbing out himself—and he really had to talk to Jesse about getting a four-door vehicle one of these days—but Emma looped her arm through his the moment he closed the door behind him, smiling up at Gideon as they followed Jesse up to the sprawling house.
“You really should get something for yourself,” she said. “You never do.”
“I don’t need anything.”
“Who said it had to be about need?”
“Gideon is usually pretty comfortable with taking what he wants, too,” Jesse threw over his shoulder before he slipped into the house.
Gideon only shrugged and led Emma after him. Once they were inside, Jesse was all business. He went directly to the library, pulling a list out of his pocket as he walked. Gideon couldn’t help but wince when he saw there were columns on both sides of the paper. He fervently hoped Michelle did not truly expect Jesse to leave with that many books. His hopes took a mighty blow when Jesse grabbed a box and started to load it up.
“Emma, do you remember what she said about the Harper? First edition only? Because it’s not here.”
She frowned. “It’s supposed to be.” A tiny elderly man sitting at a desk out in the hall caught her eye, and she extricated herself from Gideon’s arm. “I’ll go ask. Maybe somebody got it already.”
The second she was out of sight, Gideon stepped behind Jesse, pressing him into the thick shelves. “So when do I get your mouth on my cock?” he murmured, nuzzling Jesse’s ear.
Jesse’s pulse immediately quickened, but he didn’t visibly react. “As soon as you can find a private corner?”
“And what if I don’t want it to be private?”
“Well, I’m not going to suck your cock in front of all these nice people,” Jesse murmured. “Do you want to go to the club tonight?”
He was stopped from answering by Emma’s return, but instead of moving away, he simply shifted so that he wasn’t pressed quite so close to Jesse’s ass.
“They sold it already.” Her eyes flickered for a moment to Gideon. “You’re not really letting him stop you from getting Michelle’s books, are you?” she said to Jess.
“We’re negotiating,” Jesse answered easily. He picked up a leather bound book and passed it to her. “We’ll get this edition. If she doesn’t want it, I’ll just take it to the office.”
“If it’s not a first edition, that means it’s cheap, right?” When Jesse didn’t answer, Gideon sighed and sat on the edge of a nearby table. “Why do I think this is going to be a very long night?”
* * * *
“Very long” translated to three hours and two, very heavy boxes, carefully stowed in the back of Jesse’s car. Only one of them was for Michelle. Gideon was doing his best not to think about how much money Jesse had actually spent. The only good thing to come out of all this was that now their tab at Michelle’s book store was officially clear.