Free Tempting Nora by A.M. Evanston Page A

"There isn't a catch."
    " There's always a catch." She glowered.
    "Nora, the only thing I want to do is eat dinner." Gideon eyes blazed as he looked at her.
    Good grief, the guy was smoldering at her again. His powers of seduction were so strong that several women at surrounding tables were caught in his trap and stared.
    "I thought you weren't interested in dating women." She wrinkled her nose. "This seems like a date to me. Why would you even bother to bribe my friend to spend an evening with me?"
    Gideon didn't say anything.
    "Answer me or I'll leave." Nora narrowed her eyes.
    "I think you know why I'm doing this." Gideon leaned closer. "The more time you spend with me, the more you'll like me. You'll give in eventually."
    "Yeah, right." She laughed. "The more time I spend with you, the more I think you're annoying."
    Her outburst didn't appear to upset Gideon. Instead he gave her a knowing grin and grabbed her arm. She tried to pull away, but his grip was so strong she couldn't. He flipped her hand over so it was palm side up and ran his fingertips over her skin. Tingles spread from where he touched to the tips of her fingers. Startled by her feelings, she looked straight into her eyes—which turned out to be her gravest error. Her brain was instantly electrified.
    "I can tell I'm growing on you, despite what you sa y," he whispered seductively. "Do you want me to list all of the things I think you like about me?"
    "Um…" She blinked.
    She'd forgotten how overpowering his intense caramel eyes could be. One look and she turned into a gibbering moron.
    "You like the fact you can argue with me," he said.
    "What?" she sputtered.
    " Arguing turns you on." Gideon's voice was husky.
    "Uh-uh." Uh-uh? The best she could come up with was uh-uh?
    His grin widening, Gideon ran his fingertips up the inside of her wrist and traced the blue veins. The skin was sensitive and she shivered from his touch. Nobody had ever caressed her there before. She gulped, completely under his power, as he drew her arm up to his lips.
    "Don't," she said.
    He laid a peck on her wrist, making her gasp.
    "You like the way I helped you the day it rained," Gideon said. "I can be good and I can be very, very bad. You find that fact intriguing."
    She had no idea what he was talking about. All she was paying attention to was the gentle journey his thumb was making down the inside of her arm. When he reached her elbow, he ran his fingers into the crook, a roguish smile on his face.
    " Give me more time and I'll have you back at my place." Gideon leaned across the table and whispered in her ear, "And you'll love every moment of it."
    Love…every… moment…of…
    Whoa, wait a second. Where had her scruples gone? One moment she'd been fine, the next her brain was flying out the window. She didn't know how Gideon had managed to make her brain numb, but she sure as heck wasn't falling for his tricks. And he had some nerve, kissing her wrist inside of a crowded restaurant! Didn't he notice how many people were staring?
    "Gideon," she said.
    "Uh-huh?" His voice was husky. Obviously he thought he still had her under his spell.
    "Let go of my arm," she said. "And if you kiss me one more time, I'll rip your ears off and feed them to my cat."
    Gideon froze but didn't release her. So be it. She seized her spoon—the closest thing she could reach—and whacked him over the head with it. He straightened up with a grunt, clutching the spot on his head where she'd whacked him. If people weren't staring before, they were now.
    "It hurt, didn't it?" She was pleased by his dumbfounded expression.
    "What the he ck?" Gideon rubbed his head.
    "I won't hesitate to do that again if you so much as lay a finger on me, are we clear?" She pointed the spoon at him threateningly.
    "Crystal." Gideon nodded, his mouth thin.
    "Good." She crossed her arms. "Now let's get one thing straight. I will not sleep with you. The answer is no and the answer will always be no . I'm saving myself for