The sensation shot straight to his core, stealing his breath. He leaned in, ready to deepen the kiss, only for her to suddenly pull back and spring to her feet.
"It's late. You should sleep."
She fled, her heart pounding wildly.
Gideon remained there, stunned, the memory of her softness still lingering on his lips. He had been so close to claiming her, yet she had run.
'Why?'
She wanted this, and he was sure of it. So why did she leave?
Restlessness gnawed at him. The urge to follow her, to make her admit that what they felt was real, that they still belonged together, burned within him. But he forced himself to stay put.
"Patience," he murmured at last. "She'll come to me eventually."
When Summer finally reached the quiet of her room, she pressed her back against the door and sucked in a shaky breath. Her heart was still racing. She lifted her trembling fingers to her lips as if only now realizing what had happened.
