His words rekindled the memories of all the sexy games they used to play. Gid enjoyed roleplaying and, of course, anything that gave him ultimate control. Through experimentation, they’d learned that Shannon liked light bondage as much as he did. In fact, she burned hotter than a five alarm fire when he tied her up, spread her wide, and made her fully available to him. They also both loved Gideon’s toy box when it was chock full of naughty adult toys.
“When can we go shopping?”
She groaned as the images of so many fantasies, starring Gideon, flooded her mind. There was the one time they’d played teacher and naughty schoolgirl—her body thrummed with sexual tension as she imaging playing it again.
“Hey! Are we swimming today or what?” Eli’s voice moving closer doused their excitement significantly, as they practically leapt apart, hurriedly straightening their clothes. They finger combed each other’s mussed hair as they stared inanely at each other, both with equally silly grins on their faces.
“We’re coming, bud. Your mom needed a private lesson on the alarm system. She’s a little slow.”
She nudged him with her elbow as Eli came in sight, and he laughed as Gid grunted, bending over holding his chest as if he were mortally wounded.
“I’ve got to get my suit on and grab the sunscreen first. I’ll meet you out back.”
Gideon kissed her cheek before moving off after Eli who was sprinting for the back door. “Slow down, bud. Wait until I change. My trunks are in the pool house.”
Shannon laughed as she saw Gid catch up to their son, grab him around the waist, and then carry him like a sack of potatoes as he squealed with delighted laughter.
They swam for several hours, Shannon abandoning the guys after the first to lounge in the sun. Twice Gideon had come up to apply sunscreen to her back on the pretext that he didn’t want her to burn. Shannon knew it was really to touch, tease, and tickle, especially when he was rubbing it into her legs. He let his long fingers play along her skin, dipping between her thighs when he was sure Eli wasn’t looking.
On the next pass of his hand, his fingertips slipped beneath the edge of her bikini bottoms. Stifling a squeal, she half flipped over and admonished playfully, “Gideon! You are getting a bit personal back there for a family outing don’t you think?”
“He’s snorkeling, babe. Besides, it’s your fault for wearing this sexy scrap of nothing. I want to pull it off and have my way with you.”
“It’s not like it’s a thong or a G-string, bad boy. You just have a one track mind.”
Leaning forward, he pressed a kiss against her shoulder, his hand patting her scantily clad bottom. “Mmm, I have several tracks in mind when it comes to you. I plan on demonstrating some of them tonight.”
“Are you coming back in, Dad? Or are you going to smooch on Mom all day?”
Gideon stiffened and stilled behind her. Glancing at him over her shoulder, she held up a hand against the sun, shielding her eyes. “What’s wrong, Gid?”
Gideon’s stunned gaze swung to her. “Did he just call me dad?”
Her eyes flicked to Eli who was waiting at the edge of the pool, watching Gideon closely. Shannon knew he had said it on purpose, although acting nonchalant, like it was an accident or something. It was her son’s way of testing Gid out. She sat up and cupped her hands around his face.
“He did, honey. He’s waiting to see what you think about it.”
“I think its frickin’ fantastic.” Swooping Shannon up in his arms, he triumphantly bounded toward the pool. “And, I think it calls for a celebratory swim.”
“Gid, wait. I’m all dried off.”
“You’ll dry again, babe.”
“I wasn’t planning on going back in.”
She could hear Eli laughing, because he knew what was coming. Clutching, Gideon’s broad shoulders she hung on, like it would do any good. He was intending to go back in anyway. “Gideon Elijah McCord, don’t you dare throw me—” Her words changed to a shriek, followed by a splash as he tossed her easily into the middle of the deep end. Submerged beneath the water, she heard another larger splash as Gid followed.
“Uh-oh, you got her hair wet, Dad. You’re in for it now.”
“No problem, son. I can take her, I’m bigger and faster.”
“Yeah, but her eyes are like lasers.”
Shannon shot the two smart asses in the shallow end a fulminating glare as she swam easily toward the stairs.
“See what I mean. Her eyes are like a death ray when she’s ticked off.”
“I see what you mean. I better do something before she makes the water boil with her laser stare and turns us into soup.” Gliding toward her, Gideon went to make amends. “I was just teasing, babe. You’re not really mad are you?”
“Of course, I am. Everyone knows my laser stare turns water to ice.” Then she looked at Eli and yelled, “Pile on!” That was the cue to jump on Gideon’s back and try to dunk him under the water. They wiggled and squirmed, Eli on his head and Shannon on his shoulders, but it was to no avail, he was too strong.
“Maybe he’s ticklish,” Eli suggested.
Shannon’s grin turned wicked as she remembered—he was. Gid, out of self-preservation, threw them both off and dove for the deep end. “No, Shannon. You know I hate to be tickled.”
Mother and son look at each other, and with a conspiratorial nod, they were after him. Shannon swam after him while Eli got out and raced around from the outside.
“Don’t run!” The adults halted their play long enough to cry in unison, the familiar pool side warning. When he obediently slowed down, the game was back on. Eli jumped in and climbed on his Dad’s back, grinning from ear to ear as if it were the best day ever.
“I’ll hold and you tickle, Mom.”
“Shannon, don’t do it,” his deep voiced warned, but she continued her pursuit.
When she reached him, her fingers found the sweet spot along his ribs and danced across his sensitive skin. His deep laughter ringing out charmed the woman and delighted the boy. Their victory was short lived as the man, after a token struggle, broke free and sought his vengeance by dunking them both under the water.
They dried off a half hour later, exhausted from their day of play in the water, fresh salty air, and sunshine.
“I’m starved,” Eli declared.
“Me too. How about we go out tonight?” Gideon suggested.
“Yeah, let’s get pizza.”
“We had that last night, Eli. We can’t eat pizza every night.” Shannon laughed. This was a familiar conversation between the two at least three times a week. She often commented that he’d eat it morning, noon, and night if she’d let him.
When she said this aloud, he answered as he always did, “So? What’s wrong with that?”
This time Gideon said it along with him, and they all laughed hysterically.
Finally, Shannon declared, “I am the mom and I say no pizza tonight. What else you got around here, big guy?”
“Get changed and we’ll go exploring.” All three gathered up their towels, toys, and sunscreen and headed in to change. Each wore a relaxed contented grin on their face, hopeful that at last they had found what they had longed for over the years.
Chapter Ten
“Shannon.”
“Mmm?” She snuggled into the pillows, turning away from the deep voice interrupting her dream.
“Come on, babe. You need to get up. We’ve got to get Eli to school.”
“Another minute, Mom, I just need one more minute.”
A bark of laughter was followed by the tug of her sheet. She reached for it in vain as the intrusive voice sounded again.
“Shannon, come on sleepyhead.”
“Go away.” Burying her head under her pillow, she sighed, as the noise and light were blocked out.
Smack!
“Ouch!” That woke her up. The slap of a large hand on her bare butt brought her to full wakefulness. “Hey! What was that for?”
“For stal
ling… Come on, Shannon. We have to get across town to drop off our son at school, then be back in Malibu at 10 o’clock for our appointment with the principal at Webster Elementary. We don’t want to be late.”
“Couldn’t you have said something first before you swatted me?” she challenged, pouting and rubbing her abused bottom.
“I tried, baby—three times. You sleep like a log, you know.”
“And you’re entirely too chipper in the morning. You’re a rock star; I thought you people didn’t get up until at least three in the afternoon.” As she spoke, she grabbed at the sheet and pulled. A tug of war ensued and she quickly found she was outmatched in size, strength, and determination.
“You’re being mean, Gid.” Looking at the clock, she frowned. “I’m cold and we don’t have to leave for at least 45 minutes. I’d planned to sleep another 15 minutes at least.”
“You’re being a brat, Shannon. If you’d like, I can warm you up, starting with that naughty bottom.”
He watched in amusement as she wrinkled her nose and stuck out her tongue. She then dragged her naked body off the opposite side of the bed, well away from the hands he threatened to warm her with. Rubbing her bottom, she walked all tousled and sexy from sleep, toward the bathroom. The sight of her delectable backside, still pink from the flat of his hand, had his cock paying attention. If he hadn’t had to act like the adult in the room, he would have dragged her back to bed and warmed more than her bottom. Instead, he was reminded of their busy agenda and urged her to hurry.
“Traffic is murder this time of day. We need to be out of here in thirty minutes, so shake a leg. I’ll meet you in the kitchen in 25 minutes with some coffee to go.”
“Yes, boss,” she said, just this side of insolent as she disappeared inside the bathroom.
Seeing she’d left the door ajar, he raised his voice and issued a warning. “I like the sound of that, Shannon. Keep up the snide tone and I’ll have you call me that and worse while I have you over my knee.”
As he turned to leave, he was stopped by a soft voice behind him. “Gid?”
Turning back, he found her peeking out from behind the bathroom door. Her face took on a soft, contrite expression as she met his eyes. “I’m sorry, honey. I’m a big grouch in the morning until I’ve had my first cup of joe.”
“I remember, just tone the sass back a notch, doll.”
* * *
She was downstairs with five minutes to spare. Gid gave her a pleased smile and a sweet kiss before they headed out, but refrained from making any further comment on her earlier behavior.
After dropping Eli off at his Inglewood school, hopefully for the last time, it was back to Malibu for a productive and encouraging meeting and tour of the highly rated local elementary school. Gideon then had her drop him off at his studio in Santa Monica, saying he would take a car service back to their place around five. She could tell he was reluctant to leave her, but she reassured him that she had plenty of errands to keep her occupied. With a promise to clear his schedule so they could spend some time together, he kissed her deeply and headed off to his meeting.
Shannon ran all her errands in record time. Finding she had hours before she had to pick Eli up from school, she headed back to her old neighborhood to finish packing. She also had plenty of time to drop in on Betsy and bring her up to speed.
As she entered her apartment building, she saw it through Gideon’s eyes. No wonder he had been pissed and downright insulted. He was right. It was a rundown dump in need of urgent repair and a much needed cleaning. She added that last bit as she noticed the years’ worth of dirt buildup on the floors and baseboards. She squinted up at the dust covered ceiling vent and frowned. Was that black mold growing on the ceiling tiles? Shuddering to think that Eli had played in this hallway, she tried to rationalize that it was the best she could afford. Trying not to look too closely at her surroundings, she headed to her first stop—Betsy’s place.
“Holy hell, girl!” her friend fussed as she opened the door and pulled her into a bear hug. “Where on earth have you been? I’ve been sick with worry.”
“I’m so sorry, Bets. You aren’t going to believe what happened.”
Betsy tugged her inside and set her up with coffee and a slice of to-die-for banana bread while Shannon filled her in on her weekend with Gideon.
“Your ex is Gideon Eli? Lord love a duck, woman, you never said a word! Now that I think about it, Eli is the spitting image of that rock and roll stud. Yowza!”
“I didn’t know you were a fan, Bets.” Shannon laughed at her friend who was fanning herself with her hand. “Are you having a hot flash?”
“No dear, thankfully those power surges are far behind me, but I’m still a woman and know some sexy beefcake when I see it.”
“You know that I’m with Gid now, don’t you?” Shannon teased.
“Pshaw, you better get used to women looking at that piece of eye candy, sweetie. So, is he going to marry you and make an honest woman of ya?”
Shannon held up her left hand and Betsy screamed at the sight of her diamond. They chatted for a while before climbing to the third story apartment to start packing.
As they boxed up Eli’s things, Shannon realized something. “I guess this means you have to find another job, Bets. I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t fret about it. Something will turn up. I get Henry’s pension check, so I’ll be okay for a bit. I am going to miss you and the munchkin though.”
“It’s only twenty minutes. We can visit whenever we like.”
They reminisced and cried as they packed up and carried the boxes to her car. When it was time for her to leave and pick up Eli, they hugged and cried some more.
As Shannon drove back to Gideon’s place, Eli talked a mile a minute about how his friends didn’t believe his dad was a rock star and that even his teacher had doubted him. “Do you think Dad can walk me into school tomorrow? I can’t wait to see the look on their faces when I walk in with Gideon Eli. They didn’t believe me about the house or his tattoo or my room looking at the ocean.”
Shannon laughed, “Slow down, Eli. You have to admit it sounds like a dream, instead of reality. Would you believe Jonas or Jack if they told you the same thing happened to them over the weekend?”
“Probably not.”
She pulled the Lexus up to the security gate and pressed the remote—nothing happened. She pushed it several more times, but it still didn’t open the gate. Looking at the security keypad, she tried to remember the code but came up blank. Crap!
“Eli, do you remember the passcode to the gate?”
“Pepsi911?”
“No, that’s for the security system in the house.”
“Um… Nope, I don’t remember either.”
Shannon dug through her purse. Even though Gideon had told her not too, she had jotted down her codes on the card she kept her pin and other passwords on. As she looked at the 3x5 index card, she grimaced. The thing was practically full on both sides. It was no wonder she couldn’t remember.
Finally, she entered her security code on the touch pad and pulled inside. Watching in her rearview mirror, she waited for it to close—nothing. Turning in her seat, she tried the remote again—still nothing. Damn technology, she thought. It’s more trouble than it’s worth.
“Just close it when we get to the house, Mom.”
“Good idea, honeybun.”
A few minutes later, she was slowly creeping into the garage. She’d been a nervous wreck every time she got behind the wheel today. Never having driven such a nice vehicle before, she was worried she would scratch or dent it, so she’d driven well below the speed limit and had been extra cautious parking.
“Can we go swimming, Mom? Please.”
Checking her watch as they entered the house, she shook her head. “After dinner, hon. Gid—I mean your dad, will be home in less than an hour and I thought I’d see what we can find for dinner.” She reset the security alarm as she spoke and breathed a sigh
of relief when it beeped and the green light came on.
“Let’s see what there is to eat.”
They explored the kitchen and found the ingredients for spaghetti and salad, Eli’s second favorite meal. The kid must have Italian ancestry somewhere. She’d have to ask Gid about that. She was chopping up veggies for a salad when she heard music playing, just a few notes of a familiar tune. Shannon dried her hands and walked toward the playroom where Eli was playing some kind of street racing game.
“Did you hear that?”
“Huh?” He didn’t even turn his head, eyes remaining glued to the fiery scene displayed on the screen.
Obviously, he was going to be of no help. It sounded again. About a dozen notes or so, it sounded like “Come Back To Me”, one of Gid’s most popular songs. It was another of his heartbreak songs. She tried not to let the regret resurface as she remembered the words when the notes played again, twice in succession. Was that a doorbell? She walked to the front door, shaking her head. Such decadence. She’d have to tease Gid about having a doorbell customized with his own song. She didn’t know such a thing was possible.
Peeping out the window, she saw a man and a professional looking woman in a business suit. Disarming the system, she opened the door cautiously. “Can I help you?”
“I’m Lacey Newburgh, from the National Examiner. Can I have a word with you, Miss…?”
The Examiner was one of her favorite gossip rags. “Me? Why would you want to talk to me?”
“Are you Gideon Eli’s new girlfriend? You were spotted around town with him and a young boy.”
The man had pulled out a video camera and was recording as the woman fired off questions.
“No comment. I think you should go now.”
The reporter stuck a microphone in her face. “How about a sound bite, miss? Just your name or the name of the boy. He looks just like Gideon. Is he a secret love child? Are you his mistress?”
Gideon's Redemption Page 9
