Gideon kept a firm grip of my fingers, and I hoped that they weren't getting too sweaty against his palm. It was strange that he could make me feel so self-conscious. I'd never cared about that sort of thing before. Crushes were bizarre, and I didn't know if I liked them. It was all good fun to imagine that I could be an item with an older guy like Gideon, but knowing that it was impossible kept such thoughts firmly in the realm of fantasy. But when the reality was all hitching breath, light-headedness, burning cheeks and a worrying amount of perspiration, I had to wonder if I ought to have let my thoughts wander to him so frequently as I had of late.

Gideon wasn't as familiar with the house as I was. Once we were in the hall, he was at a loss. The garden would be quiet, what with October bringing colder nights, so we walked to the little wooden gazebo which was happily situated amid the immaculately kept flowering shrubs. I perched upon the rail and Gideon came to rest beside me.

'What did you want to talk about?' I asked, not wanting to bore him with anything that might be on my mind. I wanted to get to the point so that I could quell the fire of hope and passion still flickering away in my heart.

'I thought I saw you... That is... I wondered if you were friends with the boys we saw earlier.'

'William and Charlie?' I asked. So much for some romantic interlude. He wanted to talk about the other students. 'I like Charlie, but William's annoying. I mean, he's so up himself, you know? He's looked down on me since the moment we met. If it weren't for Jenny and Charlie, I wouldn't so much as look at him. Why?'

Gideon smiled. He looked relieved. I didn't quite get why until he said, 'I've known Will for years.'

'Seriously? But he glared at you before.'

'Yeah, we don't get on. My parents worked for his, and we had a house on their estate. When my parents died in a car accident, his Dad let me live in the house and gave me a good education. He's a good guy.'

'He sounds it. Does that mean William's adopted? Because I really can't see him doing that for anyone.'

He laughed. 'No, unfortunately, he's a biological child. I think he was just a bit jealous. He was used to being the little master about the house. When his father died, I think he resented having another male figure around.'

'That's still no excuse to be a total dick,' I said. 'It's not like you asked to lose your parents. And he should have understood you a little better if his own Dad died.'

'Kids are hard to understand sometimes. His Mum let me go to school and then paid for my university education. I got along with her, and with Amanda. That's his older sister. She's nineteen now. Amanda's a good kid.'

'That's not really a kid, is it? She's only a year older than me.'

'Well... No, maybe not. I guess I just feel older now that I'm working and studying all the time.'

'William needs to get over his issue, though. I mean, how long is it since all this happened?'

'Well, we're far more sensible than he is. William's childish, but he'll grow out of it. Still, he did go out of his way to get me thrown out of my last teaching position.'

'What? Why?'

'Spite would be the why. The what... that would be that he accused me of stealing.'

'Stealing what?'

'Money, naturally,' Gideon sighed. 'I was lucky enough to get a job at his old boarding school. I was there a month before he saw fit to accuse me of stealing from the school's funds. What with his mother being who she was, they believed the story. So, I had to look for a new job, and William got his revenge. Believe me, when you're accused of being a thief, it's next to impossible to find an employer.'

'Is that why my Mum had to recommend you?' I asked.

'Yes. And I'm happy she did. If she hadn't, we wouldn't have met.'

It was the one thing my mother had ever done that I approved of.

'I knew William was kind of - well - a git, but I didn't think he'd do anything like that. Didn't you try to fight it legally? I mean, without proof, it's unfair dismissal!'

He nodded. 'Yes, it is. But his parents had done a lot for me, and I knew it would hurt his sister if I smeared their name. It was better for everyone that I just moved past it.'

'Then you're a lot nicer than I am. I'd have been shouting about it until I had justice.'

Gideon reached out and patted the top of my head gently. I felt the heat rise in my cheeks. It didn't go ignored. Gideon commented, 'You're adorable. Anyway, it all turned out okay for me in the end. I'll never be as rich as them, but I have a good life. Of course, I have to put up with Wyatt as well. That's about the only downside.'

'That's a pretty big downside.'

'Which you know very well.'

I nodded. 'I do. What about his sister?'

'She was a nice girl when we were growing up. Now she's off in a university in Switzerland. I don't hear from her anymore.'

I didn't like my mother, which I made apparent whenever we were in conversation, but I couldn't imagine being without her for the rest of my life. It must have hurt Gideon to lose both his real parents and then the people who had taken him in. I reached out my hand to his but hesitated.

When he gave me a questioning look, I explained, 'If you were one of the girls, I probably would have hugged you by now.'

'I've never been sorrier not to be a girl.'

I laughed, 'You'd make a terrible girl. But you're not bad as a bloke.'

'That's the best compliment I've ever had.'

'You can't get very many, then.'

'Not really. And I don't get that many hugs, either. So, as long as you swear not to tell anyone, I'll have one from you.'

'I promise,' I said before I'd thought about what I was committing to doing.

Gideon opened his arms wide, and I nervously wrapped mine around his middle. I thought it would be a brief embrace at most. When he hugged me tightly to his chest, I almost fainted. It was definitely different from hugging a teenager. I'd had male friends growing up because I wasn't sheltered my entire life. They didn't have the same hard pectorals or the enticing strength someone like Gideon had in his biceps. They didn't leave me dizzy with confusing delight.

Swooning was so uncool, but I had the urge to do it.

He released me just in time because Wyatt walked out of the house. Gideon and I quickly scooted apart so there would be a sensible and acceptable distance between us. If he'd already lost one job because of rumours, I didn't want to be responsible for him being out of occupation again. Fortunately, Wyatt had never had much of a sense of direction, or any other kind of sense for that matter. He walked around the house in search of us and ignored the gazebo completely.

'Moron,' I muttered.

'I heard,' Gideon breathed, 'that he's still... overly attached to your mother.'

'Yeah. Creepy, isn't it?'

'What do you know about her latest husband?'

'That he pays for me to go to school. Not that he had much choice in the matter. I've never actually met him,' I said. He must have been a nice enough man if he was willing to do so much for my mother. That, or he was horrendously gullible, and she would take him to the cleaners when they inevitably divorced.

'From what Wyatt has told me about him - which is a lot that I didn't care to hear - he's doing quite well for himself. Though, not as well as his sister-in-law. She's William's aunt, you know? From her previous marriage.'

'Wait... doesn't that mean I'm related to him?' I asked stupidly.

'Not at all. Even less than you are to Wyatt. There'd be a lot of steps and in-laws between you. She's descended from the French aristocracy. Apparently, they escaped the guillotine, and more's the pity. Anyway, she's well off and takes way too much interest in whatever goes on in William's family, even though they shouldn't be anything to do with her anymore. If she had her way, William would be married off to whichever poor girl she chose in high society.'

'I take it that means Chantelle is out of the running.' I smirked. 'She'll hate that.'

'Ah! There you are!' Wyatt called.

Damn.

'I guess we should go back,' I conceded, 'and get this over with.'

'I'll do my best to distract him, as promised,' Gideon assured me.

I'd have rather had Gideon distracting me, but I also had the feeling that his method of distraction would be dangerous for us both.