by L. A. Fiore
Gage’s eyes quickly moved to Tilly. She was draining her drink and lifting her hand to get the waitress’ attention. She looked terrified and turned on.
Fuck. Kenny wanted them all to work together. Jesus. Gage ran a hand through his hair and he blew out a breath.
“I know Shady Meadows is probably the last landscaping company you want to tea—” Kenny stopped when this time Dom lifted his hand.
Gage rubbed the back of his neck. Kenny thought Gage’s reaction had to do with Shady Meadows small client base, when, in reality, it had to do with that fact that he was fucking his designer. Not just fucking, but having a straight-out affair with her. Now, Kenny was asking them to work with her, bringing her into his life even more. Jesus. Gage abruptly stood, the sound of wood scraping across the floor. “I…” He held up a hand, stumbling over his words. “I… I’ll be back.” Gage walked from the table, running his hands through his hair as he went.
“Shit, I knew he wouldn’t agree with my plan,” Kenny mumbled.
Dom stood and tried to put Kenny at ease. “I don’t think it’s that. He hasn’t been feeling that great, it’s probably just,” His eyes drifted to Tilly, where he narrowed them. “That.” Then he left the table in search of Gage.
Tilly didn’t follow, even though she really wanted to. Instead, she took another long drink. She couldn’t look at Kenny, even feeling grateful for his confidence in her work. She knew what the others didn’t, was afraid he’d see it in her eyes, but she couldn’t help but wonder if Gage’s strong reaction was because a weekend together was one thing, what Kenny was proposing was something else entirely. Something Gage didn’t want.
Arty opened his menu, feeling the tension heavy in the air, he asked, “What’s good here?”
Kenny gave him a small smile and told him his favorites he had eaten in the years of coming to the convention. It wasn’t long before Dom showed up at the table. His eyes to Kenny. “Gage said he’d finish talking with you tomorrow.” Then he moved his eyes to Tilly and finished. “He went back to his room, has a bad headache.” He took his hard look from her and rolled his eyes as he took a seat.
“It wasn’t the idea of—” Kenny started.
“No,” Dom jumped in, his voice firm, mixed with a slight hint of anger. “No, it’s not you, Kenny.”
Tilly had just taken a sip of her drink when Dom said that. She almost choked on it. It wasn’t Kenny that was the problem. Her stomach rolled as she pushed her glass away. She glanced around, wanting desperately to escape, but how did she leave without drawing attention? Then she thought fuck it. She reached for Kenny’s hand, his worried eyes turning to her. “Thank you. Your confidence in my work means so much.” She glanced around the table; Dom’s hard eyes were focused on her. She lifted her glass. “A screaming orgasm probably wasn’t the best drink choice.”
“You think?” Dom bit out, the underlying conflict only evident to them.
Tilly felt the burn behind her eyes when she told the table, “Please excuse me.” She rose, reached for her purse on the floor and told them, “I think I’m going to call it a night. Those drinks went to my head quicker than I thought.”
“Don’t you think you should eat something?” Kenny quickly chimed in, concern in his tone.
Tilly gave a small wave. “I’ll order room service.” She gave him a small smile. “Night.” She told the table. All wishing her a good night except for Dom who held silent.
There was a crowd at the elevator. She was grateful. As she waited, she thought about Kenny’s proposal. As much as she loved the idea of spending time with Gage, she understood Gage’s resistance to it. He was right. Opening that door, dangling temptation in front of them day in and day out...no good could come from it. And even thinking that knowing that their lives would turn upside down, there was a part of her that wanted it.
She stepped onto the elevator; hit the button for his floor. She wasn’t feeling so good herself, fearing what she was going to be walking into. All the time they’d talked, she’d never seen Gage like he’d been downstairs. It was a little scary, and with the hard looks Dom had been shooting her, homewrecker that she was, she mentally braced for what awaited her. Reaching his floor, she walked down the hall to his room. She took a deep breath that did nothing to calm her and then she knocked.
CHAPTER TEN
Gage paced the room, a hand running through his hair as he took long, steady steps. He glanced to the mini fridge that’d been calling his name since the heavy metal door closed behind him. If he didn’t stop, he’d have to pay for the rut he put in the carpet.
When the knock sounded, he reached the door in two strides and flung it open. “Get in.” He told her, his voice harder than he wanted it to be.
Tilly hesitated, the sound of his voice had her taking a step back. Looking into his hard eyes, had her own burning, but she stepped into his room. She felt self-conscious walking into a space that she’d found so much pleasure in only a few hours ago. Awkwardly, she stood as far from the bed as she could, fiddling with her purse strap and waited for the storm.
Once Gage heard the door shut, he turned to her. She looked so small in a room that took up her presence earlier. He started to pace again, talking to her, and no one. “He wants to team up.” He stopped, looked at Tilly and bit out, “You know what the fuck that would do for my business?”
Her eyes stung from unshed tears, her voice small when she said, “Yes.” Her voice cracked. He was right, it wasn’t just them, it was his livelihood, his life. “It was a bad idea.”
“What was a bad idea, Tilly, huh?” Gage snapped.
She understood his anger, but it hurt having it directed at her. “Me working with you. It’s a bad idea.”
“No shit, Till.” Gage said. “Teaming up with Kenny, we could take the fuck over. But,” His hard eyes drifted to Tilly’s. “I can’t.” He stopped, waved a hand between them. “We can’t work together. This is my life, Till. What I do supports my family. My wife, my kid.” Gage halted his words when he realized the words he shot at her.
Earlier, the atmosphere in the room was filled with want, need, even lust. Now, the tension was so thick. Gage held her eyes.
Tilly’s head was down, as she tried to blink the tears away. They knew there would be consequences; she just didn’t expect them so soon. The dream turning real, so fucking fast. She didn’t look up at him when she said, “I know.” She whispered. “This is your life, this is real. I understand. I do.” Then she said the words that killed her to say, “I’ll get my things.”
“Fuck,” Gage shouted in rage. “You know just as well as me that this is all so fucking wrong, Tilly.” Gage said, not letting her put it all on him.
She lifted her head then looked him right in the eyes. “I do know it’s wrong. I knew it was wrong before we even started it. We’re talking about your business, your career. I won’t be responsible for fucking that up, I know what it means to you.”
Gage’s voice was more steady, even lower when he told her. “It’s not only what it means to me, Tilly, but it supports my family. And not taking this opportunity not only affects me, but you. It could take your career to new fucking heights.”
“If Kenny likes my work so much, others will too. But you… It was a fantasy, and it was incredible, but we both knew it couldn’t last. Reality would eventually pull us from it.”
His eyes stared into her watery hazel eyes, his chest tightening, hands itching to grab for her. “Why did we think we could do this?”
She couldn’t hold back the tears. “Because we wanted so much for it to work.”
The woman who occupied his thoughts for months, a woman he had in his bed hours ago, stood before him, tears rolling down her cheeks. A woman he tried to walk away from, tried to forget, but never did. His voice was raspy when he declared, “We tried to walk away before, what makes us think we can now?”
Tilly wiped at her cheeks. The truth was she couldn’t because even if she managed to put physical distance between them, he’d always have a piece of her. She met his gaze and answered honestly, “I don’t know.”
What Gage was feeling internally, Tilly wore on her sleeve. In those minutes, he thought about never looking into her eyes again. Never hearing the softness of her voice. The feel of how she touched him, so gentle. Not ever watching the flush in her cheeks, the gaze in her eyes when she came. Remembering the pain he went through not talking to her. The way his life never turned right side up after he walked away from her. Gage closed his eyes, watching the pain in her face becoming too difficult.
His voice was a whisper. “I can’t do it.” He opened them and held hers. “I can’t walk away again, Tilly.”
Tilly couldn’t stop the sob that ripped from her throat. Her tears falling harder. “I can’t either.”
“Come here, Tilly.” Gage told her in his deep voice.
Her purse dropped from her shoulder as she crossed the room to him, not stopping until she was pressed up against him, her fingers gripping the cotton as her tears soaked his tee.
Gage wrapped his arms around her, holding her snug against him, as he accepted that neither could walk away even knowing they should.
_______________
Gage stood in front of the grill, phone in his hand, typing out.
Steaks, have potatoes in the oven. And, not sure why she’s coming home early.
He had been home for three days. Three days from a weekend he would never forget, bringing it to the grave with him. After his and Tilly’s heart to heart, they both realized walking away wasn’t an easy process. Should they? Absolutely. But even the tempting things in life could help you breathe easier and find happiness where you shouldn’t. As the days went on, it seemed that their connection grew stronger. Where before, when they had texted and talked had been scattered chances, now, they made it a point to talk as much as they could. From the moment they opened their eyes until they closed them at night, they had an ongoing communication through messages or talking on the phone.
Gage had come to a conclusion when he had come home. After spending days with someone who he had a connection with, enjoyed being around, to come home to his day-to-day normal routine, it changed how he viewed the world around him. The little annoyance you found in your spouse turned to irritation that ate at you. The insignificant imperfections about them, amplified. You developed an unreasonable grudge against them. Found every little thing wrong with them that you could and did it without reservation. Something as small as Heather leaving her travel mug on the counter and not washing it till the next morning. Something Gage had never given thought to before, now ate at him until he voiced it the other night, causing an unreasonable argument between them.
Tilly stirred the sauce on the stove, reaching for the pasta to add to the boiling water. Returning home, she waited for the guilt to kick in. Waited to feel what she knew she was supposed to feel, but instead, the only emotion she felt was loss. She missed Gage. Their weekend together was one she’d always remember; whatever happened, they’d always have that. And their talk, she thought that conversation was going to be the end of them, but it had only brought them closer. One weekend and she was changed, but she returned home, and everything was exactly the same. She’d missed her kids terribly, and they her...hanging with her that first night, keeping her company while she cooked dinner. Luke, on the other hand, he didn’t come home early or even on time. He was late, and when he did come home, he asked a few questions, not seeming particularly interested in the answers, and that was it. She didn’t mind, was happy she didn’t have to pretend. Her marriage was over. It had been for a long time. She needed to make some changes, needed to think through her options, but for the moment, she was enjoying the deepening connection with Gage. They talked nonstop, all throughout the day, and it helped with missing him, but it wasn’t the same as seeing him, watching his expressions, the light in his eyes that could go dark with want.
Reading his text, she was curious about Heather’s action. A part of Tilly wondered if Heather had learned about their weekend, but knowing what she did about Heather, if she knew, Gage would know.
Maybe she wants to talk about her girl’s getaway. Isn’t that coming up soon?
Gage flipped the steaks, shut the lid on the grill and reached for his phone on the grill’s work table. Pulling up Tilly’s message, he read it. He hadn’t given that topic a thought.
Oh shit, yeah, it is. The weekend after Thanksgiving. That’s probably it. We still on for Friday, 9am at the park?
Tilly reached for her phone when it buzzed with Gage’s message, her body growing warm with the anticipation of seeing him. A smile curved her lips as she began to text back.
“Hey, Mom. What’s ya cooking? Smells good.” Justin asked, strolling into the kitchen.
Warm turned cold, as she lowered her phone. “Pasta.” Her voice cracked a bit.
Justin stopped at the fridge and looked back at her. “Are you okay?” He studied her a second. “Maybe you should step away from the stove. Your face is on fire.”
It wasn’t the stove. It was times like this, when her kids walked in on her, that were the only times she felt guilty. And not because of what she was doing, but because she wasn’t being completely truthful to them. “I’m fine. Are you done studying?”
He yanked open the fridge door. “Not yet, but I’m understanding it now.”
“Oh good, that’s great.”
Justin leaned against the counter, taking a long drink from the bottle of water he’d grabbed. “Yeah.” He studied her again. “You should take weekends more often.”
Her head jerked to him, her heart pounding.
“I like seeing you happy,” he said, but didn’t wait for her to answer, exiting the kitchen.
She didn’t move, just stood there, as Justin’s words played over and over again in her head. She was happy.
Justin just came into the kitchen. He told me I should take more weekends for myself because he likes seeing me happy. He’s right. I am happy. You make me happy, Gage. Yes, I’m counting the days until Friday.
Gage read her text and smiled, then typed out.
You make me happy too, baby. By the way, I saw the pic you posted on Open Book, his hair came out good, even if you aren’t happy with it.
Gage hit send, placed his cell in his pocket and took the steaks off the grill. Walking in the house, he found Heather standing at the kitchen sink. Her eyes came from the window to him.
“Playing the game?” She asked, gesturing with her head toward the window and where he had been standing outside.
“Yeah,” He uttered, dismissively, and made his way to the stove, placing the plate on the top. Passing his wife, he got a whiff of her perfume. A scent he never smelled on her before. He liked it. Thought about stepping up behind her, putting his nose to her neck and breathing her in. Knowing he wouldn’t stop at that small gesture, kept him from doing it as guilt punched him in the gut. Not for what he was doing to his wife. But having sex with his own wife, knowing it would hurt Tilly. Jesus. What in the fuck was he doing? He was more worried about hurting his mistress than he was his own wife.
“They smell good,” Heather said, coming up behind him and wrapping her arms around his waist. The smell hitting him stronger, a sweet vanilla with a hint of honey. Fuck, he loved the smell of her. His body tensed, keeping his arms in front of him, hands to the stove handle, he didn’t reciprocate the affection.
“Thanks.” Gage felt the vibration on his thigh, notifying him of an incoming text. His heart rate spiked a little, worried that his wife might reach into his pocket and grab the cell. He pushed his ass back into her. “Gotta move so I can get the potatoes before they burn.” Heather removed her arms from around her husband’s body and stepped back, moving to the fridge.
>
Pulling a bottle out, she held it up, “Wine?”
Gage glanced in her direction. For the first time since he returned, he really looked at her. Her bright blue eyes shining at him. Dressed in a tight blue sweater, the collar and cuffs edged with black beading. A snug black pencil skirt, fitted to her curves. Knee high black heeled boots disappearing underneath her skirt. Boots he bought her last year for her birthday. A sweater she bought when they had gone to the mall Christmas shopping. A skirt he loved on her. Finishing it all off with her hair haphazardly pulled into a knot at the nape of her neck and small diamonds on her ears.
Fuck, she was beautiful.
“Sounds good,” he finally answered, his voice tight when he did.
She cocked her head, “You good?” She asked, going to the cabinet and grabbing two glasses.
Gage placed the pan on top of the stove and answered. “Yeah, just tired,” he lied.
Right before they sat down, Gage said, pointing to the ceiling, “Gonna run up, take a piss, be back.” Not waiting for an answer, he moved from the room and took the steps two at a time. Once he was behind the bathroom door, he opened the message from Tilly.
When it comes to Justin’s hair, I’ll take what I can get. So, what are our plans for Friday? I have a few if you draw a blank. ; )
Gage’s lips tipped up in a sly smile.
Since it’s been a few days since I tasted your sweet pussy, I’m thinking that’ll be #1 on the list. Why, what do you have in mind? Gonna eat, message soon. ;)
He closed down the thread and cleared it from his background. He went to the toilet, flushed it, ran the water for a few seconds, then left the bathroom never using it. They were halfway done with their meal when Heather said, “I wanted to talk to you.” She paused, looking at him.
The bit of steak he was swallowing suddenly felt too large to move down his throat. “Okay,” he said, reaching for the glass of wine sitting in front of him. He took a hefty gulp.
Heather put her fork down and looked to her husband. She stared at him a few beats. “God, you’re handsome,” she whispered to herself. Gage smiled at her. “Beautiful even.”