Unbreakable (Heart of Stone #7)

by K. M. Scott

  “Tiffany, stop. I’m sorry. I’m not good at this sort of thing,” I said awkwardly. I didn’t want to hurt her feelings. Whatever I might have thought about her, I needed her to know my rejection wasn’t because of her but because of me.

  “Gage, it’s fine. I shouldn’t have asked. I know I’m too young.” The words raced from her lips, but she refused to turn around.

  “Tiffany, please look at me.”

  If we were going to have this conversation, then it wouldn’t consist of me speaking to the back of her head. She was about to be a woman, and she deserved the truth.

  She turned around, and though she wasn’t crying, the tears threatened in her eyes. Her cheeks were red from embarrassment, and I hated seeing her like that because of me.

  “You’re right. You are young for someone my age, but that’s not why I don’t think it would work.”

  “Then what is it? My father? I’m sure he’d love the idea. He thinks of you as family already!” she blurted out before biting down hard on her lip.

  “I have no doubt that he would think it was a fine idea, Tiffany, but I work for him. You understand? I can’t date the man’s daughter and still be expected to adequately protect him. It’s a conflict of interest,” I explained with a heavy heart.

  She remained silent and nodded. I could tell she wanted to say more but something was preventing her from letting the words out.

  “Tiffany, the last thing I want to do is hurt you. You’re a beautiful and intelligent young woman who deserves to go off to college and have an amazing experience. If you’re dating me, it won’t happen and you’ll always feel like you were cheated out of something that could be great. I’m sorry. I am. I wish there was a way to make it work, but between the age difference and me working for your father, but I just don’t think it’s possible.”

  “I understand Gage. Can I ask you something though?”

  “Of course.”

  “If things were different, would you date someone like me?”

  I smiled. “If things were different, I wouldn’t be with someone like you. I would be with you.”

  I wasn’t sure if it was the right thing to say, or if it would cause her more pain to know that, but I wouldn’t lie to Tiffany. A woman deserved the truth. The alternative was to lie to her, and that would be far worse.

  She struggled to smile but quickly leaned in and gave me a hug. “Thank you for being so nice,” she whispered before pecking me on the cheek and walking away.

  I sat there in silence after she left, trying to figure out if I had done the right thing. It was never my intention to hurt her. I had known for a while that she saw me in a way I couldn’t let myself see her.

  The worst part wasn’t letting her down by telling her the truth. The worst part was that I knew she deserved better than me.

  I forced myself to stop thinking about it. About her. Remembering did nothing but dredge up all those feelings I’d worked so hard to push down. According to the headline, Gregory was doing well for himself and his company was as strong as ever. That was good. I wished for nothing more than the happiness peace would give Gregory. What he’d achieved since that horrible day would never make up for what he lost, though.

  Staring out the window, I waited until I’d successfully put everything I felt about what had happened in that place deep inside and returned to the laptop to begin my search for anything that would explain what had happened with Jordan. The problem was I had little to go on and even more questions than answers. After fruitlessly looking for nearly a half hour, I decided to go check on Jordan. Whatever was behind the mystery of who Hailey and Justin were and why they wanted her would have to wait a few more minutes.

  Chapter Seven

  Jordan

  Gage’s mother had taken care to decorate the cabin so it didn’t look like a place that could appear in a horror movie, like most cabins I’d been in. No frilly curtains that were supposed to make things look cozy but actually only looked frightening. No exposed outer walls so necessary for psychopaths to paint cryptic symbols in their victims’ blood.

  Nearly as nice as the house down in town, it was a pleasant surprise to find a jetted tub in the bathroom, and I’d taken full advantage of it for the past half hour. After that cross country ride, every muscle in my body cried out for a massage, but since that wasn’t an option at the moment, a nice soak in that tub was a much appreciated alternative.

  I sprawled out across the bed and closed my eyes, loving the peace and quiet in the mountains. After living in New York for so long, my brain had gotten used to nearly constant noise, but after being away for a few days, I was starting to like hearing only the gentle sounds of nature outside my window instead of the usual big city cacophony.

  “You look perfect lying there like that,” Gage said, rousing me from my daydreams.

  Opening my eyes, I saw him standing in the doorway staring at me wrapped only in a towel. I loved seeing him look like there was nothing more important in the world than being there with me.

  “Did you get tired of working and decide to join me? You’re a little late. I just got out of the tub. We could have had some fun in there.”

  Gage closed the door and stepped forward toward the bed. “I think we can have fun in here too.”

  “What do you have in mind, Mr. Varo?”

  He slipped his t-shirt over his head and tossed it aside. With a glint in his eye, he grinned. “Something I didn’t get a taste of last night sounds good right about now.”

  I opened my towel and crawled over to the edge of the bed. “Now what could you want a taste of, I wonder?”

  Gage chuckled and pushed me back on the bed. Spreading my legs, he flicked his tongue over my inner thigh, sending shockwaves of need rippling through my body. “I haven’t tasted your pussy in way too long.”

  As he moved up my thigh, planting light kisses along the way, I let my head roll back on my shoulders and remembered the last time he’d done that to me. It had been way too long, but that would have been the case if he’d just been between my legs a few hours ago. The man had a magic tongue that other men could only wish they possessed.

  The first touch of it to my needy clit made my body come alive, but he was only getting started. He pinned me to the bed with one hand and began to taste every inch of me, his tongue dragging up and down my pussy as he slowly fucked me with two fingers, each time stroking my tender skin inside with his fingertips.

  I ran my fingers through his hair and tugged hard as my orgasm began deep inside me. “Don’t stop…right there…oh, God…”

  He kept on licking and thrusting as my release wound its way through me, every touch of his tongue and fingers exciting me until I didn’t think I could stand anymore. Finally, he sucked my clit between his lips and I saw an explosion of every color imaginable behind my eyes as I came hard against his mouth. My back arched and my body bucked against him, but he held me fast and rode every moment of my orgasm from start to finish.

  Sitting back on his haunches, Gage licked his lips with a smile. “Lunch of champions.”

  “I think the saying is breakfast of champions, isn’t it?” I asked, still practically breathless from the incredible job his mouth had done on me.

  “Mmmm, then I guess we know what I’m doing tomorrow morning.”

  The thought of him giving me that pleasure again made me smile in anticipation. “It’s a date.”

  He leaned forward and kissed me softly on the lips. “For now, though, I don’t think we’re finished just yet.”

  “Oh yeah? What do you have in mind?”

  Falling back onto the bed, he rested his head on a pillow and stretched his legs as he slid out of his jeans. “Come here.”

  Even though my legs felt like cooked spaghetti, I crawled over to him and threw my leg over his body. Positioning my mouth above his, I kissed his lips and smiled. “Let me guess. In the mood for a little ride? Since you went commando today, I guess you were planning this.”

&nbs
p; “You know me well. There are few things sexier than watching you ride my cock.”

  I loved how sensual and raw Gage naturally was, and when it came to sex, he had a way of talking about it that made me want him more than I thought possible. Climbing on top of him, I spread my legs wide and watched as his eyes rolled back when I slid down his cock.

  “Feel good?”

  Looking up at me, he nodded. “Not as good as being buried inside you.”

  Gripping my hips, he lifted me off him enough to give his cock room to ease into me and pushed his hips up. Inch by inch, he slid inside my body until we were joined completely. When he filled me like this, I never wanted to be without him inside me ever again the feeling was so exquisite.

  “That feels so incredible,” I said as a moan escaped my lips.

  “God, you feel so good wrapped around my cock. Ride me, baby,” he said through clenched teeth as I rolled my hips and began to do just that.

  We moved in unison, up and down and in and out, his body invading mine over and over and mine milking his cock each time as we raced to our shared release. My hands clutched at his muscular body, hard against my touch and beautiful to watch as he fucked me.

  Gage rubbed my clit with the pad of his thumb, sending waves of desire unraveling through me. Rolling my hips to feel more of him, I took every inch of his cock.

  Forcing his hands into my hair, he tugged me down toward him and kissed me hard. Grunting in my ear, he groaned, “Ride me and don’t stop. Don’t stop.”

  I did as he commanded and felt his body tense underneath mine as he came. He stopped thrusting and held me onto him, stilling his movement. I felt my own release begin and held his hand to my clit as it rolled over me like a wave of the most incredible pleasure I’d ever felt.

  Collapsing on top of him, we stayed there in each other’s arms, his cock still inside me as the two of us got lost in the afterglow of great sex. After a few minutes, he began gently running his fingertips up and down my spine and whispered, “I think that might have been our best yet.”

  I smiled and rolled my eyes at his brand of keeping track of our sex life. “I give it a nine. The dismount was nonexistent, so points had to come off there.”

  He kissed me sweetly on the lips and shook his head. “Joke away, but we’re Olympic level when it comes to sex. Not everyone is.”

  Rolling off him, I tweaked the tip of his nose. “Well, thank God we found each other then. I’d hate to be stuck with a bush leaguer with no skills.”

  Gage pulled me close, and I rested my head on his shoulder. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly before he turned to look at me. “All joking aside, I have a question to ask you.”

  Suddenly, the fear that he’d ask me to marry him tore through my mind. Every part of my body tensed up, and I scrambled to find some way to distract him from that question he wanted to ask. Sitting up, I swung my legs off the bed and announced I needed to take a shower.

  “You just took a bath. What are you doing?” he asked, justifiably confused by my behavior.

  “Well, you know. We just had incredible sex, so that means there’s a lot of fluids and stuff I should probably clean up.”

  Even I knew that sounded like bullshit and avoidance.

  Gage sat up against the headboard and folded his arms across his chest. “So I tell you I need to ask you a question and you immediately think that’s the perfect time to grab a shower?”

  As I stood there naked in every sense of the word, I hung my head, unable to face him. “I was just saying it might be a good idea. Maybe not. I don’t know. You know?”

  “No, I don’t know, Jordan. I don’t know what the hell is wrong with you.”

  The anger in his voice upset me more than anything else, and I instinctively became defensive. “Well, I’ve been drugged, kidnapped, taken hostage, and barely escaped from crazy people, so maybe one of those things can explain what’s wrong with me.”

  “You know what I meant. I’m here, so you don’t have to worry anymore. I won’t let anything else happen to you. I promise.”

  “I know you say that, but Hailey and Justin might be right around the next corner and then what?”

  As soon as the words left my mouth, I knew I’d made a mistake. It was written all over his face.

  His features twisted and contorted from anger and hurt. “What the hell does that mean? Are you saying you don’t think I’ll protect you if either one of those fucks show up? Is that what you meant?”

  “No! I wasn’t saying that, Gage.”

  He stood from the bed and stormed off into the bathroom before I could say anything else. Damnit! All the guy wanted to do was ask me to marry him, and instead because I’d lied to him about being forced to marry that asshole Justin, I had to pick a fight just to avoid telling him no. I had no idea how I was going to fix this, but I had to.

  I heard the shower turn on and walked into the bathroom to find Gage standing under the water with his head hung. I hated seeing him like that, especially because I’d made him feel that way.

  “I’m sorry, Gage. I didn’t mean to make you think I didn’t believe in you. That’s not the truth at all. I swear.”

  He said nothing for so long I wasn’t sure he even heard me, but then I saw him turn to look at me and shake his head. “I don’t know what to do to prove to you I can protect you, Jordan.”

  “You don’t have to. Honestly, you don’t.”

  “Give me a few minutes and I’ll be back out, okay? We’ll talk then.”

  I left him standing there in the shower and tried to think of a way to tell him the truth. He’d understand. I knew he would. Gage was just that kind of man. I should have told him when he rescued me, but I felt like it was partly my fault that Hailey and Justin had been able to do that to me. If I hadn’t been so stupid to think that some millionaire would want to marry me in the first place, I never would have been in this position.

  Disgusted with myself, I sat down on the bed, still naked and wishing everything after our amazing sex session hadn’t happened. If only I wasn’t such a fool.

  Gage returned to the bedroom wearing a towel and grabbed his clothes from around the room. “I didn’t mean to storm out like that, Jordan. I guess a shower wasn’t a bad idea, after all.”

  God, he really was the best kind of man there was. There he was standing in just a towel, his skin still glistening in that way that made me want to run my tongue over every inch of him, and instead of being an ass like most men would be, he was actually apologizing for not staying to fight with me.

  And even knowing that, I answered, “I just don’t think we should be asking any questions of one another right now, Gage. We have enough to deal with and I don’t want us to split up over something stupid Hailey and Justin created again.”

  Gage’s mouth dropped open, and he stared at me in angry shock for a long moment. “Split up again? Like when I thought I was protecting you by leaving because of those letters? Do you mean something stupid like that?”

  “No! God, I keep saying the wrong thing. I didn’t meant that at all.”

  Fuck. I honestly wasn’t sure what I meant now, but I didn’t think I’d meant that. Maybe I did. Maybe somewhere deep inside my brain I still resented the fact that he left me without a word of explanation and broke my heart, no matter what the reason was.

  He dressed without saying another word or even looking at me. I didn’t mean to hurt him every time I opened my mouth. He didn’t deserve that. As he angrily jammed his feet back into his shoes, I thought about how I could make things better and hoped that I could.

  I sat down next to him and gently touched his shoulder. “Gage, I love you. You know that, don’t you? Don’t listen to me when I say stupid things.”

  Turning to face me, he knitted his brows. “Stupid things like you love me? I don’t know what to think anymore, Jordan. I know I made some mistakes, but how much do I have to do before you believe me when I say I can protect you?”

  “Wh
y is that so important to you? Isn’t it enough that I love you and know you love me?”

  He shook his head as a look of pain settled into his features. Standing from the bed, he looked away and said, “It’s important to me because it’s who I am. It’s what I need you to know, and you don’t give a damn about it. I don’t know what to do about it either.”

  Before I could answer him and explain I did care about that part of him, just not as much as he thought I should, he stormed out and I was left sitting alone on the bed where we’d just made love wondering if he could really handle finding out the secret I dreaded telling him.

  Chapter Eight

  Gage

  There was no sense of pride or manliness as I slammed the door to the bedroom, leaving Jordan inside, but the pain of realizing she didn’t trust me to keep her safe was too much. I loved her more than anything, which was the only reason I had left in the first place. How was I supposed to take care of her if she kept pushing me away? How long was I going to have to keep paying for the mistake of leaving her? With a heavy sigh I turned to walk away and clear my head, and nearly collided head on with Denise.

  “Woah! Slow it down, Jeff Gordon!” Denise exclaimed, putting a hand on my shoulder. “Are you okay, Gage? You look like you’re about to Hulk out.”

  “Denise, what are you doing here? Jordan and I are spending the night. I thought we told you that,” I said, startled by her appearing right outside the bedroom. I wasn’t keen on the idea of my family overhearing our arguments and was even less keen on the idea of people popping up unexpectedly when so much could go wrong.

  My sister smiled and patted me on the shoulder. “Relax. I left some work related stuff on that laptop I gave you. I didn’t mean to intrude. Old habits, you know?”

  I nodded slowly as her explanation sunk in. It made sense that Denise would let herself in. Ever since we were kids, this cabin had been sort of a refuge from everyday life. Whenever my parents had a fight, my mother would pile us in the car and drive right up the mountain to “cool her heels,” as she liked to call it.