Gideon & Gage, Book One

by Hawthorne, Olivia

  “God, Holly, I’m so sorry,” I said instinctively and reached for her hands. She let me take them and I felt a surge of energy snake up my arm and down my spine. My cock twitched and I mentally told it off for responding like that to her grief.

  But she was exquisite, a fragile beauty on the outside with a core of steel on the inside. I knew how strong she was, but hadn’t realized how strong she had to be.

  Gage slid up off the floor to the other side of her. “I’m sorry for bringing it up,” he said and put his hand on her shoulder. We sat like that, comforting her and holding her between us, until she shuddered and took a deep breath.

  “I’m okay. I really am. You guys must think I’m a fucking mess, but it’s just the last couple days have broken me. I thought I was over my father’s death until I saw Diana…” Her voice trailed off and she choked back her tears. I felt her body shudder again as she tried to keep from crying.

  “We’re here for you,” I said and rubbed my hand up her arm. Her hands were ice cold and I realized she hadn’t been free to go to the bathroom or just get her circulation back for some time. “How about we take these ties off, let you stretch your legs, and we’ll head out soon. It looks like the storm has let up.”

  She looked up at me and watched me as I cut the ties. Gage handled the ties on her ankles, and I had to concentrate on what I was doing to avoid making an ass of myself.

  The simple act of taking her ties off took on a sensuality that had my cock aching within seconds of touching her. Cutting them, rubbing the heat back into her delicate hands, feeling her skin under mine…it all served to emphasize something surprising to me.

  My stepsister Holly was an incredible woman. The kind of woman I could see myself settling down with at some point. The kind of woman I would want to settle down with.

  Beautiful, strong, funny, self possessed…but undeniably off limits. Not just for her being family, but for her being a fugitive.

  And even if we did manage to clear her name, where did that leave us? How did one ask their stepsister out on a date?

  I realized I was taking a little too long and glanced up at her. She had her eyes closed and was the vision of beauty I had come to know. But she had a pure bliss on her features that told me she was feeling what I was. There was something here that wasn’t just in my head.

  A look down at Gage told me he felt it too. He was watching her as he rubbed her ankles, his look matching my emotions.

  His eyes locked on mine and I knew we were both thinking the same thing.

  Holly was a woman worthy of our love, but it was in the worst possible circumstance that we found her.

  * * *

  “The rain is still insane,” Gage said as he navigated the rented SUV down the muddy driveway. The rain seemed to be possessed and intent on keeping us from leaving the ranch house.

  “Okay, this might be a little crazier weather than normal,” Holly said. She was seated between us in the front. We’d left her hands free, but had zip tied her feet back together just in case she decided to make a break for it.

  “I’d say,” I said and peered out through the heavy downpour to the road in front of us.

  Gage was crawling in the rented truck, and we’d decided to leave Anthony’s car behind. Somebody could be arranged to come pick it up once we had Holly back safe and sound.

  We’d gone over our decision with her, the reasons we had to bring her in. She’d nodded and seemed to understand our stance, but you could never tell. It was a strange situation, and even though she seemed calmer, I’m sure there was a sense of panic inside of her.

  “There’s a creek just up ahead,” Holly said, pointing down the driveway. We had seen it coming in, but it hadn’t been more than a trickle at that time. We had crossed a narrow wooden bridge over it and had joked that it was overkill for such a small stream.

  “I’m taking it easy,” Gage said and hunched over the steering wheel of our rented SUV. I would have felt a lot better if we were driving our own car just then, but we had to make do with what we had at hand.

  “Shit, I think it’s getting worse,” I said, wiping the fog off the inside of the window. The windshield wipers were slapping back and forth as fast as they could go, but they barely touched the rain that was falling.

  “Watch out!” Holly screamed and grabbed my hand. She gripped it tight and pointed ahead of us. The trickle had turned into a wide river and the bridge was long gone.

  The brown water raced past, carrying trees and logs, and even what appeared to be a dog house.

  “The bridge has to be all the way to the Gulf by now,” I said, “Looks like we’re going nowhere.”

  “Is there another way out of here?” Gage asked Holly, looking at the torrential downpour in front of us.

  “Not anything that would be safe right now,” she said miserably, “I guess it’s good I stocked up on food before you got here.”

  “I guess so,” I replied as Gage backed the SUV up into a widened turn around on the side of the road and headed back to the farmhouse.

  I couldn’t say I was upset by this turn of events though. I wasn’t quite ready to turn her over to anybody just yet.

  At least not until we got to have a little more time with her. And if this weather was any indicator, I was going to get my wish.

  Chapter Seven

  I wanted to damn everything to Hell by the time we inched back to the ranch house. Gage was driving as carefully as possibly, but that didn’t stop the SUV’s tires from spinning in the mud every time we tracked over a particularly wet patch.

  I’d never seen a storm like this before, and I eyed the sky cautiously, cursing under my breath at the clouds that collided together creating small funnels in the distance.

  The SUV lurched at one point and leaned to the left. I knew we were stuck as soon as the truck leaned, but Gage wasn’t willing to accept that fact. The more he pressed on the gas pedal, the deeper we dug ourselves into the mud.

  “Give it up, Gage, you’re just making it worse,” Gideon warned.

  The engine screamed when Gage hit the pedal again, his expression making it all too apparent that he wasn’t giving up. “I think we can gain traction if we can just make it over this ridge. I feel the truck wanting to go forward.”

  Laughter bubbled from my lungs and I quickly realized how inexperienced these city boys were with Texas mud.

  “We might as well get out of the truck,” I commented. “Our weight alone is enough to keep us from breaking over that ridge. The spinning tire is just digging us in deeper. Keep this up and we’ll be walking back to the airport when the storm finally passes. You can only bury a truck so deep before you’ll need another truck to pull you free.”

  Gage glanced at me and I was struck silent by the serious look in his light blue eyes. “So, what do you suggest we do? The rain is starting to get heavy again and we’re at least a quarter mile away from the ranch house. How big is this property anyway?”

  “Big,” I answered. “At least several miles from one end to the other. I’m not exactly sure about acreage, but then again, I’ve never had to worry about it. The land wasn’t left to me.”

  My voice was bitter about that fact. I hated that my paternal grandparents had deemed my mother a better beneficiary than me. In my heart, I’d always been angry with her for marrying a new man and moving me away from the place where my father had been raised.

  “I think we’re going to have to walk,” Gideon finally suggested. “Unless we plan to spend the day in this truck.”

  “But it’s pouring,” Gage complained.

  “We’ve been wet before,” Gideon answered.

  Interrupting their spat, I said, “The rain isn’t as bad as it was last night. Yes, we’ll be soaked by the time we make it back to the house, but there’s a chance that the plumbing still works. I was concerned that the well would have run dry when I got here, but with all this rain, it’s full by now. We can grab a shower…”

  “A cold one,�
� Gage surmised. “There’s no power at the ranch.”

  I let out a deep breath and cursed under my breath that Gage was smart enough to not take the bait I was casting. I didn’t want to go back to New York, and I didn’t trust either of the twins to help me as they’d promised they would. The storm was the only thing that would set me free, if I could just get the two of them to take me out in it.

  “Untie my legs, and let’s head back on foot,” I said. “It’s the only option we have at this point.”

  The truth was there were other options, and there was another, small service road that ran the back of the property. I’d neglected to mention it in hopes that the bridge would be washed out on the main road. My heart had leapt into my throat when I saw that the bridge was gone and we’d have to turn back. It gave me more time to escape. But there was no way I’d be able to flee with a zip tie around my ankles.

  The only choice I had at that point was to gain their trust and get the fuck out when they weren’t looking.

  They both eyed me suspiciously when I made the suggestion that they untie me, so I batted my eyes innocently and asked, “Seriously, guys? What’s the risk? It’s obvious I won’t be able to get away in this storm. I just want to get back to shelter before Mother Nature decides to get nastier with her surprises.”

  Gideon sat back in his seat and Gage reached up to run his hand through his hair. I watched him from the corner of my eye attempting to pretend like everything I’d suggested was completely on the up and up.

  Blowing out a breath, Gage finally said, “We’re not untying you, Holly. You’re slippery as shit and a hell of a lot tougher than you look…”

  “Is that supposed to be some kind of backwards compliment?” I teased.

  Gage’s head rolled on his shoulders, his blue eyes locking to mine. “And you’re smart, too, apparently. We can’t take the risk of losing you.”

  Motioning towards the storm with my hand, I asked, “Where the hell am I going to go, Gage? That’s a powerful storm that’s rolling overhead. I wouldn’t survive it if I tried to run.”

  “We’ll carry you back,” Gideon finally decided.

  “What?” I asked, my head spinning around and my eyes opened wide with shock. “It’s a quarter of a mile to get back. That’s insane!”

  “We’ll manage,” Gage interrupted with a stern voice that shut down my argument. “We can switch you back and forth if need be, but it will be safer than setting you free.”

  Gideon grumbled from beside me. “There’s no time like the present, I guess.”

  Throwing his door open, he stepped out into the rain and reached for me, his strong arms sliding under my body. Lifting me from my seat he pulled me out into the rain. He ducked his head as he pulled me against his chest. His skin was warm in contrast to the rain that was soaking us and I lifted my arms up to hug them around his neck. Wiggling in place, I set to work gaining his confidence.

  Their attention and probable attraction hadn’t escaped me when we’d been in the house earlier in the morning. Both men took secretive glances at my body, their eyes locking to my ass or breasts when they thought I wasn’t paying attention.

  And I knew that if there was anything a woman could use to gain a man’s trust, it was her body.

  Gideon would be the easy one. He was more muscle than he was brains, but Gage was a different story entirely. Despite the fact that he was identical in body to Gideon, Gage was more aware of his surroundings. He was a thinker, much like me, and I could tell he didn’t trust me one bit.

  Allowing my head to fall back, I blinked my eyes against the rain that fell over my face, Gideon’s breath pouring from his lips as he struggled to carry my weight and keep his footing in the mud. I wasn’t making things easy for him, either.

  Kicking out my legs like a child, I acted like I didn’t have a care in the world as the rain soaked us both. I knew that my movement caused my weight to become unbalanced in his arms and I laughed to myself when he grunted and shifted me in his arms to regain his grip.

  Glancing up at him from behind waterlogged lashes, I smiled. “What’s wrong, Gideon? Aren’t you man enough to carry a girl in the rain?”

  His large hand was wrapped beneath my thighs and I wiggled again, my slick skin rubbing against his palm in a way that would entice him. The corner of his lip curled up, but he kept his eyes locked to the path ahead of us, not giving in as easily as I’d hoped he would.

  “I’ve got you, baby,” he finally said, “don’t you worry about that.” His breath continued to huff from his lungs and I could see the tendons in his neck tighten from the weight he was carrying.

  Gage ran up from behind us, his eyes narrowed against the pouring rain. “Let me know when you need a break, bro. I’ll take her from you then.”

  Tightening my arms around Gideon’s neck, I pulled my body up so that my mouth was close to his ear. Lowering my voice to a seductive purr, I said, “Try to carry me for as long as you can, okay? I think I’m enjoying myself.”

  Yes, I was laying it on thick, but I had to make him believe I wanted him. The storm was helpful because it kept us on the property that I knew better than them. But if I could never convince one of them to untie me, I would never be able to break free.

  Gideon looked down at me, heat flashing behind his beautiful, blue eyes. “What the hell has gotten into you?”

  I shrugged and lay back in his arms. “Don’t know,” I said, keeping my voice low so Gage couldn’t hear and praying that I was still speaking loud enough for Gideon to understand what I was saying. “I just never realized how strong you were until now. I like that about you.”

  Another smile pulled at his sculpted lips. “Then sit back and enjoy the ride, Holly.” There was laughter in his voice and I squinted up at him, not quite sure if he was buying into my game.

  The twins took turns passing me back and forth, my skin becoming slicker as the rain continued to beat down on our heads. Gage wasn’t playing into my charms during his turns to carry me, but each time I was passed over to Gideon, he seemed to enjoy it more.

  I was careful with my flirtation. Not wanting to come on too strong, I switched from talking to expertly rubbing up against him more than I had to. By the time we made it back to the house, I was sure his cock was pressing tightly against his pants, and I hated to admit that I’d made the mistake of turning my own body on in an effort to get him going.

  His feet fell heavy against the steps leading up to the porch and I was relieved to be out of the rain by the time we entered the house. Setting me down on the couch, he leaned over me and stared at me with curious blue eyes.

  “What was all that about, huh?”

  Playing innocent, I said, “I’m not sure I know what you’re talking about.”

  He smirked at me, a sparkle behind his eye. “You’re up to something.”

  My body shivered, but I wasn’t sure if it was from the cold wind blasting in through the broken windows, or from the baritone sound of his voice. His hand brushed along my skin, his fingertips sliding over the goose bumps that spread over my body.

  “You’re cold again,” he mentioned.

  “And wet,” I answered. “I need to get these clothes off so I can warm up by a fire.

  His eyebrow cocked in surprise and question. “What do you have on beneath your shirt and sweatpants?”

  Curiosity and the hint of something else was evident in his voice. “A bra and underwear. It’s the same thing as a bathing suit, so don’t get all twisted out of shape about it. I’ll need you to undo the zip tie so I can get my pants off, though.”

  Glancing up at his brother, Gideon waited for Gage’s opinion. I turned to look at Gage and noticed he was eyeing me with anything but trust.

  Nodding his head, he said, “Go ahead and help her out of her clothes. We don’t want to deliver her back on her deathbed because we allowed her to get sick. But as soon as her pants are off, wrap a fresh tie around her ankles.”

  My eyes widened. “How man
y zip ties do you have?”

  Gideon chuckled. “Enough to keep you from running, I promise you that.”

  Pulling a utility knife from his pocket, he knelt down in front of me and cut the plastic tie from my legs. I breathed out in relief for the momentary freedom.

  Gideon looked up at me and said, “Do what you have to do, Holly. But in two minutes, your ankles are getting locked back together.” His gaze shifted to his brother. “Would you bring in some wood from the porch? We need to get a fire going.”

  Without answering, Gage stepped outside to bring in several logs. When he stepped back into the house, he placed them in the fireplace, but said, “They’re a little wet. We’re going to need something to get this fire going hot enough for them to catch.”

  My fingers were gripping the bottom hem of my wet shirt, when I suggested, “There’s some paper shopping bags in the kitchen. Go ahead and use those. If they’re not enough, I’m sure you two can find old furniture around the house that can be broken apart and used as kindling.”

  I waited for Gage to step into the kitchen before locking my eyes on Gideon. He continued watching me with a smirk pulling at his lips.

  Slowly lifting my shirt, I stripped the wet material from my body, holding my arm out to let it slip from my fingertips to the floor. Gideon continued staring, heat building behind his eyes with every move I made.

  This was going to be easier than I thought.

  Reaching down, I shuffled my position on the couch to pull the sweatpants from my hips and slip them down my legs making sure to move just right so that he caught a glimpse of everything I had to offer.

  His lips were slightly parted when I kicked the sodden material from my feet and pulled my bent legs up against me on the couch. We stared at each other for several quiet seconds, neither of us moving except for the breath expanding our chests.