by Kira Blakely
“Only if you promise to never say that again.”
Ryker grinned. “Later.”
***
Shawna was in the middle of the most delightful dream when she felt kisses on her neck and behind her ear. She was in her own home in some nondescript city, kicking off her shoes after a long day at the office. There was no partner beside her so she couldn’t figure out the source of the soft, arousing kisses.
The kisses grew more heated and she began to squirm, squeezing her thighs tight to stave off the arousal. She moaned and then she heard it. A deep chuckle.
“If you keep moving around like that, I’ll have no choice but to do something to relieve your ache.”
Her eyes popped open, and she jackknifed up. “What the hell, Gage?”
Good god, why did the man have to look like sex on a stick first thing in the morning? He gave her that smug grin, palms planted on either side of her hips. “I needed to wake you, and I couldn’t think of a better way.”
Shawna stared at him for a long minute and then she burst out in raucous laughter. “You are so full of it, Gage Steele. I’m surprised your eyes aren’t brown.” Her body shook with laughter at his affronted expression.
“I tried to think of another way, but then your blanket slipped and revealed that round ass of yours and well… that seemed like the best way. It worked.” He gave her that dimpled smile that heated her body at least ten degrees, and she tugged the blanket up to her neck.
“So why did you wake me up?”
His big hand raked through his hair and those blue eyes flashed with an emotion she couldn’t name. “We need to go to Starla before we leave for St. Lucia.”
All traces of humor vanished at the name of the most expensive boutique in the casino. “No thanks.”
The glare he sent her way so was icy cold she couldn’t stop the shiver that took control of her body. “This isn’t about your pride or my ego. This week needs to be perfect.”
Crossing her arms so the blanket fell to her lap, Shawna stared at Gage. “Why?”
One side of his lush mouth kicked up in a sexy smirk. “Get dressed and come to the kitchen, and I’ll tell you.”
With a reluctant groan, she watched his fine ass as he walked away before she pushed off the bed and quickly went through her morning routine. In no time at all, she was dressed and joining Gage in the kitchen.
“Okay, now why is this week so important that I have to miss school and get new clothes?” She piled her plate with French toast and bacon, pouring a generous river of syrup and listened to Gage tell her all about Steve Wilde and his company.
“He’s old fashioned and it turns out having a girlfriend might actually help me close this deal.”
She finally understood. This was the whole reason for the ruse in the first place. Shawna didn’t want him to lie to her face so she left the accusation unspoken. “I still don’t think that warrants a new wardrobe.”
“Shawna, dammit, I’m not asking.”
“And I’m not letting you buy me clothes like a human doll!” She popped another slice of bacon between her lips and dared him to argue.
He did, because he was Gage Steele. “I’m not trying to dress you up. If I were, the clothes would already be here. I’m trying to be considerate here, Shawna, but since you refuse to wear the clothes I replaced, I’m going to have to insist now.”
She could acknowledge that he could have steamrolled her by just purchasing a bunch of designer duds, and she was grateful he hadn’t or else this argument would never end. “All right, then here’s the deal. I’ll go shopping but we’ll do this my way. I’ll let you get a few dresses from a place you choose, but we get the rest from my stores.” He opened his mouth to argue and she held up a finger. “Guys don’t know the difference, and I’m just your girlfriend, Gage. There’s no reason I need to be draped in designer everything. It would tell Mr. Wilde that I’m just like your other women.”
“I’m really beginning to hate that phrase,” he groaned and stole the half strip of bacon from her fingers.
“Truth hurts, babe.” Shawna laughed and slid off the counter. “All right, money bags, let’s get this over with. Oh, hey, we should get you a few things, too! I know just the place.”
***
“Target,” Gage said, voice dripping with confusion and something that sounded a lot like disgust. “That’s your big plan?”
The look of disgust and disbelief was so funny it took every ounce of restraint Shawna could muster to stop from laughing at him. She nodded as a smile tugged one side of her mouth. “It’s affordable, and we can both find some cute stuff here.”
He stood outside the automatic doors as though something might jump out and attack him.
“We did your part, Gage. I let you spend way too much on totally impractical dresses.” Which she completely loved and would never wear again. “Now it’s my turn. A deal is a deal.” She had him and they both knew it. Gage may be a take-charge alpha male who got things done, but he also had a keen sense of fair play that wouldn’t allow him to renege on a deal.
“Fine, but I get a final veto on everything.”
She smiled. “No deal. Come on.” She grabbed his hand and pulled him through the store, stopping to pick up shorts, tanks and sandals as well as a few bathing suits for her.
“Seriously, that’s all you’re getting?”
She gave him an odd look. “We’re going for a week, right, not a month?” He nodded. “Then I think I should be all right.” Before they finished with the women’s section, she spotted a few sundresses on clearance and grabbed a few to try on. “Ten bucks, baby!”
He laughed but it didn’t last when he caught a glimpse of the men’s clothing section. “No graphic t-shirts, Shawna.”
“Fine, but everything else is on the table and you will try them on. Deal?” He nodded and she quickly went to work pulling denim and khaki shorts into the cart along with t-shirts, flip flops, swim trunks and a pair of topsiders, generic, of course. “See, that wasn’t so hard.”
He mumbled a few curse words under his breath while he tried on everything, and Shawna did her best to stifle her laughter. Each time he stepped out for her approval, he grew more relaxed but his scowl deepened. “Do I really need all this?”
“Yes. We’ll wash everything before we go, so it’s nice and soft on your precious baby skin,” she teased.
“All right then. A deal is a deal.” Her growling stomach broke the silence and he smiled. “Thank goodness. Let’s get out of here. I know a great burger place.”
She gave him a skeptical look. “You do? Wait… is this one of those thousand-dollar burger places?”
He laughed and the sound warmed her body. It was rich and deep and so real that Shawna found herself softening toward him. Sure, he’d been a jerk after their date in Los Angeles and the amazing flight back, but she knew that night was special for them both. For a guy like him, that much emotion called for one thing. Retreat. “No.” He shook his head, giving her another one of those looks that clearly said, “lady, you’re nuts.”
But she didn’t want to like him, dammit. “Well, if it costs that much, you’re buying.”
“I always buy,” he told her, his tone heavy and serious.
“You don’t always have to, you know. There are some places in the world where a man and a woman hang out, without sex, and she pays for her own meal.”
“Where is that, the moon?”
Shawna doubled over at the register, drawing looks from the other customers as well as cashiers. For once, they weren’t looking because of Gage, who drew attention wherever he went. “Did you just make a joke? Holy smokes, will wonders never cease!”
He moved closer and wrapped an arm around her shoulder… and promptly covered her mouth with his hand. She did the only thing she could, she licked his hand.
“Did you just… really?”
She gave a childish nod, completely amused by his reaction. “You left me no choice. Funny man.�
�� His expression sent her into another fit of laughter as the final bag was loaded onto their big red cart. She bumped his hip when he attempted to hand over his credit card. “My treat, remember?”
“Yeah, yeah, let’s go feed that tiger in your belly before he starts eating unsuspecting children.”
She laughed again. “Two jokes in one afternoon, Gage. Be careful or I might spread the word that you’re just a regular guy.”
“The horror,” he deadpanned and she broke down in uncontrollable laughter.
Yeah, she was beginning to like this Gage Steele entirely too much.
Chapter Nine
The music of The Doors blared throughout the house, muting Gage’s entry. He smiled at the sound of Shawna’s off-key duet with Jim Morrison and made his way closer to the sound. The kitchen. Turning in the doorway, he smiled at the sight that greeted him. Shawna’s plump, blue and yellow cotton-striped ass, shaking as she rolled out dough on the counter. Damn, the girl’s got moves. “I guess it’s a good thing I brought dinner, since you brought dessert.”
“Oh! Shit!” She twirled at the sound of his voice and sent the rolling pin flying through the air. “You scared the bejeezus outta me!”
He chuckled at her pink cheeks and heaving chest, his body slowly waking up as her lush curves came into focus. “You were rocking out pretty hard, Shawna. Anything I said would have scared you.”
She rolled her eyes but smiled anyway. “Well, you can’t not rock out with The Doors playing.” She turned in search of the rolling pin and frowned, nibbling adorably on that plump bottom lip.
Damn, all he could think about was her using that mouth on him. He groaned and picked up the pin. “Looking for this?”
Shaking her head, Shawna licked her lips and held her hand out to take the rolling pin. “Thanks. What are you doing here so early?”
He couldn’t stay away, that’s why, but he wouldn’t dare tell her that. “I need to double check my luggage before we head out.”
She accepted his answer easily, turning to the sink to clean the pin. Gage’s eyes were riveted by the vision she made, shaking her ass while she scrubbed the excess flour from the rolling pin. Since he was already forgotten, he took another moment to enjoy looking at her, watching her as she moved. Then he closed the gap between them until his hands were on her hips, his lips brushing the spot where her neck and shoulder met. The spot that drove her crazy.
“These sexy panties have me hard as granite,” he whispered.
She shivered, letting him take some of her weight, and he groaned when she brushed his erection. Then she laughed. “Sexy? Turquoise and yellow striped underwear do it for you, Gage? You always struck me as more of a merry widow or negligee type of guy. Maybe even crotchless panties.”
Biting her earlobe, he let his hands glide up her hips and waist, stopping to cup her fantastic tits in his hands. They were heavy and soft; her nipples beaded instantly. “I wouldn’t say no to them, but half the fun is unwrapping the gifts contained within.” She groaned at the way his fingers played with her nipples, pushing back against him.
“A gift, huh?” Her head fell back on his shoulder, and he took what he wanted, running his tongue along the length of her exposed neck while one hand snaked down her stomach and right inside those cotton panties. “Ah.” His finger traipsed through the damp strip of curls and between the even wetter lips hiding her clit.
“You’re always so wet for me, Shawna. I love that.” Nothing felt better than her damp heat clamped around him because he knew it was genuine. She was hot for him, too. She wasn’t putting on a show to turn him on. That’s what turned him on.
“Yeah,” she panted, “it really is a problem.”
Two fingers plunged into her moisture while the other hand tweaked her nipple and she cried out. “It’s a problem I’m more than willing to help you solve.” She grabbed his wrist, guiding his hand to just the right spot, and Gage was pretty sure he was about to blow his load right in his pants. He loved that she took charge of her own pleasure, didn’t expect him to just know. But he did know. Gage pinched her clit and sent her hurtling over the precipice with his name on her lips.
“What did I do to deserve that?” She still struggled to suck in her breath, but she turned her hazy, desire-filled green eyes up at him.
“I couldn’t resist the sight of you in those panties. They’re good girl panties but you, sweetheart, have bad girl curves.” He barked out a laugh at the blush staining her cheeks.
“I was making cookies for the plane ride tomorrow, and I spilled red food coloring on my jeans so I had to pretreat them right away, but you can’t leave this dough unattended too long or it gets sticky.”
He kissed her just to stop her adorable babbling. Adorable? What the fuck is wrong with me? Next, he’d be quoting Shakespeare or writing Hallmark cards. “You’re cute when you babble.”
Shawna rolled her eyes. “Yeah, sure. You didn’t have to bring dinner.”
“I felt like Indian food, but I’m happy to eat it all if you don’t want any.”
“I didn’t say that. I said you didn’t have to, but I’m glad you did because I love Indian food!” Skirting around him, she opened the bag and squealed, showing as much excitement for butter chicken as she had for the orgasm he’d given her. She looked at him. “Go change and come on back, I’ll set it up on the counter, so I can watch the cookies.”
This scene was so achingly domestic. Gage had to fight the urge to leave out the front door and hit the nearest club so he could lose himself in some faceless piece of ass. But damn, he couldn’t leave her, not while her scent still lingered on his fingers. It was all too much. And he had a full week of togetherness to get through.
When he returned to the kitchen, she had everything set up and though there were no candles or soft music, it all felt very romantic.
“I hope you like beer, because I had Esme pick up some for me.” She popped the cap on her bottle and took a long swig, drawing his attention to the long smooth skin of her throat. And that little pulse racing between her collarbone.
“The very first booze I stole was my dad’s beer.” Why had he mentioned that? Because, he realized, he wanted her to know something real about him. Not just what the Vegas gossip rags printed.
She arched a brow in his direction. “So, you were always a bad boy, even when you were a cute little bad boy?” He glared and she laughed, opening another bottle and sliding it across the counter.
“We were just kids looking to drink and our dad had a ton of beer.”
Shawna nodded as though she understood and from what he knew of her childhood, she probably did. “My mother preferred the hard stuff. Vodka, gin, tequila, whiskey, you name it and she chugged it. Which is why I stick to beer.”
“No Jell-O shots or drinking games in college?”
She barked out a laugh that held no amusement. “When would I have done that? I worked and went to school full time. Any free time I had was spent doing homework and writing papers. Big fun,” she said, twirling her index finger in the air.
“I dropped out junior year to work on flipping a house with Rafe and Ryker. We sold it for a huge profit and did it again. And again, until we had enough money to go after our dreams.”
She smiled at him, letting out a wistful sigh. “I admire and respect that, really. It took guts but it paid off for you all.”
“Because we’re rich?”
“Because you get to make a good living, a damn good living, doing what you love. Well, I assume they love it, but you’re the life of the party and now you spend your days letting people in on your fun. Pretty damn cool.”
He swallowed the beer and took a moment to absorb her words. No one had ever quite put it like that before; they were all too focused on the billions he’d made to wonder if he liked his chosen path in life. But Shawna had hit it on the head. “Was that a compliment?”
She shook her head, trying for a serious expression. “I knew when I said it, oh, he’s gonna t
hink I’m giving him a compliment. But I’m not, I mean, yeah, it’s badass that you did it, but no, it’s not a compliment.”
Their eyes connected in a moment that felt super charged, too intense for either of them to look away. So, they looked for a long moment and then something happened. Her mouth twitched and then his, and then they were both bent over their dinner laughing until tears streaked their cheeks, quickly diffusing the tense moment. “I’m taking the compliment.”
“Of course, you are,” she said, her smile tinged with amusement. “Where’s your dad now?”
He shrugged. “Who knows. We bought him a condo in Florida but knowing him, he sold it and gambled away the money. He got stuck with us when our mom died and thought the twin thing would help with his cons.”
She laughed. “He didn’t know you and your brother were immoveable forces?”
Gage laughed at her on-point assessment. “He learned quick. What about your parents?”
Her smile dimmed. “Don’t know who dear old dad is, but my guess would be he was one of my mother’s first attempts at finding Prince Charming. She spent my childhood looking for someone to sweep her off her feet and take care of her; each boyfriend was worse than the last. I got sick of it and split when I was a teenager.”
He frowned, knowing that was true but the thought of little green-eyed Shawna on the street turned his stomach.
“Don’t worry, Batman, this is the easiest city in the world to make it work. I got dressed up so I looked older and spent most nights curled up in an alcove. Or shelters.” She shook her head with a small smile. “Worst three years of sleep of my life!”
She could downplay it all she wanted, but he knew the experienced had to have been terrifying for a teenage girl. “Is that why you said yes to my proposition?”
“Because of living on the street? No. I can take care of myself. I said yes because getting evicted made me realize you were probably right and I do need protection from Pearce.”
Gage smiled and cupped his ear, leaning forward. “I’m sorry, can you repeat that last part?”