by Emily Snow
“No, it won’t be all tough.” I smirked. “It’ll be more fun than anything.”
“You’re trying to punk me out. It’s cool. I can deal with it. Besides…” He sighed, sitting back. “Sooner or later you’ll be the one begging me.” He winked, sliding out of his bench to stand.
A few girls sitting at separate booths caught the sight of Gage and literally stopped eating. One of them was nearly salivating on her French fries while ogling him. Gage noticed and gave them a wink and they giggled girlishly, but I sighed, knowing his flirting wasn’t going to stop completely. Not anytime soon, anyway.
Hooking his thumbs through his belt loops, he turned around and walked for the arcade but took a quick glance over his shoulder at me, winking again. Why was I still watching him? I sparked with heat, biting on a smile as I stared down at my book. I really had to get used to his charm.
The bonfire hadn’t started yet, which left Gage and me lounging around inside the lake house. The house was huge, built with stone and expensive wrought iron, and I wasn’t sure who it belonged to, but they were pretty lucky to have it.
Gage and I sat on the sofa in front of a tall arched window. He’d pushed the curtains back so we could watch the sunset. It was beautiful. A few streaks of yellow and orange cascaded beneath the hovering dark blue. The moon was just rising as the sun was sinking, creating a view of simplicity.
Gage shifted beneath me and I moved so he could hook his arm around my middle, the back of my head against his chest. He had a beer in his free hand and drank from it. A part of me wondered why he wasn’t downstairs with his band brothers partying and drinking some more until it was time for the bonfire. I wanted to ask, but I didn’t because it was too comfortable to sit like this.
As I turned in his arms and placed my cheek against his chest, he looked down at me, his hazel eyes sparkling from the sunset. He was calm, humble. I didn’t want to destroy the mood so I kept my lips sealed… for a little while anyway…
“Have you ever had a real relationship before, Gage?” I asked. Immediately, I burned a fierce red but kept my gaze down, especially as he tensed against me, his grip slacking from my waist.
“No,” he said, taking a sip of beer afterward.
“Why not, if you don’t mind me asking?”
He shrugged. “I’ve never had the time for a real one.”
I nodded as if I understood, but I really didn’t and by his short responses, I knew he wasn’t up for talking about it. “Montana told me you’ve been talking to Penelope for a long time. You said earlier you’ve known her for three years.”
He looked down at me, his smile amused. “Did I?”
“Yeah.”
“And?”
“And I was wondering why? Surely you feel something for her if you bring her back and forth from state to state. You pay for her plane tickets, don’t you?”
“Yeah.” He shrugged.
“Which means there’s something there… for her.”
Sighing, he unhooked his arm from around me and took a quick sip of his beer. “I have to keep Penelope close for certain reasons.”
I frowned, doubting him because there was no reason at all to keep someone like her around unless it was just for sex. Instead of saying something negative, I asked, “Why?”
“Because… she knows a lot about me that I’ve never told anyone—not even the band. She was around during the wrong time. Eavesdropping and snooping when she wasn’t supposed to.”
“What, so you think she’s going to use it as a weapon against you if you drop her?”
“Possibly. And it’s nothing to take lightly. She’s a dramatic girl. She’ll do anything for attention. She’ll blow it out of proportion if she has to. My reputation’ll be fucked, along with the band’s. Ever heard the saying ‘keep your friends close but your enemies closer?’”
“Oh,” was all I could manage. I wanted to know what Penelope knew, but by the look in his hard eyes, I didn’t bother to ask. Instead, I slid in closer and wrapped my arm around his waist again. He sighed, kissing my hair, the tension seeping from his body. He finally leaned back against the sofa to relax, picking up his beer again.
“What about you?” he asked. “Have you ever had a real relationship before?”
I shook my head quickly. “No.”
He smiled. “Why not?”
“I just don’t think a real relationship is necessary right now.”
“So you don’t date? Is that what you’re saying?” he asked, smirking down at me.
“No, Gage, I don’t date. I don’t have time for it right now.” He let out a deep chuckle before chugging his beer, and I sat back to get a good look into his eyes. They smiled down at me and mine narrowed. “What’s funny?”
“Nothing’s funny. I just think you’re worth much more than a fling. I guess I’m lucky.”
“More than a fling with you?” I shook my head incredulously. “I don’t think it would ever work between us.”
“Do you doubt me that much?” he teased.
I laughed, folding my legs. I couldn’t get started on that conversation with him, but as I turned to look at him again, he stared at me, his head tilted and his beer bottle a little ways from his lips, as if he were waiting on an answer. My heart pounded and it was just my luck that Montana capped his shoulder, getting him to turn his head and look his way.
“The bonfire’s starting. Time to lick some marshmallows… and maybe some tits.” Montana grinned devilishly. I snickered at him and he looked at me quickly. “You should let Gage lick yours. Let him suck the hell out of ‘em, too. Heard it makes a woman feel good… along with a few other things.” He wiggled his eyebrows.
My face burned scarlet and they both laughed heartily at my coy reaction. Gage then placed his beer bottle on the table and stood to stretch, his shirt rising and revealing the skin just above his waistband.
I resisted the urge to tug him back down on the couch and climb on top of him. Maybe even lick him. Instead, I took the hand he offered and allowed him to help me up. He didn’t walk off right away, though. He pulled me into him and smiled down at me, his eyes deep and mischievous. “If you’d like me to lick them, I’d be honored,” he said as soon as Montana was out of earshot.
My stomach coiled as he looked me over a dozen times, watching my body sink against his with each second. He placed a hand on the small of my back, the other cupping the nape of my neck. I bit my bottom lip and his head tilted to the other side as he inched in closer. My heartbeat climbed and clambered against my rib cage. His lips parted and he licked them slowly. I could smell the beer, but I wanted to lick it away, to suck the remainder of juice off his tongue.
He pulled me in by the back of my neck and I moved with his hand willingly. He lifted my leg, and soon the buzzing around us cleared. Everyone had gone downstairs to get outside and gather around the bonfire. Fortunately, Gage didn’t seem to care much about it. He had enough fire igniting behind his eyes. He dropped his hand from around my neck, picking me up so I could circle my legs around him. He sucked on my skin greedily and I moaned, melting into his grasp. We stumbled toward the nearest wall and as soon as my back hit it, he delved into me.
After a few minutes of making out so hard our lips started swelling, he chuckled. “We don’t want this to get carried away,” he said, grinning behind his next kiss. I smiled, melting some more, and then nodded, climbing out of his arms.
Just as we’d turned for the stairs, thumping music came from outside. The bonfire was bright, enormous, and a few people were already sitting around it with drinks in hand. Two girls were on Montana’s lap, another sitting beside him with her arm draped around his waist. All three of them were giggling at him, rubbing up and down his chest, his arms, and his face. He seemed to really love the attention.
Roy sat in front of the fire, taking long draws from his beer as he stared ahead. A few girls tried to brush against him, but he would frown at them and move away. Fortunately, the girls didn’t p
ay much attention to it; otherwise, they would have taken offense. Deed stood with a group of people, including Cal, who was leisurely talking to a blonde with plump red lips and heavily mascaraed eyelashes. When the hell did Cal get here? He literally came out of nowhere.
“I’ll go get us some drinks,” Gage murmured into my ear.
I nodded, watching him walk toward a cooler near the fire. He gave a quick shout at Montana who grinned lazily, pointing at his crotch and then the three girls. Gage laughed and then went to talk to Roy briefly. I watched the entire time, waiting on his return, but then someone appeared behind him that I wasn’t expecting at all. I could hear her annoying voice all the way by the door as she stood on her toes and covered his eyes. She was smiling eagerly, ready to surprise him.
“Guess who,” she squeaked.
The corners of Gage’s mouth turned down instantly and then he spun around, removing her hands. “Penelope?” he said, raising an eyebrow, his voice not as pleasant as the smile he forced.
“Yeah!” she squealed, hooking her arms around his waist and climbing into his arms. She kissed him passionately and Gage slowly wrapped his arms around her. “You didn’t miss me?” she asked, pouting her bottom lip. “I sure as hell missed you.”
Ice crawled down my spine, the hairs on my back rising at the sight of her all over him.
“Uh… yeah, babe. I missed you,” Gage said. The ice filled my stomach, ran along my back. Gage took a quick glance at me, his eyes pleading, but I shook my head. I had to let myself know we were only a fling. Nothing more. But why the hell was Penelope around? Did he invite her? Something about it irked my nerves, but instead of being a party-pooper, I walked toward them. Penelope saw me approaching and smiled wickedly. Her evil grin made me shudder, but I smiled at her politely.
“Hi, guys,” I said, my eyes swinging from hers to Gage’s. His pale face was warmed only by the flames of the fire flickering nearby, his jaw ticking.
“Eliza.” Penelope grinned, climbing out of his arms and facing me. “Oh my God, I love what you did to your hair!” she screeched, reaching to twirl a curly strand around her finger. I smiled, but on the inside I cringed, hating her voice. “What kind of conditioner do you use? I mix Suave and Wen. It works sooo good for me. Wanna feel mine?” she asked eagerly.
I bit my tongue. What I really wanted to tell her was to shut the fuck up, but I held off on my acidity. I had to play nice. She isn’t worth it, Eliza. I smiled sweetly at her as she took a step forward. “Sure.” I touched her dark, straight hair, pretending to enjoy the feel of it before pulling away. “It’s really soft and it smells good, too.” I lied.
She smiled smugly at the compliment and took a step back, lacing her fingers with Gage’s. I frowned at that, but she didn’t notice. Of course Gage did because his head tilted and his eyes were hard on me, still pleading.
I finally gave him the question with my eyes: Was he going to spend the rest of his night with her or me? I didn’t like competition, so it was up to him to decide. If he was to go with her, I was going to have to cut back on some of the flinging with him—possibly leaving it at just flirting.
The music got louder and Penelope squealed, pulling Gage in by his belt loop and grinning up at him. “Oh, babe! I love this song! We have to go dance.”
Rigidly, Gage ran a hand through his hair and, sighing, said, “Sure.”
What!? Was he serious? I scowled at him, taking a step back and turning my back to them. I stormed for the coolers, not daring to look back as I grabbed a beer. I popped the cap, took a long pull, but as I took another, I felt a pair of eyes on me. I turned to my right and Cal was sitting on a log, his smile amused as he watched me.
“Wanna sit with me?” he asked, patting the spot beside him. I blinked quickly, then took a glance over my shoulder at the crowd of dancing people by the bonfire. I spotted Gage with his head down, his focus on Penelope and her groove. She was dancing hard, his hands at her waist, his smile lazy as she looked over her shoulder to see if he was actually enjoying her. From what I saw, he seemed to be thoroughly enjoying himself.
I cringed but then remembered how upset Gage had gotten over me talking to Cal. At the wicked thoughts coming to mind, I grinned and leisurely took the seat on the log. I sat a little closer than he expected, but as my knee bumped against his, he only smiled.
“Having a rough night?” he asked.
“Nah.” I lied. “Just need some real fun, you know?”
He raised a brow, confused. “What do you mean?”
“I don’t know.” I took another sip of my beer. I really didn’t know what the hell I was talking about. I was a blubbering, furious mess and I despised myself for it.
“Ohh! You mean ‘fun-fun?’” Cal asked, smiling at me.
I smiled, nodding slowly. “What exactly do you have in mind?”
Smirking, he finished his beer and placed his empty bottle down. I finished mine as well, but as I set the bottle down, Cal hooked his arm around me. “We can dance. It’s been a while since I have.”
I stilled, taking a glance at Gage again, but this time Penelope was in his arms, looking into his eyes with her arms locked around his neck. He was smiling down at her, his hand sneaking past her waist to most likely get to her ass. I looked at Cal before I could see him touch her there. “Sure, I’d love to.”
Eagerly, he brought me to my feet, his arm still around my waist and allowing me to walk ahead of him. I held on to his hand, leading him toward the crowd of dancing people. I didn’t want to dance near Gage, but I wanted to be somewhere he could see me. As soon as I found the perfect spot, I turned and faced Cal. His grin was goofy and wide, but I ignored his silliness and turned around again.
He placed both hands at my waist as I buried my ass into his groin. He stifled a groan, gripping me tight by the hips. The music had grown even louder with each dip, twist, shake, and grind. The crowd around the bonfire thickened and became sweatier, heavier. I opened my eyes slowly, allowing the back of my head to fall against Cal’s shoulder.
He was obviously getting turned on because something hard and thick poked against my backside. I smiled. It was amazing how much power a woman could have over a man’s body. And not only was I pleased by Cal’s hard-on, but I was thrilled to see that between the bouncing bodies, waving arms, and bobbing heads, Gage was watching me, a beer in his hand. His hazel eyes were rock-hard, boring holes right through me. A line was drawn between his eyebrows, and with each sip of beer he took, his grip seemed to tighten around his bottle. The ink on his arms stood out along with his tense muscles. He seemed almost deadly as the flames flickered across his face.
Penelope was no longer by his side but running off with a friend of hers to walk along the shore of the lake. I saw her as I looked away briefly before meeting Gage’s aggravated eyes again. With a ticking jaw, Gage turned his back to me and walked toward another crowd to busy himself.
Pleased by his annoyance, I turned in Cal’s arms and he stared down at me, his eyes glazed over with lust. He’d sweated out his perfect blond hair, but it was sexy as it hung on his forehead. His lips parted and he inched in, but I tilted my head, pressing the palm of my hand against his chest as my eyebrows stitched. Does he really think I’m going to kiss him?
“I’m gonna go grab another beer. Will you wait here for me?” I asked.
He blinked quickly, swallowing and then nodding his head. “Sure. Would you grab one for me, too?”
“Yeah,” I breathed, forcing a smile.
He smiled. “Don’t be too long, Eliza!”
I pushed through the crowd, taking a glance over my shoulder as a girl came up to Cal, grinning up at him. She grabbed his hand and started dancing on him. He didn’t object. Good. He was occupied with someone else. I needed to take a breather anyway. I needed to clear the fogginess in my brain.
I dug my hand into the cooler but frowned as I searched and searched only to find wine coolers. Shrugging, I grabbed one and downed it.
�
�Have fun?” a familiar, deep voice asked from behind me.
I frowned, spinning around quickly. Gage was staring at me, his head lowered, tilted, and his eyes darker than usual.
“I had a lot of fun, actually. Thanks for asking,” I said smartly. “Have fun breaking your promise?”
“I didn’t promise you anything,” he countered.
I clamped my mouth shut, hating that he was right. It kind of felt like a promise. “Whatever.” I waved him off, running the back of my hand across my sweaty forehead. “Go back to her. You don’t have to bother yourself with me. It’s obvious you aren’t going to let her go anytime soon.”
He smirked, placing his beer down in the sand and sliding the tips of his fingers into the front pockets of his cargo shorts. “You’re upset,” he pointed out.
I frowned. “No,” I lied. Ugh, what is up with me and lying tonight? I took a step back, really not in the mood for arguing. It was clear who he wanted. Penelope. I began to walk off, but before I could, Gage grabbed my arm and hauled me against him.
“You’re not going back to dance with him,” he snapped through clamped teeth.
I snatched my arm out of his hand, scowling up at him. “I can dance with whomever I like. I’ve told you this before.”
He stared at me, reliving the time when I actually did tell him I could dance with whomever I wanted. I wanted to leave him in the silence then. I wanted to feel superior—like a wiseass—so, I turned again, but he caught me, reeling me in by the waist. A few people that were chatting nearby turned to watch. He gripped my arm where it wasn’t too tight to hurt me, but just enough so I couldn’t pull away. He was pissing me off and by my fidgeting and trying to fight him off we were causing a scene.
“You’re bringing attention our way,” I hissed at him.
“Good, maybe it’ll get you to stop acting out and cooperate.”
“Fuck you, Gage.”
His eyes widened, surprised by my crude words. Right after, he smirked and that pissed me off even more. “Anything else, Ellie?” he sighed.
I flared, yanking my arm free. “I told you less than two hours ago that if we were going to do this, you couldn’t mess with anyone else. You told me you were going to drop her”—I pointed toward the crowd—“for me. You said it clearly!”