by Sarah Curtis
"I promise."
"Good." He covered her lips with his and kissed her long and deep.
She felt a tug on the hem of her T-shirt and looked down to see Logan standing beside them, rubbing his eyes. "Hey, little man, What are you doing out of bed?"
"Something woke me up." Gage bent over and picked him up, placing him on his hip.
Cassie smiled thinking about all the commotion that had been going on in the house for the last hour, and now that things were finally calming down, something woke him. "I'm sorry, little man. Let's go put you back in bed."
Logan laid his head on Gage's shoulder. "I want to stay with Daddy."
Cassie looked at Gage. "Come on," he said. "Let's get rid of the police, then we can all go to sleep."
Cassie sat on the couch, Logan asleep with his head in her lap, Gage beside her with his arm wrapped around her shoulders. Cassie softly stroked Logan's hair while Officer Cruz asked her questions. He was middle-aged with dark-brown hair and eyes and a nice, friendly smile. He sat in a chair across the coffee table from them, a notebook and pencil in his hand, taking notes.
"Can you tell me anything about that?" He pointed to the note, encased in a clear plastic evidence bag, sitting on the coffee table.
Cassie reread the note. Keep your fucking nose out of our business. Cassie shook her head. "I don't really know. I rescue abused dogs, especially fighting dogs." She shrugged. "I guess it could have something to do with that."
She walked Officer Cruz through the events of the evening several times before Gage finally put a stop to it. "She needs some rest. She's told you everything she knows. If she remembers anything else, we'll give you a call."
The officer seemed satisfied with that and gave Gage his card. Gage walked everyone out, locked up the house, picked up Logan from the couch and said, "Come on, Sunshine, let's get some sleep."
Cassie followed Gage into her bedroom. He placed Logan on the bed then told her to climb in. "I'll be back in a minute."
"Where are you going?" Cassie asked, in a panic.
"I just want to cover the broken window. I'll call someone to come fix it tomorrow."
"Okay, but hurry."
Gage ran his hand down her cheek. "I will."
He wasn't gone long before he was back, stripping out of his clothes and climbing into bed beside her. It was a snug fit, the three of them in her queen-size bed, but she liked it. It made her feel safe and secure.
Gage turned off the bedside lamp then lay back and pulled her into his arms. Cassie yawned and wrapped her arm across his chest. "You shouldn't have left your party," she said, drowsily. "I don't want Logan and me to cramp your style."
She felt him stiffen under her. "You think you're cramping my style?"
"Um...," she said, almost asleep.
"We'll talk about that in the morning." The last thing she remembered before drifting off was his lips brushing her forehead and her liking it, too much.
* * * * *
Gage lay and listened to the quiet sounds of the night. He had a feeling he wouldn't get much sleep tonight. But the two things he cared about most in this world were alive, well, and within touching distance.
When he'd pulled up to the house earlier and seen the flashing lights, he'd never felt such fear. His heart raced, his stomach clenched, and it had taken all his restraint not to shout at the officers that approached him when they wouldn't answer his questions. Instead, they'd had questions of their own. Who he was, why he was there, blah, blah, blah, and through it all, he stood there, hands fisted, teeth clenched, wanting desperately to fight his way through to the house and to Cassie.
After what seemed like hours, but had probably only been minutes, they finally let him go. He felt like the biggest tool, walking into the house dressed in fancy clothes, looking like he'd been out having the time of his life while his family had been home alone under attack. He would never forget that feeling, and he would never let something like that happen again.
His eyes had searched the room for Cassie and when he spotted her, alive and unharmed, his heart calmed, but he knew he wouldn't feel better until he had her in his arms. And he vowed in his arms she would stay.
He glanced down at Cassie, her head resting on his chest, and her arm draped across his stomach and knew he had to figure out a way to convince her that they belonged together forever. No more Mr. Nice Guy. She was his, and he would damn sure make sure she knew it. Even if he had to take TNT to that wall she had erected around her and blast his way in, he would do it. Whatever it took, he would show her she wanted this, wanted a them.
The sun had just started to peek over the horizon when he got up and dressed. He left a note on the nightstand, knowing Logan would get her up soon, but hoping he would sleep in later this morning. He had some shit he needed to get done, and he wanted to do it and get back as quickly as possible.
* * * * *
Cassie looked over her shoulder as she swept the front porch to see Gage pulling up to the front of the house. The man Gage had called to fix the front window had just left, leaving a mess behind for her to clean up. She didn't mind as long as her window was fixed.
Laurie had called that morning, but Cassie hadn't told her what happened the night before. She knew she would cut her vacation short, driving home as quickly as possible, and Cassie didn't want that. Laurie was only able to get away once a year, and she would not mess with that.
She stopped sweeping when she noticed Gage pull two large duffel bags out of the back of his SUV. What the heck? She leaned the broom against the wall and walked down the porch steps, meeting Gage halfway. Max and Sunny ran up to her in greeting, and she gave them each a pet before asking Gage, "What are you doing?"
Gage leaned over, giving her a quick kiss on the lips. "Moving in."
Cassie gave him a perplexed look. "What?"
"I don't want you staying here by yourself." He stepped around her and made his way into the house.
Cassie followed closely behind as he went to her bedroom and deposited his bags on her bed. "You can't stay here."
Gage looked over at her after unzipping one of his bags. "Why not?"
"Well..., um..."
Gage kept staring at her.
"Because..."
He gave her a sly smile. "Sunshine, I know you can do better than that."
Cassie crossed her arms over her chest and straightened her spine. "Because you staying here will confuse Logan." And it will confuse me, too, she thought.
Gage picked up his duffel bags and tossed them on the floor. He took Cassie by the arm, swung her around, and lightly tossed her on the bed before following her down, covering her body with his own.
Cassie felt her heartbeat quicken, and her breathing became erratic. "What are you doing?"
"Preparing you."
"Preparing me for what?"
"For what I'm about to say. You're not going to like it, so I'm making sure I have you fully in my control before I say it."
She looked at him with wide eyes.
"Now, first off, things are about to change between you and me. I thought if I gave you some time, you would come around to the idea of us but that hasn't happened. You're so damn stubborn that even if you wanted an us, your brain won't let you accept that. So, I'm taking that decision away from you. We are an us, get used to it."
Cassie sucked in a breath, getting ready to speak, but Gage quickly covered her mouth with his hand. "You don't get to speak right now. When I'm finished, you can talk."
Cassie seriously thought about biting his hand but gave him a death glare instead.
He gav
e her a wicked smile. "Next, I don't want to hear any more bullshit about you not being enough for me. You're gorgeous, sexy, funny, caring, and that smart mouth of yours gets my dick hard every damn time you open it. You're more than enough for any man, and any man would want you. But they can't have you because you're mine.
"Which takes me to my final point. You are mine, Sunshine. We are not friends with benefits. I belong to you, and you belong to me. Five years ago, I met the love of my life, but in my naive stupidity, I let her get away." Gage removed his hand from Cassie's mouth and slid his fingers into her hair. "Someone saw fit to give me a second chance, and I'm not fucking it up. I'm not that naive, stupid kid anymore and I will not let you get away."
Out of everything that Gage had said, one thing stood out like a red beacon. "I'm the love of your life?"
"Ah, Sunshine, if you have to ask, means I'm not doing a good enough job showing you."
He captured her lips in a long, slow kiss that caused tingles from the roots of her hair to the tips of her toes and all the areas between. He slowly raised his head and looked deeply into her eyes. And that's when she saw it. She figured it was always there, but she had chosen to ignore it.
Love.
His love for her shined brightly in his eyes.
Gage's eyes darkened at her stare. "And, she finally sees it."
She raised her hand and slowly traced along his eyebrow, down his cheek, over his lips. He truly was breathtakingly handsome. She could gaze upon his beauty all day. His eyes, such an electric blue, under thick, black brows, startling. She could get lost in those eyes, she knew because she let it happen once. Could she let it happen again? She closed her eyes, shielding herself from his masculine pull. Her heart rate picked up speed, her fear all too real.
"Sunshine." Her name all but a whisper, easy to ignore. "Cassie." Firmer, stronger, the tone impossible to ignore. She opened her eyes. "You scare me, Gage." Her eyes pleaded with him to understand. "You tore me up, ripped me apart. It took me a long time to put the pieces back together again."
His thumb grazed along her cheek in a soft caress. "I know baby, but I promise you, you have nothing to fear this time."
"How do you know that? How can you promise something like that?"
"Because I would die protecting you. I would slay dragons for you." He fisted her hair and brought his face close. "I would get on my knees and beg for you."
The thought of this strong, virile, intense man on his knees, begging her for anything had her squirming. Unconsciously, she pressed herself against him.
She watched his amazing, blue eyes darken and heat. "What part of that did you like?" He asked, grinding himself against her in response.
"All of it," she said, surging against him once more, grinding herself against his hard shaft. She panted his name, close to orgasm. He untangled his fingers from her hair and pinched her nipple through her T-shirt and bra while sucking on her neck. And that was all it took to have her coming.
Gage continued to nibble on her neck while she came back to reality. He stopped when he reached her ear and whispered, "What time do we need to leave to pick up Logan?"
Cassie looked at her bedroom clock. "In about fifteen minutes."
Gage growled in her ear. "You're mine tonight, Sunshine."
Cassie wasn't sure if he meant it as a threat, but to her, it sounded like one hell of a promise.
Chapter Thirteen
It seemed forever until it was time to put Logan to bed. Gage unpacked while Cassie put herself back together then they left for the preschool. They chatted with Sam and a few of the other parents, but as soon as Gage saw Logan, he scooped him up and made a bogus excuse for their hasty departure. Seemed Gage was in as big a rush to get the day over as she was.
Cassie made dinner while the boys played some video game that Gage had bought and installed. Then, finally, after dinner and a bath, it was bedtime. Cassie made a dash for the shower (she couldn't recall the last time she had shaved her legs and figured that was a bad sign) while Gage sang Logan to sleep.
She turned off the shower and reached for the towel she'd left hanging on the shower rod, but it wasn't there. She opened the shower curtain and looked to the floor, thinking it had fallen.
"Looking for this?"
Startled, Cassie gave a little yelp. Gage leaned, his shoulder against the bathroom doorjamb, the towel hooked on his pointer, dangling way out of her reach. Cassie used the shower curtain to cover herself. "It's cold."
"Come here and I'll warm you."
"Why don't you just give me the towel, so I can dry off."
"You know," Gage said, taking a step toward the shower, "one day that mouth of yours is going to get you into trouble." He stopped in the middle of the bathroom and held the towel wide with both hands. "Come here and I'll wrap you up."
Cassie looked down at herself. She really didn't want to step out from behind the shower curtain. Being naked while in the throes of wild sex was one thing, being naked while walking toward someone fully clothed, was quite another.
"Get over here now, Sunshine. I won't ask again."
"Oh yeah, and what happens if I don't?"
He gave her an evil chuckle. "Sunshine, you really don't want to know."
She wasn't sure what he had in mind, but she was one-hundred percent sure she didn't want to find out. She cautiously stepped over the tub, walking quickly toward him, holding on to the shower curtain for as long as possible before letting it go.
He chuckled, wrapped her in the towel and lifted her into his arms.
* * * * *
He threw her on the bed and stared down at her while he reached behind his neck and pulled his T-shirt over his head. He placed a knee on the bed and leveled himself over her, capturing one corner of the towel and slowly peeling it away. It was like unwrapping a present. He remembered the feeling of excitement Christmas morning, finally, opening the presents that he'd been watching for weeks, knowing everything he wanted was under all that sparkling paper. But he wasn't half as excited as he was right then, knowing what he was about to reveal was something he'd been craving for five long years and was his to do with whatever he pleased.
He hovered above her, gazing at her, not knowing where to start. He wanted it all, and he wanted it all at once. He reached out and traced a line down the center of her body. Her stomach quivered under his touch, soon he would have her quivering all over.
His mouth captured her nipple, sucking it in deep, making her moan. His dick hardened at the sound, pressing painfully at the seam of his jeans. He twirled her nipple with his tongue, taking little nips with his teeth. His hands roamed her body, and he felt hers caress his back, her nails lightly scraping his skin.
He captured her hands and held them over her head. This was his party, and he wanted nothing to distract him. "Leave them there. Don't move."
He leaned into her neck and breathed deep. He loved her scent. A special mixture of flowers and Cassie that made his cock throb. He licked a path to her ear, stopping to suck in her lobe before whispering, "This first time, I'm going to make love to you nice and slow, so I can savor every moment of it. Then, after I make you come, I'm going to fuck you again, hard and fast so I can hear you scream my name when I make you come again." He bit her lobe lightly, scraping his teeth along its edge, feeling her shiver beneath him.
He trailed light kisses down the center of her body, between her breasts and over her belly until he reached the spot he wanted to be. His hands gripped her inner thighs, pulling her legs farther apart as he slowly licked through her folds until he reached her clit sucking it between his teeth and swirling it with his tongue. Her hips arched up, and he placed more pressure on her legs,
keeping her in place. He felt her reactions, knew she was close and stopped, not wanting her to come from his mouth. He wanted to feel her coming on his dick.
"Please don't stop. I was so close."
"Patience." He climbed back up her body. "Don't worry, Sunshine, I'm going to make you feel good." He captured her lips for a kiss before sitting at the edge of the bed to remove his boots and socks. He stood, shucking his jeans, removing his underwear with them.
He stared at her, stretched out on the bed, arms over her head and legs spread, memorizing every detail. The sight an image he wanted to remember.
He got back on the bed, poised over her, captured her wrists in his hands and slowly pressed in, savoring it every inch of the way. God, she felt so good. So hot, so wet and so tight, dragging along his dick as he pulled out then slammed back in. He struggled to keep his pace slow, wanting to cherish every second of their first encounter after so many years, but the little noises she made in the back of her throat were almost his undoing. He watched her, storing away her every expression, wanting that implanted in his memory, as well. She was getting close, he could feel her walls grabbing at him sucking him in.
Her eyes closed, and she tipped her head back. He liked the look of ecstasy on her face, but he wanted her eyes more. "Look at me." She gave him her eyes. "You good or do you need my finger at your clit?"
She shook her head against the pillow. "No, I'm almost there." She surged up and ground herself against him. Just a few more thrusts and she was coming, coating him with her wetness. He planted his face in her neck, breathed in her scent, thrust in two more times, then came. Hard.
He waited to speak until his breathing slowed. "You okay, baby?" He mumbled into her ear.
"Yeah." She sounded dreamy. He liked that.
He slowly moved in and out of her not wanting to pull himself out of her heat. "You feel good, Sunshine."
"Mmm, so do you," she said, wrapping her legs around his waist and squeezing tight.