by Sarah Curtis
Cassie laughed, "Oh yeah, and what would be a sign of true love for you?"
Gage's expression turned serious. "When my Sunshine tells me she loves me."
Cassie swallowed the lump that suddenly formed in her throat and blinked rapidly to hold back the tears that gathered in her eyes. "She's scared to say that."
"I know, I'm working on that, and one day she won't be scared." He leaned forward and lightly kissed her on the lips, once, twice before parting her lips with his tongue and delving in deeper. His hands skimmed up her torso, taking her T-shirt with them and pulling it up and over her head.
His tongue traced an outline over the swell of her breasts along the lace trim of her bra while his hand grappled with the front hook. He successfully unhooked it, parting the cups wide, taking her breasts in his hands and devouring her right nipple with his mouth. He sucked it in deep, playing with its peak with his tongue.
Tingles spread throughout her body and heat pooled between her legs from the sensual assault. He paid the same homage to her other breast before making his way down her body. She stopped him midway. "Wait."
He stopped his descent and looked up.
Cassie sat up and removed her bra from her shoulders. "I want to do this."
"Do what?" He asked, sitting up as well.
She grasped the bottom of his T-shirt and lifted it over his stomach revealing his rock hard abs. "Be in control."
He tugged his shirt from the back of his neck and pulled it over his head. "I guess that will be okay for a little while."
She gave his chest a push, so he would lie back on the bed then straddled his hips. "It will be okay for a long while."
She started at his neck, trailing her tongue under his chin, over his Adam's apple, and into the hollow at the base of his throat. Her hands moved along his abs, feeling the ridges under her fingertips. Next, her hands explored along his chest, over his shoulders, and down his arms. Her mouth continued its quest down his torso, stopping to dip her tongue into his navel and continued along the soft line of hairs beneath it until she reached the waistband of his jeans. Giving a little growl, she bit down on the corner, giving it a hard tug up, popping the top three buttons out of their holes.
Gage was up on his elbows, looking down at her. "That was the sexiest thing I've ever seen."
She gave him a wicked smile before capturing the waistband of his boxer briefs with her teeth and pulling it down to uncover his head. She released his waistband then gave him another wicked smile before sliding her tongue through his slit, capturing the tiny bead of precum.
"I take it back. That was the sexiest fucking thing I've ever seen."
Without saying a word, she grabbed the waistbands of both his jeans and briefs, yanking them over his hips and pulling them down his legs. She ran her hands up his legs situating herself between them before taking his length into her mouth in one long, slow slide, stopping only when he hit the back of her throat. She slowly slid her mouth back up while working her tongue along its length, nipping her teeth lightly at its head, and swirling her tongue around its crown.
Gage grabbed fistfuls of her hair, controlling her actions. She smiled inwardly, knowing he wouldn't have the willpower not to take charge. After another few minutes, he was done letting her play. She knew this when he grasped under her arms, lifted and flipped her around, and tossed her back on the bed. He attacked her pants and had them off in a matter of moments. Then he rolled her onto her belly, spread her legs wide, lifted her by the hips, and slammed himself home.
She gasped at the suddenness of his penetration, and he leaned over her, whispering in her ear, "Are you okay? Did I hurt you?"
She turned her head to the side, kissing his lips before murmuring, "I'm fine, just surprising."
His arms came around her, the fingers of one hand pinching her nipple while the fingers of the other found and slowly circled at just the right spot. She reared back, grinding herself against him. So close, she was so close. "Please don't stop," she panted.
He took hold of her hips and slammed into her. She could feel his fingers digging into her hipbones as he thrust himself into her, and she loved the feel of his power. She felt her orgasm growing as he rubbed at just the right spot. And then it hit. Wave after wave. Her arms gave out, and her upper body hit the bed. Gage surged into her a few more times before he too collapsed, rolling them together on their sides, him spooning her back.
He panted heavily into her neck while his hand roamed her chest and stomach. Her hand roamed the thigh he had draped over her hip. Once he got his breathing under control, he reached up and pulled her hair out of his way so he could nibble on her neck.
"Gage?" Cassie said, quietly but loud enough to be heard.
"Yeah," he said, softly, close to her ear.
"If she weren't afraid to say it, she'd say it right now."
She felt his body still before moving into action once again. With the arm he had wrapped around her, he gave her a tight squeeze before getting up from the bed, shutting the light, then climbing back in, pulling her across his chest, and tucking the covers over them. He ran his fingers through her hair. It felt good, and she felt herself drifting off. But right before she fell asleep, she heard Gage whisper, "If she said that, he'd be the happiest man in the world."
Disneyland was awesome, Logan had a blast, and Gage won the bet. He was the best ride in the Park.
Tuesday morning, Animal Care called Cassie for a pit bull pick up. She was more than thrilled. With Logan starting a summer day camp with Kyle, Gage holed up in his studio recording his album with his band, and no dogs to train, her days were empty and boring. There was only so many times a person could clean a house, and Cassie worried having too much time on her hands would make her obsess over her missing dogs.
She had yet to hear from Officer Cruz regarding the complaint she'd filed about the dog fighting operation she'd discovered, and she knew if left to her own devices, she would stew. So the call for a pick up couldn't have come at a better time.
She had a date to go shopping with Sam on Thursday. Alexis and Jack's engagement party was on Saturday and not having led a life full of fancy parties, she needed a new dress for the event. Sam promised she would help her pick something a bit more conservative this time.
Cassie grabbed her keys and made sure to lock the house up tight. Laurie was gone for the day, attending a foundation meeting. Cassie was very happy that wasn't one of her duties. She loved working with the dogs but the bureaucratic mumbo jumbo, not so much.
She started her car and turned on the air conditioner full blast. The sun beating through the windows had made the steering wheel too hot to touch, so she sat for a minute letting the air cool it.
A knock on her window startled her, causing her to jump. She turned her head. Suzie, one of her volunteers, stood outside the car door. With her hand over her heart, she hit the power window button, rolling it down. "You startled me."
"Sorry, boss."
Cassie sighed, "Suzie, how many times have I told you not to call me that?"
"Too many times," she said, with a smile.
"Right." Cassie smiled back.
"So, where are you off to?"
"I have a pit pick up. You want to come?"
"Nah, I want to get this done." She tipped her head toward the kennels. "Got a hot date tonight I need to get ready for."
"Brad?" Cassie inquired, knowing he was her flavor of the month.
"No, Brad's history. Going out with Marc. He's a personal trainer at the gym I belong to, and he is yummy. His muscles have muscles. Speaking of yummy," Suzi gave her a sly look, "saw a guy, looked a lot like Gage Hunter, the lead singer from Engage, ro
aming around here the other day. But I said to myself, what would a rock star be doing at our little ranch? In any case, the guy was hot. I would totally throw Marc over for this guy. You know who I'm talking about?"
Cassie felt her face flush. She hoped she could blame it on the heat. Over the last three years that she had known Suzie, they've had many conversations about men. Cassie had just never had anything to contribute before.
Cassie cleared her throat. "That, um, was Gage Hunter."
"Are you freaking kidding me?" Suzie shouted. "Why didn't you introduce him around? I would've loved to meet him. Damn girl, this sucks. A missed opportunity. Do you know I actually had a poster of him on my dorm room wall?"
"You and every other girl." Cassie mumbled, thinking of her own college roommate.
"What did ya say?"
"Nothing." Cassie shook her head. "Anyways, you didn't miss any opportunities. Gage is around almost every day. I'm sure you'll run into him eventually."
"What are you not telling me, Cassie? Are you guys dating or something?"
Cassie had known Suzie for more than three years, and she considered her a friend. Friends shouldn't keep things from each other. "Gage is Logan's father."
"What the fuck?" Suzie hardly ever swore, so Cassie knew that she had shocked her.
"We reconnected about two months ago. I guess you can say we're in a relationship." Cassie shook her head. "I don't know, things are a bit complicated. We're not really dating. We kind of skipped that part because of our past but it feels weird saying he's my boyfriend." Cassie shrugged. "I'm not really sure what to call him."
"Well, I know what to call him, God's gift to women."
Both women giggled before Cassie said, "Well, I should hit the road."
"Yeah, I better get moving, too. Hot date remember? Although, Marc isn't seeming so hot anymore compared to Gage Hunter."
"You're a nut," Cassie said, before rolling her window back up, giving her friend a little wave, and backing out of the drive.
Chapter Twenty
Cassie sat on her bed, buckling the straps of her high-heeled sandals when Gage's phone, that rested on her nightstand, started ringing.
Gage was in the bathroom, shaving for Alexis and Jack's party. Cassie was already ready, wearing a beautiful pale-yellow gown that Sam had helped her choose. She'd left her long hair down with just the sides clipped back and went all out on her make-up. All in all, she thought she turned out rather nice, and Gage seemed to think so, too. When he came into the bedroom, he stopped, did a slow eye-sweep down her body, then said, "You're mine tonight," before disappearing into the bathroom.
"Can you grab that for me? I'm expecting a call from my agent." Gage yelled, over the running water.
Cassie placed her foot on the floor then leaned over and snatched up Gage's phone. The name Bianca was lit on the screen, as well as a picture of a gorgeous redhead. Cassie's heart started to thump loudly in her chest, and her hands shook as she hit the answer button and brought the phone to her ear.
Bianca was already talking. "...finally home, mon amour."
Cassie knew what mon amour meant, my love. It also meant she was suddenly feeling sick to her stomach. "I'm sorry, who is this?" Cassie managed to get out past her tightening throat.
There were a few beats of silence on the other end of the line. "Is this Gage Hunter's phone?"
"Yes." Cassie's grip on the phone tightened as she pressed it harder against her ear, not wanting to miss a single word.
"Well then, this is Gage's girlfriend."
And there it was, Cassie thought, confirmation that this conversation wouldn't go well. "Gir... girlfriend?" God, Cassie hated that her voice trembled.
"Who the hell is this?"
Cassie ignored that question and asked one of her own. "You've been gone?"
"Yes, for two months. I've been modeling in Paris."
Of course, she was a fucking model. What else would she be? Cassie could feel herself going from sick and upset to pretty damn pissed, pretty damn fast. Cassie watched as Gage came out of the bathroom, wiping a towel across his face. He must have seen something on her face. He stopped walking, and a frown furrowed his brow.
"Now tell me who the hell this is?" Bianca yelled, over the line.
Cassie stared into Gage's eyes. "Nobody you need to worry about." If possible, the furrow between Gage's eyes got deeper, and his lips got tight.
"Is Gage there?"
"Sure." She held out the phone while holding his eyes. "It's for you." Wow, that came out bitchier than she intended.
Gage took the phone and put it to his ear, all without removing his eyes from Cassie, not even to look at the phone's screen to check the caller. "Yeah?"
She watched his face very carefully as he listened to Bianca. She watched his eyes flash, his nostrils flair, and his jaw tighten before he growled into the phone, "What the fuck? Woman, what did you say to Cassie?"
Cassie had never given Bianca her name, so assumed that's why Gage's next reply was, "The person you were just speaking to, my girlfriend."
Cassie closed her eyes a moment then stood from the bed. She didn't want to hear any more of this conversation. She walked out of the bedroom, shutting the door behind her and made her way out to the front porch. The sun was setting, and the sky was a vibrant orange with streaks of yellow. Cassie stood with her hands on the rail, reflecting on what just happened.
She didn't automatically jump to the conclusion that Gage was a cheat, in a relationship with Bianca as well as herself. For one thing, Gage was too straightforward. He said things flat out, and if he wanted to see someone else, he would let you go before starting something with someone else. So, no, Gage didn't think Bianca was his girlfriend, but Bianca thought she was. So, at one point, they had to have been something, and that something had to have been fairly huge, or she wouldn't have felt justified in labeling herself his girlfriend.
And that was what Cassie had an issue with. In the eight weeks that they had been together, not once did he mention Bianca. Not during any of the many chats they have had. Not when they had the talk where she'd asked if there had been anyone else. Not ever. And she wanted to know why. It would have been an easy thing to do, he could have said, "Oh, by the way, before we meet, I was dating a model, but we broke up when she went to Paris." Or even, "I was dating a woman named Bianca, but we broke up." Something would have been preferable to not knowing anything.
Another thing that bothered her was the time frame. Bianca had been in Paris for two months. Cassie reconnected with Gage two months ago. But the question was did Gage break it off with Bianca before or after seeing Cassie at Mase's party. And if he broke up with her after, he definitely should have said something to her about Bianca.
And that was why she hadn't wanted to get involved with Gage again, and why she should cut her losses while she still had a piece of herself left. Gage didn't stick around for long, he never did. She should have remembered that from the first time they were together and stayed away. But you did remember that, a small voice in the back of her head said, but you were willing to take a chance on him again, why? "I don't know," she whispered, to herself.
But she did know. He had been relentless in his pursuit of her. Chipping away at her heart bit by bit with every little thing he did. But she would seal it up tight again. She couldn't trust him, not to leave.
She felt his presence behind her before she heard the soft tap of his shoes on the wooden planks of the porch. She waited for him to speak, to state his case, but at this point she knew it would be useless. She wouldn't allow herself to be swayed.
"Whatever she may have said to you, it wasn't true. She was neve
r my girlfriend, just an occasional hook-up," he said, to her back.
Cassie hung her head and gripped the porch railing tighter. Did he really think that made her feel any better? Poor Bianca probably didn't even have a clue. She was most likely crying her eyes out right now, just as Cassie had five years ago. She knew better than anyone how it felt to lose Gage Hunter, and she sure as hell didn't want to go through that again.
"Turn around and look at me. I need to see your face."
Cassie sighed and turned, so her lower back rested against the rail. Her head was still lowered, and she slowly raised it, taking him in with her eyes. He was dressed in a tux, and even now, she couldn't help but marvel at how magnificent he looked. Gone was the light stubble she was used to seeing him with and in its stead, was a freshly shaven jaw that she longed to caress to see if it were as smooth as it looked.
She looked away from his piercing blues eyes, looking instead at the long, black, silk tie knotted at the neck of his black dress shirt. Of course, he would wear all black.
"Fuck!"
Startled by his shout, her eyes automatically shoot back to his.
"I was in there, damn it. Maybe not all the way, but enough to hold on, but now you've shoved me out."
He took a step toward her, and she hastily moved to the side, turning to walk down the porch steps. "We're already late."
He ignored her comment, instead asking, "Tell me what to do, Cassie? I'm running out of ideas."
She continued walking to his SUV. "We should go." She climbed in as gracefully as she could manage in high-heeled sandals and a long gown and shut her door before pulling on her seat belt.
She watched Gage rake his hands through his hair before making his way over to the car. He stood by the driver's door, looking down at the ground, not making a move to get in. Then in a burst of speed and anger, he punched his right fist through the driver's side, back window.