“Hey, brother. You and my sister have me a bit worried.” I hated the fact that he called me brother. If things could ever work out with me and Lauren, I could be his brother legally, but for some reason, the idea turned him off, which made me bitter that he didn’t think I was good enough for her.
“What’s the worry? We had a nice dinner, and I dropped her off by ten.”
“Well, she’s checked out of the hotel. I didn’t think she was leaving town already, but maybe she went to the cabin.” He sounded genuinely concerned, and I felt like a real ass for not telling him.
“Yeah, she’s at the cabin. That’s where I dropped her off. I thought she’d told you what she was doing.” Lauren stared at me with teary eyes from across the room.
“Oh, thanks. She probably didn’t want to rub it in. She could be dealing with some shit from yesterday, too. It was really emotional. She might be having signal issues there, too. If you hear from her, will you have her call me?”
“Will do. Take care, man.” I ended the call and held out my hands. I didn’t know what else she wanted from me, and she obviously didn’t want to work it out. “There you go. It’s all wrapped up in a neat package for you. Cover story complete. I’ll just be on my way.”
“So, we’ll never speak of this, then? You’re good to live with that?”
Leaving her behind would hurt like hell, but I wasn’t giving in. “Sure, and you’ll be okay, too, right? I mean, you’re keeping one secret. Why not two?”
I reached into my pocket and found my keys then slowly made my way out. She didn’t walk me to the door, and I didn’t look back.
Chapter 14
Lauren
Seeing him walk away hurt, and the fact that I was no better off without him made me wonder why I’d let him go. No, I’d told him to go. The wounds from Craig still had me shaken, and while it all made sense to me, I knew I must have sounded like a mad woman.
He was probably glad to get away from me.
Things had felt so right with him that I just wanted to keep them special, and even though Noah would be upset, even Gage had admitted he’d get over it. I only wanted something to be declared, and it wasn’t because I thought Gage would never do me the honor, but because of what had happened with Craig.
I’d been so determined to keep Craig’s secrets, thinking all along I was doing what was best for his son and that we’d one day be in the open for all to see. Gage didn’t have anything holding him back, or did he?
The only girl in his life was his daughter, and while he had said that he hadn’t had time for other relationships, perhaps he had others he didn’t count as much. I didn’t want to be just another hookup. Last night in the midst of our passion, I’d seen my whole future with him. The one I’d dreamed about as a girl.
I tried not to let it get me down, but I’d made such a mess of things that I couldn’t get it out of my mind. I spent the day inside the cabin, walking around and getting familiar with the place. Gage hadn’t had a chance to look around, but I supposed it was all the same since I hadn’t gotten to take a look at his contracts and probably never would.
I hoped whatever he was into, he wouldn’t let someone take advantage of him. Then, even though I was upset, I started to worry about him. The worry led to me missing him as my anger subsided. How could I have screwed it up so badly? What he was proposing wasn’t anything like Craig’s situation. All he’d asked for was a little time.
After an internal battle that went on long enough for me to mop and dust the entire house, and change and wash the sheets from the bed, I went to the phone and picked it up with the intent to call. That was when I heard a truck approach outside. I looked out the window, and through the foggy glass, I made out that it was Gage stepping out. My heart did somersaults as I went to the door.
Had he come to make up, or had he come to fight? Perhaps he was going to renegotiate our bargain over the contracts. I didn’t care. I threw open the door as he walked up on the porch.
“Hey,” I said, waiting for him to show a sign of what was going on in his mind. He had no smile or frown to read. I held up my phone. “I was just about to call you.”
“Why?”
I took a deep breath and looked at the floor. “You first. You drove all this way back.”
He rested his hand against the open door. “I wasn’t fucking around when I said I wanted you. And I know you have been hurt, but I’m not that guy. And I’m not walking away without a fight.”
“I don’t want to fight, Gage. I just want an honest relationship.”
“Sometimes, you have to lie to protect those you love, and I’m not saying that I want to keep on lying or hiding you like a dirty secret, but let’s take this slow. It’s not your brother’s business if you want to try and see someone. Every relationship is due a little privacy, and I’d like us to make sure this is working out before I slap Noah across the face with it.”
“You know waiting will make it worse.” I could hear Noah in my head screaming, why didn’t you tell me?
“I know Noah, and I know the shit moves he’s pulled. We’ve always been friends after. I know it’s different with you. Did you know that Noah banged my cousin Amanda five times before he cared to tell me? And the only reason I found out is that someone else told me. Not to mention, his recent Vegas stunt, which we both know isn’t the first time he’s run off and done his own thing. So now, I’m doing mine; and it just happens to be with you. So, either you’re in this with me and we take it slow, or I’ll turn around and we’ll pretend it never happened, which, I might add, will suck tremendously because I really want you.”
I stepped to him and laid my head against his chest. “It’s not that I’m upset about you. I’m just still hurt by my last failure, and yes, I am projecting it on you, and I’m sorry. I realized that when you left.”
He shook his head, his eyes hard on mine. “No, I didn’t leave. I was sent away. Don’t do me that way again, Lauren. It was the one reason I almost didn’t come back.”
“So, what made you?”
His arms went around me, and he kissed the top of my head. “Because I care about you more than I care about my pride.”
That was the sweetest thing he’d said to me. “I’m glad you came back, and I’m sorry for sending you away.”
“I’m sorry, too. I shouldn’t have gotten hot-headed about your boss. It’s not your fault it happened, and he needs to quit calling you. If you want help with that, you let me know. I’ll put his ass in check.”
I didn’t want to go on about Craig. “What now?”
“I think we need to take it slow, don’t you?” His eyebrows rose as he looked down at me, my bare feet making me even shorter against him. I had ideas, and none of them were about taking anything slowly. I rested my hands on his ass, and I was tempted to squeeze it.
I could live with slow. “Okay, slow is good, but how do we slow down after last night?”
His lips spread into a smile. “Apply the brakes, just not too hard?”
“Okay, so does that mean no sex, a little sex, heavy petting and tongue action?” I smiled up at him, and while I was kidding, I wanted him to know I didn’t want to slow down too much.
“Let’s take no sex off the board. I think both of us are going to have a hard time with that one.”
“Yeah?” I ran my hand up his chest, around his neck, and into his hair.
He took my other and placed it on his erection. “Yeah. I’m having a real hard time with it already.”
“Poor baby. What can I do to help?”
“Heavy petting and tongue action to start. I’m down.” He laughed and then lifted my chin to kiss me.
“I think I can manage that.” My hand moved up and down against his pants.
“Oh, baby, I know you can. Last night proved it. I think I’m a junkie for you already.”
I stepped aside and finally let him into the house. “You think?” I shut the door and then walked him into the living room where we stopped at the back o
f the couch where we’d made love the night before.
“Oh, yeah. I couldn’t stand driving away, and once I made up my mind to come back, I broke every traffic law in the book. I think I even left rubber on my concrete.”
“Speaking of rubber, did you happen to bring anything from home?” We’d both been a bit careless the night before.
He shook his head. “Why ruin a good thing with being responsible? You said you’re on the pill, right?”
“I take shots, but I’m due in another month, I think.”
“Then it’s your call; I’ll run to the store if I need to.” He reached into his pocket for his keys.
“You’re not going anywhere.” I reached back down and gave his cock a squeeze, and he hissed through his teeth.
He let out a soft moan that sent gooseflesh down my back. “Let’s go back to bed?”
I remembered what I’d been up to when he was gone. I’d washed the sheets we’d slept on. “We can’t. I stripped the sheets, but we could always go to my old room. I noticed the bed and the nightstand are the same. I could finally get my fantasy of having you in the bed with me.”
He waggled his brows. “Yeah, you want me to pretend to come in during the night? I’m all for some role play if it gets you hot.”
“Trust me; I’m already hot.” I pulled his hand and led him down to my bedroom where the full-sized bed that I’d used as a girl still had its brass headboard I’d picked out with my mom.
“Are you sure you want to in here? This bed is so tiny.” He laughed as I pulled him down onto the bed with me.
“Would you rather the bunks in Noah’s old room?” From the look on his face, he didn’t want to go near that one.
“This is good; we can have some fun on this one.” He rubbed his hand on my hip and ass and kissed me hard. “I was scared I’d never get to do that again.”
“Me too.”
He turned my head to meet my eyes. “No more fighting. I don’t like it.” I kissed his lips and rested against his cheek.
“I don’t, either. I like this, though; I like it a lot.”
“You like this?” He dipped down and kissed my breasts.
“Yes.”
“And this?” He brought his hand up my shirt and stroked my nipple.
“Yes. More please.” I giggled, and he put his hand just below my breasts to encourage me back on the bed. He kissed his way down, tugging down my yoga pants in the process. I parted my legs and kicked them off my feet. I rested my legs on his shoulders as he brought his hand down to stroke my tender, swollen bud. I moaned out and closed my eyes as his mouth covered my soft mound, and his tongue found its way between my folds.
He kissed and licked, worshipping me with his mouth as I ran my fingers through his hair.
My first release was intense, and it awakened every part of me that I’d been so aware of last night. My body was achy and sore in the best places from the work out he’d given me. I needed more.
“That’s a good girl. I love it when you come for me, Lauren. I know you have another one for me.” He continued to rub and stroke me as he spoke against my flesh. Then his tongue joined in again, and sure enough, he found another sensitive spot, and I came, the pulsing waves washing over me as if they could carry me away.
I needed to be grounded, and I opened my eyes in time to feel him leave me. He rose up over me and then lay beside me. “That was amazing, Gage. I didn’t know pleasure could be that intense.” He really knew what he was doing, and I didn’t want him to stop. I rolled over, positioning myself on my knees next to where he lay stretched out and slipped off my shirt as he did the same.
I was naked, and he was only shirtless, so it was time to even things up in more ways than one. “I want you to take it off for me.” I gave him a devious grin, and he laughed.
“You think I won’t?” He laughed and rose up to his knees, and he gave me a kiss as he moved off the bed. He moved his hips in a sexy dance, his eyes smoldering at me as he undid his pants and peeled them down nice and slow, revealing his tight boxer briefs. Once he’d stepped out of his jeans, he turned around and looked over his shoulder as he took his underwear off an inch at a time, his firm, muscular ass flexing for me as he gave a little laugh.
He stepped out of the undies and kicked them aside and then spun around with one hand cupping his balls and the other gripping his thick, hard cock.
“Give it to me.” I curled my finger. He stepped over to the bed, and I crawled on my hands and knees to meet him. We spent the rest of our afternoon, and my last few hours in town, making love.
I could leave, knowing we were in a very good place. Together.
Chapter 15
Gage
It had been a whole week since I’d seen either of my girls, and I was starting to miss them both. Ollie was due home within the next few hours, and I wished Lauren could have come home, too.
Having things work out between us had meant everything to me, and our make-up sex was incredible.
After we’d made love in her bed, we moved to the floor and then to the shower and back to the bed. It had taken all I had in me not to protest her leaving, but she’d stressed the importance of her being on time with the job being new. Until she got her own office, she’d have to be accountable, and I could understand that.
I had decided to move home to work on the weeks that Olivia was home, and that way, I could be around to get her adjusted, and hopefully, the issues between her and Ms. Helen would be resolved if not buffered.
James had still called every day, and today was no different. Two days before Christmas, the man was still pestering me. “I need you to go over those contracts as soon as possible. This client has been patient, but he’d really like a quote soon.”
“I’ve turned the papers over to my lawyer, and I’m not going to make a decision until they are read over and I understand every little detail.” It was the fine details that were scaring me. There were so many regulations in that territory, and some seemed a bit too political, and honestly illegal, for me to jump into anything with the mystery client.
“Fine, if that’s what you have to do, but do try and give me an answer within the next few weeks, friend. I know you have Christmas with your little one, but I need to wrap this up and get you, or someone else, started. My client can be a bit unreasonable, and I really don’t want to piss this person off. I know you’re leery, but this is a great opportunity, Gage. You’re looking at millions, remember?”
“I understand.” I hung up feeling even leerier than before, mostly because he seemed a bit too anxious and he didn’t want to give me time. The early phases weren’t this hasty, which had me thinking his business with this person extended beyond this one job and it was probably not on the up-and-up.
Using money to motivate me was not only laughable but downright insulting. I was well aware of the kind of money I was looking at, and while I loved a good healthy million as much as the next guy, I had more than my fair share of them and enough that one job wasn’t that important.
The problem was, I hadn’t remembered to give the contracts to Lauren, and I decided I better call her and make sure that she was still good to go. I knew she’d have to get with me at the cabin, and maybe this time, we’d spend some time making a list of what she wanted done instead of feeding our desires.
I dialed her number, wondering if I could convince her to come down and meet Ollie, but it might be too soon. The phone rang, and just as I was about to give up, she answered.
“Gage?” There was noise in the background, and I wondered if she was in her office or someplace else.
“It’s me, baby. How are you doing? Did I catch you at a bad time?”
“No, it’s fine. I’m good. Stretched a little thin and tired, but that ends today.”
“Oh, so it would be a bad time to call in a favor, right?”
“The contracts? No. It’s not a problem. I just finished up with a huge client, and I’ve actually got some time off. I’ll read o
ver them tonight if you can fax them to me. I’ll text you the number.”
I felt the tension slowly leaving my body. James’s call had stressed me out. “That would be amazing. This guy is on my ass about getting it done. I was hoping I could talk you into coming down and meeting Ollie so we could go over the list of fixes at the cabin. And of course, I’d just like to see you again.” I missed her like crazy, more than I thought I could miss anyone besides my daughter.
“I’m spending Christmas here, and I’m afraid I’m not making it home for New Year’s, either. I have a party to go to on New Year’s Eve, but I was hoping you’d come up and see me.”
“That’s the day Ollie goes back to Edna’s house. I’ll have to get her dropped off, and then I can drive up.” I’d have to shift things around a little, and hopefully, Edna wouldn’t care, but it was worth pissing her off to please Lauren.
“Just fly. You don’t have to spend the time on the road.”
“No, it’s not a problem. I’ll have Edna meet me a little earlier, and then I’ll come.”
“But that will have you driving the nine hours right before the party. What if you get held up in traffic? Don’t you think flying would be easier?”
For most people, that was true, but one plane crash was enough for me to last a lifetime. I knew I’d have to tell her about my fear, though I didn’t like having to admit it. “I haven’t flown since the ride home after the crash. I swore if I could make it through that, I’d never get on another plane.” I held my breath and waited for the pity party that I didn’t want to attend, but instead, I got silence, which was even worse.
I hated to think that she might be turned off by the weakness, and the longer she stayed quiet, the more nervous I got that she was.
“Well, the drive is nice. I think the weather is supposed to be better, too, so that’s going to work out.” She was just as pleasant as ever about it, and I let go of my long-held breath and relaxed.
“Yeah, as I said, it’s not a problem. I’ll be there in plenty of time, and we can rest at your place after? Unless you think I should get a room, in which case, I can totally handle that.”
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