Travis didn’t know about that, but he did know they were in a race against time and with all of the things they’d managed to scrounge together, he knew they’d require every second they could get.
After Gage dropped Travis off at his parents’ house, he’d spent half an hour talking to them about his plan. His mother had been thrilled to help, and his father had pretended to grumble about it. From there, the three of them went to work.
Not only had Travis’ parents called upon the town for donations, but they had also learned through the Coyote Ridge grapevine that Gage had put a few of his grandparent’s things in the rickety garage that sat next to the house. Nothing was sacred in that town. There wasn’t much furniture that could be used, but there were some odds and ends – lamps, dishes, and a handful of knick knacks – that they could put to good use.
“Let’s do this!” Sawyer bellowed when people began climbing out of their vehicles. A series of shouts greeted them and then there was utter chaos.
When Kylie arrived a short while later, his brothers and their friends were moving in and out of the house at a rapid pace, hefting furniture of various sizes as they unloaded the trucks and waited for Curtis and Lorrie to arrive with the few items they’d purchased earlier in the day. As much as they welcomed used items that people didn’t need or just wanted to donate to the cause, there were a few things Travis had wanted to be new.
After attempting to give his parents his credit card, they had refused his offer and insisted they would be pitching in to get the last few items that were still needed.
“Hey,” Travis greeted Kylie when she walked up on the porch carrying several plastic bags.
“Hi.” When she went up on her toes, planting a quick kiss on his lips as she passed, he fought the urge to grab her and pull her against him.
“Nice to see you too,” Jessie teased as she walked by carrying more bags.
“We’re going to put this stuff up, but there’s more if you want to get someone to help,” Kylie told him before she disappeared inside the house.
Travis set off down the stairs to Kylie’s truck and started unloading more groceries. The woman had gone overboard. She had requested them to put together a list of things Gage preferred, aside from the staples that all kitchens needed, and he knew for damn sure that it wasn’t that long. He wasn’t sure there was anything left on the shelves at the grocery store based on how many bags filled the back seat of the truck.
Four trips later, Travis deposited the last of the items on the kitchen counter and went back out to help with the furniture. After making another trip in the house, this time helping Brendon carry in a massive sectional couch that had been donated by Myrna and Charles Talbott – Gage’s previous landlords – he heard Sawyer announce the arrival of his parents.
Holy shit. They were driving a U-Haul.
And he thought Kylie went overboard.
His mother greeted him with a quick peck on his cheek before she headed inside to help Kylie and Jessie in the kitchen, and he went to work helping his father unload what must’ve been a small furniture store.
“You guys keep this up, and I’m going to start charging you,” Zane joked as he passed by. The guy had become quite the furniture mover. It hadn’t been that long ago that they’d helped Kaleb and Zoey move in, and Travis understood what his brother was getting at.
They were all soaked in sweat by the time the trucks were unloaded, and people started heading out. There wasn’t much time to congregate and bullshit because Travis knew Gage would be heading back before long and he wanted everyone to be gone by the time that happened.
Travis’ cell phone rang, and he grabbed it from his belt, hitting the talk button as he pressed it against his ear. “Hope that was enough time,” Kaleb said in lieu of a greeting. “We couldn’t convince him to stay any longer.”
“It’ll have to do. He just leave?”
“Yeah, he’s actually getting in his truck right now.”
“Thanks.” Travis disconnected the call and then told the twins and Sawyer that they had to head out, and they needed to take the back roads home because they’d surely pass Gage on his way over.
“Give me a minute,” Brendon said as he disappeared into the kitchen, leaving Braydon standing in the doorway.
“What’s he up to?”
Braydon shrugged, and Travis knew instantly what the hell was going on. Without thinking, he grabbed his brother by the front of his shirt and pulled him close. Since they were roughly the same height, he stared directly into eyes eerily similar to his own. “Y’all hurt her. I hurt you. Understand me?”
“It’s not like that,” Braydon whispered, and Travis leaned back to get a better look at him.
“No? You two aren’t sharing her?” Braydon broke eye contact, but he didn’t deny it. “I’m serious, Braydon. Don’t fuck with her. Kylie’s important to me. That means her sister is too. Got it?”
“I hear you. Like I said, it’s not like that.”
A minute later, Brendon was walking through the living room with Jessie beside him, their hands clasped together. Fucking hell. He knew the stories about the twins and damn it all to hell, the last person who needed to get mixed up with them was Kylie’s sister. But it wasn’t like he could tell her that. It wasn’t his fucking business even if it did piss him off.
“I’m dead fucking serious, Bray,” Travis reiterated as the twins walked out onto the porch. His brother merely waved a hand behind his head, obviously dismissing him and it took everything in Travis’ power not to take off after them.
Shit.
“You all right?” Kylie asked, jarring Travis from his rage. He turned to look at her and all of the anger and frustration drained out of him. Just like that, the woman managed to calm him in ways no amount of booze ever had.
“I’m good. Let me have your keys. I’m going to move the trucks behind the house so Gage won’t see them when he gets here. While I’m doing that, go shut off all of the lights for me, would ya?”
Kylie nodded and then took off, darting through the downstairs rooms and flipping switches before he even made it out the door.
They had cut it close because Travis was walking through the back door into the kitchen when Kylie came barreling into the room letting him know that she locked the front door and that there were headlights coming down the drive.
Gage was home.
Pulling her against him, he leaned against the counter in the total darkness and listened to the sound of her breathing while they waited for Gage to come inside.
♂♂
Gage parked his truck in the driveway and stared up at the big, empty house. There wasn’t a single light on to greet him. Not that it would’ve mattered because it wasn’t like there was anything inside for him to come home to anyway.
He’d spent the last three hours at Kaleb’s, having dinner and shooting the shit as though his life weren’t in a state of chaos that was so far out of hand, Gage didn’t even know where to begin to put it back together.
The only thing he had to look forward to was Kylie and Travis, and he hadn’t heard from either of them since early that morning. He figured Travis was working because he’d dropped him at his parents’ house that morning. After telling him he would help pull his truck out of the ditch they’d left it in, he’d been told Travis would get it taken care of.
As for Kylie, well Gage hadn’t talked to her although he had picked up his phone at least ten times wanting to call her. Figuring she might need some time to come to terms with what happened between the three of them last night, he had opted to give her space. Now he just wished she were there with him.
He got out of his truck and headed for the door, digging through the keys on his key ring to find the one that would open the door. As soon as he had the front door pushed open, Gage knew something was wrong. The house smelled different. He quickly reached in the waistband of his jeans and pulled out his gun, holding it at the ready.
Sure, call him paran
oid, but he didn’t leave home without it. Ever. And now, he was grateful to have it on him. He slid his hand along the inside wall, trying to find the switch. There was a click and then the room lit up.
Holy… What the…
He was so shocked, he couldn’t even form complete sentences in his head. Shutting the door behind him, he moved to the next room, flipping on more lights as he went until he was standing in the living room. A room full of furniture. So much furniture, Gage wasn’t sure where it could’ve possibly come from.
The creak of the door leading from the dining room to the kitchen alerted him and out of habit, he pointed the gun in the direction of the sound, fully intending to confront the intruder.
“Hey, it’s just us,” Kylie said calmly as she moved into the dining room, Travis directly behind her.
He dropped his weapon down to his side and stared at them as they continued to come closer. Blinking rapidly, Gage swallowed the lump in his throat and refused to let his emotions get the best of him.
“You did this for me?” he asked Kylie as she stepped into his arms, wrapping hers around his waist.
“Actually no,” she said as she looked up at him. “He did.” She nodded her head in Travis' direction, and Gage looked over at the man.
He looked just as aloof and unaffected as he normally did, but there was something in his steely blue eyes that was different. His body language said one thing, but those eyes said something entirely different.
“Come on, I want to show you the rest.” Kylie took his hand and led him toward the stairs.
“Put the gun down, Gage.” Travis’ deep voice reflected the command he intended, but there was something gentler in his tone. Gage checked the safety and then put the gun down on the small ledge before following Kylie up the stairs.
With Kylie’s small, cool fingers linked in his, Gage allowed her to lead him through the upstairs rooms, each one containing some furniture. Not a lot, but enough that the house didn’t feel like it was just a shell with no guts.
The last room they came to was the one Kylie had mentioned would be the master bedroom. The light came on, and Gage’s jaw dropped. There in the center of the large room was a king sized bed. Not just a set of mattresses either. It was a four poster bed with two nightstands, lamps on each, as well as a large armoire and dresser on opposite walls.
“Mom and Dad wanted you to have something nice,” Travis said as he joined them in the room.
“This is –” more than he deserved. Gage couldn’t get the last part out as he stood rooted to the floor. Travis’ warm hand landed on his shoulder and he found himself swaying toward him.
“It’s exactly what you needed. Now, the next thing you need is a shower. Then we’ll get dinner.”
“I already ate at Kaleb’s,” Gage reminded them.
“Well, Kylie and I haven’t, so you’ll watch us eat. How’s that?”
“I don’t want to go anywhere.”
“Well, that’s good. Kylie bought out half of Walmart, so I think we can just stick around here for a while.” Travis paused. “Unless you’d rather be alone.”
Absolutely not. The last thing Gage wanted was to be alone. “No. I’m good. Y’all stay. And you’re right, I need a shower.”
Gage noticed his duffel bag was sitting on the dresser. Since that was all of the clothes he owned, he was grateful. Tomorrow he’d have to seek out a Laundromat or he’d be going naked soon, but until then, at least he had something to change into.
“We’ll be downstairs. Join us when you’re ready,” Travis told him as he and Kylie left the room.
Gage went through the motions, pulling out clean clothes and then going into the bathroom. The sight of the shower brought about a flood of memories from the last time they were there and some of his exhaustion disappeared. That and the fact there were toiletries, towels and even a small cabinet on the wall.
How had they had time to do all of this?
Figuring the only way he would get any answers would be to ask them, Gage twisted on the shower and stripped. As soon as the hot water pelted down on his tired, aching body he relaxed. He was so lost in his own thoughts that he didn’t even heard the bathroom door open. It wasn’t until Travis opened the shower door that he even realized he wasn’t alone.
“Kylie told me I stink,” Travis said deadpan.
“Seriously?” Gage couldn’t tear his eyes off of Travis’ naked body as he stepped inside the small shower stall with him.
“No, not really, but that’s what she meant.”
Gage laughed. A genuine laugh that started in his gut and lasted for at least ten seconds. That was about ten times longer than anything he’d experienced in the last few weeks. As soon as he stopped, Travis pushed him up against the tiled wall and cupped his face, holding him gently as their mouths pressed together.
This wasn’t the urgent, insistent kiss he was used to from Travis, but it was exactly what Gage needed. He let his hands roam over Travis’ slippery skin, trailing over his chest, his washboard stomach and then back up. His body was strong, muscular and so damn hard that Gage wanted to keep moving so he could memorize every contour.
“Turn around,” Travis pulled back, his arms still cupping his face briefly. There was a moment of uncertainty, but then Gage turned, loving the way Travis slid his palms over his skin, never breaking the contact until he reached for the soap sitting on the small dish inset in the tiled wall.
The next few minutes were spent with Travis soaping every inch of his skin. Although there was an intimate vibe, Gage found it intriguing that Travis kept things innocent. Well, that was until he used his soapy hands to stroke his cock until it throbbed and begged for release.
He didn’t get it though. And as soon as Gage was soaped and rinsed, he returned the favor, ensuring he got every crevice. They let the shower rain down on them, and Travis kissed him as though they had all the time in the world, never leading on that they would be taking this any further. At least not in the shower.
Gage wouldn’t say he wasn’t disappointed, but he was looking forward to later. After Travis and Kylie ate dinner.
As they both dried themselves, side by side in the small bathroom, Gage turned to Travis. “Thank you. You know, for everything.”
“No thanks necessary.” They shared another slow kiss before Travis left him alone once again. Wiping the condensation that fogged the mirror, Gage stood there and stared at his reflection.
It was safe to say, Gage was in way over his head.
Chapter Thirty Five
♂♀♂
“Everything all right?” Kylie asked as soon as Travis returned, freshly showered and smiling. When he came up behind her and placed a soft kiss against her neck, she nestled into him briefly as she stirred the chili on the stove.
“We’re good.”
“Yes, you are,” she moaned as he continued to kiss her, heating up the kitchen more than the stove had already. “You smell good too.”
“Mmmm.” That was the only response she received and then Travis stepped away, pulling out plates and silverware and setting the small kitchen table like he was intimately familiar with domestic chores. Kylie wasn’t sure why she found that so damn sexy, but she did. He certainly didn’t seem like the type, but then again, there were plenty of things she’d learned about him lately that she never would’ve expected.
“Spaghetti and chili?” Gage’s voice sounded over her shoulder and Kylie smiled over at him. He too was fresh from the shower, his hair wet and sticking up in all directions. A very sexy, unkempt look that made her want to run her fingers through it just like he probably had.
“Yep,” she answered as he leaned over and kissed her in the same spot Travis had.
“You boys keep that up, and I’m going to put this meal on hold for a little while.”
Gage laughed and pulled away, going to the refrigerator. “Holy shit, woman. How the hell did you get all of this stuff here?”
Kylie remembered how much fu
n she and Jessie had at the grocery store shopping for things for Gage’s kitchen and his bathrooms. Travis had called her as she was exiting the toll road just outside of town and asked her to stop and get a few things to put in the fridge and possibly a couple of towels. That had been her original intention too. At least until she and Jessie walked into Walmart and realized they were in a wonderland of everything one could possibly want for their house.
After an hour, they filled two carts and were still grabbing things on their way to the checkout lane. The only thing that had stopped them from getting more was the time limit Travis had put on them. They needed to have everything unloaded and into the house before Gage got home.
At least now she wouldn’t have to worry that he didn’t have anything to eat or drink. She had picked up sheets and towels and bathroom necessities, loving every second of buying things for him. She went way over any sort of budget she might’ve set for herself, but she wasn’t upset in the least. The look on his face when he walked in the door was worth it.
“Can one of you drain the spaghetti for me, please?”
Kylie twisted the burners off and took the pan of chili over to the table, setting it on a hot pad and sliding a big spoon inside. Travis was the first to the stove, emptying the water by pouring the spaghetti into a colander and then returning it to the pan like he was a regular in the kitchen. Maybe he was.
The three of them sat down, and although Gage had insisted he’d already eaten earlier, he dove right in when he realized she’d made more than enough for the three of them. She intentionally made too much so that he would eat. Kylie had a feeling he hadn’t eaten enough at Kaleb’s. And from the looks of it as he shoveled food in his mouth, she was right.
“Were you able to get your truck out of the ditch?” Gage asked between bites. “Wait, where is your truck?”
“Behind the house. And yes, Dad drove me over there. Ethan and Blake met us, and we pulled it out. There’s some front end damage, but nothing major.”
Conversation continued about what the three of them had done during the day, and Kylie didn’t go into detail about her sister. She had seen how upset Travis had been with his brothers when Jessie left with them, so she didn’t want to risk getting him riled up again. When they finished eating, the three of them cleaned up together. As soon as they were done, while Kylie was drying her hands, she looked at both men.
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