by VR Baucke
“Did you just get naked in my bed?”
“You-” My reply was rudely interrupted by a hiccup. “Wish.”
Throwing back the top sheet, I confirmed that I did, in fact, have my lady parts covered. Kimmie shucked off her clothes then dug through her sleepwear drawer, then fell onto the bed with an exhausted sigh. My stomach pitched a little from the bed moving as she twisted and squirmed to get comfortable. Once she was settled, we rolled towards each other and talked for a little while, reminiscing about the parts of the night that were totally hilarious. As time wore on, the silence between our giggles lengthened until the lure of sleep was too great to ignore.
God, I hope tomorrow morning isn’t totally awkward with Gage!
My brain instantaneously snapped awake and began to replay what transpired between us earlier. The more I reflected, the more my head worked itself into a black cloud. I couldn’t fathom why I was stressing over him so much. Gage had pressed all my buttons, and half the problem was trying to work out why the hell I wanted him to do it again.
Needless to say, tomorrow morning was going to be excruciating. Uncomfortable silences and not knowing what to say were the worst. And we hadn’t even slept together! Not that I wanted to, but still, the thought of having sex with Gage turned me on more than I cared to admit.
Tossing and turning for what seemed like hours, I finally fumbled for my phone on the bed side table and squinted at the illuminated screen. Ten to four. Gah! I hated the hour between three and four am; the ‘witching hour’, when everything felt too still and too quiet. It was then that most people left this world, I knew that from first-hand experience, and that knowledge created a wave of goose bumps to fan over my arms and shoulders.
The only noise was Kimmie’s deep breathing and I couldn’t stand to listen to it any longer. Gently slipping from bed, I silently made my way to the bathroom and then on to the kitchen for a glass of milk. Surely that would help cure hiccups that had plagued me since going to bed.
I knew this house well enough that walking through it in the dark was an easy task, and the kitchen was easily lit by the various appliances. Grabbing a clean glass from the cupboard then opening the fridge for the milk, I froze when a throat softly cleared behind me. I knew who it was without looking over my shoulder, and it drove a shiver through my entire body.
Batman.
SIX
LIL
JESUS, GAGE MUST be in stealth mode; I hadn’t heard him approaching.
When I turned to confirm what I already knew, he was leaning against the doorframe, and despite me not being able to see his expression, I could feel him studying me. It was unnerving as heck.
The fridge door remained open and forgotten as Gage stole my attention. My eyes skipped over the beautiful artwork inked over one of his muscular shoulders and down his bicep. He’d obviously just pulled on his jeans before coming out to the kitchen; the zipper was done up but the button hung open, making the jeans ride precariously low on his hips and displaying the waistband of his underwear.
While I blatantly ran my gaze over his torso, he returned the favour, lazily looking over the entire length of my body. When the paths of our searing gaze finally crossed, we both startled like we hadn’t been expecting to be caught staring. His line of sight dropped briefly again before his dark eyes re-locked on mine. The smirk on his lips caused self-consciousness to creep in despite my sleepwear covering me where I needed. However, I was also acutely aware of the chill in the air making my nipples hard, and the two obvious points were undoubtedly visible through the thin fabric.
My traitorous body responded to him far too easily. I fought to take a calm, full breath while squeezing the forgotten milk carton in my hand. I was torn between stepping closer and finding out why he was really here, or putting the milk back in the fridge and getting my ass out of dodge. Not to mention I was still miffed about what happened outside earlier.
Our awkwardness compounded with each long second that passed until I dumbly held up the milk as if it verified my reason for being in the kitchen in the first place—plus, it also helped hide my nipples from view. I didn’t get self-conscious often, but with Gage being all mysterious and intense, my emotions were heightened and completely thrown off guard.
“I didn’t mean to wake you,” I whispered.
My apology snapped him back to the present and he cleared his throat again, though his voice remained gritty from sleep. “It’s ok, I’m a light sleeper.”
Without breaking my eye contact, he pulled out the bar stool from under the kitchen bench and sat before I could object.
I snorted softly at his audacity. “You want one?”
His reply was clipped and closed off. Just like his body language all of a sudden was. “Sure.”
I pushed a full glass of milk his way then sighed as I lowered myself onto the stool next to him. My hangover was beginning to kick in despite the litre of water I powered back while eating the savouries. Resting my elbows on the bench, I picked up my glass of milk and nursed it in my hands. I halted with the glass poised by my lips.
“I feel like we’ve met before,” Gage whispered, so low I hardly heard him.
It was as if he was reasoning to himself and I was merely overhearing his thought process. Funny thing was though, I grasped his meaning immediately; in every sense Gage was a stranger, yet, there was a charge between us that I neither of us understood.
“That’s such a shit pick up line,” I scoffed.
He rumbled a chuckle and leaned slightly into my space. “Wasn’t a pick-up attempt.”
I glared through the dim light as he tilted the glass of milk to his lips, now ignoring me.
“Maybe I was Batman to your Robin in a previous life,” I taunted then took a sip. I was stirring him, wanting to see how far I could push him before he bit back. “Or maybe Cat Woman!” I added in a louder whisper.
Gage snorted. “Not fucken likely,” he whisper-growled. “If anyone’s being Batman, it’s me. To hell with Robin.”
We both chuckled quietly, acutely aware that every little sound was outrageously loud in the otherwise silent kitchen.
Truth be told, now that we were sitting in close proximity without being assholes to each other, I identified with what he alluded to; deep down, in my soul perhaps, I recognised him as someone I already knew, and well. That type of connection was rare. What I didn’t understand was why the two of us shared such feelings of intimacy without knowing each other.
Thinking for a moment, Gage added, “Besides, you have to be a female character because there’s no way I’m fucking Robin.”
I felt my eyes flare and my mouth hung open as I processed what he’d just implied. The look on my face must have been amusing because he took one look at me then smothered a trace of laughter behind his hand.
“Oh, that’s too darn bad because I have a real thing for green spandex,” I deadpanned.
“Now I know you’re lying,” he drawled.
Smirking into his glass, Gage downed the rest of the milk then stood to set the glass in the sink behind us.
“Different folk, different strokes,” I mumbled.
Gage’s arm brushed mine as he returned to his stool and I couldn’t stop the sharp intake of breath that escaped my lips. This time he faced me and frowned.
“Look, Sunshine, whatever ‘this’ is between us, I’m not in.”
Offense blindsided me that in turn morphed into annoyance.
“Excuse me?” I leaned back and gave him the evils. “You’re the one who mouth raped me earlier, so don’t go putting your guilt trip on me,” I hissed through clenched teeth and balled my hands into fists on the bench top.
His top lip curled ever so slightly. “Don’t deny you didn’t want it, or enjoy it for that matter.”
I spluttered, taken aback at how quickly his mood had fluctuated. The audacity of the man was insane. I didn’t tolerate being spoken to like this at work, and I sure as hell didn’t tolerate it at home.
<
br /> “Are you for real right now? Like, really?” I spat.
“Let’s get this straight, Sunshine...” The way he sneered his new nickname for me made uneasiness weave through the pit of my stomach, “Just because you’ve got Mace dancing on a thread, doesn’t mean I’ll give you what he won’t.”
The sharp sound of a slap echoed around the kitchen, and the reverberations from the impact stung my palm. The shock on his face was priceless, and I almost laid out another just to see that look on his face again. However, it took less than a second for his features to go from astonished to furious, and by then I was on my feet and leaning right into his face, dishing out some information of my own.
“You arrogant bastard!” I whisper-yelled. “You come waltzing in here like you fucking own the joint, do whatever you want, don’t give a shit about what you say—which couldn’t be further from the truth—then try to twist it around like it’s my fault. Newsflash, you’re an A-class asshole and I won’t stand for being treated like a piece of shit on the bottom of your shoe. Why don’t you take a running jump an-”
Gage crashed his lips onto mine so hard the connection sent me flailing for balance. His movements were hurried, desperate, seemingly consumed with craving that only searing me with a kiss would satisfy. As soon as his tongue swiped against mine, a sense of déjà vu spurred through me. I reciprocated without hesitation, all irrelevant thoughts leaving my mind as I took all he gave me, my own lust igniting at a terrifying pace. The bench bit into my lower back as Gage pressed his hips into mine, the denim of his jeans rough through the thin fabric of my sleep shorts.
My knees weakened when his fingers wove through my hair and held tight.
“Need to stop,” he murmured, still kissing me for all it was worth, and I groaned when his hips moved against mine again.
The guy had more mood swings than a group of ladies all PMSing together and the thought was the reminder that I was making yet another mistake.
I allowed myself one final taste of him before I reacted, yet that extra sample poured fuel on my desire. Regardless of what my body wanted, I had to snap out of it. Gage couldn’t say crap like that and assume I would sit by and take it.
With the decision made, I grabbed a fistful of his hair and tugged. His contact on my lips broke, and I was both relieved but craving for it to be reinstated. Gage cursed and grabbed my wrist, jerking it free from his hair.
His glare hardened and the shadowed kitchen light made his eyes appear black and unwelcoming. Despite the dimness, I couldn’t mistake the blatant look of lust in his gaze that conflicted with his expression. I forced myself to meet his eyes after my own unintentionally dropped to his lips.
“Do you like your balls?” I whisper-hissed.
“What?” he snapped.
“I said, Do. You. Like. Your. Balls?”
“I’m rather attached to them,” he drawled between heavy breaths.
“Good.”
Gage’s steadying breath turned to a sharp inhale when I reached between us and grabbed said balls through his jeans. A smug smirk tilted my lips when he momentarily closed his eyes to my touch. I squeezed harder until I felt him begin to pull from my grasp, then added a little more pressure for good measure. When he grunted and wrapped his fingers around my wrist, I snarled with as much sass I could muster while my heart hammered so loud in my chest I was sure he could hear it.
“Because if you ever speak to me like that again, I will tear them from your body and shove them so far up your ass you’ll be tasting them!”
Gage opened his mouth to reply but snapped it closed and clenched his teeth when I tightened my grip. He was learning the hard way that you didn’t fuck with Lily McMillan—or any of the McMillan’s, for that matter.
Without a word and any other movement, he slowly released my wrist and I kindly returned the favour by releasing my hold on his balls. As soon as he was free, he drew himself to full height. He was tall, slightly taller than Mace, and despite looking so different from his cousin, his presence was no less consuming.
Gage swiped a hand over his beard and muttered, “Fuck,” under his breath. He looked at me from under his dark brows, gauging my reaction to what just went down.
I fought to calm my breathing, to steady my pulse while it thrummed in my ears, to remember the way his beard softly scratched against my skin. My fingertips trembled against my mouth as I pressed them against my tingling lips.
Gage looked like a man getting torn apart at the seams. There was a deep ache etched on his features, so profound that it was obvious he was being destroyed from the inside out.
Unable to see the hurt so loud and clear any longer, I made to move away from him. No matter how much he heightened my emotions—both good and bad—I couldn’t stand to see blatant agony of any description. My sidestep was halted by his hand gently snagging my shoulder.
“Lil,” he whispered softly.
I upturned my face to meet his imploring expression. The moment his hand slid up my neck to cup my head just below my ear, the butterflies in my stomach increased at a nauseous rate.
“Yeah?”
He ducked his head and his lips brushed mine, slowly this time, barely making contact but enough to send my pulse skyrocketing. My mind raced with a thousand incomprehensible thoughts as I surrendered to his touch.
What we shared was intense and unexplainably deep. Our kiss quickly escalated from apprehensive and restrained to heated as we lost ourselves in the moment of pent up passion. I hadn’t been kissed like this for.... well, ever.
Gage returned my hum when I kissed him deeply and pulled his hips into mine. I was lit and wanting nothing more than to roar to life and burn so brightly I would combust.
“Fuck, I need to stop,” Gage whispered hoarsely.
The urgency in his voice almost made me falter. With his hips still pinning mine in place, his actions belied his words as he grasped the hem of my singlet and tugged it upwards. The feel of his roughened knuckles grazing over my sensitive skin sent goose bumps rippling across my body. My breath hitched and quickened as I passed the point of caring about the possibility of getting caught. Despite trying to be quiet, our desire had apparently been sufficiently loud enough to get the attention of at least one person in the house.
“It sounds like a goddamn farm in there! Kimmie’s gonna rip you both a new one if you two screw on her bench.” A long chuckle then followed.
Mace’s interruption snapped us both out of our lust filled haze, and Gage put two steps between us then clung to the edge of the bench.
I squeezed my eye lids together and squealed inside, feeling my face instantly flame with embarrassment.
“You were listening to us? Fucking creeper!” Gage whisper-yelled towards the lounge.
It dawned on me that I had been suckered in, again. We were back at square one where it would, no doubt, end with hurtful words being exchanged to help dull the guilt and confusion over our inability to walk away. The realisation sent me moving around the kitchen island towards the doorway without looking back at my mistake. Mace’s chuckling had me shushing him angrily.
“Kind of hard not to listen when I wake up to the sounds of rutting. Now I’ve got a perfectly usable semi going to waste...” he trailed off.
I smothered my scandalised laugh with both palms.
“Damn right it’s going to waste, and it had better be gone by the time I come back in there,” Gage hissed behind me.
The distinct sound of poorly contained laughter came from the living area where Mace was having a right ol’ jolly. With the break in conversation, I couldn’t help but steal a departing glance over my shoulder before heading back to Kimmie’s room. Gage was re-adjusting himself in his jeans but looked up as though he felt my gaze land on him. He crossed his arms across his chest then glared like I was some kind of walking felony.
I returned his glower and flicked him my middle finger as I spun on my heel and strode away from the human who possessed the knack of bringing
out the worst in me. I hadn’t reached Kimmie’s room when his low, cynical voice found me through the darkness.
“Sleep well, Sunshine.”
“Go to hell,” I hissed back.
A rumble emanated from deep in his throat as I all but threw myself at Kimmie’s door.
SEVEN
GAGE
OWNED. SHE FUCKING owned me right from the start and there wasn’t a goddamn thing I could do about it apart from push her away. Fuck I wanted her. I’d never felt an ache so hard in my chest than I did around her. That feeling emphasised how much I had lost before coming here, and I resented Lil even more because of it.
After copping a ribbing from Mace when I returned to the living room, I was left with my head whirling with unstoppable and conflicting thoughts.
I still couldn’t comprehend what happened with Lil. She had some kind of hold over me, one that neither of us understood, but it was fierce, it was feisty, and it was burning with passion. Whenever Lil was close, it was like I was possessed, then would wake from the hypnotic state wondering how I let my actions get out of hand—again. My balls ached in frustration while my heart bled for the feelings stirring to life within me. The worst part was, I was trying to convince myself that I didn’t want more of what happened in the kitchen—aside from the ball busting. However, I couldn’t bring myself to go there. I wasn’t ready, and it was slowly killing me.
I woke to movement on the outside deck and footsteps shuffling through the house. Instead of getting up to see who was creeping around this time, I glanced at my phone and groaned when I saw that it wasn’t yet eight in the morning.