Engaging (Alluring Book 2) (16 page)

"Is there a reason why you didn't tell me someone was on the property?"

Cassie shrugged.  "You were at a party, what could you do?  I don't even know why I called you in the first place."

"I'll tell you why you called me.  Because I'm your man, and you knew I would protect you," his voice was getting louder, and however shaken she was, she couldn't help but note his anger.  "And that I would come straight to you if I'd known something was wrong.  Hell, I came straight to you not even knowing something was wrong, just not liking the fact that you didn't
answer your phone
."  He was yelling now.

Cassie looked around.  Several eyes were on them, but Gage wasn't done. 

"You hanging up on me without telling me something was wrong was bullshit."

Now, Cassie was angry.  She hated when he reprimanded her like a child.  "I'm not your responsibility, Gage."

"The hell you're not."

"Would you keep your voice down, everyone is listening."

"I don't give a fuck."

"Well, I do."  She tugged on his arm, pulling him into her bedroom.  She took a step back then crossed her arms over her chest.  "Listen, I'm not exactly sure why you're so mad."

"I'm mad because I wasn't here to protect you."  Gage stood feet braced apart, one hand on his hip, the other digging in his hair.

"Well, that's ridiculous."  At Cassie's statement, he lifted his head and looked at her.  "First of all, you have a life, you can't be with me 24/7.  You can't predict when something's going to happen to me, and you're not going to always be around if something does. 

"What if Logan gets hurt while he's at school and I'm not there.  Am I going to be angry?  No.  Upset?  Yes, but am I going to keep him glued to me in case he gets hurt again?  No."

Gage stepped over to her and captured her face in his hands.  "The thought of something happening to you when I've finally gotten you back drives me insane." 

She refrained from reminding him that he didn't have her back.  She didn't think he would do well with hearing that right now.  Instead, she encircled his wrists with her hands and said, "Nothing is going to happen to me."

"Know this," Gage said, bringing his face closer to hers.  "You and Logan are the most important things to me.  I don't care where I am, or what I'm doing.  If there is something I should know about, I want you to tell me.  If I don't get a promise from you about this, then I will stay at your side 24/7.  And, Sunshine, that is no joke."

"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 gave 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.