We packed up and left the Botanical Gardens behind and I wondered what happened next. I mean, was he going to take me to his place or were we going to hit up a hotel? What was the protocol for this kind of thing?

“Are you taking me home?” I asked, trying to figure out how this relationship worked. “You’re not going to tie me to your bed or something right?”

“Do you want me to?”

I laughed at the brief show of humor. “No, not really.”

“Then, no, I won’t tie you to my bed.”

“Okay, good.” I nodded, then I realized he hadn’t actually answered my question. “So…am I going home?”

“I haven’t decided.” My mouth formed a silent “O” and he pulled and tucked me under his arm. Normally, I wasn’t a cuddler, but it felt good to be right up against Gage, the scent of his skin wrapping me in a cocoon of warm, sexy memories of what we’d done together since sealing the deal. “Tell me about your hometown,” he said.

I sighed. “What’s to tell…I grew up in a small California mountain town where the most exciting thing that happened was when the gas stations went to 24-hour pumps. Like I said, boring.”

“Is that why you left?”

“Well, yeah. I always thought I was meant for bigger and better things.” I paused for a moment, realizing how stupid I sounded given how things had turned out. “Guess I was wrong.”

“I wouldn’t say that…you’re here with me,” he said, tipping my chin to brush a kiss across my lips. I shivered at the soft touch. His mouth moved across mine, possessive yet tender; I was already hooked. How pathetic. “Tell me something no one knows about you,” he murmured, looking into my eyes.

His gaze was unnerving, as if he could see into my soul. I swallowed, momentarily lost in that stare. For a heartbeat, I thought I felt something shift between us, something that didn’t make sense but was real just the same. Like when you read about soulmates connecting and the universe all of sudden grinds to a halt just so they could have their moment. Maybe that’s why when I found my voice, I said this, “I…I….have a third nipple.”

OMG! WHY DID THAT COME OUT OF MY MOUTH?

Gage blinked in shock, then started guffawing so hard, I had to start laughing, too. He wiped at his eyes and said, “Um, well, I hadn’t noticed but it was dark.”

I scowled with mock pique as I explained, “It’s not like I have a third boob, it’s just a small little inverted nub that is right underneath my left breast, in the crease. You’d never know it was there if I hadn’t said anything. Hence, the reason, no one knows.”

Gage sobered as a smile tugged at the corners of his sensual mouth. “Then, it’s the perfect gift. Thank you.”

I knew he wouldn’t reciprocate but the words danced on my tongue just the same. Before I could spit them out, the car slowed to a stop.

“We’re here.”

“And where is here?” I asked.

He climbed from the car and held out his hand to help me out.

We must’ve traveled away from the city because we had ended up on a country road, winding to a small cabin against the trees.

Soft yellow light shone from the small window panes in welcome and I couldn’t help but be entranced by how romantic it seemed.

Gage had obviously gone to a lot of trouble to set this night up. What if when he’d offered me the deal I’d said no? I turned to him, confused. “If we were dating, this would definitely win you some points.”

He chuckled, and after, murmuring instructions to the driver, who then drove off, leaving us, he gestured for me to follow.

“But what about our driver?” I protested, wondering if it was safe to be left in the woods alone, without any way to escape if things went all Friday the 13th on us. “What if we’re attacked by some crazy person?”

“You have an excessive fear of being attacked,” he teased, causing my cheeks to flare with heat but he put my fears to rest, saying, “We’ll be fine. I promise.”

“Do you own this place?” I asked, stepping into the cabin, taking in the cozy, rustic decor. Everything was pretty ordinary, like the kind of stuff you would find in a hunting cabin. Very manly, but tasteful, too. I was just thankful there weren’t any carcasses hung on the wall as trophies.

“I do.”

“You probably own a lot of places,” I ventured a guess. “I mean, honestly, you could probably buy your own island or a castle.”

“I could.”

I cast him a sharp look with a raised brow. “Do you? Own an island or castle?”

“Hell no. Castles are drafty and the upkeep is a drag. As for owning an island…I don’t see the point. I don’t need an entire island to myself.”

“That’s a little disingenuous coming from the man who rented out an entire bar as well as gained access to a closed public park so he could have some privacy,” I reminded him with a cheeky grin.

“Touché.” He locked the front door and then pulled me into his arms. “You like it?”

“I do.”

“Good.” He sealed his mouth to mine, drinking me in and I melted just a little more. Had I fallen down the rabbit hole with this enigmatic man? How was it that I started this night fretting about how to pay my rent and save my cat from that asshole Landon and now I was being romanced like something out of a fairy tale by a near stranger?

It was late. My eyes were burning but I didn’t want the night to end.

Gage led me to the bedroom. “Which side do you prefer?” he asked.

We were going to sleep beside each other? A tiny flutter tickled my insides. “Right side,” I answered, watching as he undressed without preamble. The moonlight bathed his skin in a pale glow, the muscles flexing in shadow. Broad shoulders narrowed to trim hips, a tiny trail of dark hair traveled to his groin where his semi-soft cock bounced gently as strode across the room to double check the windows.

God, that view.

He had a perfect ass.

Gage turned to find me staring. “Like what you see?”

“Hell yes.” The words fell from my mouth like raindrops during a summer storm. I blushed. “I mean, yeah…my eyeballs aren’t burning or anything.”

He laughed as he climbed into the bed “Get over here.”

I loved the way his tone slid over my senses like warm chocolate drizzled over cold ice cream. I wasn’t the kind of girl who “melted” except that’s exactly how I felt around Gage.

I eagerly stripped and climbed into the bed beside him as if I’d done this a million times and it was completely natural.

But it wasn’t natural, a voice whispered at me. This wasn’t me. I didn’t let people in so easily and for good reason.

The alarm bells clanged a little more loudly, enough for me to stiffen slightly when Gage curled his arms around me, drawing me tightly to him.

Was I a human teddy bear? My brows pulled with confusion. He’d already told me this was temporary, that when he was finished with whatever was happening between us, he’d cut me loose.

I shifted away from his grasp, saying, “I’m not much of a snuggler,” and was relieved when he didn’t insist. Instead, he pulled away, rolled on his opposite side and fell asleep within minutes, completely content.

But I wasn’t content.

Gage had completely tipped me upside down within a short 12-hour window.

Even as Gage had “saved” me, he’d also ruined me.

Was I supposed to walk away from this experience with a chuckle and a wave, tucking away the memories in wistful silence because I certainly couldn’t talk about it to anyone without revealing my own personal embarrassment at being so pathetic that I would accept a deal like his?

My body would forever remember his touch, how easily he’d made me cum so hard it hurt.

Sex wasn’t supposed to consume someone.

But Gage was munching on my soul, one orgasm at a time.

Dramatic, much?

I sighed, staring up at the ceiling, listening to Gage’s soft, easy breathing.

Yeah, but I hated mysteries and that’s all Gage was.

Where’d he come from? Why me? Why did he seem familiar?

The worst part was I knew he wouldn’t answer any of my questions so the mystery would remain, haunting me until I died.

I thought he was older than me, maybe by five years, but I didn’t know for sure.

Sometimes the look in his eyes seemed so much older.

An old soul, as my mom would say.

My body ached from being fucked so many times in a short time period but it was a delicious sort of ache, one that created heat with the memory.

There was something intoxicating about the insatiable expression in Gage’s face when he looked at me. I’d never known true hunger until I saw it in Gage.

Landon had never looked at me like that.

No one had.

It took my breath away and made my heart beat faster.

To know that Gage wanted me and only me…I couldn’t explain how it affected me without blushing like an idiot because a modern woman like me…we aren’t supposed to feel like that, right?

The way he commanded my pleasure, denying me the privilege of cumming until he granted me permission…God, why did that turn me on so deeply?

But on the flip side, knowing I could reduce him to a moaning wall of flesh when he was deep inside me, the power flipped and I was the one in control.

Sex with Landon had been, in comparison, dull.

Vanilla — but not even the good kind like artisan vanilla bean — but rather, gas station vanilla ice cream that only tasted good when you were drunk and desperate for something sweet.

In fact, I don’t remember cumming once with Landon in the two years we’d been together.

Our sex life had been all about Landon.

A wry giggle popped from my mouth when I thought of how devastated I’d been to find out Landon had cheated on me (and had been cheating since the moment we started dating). Now, I just felt kinda sorry for any of the women who thought they were getting something special when hooking up with that douchewad.

Maybe Gage could give lessons.

As if sensing I was thinking of him, Gage turned on his back, still sleeping, his arm thrown over his head, his mouth open slightly.

Stop being so adorable, I wanted to tell him. Why did guys always look so cute when they were sleeping whereas women looked like they were drugged and then dragged behind a bus?

I smiled to myself. Universal truth.

A sigh escaped when I realized I was nowhere near sleep when I should be because I was exhausted.

I thought of Miss Switch back at my apartment, glad I fed her before I left for work.

Was Gage a dog or cat person? I guess it didn’t matter.

I frowned and slowly rose from the bed, careful not to wake Gage.

Padding quietly to the window, I climbed onto the window seat and pulled my knees to my chest as I stared up at the stars.

What small town had shaped Gage? And why had he left? Was that the connection between us? We were both from small towns?

Seemed kind of flimsy.

Maybe the reason wasn’t complicated — he simply liked what he saw and went after it.

Except the it was me.

How many other women had he “purchased” for his pleasure? And why did the thought arouse a pinch of jealousy? Jesus, that was unhealthy.

I’d never been anyone’s object of desire, I should be highly flattered instead of picking at the threads of his reasoning, right?

But, like I said, I wasn’t the kind of person to just let things go. I probably would’ve made a great reporter, that is, if there were still jobs for journalists out there.

Gage made a small noise in his sleep but I could tell he was lost deep in his dreams.

It was wrong but at this point, did judgment really have a place?

Nothing about this situation was appropriate.

I slid from the window seat and went to the dresser where I saw Gage throw his wallet and phone.

As expected, his phone was locked and I wasn’t even going to try and figure out the code but his wallet was pretty vulnerable to snooping.

(I said, don’t judge me, okay?)

I flipped open the billfold and did some general snooping. Credit cards, some cash, a few fancy business cards.

On a whim, I plucked his driver’s license.

I guess I wanted to see if his picture was as unflattering as most people’s.

I wasn’t expecting what I found.