Chapter Five
TUESDAY AFTERNOON SALLY wondered if every day from now on was going to be a test of her ability to function at work while experiencing sexual tension thick enough to cut with a knife. Getting through setting up the network and coordinating interviews was painful, since all she wanted to do was be back in Gage’s arms. Gage had been busy all day as well, meeting with vendors and potential clients. Every time they passed in the hall, she wanted to jump him, and his furtive touches and stolen glances told her he wanted to do the same. But the darn computer technicians were right there, like mice infiltrating every square inch of the place.
She gathered her things at the end of the day, thinking about what to wear to JJ’s Pub to check out the band for the grand opening. Gage was excited to see the band, but he seemed even more thrilled at the prospect of another date night with Sally, which he had pointed out every chance he got. Our third date as a married couple. Even thinking about the things he said and the way he said them made her pulse race, which was exactly why she was having a hard time deciding what to wear. This openly affectionate, seductive side of him was addicting, and brought out a part of her she wasn’t sure she’d ever tapped into.
Tapped into? Heck, I never even knew it existed.
She left her office and went to find her new secret husband. The center was bigger than the one in Allure to accommodate the larger small town. She peeked into the gymnasium and her heart swelled. Neither she nor Gage had wanted to clear away the memories of last night. No one had ever done anything so romantic for her. She had been so young when she married Dave, and real life had come at them quickly—caring for a baby, chasing a toddler, taking night classes while Dave got his business up and running. She couldn’t remember ever thinking about romance, much less feeling like she’d missed it. But with Gage everything felt romantic. Even silly things, like cleaning up from dinner and their messy cake smashing together. They’d left the balloons and canopy in place, and they talked for hours about silly things, like favorite colors and most hated foods—his was blue and eggplant. By the time they returned to the hotel, they were both exhausted, and all she wanted to do was take a hot bath and curl up in Gage’s arms and sleep. But she’d begged off his offer to do just that, knowing sleeping would be the last thing on her mind if she was in his bed. Although her solo bath had only woken her up and stirred her desire for the man on the other side of the adjoining door. The orgasm she’d given herself hadn’t come close to what she’d needed.
She followed the sound of Gage’s voice down the hall, which sent her stomach into a wild flurry. How could a voice she’d heard every day for years suddenly turn her inside out?
Gage sat on the edge of the desk gazing out the window and talking on his cell phone. His long-sleeved T-shirt was stretched tight over his broad back, long, jeans-clad legs stretched out before him. She wanted to walk right up and stand between those legs, run her hands up his thighs, and distract him from the phone call, doling out some of the sexual torture he’d given her last night.
He turned, an easy smile lifting his lips, and waved her in. Her mind was still playing naughty games, and she wasn’t sure her legs would carry her across the floor. She leaned against the doorframe, crossing her legs at the ankles, and mouthed, Take your time, as she enjoyed the view.
His gaze slid down her body, lingering on the open neckline of her blouse. He licked his lips, and she felt her nipples rise to greet him. Memories of what that hot mouth of his felt like stroked the inferno that had been simmering all day long.
“Okay, buddy. Sure,” Gage said into the phone as he pushed to his feet, approaching her like a panther on the prowl.
Her pulse spiked with each step. Lord, there must have been testosterone in whatever he’d had for lunch, because he exuded sexuality even more than ever before.
“Your mom is right here. Want to say hi?”
Her brain snapped into Mommy mode, and she pushed from the wall. “Is that Rusty?”
Gage nodded. “He said he spoke to you a few hours ago. Do you want to talk to him?”
“Not unless he wants to talk to me,” she said, wondering what they were talking about. “But tell him I love him.”
Gage said, “He heard you,” to Sally, then into the phone he said, “Okay, buddy. Be safe.”
Be safe. Did he know that watching out for her son, even making time for him the way Gage did so often, was like mommy porn? Oh yes, she was wearing those over-the-knee boots again just for him tonight. And maybe her sweater minidress, too. The one she’d worn a few weeks ago, when he hadn’t been able to stop staring.
Gage tucked his phone into his pocket and put his arms around her. “How’s my gorgeous wife?”
Hearing him say that made her heart race again. She reached for her hair, and he intercepted her hand, putting it on his chest. He was hard and warm, and her mind went straight to the gutter. Hard is very good. Then his long, strong fingers pushed into her hair and his blue eyes narrowed, drawing her right in. Pure. Seduction.
“I’m wondering what you and Rusty were talking about,” she managed.
A coy smile played at the edges of his mouth. “Oh? You mean my stepson?”
Holy cow. She hadn’t put a name to what he was to Rusty now—legally speaking. A storm of emotions barraged her. “Please tell me you did not tell him about Vegas.”
He tugged her hair, bringing her so close, she saw starbursts of white in his irises. “Tell my stepson about his mother waking up naked in my bed?” he said in a voice as rich as melted chocolate. “I want to do a lot of things to you, but disrespecting you is not one of them.”
Her mind screamed, Kiss me! but the words got lost in her desire.
He pressed his lips to the corner of her mouth. “No, bird. I did not tell him you and I are married.” He kissed her neck, and she leaned to the side, giving him better access. “You asked me not to, and I’m a pretty good listener.”
He gave her hair another gentle tug, opening her up to him even more, and proceeded to drive her out of her mind one kiss at a time. She closed her eyes and felt him go hard against her as he tasted every inch of flesh between her chin and breastbone.
“Gage,” she said breathlessly. “Rusty? Is he okay?”
He cradled her face in his hands and gazed into her eyes. “Yes, babe. His buddy’s selling a Jeep and he wanted advice on cars. He said he told you he was thinking of buying one. Did he?”
“Yes. Thank you for helping him.”
“Hey,” he said between kisses. “I’d never hide anything about your son from you. There’s no secret stuff going on. You know that, don’t you? I would have told you about our conversation about sex if you’d asked, which now that I’m thinking about it, is probably wrong on some level. I should have clued you in back then.”
She smiled and shook her head. “No. Believe it or not, there are certain things a mom doesn’t need to know. Now, if you’d have told him to sleep with as many women as he could, I would have been upset. But you wouldn’t do that. It’s not the Ryder way.”
He grinned. “You have met Jake, right?”
Jake was his youngest brother, and before he’d fallen in love with his fiancée, Addison Dahl, he’d been one of the biggest players Sally had ever met. Right up there with Blake Carter. “He’s grown up, and now he’s as loyal as a retriever,” she reminded him. “We’d better get a move on if we’re going to the bar. I’m starved and want to grab something on the way back to the hotel.”
He took her hand as they headed for the exit, shutting off lights on their way. “Have I ever told you that I love how you eat when you’re hungry?”
“As opposed to?”
“Being one of those women who exist on air.” He grabbed her ass as they walked out to the parking lot. “Don’t ever lose this perfect ass, baby.”
“That’s like a license to eat, you know. I could get huge.”
He unlocked the car door and held it open for her, his mouth curling into a devilish grin. “More of you to love.”
“I could develop fat rolls.” She slid into the passenger seat, and he leaned in and squeezed her upper thigh.
“More to hang on to when we’re making love.”
“You say all the right things, but I’ve never seen you with a heavyset woman.”
“You’ve never seen me with any woman,” he said seriously, as if he’d taken offense by her comment. “Because there’s only one woman I want. Fat, thin, round with our babies, old and wrinkly. Only you, little bird.”
He pressed his lips to hers and she wondered if Danica would be upset if they skipped going to see the band and made out all night instead.
GAGE SAT IN his hotel room Skyping with his brothers Duke and Cash. Their wives, Gabriella and Siena, had gone out shopping. Cash was on dad duty with his almost eight-month-old twins, Coco and Seth. The first time Gage had held his niece and nephew, he’d expected to feel a pang of sadness over what he’d lost, but it had never come. All he’d felt was anticipation of one day having his own babies to love and raise.
“We’re thinking of giving Blue and Lizzie a three-week cruise as their wedding present. Have you gotten them a gift?” Cash bounced Coco on his knee. Her sandy-blond curls springing around her chubby cheeks and her sweet baby giggles made Gage laugh. Coco took after Cash, while Seth’s hair was darker brown like Siena’s.
“Not yet. Sally and I are in Virginia setting up the new center. We’ll get to it.” Gage couldn’t take his eyes off his adorable niece. There’d been a time when he’d thought he’d be the first one in his family to the altar. Strangely, that hadn’t been when he was with Stacy, but a year after he’d known Sally. He had no one to blame but himself. He’d wasted a lot of time waiting for a sign, some indication that she was ready. Sometimes it takes waking up married to really bring the idea home.
Not that he’d planned their impromptu wedding, but damn, if he’d known how that night would turn out, he’d have taken her to Vegas years ago.
Duke’s face appeared beside Cash. His oldest brother looked a lot like their father, dark and serious. “You act like you’re already married.”
It was hell holding his tongue when he wanted to shout his confirmation from the rooftops. “What can I say, bro? Wishful thinking, I guess.” Gage checked his watch. It was nearly eight o’clock. Sally had gone back to her room after dinner to shower and change. She’d been in there forever, and every minute away from her felt like an hour. “So, what’s up? Why’d you want to Skype?”
“Because I wanted to show you this.” Duke held up a sonogram picture, pride gleaming in his eyes, alongside something more serious.
An unspoken, misdirected apology, maybe?
Gage smiled, nodding in a way he knew Duke would interpret just as he should—that Gage was more than fine with the news, and thrilled for him. “Gabby’s pregnant? Man, that’s awesome! Congratulations. When’s the baby due?”
“Early May,” Duke answered. “We wanted to wait until we passed the first trimester. Doc says everything looks good.”
“Dude, I’m so happy for you.”
“Yeah, this guy has no idea what he’s in for.” Cash handed Coco to Duke and turned to pick up Seth from the playpen behind him. “My kids have decided they no longer need to go to bed until they’ve worn me and Siena out.”
“I’m sure it’s worth it, though,” Gage said. “Listen, I’ve got to get Sally to hurry up. We’re going to check out a band for the grand opening. Kiss my niece and nephew for me, and, Duke, give Gabby a big hug for me.”
“Will do,” Duke said.
After he ended the call, he grabbed his wallet and knocked on the adjoining door. “Sal? You almost ready?”
The door swung open and she stood before him in a slinky little sweaterdress that showed off her gorgeous legs.
“Sorry. I was on the phone with Gabby and Siena.” Her head was tilted to the side as she fiddled with her earring, leaving her neck exposed.
He didn’t waste a second before going in for a taste. “You heard the news?” He wasn’t surprised. She was as close to his sisters-in-law as his own sister was.
“Yes. Isn’t it exciting?” She held on to his forearm as he covered her neck with kisses. “Gabby said Duke was going to tell you tonight, too.”
“Mm. He did. They’re very lucky. Almost as lucky as me. I have the hottest wife on the planet.” His hands roamed over her bottom. “You look good enough to eat, baby. Maybe we should blow off the band. We are newlyweds after all.”
She stilled, and trapped her lip between her teeth, like she loved the sound of that. A long moment later, she said, “We can’t,” and shook out her hair. It fell lustrous and shiny over her shoulders. “I went online to check out the band and found out this is their last gig until after the holidays.” She grabbed a brush from the dresser and hurried into the bathroom.
He watched her brush her hair, and when her eyes drifted over the counter, brows furrowed, he looked around the bedroom and spotted her favorite hair product. He snagged the bottle and handed it to her. He’d seen her get ready so many times he knew her routine by heart. She’d flip her head upside down, spray three times, then flip it back over, magically making her hair appear fuller.
“That’s a shame,” he said as she flipped, spritzed, and directed her long locks away from her face. “Because I can think of at least a dozen things I’d like to do with my wife right now.”
She set the spray can on the counter, watching him in the mirror as he stepped behind her and placed his hands on her hips. “You smell like summer rain and newlywed.”
“What’s with you and all this newlywed talk?” She turned in his arms, smiling up at him. “You probably shouldn’t call me your wife around the band tonight in case they’re really good and they agree to play at the grand opening, and you know…something goes wrong.”
“You really need to stop worrying about that. The opening is months away. You’ll be telling everyone way before that,” he said confidently.
“I’m sure you’re right,” she said with a glimmer of happiness in her eyes. “But still.”
He clung to that glimmer, and her admission, and took her left hand in his, noticing the ink was almost gone from her finger. His gut clenched, and he took a stab at getting her to change her mind. “Are we suggesting we pretend we’re single tonight? Because I have to warn you, I’m a major chick magnet.”
She laughed. “That you are.” She went into the bedroom and bent to pick up one of her fuck-me boots. “Not single, just not married.”
She sat on the edge of the bed and pulled on the boot. Every time she wore those boots, he imagined making love to her when she was naked, except for those sexy suede boots. One day…
She pointed to her other boot, giving him a don’t-count-your-chickens look. “Can you please hand me my boot?”
He picked it up and said, “The husband hands the wife her boot.”
She laughed and he knelt before her. “The husband helps his beautiful wife put on her boot.” He ran his hands slowly up her leg and back down. “As long as I’m down here…” He bent forward and kissed her inner thigh, running his hands up her leg again.
She put her hands over his, her eyes warning and pleading at once.
He scooched forward on his knees, perched between her legs, and wound his arms around her waist. “I’m not going to miss any signals this time.”
“You’re making me nervous again,” she whispered.
“And…?”
“And we can’t miss the band. I promised Danica.”
“And…? I’m not missing any signals tonight, remember? I’m picking up on one that I can’t read. Help me interpret it.”
“I’m not used to you like this,” she said, and lowered her voice to just above a whisper. “I can’t just let you do that.”
“Ah, my girl needs kisses and foreplay. Duly noted.”
She pressed her hands to his cheeks with an unstoppable smile and said, “Stop embarrassing me!”
He gave her a chaste kiss and sat back on his heels to help her with her boot. “Fine, but you’re cute when you’re embarrassed, and you’re wearing fuck-me boots, which is like visual torture. I’ll be turned on all night.”
“Good,” she said.
“Bird, you naughty girl.” He leaned in, and she drew back, shaking her head. “Damn, baby. I’m just going to warn you now. By the time we get together, I’m going to be incapable of holding back.”
Her fingers dug into the edge of the bed, and heat flared in her sweet baby blues.
“You’re still my wife, whether or not I’m allowed to call you that. So let’s not play the single game at the bar tonight.”
She leaned in so close, he thought she was going to kiss him, but her gaze moved over his face, and a sassy smile formed on her lips. “Someone’s afraid of getting jealous because his wife is a dude magnet.”
He scoffed and pushed to his feet. Guys were always checking Sally out, but there was no doubt in his mind—or apparently in hers—that he’d become more possessive of her since Vegas. The only difference was that now he could show it, whereas before he’d kept those feelings chained up.
She smoothed the front of the slinky little number she was wearing and fluttered her long lashes as she handed him her hotel keycard. “This is going to be so fun.”