It’s seems I’m in the clear as Gage takes a seat across from me, his gaze meeting mine as I give him a small smile.
We eat in silence, and I stamp down hard on the moans that want to escape me, I’m so damn hungry and the mouthwatering steak of the night before seems like it was years ago. My usual breakfast would have been a granola bar or a piece of toast, depending on what I had left in my sparce pantry, so my whole body is screaming in ecstasy over the change in food.
I hear Gage clear his throat, and I look up instinctively, finding him staring at me intently.
‘I’m sorry’ he starts, and my eyes widen as I realise he’s about to talk about earlier. No no no no no, don’t talk about it! Just move along, I think desperately, those two words from his lips already enough to slam vivd images back into my mind.
‘About, you know, upstairs’ he continues, rubbing the back of his neck which I’ve noticed he does when he feels awkward. ‘I swear, it was an accident . .’ he rambles on as my gaze falls to his lips instinctively, watching as his lips purse with each word.
He blows out a breath, pulling me from my revere, my face heating when I realise I wasn’t listening to a word that he was saying, more intent on thoughts of what those lips would feel like on my body.
It’s fine’ I rush out, ‘I didn’t see anything, I wasn’t looking . . ‘ I was totally looking but I’ll take that to my grave or my bedroom though I’m now realising that my battery operated boyfriend is seriously lacking in size against the real thing.
‘I didn’t think you would look’ Gage murmurs, pulling me again from thoughts of what is hiding behind that zipper.
My eyes move upward, connecting with his as I suck in a breath at the pure carnal desire I see swirling in the depths. ‘But’ he adds silkily, ‘it’s OK if you did.’
I swallow hard, my cheeks feel like they are on fire as my mind blanks, only the thought of Gage’s naked body in my head.
The soldier leans over the table slightly, his piercing blue eyes dropping to my lips before flicking back to my own.
‘Did you peek Hali?’ he asks, that deep voice taking a rough and predatory edge to it. ‘Just a tiny look?’ he pushes, ‘accidentally?’
I automatically shake my head, but I can already see that he knows the truth, can see the guilt in my face and a small smile curls up the corners of his lips in approval.
He stands abruptly, his gaze pinned to mine as he slowly prowls around the edge of the table toward me, stalking me like I’m his prey. The sheer dominance in his eyes makes me squirm in my seat, my breathing speeding up, my thighs rubbing together to try and alleviate the ache that has formed between them.
Using his foot, he pushes back my chair until there is room between me and the table for him to step between, the Solider reaching down and wrapping strong hands around my waist, lifting me to my feet.
‘Did you like what you saw?’ he asks me, his tone coaxing, willing me to admit it.
My gaze rakes down his body, images of that sexy, highly trained body ambushing me all over again. There is something about knowing that the hands that are still on my hips have the power to bring immence pleasure or unbearable pain that makes my knees want to give out. He’s sexy and dangerous in equal parts, a man that exudes control, nothing makes Gage Hawthorne fall apart by the looks of it, and I suddenly, want to see him lose control, let his guard down as he finds sweet release.
‘Hali’ he growls at me, need laced into my name as he presses his hard torso to me, his lips finding my exposed shoulder as he trails his tongue up the flesh of my neck to my earlobe, biting it gently.
‘Tell me to stop’ he whispers, his breath teasing my ear as I whimper, ‘tell me Hali.’ His words are almost painful, begging me to take control and make him back away like I always do, but my throat won’t co-operate, my lips refusing to utter the words, my hands unable to lift themselves and push him away.
‘You want this?’ he asks hoarsely, and I know what he’s asking me, ‘do you want me?’
YES, oh God yes, my mind screams as my eyes flutter closed, but nothing but a soft sound leaves my lips. He pulls back to look at me, forcing me to open my eyes again, watching me intently.
‘Tell me’ he breathes, the order obvious despite his soft tone, ‘do you want this?’
I part my lips, ready to give in, I want it, I want him and I’m tired of fighting it.
As I’m about to speak, my gaze moves over his shoulder, unable to ask for what I want under his intense look. Finding the door to the backyard, I watch the morning light spreading over the landscape, trying to force its way through the whiteness that falls from the sky.
My body stiffens as I realise what I’m seeing, ‘no’ I whisper hoarsely, my eyes widening in horror.
‘No?’ Gage’s voice sounds so far away as I blindly push him aside and hurry toward the back door to stare out at the heavy snow storm that has taken over the sky, falling to an already deep covering that blots out the whole of the backyard and beyond.
‘Nooo’ I wail in defeat, unable to tear my eyes away from the blizzard that has taken over the outside world.
Beside me, I hear Gage curse quietly, his body heat radiating, making me instinctively move closer to him, wanting his warmth to scare away the chill that settles over me.
Turning around, the soldier hurries through the house, me a step behind him, reaching him just as he throws the front door open to reveal a huge blanket of snow that lies around and on top of his truck.
I can barely make out his vehicle through the snowstorm, but what I can see is that the truck is buried up to the top of its tyres.
Groaning, he shuts the door again, cutting off the cold that has swirled into the house, making me shiver.
Turning back to me, he drags a hand through his hair, ‘we’re snowed in’ he tells me.
I shake my head in denial, ‘no’ I argue, ‘we could dig the truck out, you have snow chains for your tyres? We just need to get to the highway; the roads will be gritted there.’
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.