Engaging (Alluring Book 2) (26 page)

"You don't have to tell me who he is," she said, cutting Mase off.  She held out her hand.  "Gage Hunter, from Engage, right?"

Gage still held his right hand in his slacks, so he gave her a chin lift instead.  "Right."

She slowly lowered her hand and not understanding Gage's slight, Cassie heard her mutter under her breath, "Jerk."

Cassie smiled inwardly.  There was something about Sabrina, she really didn't like.

Mase seemed to sense the awkward vibe and said, "Shall we go up?"  At everyone's nod of approval, he turned to the stairs to lead the way.

Cassie looked around the crowded ballroom.  The party looked to be in full swing.  She had left her purse and phone at the house and didn't wear a watch, so had no idea at the time or how late they may be.  The room was beautifully elegant with a black and white checkered, marble floor and at least a dozen, sparkling chandeliers hanging from a ceiling painted to look like an afternoon sky.

Fashionable couples danced to a live orchestra, playing an upbeat melody while others mingled along the sidelines.  They had no more than taken a few steps into the ballroom when they were approached by Jack and Alexis.  Cassie gave Alexis a warm smile when their eyes met, but Alexis was soon distracted by something and that something was Sabrina.  She had her hands and lips all over Jack and Alexis was not happy.

After a brief conversation that Cassie didn't quite hear but left a fuming Sabrina at Mase's side, Alexis made her way to Cassie.  "It's good to see you again.  Are you and Gage dating now?"

"No, I wouldn't say that we're dating."  Cassie hesitated to look in Gage's direction until Alexis approached him and gave him a hug.  "It's good to see you again."

He gave her a smile.  "Congratulations on your engagement.  Jack is a lucky man."

Jack stepped up behind Alexis, wrapped his arms around her, and whispered something in her ear.  Gage took this opportunity to take Cassie by the arm and steer her to a spot at the side of the ballroom free of people.

He leaned into her side.  "We won't be staying long."

Cassie stared straight ahead at the crowd as she spoke.  "That's fine."

"We will be talking, later."

Cassie finally looked over at him.  "There's not much to talk about.  We're done.  I knew this was a mistake from the beginning."

"We are not a mistake," Gage said, in a low growl.  "But now is not the time, nor is this the place to have that discussion, but understand me well, we will have it."

They chatted for about an hour with their friends.  Cassie pretended to have a good time.  Gage didn't even bother pretending.  Soon, he was making their excuses, claiming to have a headache, and with as grumpy as he'd been behaving, nobody questioned their departure.

He didn't take her to
her
home, he took her to his.  Upon their arrival, he picked her up, hefting her over his shoulder, with her ass in the air.  He then proceeded to his bedroom where he flicked a switch on the wall, flooding the room with light before tossing her on the bed.  He closed his bedroom door and stood in front of it with his arms crossed over his chest.  "Now we talk."

Chapter Twenty-one

Cassie watched as Gage nonchalantly leaned against the bedroom door, arms crossed over his chest, feet crossed at his ankles.  His body looked laid-back, carefree, relaxed, but his face told a different tale.  His expression was hard, somber, and maybe even a bit hurt.

She stood from the bed and went to peer out the window, a good excuse to give him her back.  This view faced the front of the house, and she watched a flashy, red, sports car drive down the street.

"You want to tell me why we're over, why you've cut yourself off from me?"  She heard his raspy voice from across the room.  "I told you Bianca is not my girlfriend.  I didn't lie.  She meant nothing."

Cassie looked over her shoulder at him.  "It's not about Bianca."  She sighed then continued.  "Well, it is, and it isn't.  It's the fact that Bianca thought she was your girlfriend when you clearly did not.  It's the fact that you can throw women away so easily."  She turned fully to him.  "It's the fact that you have never had a meaningful relationship."

He unrelaxed his pose and stood straighter against the door.  "And you think I'm going to throw you away?"

"I know you're going to throw me away..., eventually."

"I'm not planning on throwing you away, Sunshine."

"How do I know that?"

"Because I've been throwing those other women away, waiting for you."

Cassie snorted.  "Let's not forget, you threw me away once, too."

"And that's how I know you're the one.  I have never, not once, regretted tossing any woman aside, but you.  You were my biggest regret, and I thank God every single damn day that He saw fit to give me a second chance in finding you again.  I'm not going anywhere, Sunshine.  You are my world.  You and Logan are my life. 

"I have never told a woman I loved her because my love has always been for you.  I have never made another woman any promises, but I promise you, you are it for me.  And I have never,
not once,
felt the emotions I feel for you.  My heart beats strong and loud when you're happy and stops when you're hurt or afraid.  My every thought is of you, and my every action is for you.  I can't sleep anymore without you near, and it sets up my whole day waking up to your beautiful face."  He took a few steps away from the door and held his arms out, palms up almost beseechingly.  "I don't know how much plainer I can make it or what more I can say to convince you that I love you, Cassie."

He seemed to become aware of his stance.  He brought his hands to his hips, feet spread apart, aggressive as he waited for her to say something.

* * * * *

He watched as a tear fell down her cheek, followed by another.  He wanted to go to her, take her in his arms, but she needed to make the next move.  He had laid it all out for her, put his heart on the line, it was now time for her to decide if she could trust his words. 

He had been so angry when he had seen her shields fall back into place.  He knew he had gotten close to the center of her heart.  Just one more push, and he would have been in.  But fucking Bianca had to go and call herself his girlfriend.  They had gotten together three times before she left for Paris and three hook-ups does not a girlfriend make.  They had never even set plans to get together when she returned.  He never mentioned her to Cassie because he honestly didn't consider her important enough to bring up.  There has never been anyone important enough to bring up.  Five years ago, he'd lost his heart to a blond-haired, green-eyed, slip of a girl, and he never got it back.  The woman standing before him, still had it.

She took a tentative step toward him, then another not as hesitant until she stood before him.  She brought her hands up and gripped his arms, right above the elbow, and squeezed them tightly.  "Promise me everything you just said was real.  Promise me you're not going anywhere."  She started intensely into his eyes, hers beseeching him to tell the truth.  "Promise me you won't break my heart."

He reached up and gently cupped her face in his hands, his eyes staring back, just as intensely so she would feel and believe what he was about to say.  "I promise to love you until the day I die, and I promise I'm not going anywhere,
ever.
"  He willed her to believe him.  Knowing he didn't want to spend his life without her, at the importance of this moment, he poured the truth into his eyes, so his gaze blanketed her with his certainty.

He waited for her response, and then waited longer while she wrestled with her thoughts.  He would wait forever as long as she stood before him.  He would wait an eternity as long as she was his, at its end.

He watched her throat work as she swallowed and felt her pulse start to race.  She opened her mouth, and then closed it as if struggling to speak.  The pink, tip of her tongue came out to moisten her lips, and the grip she had on his arms became noticeably tighter.  She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, then let it out slowly. 

She opened her eyes, and her penetrating gaze bore into his as she said, "I love you, Gage."

He thought he would feel joy at finally hearing her say those words, and he did, but what he didn't expect was the peace that settled in his heart.  He rested his forehead on hers and closed his eyes.  "Please say it again."

"I love you."  The softly spoken words flashed in his mind like a glowing neon sign as he captured her lips in a possessive kiss that he hoped conveyed to her that she was his.  That she had given herself to him, and he wouldn't let her go.

His hands moved to her back, sliding the zipper of her dress down before moving to the straps and sliding them down her arms until the gown pooled at her feet.  He took a step back and took in the view.  She looked sexy as fuck.  The top swells of her breasts overflowed the constraining cups of her white, lace, strapless bra, begging him to bury his face between them.  His eyes traveled over her narrow waist and slightly flaring hips but stopped at the tiny scrap of white, lace panties, slightly transparent, teasing him with just a shadow of her pussy.

He shrugged out of his jacket, letting it land on the floor and unbuttoned his shirt while pulling the hem from his slacks.  He took the step back to her, turning her so her back faced him, unclasping her bra, and pulling her to his chest.  He wrapped his arms around her, one hand cupping her tit, the other diving into her panties.  Her head fell back, the top of her head barely reaching his shoulder even in her heels, as he pinched her nipple and played with her clit.  Her hands came up and latched onto his arm, but he had her, she would soon learn, he was her rock.

He spun her around again, capturing her mouth in a deep, wet kiss one hand cradling the back of her head as the other cupped her ass, pressing her tight against his erection. 

He walked her backward until the back of her knees hit the bed.  "Sit."  She did as told, and he knelt before her.  Placing her foot on his knee, he unbuckled her shoe before doing the same with the other foot.

His hands traveled up her legs, stopping at her knees, spreading them wide.  "How much do you like these panties?"  He asked, fingering the lace.

"A lot, why?"

"I'll buy you a new pair."  He twisted the dainty side strap around his fingers and pulled, snapping the thin material in two.  He heard her gasp, but she didn't say a word as he did the same thing to the other side.  "Lay back."

Again, she did as told, albeit a little more hesitantly this time.  He unhesitatingly, delved into her folds, separating her lips with his fingers and attacking her clit with his mouth.  Her hips rose from his assault as if begging for more, so he gave it to her.  He inserted two fingers, slamming them in and out while sucking deeply on her clit.  Soon he felt her muscles spasm, his hand was soaked, and her breaths were labored.  He rubbed his wet hand over her belly, then proceeded to lick every inch of her clean.

He stood, removing his shoes and socks then his slacks and underwear before joining her on the bed.  He crawled, hovering over the top of her and leaned in close.  "I'm in a mood, Sunshine.  Do you know what that mood is?"

He felt her shake her head and softly whisper the word, no.

"I'm in the mood to fuck you hard and fast.  Would you like that?"

"Yes," she sighed.  Spreading her legs wide for him.

With one hard thrust, he planted himself deep.  God, she felt good.  Tight and hot and oh, so wet.  He could stay in her pussy for days.  Lifting her legs, he threw them over his shoulders.  "Plant your hands on the headboard, baby.  I don't want you banging your head." 

Once he saw she was in position, he leaned down, giving her a deep kiss before slowly pulling out, then slamming himself back in again.  And he did it over and over until she was screaming his name, and he was grunting hers.

He buried his face in her neck, breathing her in, as they lay, panting, trying to recover their breath.  He felt her wrap her legs around his waist, and her hands trailed up and down his back.  It felt so good, he never wanted her to stop.  But, he worried he was too heavy, so with a push he rolled them around so he was on the bottom, and she lay draped across him.  And now, it was his turn to rub her back, and he liked that a lot, too.

* * * * *

Cassie lay with her head resting on Gage's chest.  She could hear his heartbeat thumping soothingly in her ear.  The fingers of her left hand traced the swirls of Gage's tattoo that encompassed his right shoulder and upper chest.  It was such an unusual design.  She'd never looked at it too closely before and leaned up on her arm to get a better look.  Soon letters started to take shape within the swirling pattern.  She traced a C and an A.  Her breath stilled as she spotted the rest of her name interwoven in the design.  CASSANDRA.

Now that she had spotted her name, she couldn't unsee it.  It was so obvious.  She had looked at this tattoo so many times in the last two months.  How had she missed her name?  Almost afraid of the answer, she hesitantly asked, "When did you get this?" 

He looked down at his shoulder and gave a small shrug.  "About four years ago."

Four years?  That meant everything he had told her was the truth.  "Why didn't you say something?"