I should be surprised, but I’m not. He looks at me and shrugs back. “I own the building,” he says.
Oh my. I step inside and turn to face him, lingering only a second. “Goodnight, Gage. Sir.”
He tips his head. “Good night, Emma.”
Chapter Thirteen
Although Gage’s condo was less than fifteen minutes away from Emma’s apartment, he decided to head to the ranch. The night was still young and he’d be there in a little over an hour. Besides, that hour gave him time to think.
Not ready to settle down for the evening.
He’d not planned to have sex with Emma tonight. His plan had been to build up to it over the next two weeks. He’d wanted the tension to increase and heighten each day to the point where neither of them could hold back. He had wanted an explosive weekend with him at the wheel—calculating and controlling every move, every step of the way.
“What the hell happened?”
Emma happened. In that damn dress.
The second she’d opened her apartment door he knew not fucking her was going to be a struggle. Hell, he’d wanted to fuck her every day since he’d known her.
He should have restrained himself. Kept control.
Impossible.
The entire day had been a build-up to the event. Happy that they had gotten some logistics out of the way, he was also intrigued by what he’d learned about Emma—and he wanted to know more.
He frowned, thinking about a couple of things Emma said. He’d castrate the asshole college boyfriend if he could, because he was pretty damned sure he’d made Emma feel like shit about sex. And there was something about the prom date that was wrong. Way wrong.
He pondered that a minute and then picked up his phone. With one punch, he dialed and waited as the phone rang.
“What can I do for you, Mr. Parker?”
“Just a little investigation, Chad.”
“Yes, sir. Let me get my pad.” Gage waited a few seconds. “All set now. What can I do?”
“Emma Lavender had a boyfriend in college. I want to know more about him—whatever you can find.”
“Yes, sir. Anything else?”
“Yes. There was a high school boyfriend, too. A prom date. Maybe her junior year, she was seventeen.”
“I’ll get right on it.”
“Thank you.”
He tossed the phone in the console. It was going to be two long weeks.
But that wasn’t what worried him. The thing messing with his head tonight was what happened after he and Emma had sex, and the reason why he needed to drive. Clear his brain. Think.
In all of his adult life, he could honestly say he’d never felt anything other than lust for a woman. Sexual desire. Physical attraction.
Nothing else.
But Emma… She evoked feelings he didn’t want to explore and definitely didn’t want to admit.
So he wouldn’t. All the better. Weird emotions or not, in two weeks, she would be out of his life, so it was best to pack those feelings away now and not bring them out again.
He’d learned to do that a long time ago. He could do it now.
Watching the road in front of him, Gage let his mind drift to a place it seldom went—to his life before he was adopted by the Parkers—his life with his birth mother. He’d loved her. She was the center of his world for his first few years. Beautiful, with a soft voice and an easy demeanor—unless she was drunk or high. Even at a young age, he knew the difference. When she was drinking, she became hard and bitter. Mean. And he was in the way. Especially if her boyfriends were around.
If she was high, she was nothing. Comatose, practically. Gage and his brother were on their own. He wasn’t sure which was worse—getting hit and pushed around or being ignored and neglected.
That’s when he’d learned to turn off emotions. To not get emotionally involved with anyone. What was he…five years old? Six? How many years had he and Murphy lived like that? He’d blocked most of it out of his head. Wiped it clean.
And that’s why his sexual lifestyle worked for him. He’d chase, capture, and release.
Then move on to the next. No involvement past the contracted agreement.
And that was what had to happen with Emma. This two weeks was simply the chase, and by God, he was going to enjoy it. But no emotion, no feeling. He’d already told her as much, and it was what she expected. Once the weekend was through, he’d release her, and everything would be back to normal.
His cell phone rattled against the console, pulling him out of his thoughts. He glanced ahead at the empty road and feeling safe enough to answer, reached for the phone. Had Chad found out something already?
The phone lit up and he saw a text message.
Amanda: Call me.
Fuck. He dropped the phone back in the console and drove on. The last thing he wanted to do tonight was talk to Amanda. After a few minutes, it buzzed again.
He looked.
Amanda: I’m serious. Call me now, Gage.
“What the hell?” He didn’t know and didn’t care. Amanda was history. He pushed the button to turn the phone off and tossed it into the back seat. Simultaneously, he pressed the accelerator and headed for the ranch.
****
Cole wasn’t expecting him so Gage tried to be as quiet as possible as he keyed the lock and stepped inside the kitchen. Of course, Cole’s apartment was on the other side of the house, but Gage still didn’t want to alarm or startle him.
Hell, Cole would come out guns ablazin’ if he thought someone was breaking in.
Maybe he should have texted and told him he was coming home, but he hadn’t wanted to dig the phone out of the back seat.
Being quiet didn’t seem to work, however, because as soon as Gage closed the door behind him, Cole rounded the corner. “You sure as hell are keeping some odd hours lately, boss.”
Gage shrugged out of his jacket. “Well, it’s been an odd few days.”
“You’re all dressed up.”
“Had a business dinner.”
“Oh, that what you calling it now?”
Gage glared at him and leaned against the counter. “How was your day?”
“Good. Made progress on the barn and finished cutting the bulls. You in a better mood than when you headed out of here this morning?”
“Probably not.”
“What’s up?”
“Nothing I want to talk about.”
Cole nodded. “I see. How about some coffee. Or better yet, a beer.”
“Now you’re talkin’.”
Cole went to the refrigerator and pulled out two bottles. He handed one to Gage, and the men moved through the kitchen into the great room. Cole sat on the sofa. Gage fell into his favorite recliner and put his feet up.
For a couple of minutes they drank their beers in silence.
For whatever reason, Gage blurted out, “There is a woman.”
Cole arched a brow. “Tell me more.”
Gage took another swig. “You’re right. She’s messing with my head.”
“In a good or bad way?”
“I don’t know. Could be both.”
The both were silent for a moment, and then Gage added, “She’s a good person. Different than the others. I can’t keep my eyes and hands off her.” He paused. “Make no mistake, I want to control her. I want to dominate her when I fuck her. But it’s…different.”
“Does she have a name?”
Gage smiled. “Yes. Her name is Emma.”
“Does she know what she’s getting into?”
Gage lifted his shoulders. “Yeah, she does. But hell, I don’t know what I’m getting into. She’s twisting my brain.”
Cole didn’t respond for a minute, then said, “Maybe she’s good for you. Maybe you should consider a lifestyle change.”
Gage turned to look at his friend. Could Emma be good for him? Enough for him to change his ways? No. Of course not. He didn’t want to change his ways. And he didn’t think she wanted him to change,
either.
But she’d not seen the darker side of him. Not yet.
Hellfire, was he good enough, for her?
Gage shook his head. “No, I’m in too deep. I’m not changing anything. She’s temporary, a one-timer, just like the others.”
That was already a lie. She wasn’t a one-timer any more. And she wasn’t like the others.
Fuck.
Gage sighed and took another swig.
“Something you should know, Gage. Amanda came by today.”
At once, Gage’s attention spiked to high alert. He sat up, kicking the footstool down. “What did she want?”
“I think she was trying to get information out of me. Of course, I know nothing.”
Shit. “What did she say?”
“She asked if there was a woman, Gage. What does she know?”
Something panged his heart. He shook his head. “She can’t know anything. There is…was…nothing to know. Fuck.”
He stood.
“What?”
“She texted me tonight.” He turned and headed for the kitchen. “Be right back.”
Gage raced out the back door to his truck, rummaged in the back seat until he located the phone, and turned it on. While it was coming alive, he stomped back into the house.
Cole met him in the kitchen. Gage glanced up. “I have a bad feeling.”
“What did she say?”
“She wanted me to call her. I turned the phone off.”
Cole whistled through his teeth. “Amanda isn’t one to be ignored.”
Gage watched the phone flicker and come on, and waited for the signal to catch up with it. A few notifications scrolled by at the top of the screen. The text message button lit up. One text.
He hit the button. The text popped up.
Amanda: Get rid of her Gage. I mean it.
There was a picture attached to the text. A picture taken through the driver’s side window of his truck. A picture of Emma. Her dress up around her waist. His fingers tangled in her hair. Riding him. Fucking him.
“Shit.” Suddenly, his chest hurt. He couldn’t ignore the emotion balled up behind his breastbone. He reared back, like he wanted to throw the damn phone across the room, and then stopped.
Emma. He had to make sure she was okay. Had to protect her. How long had Amanda followed them? Did she know where Emma lived?
“Goddammit!”
Cole stepped closer. “What is it?”
Gage shook his head. “Not sure. I just… Hold on.” He wasn’t making sense.
He hit Chad’s speed dial again and was thankful he answered quickly. Gage looked Cole in the eyes as he spoke.
“Chad listen,” he began. “Get on this immediately. I want a bodyguard at Emma’s apartment ASAP. Put a guard at the front and back entrances to the building and one at her door. I want someone watching her 24/7. And I don’t want her to know.”
“Yes, Mr. Parker.”
Gage turned away from Cole and paced. “Call me when it’s done. I’m at the ranch but heading back to Billings now and will meet you at the apartment building. Chad, no one gets past the guards to her but me, do you understand? No one.”
“Yes, sir.”
“All right.”
Gage hung up and realized his hands were shaking. He turned to look at Cole.
“Tell me what I can do, Gage.”
His head was spinning. Fuck Amanda. He wanted her nowhere near Emma. Gage raked a hand of fingers through his hair and paced back and forth. “I don’t know. I don’t know. Just keep Amanda off the ranch, I guess, and let me know if you hear anything else from her.”
Cole nodded. “Of course.”
He grabbed his jacket. “I’m heading back to Billings. Call you tomorrow.”
He’d taken one step toward the door when Cole grabbed his arm. Gage stopped and turned. “Gage, wait up.”
Gage stopped and held Cole’s gaze. The chatter rattling around in his head though kept going.
“Take a breath,” Cole said. “And don’t goddamn tell me you don’t care about this woman. If you didn’t care, you wouldn’t have reacted like you just did.”
“I’m not in the mood for a lecture right now, Cole.”
“I know. You need to get on the road. Just get there in one piece. This Emma, if that’s her name, needs you. And I think you need her.”
Gage stood there for a moment and let that sink in, then headed for the door. “I’ll be in touch.”
Chapter Fourteen
My alarm goes off at six. By seven, I am showered and dressed, with one cup of coffee in me. By eight I have already clocked in and started a quick cleanup of the supervisor’s office—my office—which sits behind the front desk. I know my position has not been officially announced, but I assume my boss won’t care.
Besides, my boss is the reason for my incredible energy this morning.
I’ve also done some research online and started making my lists. If I get in trouble with IT because of some of the sites visited, I’m hoping Gage has my back.
I smile thinking about that and close my planner, where I’ve made my lists, and shove some papers on the desk into a folder and lay them aside to file later. As I turn to pick up another stack, Christina Long moves through the office door and wastes no time verbally attacking me.
“Ms. Lavender,” she begins, “I’d like to have a few words with you.”
I wave my hand toward a chair in front of the desk. Smiling, I say, “Of course, Ms. Long. Have a seat.” Then I settle in my chair behind my desk. “What can I do for you?”
The frown on her face is a little scary, to be honest. She sighs. “Ms. Lavender, it has come to our attention in HR that you have already been shirking your responsibilities, and we haven’t even announced your promotion yet.”
“Oh?” I play the southern belle part. “Whatever do you mean?”
Her eyes roll. “You were AWOL all afternoon yesterday.”
I lean forward. “I beg to differ, Ms. Long. I was definitely not AWOL yesterday.”
“You left the front desk and never returned, leaving your co-workers in a lurch.”
I grin and tilt my head. “And who told you that? The inefficient coworkers who were having difficulty getting guests checked in? I came back from my meeting with Mr. Parker to find the front desk backed up with customers, Ms. Long, and I saw them through the worst of it. Then I told one of the clerks—Connie, I think her name is—I had to run upstairs to corporate. That’s when I met with you, and we finalized and signed the offer letter.”
I sat back.
“And then you disappeared.”
“No. And then I had a meeting with my supervisor that lasted the remainder of the day.”
Her gaze narrowed. “Your supervisor has not been determined yet.”
“Oh, I beg to differ.” God, I hate to pull the Mr. Parker card, but if I must…
She rises. “I will speak with Mr. Parker about this.”
I stand as well. “See that you do, Ms. Long. I’m sure he’ll be happy to speak with you.”
“You can speak with him right now.”
Startled, I look toward the door where Gage stands. He glances my way briefly and my heart jumps. Then he turns his full attention to Christina. “What do you need to see me about?” His voice is edgy and gruff.
Christina looks at me, then him. “Ms. Lavender is irresponsible, sir.”
Gage steps through the door. “How so?”
“She was AWOL for a while yesterday.”
“No, she and I had a meeting.” He crosses his arms and stares at her.
It takes a moment for Christina to respond. “I was not aware of that. Nor was the front desk. Ms. Lavender needs to let someone know when she will be gone.”
I roll my eyes then.
Gage steps closer to Christina, peering over her. “Ms. Lavender is under my direction. She does what I instruct of her. As do you.”
“But the org chart…”
“Is finished. Ms
. Lavender reports to me.”
“Mr. Parker, HR was not permitted to give input—”
Gage interrupts. “Ms. Long, you’re fired. Gather your things. We’ll do the exit meeting in ten minutes, Chad’s office.”
“But—”
“Leave. Now.”
Christina glares at him, long and hard, then finally gives up and exits the office, but not before turning and leaving me with a long, icy stare. Gage closes the door behind her.
“I’m sorry about that.”
“No problem. I’m not sure what just happened here, though.”
“She’s been on probation. This was the last straw. She was out of line.”
I figure if she is on probation, there are other issues. “I see.”
Gage doesn’t take his eyes off me. His expression is hardened and he looks like hell. I wonder if he slept last night—and if not, what kept him awake? He is definitely not the same Gage this morning that he was last evening.
“Is everything okay, Gage?”
He shakes himself and says, “Yes. Just busy. Emma, what do you know about human resources work?”
I’m taken aback at that. “A little, but absolutely no experience.”
“I’m sure you had some classes while earning your MBA that might inform you.”
I nodded. “I suppose.”
“Good. Come with me.” He reaches for my arm. I take a step and then stop short.
“What’s going on, Gage?”
He shrugs. “It’s simple, Emma. I just fired Christina, and now I’m promoting you to her position.”
“But why?”
“Because I think that you can do the job, and I want you close.”
“But I know nothing about HR!”
“You’ll learn. It will be fine.”
I step back. “I’m not so sure, Gage. I will screw things up. I will—”
He squeezes my arm a little tighter and glares into my eyes. “It’s only for two weeks, Emma. You will do as I say. Come with me now.”
****
It’s only for two weeks, Emma. You will do as I say.
Those are the words that put me right back to where I was before Gage and I had sex last night. His words are a stark reminder of what this thing is—and isn’t—between us.
Unforgettable Heroes II Boxed Set Page 220
