Red Zone

by Sherri Hayes

  “Sure. I just need to get my things . . .”

  “My room is the first door on your left,” Gage answered her unspoken question.

  “Great! Thanks.” Megan disappeared up the stairs.

  Chris and Elizabeth were next.

  “Do you two have everything you need up in your room, Gage?” Mary asked. Rebecca hadn’t been sure of the sleeping arrangements, but it was apparent that Mary had no issues with her boys sleeping with their significant others.

  “Yeah, I think we’re good, Ma. Thanks.”

  They moved toward the stairs in time to see Megan on her way down. When she saw them, she gave Rebecca a sly smile. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,” she whispered as she passed them.

  Gage heard her and chuckled.

  Rebecca ignored her.

  She continued to hold onto his hand as they ascended the stairs to his room. Once inside she released her hold on him, not really sure what to do with herself. They would sleep, yes, but what about other stuff? Would he try something? She wasn’t sure. He was cocky and confident, but she’d also noticed he was more subdued around his family. Maybe that was because they all seemed to have big personalities. She could only imagine what it would have been like growing up in a house when they were all teenagers.

  He walked to the bed and opened his duffle bag. Removing a smaller bag, he tossed the larger one into the corner. “Let me check and see if Paul’s done in the bathroom.”

  She stood, motionless, waiting for his return. It was silly she was so nervous. It wasn’t as if she’d never been with a man before. It wasn’t as if she was going to be with Gage. All she knew for sure was they would be spending the night in the same bed and sleeping together, actual sleeping together, which was something they’d already done.

  Gage was only gone about thirty seconds. “He’s drying her off now. They should be finished in a minute or two if you want to get your things. The bathroom’s right across the hall. I’m going to run downstairs and use the one on the first floor.”

  “Okay.” She knew that sounded lame but wasn’t sure what else to say.

  As promised, Paul walked out of the bathroom less than five minutes later with a very sleepy Chloe cradled in his arms. “All yours,” he said as he walked past.

  “Thanks.” Rebecca grabbed her suitcase and hurried into the bathroom. She went through her nightly routine as quickly as possible, not sure how long it would take Gage downstairs, or if someone else might need to use the bathroom after her.

  When she emerged fifteen minutes later, she didn’t feel any more confident than she had before she’d gone in. She was also fairly certain Gage would already be in the room waiting for her. Taking a deep breath to steady herself, she walked back down the hall and into his room.

  The sight that greeted her almost had her turning around, running back down the hall, and locking herself in the bathroom. Gage stood turned away from her, looking at something on one of his bookshelves, in nothing but his underwear. Her mind was suddenly bombarded with images of her hands on his very firm backside, pressing him closer. The mental picture caused her to blush. She turned her back to him before he caught her staring.

  “Hey, beautiful,” he said, walking toward her. His arms slipped around her waist, pulling her against him.

  “Hi,” she whispered. With only his underwear and her thin pajamas between them, there wasn’t much she didn’t feel of his body, even though it seemed to be behaving itself for the most part.

  He brushed her hair away from her neck and rested his chin on her shoulder. “You ready for bed?”

  “Yes.” Her response squeaked out, and she wondered why, just this once, couldn’t she be confident like Megan?

  To her surprise, Gage backed away, pulling her with him.

  When he reached the bed, he released her, pulled the covers back, and invited her to get in before strolling to the other side and slipping under the sheets himself. It was a double bed, smaller than the one she slept in at his house, but there was still a decent amount of room. Or there would have been if he had wasted any time closing the distance between them and wrapping her securely in his arms.

  “Goodnight, Rebecca,” he said, kissing the back of her neck.

  She sighed, allowing herself to enjoy the feeling of him surrounding her. Closing her eyes, she placed her arm over his and intertwined their fingers. “Goodnight, Gage.”

  Chapter 18

  He was holding something soft and warm in his hand. It took him longer than it should to figure out what it was, but in his defense, he’d just come out of one of the deepest sleeps of his life. Opening his eyes, he was greeted with the top of Rebecca’s head. Sometime in the middle of the night, they’d adjusted their positions to where he was slightly above her, her head resting just below his chin. From there, he had a clear view of his hand as it cradled her breast. It was the first time he’d touched that part of her, and it only fueled his desire to strip off her clothing and continue his exploration without anything between them.

  His lower half was already awake, and his current train of thought wasn’t helping. He needed to move. No matter how much he wanted Rebecca, this wasn’t the time. His mom was an early riser, and since the sun was already peeking through the curtains, she was most likely awake. His mom might have been open-minded about him being an adult and having his girlfriend sleep in his bed with him, but he didn’t think she would be very happy about hearing her son and his girlfriend going at it.

  Rebecca moved in her sleep, unconsciously rubbing against his erection. He groaned and held his breath, willing his brain to override his body. One thing he knew for certain. He had to get out of there.

  Gently, he removed his hold on her breast before easing away from her body. He was almost free and clear when she rolled over and her hand landed on his thigh, just inches from where he was aching for her. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath and removed her hand. The woman had no idea what she did to him. He threw on a pair of jeans and practically ran from the room.

  Paul was sitting on the couch, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, when Gage reached the bottom of the stairs. He looked up. “Morning.”

  “Morning.”

  “Ma’s in the kitchen starting breakfast. I heard her moving around in there a few minutes ago. Chloe asked for pancakes this morning, and you know how Ma can’t seem to tell her no.”

  Gage smiled. “True. But she can pretty much ask any of us for anything and we’d be hard-pressed to deny her.”

  “Yes, I know,” he said in mock disgust before grinning. “It’s hard for me to say no to her sometimes. Being her dad, however, means I sort of have to.”

  “Being her uncle means I don’t.” Gage chuckled.

  Paul’s chest shook in a silent laugh.

  “I’m going to see if I can swipe some coffee. You want some?”

  “Please.”

  Gage left his brother in the living room and walked into the kitchen. His mom was at the sink rinsing blueberries. She looked over her shoulder and smiled. “Coffee’s over there,” she said, motioning to the coffeepot on the counter.

  “Thanks,” he said, taking two mugs from the cabinet and filling them. “Paul says you’re making pancakes.”

  His mom never missed a beat as she spread a towel out on the counter and laid a strainer full of berries on top. Then she reached in a lower cabinet and retrieved a large mixing bowl. “That’s right. Everything should be ready in about fifteen minutes. That way I can just pop them on the griddle when everyone’s ready.”

  He walked over and placed a kiss on her cheek. “Thanks, Ma.”

  She blushed and shooed him away.

  Laughing, he picked up the coffee he’d left on the counter and walked back into the living room. Paul was still in the same position. His brother wasn’t a morning person. “Here,” Gage said, handing Paul his coffee.

  “Thanks.” He took a sip, cringing a little. “It’s been a while since I’ve had straight black coffee.�
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  “Since when? You always used to drink it black.”

  A haunted look crossed Paul’s face for a moment before he shook it off. “Not for a while.”

  Although he was curious, Gage didn’t pursue it. A lot of things had changed for his brother after his wife died. From the look that had crossed Paul’s face, this was probably one of them. Why coffee was one, though, didn’t make a whole lot of sense.

  “So how’d you and Rebecca sleep?”

  Gage took the opportunity to take a drink before he answered. “Good.”

  “She still asleep?”

  “Yeah.”

  He nodded. “How long have you two been dating? Ma said it was fairly new.”

  “Doing some digging last night were you?”

  “No.” Gage quirked his eyebrow, and Paul chuckled, shaking his head. “Okay. Maybe a little. You have to admit, you dating an FBI agent is a little suspicious.” Paul blew out a hard breath of air. “You dating anyone is suspicious, actually.”

  Gage grabbed the pillow behind him and lobbed it at his brother. Paul easily batted it away.

  “I date.”

  “What you do isn’t dating, and you know it.”

  Gage shrugged. “Okay. I’ll give you that. I don’t usually date in the traditional sense.”

  “Which brings us back to . . .”

  He leaned forward, elbows on his knees. “We’ve been seeing each other for a few weeks.”

  Paul whistled. “That is new.”

  “Yeah.”

  “And she’s important enough to bring home?”

  The question should have been simple, and in reality, it was. “Yes.”

  Gage didn’t try to explain it to his brother. He couldn’t explain it to himself. Even though this was supposed to be a ruse, for him it was quickly becoming anything but. Rebecca was unlike any woman he’d ever met. She was beautiful, sexy, and completely and utterly unaffected by his pseudo-celebrity status. No matter what he threw at her, she gave it back to him, even when he was messing with her. The woman knocked his legs out from under him without even trying.

  “Okay,” Paul said, bringing Gage back to reality.

  “Okay?”

  “Yeah. Okay. If that smile on your face is anything to go by, I’m happy for you. It’s about time you found someone.”

  “Thanks,” Gage said, holding his mug in both hands.

  They sat in silence, drinking their coffee and listening to the rest of the house come awake. It had been a long time since he’d shared a moment like that with his eldest brother. In fact, he couldn’t remember the last time they’d talked like this. When he’d been in college, maybe? The eight-year age difference meant that Paul had already been out of the house well before Gage had become a teenager. Since then, they hadn’t had many opportunities for things like this.

  Sitting back on the couch, he watched as, one by one, everyone made an appearance downstairs. Chloe, the complete opposite of her father, bounced with energy first thing in the morning. She ran up from the basement, a sleepy-looking Megan trailing behind her, and went directly to her father. Jumping in his lap, she proceeded to tell him all about her night sleeping next to Megan.

  “You look like you could use some coffee.”

  Gage’s observation was met with a yawn from Megan. “You have no idea.”

  Gage laughed. “One coffee, coming right up.”

  When he returned, Chloe had moved on to tell her dad about the animal-shaped pancakes Grandma was making her. Gage loved his niece to pieces and would do anything for her, but he had no idea how Paul did it. Being a parent was difficult enough—being a single parent was another thing entirely.

  The four of them were already at the breakfast table scarfing down blueberry pancakes and sausage when Rebecca joined them. Her hair, even though it looked as if she’d tried to tame it, stuck up in abnormal places. He’d never seen her look so disheveled, and he only wished he’d had more to do with it.

  She sat down beside him. “Morning.”

  He leaned over and kissed her. “Good morning.”

  She looked stunned for a moment, then blushed and glanced down at her empty plate.

  Chris and Elizabeth appeared in the doorway before Gage could say anything more to Rebecca. They were quickly followed by his dad.

  Within minutes, his mom had a large stack of fresh pancakes on the table. “Dig in.”

  Rebecca was surprised when she woke up alone in bed that morning. She’d been sure Gage would take advantage of the situation. Disappointment washed over her, but she tried not to dwell on it. Maybe he’d needed to get up and use the bathroom or something.

  Not sure what the proper etiquette was for waking up in the morning at your boyfriend’s parents’ house, she put on her jeans and a sweater, along with her bra. Taking it off the night before had been a whim, something she’d rationalized after her decision to give in to her attraction to him. Going downstairs sans bra with a houseful of his brothers was not something she even wanted to contemplate. She only hoped her sister was being as conservative. Rebecca wasn’t getting her hopes up. Megan didn’t always follow convention.

  Rebecca found Gage sitting at the table with Paul, Megan, and Chloe. They were already eating. It all smelled delicious, and her mouth began to water. After a big dinner the night before, she shouldn’t have been hungry, but she was.

  When she took a seat beside Gage, she hadn’t expected him to kiss her. She’d been nervous about acting the part of his girlfriend, but somehow it was working. They were supposed to be a new couple, and for the most part, they were acting that way. The problem was, it wasn’t feeling all that much like acting. She tried not to ponder that too much. Whatever she and Gage had or didn’t have would end with her assignment, simple as that. He had his life, and she had hers.

  The rest of the family joined them at the table, and soon everyone was eating and chatting about their lives. Halfway through the meal, Trent joined them. No one missed a beat, automatically including him in the current topic of conversation.

  It was a relaxing morning. This whole family thing was new to her, but she was finding she liked it. Mary and Mike Daniels clearly loved each one of their sons. They were active in the conversations, showing concern and excitement where it was needed. Chloe’s adoration for her grandparents was clear as day on her face every time she looked up at them and smiled. Rebecca felt a pang of something deep in her chest watching the exchanges. This was what it was supposed to be like. This was family.

  Once everyone had their fill, they worked together to clean up. One by one, each person disappeared to grab a shower. She was in awe of how smoothly everything ran. Someone would return, freshly showered and dressed, and someone else would go and do the same.

  While the synchronized rotating shower thing was taking place, they were each given assignments by Mary. The coming and going of individuals didn’t seem to matter to the flow of the work. Rebecca noted how Mary divided the chores. She, Elizabeth, and Mary were at the kitchen counter putting together the turkey, stuffing, and several casseroles. Paul and Chloe, who insisted Megan help her, were given the task of making the pumpkin and apple pies. Gage and Trent were banished to the living room to peel potatoes, while Mike and Chris chopped up the ingredients for a salad and some fruit. Rebecca had never seen so much food, but after watching them all eat dinner the previous night and breakfast that morning, she had little doubt it would all get eaten.

  The whole time they were working together Rebecca expected to be interrogated. It never happened. Mary talked to both women, but it was mostly casual things. Nothing that was overly intrusive.

  Two hours later, the turkey was in the oven and all the prep was done. She stood off to the side, not really sure what to do next. She had showered, changed, done her hair and makeup, and had helped with dinner, all before noon. What else was there for her to do?

  Arms slipped around her waist, surprising her. She must have jumped, at least a little, because she h
eard his deep chuckle in her ear. “What are you thinking about over here, beautiful?”

  She closed her eyes and sighed, deciding to enjoy the feel of him. “Just wondering what’s next. I’m assuming dinner isn’t for a while yet.”

  He turned her around to face him. “You’re serious.”

  Rebecca frowned.

  “You really have no idea what comes next?”

  “No,” she said, feeling as if she were missing something. “Thanksgiving wasn’t really a family event at my house.”

  The look on his face made her pull back a little. She hadn’t meant to tell him that.

  He held her tighter. “One of these days I’m going to ask you to explain that.” She opened her mouth to speak, but he cut her off. “Football. That’s what comes next.” He pointed to the living room where everyone was gathering. “The pre-game show will start in about . . .” Gage checked his watch. “Twenty minutes.”

  “Oh.”

  He looked her up and down, appraising.

  Suddenly, they were moving. He’d picked her feet up off the floor and carried her out of the room and around the corner. Then they were alone, in the laundry room. “What—?”

  Her protest was silenced when he covered her mouth with his. She didn’t resist, giving into the kiss and the feel of his soft lips.

  Once he realized she wasn’t going to fight him, his grip on her eased. Instead of holding her in place, he caressed her back with his hands, slipping one underneath her shirt. His hands felt amazing on her body, causing her to lean into him even more and pull him closer. Even knowing his family was a mere twenty feet away, she wanted more.

  He appeared to agree with her. Gage lifted her up on top of the washer and wrapped her legs around his waist. She felt the press of his body against her as they continued to kiss. Their tongues battled as their hands roamed. Her whole body felt like it was overheating.

  “Gage, have you seen—”