by Maggie Way
Gage pulled her blouse free of her pants and dragged his calloused fingertips across her skin, one up, the other spearing into the waistband of her slacks. His hands telegraphed warmth and lust straight to her heart. Blood surged through her veins, hitting every limb then zeroing back in at her core. A pulse throbbed to life between her legs and all worries about who started this between them evaporated. There was only room for love, lust and sensation.
Holding his lips, she gripped his wrist and pulled him from the bathroom. When he followed willingly, she led him to the bed, unbuttoning her blouse as they moved in tandem. Sigmund followed them, but retreated to a corner of the bedroom and settled, head on his paws. He let out a big yawn, which brought a smile to Elle’s face. “Even the dog knows it’s bedtime.”
Gage actually chuckled. “He’ll be getting more sleep than we will.” He tangled his fingers with hers then dropped his to her pants and slipped the fastenings free.
Stripping off her shirt, she flung it to the end of the bed, not caring that the silk slid off the end. Her bra arced through the air as she flung it away.
Gage paused from lowering her zipper, lifted his hands and cupped her breasts, thumbing her nipples. He sucked one deep in his mouth and tugged hard. The resulting pull on her girly parts shortened her breath. “Oh, honey.” She held on to his shoulders and arched her back, angling to give him better access. The suction between his mouth and her flesh was erotic, carnal and demanding.
Holding her hips, he nudged her back to the bed, all while lashing his tongue on the tip of her breast, each lick and swirl tugging harder on the taut muscles in her core. She eased to her elbows and drew her knees high, spreading them open in invitation. One he’d ignored three days ago. She bit her lip and waited for his response, afraid he’d tense up and not accept what she was offering.
When he straightened away from her, tears filled her eyes. Oh, God, he was going to reject her.
“Look at me, baby. Eyes on me.” His tone was heated, his voice hoarse.
She lifted her eyes to see his intense concentration. He bent, curled his fingers around the waist of her pants and tugged them down. He pulled them free, then returned for her lacy thong. He crested his fingers over her crotch, and the soft touch ignited tingles deep within her. He licked along her bare thigh and planted a heated kiss right over the lace at her center.
Pressing his hands under her butt, he urged her hips up then slid her panties over her hips. As he pulled them down her legs, he pressed his nose and mouth tight against her folds. Her heart skipped a beat, then another before dropping into a speeding rhythm.
Her foot jerked as he pulled the lace free of her ankles. When he licked her, he pressed past the barrier, slipping his tongue inside her. Her entire body quaked with the promise of what was to come.
Gage stood beside the bed and tugged the towel free, dropping it on top of her clothes. Oh, God, he was so thin. Ropey muscles lined his frame, his abdomen taut, with ridges marching up his stomach. His erection stood proudly out from the thatch of dark curls springing from his groin. Other than his shaft, the only thing heavy about him were his thighs, thickly muscled from hours and hours of running. He’d avoided being naked in front of her for the past weeks.
Knees still wide, she lifted to a seated position and reached for him. He took a step toward the bed when she grasped his hips and drew him close. She ranged her hands along his waist, up his ribcage, and swept her palms over his chest.
Snaking her arms around his back, she urged him down, laying back until he stretched atop her. Even as thin as he was, his weight was still solid on her. And she welcomed it.
He kissed his way along her neck and captured her mouth. His lips were seeking, his tongue probed between them as his cock slipped into her sheath. She bucked against him, drawing him deeper, relishing the fullness within her. She locked her ankles behind his waist and her arms around his back.
Gage’s mouth turned ravenous, taking everything she had to give him as he thrust deeper inside her. The tingles she’d felt turned into bolts as he stilled, then started pulsing short strokes into her channel. God, she loved this rhythm they’d always shared. Like a precursor to the main event, the hard long thrusts she knew were coming. A warm-up where her inner muscles gripped him, welcomed him. Encouraged him to possess her, body, heart and soul.
He angled up onto his elbows. His gaze unfocused as he started a deeper cadence within her. His hips lifted, pressed home again and again. His pelvis rubbed her clit, inciting a thrum that raced from her center to her heart to her brain. A wave of pleasure and blazing light built with each thrust, crested, then spilled over.
As she climaxed, her soft mewl echoed in the air. Gage continued to pump within, rebuilding sensation to a new crescendo. “Oh, yes, Gage. I love you,” she gasped.
A minute later, his groans filled her ear. His body stiffened and his back arched. His feet dug into the mattress and he jammed his groin against her, scrabbling to get as close as possible.
When he collapsed on top of her, she reveled in their passion. This was the way they’d loved before he’d shipped out. Sweet, deeply passionate, totally involved with each other.
When he’d returned from overseas, their lovemaking had been about satisfying her. He’d come, but there’d been no joy, no passion in it. It had only been a physical release for him. This moment was what she’d been missing. She prayed that they could maintain the emotion he’d shunned for the past few weeks.
“Baby, I love you.” Gage pushed back to his elbows again. He framed her face between his hands and then stroked the hair back from her forehead. “I’m sorry this has been so hard on you. I’m trying to get better. Maybe you’re right and Sigmund is the key.”
“Gage, honey. I’m willing to try anything to help you. Whatever it takes to free you from your nightmares, let’s do it.” She stroked her knuckles over his jaw.
Turning his head, he kissed her hand. When he lifted his gaze, his eyes were uncertain. “I had forty hours of hell. It’s going to take time to fix me.” He blew out a deep breath. “Maybe we should postpone the wedding.”
Frustration rose as her belly clenched and rolled with his words. She fought the urge to vomit, and battled the tears forming behind her eyes. At the base of her throat, an aching knot tightened and clenched.
“No!” Elle pushed his shoulders until he lifted free of her body. Then she pushed more until he was on his back. She straddled his hips, fisted her hands in his hair and held his gaze, steely determination driving along her spine. It wasn’t lost on her that her spine wasn’t the only steely thing when his cock pressed against her crotch. “No, Gage. We’re getting married on schedule.”
He settled his hand around her wrist. “Baby, I’ll help you cancel the arrangements if that’s what you’re worried about.”
“That’s the last thing on my mind, Gage Cassidy.” She jerked a handful of his dark brown hair. He winced, so she tugged again with each word. “I. Love. You. Whoever you are. I’m with you for the long haul. Til death do us part. Forever and eternally yours, Gage. We will not be postponing this wedding. I will be at the church on the third Saturday in June. You had fucking better be waiting for me at the altar, or I will hunt you down. Nod if you understand.”
In the corner of the room, Sigmund’s dog tags rattled against the goggles he wore as he lifted his head. He whimpered softly, but held his position.
She couldn’t be sure if Gage moved his head voluntarily or because she tugged his scalp to get him to nod. But he did.
“We have an appointment with the photographer this week. Have lunch with me and my dad first?”
His breath huffed out, a soft breeze on her cheek.
“Baby, I don’t know.”
“Please, Gage. It’s one step closer to us getting back to normal.” Her voice trembled, and she hated it. She didn’t want her tears to sway him. Blinking hard, she beat back the moisture lurking on her lower lids. He tightened his fingers on her wri
st, but nodded again, his expression maybe a bit terrified.
With one final kiss, she lifted off his body and leaped off the bed. As she moved toward the bathroom, she paused and scratched behind Sigmund’s ear. She whispered against his fur, “Go to him, dog. He needs you now.”
Sigmund bounded to his feet and flew to the side of the bed, then leaped up on the mattress. As Elle watched over her shoulder, the animal sprawled next to Gage. Gage’s hand wrapped around his scruff, but he kept his eyes on Elle, his expression thoughtful and grave.
“I mean it, Gage.” She arched her brow. “You and me have a date at the altar in four short weeks. Nothing will change that.”
Without waiting for a response and as naked as the day she was born, Elle swept from the room.
Chapter Five
When Gage drew his truck to a stop in the Pooch at Play driveway, Sigmund woofed softly from his crate in the truck bed. Elle had presented him with a leash and bungee cords to secure the crate and make it safe to transport the dog. He looked over his shoulder through the open rear window and clucked his tongue. Sigmund whipped his head around and pressed his nose to the mesh cage. He’d swear the animal was smiling, happy to be back at the training ground.
“Ready to go?” he asked, slipping his hand through the open slider and his fingers through the wires. Siggy, as Elle had insisted on calling him, licked the tips. Not a very masculine name for a studly dog like this one.
He grabbed the leash and jumped from the truck. A breeze blew through the pines surrounding the tiny cabin, quiet, gentle and so far removed from the normal hustle and bustle of downtown Durango, or anywhere in the small city. The treetops swayed and sighed. The tang of pine scented the air. He found the peace…peaceful.
Rounding the back of his truck, he climbed up in the bed and unlatched the gate. Sigmund nosed the opening ajar, then waited until Gage secured the clasp to his collar. Together they bounded to the ground. A smallish redhead stepped from the shade on the front porch.
“Hello. Are you Gage? You must be. That’s Sigmund.” She didn’t look at him as she spoke.
He wiped his palm on his jeans and began to extend his arm, but sensed the woman wouldn’t take it, so he dropped it to the pooch’s head. “Yeah, that’s me. You must be Emily.” Elle had described her, but had left out the trainer’s reticence to make eye contact.
Rather than a verbal answer, Emily nodded curtly then dropped to her haunches in front of them, her baggy jeans barely strained by the movement. She put her hand out, palm up, and spoke directly to the dog. “Shake, Sigmund.” When the dog did as ordered, she cooed to him and offered a treat. “Such a good doggie.” She remained motionless while Sigmund licked her face, a thin smile lifting the corners of her lips.
Gage bit back a snort. Clearly, Emily preferred her friends on four legs. Although, he wasn’t her friend, so he didn’t understand why he felt slighted. Wiping the slobber from her face, and the smile along with it, Emily rose. She dusted her hands together. Her gaze zipped to his face, but darted away almost as quickly.
“Um…” Gage ground to a stop, then tried again. “Elle told me we had a training schedule to keep. We’re reporting for duty.”
“Good, good, good.” Emily nodded as she shoved her hand into the pocket of the carpenter’s apron tied around her waist. When she withdrew it, another treat dangled between her fingers. “We’ll start with some easy commands. The basics, so Sigmund knows what you require from him. My method is simple. Praise and rewards are keys.” Her voice gained confidence as she explained what they’d be doing today, even though she barely looked at him. She handed him a handful of treats, which he slipped into his pocket.
And so their training began.
They’d been at it for fifteen minutes, running through a litany of commands when Emily crouched by Sig. “Good boy. Let’s run around the circle.”
She seemed to relax more with him. Pointing to a circus-ring structure, she instructed Gage to lead Sigmund inside the circle and jog around.
“Like this?” he asked as he followed her commands. It wasn’t lost on Gage that Emily was training him as much as she was Sigmund.
“Unhook his leash and use your voice and your hands to direct him. The simplest commands are let’s go or move to make him go. As you speak, snap your fingers and point where you want him. Send him up the stairs to the top of the slide. Praise and reward, and then send him down. Once he’s at the bottom, praise again.”
Gage bent to free Sig’s tether. “Do I reward him again when he’s done?”
“No. Not every action has to have both.” She handed him a couple more chewy-crunchy squares, then folded her arms across her belly. He kind of wanted to ask where his reward was. Surely she could hide a beer in the deep pockets of the apron.
Pushing away the distracting thoughts, Gage stooped next to his new pet partner. “Don’t make me look like an asshole, get me?” He ruffled the canine’s scruff.
Sigmund woofed and nosed around Gage’s clenched fist.
Rising, Gage snapped the fingers of his right hand, and pointed to the slide. “Let’s go, buddy.”
Sigmund trotted to the structure. His paws thumped on the wooden steps as he rapidly climbed to the platform. He dropped his butt down on the base, as though Gage had requested the action. He looked between Gage and Emily, then back at Gage, and cocked his head, pricking up his ears.
“Great job, Sigmund.” Gage called as he scooted around the side of the slide. He scrubbed his fingertips over the crown of the dog’s head, and fed him the treat. The dog crunched and snuffled for all of three seconds, then licked his chops. Gage snapped again, and pointed to the steel chute. “Move.”
Damned if Sigmund didn’t immediately move forward. He held his head high as he slid down. His toenails clicked on the bottom as he scrambled off and bounded back to Gage’s side.
“Who’s a smart dog? Yeah, you are.” Gage felt a little stupid praising the animal, but he figured if the dog was trained to recognize negative emotions in him, then he probably recognized pleasure as well.
He glanced at Emily in time to catch her rolling her eyes. “What?”
She held his gaze for all of two seconds then shifted her attention to Sigmund. “We might call him a pet partner, but he is a professional.”
“Can’t I treat him like I would a friend?”
“It works better to treat him as an employee.” She tucked her hands in the apron pockets.
“Hang on. You got a little sappy with him when we got here.”
Her cheeks flushed a shade of red not found in nature. “He isn’t my employee. I can be goofy with him if I want.”
Damn. “Makes sense.”
“Back to work.” Emily stuck her hands under her pits, looking defensive. “Sigmund stayed with you last night. Did he sleep in your room?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Did you have a nightmare?” The way her eyes widened, he was pretty sure his expression was shocked. Emily cleared her throat. “Uh, Elle mentioned bad dreams were one of your symptoms.”
“Not last night, I didn’t.” In fact, Gage had had the best night’s sleep since…shit, since before he’d been deployed. Worry and anxiety had interrupted his sleep right before he shipped out, and during the entire time he was stationed in Iraq. Since the bombing, nightmares were practically a regular feature. Last night—nothing. No dreams, no fitfulness.
Plus, he’d woken with Elle in his arms. Where she belonged. He hadn’t been curled into a tight ball with his back to her the way he normally woke. Emotions had swamped him when he realized she was curled next to him, her head on his chest. Elation and relief crowded against a little worry about whether it could last. But anxiety hadn’t been one of those emotions. Maybe he’d turned a corner yesterday by agreeing to accept help and work with Sigmund.
“Huh. It was the first night I didn’t have bad dreams.” He crouched in front of Sigmund and rubbed his neck. “You’re a wonder dog.”
Em
ily’s hazel eyes went straight-up green with her grin. “I knew this could work.”
Caution slapped the back of Gage’s neck. “It worked last night, but what about tonight?” And every other night for the rest of his life?
“Sigmund is trained to sense chemical changes in his human.” She pointed to Gage. “Now, that’s you. When you start to have a nightmare, adrenaline surges. Your body temperature rises and your muscles tense. Your breathing speeds up. Sigmund is tuned to those types of changes.”
“So what does he do?”
Her eyebrows disappeared beneath the bangs covering her forehead. “He wakes you up. He’ll whimper, or bark, depending on how deep you are. He’ll nudge or lick your face.”
“So, basically, he’ll rouse me from the dream before it gets rolling.” Maybe there was hope. Maybe he’d finally escape the mountain of rubble in the frightening landscape his subconscious mind insisted on throwing at him.
“Exactly.” Emily beamed, transforming her awkward stoicism into something far more sunny.
“So what about work?” He needed to call his boss, Jonas Flaherty, and arrange to return to his job. But he already knew it would be torture. He wasn’t sure he’d be able enter the mine, let alone descend to the lower levels. Just thinking about it tightened the muscles in his shoulders. His jaw popped as he clenched against the rising tide of terror.
Sigmund nudged his hand and head-butted him on the thigh. The motion distracted Gage from his thoughts.
“Hey! Did he know I was tensing up?”
“Most likely. But, Gage? I knew you were dealing with strong emotion just then.” She shifted her feet, and gestured toward the porch.
