by Elena Aitken
“We’re here,” she said, leaving his question hanging. Instead of going in to the main building, they walked around the sidewalk to the back, where Megan had arranged to meet Bo, the man in charge of outdoor treks. He was exactly where Carmen had said he’d be, and there was a woman with him as well.
“Ms. Powers,” Bo said, when they came around the corner. He held out his hand. “I’m Bo Clancy and this is my soon-to-be wife, Morgan.” He looked at his fiancée in a way that made Megan’s heart flip and a squeeze of remorse hit her unexpectedly. She stuck out her hand and shook his.
“Call me Megan,” she said. “And this is Gage Mitchell.” She waited for the excitement and the general fawning that generally came with celebrities, especially ones like Gage, but it didn’t come. Instead, both Bo and Morgan simply shook hands with Gage and smiled warmly.
“It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Mitchell,” Morgan said. “I hope you both don’t mind me tagging along today. I have the afternoon off and it’s been ages since I’ve been out for a climb.”
“Not at all,” Gage said. He gave her his trademark smile. The one that typically melted women, making them giggle like school girls. “And please, call me Gage.”
But Morgan didn’t turn into a giggly, silly fan, she simply said, “Thanks. I think we’re going to have a blast today.” Megan knew she was going to like the other woman.
“Bo,” Gage said as he helped grab some gear. “You’re buddies with Jeff Michaels, aren’t you?”
Bo turned around and smiled a genuine grin. “I am. He works on your set,” Bo said. “I wasn’t sure if you’d know him, so I didn’t want to say.”
“Of course I know him,” Gage said. “He’s a great guy. Talks about this place all the time. That’s why I didn’t protest too hard when I was exiled here.”
Megan opened her mouth to retaliate, but a quick look at Gage and she knew he was kidding. She smacked his arm and walked past him to the Jeep.
Bo drove them down a gravel road, up into the mountains and their destination. It was a perfect day for a drive in the open-topped Jeep and Bo was a great guide, pointing out a few sights as they drove, including a deer hiding in the trees, and a few minutes later, a brown bear—which thankfully turned to run into the woods when it heard the rumble of the Jeep.
Megan snuck a glance over at Gage, who’d barely said a word since they’d left. He was hanging onto the roll bar of the Jeep with one hand, the other resting on the seat between them. His dark hair was blowing in the breeze and he had a huge smile on his face as he took in everything around him.
The climbing itself was second nature for Megan, who spent most of her free time when she wasn’t working challenging the various walls at her climbing gym. She’d only been on an actual rock face a few times, but the principles were the same, except, of course, for the adrenaline flowing through her.
“It’s just a starter climb,” Bo told them before they’d suited up. “I wasn’t sure of the level of experience, but if you two want to do something more challenging another day, let me know.”
After some quick instructions from Bo, Gage picked it up quickly and with his raw strength, he had no trouble grappling his way along the rock face. With Morgan and Bo belaying their ropes for them, it was only Megan and Gage together on the mountain.
After a few feet of climbing, Gage let out a whoop and called out to her, “This is awesome.”
Megan couldn’t contain her own excitement either. “I know,” she yelled back at him. “It’s the best feeling on earth.”
They used the spikes and picks that had been placed in the rocks and worked their way to the top.
“Look,” Megan said. “Look around you.”
Together, still clinging to the rock wall, they turned their heads and scanned the landscape around them. She’d been on mountains in Northern California before, but never before had she climbed something so impressive, surrounded by so much wilderness. She took in a sharp breath and blinked back unexpected tears.
“I’ve never seen anything like it,” Gage said, his voice slightly more than a whisper. “It’s incredible.” He turned so he was looking her in the eyes. “Hey, are you okay?” He reached out and wiped a stray tear from the corner of her eye.
Megan smiled through the emotion. “I’m fine,” she said. “It’s just so unbelievable.”
Gage nodded. He pulled his hand away and Megan immediately missed the heat of his fingers on her skin. “I could stare at it forever,” he said. “But I don’t suppose we can?”
Right on cue, Bo hollered up at them. “Are you two ready to come down?”
Megan laughed. “I think they want a turn.”
“Well, that’s only fair,” Gage said. He tugged on the belay rope in the way Bo’d taught him, indicating they were ready to go down.
Megan took another look around, committing the moment and the view to memory. When she’d finished, she turned back to see Gage staring at her. “You ready?” she asked.
He nodded. “Just one thing, though.”
For a fraction of a second, Megan had the ridiculous notion that he was going to lean across the space and kiss her. It would be incredibly romantic and she knew that sometimes sharing something as spectacular as climbing with another person led to heightened feelings, but— “Thank you,” he said. His voice was so quiet and so un-Gage-like that it took Megan a moment to register the words.
“Pardon?”
“I just wanted to thank you for bringing me up here. It’s not something I would have done on my own. So, thank you. You’re the best babysitter I’ve ever had.”
Megan tried not to feel the disappointment that coursed through her. It wouldn’t have been professional anyway, and as he’d just reminded her, she was his babysitter.
“Let’s go,” she said. “On the count of three. One. Two. Three.”
The last word was lost when they both let out a whoop of delight as they let go. They used their legs to bounce their way down the rock face and back to solid ground.
Back in the Jeep, bumping down the rough road, for the first time in longer than he could remember, Gage felt like the man he remembered himself to be. He didn’t need the parties and the late nights and the dozens of women. He let the wind flow through his hair and inhaled the fresh mountain air. In all the months he’d been trying to fill the void within him, all the time it had been so simple.
Gage turned to Megan, who was sitting next to him in the back seat, having let Morgan ride shotgun with Bo. She was doing as he was, staring at the scenery, letting the wind flow through her hair as well. She was stunning and the smile on her face made her all the more beautiful. Her hand rested on the seat between them, and impulsively he slid his hand over hers and squeezed.
He almost pulled it away when she turned suddenly to look at him. Megan wasn’t like the other women he spent time with. She wasn’t going to fall for his usual tricks and he didn’t want to play any of them on her. When Megan smiled at him and turned his hand over so she was the one holding his, a heat rushed through him.
There were a thousand reasons Gage could think of to let go of her hand, but at that moment, feeling better than he had in years, not a single one of those reasons mattered.
“Thank you, Megan.” He couldn’t be sure she heard him over the rush of the wind, but when she smiled and her face lit up, he knew she had.
She leaned in close. “For what?”
Gage leaned in, too, so they were only inches apart. “For taking me up there today. It was amazing.”
Megan smiled again and without thinking it through, Gage leaned closer, closing the gap so he could smell the mint on her breath. He reached out and wiped a spot of mud off her cheek and she closed her eyes at his touch. Before he could talk himself out of it, he leaned forward and— “Are you guys hungry?” Bo yelled from the front seat.
At the same time, Gage and Megan jumped away from each other, each looking out at the passing landscape. After a moment, Gage risked a glance back
to Megan but instead locked eyes with Morgan, who had turned around and was watching him with a smile on her face.
Gage returned her smile and when Morgan raised her eyebrow and tilted her head in Megan’s direction, Gage rolled his eyes and looked away. “I could eat,” he said, answering Bo.
“Great,” Bo said. “I always like to finish a great climb with a cold beer and a burger. Sound good to you two?”
“Sounds perfect,” Megan said.
Gage flipped around again to stare at her. In his experience, California women didn’t eat burgers. And they most certainly didn’t drink beer. “Seriously?”
“I love burgers,” she said with a straight face. “And he’s right. There’s nothing better than a cold beer after a great climb.”
Gage laughed. “Then bring it on.”
The good feeling flowing through him lasted through their dinner and into his second beer. Megan gave him a sidelong glance when he ordered another, but she didn’t say anything, and Gage figured as long as he didn’t get carried away, everything would be fine. Besides, he was hanging out with his babysitter, or his PR rep, he corrected himself mentally. He should probably stop referring to her as a babysitter, especially since he wanted nothing more than to kiss her.
Bo and Morgan turned out to be great company, and there was no weirdness between them like he sometimes found with people who didn’t know how to talk to a celebrity. It was refreshing to be able to talk about regular things again and just be a normal person instead of a mega-star with expectations bearing down on him.
“How about another beer?” Bo asked him when the waitress appeared at their table.
His instinct was to order two, but he was also very aware of Megan sitting next to him. He didn’t have to look at her to know she was watching him, waiting for his answer. He wanted another one, and he also knew that three beers was not too many for him and in no way was he intoxicated or going to make any stupid decisions. But he also knew Megan wanted him to say no. And that would be the responsible decision.
He sighed and without looking at Megan, said, “I think I—“
The ringing of his cell phone split the air. Taking the opportunity, he pulled it from his pocket and glanced at the number on the screen.
“Shit,” Gage mumbled under his breath.
Megan’s hand was on his arm. “Is everything okay?”
He shrugged off her touch and pushed up from the table. “Sorry,” he said to no one in particular. “I have to take this.”
Gage left the others staring after him and pushed the button to answer the call as he walked out of the restaurant and into the cool evening air. “Hannah,” he said into the phone. “What is it?”
“Nice to hear your voice, too, brother.” Despite the fact that his sister’s voice was cold and angry, Gage still felt a spread of warmth in his belly at the sound of it. He could count on one hand the number of times he’d spoken to her in the last two years. Since he’d left.
“Sorry,” he said. “It’s just…well…is everything okay? How’s Mom? Do you need more money?”
“No,” she spat. “The last thing we need is your money.”
They both knew that was a lie, but Gage knew better than to say anything. “Is she okay?” he asked. He kept his voice low and out of habit, looked around him to see if anyone was listening. “Is she feeling okay?”
Hannah’s sigh came through the line. “That’s why I’m calling, Gage. She wasn’t feeling great again and so last week she went for more tests.”
“What do you mean she wasn’t feeling well again?” Gage paced on the pathway, kicking at pinecones. “How long was she feeling bad? Why did you wait?”
“Look, big shot,” his sister cut him off and he was glad they were thousand miles apart because he was positive she’d try to hit him if she could. “I’m doing my best here. You know, if you came home once in a while and—“
“What did the doctors say?” He didn’t have time for a lecture. He needed the facts.
“The cancer’s back.”
“No.”
Hannah didn’t say anything for a moment and when she did speak again, her voice had lost its edge. “You need to come home, Gage. You need to see her.”
“I—“
“Gage.” She headed off his protests. “It’s been years. You need to let go of the past. This movie star, larger than life, train wreck you’re pretending to be—it’s not you. No one remembers what—“
“No. I can’t come home.”
“Lana would have want—“
“Don’t, Hannah.”
“You know it’s true, Gage. You can’t stay away forever.”
“I can and I will, Hannah,” Gage growled into the phone. “It was my fault she got in that car and…it’s my fault, Hannah. You and I both know it. I cannot set foot in that town again.” He paused and ran a hand through his hair. “Not for anything.”
“But, I don’t know if she can fight it this time, Gage. Mom doesn’t want this. She doesn’t want any of this.”
Movement caught Gage’s eye, and he turned to see Megan watching him from the door. Listening to every word.
“Hannah,” he said, cutting off whatever she was saying. “I’ll have Lucas transfer more money in the morning.”
“It’s not money we need, Gage. It’s—“
“Keep me updated,” he said simply before pressing the button that disconnected the call.
He tucked his phone into his back pocket and stared at Megan for a minute. When she didn’t make the first move, he stepped towards her. “How long have you been there?”
She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear in a move he was coming to recognize as a nervous gesture. “I wasn’t out here long. I just—“
“How long?” he growled.
“Long enough.” She put her hands on her hips and planted her feet. “Who else knows?”
He was fairly certain she was referring to the knowledge regarding his mother and not Lana. No one knew about Lana.
“Just those who need to,” he answered. “And I prefer to keep it that way.”
Gage knew he was being an asshole. Megan didn’t deserve his anger. It wasn’t her fault his mother was dying and that he was too much of a chicken-shit to face the past and go home. She’d been nothing but good to him by giving him such a great day and letting him feel, at least for a few hours, that he was just a regular guy.
“Gage.” She reached out for him, but he pushed past her.
“Leave me alone, Megan. I didn’t ask for your help and I don’t need it.”
He flung open the door and walked inside but came to a dead stop. To the right was the restaurant where Bo and Morgan were waiting, and Megan was sure to be rejoining them. He could go back to the easy conversation and sense of belonging he’d had with them. It was easy. But Megan would be there. And despite the fact that all he wanted to do was pull her into his arms and kiss her, he’d just been a first-rate jackass to her. Maybe, if he apologized, if he— “Gage!”
A remotely familiar voice behind him called out and although it took him a second to place the voice, he turned to see a beautiful blond woman waving at him. The girl from the night before. As a reflex, Gage’s face relaxed into a slow smile, which the blond must have taken as encouragement because she started walking in his direction.
Moments later, she was in front of him. “Hey,” she said. “Sorry our party got cut short last night. But we can try again, can’t we?”
He glanced backwards at the glass door where he was certain Megan was still watching him. She watched everything. Just knowing she’d heard at least his half of the conversation he’d had with Hannah made his blood boil again. She had no right. And monitoring how much he drank? What was next? Was she going to tell him who he could and could not have sex with?
Gage looked at the blond again. What was her name? Lisa. It came to him in a flash. Yes. She’d been good to party with.
“You’re right,” he said. “We could finish
that party. Maybe this time without any interruption?” She giggled and Gage had to swallow down the irritation that rose up within him. He took a quick glance back towards the restaurant. Truth be told, he’d far rather be nursing another beer and reliving the climb again with Bo. But that was too easy, and that would mean Megan. And besides the fact that she knew too much, just being near her would make everything far too real.
“Well, come on then,” Lisa purred. She grabbed his hand and led him down the hall.
No, he thought. The last thing he needed was reality sneaking in.
CHAPTER FIVE
Megan woke the next morning with a start. She’d been surprised when the night before, after her confrontation with Gage, and then watching him being led off by that blond fame monger, that when she’d finally returned to the suite, he was asleep on the couch with the TV on. She wouldn’t admit to anyone that she’d stalked around his room, making sure there was no one hiding in his bed or a stash of empty bottles anywhere. There was nothing. He was alone. And by all accounts, he hadn’t been drinking to excess. It was strange behavior for sure, especially after seeing him so angry. She felt guilty for snooping around after him, but she was just doing her job, Megan reminded herself, and not for the first time.
She flipped back the covers of her bed and mentally chastised herself because if she’d been doing her job instead of getting herself personally involved with her client, Gage wouldn’t have even had the chance to go off alone with Lisa in the first place. After all, wasn’t she supposed to keep him out of trouble? And if there was one thing Megan knew by instinct alone, Lisa was trouble.
By the time she’d showered and dressed, she was still on edge about what the morning would bring. She opened her door a crack and slipped into the hall. Gage’s door was still closed, which she knew it would be. He didn’t seem like an early riser. At least it would buy her a little bit of time to figure things out before he got up. And for that she’d need coffee. Strong coffee.
