by Vivian Arend
“Hmm, delicious.” Gage opened her legs with his shoulders and dropped to tease her folds with his tongue. Gentle at first, then bolder until she was arching up to his mouth, grinding against him as he thrust his tongue deep. As he covered her sensitive clit and sucked, flicking the tip with his tongue until she broke into a million pieces.
She turned into a puddle on the mattress, barely able to focus. He snatched up the condom and covered himself, lowering over her to touch their heated foreheads together.
Gage breathed out slowly as his cock nudged her core. “You ready for me?”
Years ago. Forever. All the words she wanted to say she held back, instead simply nodding.
He slid inside, and she shook, fighting to keep her eyes open so she could add the expression on his face to the whole experience. Bliss mixed with the hunger, and a moan escaped him as she crossed her heels against his lower back. The change of position slipped him deeper so they were all-the-way connected.
Skin to skin, fully engaged as they stared into each other’s eyes. Gage pulled his hips back, and pressure skittered past sensitive nerve endings, making her entire body heat further.
He thrust forward, and again, catching hold of her hip to lift her higher. He pinned her in position as the pressure and tempo increased.
“Sweet Katy. Oh my God, so bloody good.” Gage tilted his hips at the end of each thrust, and she gasped. “Okay?” he asked.
“Oh, this is…” She couldn’t breathe to get the words out, but she didn’t want him to stop. “Yes, good. So good.”
He kissed her, his breath hot on her cheek before he tangled their tongues, thrusting into her mouth in imitation of his cock.
Katy saw lights sparkling before her eyes when they broke apart to gasp for air. “I’m close. Oh, Gage, how? How can this…?”
“You feel it, Katy? How good we fit? How fucking good we are together?” He pressed her to the mattress and grabbed both her thighs, looming over her and opening her in a whole new way. The changed angle increased the tension, and when he slipped his fingers over her clit, she was lost.
“Gage…” Katy shouted his name. She clutched her thighs as he drove in one final time, his cock held deep while her body convulsed around him.
Stars floated past her vision as he shook, his body gone taut—his abdomen, his chest, all the lovely muscles under her exploring fingers.
She closed her eyes, and everything reduced to sensations. To the touch of his lips to her cheek, the added heat as he rolled them to the side. Gage hitched her leg over his waist, rocking his hips gently as his hard-on continued to stretch her.
Katy opened her eyes to discover his sexy smile waiting for her. That one lock of hair was back over his forehead, and she brushed it away tenderly.
“Hey.” Her cheeks flushed with heat.
Gage traced his fingers over her shoulder. “Hey. That was…” His sigh screamed of satisfaction as he met her gaze. “Trust me, you’re nothing short of mind-meltingly sexy, and I want to do that at least a couple more times tonight.”
“Deal.” Katy buried her face against him, suddenly shy.
What if…
His lips touched the top of her head. “Thank you.”
Her wavering doubts faded. She lifted her chin. “You don’t think I was too forward? That we did this too soon?”
Gage stroked her cheek with his knuckles, his expression gone serious. “Katy, we’ve known each other for years. We’ve cared about each other since we were teens. It’s the next step, and yeah, maybe it’s fast in some ways, but it makes sense. Far more than any one-night stand or mere physical attraction.” He tilted her head. “You wanted this, right?”
She nodded.
His smile stole out. “Then don’t doubt it. Accept it. If I could, I’d be here tomorrow night, and the night after that, but since I can’t, we’ll take tonight as the start. I’ll warn you, I want more. More than just incredible mind-numbing sex.”
A shiver took her as he withdrew and left an empty spot in her body, like his leaving would create an empty spot in her heart. “I’m going to miss you, Gage. You’ve been around forever.”
“…and you really know how to shake my tree. Go on, you can say it,” he teased.
Katy laughed, rolling on top of his naked body before slipping off to allow him to deal with the condom. “What does that even mean?” she asked.
“Hell if I know.” Gage rejoined her on the bed. “Now, come here. I have a couple more condoms. If we nap in-between, I figure we can use them, and I’ll still get enough rest for the trip.”
Katy curled up naked next to him. Gage slipped an arm over her stomach, and tucked her as close as possible. His strong arm held her, his beautiful body warmed her, and a slow trickle of renewed excitement grew from the contact. “Gage?”
He breathed slowly, contentment in his tone as they relaxed. “Yeah, Katy?”
“That was a very memorable start to this…” She paused.
“Relationship,” he said firmly. He kissed the back of her neck. “You’re mine, I’m yours, albeit from seven hundred kilometres apart for a while. It’ll work out. You’ll see.”
The happy glow in her heart matched the satisfied lethargy in her limbs, and she closed her eyes for a few minutes to rest until he woke her up and started all over again.
And again.
All night long. Incredible, satisfying. Life was damn near perfect.
3
When the alarm on Gage’s watch went off early in the morning, Katy found it was harder to keep happy thoughts at the front of her brain.
Had she thought this was perfect? Far from it. She pulled herself to vertical, leaning against the pillows to watch as Gage dressed quickly so he could leave.
He slipped back onto the edge of the bed and pulled her into his arms, kissing her passionately. “I’ll be in touch. I promise. And time will pass quick enough, okay?”
She nodded, swaying from side to side uneasily. “You want me to tell Clay we’re dating?”
“Would you?” Gage grinned. “Nah, I’m kidding. I’ll call him.” He shook his finger in her face. “Don’t let him give you hell.”
“Clay?” She pretended to not be worried. “He’s a pussycat.”
Gage laughed loudly before giving her one last tender kiss.
She crawled out of bed and followed him to the door, standing on the porch to watch him drive away. The dark, cloud-filled sky reflected her internal mood. What a night. Incredible.
Except for the part where he’d had to leave.
Katy stepped inside and gave up on bed, pulling on her clothes and staring through the kitchen window at the grey fall day. It wasn’t fair that he was gone this soon…
Foolish inspiration hit. He’d said he was still packing a few things this morning. She could at least go and visit while he worked. Or if he needed to concentrate, she’d just sit.
After how many years of not being together, and a guaranteed six months’ hiatus in the future, why not grab every single moment they could now?
She’d drive over to his place and…
…and her car was in the shop. Frack.
Fine. She could deal with that. Katy laughed at the craziness of her actions, but they somehow fit the craziness of the preceding night.
She popped on her bicycle and did the short trip to the garage in record time, the grey clouds overhead not encouraging, but the lightness in her heart giving her limbs extra strength.
It wasn’t necessary. She could email him, but something about wanting to see him one last time called to her. One more chance to make it clear that she was happy they were together, that this was a bump in the road.
She let herself into the garage and grabbed her key from the TO BE SERVICED hooks on the wall. Threw up the overhead door and rolled out quietly. There was no reason to disturb her dad because she knew she’d get a lecture about driving past her scheduled service mileage. Older vehicles like yours need to be kept well maintained, yada,
yada, yada…
She’d deal with her father’s pet peeve once she was home.
Now? She had to get to Gage’s place before he left. One more kiss. One more kiss would make it all worthwhile.
She wasn’t even to the highway when the threatening rain became a full-fledged downpour. She clicked the wipers to high for all the good it did, the heavy moisture streaming upward across the windshield creating a waterfall in reverse as she took the car up to barely highway speeds. The turn approached for the gravel road that would take her to Gage’s place, and she applied the brakes.
Nothing happened.
She tapped them again, increasing pressure as the turn not only approached but flew past her, the upcoming curve racing nearer far too quickly.
“Oh, shit.” Katy jammed into a lower gear to slow the vehicle’s momentum, but it didn’t help. Rain glistened on the road’s surface, long ribbons of water like miniature rivers and…
Her wheels hydroplaned. The car shimmied to the side and hit the ditch, bouncing violently as the tires crushed the tall, uncut grass.
Katy jerked forward slightly before her seat belt locked, choking tight across her chest. Fear screamed through her veins as she fought with the wheel, steering toward an open space in the trees. Everything rushed past as if she weren’t seeing the entire picture.
Trees.
Road.
Water.
Grey sky.
The screaming of the engine, the smell of wet brake pads.
Then pain as the car bounced, the single airbag in the steering wheel whooshed to full, and her head slammed into the doorframe.
4
To: [email protected]
04:07:00 Sunday, September 13
* * *
Made it to Fort Mac. That was a hell of a drive at the start. The storm didn’t ease off until I was past Edmonton. Held me up enough I didn’t get in until after midnight, so I didn’t want to call and wake you up.
* * *
I’ve got good news and bad news.
* * *
The company that hired me had a screaming good offer waiting when I arrived. It’s a shorter contract, at nearly double the pay. The catch is we’re going remote. No time off, no Internet for the entire two months. They’re flying us into the bush, and I’ll be welding for up to twenty hours a day. Fun, right? Sucks in a way, but means I’ll be back sooner. And I want to be back sooner.
* * *
I’ll be gone by the time you get this message. Leaving early hours Sunday. Take care of yourself, and kick Clay for me. j/k
* * *
Don’t let that asshole Simon jerk you around anymore, beautiful.
* * *
I miss you already. I can’t wait to get back so I can date you properly. Getting to share Friday night with you was a dream come true, but as hot as the sex was? I want more for us. I mean it. This is something I’ve wanted—you’re something I’ve wanted—for a long time.
* * *
[email protected]
* * *
p.s. I love that you used your nickname for an email address
Gage wondered about including that part about wanting so much more than sex, but at the same time it was what he’d been thinking the entire drive north. What he’d considered first thing after being offered the crazy increased tempo job.
Anything that got him back sooner was a good thing, even though no communication at all was going to make the time apart rougher.
Two months wasn’t long, though, not in the big scheme of things. And when he got back? They could start up where they’d left off, and head into better and better territory.
He prepared to deal with the second impossible message of his morning.
“Five minutes,” the coordinator warned, grabbing Gage’s duffle bag and loading it onto a trolley. “Chopper pilot wants to get out ahead of the storm.”
“No problem.” Gage rose to his feet and followed the man toward the airstrip where his transport waited. “Last message.”
Only it was a problem. Explaining that he and Katy were dating was like walking into a minefield. He didn’t know if Clay would be upset about Gage hooking up with his sister, but disappearing into the north right afterward was sure to rub the lot of the Thompson boys wrong. Desperation hit. Gage opened his email and checked the note he’d composed the night before.
Hey, Clay
* * *
Since Katy had the sense to break up with that ass Simon, I figured it was a good time to stop any other jerks from stepping in and making a play for her.
* * *
Katy and I had a good long talk Friday night…
Right. Talk. Talking with their hands. And heated kisses. And naked bodies…and if he let his mind continue on this path he’d be walking to the chopper with a hard-on.
…and we both thought it would be cool if we were an item.
Gage cringed. It sounded as lame now as it had the night before.
It sucks that I’m gone for a while, but it can’t be helped. I sent Katy a message about my change of plans. When I get home in November, I intend on doing everything possible to make her happy. Can you keep the wolves at bay while I’m gone? Your sister is a damn special woman, and I mean to make sure she knows that.
“Time, buddy. Let’s roll.”
Shit. “Okay, okay.” Gage hit send and hoped it would be enough for now.
It had to be enough. He shoved his phone into his pocket and shouldered his carry-on bag. Walked into the cold north wind and the unknown. Left behind his heart and his future.
Just a little while, Katy, just a little while.
5
November, Rocky Mountain House
Katy slapped her palm against the door to her small house, slamming it shut behind her.
The door reopened not two seconds later. “Will you stop running away from me?” Janey demanded. “I asked a question.”
“I don’t know the answer, okay? And it’s pissing me off,” Katy snapped.
“Oh.” Janey sighed, kicking off her boots before easing herself onto the back of the couch. She planted her feet on the seat cushion and nodded sadly. “Another of your memory gaps?”
Katy glared over her shoulder as she draped her jacket on a wall coat hook. “Memory gaps. Such small words for such a huge, bloody nuisance.”
“Hey, stop being so rough on yourself. The doctors said things should come back. Sometime.”
Sometime was another not very reassuring word. Katy stomped across the room to stand with folded arms, glaring at her friend. “Janey, I still haven’t figured out the passwords to my computer. You had to help me pay my bills so my power didn’t get cut off. I’m relearning how to do the data entry at the garage, which means I’m basically a freeloader with my own family.”
“They don’t mind. None of us mind.” Janey shook her head. “Please, stop beating yourself up. Stop acting as if, since your car wasn’t totaled, you don’t have the right to be injured. A few obstacles are worth dealing with until you’re back up to speed.”
Obstacles. Fah. Another word that was as bad as memory gaps.
Katy clomped into the kitchen and whipped open the fridge, but just like the past couple of weeks, nothing looked even remotely appetizing. Her stomach churned. “To answer the next question I know you’re going to ask, no, I’m not going tonight.”
“Another answer I don’t understand.” Janey bounded off the couch and came over to hang on the fridge door. “It’s Gage. You remember this part. He’s the guy you’ve been mooning over for years. You really don’t want to be there when he gets home from Fort Mac?”
“No,” Katy lied. She sniffed the milk in the carton before pushing it at Janey. “Does this smell okay to you?”
Janey rolled her eyes. “Don’t think I don’t know what you’re doing, because I know. I’m your best friend, dude, and the chances of you pulling bullshit on me—zilch. Zero. Zippo.”
She examined the milk carefully, wrinkling her nose be
fore she nodded approval.
Katy caved a little. “Okay, you’re right. I’m lying. I want to see Gage, but I’m fighting off that stupid flu bug that’s going around. Add in I think the whole idea of a surprise party is stupid, and I don’t want anything to do with it. If I’d been out of town for a couple months and had driven nearly seven hours to get home, the last thing I’d want to find at the other end is a house full of people and noise.”
Her friend shrugged. “Your brother set it up.”
“Doesn’t make it any less stupid of an idea,” Katy pointed out, taking the milk back and replacing it on the shelf. “In fact, it makes it even more important I not go. Clay was listed as Gage’s emergency contact—that’s the only reason he found out Gage was coming home early. Who’s to say whatever is bringing Gage home four months early is good news? If something bad happened, it’s not like Gage will want a party. And the last thing I need is for Gage to be pissed off at me before I try to make some changes. He’ll never see me as anything more than Clay’s little sister if I’m always tagging along like I did when we were younger.”
She gave up on the idea of food and wandered back into the living room, Janey hard on her heels.
“You plan on making a move on him, then?” Janey asked.
“Eventually.” Katy threw herself on the couch and stared at the ceiling. “I’ll let him settle in first. Maybe I’ll ask him to dance, or something, next Friday at Traders. You know, start small.”
