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“Jesus,” Conor whispered.
“I left. And then…sheleft.” Gage swallowed heavily.
“Gage—” Matt started.
“The thing with Penny started as a bet over a stupid video game. She wanted to reinvent herself with a makeover. And with lessons.”
“Lessons?” Conor asked.
“In seduction…sex. She askedmebecause she knew I didn’t tie any feelings to the act. She just wanted a tutor in how to flirt and fuck, and as king of the heartless playboys, I fit the bill. Last Friday was supposed to be the final lesson.”
Conor leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “What happened?”
“I took her to bed, but it wasn’t her lesson. It was mine. Because…Penny taught me how to make love that night. You see, while she hasn’t said it, I know she’s in love with me too. So when it was over and we were lying there, side by side, she put herself out there. She’s a hell of a lot braver than I am.”
“What did she say?” Conor asked.
“She said, ‘Don’t leave.’” He closed his eyes briefly. “Guess you don’t have to be a genius to figure out what I did.”
“You left,” Matt said. “Those words…they triggered you, and you left.”
“Yeah. And even knowing that, I can’t make myself go back to her because…”
Matt wouldn’t let him stop there, finishing for him, making him face all the hard truths. “You’re afraid of loving her.”
“I…” Gage blew out a long, slow breath.
“Because you’re afraid you’ll lose her.”
Matt didn’t ask a question, so Gage didn’t respond.
“Do you trust Penny, Gage?” Conor asked.
He leaned back and thought about that. Because it wasn’t just the love he’d been afraid of. In a lot of ways, that was the simpler of the two things to give Penny.
God knew she was easy to love…with her kick-ass gaming skills and dance moves, the adorable way she talked to her cats like they were human, her easy smile, quick wit and sarcasm, and her unique sense of style—that he’d stupidly, foolishly fucked up.
It was just as he told his brothers. He was in love with Penny.
Trusting her though…that was going to be a hell of a lot harder. And not because of a goddamn thing she’d done but because he was apparently fucked up, and he hadn’t realized just how much.
He could feel the weight of Conor’s and Matt’s gazes on him, waiting for an answer. He wished he had one to give.
When the silence drifted too long, he declared defeat by simply shrugging in response.
“I’m sorry, brother,” Conor said. And for the first time, Gage felt that connection that had been lost for so many years ago, reforming.
He gave his younger brother a ghost of a smile. “Thanks.”
Of course, bridging the gap with Matt was going to be much harder, if his scowl was anything to go by. Not that Matt made it easy, falling silent, as was his way when he was finished with a conversation.
“I fired Connie today,” Matt said at last. “I was able to confirm that she was the one who’d sent Penny’s resume to John Kelly. Apparently she’s friends with someone in his HR department, who didn’t realize Connie’s intentions were malicious. She had access to Penny’s personal identifiable information, and she used it. Definitely grounds for termination. When faced with the proof, she was forced to confess. She didn’t take your rejection well. Security escorted her out a few hours ago.”
“Is she going to be a problem?”
Matt shook his head. “No. I took care of it. She won’t bother you again.”
There was a lot left unsaid in that sentence.
