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Dinner was perfect. Gage seemed to have infinite patience when it came to answering the never-ending questions Miles threw his way and in between it was nice to talk to another adult while eating. When he was finished, Miles cleared his plate and ran off to play in his room, leaving the two of us at the table.
“There’s a little left if you’re still hungry.”
Gage leaned back in his chair, holding up his hands in surrender. “I’m stuffed. It was delicious, though, thank you. I can’t remember the last time someone cooked for me.”
“Have you always lived alone?” I was fishing and not hiding it very well. But I couldn’t help that I wanted to know everything I could about the mystery that was Gage.
He smirked, seeing my question for what it was. “Since I turned eighteen and joined the Marines, yeah. Before that, my grandmother raised me.”
“Not your parents?” I winced, “I’m sorry that was rude to ask, you don’t have to tell me.” I reached for his plate, ready to hide my embarrassment behind washing dishes. His big hand covered my own, preventing me from leaving.
“It’s fine, Mia. I don’t mind telling you. It’s not exactly a happy story, though,” Sitting back in my chair, I waited for him to begin. He watched his thumb stroke idly over the back of my hand, sending goosebumps up my arm.
“My Gram, my dad’s mom, raised me. She didn’t like to talk about him much, you could see it, the sadness in her eyes when I’d ask. The pain of missing your child and knowing that you’d never see them again. When I was older, she started answering some of my questions. Either time had dulled some of that pain or she felt like I was old enough to hear the truth. Her husband, my grandfather had died when my dad was young. Apparently, they’d been close and he’d never really recovered from the loss. By the time he was a teenager, he was always getting into trouble; alcohol, drugs, treating women like crap. It was a cycle of disappointment for my Gram that just got worse the older he got. She tried her best to help him, every time he’d get arrested, she’d bail him out on promises that he’d get clean and find a job. Then he’d be gone again within days. When she got the call from the police that he’d overdosed, I think it broke her. First, she’d lost her husband, and then her only child.”
I bracketed his hand with mine, my heart aching for him and his grandmother, too. His eyes lifted and held. “A few months later she gets another call. A baby had been dropped off at a fire station. There’d been a letter with my father’s name and when they’d realized he was dead, they contacted his next of kin, which was her.”
“Your mother left you?”
“I guess, don’t really know. Don’t care to know, truthfully. They did a DNA test to prove that my Gram and I were related. When it came back positive, she took me in and raised me, gave me a good home. I was lucky.”
“I’m glad you had her. It sounds like she was a strong woman to live through so much heartache.”
“She was fucking awesome. You would’ve liked her and she would’ve gotten a kick out of all of this.” We shared a small smile, he didn’t need to elaborate, our relationship wasn’t exactly conventional.
“Gage?”
“Hmm?”
“How’d you know where the screwdriver was?” If I caught him off guard, it didn’t show. The only sign of discomfort was a slight tightening in his jaw.
“Not sure you want me to answer that question, angel,” his eyes were like golden flames.
He thought I’d be scared. That if he confirmed that he’d been in my house when I didn’t know he was here, I’d freak. It’s like he was always waiting for me to scream or cry, throw him out. Yet, fear was far from what I was feeling.
There were stories about adventure seekers, adrenaline junkies that got off on jumping out of planes or scaling a mountain without safety ropes. Apparently, it was a high like no other, knowing that at any moment something could go wrong, hormones flooding your system, your consciousness zeroing in on the moment and nothing else. That’s what it felt like being watched by Gage. He was a predator, watching, waiting, and I was his prey longing for the moment he’d catch me.
16
GAGE
“Ishould leave so you can get him to bed.” Mia looked at her son who was passed out on the carpet in front of the TV.
“I’m always jealous of how easily he can fall asleep. If I skip one step in my nightly routine, I’m awake for hours,” she smiled at her son fondly and damn…my cold heart turned over in my chest.
Tonight had been something else. Never would I have thought that the simple act of eating dinner could bring me this much peace. Being here with them, talking and laughing, it was nothing short of perfect.
Now, it was over. Miles needed to get to bed, Mia had work in the morning, so did I, and I was having thoughts that would lead nowhere good for either of them. Because I couldn’t keep them. No matter how much I wanted to.
Rising off the couch, I held a hand down to her and my chest felt tight like it always did when she placed hers in mine. Fuck, she was amazing. The dress she wore tonight had been wreaking havoc on my body. All that soft, golden skin on display, hair smooth and flowing down her back. There must have been a hundred moments where I wanted to take her in my arms and kiss her, thank her for existing.
Each step toward her door was torture. My brain reminded me that I wouldn’t be far, that when she closed the door behind me, I’d keep watch like I always did. Still, it didn’t feel like enough anymore, being on the outside looking in. That darkness inside of me wanted more. Always wanted more.
"I'll see you at Brooks’ tomorrow night?” I asked like a completely normal person and not someone who was wondering if he remembered to put his lockpicking set in his truck.
“Of course,” but then her smile faltered and she looked at Miles again. “I need to ask him if it’s okay if I bring Miles with me.”
The protector took over, pushing down my dark desires. She looked worried, Mia should never be worried. “Why do you need to bring him, what happened?”
