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But Anna didn’t have to be there with him. Tomorrow, he’d take her to her mother’s. He’d make sure she was going to be okay, and then he’d see about stepping out of her life.
It was time for them to say goodbye. He didn’t like the idea, but that was an issue for tomorrow. He’d learned to take what he could in the present moment.
Even with that thought, it took hours before he finally fell asleep, his arms tight around the woman who’d become far more important to him than he’d ever intended.
* * *
Gage’s snoring woke Anna. She held still, listening to him breathe, feeling the rub of his stubble on her cheek. He had his arms wrapped around her like he wasn’t ever going to let go. She kind of liked that idea. But then he shifted, freeing her, and her bladder pushed her to get up and get moving. Her muscles ached, and the red marks around her wrists looked worse than they had the night before. When she came out of the bathroom, Gage and Romeo were in a staring match. Gage was naked—and how did any human look that good this early in the morning? Romeo’s tail was twitching.
“Romeo!” She scooped up the cat. “What have I said about biting the hands that feed you? Play nice.” He blinked at her in reply.
Anna put Romeo on the floor and came over to Gage. The way he was staring at her made her face warm. She hadn’t bothered with a robe, because she was tired of hiding. If he wanted to see her, scars and all, that was fine with her. Judging by the look on his face, he didn’t have any complaints. “Coffee?” she asked.
“We’re due at your mother’s soon.”
“I’ve been thinking about that. I’m going to let Eloise handle the press conference. It doesn’t need to be a big deal. She can tell everyone I panicked when I came home and found my place had been robbed. I checked into a hotel, but I’m fine. We can leave out the whole kidnapping thing.”
Gage shook his head. “I think you should go and stay with her for a while.”
Anna frowned. “Are you kicking me out?”
“No. But I’ve been thinking, too. Your mom—she has money. Have her hire a security firm. A good one. Keep them around for a couple of weeks. Everything should be over by then.”
One way or another.She heard the words, even though he didn’t say them. She put her hand over his. “You are trying to keep me out of this, aren’t you? But I won’t let you. Gage, I’m not bailing on this. I’m not bailing on you.”
He stared at her. “Excuse me?”
“You heard me. Coran is still missing. We don’t know what’s in that file, and I want my damn tablet back. All my files are on it. I’m—frankly, I’m pissed about what happened to me, and I don’t feel like letting any of this go.”
He shook his head. “I’ll shower, we’ll have coffee, and then I’ll take you to your mom.” Gage threw off the covers and strode into the bathroom. The view distracted Anna for a moment—the man had a terrific ass. She called room service, asked for a large pot of coffee to be brought up in a half hour, and headed for the bathroom.
When she opened the door to the steamy room, Gage turned. “What do you think you’re—?”
She stepped into the shower with him. “I’m soaping your back. Got any objections to that?”
“No, except that’s not myback.”
She grinned at him—and took a long pull on the erection poking at her. Gage’s eyes rolled up, and he put a hand on the wall for balance. “That…”
“That what?” she asked, dropping her voice to a purr.
He seemed to lose the ability to speak. She kept soaping, kept working him hard. He grabbed her shoulders and pushed her up against the tile. “Ouch, that’s cold,” she said.
“I’ll warm you up.” He kissed her, long and hard. Water cascaded down on them. Dropping to his knees, he took her hips in his hands and coaxed her to spread her legs, making room for him between them. She gasped, then moaned, then whimpered as he used his mouth and fingers to take her apart.
The heat built in her fast—it was almost too much. She shuddered and came in a hot burst that left her gasping, fingernails digging into his shoulders.
Opening her eyes, she stared down at him, her legs wobbly. Heat kept flashing through her in waves. He got to his feet and kissed her neck. “That’s not what I planned,” he said.
“Yes, I know. Ship me off to Mom, make sure I’m safe. But, Gage, how do you know I’m safe if I’m not with you?”
He shook his head. Shutting off the shower, he got out, pulled down a thick, fluffy towel for her, and wrapped another one around himself.
A knock sounded on the door to the suite. “I ordered coffee,” Anna said. She wrapped another towel around her hair and shrugged into a robe, then stepped out to open the door.
The warmth drained from her body as Eloise breezed past her into the sitting room, stylish in a dove-gray Chanel suit complete with pearls at her throat. Clutching her robe to her chest, feeling even more underdressed than usual in her mother’s presence, Anna gave a small wave.
Arching one elegant eyebrow, Eloise gestured to Gage—who was a few steps behind Anna, a towel wrapped around his waist—with one perfectly manicured hand. “Anna, I know I said you should get a man, but I didn’t mean you should stage your own abduction to do so.” Her eyes traveled over his abs and back up again, and the corner of her mouth lifted in a fraction of a smile. “Although I cannot fault your taste. Now, what are we telling the press?”
