Ileave work feeling waterlogged with unshed tears, but refreshed in an unexpected, confusing way. The talk with Coach Carpenter, Ben willing to go to bat for me even if hedoesn’t know what’s going on, and my guys being consistent in their own ways feels good.
Knox sends me a text saying to take the car with Jaxon because he and Dimitri have to take care of something. He blames Jaxon’s back, but I have a feeling they have something else brewing since he says that he and Dimitri will get a ride with Ben.
I shake my head slightly as Jaxon jogs up to me, a flirty grin on his lips. His arms wrap around me and he picks me up. “Your back!” I squeal.
“Feels great when I’m touching you, sweetheart,” he says, then his lips are on mine. “Us together, all alone at home. Imagine all the ways we can pass the time.” He lets me slide down his body and looks me over. “I’m feeling particularly hungry.”
“Stop that,” I giggle.
“If I lay on my back, I bet you can keep me there if you serve me dinner in bed,” he says, gripping my hips, then my ass. “Just straddle my face and—”
I bite his neck playfully and shake my head. “You’re greedy.”
“I’m injured, still not cleared to play, and desperate for something good,” he says. “And you’re the best thing in my life.”
My heart thuds against my ribs at his words.
“Well, all we can do here is stand and talk,” I grumble.
As we drive, he says we need a date night, not just a hot night. It seems silly, but I’ve never actually been on a date with any of the guys. I’m not really up to goingout, so he offers to get us dinner at a fancy restaurant, pick up some extras, and bring it all home.
It sounds too good to resist.
So, I let him drop me off at the apartment and kiss him softly. “Be back soon, okay?”
“As if I would leave you alone for long. I’ve already placed the order,” he promises. “Thirty minutes max. Set a timer.”
I hold up my phone and do just that. He grins that bad-boy smile and leaves me there, thinking about his pierced cock and exactly how good it feels inside me.
Shuddering, I wonder if any of my nice dresses still fit, or if I have something that’s on the sexy side. Although, I could probably wear a pillowcase and he’d think it was sexy.
I laugh at the thought.
But that laughter dies in my throat when I step into the elevator and I’m joined by someone else.
Gauge.
My brows knit, wondering how he got into the building.
He presses the level three button and turns to me, flashes a big smile, inviting, almost kind, but those eyes… There’s something too knowing and too cunning there, like he’s designing something only he can see.
“Hope, how lucky to run into you,” he says brightly. “I’m looking for Jaxon. I know my little brother. He’s going to overdo it and if he’s not here, he must be doing exactly that.”
I glance down at my phone. Twenty minutes.
“He’s taking a nap,” I say. “Sleeping in our bed. The muscle relaxers are intense.”
“In that case, how about we have a chat?” Gauge asks, stepping closer to me.
“I don’t think the guys would approve of that. Since we live together, that makes the answer no,” I say as gently as I can as I maneuver around him to step closer to the exit, ready to bolt once the elevator doors open.
“You really do look likeher,”Gauge says.
Every hair on my body stands at attention. I fumble with my keys and glance at him. “Who?”
Gauge keeps watching me.
We both know that I know exactly who he’s talking about. Daisy. They don’t like saying her name. Not that he deserves to.Not after what Jaxon shared. Gauge is just another one of my father’s monstrous creations.
