I quickly averted my gaze. I was way more shy about this stuff than him.
Suddenly Gage bent down and scooped me up. Before I knew it, he’d tossed me on the bed. I squealed and laughed. I bounced a few times before he joined me. His body came down on mine, pressing me into the mattress, and I stilled. As he hovered above me, my hands came to rest above the waistband of his shorts. I lightly stroked my fingers up and down his sides and he released a low growl, his eyes drifting shut.
“So was there a reason you wanted to room together tonight?” I asked, suddenly feeling bold. My earlier fear that Gage didn’t return my feelings evaporated. Now I wanted to hear him say the words back to me.
Gage smiled, and he opened his eyes. “Besides the fact that I didn’t want to room with Jacob the douche-canoe?”
I smothered a laugh. “Yeah, besides that.”
He leaned down, his lips brushing over the spot below my ear and making my insides go wild.
“And besides the fact that you’re my girlfriend and insanely hot?”
I licked my lips and swallowed, wetting my suddenly dry throat.
“Yeah, you wanted to talk about what I told you before you went to the Netherworld.” I paused and waited for Gage to lift his head and look me in the eye. “You wanted to talk about how I love you.”
Gage’s eyes flared and I swear I saw a spark flicker in his depths. His mouth crashed into mine and stole my breath, but who cared about air at a time like this? His kiss was deep and desperate. His pelvis pressed into my hips as I hooked my legs around his waist and moaned. He swallowed the sound and then released a growl of his own. I would have been content for it to go on forever, but eventually he ripped his lips from mine.
One of my hands was wrapped around the back of his neck; the other was gripping his bicep. His lips were swollen from my kisses and his face was flushed. There was a wild look in his eye as he struggled for air. I’m sure my appearance matched his, as I was as out of breath as he was.
“Say it again,” he pleaded with me.
“I love you,” I said, grinning.
He closed his eyes as if savoring the moment. “No one besides my mother has ever told me that,” he admitted, and it cracked my fragile heart in two.
“I love you, Gage Alston,” I said again, needing it to sink in. This beautiful but broken man needed to know that I was here, that I loved him, that I never planned to leave, no matter what.
He finally opened his green eyes and held my gaze.
Lifting a hand, he brushed some hair away from my forehead and trailed his fingers down my cheek before ghosting them over my lips.
“I love you too, Tate. Now. Forever. Always.”
I didn’t think I needed to hear him say it back to me, but I was wrong. I needed those words just as much as he had. In the span of a few seconds those words broke me and put me back together.
My eyes filled with tears.
Gage was my forever. I knew it in that moment. I’d know it until the end of my days.
CHAPTERTHIRTEEN
The next morning I woke up in Gage’s arms and it was the best thing in the entire world. He was here, safe with me. After ordering breakfast for delivery, we congregated in Drea’s room and ate while we planned our next step. Dash kept sneaking glances at my sister, who looked better this morning and was able to walk without falling over.
When I got up to wash the grease from my breakfast sandwich off my hands, Drea followed me to the bathroom.
“So, did you have to tranq him?” she whispered.
I laughed. “No.”
She waited for more, and I just grinned.
“You’re mean!” She poked my arm and my grin grew wider.
I turned on the tap and soaped my hands, refusing to say more.
Drea huffed at me, but I knew she wasn’t really mad. We were both smiling by the time I left the bathroom. I opened my mouth to say something to Gage when Skye popped right in front of me and I staggered backward with a yelp.
