Engaging (Alluring Book 2) (12 page)

Gage rubbed the back of Max's neck.  "Well, it's decided.  I want Max."

"Really?"

"Yep.  Not only will he make a great companion, but it's a guarantee that you'll come to my house often, if only to spend time with Max."

Cassie laughed.  "That's pretty sneaky Mr. Hunter."

"Hey, I'll take all the help I can get.  Now, which of these guys is Logan's favorite?"

Cassie looked at him, flabbergasted.  "You want another one?"

"Sure.  Max here needs a friend for when I'm not at home."

Cassie looked around the yard.  "I don't know.  He likes so many.  Maybe you should ask him."

Gage whistled to get Logan's attention.  "Come here, son."

Cassie smiled as Logan ran to them his little legs pumping.  "Tell me, little man, out of all the puppies here, which one is your favorite?"

Logan didn't even hesitate.  "Sunny!" He shouted.

"Which one is Sunny?"  Gage asked him.

"Come on, Daddy, I'll show you."  Logan took Gage's hand and led him to a cute, floppy-eared beagle.

Gage asked Cassie.  "Do Max and Sunny get along?"

Cassie shrugged.  "Sure."

"Okay, then I'll take both."

Cassie raised her brows.  "Right now?"

"No time like the present."

Logan tugged on the hem of Gage's T-shirt.  "Daddy, you can't take Sunny away."

"I'm only taking her to my house, and you can come and see her whenever you want."

Logan seemed to think about that for a moment.  "Okay, but how come me and Mommy don't live with you, too?"

Gage turned panicked eyes to Cassie.  She squatted in front of Logan.  "Well, Mommy and Daddy aren't married, so that's why we don't live together."

"What's married?"  Logan asked.

"Um...."  It was now her turn to turn panicked eyes upon Gage.

Gage squatted as well.

"Married is what two people do when they love each other and want to spend the rest of their lives together."

Logan's lower lip started to quiver.  "So, you don't love my momma?"

"No, I love your mommy very much.  It's just that our situation is a little complicated."

Cassie interrupted.  Gage was making a muddle of things.  "What your daddy means is, not all mommies and daddies are married but that doesn't mean they don't love each other or their children." 

Logan seemed to think about that for a minute then he smiled and nodded.  "Okay, Momma."

Gage gave her a WTF look.  Yeah, she knew her answer didn't make a hell of a lot of sense, but Logan seemed okay with it and that's all that mattered. 

"So, you just dance around an issue with a bunch of BS, and he's okay with that?"

Cassie shrugged.  "Whatever works."

Gage grinned, "I'll have to remember that."

Cassie smiled, "Parenting 101, I'll have to give you a copy."

Gage laughed.  "I think I need it."

Cassie shook her head turning serious.  "No, you're doing great."  She gave him a smile.  "Now, let me grab a couple of leashes, a bag of dog food, we'll fill out some paperwork, and then you'll be the proud owner of two new pups."

Gage had insisted that Cassie and Logan help him bring home his new pups.  He had reasoned if the dogs two favorite people were with them when introduced to their new home, it would make the transition easier.  Cassie had to admit it made sense.

They pulled into a gated community.  Cassie looked out the car window in awe of the large houses.  At the end of the block, they came to another gate.  Gage hit a remote, and the gate opened.  They drove through and up a long driveway. 

The house came into view, no, house was too tame a word, mansion, and Gage parked in front of a set of stairs that led to the front doors (yes doors, there were two and they were massive).  "My God, what the heck could you possibly need a house this size for?"  Cassie asked, craning her neck to take it all in.

Gage chuckled.  "Believe it or not, the whole downstairs, apart from the kitchen, was converted into a music studio.  I live upstairs."

The upstairs turned out to be more than adequate.  Cassie was quite positive Gage's upstairs was twice the size of Laurie's ranch house.  The master bedroom alone had four rooms if you counted the massive walk-in closet.  You entered an individual sitting room, then through a set of double doors to the actual bedroom.  The bed was on a raised platform and seriously, Cassie had never seen a bed that size before.  The thing was huge, covered with a navy and cream spread and piled with pillows.

Cassie wasn't sure she could even call the master bath a bathroom.  It was more like a mini spa.  The tub was the size of a large hot tub ( it even had jets!), and the shower had six (yes, six) shower heads with an overhead skylight.  It even had a small, separate room for the toilet.  All in all, Gage's bedroom was bigger than her first apartment had been.

There were more bedrooms down the hall (not as grand but still, not too shabby either), a game room, what looked like a typical living room, and a gym.  During the tour, the dogs sniffed and explored, discovering all the new scents.

"How about I make you guys dinner," Gage said.

"You can cook?"  Cassie hoped she didn't sound as disbelieving as she felt.

Gage shrugged. "I know how to cook a few things."

Logan stayed upstairs to watch TV while Cassie and Gage made their way down to the kitchen (which was like a small country unto itself).  Marble countertops, stainless steel appliances, and pale tile flooring gleamed in the sunlight.  The room looked as if it had never been used, and Cassie had serious doubts about the validity of Gage's cooking skills.

Gage opened the sliding door so the dogs could explore the backyard.  Cassie took a peek out the window and wanted to explore, as well.  The property was vast.  To the right, she could see a large swimming pool in a tropical setting complete with a waterfall.  To the left was a basketball court and directly straight out, dead-ended in a forest of trees.

"Your backyard is beautiful, but Logan can't play out there until you fence the pool." 

Gage had his head in the fridge.  "I'll get on that tomorrow."

Cassie didn't want to sound pushy.  "No rush, I was just making an observation."

Gage popped his head out of the fridge, turned, and smiled at her.  "Observation noted, Sunshine.  I don't want anything happening to Logan.  I'll put up a fence tomorrow."

Cassie gave him a smile.  "Thank you.  Pools make me nervous.  Logan doesn't know how to swim, yet."

"Then we'll have to get on that.  There's nothing edible in the fridge, so we can either order in or go out."

"Why don't we go back to the ranch and I'll make dinner."

Gage gave her a nod.  "Sounds like a plan, Sunshine.  You round up Logan, I'll round up the pups."

Cassie and Gage sat, cuddling on the porch swing.  It seemed to be their
spot
.  Logan was asleep in bed.  He had insisted Max and Sunny sleep with him in his room and, of course, Gage complied.  They had started a new bedtime ritual, where Gage would play Logan's guitar and sing him to sleep. 

Some songs he sang were older Engage songs, and she knew them, but some she had never heard before.  One song he sang quite regularly was about love lost.  She wondered if he had written it or if it had been written by one of his band mates.  She didn't dare ask.  She didn't want to know if the song was about them.  Because if it was, then he really did try to find her, and he really had been heartbroken over it, and she just didn't know what to do with that information. 

Could they really try again after all this time?  He had hurt her so badly before.  Did she dare trust him? 

"What's on your mind, Sunshine?"  Gage asked.  He had his arm wrapped around her shoulders, his fingers tickling a pattern on her upper arm, and her head rested on his chest. 

"Nothing, just enjoying the beautiful weather."  No way in hell was she sharing what was on her mind.

"It is lovely, but that's not what you were thinking.  The wheels are spinning in your head, baby.  I can practically hear you thinking."

There was that
baby
again.  She remained silent.

"You don't want to talk, that's fine.  I'll put your mouth to better use."  He pinched her chin with his thumb and tilted her head, dropping his lips to hers. 

Why was it every time he kissed her, she was putty in his hands?  It was unfair the power he had over her. 

He got up from the swing and set her on her feet never once breaking the kiss.  He kissed along her jaw until he reached her ear.  "I'm going to fuck you now, Sunshine."

Cassie thought she might have whimpered, but she wasn't sure.  It might have been a groan.  Gage took it as a sign to usher her into the house and back to her bedroom. 
             
             
             

He shut the door with his heel and shuttled her to the bed.  Her T-shirt was gone before she could blink, then he gave her chest a push and she landed on her back, on the bed.  Before she could react, he crawled over her, straddling her hips with his knees, his hands on either side of her head, his weight supported with his arms.

He stared, looking down at her, his hair falling around his face.  He was so beautiful, he took her breath away.  How she was so lucky to have this gorgeous guy about to make her feel all kinds of wonderful, she did not know, but she intended to enjoy it to it's fullest.

"Now what are you thinking?"  He asked, nuzzling his nose alongside hers.

This she decided to share.  "I was just thinking how lucky I am that someone like you is here with me."

Gage stilled his actions, then said very slowly, "What do you mean by that?"  He raised his head and looked down at her again.

"Um...."  He looked at her so intently, it made her a little nervous.

"Um, What?"

Wow, he sounded angry.  "Why are you so angry?"

"I want to know what the fuck you meant by that."

"It's nothing to get angry about."  She put her hands on his chest and pushed.  He didn't budge. 

"Why don't you let me be the judge of that."  He moved in closer, trapping her hands between their chests, so she couldn't try to push him away.  His face was just a few inches from hers.  He completely surrounded her, and she was effectively trapped.

"Can you give me some space?"

"No, I like you like this.  Now, start talking.  I want to hear what fucked up reasoning you have that you think you're lucky, and I'm not."

Now, Cassie was angry.  Fine, he wanted her to talk, she'd talk.  "The first time we were together, I was young.  I actually believed in fairy tales and hot rockers falling for silly schoolgirls.  Back then, when we were together, I actually thought we had a chance.

"Then I grew up.  I became an adult, with adult responsibilities.  I became a mother and a caregiver.  I found out what unconditional love was, through the eyes of a child.  Something I'd never felt before, and that helped me discover what we had was a fantasy, something I blew out of proportion in my head.  The hot rocker only falls in love with the silly schoolgirl in romance novels and movies.  In real life, the silly schoolgirl just gets fucked.

"And I was grateful for that realization, for it helped me finally get over you.  For two years, I held you heavily in my heart.  Then one day Logan looked at me as if I were his whole world and I could do no wrong, and for the first time in my life, I discovered what it felt like to be truly loved.  And I finally realized, I was never loved like that from you.

"So what I meant, when I said
I feel lucky to have you here
is, I get to relive the fantasy again but this time I'll enjoy it, knowing that that's all this is, just a fantasy."

* * * * *

Gage pulled himself slowly away from Cassie.  He sat at the side of the bed, his head in his hands, elbows resting on his knees.  He needed a moment to think.  He felt movement behind him, then a light touch on his shoulder.

He stood from the bed and took a few steps away.  Hands on hips, head still down, he stared at his booted feet.  What did he do with that?  How did he fix the destruction that he wrought? 

"Gage?"

He turned and looked at her. 
Really
looked at her.  He saw the uncertainty and confusion in her eyes.  And for the first time, he saw the shell of the vibrant, happy, and carefree girl she had once been.  He wanted that girl back.  No, that wasn't true, he wanted his Cassie of
now
to be vibrant, happy, and carefree, once again.

"Gage."

He walked the few steps back to the bed, cradled her face in his hands, and tenderly kissed her sweet, soft lips.  He stood back upright and made his way to the bedroom door.

"Where are you going?"

He stopped, his hand on the doorknob, but he didn't turn toward her.  He spoke to the door.  "I don't want to be your fantasy fuck.  I want us to be real."  He slowly turned his head and looked at her.  A single tear slid down her cheek.  "And I'm willing to wait an eternity for that to happen."