Engaging (Alluring Book 2) (25 page)

"What did ya say?"

"Nothing."  Cassie shook her head.  "Anyways, you didn't miss any opportunities.  Gage is around almost every day.  I'm sure you'll run into him eventually."

"What are you not telling me, Cassie?  Are you guys dating or something?"

Cassie had known Suzie for more than three years, and she considered her a friend.  Friends shouldn't keep things from each other.  "Gage is Logan's father."

"What the fuck?"  Suzie hardly ever swore, so Cassie knew that she had shocked her.

"We reconnected about two months ago.  I guess you can say we're in a relationship."  Cassie shook her head.  "I don't know, things are a bit complicated.  We're not really dating.  We kind of skipped that part because of our past but it feels weird saying he's my boyfriend." Cassie shrugged.  "I'm not really sure what to call him."

"Well, I know what to call him, God's gift to women."

Both women giggled before Cassie said, "Well, I should hit the road."

"Yeah, I better get moving, too.  Hot date remember?  Although, Marc isn't seeming so hot anymore compared to Gage Hunter."

"You're a nut," Cassie said, before rolling her window back up, giving her friend a little wave, and backing out of the drive.

Chapter Twenty

Cassie sat on her bed, buckling the straps of her high-heeled sandals when Gage's phone, that rested on her nightstand, started ringing.

Gage was in the bathroom, shaving for Alexis and Jack's party.  Cassie was already ready, wearing a beautiful pale-yellow gown that Sam had helped her choose.  She'd left her long hair down with just the sides clipped back and went all out on her make-up.  All in all, she thought she turned out rather nice, and Gage seemed to think so, too.  When he came into the bedroom, he stopped, did a slow eye-sweep down her body, then said, "You're mine tonight," before disappearing into the bathroom.

"Can you grab that for me?  I'm expecting a call from my agent."  Gage yelled, over the running water.

Cassie placed her foot on the floor then leaned over and snatched up Gage's phone.  The name Bianca was lit on the screen, as well as a picture of a gorgeous redhead.  Cassie's heart started to thump loudly in her chest, and her hands shook as she hit the answer button and brought the phone to her ear. 

Bianca was already talking.  "...finally home, mon amour."

Cassie knew what mon amour meant, my love.  It also meant she was suddenly feeling sick to her stomach.  "I'm sorry, who is this?"  Cassie managed to get out past her tightening throat.

There were a few beats of silence on the other end of the line.  "Is this Gage Hunter's phone?"

"Yes."  Cassie's grip on the phone tightened as she pressed it harder against her ear, not wanting to miss a single word.

"Well then, this is Gage's girlfriend."

And there it was, Cassie thought, confirmation that this conversation wouldn't go well.  "Gir... girlfriend?"  God, Cassie hated that her voice trembled.

"Who the hell is this?" 

Cassie ignored that question and asked one of her own.  "You've been gone?"

"Yes, for two months.  I've been modeling in Paris."

Of course, she was a fucking model.  What else would she be?  Cassie could feel herself going from sick and upset to pretty damn pissed, pretty damn fast.  Cassie watched as Gage came out of the bathroom, wiping a towel across his face.  He must have seen something on her face.  He stopped walking, and a frown furrowed his brow.

"Now tell me who the hell this is?"  Bianca yelled, over the line.

Cassie stared into Gage's eyes.  "Nobody you need to worry about."  If possible, the furrow between Gage's eyes got deeper, and his lips got tight.

"Is Gage there?"

"Sure."  She held out the phone while holding his eyes.  "It's for you."  Wow, that came out bitchier than she intended.

Gage took the phone and put it to his ear, all without removing his eyes from Cassie, not even to look at the phone's screen to check the caller.  "Yeah?"

She watched his face very carefully as he listened to Bianca.  She watched his eyes flash, his nostrils flair, and his jaw tighten before he growled into the phone, "What the fuck?  Woman, what did you say to Cassie?"

Cassie had never given Bianca her name, so assumed that's why Gage's next reply was, "The person you were just speaking to, my
girlfriend.
"

Cassie closed her eyes a moment then stood from the bed.  She didn't want to hear any more of this conversation.  She walked out of the bedroom, shutting the door behind her and made her way out to the front porch.  The sun was setting, and the sky was a vibrant orange with streaks of yellow.  Cassie stood with her hands on the rail, reflecting on what just happened. 

She didn't automatically jump to the conclusion that Gage was a cheat, in a relationship with Bianca as well as herself.  For one thing, Gage was too straightforward.  He said things flat out, and if he wanted to see someone else, he would let you go before starting something with someone else.  So, no, Gage didn't think Bianca was his girlfriend, but Bianca thought she was.  So, at one point, they had to have been something, and that something had to have been fairly huge, or she wouldn't have felt justified in labeling herself his girlfriend.

And that was what Cassie had an issue with.  In the eight weeks that they had been together, not once did he mention Bianca.  Not during any of the many chats they have had.  Not when they had the talk where she'd asked if there had been anyone else.  Not ever.  And she wanted to know why.  It would have been an easy thing to do, he could have said, "Oh, by the way, before we meet, I was dating a model, but we broke up when she went to Paris."  Or even, "I was dating a woman named Bianca, but we broke up."  Something would have been preferable to not knowing anything.

Another thing that bothered her was the time frame.  Bianca had been in Paris for two months.  Cassie reconnected with Gage two months ago.  But the question was did Gage break it off with Bianca before or after seeing Cassie at Mase's party.  And if he broke up with her after, he definitely should have said something to her about Bianca.

And that was why she hadn't wanted to get involved with Gage again, and why she should cut her losses while she still had a piece of herself left.  Gage didn't stick around for long, he never did.  She should have remembered that from the first time they were together and stayed away. 
But you did remember that
, a small voice in the back of her head said,
but you were willing to take a chance on him again, why?
  "I don't know," she whispered, to herself. 

But she did know.  He had been relentless in his pursuit of her.  Chipping away at her heart bit by bit with every little thing he did.  But she would seal it up tight again.  She couldn't trust him, not to leave.

She felt his presence behind her before she heard the soft tap of his shoes on the wooden planks of the porch.  She waited for him to speak, to state his case, but at this point she knew it would be useless.  She wouldn't allow herself to be swayed.

"Whatever she may have said to you, it wasn't true.  She was never my girlfriend, just an occasional hook-up," he said, to her back.

Cassie hung her head and gripped the porch railing tighter.  Did he really think that made her feel any better?  Poor Bianca probably didn't even have a clue.  She was most likely crying her eyes out right now, just as Cassie had five years ago.  She knew better than anyone how it felt to lose Gage Hunter, and she sure as hell didn't want to go through that again.

"Turn around and look at me.  I need to see your face."

Cassie sighed and turned, so her lower back rested against the rail.  Her head was still lowered, and she slowly raised it, taking him in with her eyes.  He was dressed in a tux, and even now, she couldn't help but marvel at how magnificent he looked.  Gone was the light stubble she was used to seeing him with and in its stead, was a freshly shaven jaw that she longed to caress to see if it were as smooth as it looked. 

She looked away from his piercing blues eyes, looking instead at the long, black, silk tie knotted at the neck of his black dress shirt.  Of course, he would wear all black.

"Fuck!"

Startled by his shout, her eyes automatically shoot back to his.

"I was in there, damn it.  Maybe not all the way, but enough to hold on, but now you've shoved me out."

He took a step toward her, and she hastily moved to the side, turning to walk down the porch steps.  "We're already late."

He ignored her comment, instead asking, "Tell me what to do, Cassie?  I'm running out of ideas."

She continued walking to his SUV.  "We should go."  She climbed in as gracefully as she could manage in high-heeled sandals and a long gown and shut her door before pulling on her seat belt.

She watched Gage rake his hands through his hair before making his way over to the car.  He stood by the driver's door, looking down at the ground, not making a move to get in.  Then in a burst of speed and anger, he punched his right fist through the driver's side, back window.

"Oh my God, are you crazy?"  Cassie quickly unbuckled her seat belt and threw open her door.  She scrambled out of the car and ran around the hood.  His arm hung down and blood dripped into the dirt.  "Let me go get a towel."

"Don't bother," Gage said, reaching up to loosen his tie.  He slipped it from his neck, then wrapped it around his knuckles.  "Get back in the car."

Cassie stood there looking at him.  "But you just punched through your window.  Do you need stitches?  Do we need to go to the hospital?"

Gage didn't answer any of her questions.  Instead, he repeated rather firmly, "Get
back
in the car."

She still couldn't bring herself to move.  "Your hand is bleeding badly.  We should at least go in and clean it up."

"GOD DAMN IT CASSIE, GET BACK IN THE FUCKING CAR."

Alrighty then, guess she was getting back in the car.  She scurried back around the hood, climbed onto her seat, and refastened her seat belt.  By the time she was done, Gage was in the car, had the engine running, and was ready to back out.

Not a word was spoken on the way to Alexis and Jack's engagement party.  Every so often, Cassie would take peeks at Gage's profile.  His body was tense, and he still looked angry but deep in thought.  His hands gripped the steering wheel tightly.  The tie looked soaked through, and she could see blood trailing down his hand from under its edge.  She worried the cut was deep but kept her lips sealed.  She didn't think now was the time to mention his hand, again.

They pulled up in front of Jack's parent's residence, and a valet opened her door and helped her out.  Gage came around from his side of the car, took her hand with his uninjured one, then led her up the stairs to the massive front doors that were answered by a tall man in a black suit. 

They stepped into a large foyer that had a beautiful crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling.  A set of double-wide stairs were directly before them leading up to the second level where music could be heard.

Gage leaned down and whispered in her ear.  "I'll be right back.  Wait here."  Then he was off, down a hall, that led to somewhere she didn't know. 

She stepped aside the doorway and looked around, feeling a bit self-conscious.  Fortunately, Mase and his date for the evening chose that moment to arrive.  Cassie gave them a smile.  Mase cleaned up rather well.  This was the first time she'd seen him in anything other than jeans or a swimsuit.  He wore a black tux with a collarless white shirt without a tie and it looked like he took the time to style every strand of his short dirty-blond hair into place.

Mase's date was, of course, tall, blond, and gorgeous.

"Ah, it's my favorite dog lady."  Mase was all smiles as he walked over to her and enveloped her in a fervent hug which she thought was a little odd, seeing as they had only met a few times.  "Did you come with Gage?"  He asked, as he stepped away from her.

"Yes, he'll be back in a moment."  She looked over at Mase's date then back at Mase, giving him bug eyes in an attempt to non-verbally prompt him to introduce her. 

It seemed to work, for he immediately said, "Cassie, this is Sabrina, Sabrina, Cassie."

Cassie held out her hand.  "It's nice to meet you."

Sabrina looked at her hand for a second too long before taking it.  "Same here."

Cassie took her hand back and had to forcefully stop herself from wiping it on her dress.  "So, how's Charlie?"  She looked over at Mase, giving him a smile.

"He's great.  I take him with me to practice all the time.  He's like the team mascot.  The guys love him."

Cassie was thrilled.  She loved when one of her dogs truly found a happy, loving home.  She gave him a bigger smile.  "That's great Mase.  I'm happy you guys made such a good fit."

Gage came walking up to their group.  He had his right hand in the front pocket of his slacks.  He gave Mase an awkward man hug.  "Good to see you, Mase."  But, he actually didn't look happy to see him, he still looked pissed.

"You too, man.  This is my date, Sabrina.  Sabrina, this is
–
"