Red Zone (21 page)

She blushed and shooed him away. 

Laughing, he picked up the coffee he’d left on the counter and walked back into the living room. Paul was still in the same position. His brother wasn’t a morning person. “Here,” Gage said, handing Paul his coffee.

“Thanks.” He took a sip, cringing a little. “It’s been a while since I’ve had straight black coffee.”

“Since when? You always used to drink it black.”

A haunted look crossed Paul’s face for a moment before he shook it off. “Not for a while.”

Although he was curious, Gage didn’t pursue it. A lot of things had changed for his brother after his wife died. From the look that had crossed Paul’s face, this was probably one of them. Why coffee was one, though, didn’t make a whole lot of sense. 

“So how’d you and Rebecca sleep?”

Gage took the opportunity to take a drink before he answered. “Good.”

“She still asleep?”

“Yeah.”

He nodded. “How long have you two been dating? Ma said it was fairly new.”

“Doing some digging last night were you?”

“No.” Gage quirked his eyebrow, and Paul chuckled, shaking his head. “Okay. Maybe a little. You have to admit, you dating an FBI agent is a little suspicious.” Paul blew out a hard breath of air. “You dating
anyone
is suspicious, actually.”

Gage grabbed the pillow behind him and lobbed it at his brother. Paul easily batted it away.

“I date.”

“What you do isn’t dating, and you know it.”

Gage shrugged. “Okay. I’ll give you that. I don’t usually date in the traditional sense.”

“Which brings us back to . . .”

He leaned forward, elbows on his knees. “We’ve been seeing each other for a few weeks.”

Paul whistled. “That
is
new.”

“Yeah.” 

“And she’s important enough to bring home?”

The question should have been simple, and in reality, it was. “Yes.” 

Gage didn’t try to explain it to his brother. He couldn’t explain it to himself. Even though this was supposed to be a ruse, for him it was quickly becoming anything but. Rebecca was unlike any woman he’d ever met. She was beautiful, sexy, and completely and utterly unaffected by his pseudo-celebrity status. No matter what he threw at her, she gave it back to him, even when he was messing with her. The woman knocked his legs out from under him without even trying. 

“Okay,” Paul said, bringing Gage back to reality.

“Okay?”

“Yeah. Okay. If that smile on your face is anything to go by, I’m happy for you. It’s about time you found someone.”

“Thanks,” Gage said, holding his mug in both hands. 

They sat in silence, drinking their coffee and listening to the rest of the house come awake. It had been a long time since he’d shared a moment like that with his eldest brother. In fact, he couldn’t remember the last time they’d talked like this. When he’d been in college, maybe? The eight-year age difference meant that Paul had already been out of the house well before Gage had become a teenager. Since then, they hadn’t had many opportunities for things like this. 

Sitting back on the couch, he watched as, one by one, everyone made an appearance downstairs. Chloe, the complete opposite of her father, bounced with energy first thing in the morning. She ran up from the basement, a sleepy-looking Megan trailing behind her, and went directly to her father. Jumping in his lap, she proceeded to tell him all about her night sleeping next to Megan. 

“You look like you could use some coffee.”

Gage’s observation was met with a yawn from Megan. “You have no idea.”

Gage laughed. “One coffee, coming right up.”

When he returned, Chloe had moved on to tell her dad about the animal-shaped pancakes Grandma was making her. Gage loved his niece to pieces and would do anything for her, but he had no idea how Paul did it. Being a parent was difficult enough—being a single parent was another thing entirely. 

The four of them were already at the breakfast table scarfing down blueberry pancakes and sausage when Rebecca joined them. Her hair, even though it looked as if she’d tried to tame it, stuck up in abnormal places. He’d never seen her look so disheveled, and he only wished he’d had more to do with it. 

She sat down beside him. “Morning.”

He leaned over and kissed her. “Good morning.” 

She looked stunned for a moment, then blushed and glanced down at her empty plate.  

Chris and Elizabeth appeared in the doorway before Gage could say anything more to Rebecca. They were quickly followed by his dad. 

Within minutes, his mom had a large stack of fresh pancakes on the table. “Dig in.”

Rebecca was surprised when she woke up alone in bed that morning. She’d been sure Gage would take advantage of the situation. Disappointment washed over her, but she tried not to dwell on it. Maybe he’d needed to get up and use the bathroom or something. 

Not sure what the proper etiquette was for waking up in the morning at your boyfriend’s parents’ house, she put on her jeans and a sweater, along with her bra. Taking it off the night before had been a whim, something she’d rationalized after her decision to give in to her attraction to him. Going downstairs
sans
bra with a houseful of his brothers was not something she even wanted to contemplate. She only hoped her sister was being as conservative. Rebecca wasn’t getting her hopes up. Megan didn’t always follow convention. 

Rebecca found Gage sitting at the table with Paul, Megan, and Chloe. They were already eating. It all smelled delicious, and her mouth began to water. After a big dinner the night before, she shouldn’t have been hungry, but she was.

When she took a seat beside Gage, she hadn’t expected him to kiss her. She’d been nervous about acting the part of his girlfriend, but somehow it was working. They were supposed to be a new couple, and for the most part, they were acting that way. The problem was, it wasn’t feeling all that much like acting. She tried not to ponder that too much. Whatever she and Gage had or didn’t have would end with her assignment, simple as that. He had his life, and she had hers. 

The rest of the family joined them at the table, and soon everyone was eating and chatting about their lives. Halfway through the meal, Trent joined them. No one missed a beat, automatically including him in the current topic of conversation. 

It was a relaxing morning. This whole family thing was new to her, but she was finding she liked it. Mary and Mike Daniels clearly loved each one of their sons. They were active in the conversations, showing concern and excitement where it was needed. Chloe’s adoration for her grandparents was clear as day on her face every time she looked up at them and smiled. Rebecca felt a pang of something deep in her chest watching the exchanges. This was what it was supposed to be like.
This
was family.

Once everyone had their fill, they worked together to clean up. One by one, each person disappeared to grab a shower. She was in awe of how smoothly everything ran. Someone would return, freshly showered and dressed, and someone else would go and do the same. 

While the synchronized rotating shower thing was taking place, they were each given assignments by Mary. The coming and going of individuals didn’t seem to matter to the flow of the work. Rebecca noted how Mary divided the chores. She, Elizabeth, and Mary were at the kitchen counter putting together the turkey, stuffing, and several casseroles. Paul and Chloe, who insisted Megan help her, were given the task of making the pumpkin and apple pies. Gage and Trent were banished to the living room to peel potatoes, while Mike and Chris chopped up the ingredients for a salad and some fruit. Rebecca had never seen so much food, but after watching them all eat dinner the previous night and breakfast that morning, she had little doubt it would all get eaten.

The whole time they were working together Rebecca expected to be interrogated. It never happened. Mary talked to both women, but it was mostly casual things. Nothing that was overly intrusive. 

Two hours later, the turkey was in the oven and all the prep was done. She stood off to the side, not really sure what to do next. She had showered, changed, done her hair and makeup, and had helped with dinner, all before noon. What else was there for her to do? 

Arms slipped around her waist, surprising her. She must have jumped, at least a little, because she heard his deep chuckle in her ear. “What are you thinking about over here, beautiful?”

She closed her eyes and sighed, deciding to enjoy the feel of him. “Just wondering what’s next. I’m assuming dinner isn’t for a while yet.”

He turned her around to face him. “You’re serious.”

Rebecca frowned.

“You really have no idea what comes next?”

“No,” she said, feeling as if she were missing something. “Thanksgiving wasn’t really a family event at my house.” 

The look on his face made her pull back a little. She hadn’t meant to tell him that. 

He held her tighter. “One of these days I’m going to ask you to explain that.” She opened her mouth to speak, but he cut her off. “Football. That’s what comes next.” He pointed to the living room where everyone was gathering. “The pre-game show will start in about . . .” Gage checked his watch. “Twenty minutes.”

“Oh.”

He looked her up and down, appraising. 

Suddenly, they were moving. He’d picked her feet up off the floor and carried her out of the room and around the corner. Then they were alone, in the laundry room. “What—?”

Her protest was silenced when he covered her mouth with his. She didn’t resist, giving into the kiss and the feel of his soft lips. 

Once he realized she wasn’t going to fight him, his grip on her eased. Instead of holding her in place, he caressed her back with his hands, slipping one underneath her shirt. His hands felt amazing on her body, causing her to lean into him even more and pull him closer. Even knowing his family was a mere twenty feet away, she wanted more. 

He appeared to agree with her. Gage lifted her up on top of the washer and wrapped her legs around his waist. She felt the press of his body against her as they continued to kiss. Their tongues battled as their hands roamed. Her whole body felt like it was overheating.

“Gage, have you seen—” 

Gage and Rebecca froze.

“Oops. Sorry.” The smug smile on Trent’s face said he wasn’t sorry in the least. “I’ll just . . .” He backed out of the room, his shoulders vibrating with mirth.

Rebecca lowered her head and turned away, embarrassed. She tried to unlock her legs from around Gage’s waist, but he wouldn’t let her. “Are you all right?” he whispered, kissing her neck.

“Your brother just caught us kissing.”

Gage laughed. “Yep.”

She looked at him. “That doesn’t bother you?”

He shook his head. “Nope. Why would it bother me that my brother caught me making out with my girlfriend? Do you know how many times I’ve walked in on my brothers in a similar situation?”

“You’ve caught your brothers kissing girls in your parents’ house?”

He began rubbing his hands up and down her back again. She could tell he was trying to soothe her, but it was distracting. “Not me personally, no. Chris caught Paul in his bed with Melissa once, though.”

“Having sex?”

“Yep. Chris said he didn’t see much, but it was enough for him to blackmail Paul into letting Chris use Paul’s car for the weekend. That and some good ribbing for a while.” He relayed the story with good humor. 

“Paul wasn’t upset?”

“Of course he was.” Gage laughed, finally stepping back to allow her to slide off the washer. He didn’t release her waist, however, guiding her feet back to the floor. “Trent came home about half an hour later and found them wrestling in the backyard. If not for the threat of our parents coming home, it may have actually come to blows. Paul was pretty protective of Melissa. He was afraid Ma would find out and tell her parents.”

“Didn’t they like Paul?”

Gage shrugged. “Not so much they didn’t like him. More that Melissa and Paul were only eighteen and they didn’t want her tied down so young.”

“Eighteen
is
young.”

“Yeah, but Paul says he knew he was going to marry her, even back then.”

Rebecca smiled. “I can’t imagine loving someone like that.”

“Melissa was pretty special,” Gage said, sadness returning. “We all miss her.”

“I’m sorry,” she said, reaching out, feeling the need to ease his pain.

He leaned into the hand she’d placed comfortingly on his cheek and kissed her palm. “We should get in there before they send a search party again.”

Gage said the words but didn’t release her hand. He stepped closer until his forehead touched hers. 

“We should go,” she whispered.

“We should.”

They stood unmoving for several minutes before a noise in the next room caused them both to sigh and separate. With one last look into her eyes, he laced his fingers with hers and walked out to join his family.

Chapter 19

Rebecca was never far away from Gage for the rest of the day. His family filled the living room, taking up every available space, including the floor. After watching Gage play for the past couple of weeks, she was able to follow the game without much difficulty. She even understood a few of the calls without having to ask for an explanation.