Engaging (Alluring Book 2) (19 page)

"I'll get in there one day," he said, almost as if speaking to himself.

She closed her eyes, placing her hand over his, deathly afraid that he already was.

Monday morning Cassie got a call from Animal Care and Control.  The two pit bulls that she had called in the tip on were ready to be released and they wanted to know if she wanted to take them.  Taking two more pit bulls would bring her count up to five, one more than the usual four she liked to work with at a single time, but she couldn't bring herself to leave one behind, so she told them she would be right over.

She was home alone.  Gage was at his house working on his album, and Logan was at school.  This was his last week before the start of summer break, then he only had one more year of preschool before he started kindergarten.  Her little man was growing up too fast.  She got into her freshly painted SUV and headed into town.

About halfway down route 160, she smelled something funny, then smoke started pouring from her hood.  She pulled to the side of the road just before her car died.  She pounded the steering wheel, saying a few choice words she would never say in front of Logan, then pulled out her phone. 

Gage answered after two rings.  "Everything okay, Sunshine?"

"Why do you always answer the phone like that?"

"Because you never call me just for the hell of it, so I'm assuming something's wrong."

Cassie thought back.  He was right, she never called him just for the hell of it.  She'd have to give that some thought later, but for now..., "My car broke down.  The engine started smoking then the car died."

"Where are you?"

"On route 160, about half way to town."

"I'll be there in ten."

"Wait!  You don't have to come.  I'll call a tow.  I just wanted to know if you could pick up Logan."

"I'll be there in ten, Sunshine."  The line went silent.  He'd hung up.

Cassie felt a drip of sweat trickle down her temple and realized it was hot in the car.  She couldn't roll down the windows because they were electric, and she couldn't start her car.  She opened the door and got out. 

A soft breeze blew and it felt cool against her damp skin.  She reached across the drivers seat to the passenger side to grab her purse, intent on getting her wallet and her AAA card.  She heard a car and turned her head to see a white, pickup truck pulling in behind her.

A very tall, very good-looking man stepped out.  He had thick, dark-brown, slightly wavy hair, lots of muscles encased in a tight, black T-shirt, faded jeans that fit just right, and wore brown, cowboy boots.  Wow.

Cassie turned her head back to her purse, scrounging for and finding her wallet.  She pulled it out and proceeded to look for her AAA card.

"Car troubles?" 

Cassie looked up from her wallet and gave the man a tight smile.  "Yeah."

"Pop the hood.  I'll take a look."  He had a deep, smooth voice.

"Oh, no, that's okay.  I'm going to call a tow."  She turned back to her wallet.  Where was that damn card?

"Might be an easy fix.  Then it would be a waste of time and money calling a tow."

He had a point.  Unfortunately, Cassie knew absolutely nothing about cars other than how to fill up her gas tank.  "Okay.  Sure, that would be great.  Thank you."

He held out his hand.  "Name's Brett."  He gave her a sexy smile.

Uh oh.  She hesitantly took his hand, mumbled her name, then quickly pulled her hand away.  She turned her back to him and leaned her body into the car.  "Let me see if I can find the hood release."

She felt him move in close to her back and his arm reached over her shoulder.  "It's usually over here."

And it was, unfortunately, at this point that Cassie heard, "What the fuck," yelled from somewhere behind her.  This caused her to jump, making her feel as if she had done something wrong (which she hadn't), and she hated the way her stomach knotted at the sound of Gage's anger.

"Hey asshole, step the fuck back."  He sounded closer and not at all happy.  She watched as Brett's arm disappeared and felt him move away from her.  Cassie straightened up from the cab of her SUV and turned around.  Gage didn't look pissed, he looked PISSED.

Brett held his hands in the air in a peaceful gesture.  "Just trying to help the lady out."

Gage held his body loose and relaxed, but the clenched jaw and tick at his temple told a different story.  "The lady already has help." 

Cassie took a step back, finding herself wedged into the vee of the open door. 

"Didn't know I was stepping on any toes.  I'll be on my way."  Brett turned and walked back to his truck.

Cassie, not wanting to be rude, yelled, "Thanks for stopping."

Brett held up his hand in a wave, didn't turn around, but still yelled back, "Anytime, honey."

"Pop the hood,"  Gage said, angrily, after silently watching Brett get in his truck and drive away.

Cassie jumped at his sudden barked order.  Shit, she would have to stop doing that.  Cassie leaned back in the cab and under the dash to look for the hood release.

She felt Gage hit her back, his arm coming over her shoulder, his head at the side of hers as he found the hood release and pulled it.  "I like me being in this position a lot better than someone else, Sunshine." 

His breath tickled her ear as he spoke, sending goose bumps down her arms.  She cleared her throat to speak.  "Yeah well, I like it better, too."

"Good to know."  He backed away, rounded the door, and lifted the hood.

Cassie watched him fiddle around under the hood.  After a few minutes, he popped his head back out.  "Your radiator hose has a slash in it.  It's an easy fix, but we will need to get it towed to the mechanic."  He wiped his hands off on his jeans as he neared her.  "One more thing.  That slash was put there by someone.  It's not just a wear hole.  I don't like this or the other things that have happened to you.  After we pick up Logan, we'll go to your house so you can pack, then I'm taking you home to stay with me."

"What?  No way.  I'm not leaving the house unattended while Laurie's gone, and I can't leave the dogs.  Besides, I don't want to leave my home, and I definitely don't want to uproot Logan."  She crossed her arms over her chest and straightened her spine, trying to appear taller as Gage towered over her by almost a foot.

"It will be good practice for when you really do move in," he said, not in least bit fazed by her imposing stance.

That kind of ticked her off, so she blurted, "I'm not moving in with you."

"You will after we get married."

Was he crazy?  She had to know, so she asked, "Are you crazy!  How many times do I have to tell you, we are
not
getting married."

"And how many times do I have to tell
you
, Sunshine,
we are.
" 

Cassie threw her hands in the air.  "Whatever, I can't deal with this now.  I have to call a tow."

Gage took her by the upper arms and pulled her to his chest.  "I'll call the tow.  You go get in my car.  It's running and the air is on."  He ran a finger down her cheek.  "You're flushed.  I'm not sure if that's from me or the heat."

Cassie stepped away and walked to his car, calling over her shoulder.  "It's the heat.  Don't flatter yourself."

Chapter Fifteen

Cassie sat on a stool at the island counter in Gage's massive kitchen, wondering exactly how she had gotten here.  She stared out the sliding glass door, absently watching Max and Sunny while thinking over her afternoon and the circumstances that led her to this very spot. 

After her car had been towed, Gage took her to pick up the two Pit bulls.  Fortunately, they did not encounter Doug (Cassie did not want a scene with Gage and yet another guy, one was enough).  He took her back to the ranch, she got the dogs situated, talked to the volunteer that was on duty, and then went into the house to pack.

She only grabbed a few changes of clothes for her and Logan and their toiletries.  She would be back to the ranch house on a daily basis and did not feel the need to take more than that.

Then she got back in Gage's Escalade, and he drove them into town to pick up Logan.  And through all that, neither of them said a word.  Really, what was there to say?  She could tell him until she was blue in the face that she wouldn't stay with him, but she knew better.  When Gage was determined, he would stop at nothing, and he was determined to have her stay with him.

She heard him enter the kitchen. His boots clomping on the tile floor.  She didn't turn her head, just kept staring out the window.  She looked over at the gated pool and couldn't stop the slight smile that formed on her lips.  Gage kept his promise.

She felt his hand slide along her back, up under her hair to the back of her neck, giving it a light squeeze.  "You going to give me the silent treatment the whole time you're here?"  He asked in a low, gravely voice.

Cassie turned on the stool, dislodging Gage's hand, looking up at him.  "I don't understand why I'm here.  You do know I have to go back to the ranch in the morning.  I have work to do."

"And that's why I told the guys we need to take a break for a week.  I'll be going to the ranch with you during the day, and we'll stay here at night."

"I can't let you do that.  Don't you have a deadline to meet?"

"Don't you worry about that, Sunshine.  Our record label loves us."  He gave her a killer smile that had her thinking their record label probably did bend over backward for them.

"All right," she said, begrudgingly. 

He gave her another heart-stopping smile then sauntered to the refrigerator and opened it.  A minute later, he closed it and turned to face her.  "I still don't have any food." 

Cassie laughed at his expression.  He looked perplexed as if food fairies were supposed to have come in the middle of the night to fill his fridge.  "You know there are places called supermarkets, they sell food.  Maybe we should go visit one."

Gage chuckled, gave his head a slight shake, then said, "Yeah, I think I've heard of those.  Let's go see if we can find one."

"I think it was a bad idea, taking Logan to the market with us,"  Cassie said, reaching into a bag and pulling out a jar of peanut butter.  Not only did they buy way too much food, but half of it was crap.  "I still can't believe he talked you into these frozen pizza roll things."  She held up the box and gave it a shake.

Gage shrugged.  "What can I say, I'm a sucker for a good lip pout."

"Does that mean if I had pouted, you would have bought me cottage cheese?"

"Hell no!  I don't want that shit in the house."  He held up two bottles of ranch dressing.  "But, I bought you this as a peace offering."

Cassie laughed.  "Olive branch accepted," she said, taking the bottles from him and putting them in the pantry.

Gage chuckled, reached around her, grabbing her about the waist, and pulling her close.  He rested his chin on her shoulder, whispering in her ear, "The whipped cream I bought isn't for ice-cream sundaes."

She looked down at her pink-tinted toes to hide her smile.  "It's not?"

He nipped her neck then swept the sting away with his tongue.  "No."

He didn't elaborate.  He didn't need to, she had a very vivid imagination, and she could put it to good use.  She needed to cool off fast.  "We should probably put the rest of the groceries away, the frozen stuff is going melt."

"Probably," Gage mumbled, against her neck.

Still he didn't back away or let her go.  She tried a different tactic.  "I should probably start dinner.  Logan needs to go to bed soon."

"Okay Sunshine, you just said the magic words.  Logan and bed."

Cassie hid her smirk.  He was too easy.

Cassie made hamburgers and mac and cheese for dinner then she gave Logan a bath after which Gage put him to bed.  A while later he found her sitting on the couch in the den watching a sitcom on TV.

"Did you have any trouble getting him to sleep?"  She asked, picking up the TV remote and hitting the mute button.

Gage shook his head.  "No, he wanted to know why he was sleeping here, and then he wanted to make sure you were sleeping here as well."

"What did you tell him?"

"Well I took a page out of your bullshit parenting 101 book and said, seeing as I spent the night at his house for a few nights, it was now time for you guys to spend the night at mine.  He was okay with that as long as Max and Sunny still got to sleep in his room with him."

Cassie's laughed died on her lips as Gage stalked toward her.  "So now that the child is asleep, how are mommy and daddy going to entertain each other?"

Cassie's breath picked up speed as Gage hit the couch, falling on top of her, and pressing her into the cushions.  "I'm not sure, but I think you mentioned something about whipped cream," she said, right before Gage's lips crashed down on hers.