Chapter 24
Chapter Twenty-Four
Growing up, Sloane had a friend in prep school who said her family was so combative that if punches weren’t thrown over the holidays, it wasn’t really a holiday.
Gage’s anger vibrated off him, so tangible she imagined she could see it as a cloud around him.
“Sloane?”
“I’m sorry,” she said with a gasp. “I was going to tell you earlier today when I saw you, but then that little girl walked up, and you said what you did, and I know it’s silly now, but I got this stupid idea to wait a little longer and surprise you and— Bad idea?”
“Sloane.”
His mouth slanted across hers. A kiss born of fear and fury, gratefulness and relief. When he finally let her up for air, she smiled at him, knowing she looked ridiculous in the borrowed Santa suit. “You’re still mad at me if you’re calling me Sloane,” she said, hearing the huskiness in her voice.
Gage huffed softly and gently but firmly snagged the hat and beard off in one motion.
“I am mad at you, but mostly because I just kissed Santa, and if my brothers see the camera footage, I’ll never hear the end of it.”
Her laughter rang out and echoed off the wall behind her, and her eyes sparkled with a light that shown from within.
“I knew I smelled you.”
Her eyes widened at the statement. “Oh. Okay…”
A rough groan left him, and he shook his head, dropping the pieces of costume to cradle her face in his hands.
“Vanilla and raspberry. I thought it was the cookies for the kids or—that I missed you so much I was imagining things.”
“So you’re…not mad?”
“Oh, baby girl, I am furious,” he growled, lowering his head to press his lips to hers again. “Disappearing like that and letting me worry. For making me go down that road where I believed all love means is loss. My parents and then you.”
“Oh, Gage. That’s not— Wait, love?” Had he really said love?
“No, no, no. Don’t try to sidetrack me. You put yourself in danger, disappeared, then left me hanging, wondering whether you’d come back. We are a long way away from talking about the love part.”
She slid her fingertips through his hair and stroked gently.
“I love you, too,” she said without one iota of hesitation.
“And I’m sorry I scared you. That I made you think what we had was so…
leave-able. I know you wanted to help me deal with my family, but I had to stand up to my father—and I had to do it on my own. ”
“What does that mean, Sloane? And don’t say it’s complicated or some other BS.”
He deserved more. The truth. Especially now.
“I’ll tell you. I’ll tell you everything.
Let’s just say I knew you’d want to help me, and—you really couldn’t.
You’d have been something—someone—he’d use to hurt me and bring me to heel, and I couldn’t let that happen.
I couldn’t live with myself if my plan backfired and something happened to you because of me. ”
Gage’s gaze narrowed even more at that statement, and his nostrils flared as he took a breath.
“That’s how they got you to go? They threatened me? Tell me the truth.”
She inhaled, unable to stop her frown of anger as she nodded. “You. Your family, your businesses. I couldn’t take that risk. I couldn’t let them hurt you or them.”
“It hurt more that you left like that.”
“I am so sorry.” She shook her head, a wry smile on her lips.
“Gage… Love isn’t loss. Love is helping someone be brave enough to fight the demons in our lives, and you did that for me.
My father wouldn’t have given up. He wanted to force me to marry a business associate to make some sort of alliance.
If I wanted to stay here and start a life—I had to stand up for myself and beat my father at his own game. ”
“He was going to force you to— Force you how? Through me?”
She winced at the renewed anger blazing in his gaze. “Yes. You would’ve been the tool to manipulate me. If we were going to be together, I had to shut that down once and for all.”
“Do I want to know how you did whatever it is you did to stand up to him?”
Sloane slid her arms around his neck and leaned her head back to look up at him. “Probably not since I had to delve into the dark side and play by his rules. But the important thing is, I won. That’s all that matters.”
“You need to give me more information here, Sloane.”
She closed her eyes when his fingers slid through her hair to her neck and gently rubbed the tight muscles.
“I’m free. We won’t hear from my family again.
I told my father to never contact me and took measures to make sure he follows the order.
” Gage looked concerned at that, and she managed another smile.
“It’s okay. This showdown has been a long time coming, and I’m not…
sad about it. It’s a huge relief, and I’d never have been brave enough to do it without you. ”
Silence followed her words, but Gage recovered fast.
“Losing your family, even a bad one, is a big deal, sweetheart. There are a lot of nooks and crannies of pain in there you’re ignoring. Are you sure you’re okay?”
Only a man who knew pain would realize how intricate and mind warping pain and loss could be. She searched herself, her heart. “I am. I’ll miss my brothers, but we haven’t been close for years.”
“I could strangle your brothers. They should have protected you.”
“I don’t think they knew how far into the darkness our father had delved. But they do now, and I actually do believe they’ll do whatever they can to protect all of us.”
“You’re going to have to explain all the riddles, sweetheart.”
She stroked his hair and then ran her fingertips over his jaw, loving the rasp of his whiskers against her skin.
“I will. If you’ll forgive me for that text and leaving.
If I’ve learned anything from this, it’s to tell someone how you feel.
So this is me telling you— I’m in love with you and all your control-freak, disorganized ways. ”
All the tension seemed to drain from him at her words, and he leaned against her and pulled her more tightly against his body.
“I love you, too, Merida,” he said, finding her lips with a kiss that captured and took and gave back all in the same breath. The caress rolled with love and frustration, peace and aggravation. Fire and acceptance and a heady desire for more.
She felt him wrap an arm around her waist, turn her, and lead her into the building.
Heard the slide of the lock behind them before being pressed against the door and kissed like she’d never been kissed before.
Like she was the most precious thing imaginable.
Cherished and…loved. Like the unseen weights they’d each held were indeed gone and they were free from the chains of their pasts.
He shifted low and wrapped his hands around her thighs, lifting her up and earning a laugh of delight from her as she twined her arms around his neck so they were eye to eye, forehead to forehead.
“You made me crazy,” he murmured. “You made me realize how empty my life was before you showed up and knocked me flat. You made me realize I had no control over you or the fact I’d fallen in love with a woman who’d left me with a freaking text message.”
She grimaced again and made a sound of empathy. “I’m not going to live that down anytime soon, am I?”
“What do you think?”
She pressed a kiss to his lips. “I’m sorry. I’ll make it up to you. But I’m not sorry you gave me the courage to stand up to my father, because if I hadn’t—I wouldn’t be here. I’d still be running, and I don’t want to run anymore. I want you.”
He kissed the words back into her lips, soft and slow. “You’re sure? You don’t do casual.”
“No. I don’t do casual,” she whispered.
Gage gave her a soft, seductive grin.
“I guess that means we’re all in then. I know I am.”
Her heart tripped a beat, so full of happiness and joy and relief that she feared it would actually burst. “Yeah?”
“Yeah. You’re not getting away from me again.”
Her throat seized with a lump of tears as she nodded, brushing her lips over his and lingering over the caress. “Well, I did stand up to my father so I could come back to you. That counts for something, doesn’t it?”
“I suppose. I planned to go to Chicago and track down every Harrington I could find if you didn’t.” He leaned his weight more heavily against her, pressing her to the door. “I would’ve dragged you back.”
“Caveman,” she murmured, smiling brightly at the thought. “You know, when I first met you, I never pictured you as a Neanderthal. I kinda like it.”
“You do?”
“I do.”
Without warning, he shifted his hold, gently but swiftly tossing her over his shoulder to carry her to the front of the building while she shrieked and laughed and earned a swat to her red-velvet-covered behind.
“Where’d you get the suit?” he growled.
“Why? Do you want to borrow it?”
He lowered her to sit atop the counter and reached a hand beneath to turn off the security cameras.
“Yeah, I do. Right now.”
“Now?”
He pressed a kiss to her lips. “Now, Merida. It’s my turn to play Santa.”