Chapter 8 #4
“Honestly, Gage. We didn’t really do anything. I just sat on her couch and read one of her books she let me borrow. We didn’t even talk much.”
“Don’t you get it?” Gage asked. “That’s why she likes you. Because you’re calming. Because you came into her life and just fit. Did it feel awkward to sit next to each other for hours without talking? Just reading?”
Kinley shook her head.
“Right. Because you were being yourself, and you let Gillian be herself. And Trigger already knew a lot about you from me, but after hearing how much Gillian liked you, your place in his life is solidified. The other guys have been calling and messaging nonstop asking how you are, if you’re better, if we need anything.
You didn’t get any of my texts or emails, did you? ”
Kinley blinked at the change of subject. She frowned and shook her head.
“Right. The guys all knew how upset I was when I’d thought you’d blown me off again, but the second they heard that your phone had been destroyed, they all understood you probably didn’t even get most of my messages.
Not to mention the fact that it’s obvious you’re in trouble, and by not answering any of my texts, you did what you could to keep that trouble from showing up on my doorstep. ”
At his uncanny insight, Kinley blanched.
“No, don’t freak,” Gage ordered, reading her reaction correctly.
“Breathe, Kins,” Gage said, bringing his hands up to her face and forcing her to look at him.
“You said a lot of stuff that didn’t make sense during your fever, but the mere fact that you’re here and sleeping in your car said a lot without you having to say a word. Why did you come to Texas, Kinley?”
“It was on my way?”
“Wrong. Try again,” Gage said sternly.
Kinley closed her eyes. She felt off kilter and naked, and not just because she was sitting in Gage’s bed wearing only one of his T-shirts.
“Look at me, Kins.”
She reluctantly opened her eyes.
“Why’d you come to me?”
And that was the crux of the issue. She’d come to Texas, but more than that, she’d gone straight to Gage.
She knew he’d help her. Even though her being near him was putting him in danger, she’d still run straight to him.
She’d already decided to trust him, and she needed to suck it up and be brave for once in her life.
“Because you’re my only friend, and I knew you’d help me. ”
“Damn straight,” Gage said with an odd tone in his voice.
“Whatever’s wrong, I’m going to fix it. But I’m not your only friend.
You’ve got Gillian and the rest of my team.
I know this will be a hard thing to get used to, but you’re not alone anymore.
You get the sniffles and need some tissues and don’t feel like going to the store, you call one of us.
Your toilet overflows and you need a plunger, call.
You simply want someone to sit quietly in the same room while you read a book, call. Understand?”
Kinley licked her lips and shook her head.
Gage smiled. “You will. I brought you some soup in the hopes that I could somehow get you to eat. But it’s even better that you’re coherent again. You hungry?”
“I think I want to know what I said when I was out of it.”
He shook his head. “It doesn’t matter what you said when you were out of your mind with a fever. What matters is that you’re here. You came to me for help, and for a man like me, that says more than words ever could.”
“A man like you?” Kinley asked.
“Yeah. Now, you want to go to the bathroom before you eat?”
Kinley was frustrated. She needed Gage to understand that her being here was putting him in danger. It seemed like a good idea to come to Texas when she’d been driving aimlessly across the country, but she was having second thoughts now.
“Kinley, concentrate. Bathroom or food?”
“Bathroom,” she said automatically.
Gage smiled. “Come on, then. I’ll get you a clean T-shirt to put on and while you’re in the bathroom, I’ll change the sheets.
Your fever finally broke last night and you sweated all over everything.
No—don’t get embarrassed. I was fucking thrilled because it meant you were getting better, and I wouldn’t have to resort to the emergency room. ”
He pulled back the covers and Kinley awkwardly pulled down the T-shirt she was wearing to cover her private bits. But like a gentleman, Gage turned his head, not looking until he was sure she was standing. Then he walked with her to the bathroom.
“Give me just a second,” he said as he left her standing with one hand on the counter for balance. He was back with a T-shirt in his hand before she could move.
“Don’t try showering yet. I know you probably feel gross, but I’m thinking you’re still a bit too unsteady on your feet. After you eat and take a nap, we’ll see how you’re feeling, and we’ll get you in there later, okay?”
Kinley nodded. It felt odd to have someone take care of her like Gage was, but she couldn’t deny it felt good too.
He put the T-shirt on the counter, and then leaned down and kissed her forehead. His lips pressed against her skin for a long moment. He murmured, “I’m glad you’re feeling better, Kins,” then he was gone.
Looking into the mirror, Kinley almost shrieked in fright. Lord, she looked awful. Her skin was pale and she had dark bags under her eyes. Her black hair literally looked like a bird’s nest, it was so matted and crazy around her skull.
Groaning, she leaned on the counter with both hands and her head drooped in defeat.
She’d never been pretty. She knew that. But for once in her life, she wished she was different.
Wished she was witty and knew how to flirt.
She wanted Gage to be bowled over by how beautiful she was.
But instead, she’d apparently puked on him, had been out of her head with a fever, and was a pathetic mess.
“Kinley?” Gage called out from the other side of the door.
“Yeah?” she replied.
“Stop thinking. Do what you gotta do, change, and get back out here before your soup gets too cold.”
Kinley couldn’t stop herself from smiling. She had no idea how Gage knew she was in here overthinking everything, but she was. “Keep your pants on. I’m moving as fast as I can.”
She had no idea how he’d done it, but somehow with one sentence, he’d pulled her head out of her ass and made her smile at the same time.
She was in big trouble. She wasn’t sure she’d be able to leave.
Gage made her feel more than she’d ever felt about anyone.
It was as if her life went from black and white to Technicolor simply because she was near him.
Thirty minutes later, Kinley’s belly was full and she was sitting on the couch in Gage’s living room.
He’d hovered while she’d eaten, making sure she didn’t feel sick and that she was going to be able to keep the bland soup down.
He’d also brought her a bottle of Pedialyte, and when she’d raised an eyebrow at him, he’d told her it had everything she needed so she didn’t get dehydrated.
Then he’d asked if she wanted to sit out in the other room while he called his friends to update them on her condition. Not wanting to be alone, Kinley had agreed.
Now she was sitting on his couch, half asleep, burrowed under a very soft, fluffy blanket. She’d listened with half an ear as Gage called Trigger, then Brain. She’d gotten the impression that his friends were going to contact the rest of the guys to pass on the word about how she was doing.
Gage came toward the couch, and Kinley was only half aware of what he was doing—until he sat right next to her, then lifted her so she was sitting across his lap.
“What are you doing?”
“Relaxing,” he said on a sigh.
Kinley held herself stiffly over him. She wasn’t used to being touched by anyone, certainly not sitting on a guy’s lap. She wasn’t sure where to put her hands or what she was supposed to do.
“I’m not going to hurt you, Kins,” Gage said gently. “I’m exhausted. I haven’t slept that well in two days because I was so worried about you.”
She immediately relaxed slightly. “I’m sorry,” she whispered.
“Don’t be. There’s nowhere I would rather be than by your side. Besides, you should be used to this…it’s one of the only positions where you seemed to settle.”
Kinley looked up at him. “Really?”
“Really.”
Kinley had put on a pair of underwear Gage had pulled out of a stack of freshly washed clothes.
She’d also donned the now-clean leggings Gillian had let her borrow last week that she’d never returned.
She was more than aware that the only thing separating her from Gage was a few layers of cotton.
She couldn’t even think about what the situation had been while she was sick.
“You’re thinking again,” Gage accused, not opening his eyes. One arm was around her back, holding her, and the other was resting over her thighs. The weight of his arms was comforting rather than stifling.
“I just…you saw me naked,” she blurted.
Gage didn’t even tense. “Yup. But honestly, I was more concerned with how hot your skin was and if your brain was going to boil to really even notice anything else.”
Kinley breathed out a sigh of relief.
Until he spoke again.
“But I can say with one hundred percent certainty that the fact you’re still a virgin is a fucking miracle.
You’re beautiful, Kins. Every curve and inch of you is perfection.
Don’t doubt my attraction to you simply because I was able to take care of you without copping a feel.
Any man who would try anything while you’re out of your head with a fever is not only a douchebag, he’s a predator who should be locked up forever. ”
His words made goose bumps break out on her arms. And he was right.
If he’d said it had been hard to keep his hands off her while he’d been caring for her, she would’ve been weirded out.
But the fact that he’d found her attractive, went a long way toward making her feel less like a scary troll who’d just crawled out of a hole in the ground.
She forced her muscles to relax, and she leaned against him.
“That’s it,” Gage murmured. “You’re safe here. Relax. We’ll both take a nap, then figure out what’s next.”
Sleeping on top of Gage was comfortable. Very comfortable. She closed her eyes—and the last thing she thought was how amazing it would be to fall asleep with Gage’s arms around her every night.
Lefty was exhausted. Between the stress of worrying about Kinley and the sheer fact he hadn’t gotten much sleep in the last four days, he was ready to drop on his feet. But he couldn’t stop thinking about what Kinley had admitted.
She’d said a lot when she’d been out of her head with a fever. Not much made sense, but he understood that she was scared out of her fucking mind. That she’d fled Washington, DC, in terror. And that she’d come to him.
They might not have spent a lot of time together, but they’d connected, just as he’d thought. She hadn’t ghosted him by not responding to his emails and texts; she simply hadn’t received them. And now she was here, in his arms, safe. He’d do whatever it took to keep her that way.
They needed to talk. He needed to know what the hell was going on and what she was so afraid of. But first, he had to rest. Kinley was going to be all right, and if he was going to be able to think straight so he could figure out how to fix whatever was bothering her, he needed some sleep.
Holding Kinley when she’d been sick had been nice, but it had been tinged with worry. He’d slept in fits and starts, jerking awake every time she moved, hyper-aware of her needs. But having her relaxed and healthy in his arms felt even better.
Turning his head, Lefty kissed her forehead. She curled even more into him, and that small movement made his heart soar.
Whether she knew it or not, Kinley Taylor was his.
Anyone who tried to hurt her or take what was his would find that Lefty might be an easygoing guy in general, but when someone he cared about was threatened, all bets were off.