Chapter 11
The last few days had been weird for Kinley.
She hadn’t felt hemmed in at all in Gage’s apartment.
She didn’t mind being by herself, and it hadn’t been hard to promise Gage that she wouldn’t go anywhere, not even stick her toe outside the door, when he had to leave to go to work.
He’d wanted to take time off to stay with her, but she’d shooed him away after promising not to go outside for any reason.
His apartment was surprisingly comfortable.
Kinley usually felt uneasy being in someone else’s space.
She didn’t want to touch anything or mess it up.
She knew that was a byproduct of being a foster kid for so long.
All the homes she’d lived in hadn’t been hers, and she’d gotten yelled at so many times for touching things that didn’t belong to her, she’d learned to keep her hands to herself.
But Gage’s place was cozy. He didn’t have any expensive knickknacks sitting around and all the books on his bookshelves were well worn, as if he’d read them many times over. He had blankets and pillows on his couch and, since he’d been sleeping there, they smelled like him.
More often than not, Kinley found herself napping on his couch after he left, loving being surrounded by his earthy scent.
Because she’d never slept—or done anything else—with a man before, she hadn’t realized how comforting it could be to fall asleep with the masculine smell in her nostrils.
But maybe it was just Gage’s scent that had the ability to soothe her.
One day, when she’d been bored, she’d rearranged his kitchen. Only afterward had she been afraid he’d get pissed at her, but he’d merely smiled and pulled her into a hug and thanked her.
They talked for hours, from the time he got home until they went to bed.
She’d found herself opening up and telling him things she’d never told anyone before.
In return, he told her stories about his own childhood.
And instead of it making her feel sad that she hadn’t had a stable upbringing for herself, she loved that he did.
She’d already liked his mom, but hearing what a wonderful mother she actually was, now she liked her more.
Living with a man was an eye opener, for sure.
She hadn’t thought she’d be comfortable in the least, but something about Gage made the experience…
easy. She’d thought they’d be tripping over each other and she’d constantly be saying embarrassing things.
But the reality was that they’d fallen into a routine quickly. And it just seemed to work.
He’d get his clothes ready in the evening before they went to bed, and in the mornings, he’d sneak into the bathroom in the master bedroom and shower.
The sound of the water would inevitably wake Kinley, and she’d wander into the kitchen and turn on the coffee before snuggling under the still-warm blanket on the couch where he’d slept.
Gage would apologize for waking her up, get a cup of coffee, and he’d sit at her feet on the couch as they talked about what his schedule was like for the day.
He’d warn her not to go outside, and then he’d leave.
Kinley would nap for a while then get up and shower.
Gage would return home in the afternoon and they’d decide whether to order out or make something together.
Her choice was always to cook, because she loved puttering around his small kitchen with him.
Today was Saturday, and Gage had the day off.
Because she was a creature of habit, Kinley woke at the same time she had been for the last few days.
She lay awake on Gage’s bed and thought about him sleeping on the couch in the other room.
She’d tried again to get him to take his bed, but he’d refused, saying the day he made her sleep on the uncomfortable couch while he was in the bed was the day he’d quit the Army and give up his man-card… whatever that meant.
Quietly, Kinley slipped out of bed and picked up her pillow.
She padded into the living room and watched Gage sleeping for a moment.
He had one arm thrown over his head and one foot was sticking out of the blanket covering him.
She hadn’t previously thought about what he wore to bed, but from her vantage point, it looked like he was completely naked.
She could see his muscular chest where the blanket had slipped down…
and she had an intense urge to investigate the tattoos she could see.
She wasn’t seeing anymore skin than she might if they were at the beach or pool, and he was in a bathing suit, but because he was sleeping, it seemed a lot more intimate.
The decision to join him on the couch hadn’t seemed all that odd a second ago, but now she was undecided. She should return to his room and go back to sleep there. She didn’t want to wake him on one of the few days he had to sleep in.
“Kins? What’s wrong? Are you all right?” he asked sleepily.
Dang. She must’ve made some sort of sound to wake him.
“I’m good,” she told him softly. “I’ll just…” She gestured to the hallway behind her.
“Come ’ere,” Gage said, holding out his hand.
Biting her lip, Kinley was undecided. She wanted to bolt back to the safety of his room, but another part of her wanted to stay. Wanted to take his hand and see what would happen.
He didn’t say anything else. Didn’t pressure her in any way. Just lay there looking mussed, sleepy, and oh so sexy.
Kinley stepped toward him, putting her hand in his.
The satisfaction on his face was easy to see, but he didn’t say anything. He pulled her down so she was sitting in front of him. “Drop the pillow, you won’t need it. Lie down, sweetheart.”
As if in a trance, Kinley lifted her feet and brought them up to the couch. Gage put his arm around her waist and pulled her into him until they were spooning so tightly, she didn’t know where she stopped and he started.
She lay stiff in his arms, wondering what the hell she was supposed to say.
“Go to sleep,” he whispered, and she shivered when his hot breath wafted over the sensitive skin of her neck.
Sleep? Was he serious?
She felt his nose nuzzle against her hair for a second, and he said, “You always smell so good.”
“I think that’s my line,” she blurted.
He chuckled and squeezed her waist. “Are you comfortable?”
She thought about it for a second before nodding.
“We’ve got another hour and a half before we need to get up and start getting ready,” he told her.
Kinley nodded. They were going over to Grover’s sister’s new apartment. Something had happened with the delivery of her things, and they’d been held up somewhere. They were supposed to finally arrive that morning, and everyone was going over to help her move in.
Kinley wasn’t thrilled. She liked hiding out in Gage’s apartment.
She felt safer here than she’d felt in a very long time.
Besides, she never made the best first impression, so she wasn’t all fired up to meet Devyn.
She knew the other woman was tall, blonde, and beautiful, and Kinley hadn’t had the best experiences with women like that.
But she’d rather have her fingernails pulled out one by one than admit it to Gage… or Grover.
“You aren’t going to be out of my sight,” Gage said, misreading her tension.
“I’m not worried about that,” Kinley admitted.
“Good. Because as long as you’re with me, you’re safe.”
He’d said that over and over in the last few days, and Kinley didn’t doubt it for a second. “I know,” she told him.
“Then what’s bothering you?”
“Nothing really. I was just thinking about today. And…um…are you comfortable?” she asked, wanting to change the subject.
He stilled behind her, then his arm lifted off her waist and he somehow managed to put a few inches of space between them. “Shit,” he muttered. “I didn’t think. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to haul you into me like that or pressure you. Go on back to bed, we don’t have to get up yet.”
Kinley’s heart dropped. She hadn’t meant to make him think she didn’t like being next to him. She was such a dork. She always seemed to say the wrong thing at the wrong time.
Not thinking about it, she turned onto her other side until she was facing him. She scooted forward and shoved one arm under his body and the other around his waist. Then she wiggled until her nose was pressed against his neck. She held on to him as if he were a giant teddy bear.
“Kinley?” he asked uncertainly.
“I don’t want to go back to bed,” she said mulishly. “I’m comfortable here.”
“Thank Christ,” Gage muttered before she felt his arms clamp back around her. He shifted until he was on his back and she was pressed against his side, half lying on top of him and half next to him. It was a tight squeeze on the couch, but Kinley didn’t care.
He shifted some more, until she felt the blanket he’d been using settle over both of them. Now she was cocooned against him. His scent surrounded her and the warmth from his body seeped into her own. He was naked except for a pair of boxers…and she’d never felt anything she liked more.
“Better?” he asked when she sighed in contentment.
She nodded against his shoulder. Kinley wanted to memorize the moment, but being held by him was like a drug. Her eyes closed and she felt exhausted.
“Sleep, Kins.”
“Ummm,” she mumbled deep in her throat.
She thought she heard him chuckle, but she was asleep before she could think about it.
Lefty was wide awake.
He was tired. He hadn’t been getting enough sleep. Every little noise made him sit up in alarm, just in case someone was trying to break into his apartment to get to Kinley.
Brain was being very careful in searching for answers, and so far hadn’t been all that successful.
Cruz Livingston, the FBI agent, was driving up to Killeen from San Antonio in a few days to hear Kinley’s story firsthand.
Lefty had no idea what the next steps would be, but he vowed to stay by Kinley’s side every step of the way.