Chapter 11
Chapter Eleven
Gage rolled onto his side and snuggled up against the warmth next to him, his mind hazy from lack of sleep and pure exhaustion.
He and Sloane hadn’t talked much after he’d come back upstairs, but the tension between them was palatable since he’d nearly crossed the line and kissed her.
He’d wanted to. Ached to know how she’d taste.
How she’d feel. But they’d had some heavy conversation regarding her mother’s death, and he didn’t want to take advantage of Sloane’s fear.
Like Alec had said, she was vulnerable. And he didn’t want her to ever feel as though he belonged in the same category as that former boss of hers.
He couldn’t imagine watching her mother’s car get smashed by a tree. His brother, Finn, had struggled in the aftermath of their parents’ deaths until recently, because he’d been the lone survivor of the head-on collision that had killed them.
Finn had been trapped in the backseat and had watched their parents die. Just like Sloane had been trapped behind that window, helpless, watching the worst thing happen to a woman she’d obviously loved very much.
The story brought up more questions too.
Like why she ran from the family she had left.
What was going on with them that pushed her to such extremes?
To live in her car rather than stay near them?
She was twenty-six. Hardly a child and obviously capable of providing for herself. So what drove her to run?
The winds worsened, blasting the house with such force that Sloane’s trembling became visible, though she didn’t say a word.
And despite his plans to keep his distance and hands to himself, he’d broken down and cuddled her close once more. And sometime during the night, he hadn’t been able to bring himself to let her go.
Knowing the reason why she was so afraid had every part of him wanting to do what he could to comfort her. To protect her from the reappearance of that pain.
He found himself mentally shaking his head that after such a short amount of time, it was getting harder to keep his distance.
From not wanting to hear her voice on the other end of a call, see her little smiley faces at the end of the notes in the calendar.
This wasn’t like him. He’d never wanted those sorts of things.
Or at least he hadn’t before. But now he found himself looking forward to the next time he could see her. Talk to her. Touch her.
Images from last night filtered through his tired mind as he slowly woke up.
He’d held her for hours. Murmured reassurances when something banged against the side of the house or roof.
Forced her up and carried her into the area beneath the stairwell after dragging the mattress from her bed along with the pillows when tornado watches turned to warnings and the house shuddered with the force of the winds.
The eye of the hurricane arrived around two in the morning. Up until then, the Blackwell family group chat had stayed active, with Hudson being the only one missing.
Isla’s billionaire boss had evacuated his family and employees to New York since he had a home and business there anyway, but Isla sat up with them from there, unable to sleep knowing what they faced.
Usually, Hudson popped off with some snarky comments throughout the night to keep them laughing, and they’d all mentioned his name more than once, praying he was okay doing whatever he was doing with the fire department.
Brooks had an emergency scanner and listened in, informing the rest of them of where the fire crews were dispatched. There was no mention of Hudson by name, but at least they were able to place his whereabouts on the island.
Once the eye arrived and things calmed a bit, they’d gotten some much needed sleep under the stairs. He got up regularly to take a look outside and tossed down some towels and blankets at the base of the door to soak up the water leaking beneath, despite the sandbags outside.
Then he’d gone back to his side of their makeshift bed, determined to keep his distance. But in her exhausted sleep, Sloane had curled into him naturally. He hadn’t been able to resist holding her, telling himself she came to him and not the other way around.
She fit against him perfectly, and his mind repeatedly returned to that moment upstairs when they’d almost kissed. When she’d looked as though she’d wanted him to kiss her.
He wished now he hadn’t pulled away. Hadn’t kept it professional. Wished he had kissed her senseless because some things were blink-and-you-miss-it chances not taken and regretted later.
Right now? It was later. And he regretted not taking that moment.
Sloane shifted, and the scent of her hair filled his senses, the curly strands catching on the scrub on his chin. He bit back a groan and imagined tangling his fingers in those wild curls, using them to tilt her head back and—
“Is it over? Did we survive?”
His lips quirked at the questions and the timing, and despite his promise to Cole and Alec to keep things professional between them, his grip tightened around her because he wanted to savor these last few seconds. “I don’t know, Merida. This kinda feels like heaven to me.”
He felt her indrawn breath before her lips curled in a smile against him, a sign that he wasn’t alone in whatever was happening between them. Better still, she didn’t pull away.
No, she slid an arm up his chest toward his neck, her fingers finding his skin above the hem of his T-shirt, skimming her fingertips along the edge in a quick-fire touch before she used him as a prop to push herself upright with only a slight wince.
“You do make a good pillow,” she murmured in a sleep-husky voice as she removed the hand from his chest to rub her face and push her hair back.
He shoved up on an elbow, and the move put them in close proximity once again.
Sloane blinked as though only then realizing just how close they were, and despite morning breath and exhaustion, he hoped she’d take full advantage. To take the chance he’d let slip by.
He locked his gaze on hers and fought back the surge of pleasure he felt when her pupils flared and her gorgeous green eyes took on a hazy look that had nothing to do with lack of sleep.
Come on, baby girl.
Gazes locked, body heat mingling, they stayed that way. So close and yet—
“I should— Um, I should probably— What time is it?” She glanced toward the edge of the mattress.
Disappointment nearly choked him. “Almost seven.”
The interior was dark, the window above the door shuttered, giving the space an intimate feel. He’d left the battery-lantern on low, so he was able to see the moment her hesitation turned to resolve, and she shook off the chemistry stirring between them with a blink and hard swallow.
“Merida….”
She squeezed her eyes shut like if she couldn’t see him, she wouldn’t have to acknowledge him. Or them.
“I don’t do casual. And I won’t be here long enough to be more. A few more days and…I’m gone.”
“You could stay.”
“You’re my boss. And you promised Cole, so we can’t.”
Unable to help himself, he lifted a hand to take a curl between his fingers, watching it wrap around him the way he wished she would wrap herself around him.
“No one said you had to leave town. And it’s easy enough to fire you if that helps.
I’ll call around, get you another job. Take away the whole workplace thing. If that’s really a concern.”
She stiffened at the words and pulled away, getting to her feet. Obviously his attempt at a solution and making a plan that meant she stayed in town hadn’t landed well.
“Sloane… Come on. Talk to me. Tell me what’s going on with your family. Why you’re afraid of them. And don’t say you’re not, because it’s obvious.”
He got up slowly, sensing she was about to bolt and not wanting to push her into doing it.
She crossed her arms over her chest and shook her head. “I just don’t want to be part of their lives. But they want me to be.”
“They can’t force you.”
She shoved her hair off her face again, the nervous gesture one he’d started to recognize as a stress move.
“We’d be a bad idea. My life is too complicated, Gage. I’d get hurt.”
“I’d never intentionally hurt you.”
Her eyes looked glassy and bright with sudden tears. She felt it too. Whatever it was between them, she felt it, but she was scared. He could see it. Sense it. But why?
“I’m going to go shower. I’ll be out to help start cleaning up when I’m done.”
“Merida, don’t run away from me. Let’s talk. We have time. We won’t head out until the worst of the outer bands move through.”
“Fine. I’ll work on organizing the spare room then.”
“You’re avoiding me. And you’re not working when you’re hurt.”
“I can sit and sort through stuff just fine,” she said in a stern tone.
“So that’s it? We cuddle and almost kiss, and you pretend like it didn’t mean anything? That you’re not as curious as I am that there could be more? You feel it, too.”
“Maybe I do,” she whispered. “But chemistry isn’t enough. Not for me.”
Gage watched in frustration as she hightailed it into her bedroom as fast as she could limp there and shut the door. He even heard the soft snick of sound indicating she’d locked the door behind her.
Just like he’d locked his when she’d first arrived.
Two weeks. Her two weeks were almost up, and somehow the thought of her leaving left him unsure and angry because he battled his attraction for her, admired her tenacity and dedication, her work ethic, and somehow found himself fearful of losing the first woman to ever make him think of reevaluating his priorities.
Stupid, stupid, stupid.
How stupid did someone have to be to develop feelings for their boss?
Her temporary boss. To admit she was as drawn to Gage as he seemed to be to her?
Sloane stood beneath the shower and let the tepid water beat into her skin, feeling the sting of it against the wounds on her leg and back as it sluiced down her body. She ignored the pain even as she welcomed it.