Chapter 18
So much for a clean getaway.
Addy
M y phone beeps with a message and I groan. The last time a message woke me up, I ended up having a mermaid hair pulling fight with Gage.
Gage. The arm around my waist tightens and he presses his hard length into my ass.
My stomach tingles at the feel of him surrounding me. Friends, I remind my stomach. We’re just friends.
Maybe I shouldn’t have had sex with him, but I was done resisting what I want. We can still be friends. As long as I don’t let feelings get involved.
My phone beeps again.
“Ignore your phone,” Gage orders in a scratchy morning voice. I don’t know how a morning voice can sound sexy, but his does. There’s not much about Gage I don’t find sexy.
“I need to get going anyway.” I inch toward the edge of the bed but Gage tightens his arm around me.
“Where are you going? Your shift at Five Fathoms Brewing doesn’t begin for three more hours. ”
“I need to check on the kids and make sure Penelope and Mila get to summer school, and Otis gets to football practice.”
“I thought your mom was home this morning.”
I growl. “Do you have my entire schedule memorized?”
He rolls me around to face him. “I’m interested in your life. Is that a crime?”
I scowl since I can’t argue the point with him. “No.”
He brushes the hair off my forehead. “Let’s start this morning over. Good morning, songbird. How did you sleep?”
“I slept well.”
He chuckles at how grumpy I sound.
“I need to go.”
“We literally discussed how you don’t need to go anywhere for a few hours mere minutes ago.”
He doesn’t get it. I can’t get used to waking up in his arms. Not when he’ll be gone soon and I’ll be right back to where I was when the summer began. He needs to return to the friend zone and stay there.
“This isn’t a start of us.”
He growls. “Why not?”
“Because we agreed. It was only for one night.”
“I never agreed.”
I roll out of bed. I can’t have this discussion while lying in his arms. “I literally said I’m not yours and you agreed it was only for one night.”
He stands and prowls toward me. I’m tempted to retreat, but I’m not allowing any man to back me into a corner. I will stand my ground .
He palms my neck and draws me near. “I agreed you were mine for last night. I didn’t agree it was the only night.”
“Semantics.”
He squeezes my neck. “I’m trying to take things slow.”
I motion to the bed. “Slow is not in your vocabulary.”
He smirks. “I can show you slow now.”
My nipples tingle. My body is on board with another round with Gage. But my mind knows better. Another round will tether me harder to him. And then he’ll leave. And I’ll be heartbroken. I’m too busy to handle a heartbreak.
“I need to go.”
He studies my face for a moment before releasing me and stepping back. “You can go, but what’s between us isn’t over.”
“There’s nothing between us. Except friendship. We’re friends.”
His eyes darken. “Friends don’t do the things I did to you last night.”
“Which is why last night won’t be repeated.”
“You’re stubborn, songbird.”
I grin. “And proud of it.”
He chuckles. “Go. We’ll speak later.” I hurry toward the door but he hollers after me. “You might want to put on more than my t-shirt before you go outside.”
I glance down at myself. Sure enough. I’m wearing his t-shirt. It covers up all the important bits since it hangs nearly to my knees. But entering my house wearing Gage’s t-shirt is a bad idea in so many ways I can’t even begin to name them .
I stomp back to the bedroom and gather my clothes. I hurry to the bathroom to get dressed. When I’m finished and enter the living room area of the suite, Gage is preparing a coffee at the coffee bar.
“Here.” He hands me a to-go cup of coffee.
“Thanks,” I mutter before sipping on the brew. The warmth hits me and I sigh. I needed that. I offer him his t-shirt. “Here.”
“Keep it. I want you to sleep in my t-shirt.”
“You want me to sleep in your t-shirt?”
“And dream of me while you’re sleeping.”
“You’re incorrigible.”
“I’m committed to my cause.”
It’s tempting to give in and enjoy ourselves until the end of the summer. But friends with benefits is a recipe for disaster. One night and I can keep my heart safe. More nights together will have me falling for this man who’s unlike any man I’ve met before.
My phone beeps with another message and I swear under my breath.
Gage takes my coffee. “You better check it. It’s been going crazy beeping.”
I read the message and my eyes nearly bug out. “I really need to go.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Family stuff.”
Gage blocks my exit. “I can help. I want to help.”
I blow out a breath. “Are you a policeman?” He shakes his head. “Then, you can’t help. ”
I try to walk around him but he shackles my wrist. “What’s happening?”
I grit my teeth. It’s none of his business. But I know the stubborn look in his eyes. He’s not caving anytime soon. And I seriously need to leave. Now.
“I don’t know exactly. Penelope messaged that Otis is gone. He was gone this morning when she woke up at five to check on her experiment.” Which is a whole other problem I don’t want to think about now. There’s a reason my sister has been banned from conducting experiments in or near the house.
Gage slips his shoes on. “Let’s go.”
“You don’t need to come with me.”
“I know I don’t. I know you can handle this on your own. You can do anything you set your mind to on your own. But you’re not on your own.”
I nearly melt into a puddle of goo on his floor at those words. I’ve been alone for such a long time. No one helps me out. Not Mom. Not my siblings. I’m the person who helps everyone else out.
“I…”
Luckily for me, my phone rings before I manage to speak. Who knows what stupid shit I would have said?
“Speaker,” Gage demands and I nod.
“This is the Smuggler’s Hideaway jail. Will you accept a collect call?”
“Yes!” I practically shout.
“Addy?” Otis sounds scared. My knees wobble, but Gage steadies me with a hand on my back before I can collapse .
“What’s going on, Otis? Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, but I need someone to bail me out.”
“I’m on my way.”
“Don’t tell Mom.”
“You know the deal, Otis-bug. As long as the police, fire department, or lawyers aren’t involved, it’s between us. In all other cases, Mom needs to know.”
“I know, but…” He groans. “Never mind. See you soon.”
“Love you, Otis,” I answer but he already hung up.
I shove my phone in my pocket and bury my face in my hands. I can’t believe this is happening. Otis is in jail? What did he do? This is Smuggler’s Hideaway; you have to be a real ass to end up in jail here.
Most transgressions are laughed off as part of the Smuggler way of living. But not this time. Why not this time? What happened.
Gage plies my hands away from my face. “You’ve got this. And I’ll be there with you. Together we’ll get this solved.”
“He’s seventeen. Nearly an adult. What if he gets tried as an adult?”
He squeezes my neck. “We don’t know what Otis did yet. Let’s find out what happened. And then we can deal with it.”
“You should stay here. You need to train. I don’t want you to get in trouble for missing training.”
A muscle in his jaw ticks. “I don’t give a fuck about getting in trouble for missing training. This is family. It’s more important. ”
I stare up at him. Family is more important. He gets it. He gets why I can’t leave this island. Why I run myself ragged caring for my siblings.
My heart stutters in my chest. So much for keeping my heart safe.