Chapter 11 Letty
Istare at my reflection critically, lingering in front of the mirror as I finish applying makeup. More than once, tears blur my vision before I blink them back. There’s a part of me that just feels lost. Abandoned. Unimportant.
Four years without Gage in my life. Six months have passed since he was released from prison. Why hasn’t he looked for me? Did he lie when he said he loved me?
My shoulders slump, and I shake my head. This isn’t healthy for me. I have to stop feeling sad and depressed about the life I left behind. I need to stop expecting Gage to show up and whisk me away on his Harley.
Everything is different now. Either I embrace it, or I watch my life keep slipping away and live in misery. My heart aches as I prepare to go out to dinner with Mom and Brekker. I tell myself that it’s not a date. I’m not betraying Gage or doing anything wrong.
But it still feels that way.
I grab my purse, walk downstairs, and find Mom in the kitchen. “You look nice,” I observe, noting that she’s finally gaining weight after the stress of the last few years.
“Thanks, honey.” She pops a kiss on my cheek and rushes to the garage door. “Something has just come up. I can’t go out to dinner. Will you give Daniel my excuses?”
Wait. “Mom!” She is not doing this to me right now.
“Sorry! Have a great time and tell me all about it later.”
She rushes out the door ahead of me and leaves without a backward glance. This is intentional. Mom has been trying to get Brekker and me together since we first met.
I sigh and walk into the garage. I’m flustered. This isn’t what I agreed to, and now it really does feel like a date. I’m far too distracted as I drive to the restaurant Mom picked out, which isn’t one I like, but it’s one Brekker loves.
We’re going to talk about this later.
I’m the first to arrive. As I take my seat, I drape my purse over the back of the chair and place my phone on the table. I glance at it before I hear Brekker’s voice.
“Hey, Leticia. Where’s your mom?”
“Last-minute change of plans,” I murmur as I rise from the seat, and he hugs me.
It’s not unusual, but after our discussion on the deck a few days earlier, I wonder if he’s taking my rejection seriously.
“No problem. Now we can relax.”
I laugh because he’s right. This won’t be nearly as exhausting now. Mom has a way of making everything stressful.
Our waiter arrives, and we place our drink order while perusing the menu. It’s going to take some time because I’m not a fan of eating things that usually have a shell. Before I can settle on something specific, my cell buzzes with an incoming text. Since it could be Mom, I glance at the screen.
If he touches you again, I’ll break every fucking bone in his body.
There’s no name for the sender, but I don’t need to see one to know who it is. The menu falls from my hands as my head snaps up, gazing outside for a glimpse of the biker I’ve been waiting four years to see.
He’s so close to the window that I jolt.
How the hell did I miss his presence?
His brows are a thundercloud against his tanned skin.
Eyes that are normally a rich brown are dark with fury, the honey color muted from the rage I can see in the clenching of his teeth.
His muscled body is a canvas of dark ink exposed by his bare arms and neck, a reminder that he’s a lethal combination of seduction and sin.
An outlaw who takes what he wants and lives by his own rules.
God, Gage is magnificent.
A gasp leaves my lungs as I shove off the table to my feet, snatching up my purse and phone as I rush out of the restaurant. Excitement floods my body as quickly as desire. This is what I’ve been waiting for. Gage here, right now, with no remaining barriers between us.
I hear Brekker curse behind me, and he tries to snatch my arm, but I shrug him off. There’s no time to whisper an apology. What can I say? He’ll never be Gage. There’s no comparison.
I’m not sure what I expect, but Gage doesn’t move when I run outside, a cry of joy on my lips. He’s leaning against his bike, a cigarette dangling from his lips. His legs are kicked out, crossing at the ankles as he smokes.
I’ve never seen him look so intimidating and irresistible.
The young man I knew four years ago has matured.
There’s a little bit of a hard edge to his jaw and a leaner cut to his muscled frame.
He’s bigger than I remember, like he’s been working out often.
Maybe he’s been using the time we’ve been apart in the gym.
“Gage!” I shout, forgetting everything around me as I throw myself at the outlaw.
He flicks his cigarette to the ground and hauls me against his side. Without a word, he continues to stare down Brekker.
The marshal isn’t intimidated by Gage. His lips curl into a grin. “Gonna pee on her next to mark your territory?”
What the fuck?
Gage doesn’t answer him. Instead, he grasps my chin, tilts my head up, and devours my lips.
It’s a bold, intoxicating, carnal kiss that I feel all the way to my toes.
His tongue plunges inside my mouth, and he tangles ours together as I hold back a moan.
I reach for his leather vest and grip the material.
My head is in a fog. I hardly know what’s happening around me.
My heartbeat, the oxygen in my lungs, even the blood pumping in my veins, is all acutely aware of Gage Blade, my stepbrother, and his touch. I wonder if I’m breathing. It’s hard to tell.
The world is tilting on its axis. I don’t know which way is up. I’m panting as he breaks the kiss, holding onto my hair with his fist, ensuring I stay exactly where he wants me.
“You’re mine, Letty Jacobs.”
Oh, God. I am—every single piece of me.
“Nod. Tell me you agree and understand, baby.”
I eagerly bob my head.
Gage breaks eye contact to stare at the marshal in front of us, and I’m vaguely aware that Brekker hasn’t moved. He stood there and watched Gage ravish my mouth. In truth, Gage staked his claim.
I guess he did piss on me in his own way.
Why was that so fucking hot?
“Now you know,” he tells Brekker.
“Know what, asshole?”
“Letty is mine. She’ll always be mine,” Gage growls. “Don’t fucking forget it.”
I almost tip over when Gage releases me. His hands rest on my hips until I’m no longer swaying. There’s a confident smirk on his lips as he releases me, sits on his bike, and leaves.
He just leaves me. Again.
What. The. Fuck.
Okay, now I’m angry.
I glare at Gage’s retreating back, shock settling over me. What just happened?
Brekker scrubs a hand over his face. “Fuck.”
I turn my head to stare at him. Blinking, I process the last few minutes. Have I just been mind-fucked by Gage Blade again?
Yes. Yes, I have.
I make a noise of frustration in my throat when I hear Brekker laugh. It’s a bitter sound with a touch of humor.
“I really fucking hate that guy.”
“Why?”
“Because he’s cocky, dangerous, and he’s taken something I can’t ever have, no matter how much I wish it was different.”
“I don’t understand.”
“You, Letty.” He slides a thick strand of my hair behind my ear. “Come on. Let’s get some food in you before you drive home.”
Brekker holds out his arm, and I slide my hand around his bicep, letting him lead me inside. Our table is still there, drinks full, and menus open.
We order food, more than either of us can eat. And we laugh—a lot. Somehow, the tension between us is broken when the prospect of anything more than friendship is off the table.
It’s the best night I’ve had in four years. No pretending. No worry. Just okay food and much better company.
By the time I drive up to my house and pull up the driveway, it’s late. I shut the garage door behind me as I park. Once I’m inside, I stash the leftovers in the fridge, pour a glass of wine, and retreat to my room.
Mom isn’t home, so most of the lights are out, and the house is quiet. I kick off my heels and change into a tank and loose shorts. It’s hot outside, but comfortable in my room.
I’m flipping through movies on my Netflix account when I hear a noise outside. There’s movement, and it’s not an animal. It’s certainly not the wind. It’s a feeling I can’t describe.
A pull that seems to resonate in the center of my chest, trying to drag me toward my balcony. It won’t release me.
Somehow, I know it’s Gage outside my window. I slip from the bed and flip open my balcony doors. And there, standing in front of me, is a man dressed in all black. I can’t see his face. He’s wearing a balaclava.
I gasp and back away from him, turning to flee. For some reason, I don’t scream. I can’t.
A hand wraps around my ponytail, halting my steps, and yanks my body backward. I collide with the stranger. His front to my spine. His hard cock digging into my lower back.
Oh, shit!
I try to fight him off as his hand wraps around my throat. So far, he’s said nothing. But when he begins to tighten his grip, I cry out.
“Shhhh,” he soothes in a husky tone.
I’m dragged to my bed. The stranger presses his palm to my spine and forces me to lie on my stomach. I’m shaking with terror and anticipation. There’s only one man who ever touches me with the same intensity, authority, and raw sensuality.
“Gage,” I whisper.
His body drapes over mine. Long arms stretch out around me as I feel his body heat. I know his scent. His voice. His arms are covered in the same dark ink I’ve licked with my tongue.
“Fuck me, Gage,” I plead. “Right here. In that mask.”
Once, several years ago, I confessed to watching and enjoying MaskTok. It’s a guilty pleasure. All those thirst trap videos of sexy, inked men wearing masks. It’s a turn on for me.
And now Gage is fulfilling one of my fantasies.
I only had to wait four fucking years.
“No,” he growls, backing up and taking his heat with him.
I pout as I turn over and flop onto my back. “Why not?”
He doesn’t answer.
I’m not sure what’s happening. A new game? Prolonging the pleasure and extending the denial?
But then he drops to his knees in front of me.
His hands reach for my shorts, and he yanks them down with my underwear.
I’m suddenly picked up. My back meets the mattress as Gage’s wide shoulders fill the space between my legs.
He tugs my bottom to the edge and almost has my ass dangling in the air.
He only lifts the balaclava enough to uncover his nose and mouth. I have no time to do more than blink before he’s diving face-first into my pussy. It’s not gentle. He spears his tongue inside me as I cry out his name.
Gage growls his approval as he takes my hands and places them on my knees. “Stay open. Wide.”
I’m so fucking lost in the pleasure that I thrash my head. My chest pants. I can’t keep my eyes open. Everything is visceral, sharp, and real. It’s pleasure and the feeling of fullness as he thrusts what I believe is three fingers into my pussy.
The obscene sounds I make fill the room.
Gage attacks my clit, rubbing in harsh circles, making me squirm. His fingers keep pumping, tilting upward to mash against my G-spot.
It’s all too much. My core clenches as I come so hard that lights dance behind my lids. I swear I can’t breathe for a moment as everything inside me detonates. I hump at his face, dig my fingers into his hair.
And he just keeps licking, sucking, and fucking me with his mouth until I can’t move a muscle. I’m boneless.
Am I still alive?
He chuckles, and I wonder if I said the words out loud.
Gage lifts me higher in my bed and covers me with my sheet. His lips press to my forehead. “Mine.” It’s all he says before he leaves and closes my balcony doors.
I have the most delicious dreams all night.
Gage wearing that black mask.
Watching.
Waiting.
Making me wonder when he’s going to break in and force me to participate in his forbidden game. I wake up hot and needy. But I won’t come without him. I want his cock. His hands on my body. The man I love at my side.
He’ll never be rid of me. I own him as much as he owns me.