Not only that. I need her wrapped up beneath my arm after, and by my side for all the days to come.
My God, where is all this coming from?
But I don’t even care right now. I reach down and pop the top button of her pants as my desperation for her reaches its breaking point. Billie gasps again and clutches me with her arms, holding me tight as though she believes I will keep her safe.
I will, sweet thing. I always will.
My thumb and forefinger are on her zipper—
When the sound of the gallery door opening shatters the scene like a baby screaming in the middle of a movie theater.
“Oh no!” Billie whispers as she quickly lets go of me and buttons her pants up. “I have to get back to the desk! What do we—what should you—?”
She’s panicking. I place a hand on her shoulder. “Relax. Breathe. Everything will be fine. Just act normal. I’ll pretend I was here to see the art and I’ll let myself out.”
Billie looks at me, closes her eyes for a moment, takes a deep breath, then opens them. “Will I see you again?”
I nod. “Absolutely.”
3
Billie
My body is still fizzing from last night, like a can of soda that’s been left open but hasn’t quite lost its bubbles. I mean, after what happened, how could I be expected to be back to normal after just one night’s sleep? And that’s good, because it’s another completely empty day at the gallery. Not a single person has come in all day, and on top of that, it’s cloudy outside, and if I didn’t have something to think about, and my laptop with me, I think I’d be going insane.
In fact, after my encounter with Gage, I’ve actually started outlining a romance novel entitled Gage My Love for You.
I’ve never written romance before, but I just can’t get what happened out of my head, and I’ve always used my writing as a conduit for expressing myself, so why not do the same here?
Of course, chances are I’ll have no idea how to write a romance novel, and it will come out terribly, but for right now, it’s what I feel like writing, so that’s what I’m doing. At first, I was just going to add Gage into Jenny and the Dark World and have him help Jenny fight against the Dark Queen, but Jenny can handle things on her own, and Gage deserves his own book.
I’m about to start typing again when memories of last night come flooding back to me. Images of him darting forward…seizing that man’s throat with his hands…staring down the other two…
Brute strength. Dangerous ferocity that scared even me. Yet then when he held me, he held me so tenderly, with such care, assuring me he would never hurt me.
Even now as I think of it, that same heat begins to warm between my thighs.
I grab my tea, close my eyes, and take a sip. Calm down, Billie. You’re at work now. I go through a breathing exercise I learned when I was fourteen to help slow my heart rate, which I realize is higher than it should be. 1…2….3…4…
“Hey there, Jane Austen.”
The sound of Gage’s voice startles me, and I open my eyes to see him standing over me. But how is that possible? I didn’t even hear the door open. I always hear the door open.
But here he is, looking even more handsome than last night, if that’s somehow possible.
He looks like a decorated war veteran, and although I know everyone has fears, the way he’s looking at me now with his deep brown eyes, it’s hard to imagine him being scared of anything. His jaw is sharp enough to cut glass, and his forearms are so taut and muscular that I can see every vein leading down to his massive hands. This man could handle security for any club or bar completely on his own.
My body comes alive in an instant. I’m blushing, and the gentle warmth between my legs grows to a passionate heat that rivals what I was feeling last night. I sit up, arching my back, and reach both of my arms out across the desk like I really needed a stretch. I didn’t, of course, but the sudden need to show my body off to him has taken control of me.
Honestly, I don’t even know why a man like him is here. He could be dating supermodels with those looks. What’s he want with a girl like me?
“Hey there, Jack Reacher.” I smile.
“Jack Reacher?” For the first time, Gage actually chuckles slightly, and a fuzzy feeling swims through my belly that makes me want to jump into his arms. “Nah, I could kick Tom Cruise’s ass. What’s he, like five foot eight?”
This is all too new to me. A man having this effect on me. Surviving on my own for so long has made me learn to trust no one but myself. Only now, I can feel that changing within me. And that’s scary…