“I hadn’t gotten that far in my escape. Somewhere far away, I suppose.”
“I say youwerebecause you’re not going anywhere. Your pretty little ass is staying put. I can see that look in your eyes. I’ve seen it on many of the defendants. You’re itching to bolt, but I’m going to tell you the world out there isn’t kind, and by the manhunt out there for you, I doubt you’ll be safe on your own. Fuck, even if there wasn’t a host of pieces of shit roaming the state for your ass, there are tons of perverts that love to attack a defenseless little girl.”
“I’m not a little girl.” She slapped her hands on her waist, huffing at him, which made her perky tits bounce and jut forward, destroying his integrity one movement at a time.
Leaning forward with his forearms on the island, he grunted out, “Honey, I am well aware of it—more than you probably understand.”
Reading his intent, she gasped. “Huh, so that’s it. I’m with a pervert, and well, you want first dibs.”
He reached out and tapped her chin with one finger. “Get your mind right. I’m here to protect you. I can’t say that I don’t want to spread you out on this counter and taste every inch of you, but I’m not going to make a move until you want it.”
“What if I said I wanted you to do it?”
“That’s good. And I knew that, but I’m not talking a one-time thing. I’m talking a lifetime. If you’re not ready for that, well then, you can just relax and carry on here as my guest, but you’re not leaving.” He raised the drink to his lips and guzzled the entire glass of tea in one long gulp, releasing a contented sigh. “Drink up. You have a lot to tell me about this whole damn thing.”
She sipped on the tea, attempting to delay the conversation.
“You can start talking now or wait, but you will have to tell me before I let you leave the kitchen.”
“You sound like my father.”
“I’m nothing like that piece of shit. I’m trying to help you out, but I need to understand what the fuck I’m up against.”
Hope dipped her head down, looking at her lap as she decided her next move. She took a deep breath and another drink before working up the courage to explain why she ran. “My dad was in the process of selling me off to Alfonzo Navarro.”
“Sell you for what?” Gage’s eyes narrowed, and his chest markedly rose and fell as he realized what was going on.
“For two million dollars to be Navarro’s virgin mistress.”
“What?!” he roared. His fist violently slammed onto the granite countertop, startling her.
“Well, I escaped. I told you I was a lot of trouble,” she reminded him.
He crossed around the island and stood in front of her chair. Without saying a word, he cupped Hope’s chin, tipping her head up, and then he closed his mouth down on hers. Moans escaped their lips as his hand slid into her hair, pulling her closer to him.
Gage was the first to pull back reluctantly. “Fuck. You are trouble, but it has nothing to do with Navarro or your father. You’ve done fucking ruined me for anyone else. And no matter how much I want to drill your pussy until you’re bred with my heir, this isn’t the time.” He took another step back and adjusted his evident erection. “Excuse me.”
Gage left the room to get ahold of his emotions. From the second he saw Hope, he’d thought of her as someone special, and he had to get to know her. But now Gage was certain that she was the one, and someone threatened to take her from him. He’d find a way to bury Navarro and Cummings so deep they’d never be found.
Entering his home office, he saw the reminder on his desk calendar. He was due to head out to another cattle auction in Kingsville in three days.Shit.He would have to miss this one. There wasn’t any way he’d leave Hope here unprotected, and he couldn’t take her because there were a lot of people out looking for her.
The screen door slammed open, sending Gage running from the other room to see Hope standing in the middle of the room with her bag in her hand. He closed the distance quickly, slipping his arm around her waist and holding her tightly against his body. His heart raced, thinking she’d fled.
“I’m not going anywhere. I just wanted to grab my bag.”
“You should have told me. I don’t want you roaming outside.”
“Roaming? It was like twenty feet away from the house.”
Gage cocked his brow, unmoving.
“I get it, but I’ve been a prisoner since my mother died. As scary as today was, I’ve had the first taste of freedom in forever.”
“You’re going to make me kill your father. Let me show you to your room.” He bent down and stole a kiss, leaving Hope weak in the knees.
“My room?” she rambled.
“Yeah. Come on.” Gage grabbed the hand of the still-stunned Hope and walked her upstairs. He opened the first door right off the top of the staircase. “This is my room. If you need me, I’m just right here.”