“Probably not, but I’m not going to stop trying.” Gage leaned in and added, “Let me know what’s going on with that bastard.”
“Of course,” he whispered back. The men gave each other a one-armed hug and then parted ways, neither feeling any better about the situation.
The entire drive home, Gage wondered what Baxter’s plan was. There had to be something up his sleeve. Gage had seen it all before when he was a prosecutor, so he became more paranoid about Cummings. “Damn it. Get a hold of yourself. You can’t go home and scare Hope with your insane need for blood.”
Chapter Five
Another month passed without any incident. From the information that Gage was able to gather, Cummings established a legitimate business while waiting for trial. While he seemed to be thriving and acting like he was free and clear, Hope had pretty much been locked in the house with Ethan while Gage worked on the ranch, taking out his frustration in the form of backbreaking work.
The weather heated up as summer hit and Hope ached to go outside more. She began to feel trapped again and all because of her father. He managed to have a hold on her even when she was no longer under his roof. Hope didn’t put the blame on Gage when he demanded she stay inside. Hope understood that she was in danger and so were her babies. It was the only thing keeping her trapped inside. Sighing, she cleaned up the baby’s toy area as he took a nap.
“What’s with that sigh?” She spun her head around to find Gage staring down at her.
“It’s nothing. Cleaning up toys is a wonderful chore.” She rolled her eyes at him. Most of her days were so monotonous that she was losing her mind that even her husband noticed. Even her work in the office as Gage’s assistant had become efficient and took her less time to complete each and every week.
“Do I sense sarcasm in your tone?” he questioned, a small smile creeping up the sides of his mouth that caused one of her own. He easily worked her out of her sour temper, but it was getting harder to mask the annoyance on her face. Although her stiff body loosened with his touch, he hadn’t missed the tension in her shoulders.
“No. Not at all. I love spending all day cleaning.” She rolled her eyes again, which caused Gage to drag her into his arms and crush his mouth to hers. Her grumpy mood softened and she let out a moan, but he wanted her more than placated. Gage desired her happiness.
“Sometimes, Mrs. Gibson, you need to be spanked.” She moaned with appreciation for his sensual threat.
“Promises, promises.” He spun her around with her back pressed firmly against his front to see how aroused he was. She felt every inch of steel he carried between his legs, and she let out a hissing moan, driving him insane with need, but this wasn’t about him. Tonight was all about her.
“Just for that, I’m going to have to show you I’m a man of my word tonight.” He gently bit her earlobe and then swatted her ass. “Sweetheart, come on. I want you to get ready. I’m taking you out.”
She turned back to face him and asked, “What? Why? How? What about Ethan?”
“Don’t ask all those questions and waste our time. I want to take my gorgeous wife out.” He swatted her ass again to get her moving.
Hope ran up the stairs, causing Gage to have a mini stroke. She was too pregnant to be flitting up the stairs so dangerously. “Be careful, woman,” he called out after her, shaking his head. He waited until she was out of sight before he made some calls. He wanted his security around the area he was taking Hope. Gage wasn’t taking anything for granted.
Then he called his mother to find out how long it would take for her to get over here. “I’m on my way. Relax. I had to handle the payroll,” she shushed him. He was a bit more anxiousthan he normally would be, but after Cummings being released nothing was normal.
“Thanks, Mom. Bill will be here with Chris and James doing a grid search every other hour.” He had already sent her a reminder of what they looked like as if she hadn’t met them before.
“I’m not going to say I think you’re overreacting, but that does seem like a lot of trouble.”
“My family is worth it. And if taking my wife out puts a smile on her face, I’ll do everything I can to make it happen.”
“You’re a great husband. I’m at the gate now.” She entered her code and drove up. Bill hustled toward her vehicle, helping her out of it. Gage watched it all on the cameras from his office in between pacing.
The usual guard Gage hired to follow Hope would keep his distance, but he’d always be looking out. Gage hated the idea that Cummings had gotten the better of him by just existing, so he decided the best way to get over it was to take his wife out. He pulled out his favorite gun and holstered it, hooking it onto his belt. If the fucker came at him tonight, he could shoot the bastard before he got a chance to come after Hope.
She came down the stairs looking so damn fetching that Gage wanted to take her back up to their room. “Wow, Mrs. Gibson, you are a sight.” He took her hand and raised her arm before he twirled her around. “So damn beautiful.”
“Why thank you, Mr. Gibson. You look mighty handsome yourself.” He hadn’t done much since he’d changed into a nicer pair of black boots and a black dress shirt with a brand-new white Stetson she gifted him at Christmas.
“Thank you.”
“You both look fabulous. Now get on out of here so I can spoil my grandbaby and you two can have a great time.”
“Thank you again, mom.”
“Any time.” Gage gave her a kiss on a the cheek before they both crept over to the napping Ethan. Once they kissed their baby boy, they headed out for a night of dinner and dancing. One of Gage’s favorite things was to hold Hope in his arms as they swayed to music. “Where are we going?” Hope asked as soon as he started the engine.
The last time he took her out, they came home to make baby number two. The feel of her hands over his body always sent lust shooting through him. Dancing with her was like a slow, sensual tease, leading to a night full of orgasms. “I’m feeling an itch to take my best girl dancing in San Antonio where we met. How does that sound?”
“Wonderful, Mr. Gibson.” They held hands the entire drive, feeling a little relaxed since the man he put on Cummings had him still in Austin. A message would beep on Gage’s phone every thirty minutes to let them know the baby was okay.