As the elevator door opened on the second floor of Gage’s building and they made their way into his apartment, Abby released a quiet breath. Though the place looked the same— hardwood floors, Persian carpets, comfortable furniture, and an intriguing mix of objects from around the world—much had changed.
Starting with Gage taking the handle of her carry-on and wheeling it into his own roomy, masculine bedroom instead of the guest room. She had never been in the room before.
She took a look around, appreciating the polished wood floors and the open arrangement of the furniture. A king-sized four-poster draped with soft white netting dominated the room.
There were several wood-paneled walls, one behind a tufted brown leather sofa. A grouping of three tall red patterned jars sat in the corner, and an oil painting of a stalking lion took up most of another wall.
A lion, she thought, for a lion of a man.
“It suits you,” she said.
“You like it?”
She smiled. “I do.”
Gage tugged the carry-on farther into the room. “We’re sleeping together. Might as well make it official.”
The action surprised her. Gage wasn’t a one-woman man. She hadn’t expected him to want this kind of closeness. She hadn’t even been certain he’d want the relationship to continue.
“Are you sure? I thought—”
“I want you. If you think what happened between us in the mountains was anywhere near enough, you’re sorely mistaken.” To prove it, Gage pulled her into his arms and very thoroughly kissed her.
Surely we’re both too tired to make love, Abby thought in some distant part of her brain, but her body seemed to disagree. As Gage deepened the kiss and his big hands took control, heat burned through her, and the last of her weariness slipped away.
In minutes, she was naked and so was he. She wished she had more time to admire his amazing body, but the hungry need inside her demanded to be sated, and Gage seemed as ravenous as the lion on his wall.
They made love for hours, first in a frenzy of passion that ended in an earth-shattering climax, then more slowly, a lazy journey of exploration that spiraled into a second satisfying release. Exhaustion finally caught up with them, and she fell asleep in Gage’s arms.
It was almost dawn, gray light filtering through the curtains, when his restless movements awakened her. Abby found herself sprawled over his thick chest, her head on a muscled shoulder, one of his arms draped possessively across her middle. Sleeping on the ground inches apart wasn’t anywhere near the same as being held by him, loved by him.
Not loved, she reminded herself. Aroused by him, satisfied by him. Gage wasn’t the kind of man a woman dared to love. Still, it was a moment she wanted to remember. Abby closed her eyes, determined to absorb every sweet detail, but Gage’s restless movements ended any hope of more sleep.
Suddenly his big body jerked upright and his eyes flew open. “Cassie, no!” Gage blinked himself awake, leaned back against the headboard, and raked his hands through his thick dark hair. He looked at Abby, his blue eyes filled with regret and pain.
“It was only a nightmare,” Abby said, stroking a hand gently down his arm. “It’s over. Everything’s okay.”
Gage released a slow breath. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. I should have thought about the nightmares before I suggested you sleep in here.”
A muscle tightened in his jaw as he swung his long legs to the side of the bed. “Not a subject I like to discuss.”
“Gage . . .” Abby reached for him, but he moved away. She watched him stride naked toward the bathroom, and desire swept through her, entirely unexpected after the incredible night they had shared.
Gage paused at the bathroom door and turned back to her. “On second thought, it’s probably better if you sleep in the guest room. That way, I won’t keep you awake.”
Hurt slithered through her. She had known their affair wouldn’t last long, but she hadn’t expected it to end so soon. Apparently last night had been enough for him. Or maybe she had somehow disappointed him.
She bit her lip. Or perhaps there was a woman in Denver he hadn’t mentioned before.
She lifted her chin, determined not to let him see the pain that tightened her chest. “If that’s the way you want it.”
Gage closed the bathroom door, and she heard the rush of water as he turned on the shower. Abby buried the hurt and longing, pulled on her jeans and T-shirt, grabbed her carry-on, and headed for the bathroom off the guest room down the hall.
She would call Tammy, find out if her friend was still staying with Jed. With luck, Tammy would let her use the apartment while it was still empty. Hopefully, the vandalism had been repaired to Tammy’s satisfaction, earning her friend’s forgiveness.
After a quick shower, she changed into a pair of stretch jeans that showed off her curves and a lightweight blue V-neck sweater that showed some cleavage.
She wasn’t above a little revenge. Let him see what he was missing.
Her carry-on repacked, Abby called Tammy.
“Jed and I are doing great,” Tammy said. “I’m crazy about him, Abby. Staying at my place isn’t a problem. You’re still interested in taking over the lease, right?”
She thought of Gage and swallowed. “That’s right. I’ve got some things to do this morning. Then we can talk about it.”
“Great. Jed’s working. I’ll be home all day. Come over whenever you’re ready.”
Abby ended the call and towed her bag into the kitchen in search of Gage, only to discover he wasn’t there. She thought about leaving him a note and simply calling an Uber, but after everything they’d been through together, it didn’t seem right.
The key to the safe deposit box seemed to burn in her pocket. She was anxious to find out what King had left her at the bank. She’d been hoping Gage would go with her, the first step in getting him to agree to continue the search. But after his abrupt departure this morning, their partnership was likely at an end.
Her heart squeezed. She was already half in love with him. Since he didn’t return her feelings, maybe it was better this way, better to put Gage behind her and head for Mexico with someone else. Or hire someone once she got down there.
Abby steeled herself. She had known this could happen. She had no one to blame but herself.
Figuring he was in his office, she gathered her courage and went downstairs to confront him. Instead, as she headed down the hall toward his office door, she ran into Jack Foxx.
Tall, black-haired, and ridiculously good-looking, Foxx ran his startling blue eyes over her in a lingering perusal that would have had most women’s hearts pounding. Unfortunately, at the moment, hers was mostly in shreds.
Foxx smiled. “Welcome home, pretty lady.”
Abby blushed at the compliment. The man certainly lived up to his rakish reputation. “Thanks, it’s good to be back.”
“So I guess your treasure hunt was a bust. Plenty of excitement though, as Gage tells it. I’m glad you didn’t get hurt.”
“The trip was tough, but the truth is, I loved it. At least most of it. The desert was amazingly beautiful, just in a different way from the mountains here.”
Foxx started nodding. “I spent some time in the Ennedi in Africa. The desert’s definitely got its own special appeal.”