Gage

Chapter 10

Wren

My heart was breaking for him the more he spoke. I knew something traumatic had happened based on the way everyone acts with him but I wasn't expecting that. To hold your significant other in your arms as they take their last breath. That would break anyone. The fact that he can still show love and affection towards anyone is astounding to me. I understood his pain in a sense.

“I'm sorry.” I said softly to him and he looked at me confused.

“Why are you sorry? It's not your fault.” I sighed and thought about my words before I spoke.

“While it's not my fault, I am allowed to feel sorry that you went through that. It's not a pity though. I wouldn't ever want anyone to pity me and I have a feeling you don't either. No one should have to go through what you went through. It's clear to see how much you loved her and still do. I'm sorry that you lost your other half and I'm sorry for Marley. Marley is such a bright and sweet little girl and she means a lot to me. It breaks my heart to know that you both went through all of that.”

He gets a lost look on his face as if he's lost in his own memories. He lifts his hand and runs it through his blonde hair which is so much like his daughter's and he sighs. “Thank you. I think that is one of the things I hate the most about my situation. The pity from others. There was a point where everything was dark and I couldn't even look at Marley. She has her mother's eyes and it was painful to see them. But I made it through. My parents were a big help though.”

“Your mother is wonderful. The few times I've met her, she's been nothing but kind. I've only met your dad once though, but he seems nice. Marley loves him!” Gage's eyes hardened a bit and I'm not sure what I'd said that was wrong. “That's Axel. He's my dad in every sense of the word. He married my mom when I was 18. My sperm donor, however I haven't heard from since then.”

The more I find out about him the more it's easy to understand his mannerisms and his actions. He clearly has a traumatic past. We both do. Hurt people understand each other the best. My pain speaks to him, and his trauma signs and pacifies mine. We spar so much perhaps because we are so alike.

I nodded at him and it was quiet. It wasn't awkward though. “It's nice, being able to have a conversation with you without it ending how it usually does.”

He had a smirk on his face and was no doubt imagining all of the times we took pop shots at one another. “You do have a fiery personality for someone who is so little.” he said, eyeing me. “So little but fierce. You didn't take my bullshit. You gave me back what I dished out and even sometimes handed me my own ass.” I blushed at his compliment.

“But delicate. I see how tenderhearted you are. It may not look like I have been paying attention but I'm observant. You are naturally kind, and graceful and when you think no one is looking or watching and you let your guard down you're radiant. Like a little dove.”

His hand caressed my cheek as he spoke and I could feel the heat coming from his skin. Every time we touched, I felt this connection, almost like this was right. This was how things were supposed to be.

His thumb rubbed my lower lip and I'm not sure what possessed me but I nipped at his thumb with my teeth before soothing the bite with the tip of my tongue. He raised a brow at me and his chest rumbled with a deep chuckle.

“You're playing with fire, little dove. You're going to start something that you can't finish.”

Oh, how I wanted to finish it though. I wanted to push him. I wanted to see what his limits were. I wanted him to test mine. I wanted to see for myself if this attraction I felt was one sided. It's one thing to hear someone say it but it's another thing to see the actions. I wanted to see if this was simply attraction or if there was something more. Was this all in my head or was this real.

His thumb pinched my chin as he continued looking at me. His eyes are nearly black with lust. I licked my lips and clenched my thighs together hoping to ease some of the tension I felt in my body.

It may have been a blizzard outside, but it felt like a tropical storm in this living room. I could feel my heart beating all over my body and the energy in the room sizzling.

“Why me, why now?” I couldn't even form a coherent sentence. My mind was all jumbled with his touch burning on my skin. How was he able to forget about the vow he made himself? How is he able to withstand attraction when he tried for so long to fight it? Why me? What is so great about me?

“I don't know. All I know is I'm tired of fighting this. I'm tired of fighting with myself. I'm tired of forcing myself to not feel something that I so desperately want to feel. I guess for so long it was fear holding me back.” I stayed silent for a bit and his hand never left my body. His thumb continuously stroked my cheek as if I was the most delicate flower petal.

“I was afraid to feel things. I was afraid to open myself up. I didn't want to risk going through what I did with Savannah again. I used that as a crutch. I told myself that was part of the reason I was so awful to you. Then my own ignorance drove the rest of the wreckage there. As for ‘why you?’ I will ask you, why not you?”

It took me a moment to realize he was waiting on a response from me. A response I couldn't give him, because I myself didn't know. My self worth and confidence have been at rock bottom for longer than I am able to admit. I wasn't asking for a pity party, I just truly didn't know why anyone would want me. I'm damaged goods. I'm broken.

His brows scrunched and I heard a growl rumble from his chest. He was damn near animalistic with rage.

“You are not damaged goods. You are not broken. You may not know why you but I do.” my breathing halted for a second. Not out of fear but out of shock. I hadn't realized that I had spoken aloud. But also at the conviction of his voice and the way he sounded so sure about me. The way he sounded confident in what he spoke. It was all new for me.

“You may not see it but everyone else does. You are kind. You are tenacious. You somehow have this annoying ability to make the sweetest pitcher of lemonade when all life is giving you is sour and rotten lemons. You haven't allowed anyone to walk all over you here. You may not see the backbone you're forming but I do. You are patient, especially with me. Your workers love you. My daughter adores you. The amount of times I have been asked to invite you to dinner, to come over early, to have sleepovers, to spend time with the horses just so she can see you would make your head spin. Marley has taken to you like a bee with the prettiest tulip in spring and as a father there is nothing that makes my heart warmer than that. Her happiness and needs always come first for me and with you, I know she's happy. I know she's safe. I know she is cared for. You are stubborn as your mules though. It has made it quite fun to poke the bear in a sense. I've never gotten a hard on for anyone as much as I do when going rounds with you. You are frustratingly beautiful. So much that it pains me to look at you sometimes. You are creative, you are successful.” I started to interrupt him and he pinched my lips together halting me from speaking.

“I'm not done.” he deadpanned. There's more?

He smirked at me as if reading my thoughts. His expression was one of ‘I told you so’ and victory.

“You may not see your worth Wren, but I do. You aren't overly confident, you don't boast, and you are like the real life version of snow white with animals which are still baffling to me. You are shy and innocent though I have a feeling you have a wild kitten trapped beneath the skin begging to be let out. When you're frustrated you get this look on your face and your nose scrunches and your dimples always come out for your genuine smiles. You don't care about people's statuses or the amount of money they have. You care about the way people treat you and the character that they possess. You don't judge people by the clothes they wear but by the person they are. I could go on for hours little dove, but what I'm trying to say is anyone would be blind to not choose you, cherish you, or worship every inch of your body.”

My body was nearly vibrating with anticipation. Could he possibly mean what he said?

The look on his face tells me he's 100% serious. His face was so close to mine I could feel each breath he took hit my skin like a soft kiss. His eyes went from my eyes to my lips and my tongue darted out to moisten them without my own permission. Traitorous body. Was it really a traitor if I wanted him as badly as I did right now? Absolutely not. Yes, definitely not.

Before I could blink his hands had cupped my face and his mouth descended on mine. His lips were soft and I could taste the cocoa that we had earlier on them. What started as a little press of his mouth to mine quickly turned heated. It was like a light switch flipped. I couldn't get enough of his taste and he had to have more of me.

He nipped my lip and the little shock of pain felt so good. He kissed me like I was the only thing he ever needed. It was everything. It was lustful. It was pure hunger.