Page 38 of Man of Honor
I’d kept my hands off him since touching him in the bath.At first, it was easy. He was healing, sleeping nearly around the clock, and my focus was only on caring for him.I’d waited years,and then weeks more after he came home.A few more days wouldn’t kill me, especially when Gage wanted it as badly as I did.I saw it in his eyes.
Now that he’d gotten his strength back, there was nothing holding us back…and yet neither of us made a move.We were stuck in a strange no-man’s-land—not friends, but never quite lovers.
“Well, look at that!” Gage cried, bolting upright in surprise.His fishing rod jerked, and the line zipped through the water.He tugged, setting the hook, and gave me a grin that lit up whole his face.“I guess I’ve still got it.”
He wrestled with the rod, biceps flexing as he reeled, face bright with pure, unselfconscious joy.The line thrashed, and he leaned back with all his strength, reeling the fish closer inch by inch.
“Get ready to pay up,” he crowed, flashing me a cocky grin.“I won that bet.”
“That’s a hell of a claim to make when you don’t even know what’s on the line,” I shot back, though I couldn’t hide my own smile.“It could be an old boot.”
With one final heave, he pulled a massive redfish alongside the boat.One of the biggest I’d ever seen.He whooped, scooping it into a net and bringing it over the side, filled with so much glee I couldn’t help but laugh.
“I’ll cook,” I said, admitting defeat when he turned to me, beaming like he’d just conquered the whole damn world.Something tugged deep in my chest.
Looking at that smile, I knew I’d do anything—move heaven and earth—to keep that smile on hisface.
Chapter Eighteen
WYATT
A satisfying,carbonated hiss escaped as I pried the cap off my beer bottle and settled into the cradle of my deck chair.Gage sat across from me, balancing a paper plate on his knees and forking down the last few bites of flaky, blackened redfish.The fire pit cracked and popped between us, shooting sparks into the night sky, and I took the chance to study his face in the flickering light.
Not long ago, he was clanging through my kitchen like a bull in a china shop, unable to enjoy the spoils of winning our bet.He couldn't cook worth a damn, over-salting everything and chopping onions like he was trying to break the board, but I loved watching him try.
He seemed lighter, like he was starting to feel at home.A rustic one-bedroom might not have the same grandeur as a centuries-old mansion, but when the world showed its worst, this place was my sanctuary.If I played my cards right, maybe it could be Gage's, too.
Over the past week, he’d overturned every square inch of the house, blowing dust off picture frames, opening and shutting cabinets, poking at the clothes hanging in my closet.Making thespace his own, so that when he inevitably left, I’d still smell and feel him on every piece of furniture.
Once he'd finished savoring his last bite of fish, he set the plate by his feet and leaned back with a sigh.His cheeks were flushed from the flames, and firelight picked out gold flecks of stubble on his jaw.
I couldn’t take my eyes off him.
“You know...you're welcome to stay as long as you want," I said, clearing my throat and trying to sound casual.“It’s not what you’re used to, but my door is always open.”
He looked taken aback, and after a beat, he said, “I wasn't born in a mansion, you know.I lived in a one-room shack so deep in the bayou you could only get to it by jon boat.Besides, have you seen the rents in Vegas?This place is a castle compared to my old apartment.”
I cocked my head, curious to hear more about a part of his life I'd been excluded from.“Didn’t Boone give you money?”
He shrugged. "Sure, but I didn't touch it.He wanted me to grow up, so I did.I’ve never needed much, anyway, and I wanted to make it on my own.”
“Did you?”
A self-deprecating smirk tugged at his mouth.“I’m back here, aren’t I?”
“What went wrong?”
He sighed and rubbed at his temples, like he was regretting starting down this road.Gage was always pushing against every line I had, but when it came to his own life, it was radio-silence.He pushed and he pushed, and then when I got close, he shoved me away as hard as he could.
Just like he’d done that night in the pool, right after coming his brains out.
Goddamn.
I shifted to ease the ache in my groin, hoping Gage wouldn’t catch the bulge beneath the fly of my jeans.
His eyes were fixed on the dancing flames.“My brothers and I made a promise that we wouldn’t leave Ben to rot forever.It was the only way they could get me on that damn bus in the first place.Boone wanted us to give it time, so we did.Mason got his law degree, and Dom…well, you know.”
I couldn't stop my reflexive scowl.