Page 99 of Reckless

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Gage

I hadn’t asked her to be my wife yet, but as we pulled out of the gravel driveway, I was already thinking of it as our house. The home where we would make a life together.

Kelly hadn’t yet seen the extra bedrooms, the room I hoped would become a nursery one day. I would show Kelly those after I got down on one knee. After she said yes.

Because she had to say yes.

My phone beeped, and when I picked it up at the same time I was taking a curve, it slipped from my fingers, going into the no man’s land between the seat and compartment.

“Can you reach that?” I asked Kelly.

She wedged her fingers down in the hole, and after much stretching, pulled out my phone, victorious.

“See which of the guys texted me, tell them I’m on the way. The concert’s about to start. They’ll be freaked.”

Kelly snorted. Oh god, I hadn’t considered what kind of language the guys might use.

“You have ten missed calls. From Jazmin.” She threw my phone at me, and it banked off the door and bounced right back into the hole.

“Kelly—”

“Don’t even! What are you doing, Gage? Bringing me to some house, telling me you’re retiring. Fucking me in the barn!”

“I didn’t fuck—”

“No, no that wasn’t fucking. That was something that doesn’t include ten calls from a woman you flaunted all over the music awards.”

“I didn’t date her!”

“Ha! Your dates were all over the news, the radio, everywhere!”

I slammed on the brakes, pulling over in front of where people were turning into the venue. I tried to take her hands, but she batted me away. “I was never with her. Ben has his eye on her. He’s been trying to win her over, and she was around every time I’ve been out with Ben. The media uses it for sensation, whether it’s truth or not.”

I paused, knowing that whatever I said next could change everything. Her hand was on the handle, and she could walk away any time she wanted.

“Please, believe me, Kelly. Please, just trust me, like you used to. And come to the show. I have another surprise.” My heart thumped, my whole body going into shock mode as her eyes fell to the carpet and I watched her run my words over in her head.

“Okay,” she whispered. “Yes, but I’ll go in as a regular spectator.” She popped the door open but turned back to me and smiled. “I’m afraid, but I’m willing to give it a shot. Third time’s a charm, right?”

I laced my fingers through hers and pulled her to me, so thankful that she hadn’t shot me down. My lungs burned, I’d been holding my breath so long. Now I could finally breathe easier again, safe in the knowledge that she still wanted me.

“It might be scary now, but it won’t be forever.” She rested her head against my chest, and I hoped that she could hear my heart pounding for her. “If this has taught me anything, it’s that I’ll never be able to love anyone as much as I love you.”

“Me either,” she murmured and tilted up her head to look at me. “It frustrates me that I can’t stop loving you, but I can’t.”

I dipped my head down and pressed my lips to hers, my whole mouth tingling with the contact. There was something calming, relaxing about this kiss—it felt more solid than the heated kisses that’d come before.

Now, it felt like the world and us were much more certain. Or so I hoped.

She got out of the car, and I watched her beautiful ass sashay its way through the crowd.

Damn, I really hoped so.