Guarding Hope

“What if I said I wanted you to do it?”

“That’s good. And I knew that, but I’m not talking a one-time thing. I’m talking a lifetime. If you’re not ready for that, well then, you can just relax and carry on here as my guest, but you’re not leaving.” He raised the drink to his lips and guzzled the entire glass of tea in one long gulp, releasing a contented sigh. “Drink up. You have a lot to tell me about this whole damn thing.”

She sipped on the tea, attempting to delay the conversation.

“You can start talking now or wait, but you will have to tell me before I let you leave the kitchen.”

“You sound like my father.”

“I’m nothing like that piece of shit. I’m trying to help you out, but I need to know what the fuck I’m up against.”

Hope dipped her head down, looking at her lap as she decided her next move. She took a deep breath and another drink before working up the courage to explain why she ran. “My dad was in the process of selling me off to Alfonzo Navarro.”

“Sell you for what?” Gage’s eyes narrowed, and his chest markedly rose and fell as he realized what was going on.

“For two million dollars to be Navarro’s virgin mistress.”

“What?!” he roared. His fist violently slammed onto the granite countertop, startling her.

“Well, I escaped. I told you I was a lot of trouble,” she reminded him.

He crossed around the island and stood in front of her chair. Without saying a word, he cupped Hope’s chin, tipping her head up, and then he closed his mouth down on hers. Moans escaped their lips as his hand slid into her hair, pulling her closer to him.

Gage was the first to reluctantly pull back. “Fuck. You’re trouble, but it has nothing to do with Navarro or your father. You’ve done fucking ruined me for anyone else. And no matter how much I want to drill your pussy until you’re bred with my heir, this isn’t the time.” He took another step back and adjusted his evident erection. “Excuse me.”

Gage left the room to get ahold of his emotions. From the second he saw Hope, he’d thought of her as someone special, and he had to get to know her. But now Gage was certain that she was the one, and someone threatened to take her from him. He’d find a way to bury Navarro and Cummings so deep they’d never be found.

Entering his home office, he saw the reminder on his desk calendar. He was due to head out to another cattle auction in Kingsville in three days. Shit. He would have to miss this one. There wasn’t any way he’d leave Hope here unprotected, and he couldn’t take her because there were a lot of people out looking for her.

The screen door slammed open, sending Gage running from the other room to see Hope standing in the middle of the room with her bag in her hand. He closed the distance quickly, slipping his arm around her waist and holding her tightly against his body. His heart raced, thinking she’d fled.

“I’m not going anywhere. I just wanted to grab my bag.”

“You should have told me. I don’t want you roaming outside.”

“Roaming? It was like twenty feet away from the house.”

Gage cocked his brow, unmoving.

“I get it, but I’ve been a prisoner since my mother died. As scary as today was, I’ve had the first taste of freedom in forever.”

“You’re going to make me kill your father. Let me show you to your room.” He bent down and stole a kiss, leaving Hope weak in the knees.

“My room?” she rambled.

“Yeah. Come on.” Gage grabbed the hand of the still-stunned Hope and walked her upstairs. He opened the first door right off the top of the staircase. “This is my room. If you need me, I’m just right here.”

Hope stared into the large room with a king-sized bed in the middle between two windows with matching nightstands. A hint of jealousy crossed her face before she looked up at Gage.

“Where will I sleep?”

“Over here.” He directed her to the room next to his, twisted the doorknob, and led her inside. “This is your room until you’re ready to be mine. Then you’ll never spend a night without me wrapped around you.” Gage realized he was pushing way too fast, but he couldn’t help himself. It just kept pouring out of his mouth every chance he had.

Gage moved away from the door to give her the space to walk in. “Are you hungry?”

“A little.”

“I’ll get dinner started.”

“I can help with dinner.”

“Just get settled. Then we can talk. I need a moment, okay—and don’t go outside without me again. Understood?”

Chapter 7

Hearing a truck ride over the gravel, Gage looked out of his living room window. Seeing his foreman’s truck, he darted up the stairs to warn Hope. He barged through her door, forgetting to knock, only to find her coming out of the shower with just a large towel wrapped around her.