One Night of Sin(8)

Gage hesitated.

“If you don’t give it to me yourself, I’ll just get it some other way. I’m very resourceful.”

A sigh escaped. “Yeah, I bet you are,” he said, before reciting his digits.

She punched the number in with a broad smile. “There. Was that so hard?” She tucked her cell back in her purse. “Okay, I’m going now. You’re at work, and I don’t want to keep you.”

Before Skyler could move for the door, he grabbed her arm and pulled her toward him, his mouth capturing hers in a kiss that left her wide-eyed and breathless.

“Do you need me to call you a cab?” he said roughly.

She looked touched. “No, that’s okay. I drove.” There was a beat. “PS—if I don’t hear from you in a reasonable amount of time, I’m calling you myself. Got it?”

Gage fought hard not to grin. Shit, he really liked her. The no-nonsense attitude, the confidence.

God help him, but he really did want to see her again.

“Got it,” he said dutifully.





Chapter Four

“Sex,” Lacey said the next morning, her skeptical tone revealing her exact thoughts on the matter.

Skyler nodded.

“Just sex.”

“Yep. Just sex.” She popped the last bite of fruit salad in her mouth as she awaited a response.

From the moment she’d gotten home last night, Skyler had been dying to tell her friends about her visit to Gage, but since they were never around, she’d had no choice but to go to them. May was too busy at the museum to sneak away for a chat, but luckily Lacey had been able to squeeze in a quick breakfast in the hospital cafeteria.

“I give you a week,” Lacey finally said. “Actually, forget that. I give you a weekend.”

Skyler furrowed her brow. “Before what?”

“Before you either (a) break it off with him because sex isn’t enough, or (b) convince him to officially date you because sex isn’t enough. Common denominator? Sex won’t be enough.” With a smug look, Lacey sipped her coffee and watched Skyler over the rim of her cup.

“That’s not necessarily true,” she protested. “I’m really liking this arrangement so far.”

“You only hooked up once!” Lacey said with a laugh. “Twice if you count that first night. Of course you like it now. It’s new and exciting and who has time for conversations with a guy when you’re too busy sexing him up? But once the shine wears off and the sex stops being oh-my-God-new, you’ll want to get to know him. Suddenly you’re asking him questions like where did you grow up and what’s your deepest, darkest fear? And before long it’ll be take me to the farmers’ market, Gage, or let’s go on a picnic! And then bam! You’ve fallen for him and now you’re in a relationship.” Lacey’s tone softened. “Or even worse, you fall for him and he breaks your heart.”

“I don’t think that will happen. I mean, he’s not my usual type at all. I think that’s why it’s so exciting, you know?” Skyler absently traced the edge of her coffee cup with her index finger. “But he’s not someone I picture myself with in the long run.”

“Right. I forgot. Because you’re more interested in men of the boring and stable variety,” Lacey teased.

She stuck out her tongue, which was pretty much the only suitable response considering her friend was absolutely right. Skyler had only had two long-term relationships in her life, both with nice, dependable guys who, depressing as it was to admit, really had been kind of boring.

And yet given the choice, she’d still pick dependable and boring over wild and exciting any day. Wild and exciting didn’t pay the bills, or keep a roof over your head, or raise children with you.

She couldn’t deny that Gage made her heart pound like no man ever had, but she didn’t know much about him except that he was rough around the edges and owned a nightclub. It was way too premature to think about any sort of future with the guy.

“We’ll see what happens,” she said with a shrug. “Right now, I’m not thinking past the out-of-this-world sex.” She grinned. “Aren’t you even a teeny bit happy that I’m having fun for a change?”

“Oh, for sure,” Lacey answered. “I was starting to worry about you. Seriously. It’s not normal for someone as young and hot as you to not have a life.”

Skyler snickered. She gestured around the cafeteria, then at Lacey’s bright pink scrubs. “Look who’s talking. You practically live at this hospital.”

“Babe, you’ve seen Grey’s Anatomy—there’s a lot more than medicine and life-saving going on around here.” With a wink, the brunette nodded toward the buffet line. “For example. See that fine-assed man over there?”

Skyler followed her friend’s gaze, raising a brow when she noticed the incredibly handsome blond. “Yeah?” She turned back with a knowing look.

“Oh yeah. Dr. Josh Lewis. We have regularly scheduled hookup sessions in the on-call lounge.” Lacey wiggled her eyebrows. “Trust me. I most certainly have a life. A very, very active one.”

Skyler’s phone buzzed, putting a halt to the conversation. When she glanced at the screen, a frown immediately puckered her lips.

Her friend snorted. “Trouble in just-sex-paradise already?”

“Naah, it’s not Gage.” She paused. “Clay.”

Lacey’s expression went serious. “What does he want?”

Skyler skimmed the message again, then stifled a sigh. “Same old. Just to see how I’m doing and ask if I want to pop in for dinner this week.”

“Let me guess, you’ll reply with your usual I’m-too-busy bullshit.”

She shrugged, fighting her rising discomfort. Which only got worse when she noticed the disapproval glittering in her friend’s brown eyes.

“What?” she said defensively.

After a beat, Lacey shook her head. “Nothing. I just feel sorry for him sometimes. He’s trying so hard.”

The uncomfortable feeling transformed into a knot of guilt. It was true—her stepfather really did make an effort to reach out to her. No matter how many times she blew him off, he still kept calling, texting, and emailing every few weeks. Like clockwork.

But his attempts to connect with her only seemed to make Skyler withdraw even more. It didn’t matter how many years had passed, or how hard she tried to move past it—she still viewed Clay Rivers as the man who’d broken up her parents’ marriage, and being around him was just a bleak reminder of her mom’s betrayal and her dad’s heartache.

“I’m a real hypocrite, huh?” Skyler let out a heavy breath. “Here I am, studying to become a therapist, and yet I totally refuse to deal with my own issues. In my head I know Clay’s not fully to blame for everything that happened, but every time I see him, I can’t help but feel it.”

“I know, babe. Your whole life was turned upside down because of him. But…” Lacey sighed too. “Eventually you’ll have to make a decision. Whether to deal with this Clay stuff head-on, or just cut him off completely.”

“Eventually,” she echoed, keeping her tone light. She took a last sip of coffee before pushing her chair back. “All right. I’ve gotta hit the library. I still need to finish up my conclusion for that abuse victims paper.”

“Any big plans for tonight?” Lacey grinned as they picked up their trays and headed for the row of trash cans across the cafeteria.

“Probably not. I haven’t heard from Gage.”

“Well, I hope you do. You need to make the most of the sexy times while they’re still deliciously new.” Lacey put on a strict face. “But remember—don’t fall in love with him.”

Skyler rolled her eyes. “I’ll try not to.”

…

The warehouse was filled to the rafters. Gage swallowed a tired sigh as he maneuvered through the throng of people, wishing he were anywhere but here. The crowd was more boisterous than usual, releasing cheers, jeers, and deafening screams as the two fighters in the cage beat the crap out of each other. And the air was sweltering hot, thanks to the hundreds of bodies crammed in the large space. He was already sweating, and he hadn’t even gotten in the cage yet.

He ignored the wave of hellos and back slaps he encountered on his way to the roped-off area on one side of the room, where three rows of “elite” seats offered an unobstructed view of the cage. Several shady characters occupied the VIP seats, although on paper, everything about the arena was legal. Permits, liquor licenses, vendors—all aboveboard. And yet there was nothing aboveboard about the man who ran the fights.

Mitch O’Donnell rose at Gage’s approach, looking pleased as punch to see him. He was a big man, six five to Gage’s six two, but lanky rather than built. He had pale skin and red hair tied back in a ponytail, and an unlit cigar dangling from the corner of his mouth. “Glad you made it, Holt.”

He said it as if Gage actually had a choice in the matter.

“Any instructions for tonight?” he asked after he’d nodded in greeting.

Mitch raised one reddish eyebrow, waiting for clarification.

“Do you want me to win or lose?” Gage said in a curt voice.