Gage didn't care. He was leaving soon anyway, so why keep up pretenses? It was kind of freeing, knowing how it would end. She didn't have to worry about him breaking her heart because she wasn't going to give it to him. He didn't have to know she harbored all these feelings for him.
"That sounds like an idea I can get behind," he growled. "Or on top of, in front of, against the wall, in the shower. All of the above."
Too late to take it back now. And besides, she should have had the presence of mind to invite him deliberately. Because what better way to keep tabs on him than if they were together around the clock? That's where her mind should have been at.
"Stay the weekend. I know you have to go back to Austin Sunday night but until then? We'll order lots of takeout and never get dressed."
"That's a deal, Ms. Claremont."
His slow, sexy smile felt like a reward and she planned to grab her spoils with both hands. She'd spend the weekend enjoying herself and, as a bonus, she'd make solid progress on investigating Gage's involvement in the leak, just like she'd promised her partners. With the man in question in her bed, surely she could sneak a glance through his phone or keep an ear out in case he talked in his sleep. It was the best of both worlds and she didn't even have to feel guilty about it because she was looking out for Fyra first and foremost.
The other stuff-the emotional knot-wasn't a factor. She wouldn't let it be. She had to buckle on her armor a bit tighter while around Gage, that was all.
Gage untangled their clothes, hair and bodies, helping her resituate everything and then climbed back into the driver's seat. Fortunately, the park was still deserted or that would have been a helluva show.
She had one short weekend to get results on her quest for a name...before the other girls made a motion to relieve her of her position as head of the company she'd helped build from nothing.
* * *
Gage stopped by the hotel to pick up Arwen and his luggage, then checked out while Cass waited for him outside.
When he got back to the Hummer, he opened the back to stow his bags and waved for Arwen to hop in. That's when he realized this was not going to go well. She sat on her haunches and stared at the sky, the ground, a bug flying by. It was her way of saying she wasn't riding in the back like chattel.
"Don't be ridiculous," he growled. "There's a human in the front seat. You're a dog. Ride in the back. That's what they make this part of the vehicle for."
Nothing. He shook his head. They both knew she wasn't just a dog and this was one of the worst times in recent memory for her to remind him of it. He treated her like she was human, and she lapped it up as her due in true lady-of-the-manor style. Just because Gage had a real human to spend time with for a change didn't alter the fact that he'd spoiled her rotten due to his own lack of companionship over the years.
"What's going on?" Cass asked, her hair still loose and delicious around her shoulders.
The sight of her in that passenger seat, where she'd so sweetly offered him a fantasy weekend four seconds after giving him what he'd already thought was the ultimate encounter-amazing. He couldn't wait to dive in again.
"Arwen. In the car. Now," he muttered. "I've got a date with a shower and a wet woman and you are not going to mess it up." Louder, he called, "Just having a discussion about the proper place for a dog. One sec."
Extra motivation must have done the trick because he manhandled Arwen into the back on the first try and shut the hatch before she could leap out, which he wouldn't put past her. She gave a mournful cry that he heard even with all of the doors closed.
When he climbed into the driver's seat, Arwen had already weaseled in between the front seats, paws on the gearshift. She stuck her nose in Cass's face, clearly bent on discovering all the secrets of the woman who had usurped her spot.
Uh-oh. Arwen had never deigned to check out a woman Gage had brought into her world. Usually she ignored them. Of course, Gage always introduced her to someone off Arwen's turf and it was rare that Arwen saw the same woman twice. Gage couldn't even remember the last time he'd had a woman in the Hummer, let alone at the same time as the vizsla.
"She's so sweet," Cass exclaimed as she rubbed Arwen's ginger head enthusiastically, earning a smile from the dog.
Gage eyed Arwen suspiciously and with no small amount of shock. She never approved of anyone female, let alone someone she'd already singled out as a rival. "Yeah, that's one word for her."
Arwen muscled her way into the front seat, right onto Cass's lap before Gage could grab her collar or even warn Cass that forty pounds of dog was coming her way.
Great. It wasn't as if Cass was wearing a fifteen-hundred-dollar suit or anything-not that he'd shown much more care when he'd crumpled it up around her waist. But still. There was a place for Arwen and it wasn't on top of Gage's...date. Former lover. Current lover. Partner in crime. Whatever.
"Sorry," he threw out. "Arwen, get in the back!"
"It's okay." Cass shot him a smile as she rearranged Arwen's paws off her bare legs. "I don't mind. It's not that far to my house and she's used to riding in the front, I would imagine."
"She is. Doesn't mean she should get her way." He started the car with one last warning glare at the dog who was predictably ignoring him. "I can drop her off at a pet hotel on the way."
Both woman and dog shook their heads.
"That's not necessary," Cass said, patting Arwen's back. "She's welcome in my backyard. I have some sad little hydrangeas that would probably benefit from being eaten."
"Really?" This time, he eyed Cass suspiciously. "She'll dig up your grass. I'm not kidding."
"So? She's been cooped up in a hotel all week, hasn't she? My yard overlooks the lake and there are always lots of birds. No reason why she can't have a nice weekend, too, is there?"
Arwen's ears perked up at the mention of birds and that seemed to decide it. Casually, as if it had been her idea all along, the dog picked her way to her own seat and lay down on it without bothering to glance at Gage.
A little dumbfounded, he drove toward Cass's house and wondered what had just happened. "Okay. Thanks. Apparently that plan got the thumbs-up from Her Royal Highness."
And from Gage. He snuck a sidelong peek at Cass. There'd always been something special about Cass but he hadn't realized her skills included dog whispering.
Warmth spread through his chest. Did Cass have any clue how much he appreciated her good humor over his bad-mannered dog? The invitation to let Arwen skip the dog hotel had earned mucho points with both man and beast. And neither of them gave points easily.
Arwen heartily approved of Cass's massive backyard. The moment Cass set down the bowl of water, Gage's diva of a dog gave Cass an extra nose to the hand, which was the equivalent of a rare thank-you. Would wonders never cease?
Gage followed Cass into the house, mystified why she'd be so welcoming of his dog. And why his dog was so welcoming of the woman.
Cass needs a big, fat thank-you. Immediately.
"Show me to your shower," he commanded, his body already hardening in anticipation of a hot and wet Cass.
She raised a brow. "That's the first thing you want to do? Take a shower?"
"You say that as though I'll be by myself."
"In that case..." She pivoted on one stiletto, then climbed the wide hardwood planked staircase at a brisk trot.
He raced after her, effortlessly taking the stairs two at a time, laughing as she ducked into a room and then popped back out as if to make sure he was following her. As if he'd be foolish enough to lose her.
"You're not getting away that easily," he promised as he entered what was clearly her bedroom. He made short work of whirling her into his arms so he could strip her slowly for a much-needed round two.
When her gaze met his, it was full of promise and his breath hitched in his chest as he drew off her suit one luscious piece at a time. Never one to hold back, she got him out of his clothes lickety-split and when they were both bared to each other, he picked her up and carried her into the en suite bathroom he'd spied earlier.
She flung her arms around his neck, her own breath coming faster as she nuzzled his ear. Heat swept across his skin. Would he ever get tired of her? Usually he was done by now. Once, maybe twice, was generally enough with one woman.
Not this one. She kept drawing him back and he kept not resisting.