Page 65 of Red My Lips

“Helix.”

It takes a second, but the memory clicks of the night he’s talking about.

“You were dancing in a tight little dress,” he continues. “I couldn’t take my eyes off of you. Then you turned around, and I saw the fire blazing in those breathtaking eyes of yours. Suddenly, everything in my life made sense. Every decision in my life had led me to that moment in that club. To find you.” I hold his gaze for a moment, letting his words sink in as I flirt with my eyes.

“It wasn’t like that for me,” I say, lifting my glass to take a sip of my martini. The balance of the cocktail is impeccable. “The first time I saw you I wanted to fuck you, then I wanted to kill you. In that order.”

Gage tilts his head back and laughs at that. “With you, that sounds like a good time.”

“Hmmm, play your cards right, and maybe you’ll get lucky,” I tease. He looks at me for a moment, the humor in his expression melting into passion.

“You know now,” Gage states. “This is real.”

The this he’s referring to is us.

“Without a doubt in my mind,” I confirm, lighting a fire in his eyes.

When our meals arrive, we enjoy our food with heated glances and minimal conversation. The mood has shifted, and both of us are determined to end our dinner quickly so we can finish our night at home. As soon as the dessert plates are cleared, Gage offers me his hand and ushers me to the valet, where our car is waiting.

When we enter Gage’s house, all taunting and teasing is done—leaving nothing but passion, desire, and adoration. And for the first time since I’ve met Gage, his touch is gentle as he carries me to his bedroom and makes tender love to me. With the soft praise and reverence he handles me with, there’s only one word to describe it.

Worship.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Jill

Waking up deliciously sore, blissfully happy, and in Gage’s strong arms is like nothing I’ve ever experienced before. This feeling—the soul-deep sense of acceptance and belonging—is so foreign to me. I’ve never woken up feeling simply grateful and undeniably happy like this before. And looking at the sleeping man responsible fills me with so much love I can’t contain it.

I need to mark him.

Rolling over gently, careful not to jostle the bed and disturb Gage, I snag the lipstick out of my purse on the nightstand and turn back to face him. Swiping the color across my mouth, I lean down to press my lips against the inked skin. Looking down at my handiwork, I take in the crimson kiss. Hmm, I really like seeing my mark on Gage’s chiseled abdomen. So I lean down to do it again. And again.

Gage’s abs tense and ripple under my lips as my mouth travels across his skin—kissing, marking, and licking. I can feel him wake up against me before his eyes open. Reapplying the lipstick, I don’t stop my exploration. Gage remains completely still beneath me, but I can sense his gaze when he finally opens his eyes.

“Don’t move,” I murmur between kisses. “This is going to take a while.”

“Take your time.” His deep voice rumbles in his chest, rough with sleep. God, he sounds like the devil himself. It makes my heart skip a beat.

“I’m going to need another tube of this color,” I say, reapplying for the fifth time. At this rate, I’ll be halfway through the tube of lipstick by the time I reach his neck. I pull back and crawl up to press a kiss to his throat, making a growl vibrate through him.

“I’ll buy you a whole case,” he promises as I pick up one of his hands and kiss the center of his palm to leave the perfect lip print. Then I lift his other hand to do the same. My eyes lock with his as my lips travel up his arm. He watches me through half-lidded eyes, his muscles flexing beneath me.

A buzzing sound next to the bed pulls my focus to the nightstand as Gage’s phone vibrates with a phone call. Looking back at Gage, I’m not surprised that he’s completely ignoring it. If it’s important, they’ll call back. And until then, I have his undivided attention.

When the phone goes silent, I lean up to kiss Gage’s lips. His mouth drinks me in eagerly, his hands gripping my face like he’ll never let me go. The feeling of true belonging—heavy and sweet—settles inside me. Just when he’s about to deepen the kiss, the insistent buzzing begins again, making Gage tense beneath me in irritation. But he still doesn’t reach for the phone before it stills. When the device starts to vibrate with a third call, I can feel that our quiet morning together is over.

Pulling back from him, I press one last lingering kiss on his lips. My eyes connect with his to communicate so many feelings before I sit up. Gage’s expression is more than irritated when he reaches over to his nightstand to grab the phone. Answering the call, he presses it to his ear.

“What?” he bites the vicious greeting at the person interrupting our peace. He listens to the person on the other line, his eyes averting from me to stare at the ceiling as he pinches the bridge of his nose. “How much did they deliver?”

There’s a brief silence as he listens.

“That’s not going to cover the first hour. Where’s the rest of it? They better have two more trucks on the way right fucking now.” He pauses to listen, his expression darkening. “Fine, I’m on my way. With what they’re pulling me away from, they better prepare themselves for what’s coming for them.” His eyes move back to look at me, his eyes longing against his harsh expression.

With a few more short words, he tensely ends the call and drops the phone onto the bed in irritation. When he looks at me, disappointment wars with his anger.

“I have to go to the club. Most of the alcohol for tomorrow’s event wasn’t delivered, and I have to make a few heads roll.”

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