Page 48 of Losing Hope

Chapter Eighteen

Hope loweredher legs slowly back to the bed as Gage loosened his grip around her ankles, his cock sliding free as he moved to lay on the bed next to her. She arched her back as he slid an arm under her and pulled her flush to his body, a sigh of approval rumbling from his chest that her head now layon.

“Did I hurt you?” The hair against her cheek vibrated as he spoke and caused her nose to tickle. She wasn’t sure how to answer his question. Did he mean in general or in this moment? She went with the later.

“No.” She always felt shy after she had sex, and it was no different with him. She liked that he was rough with her, took control of her, but didn’t know how to voice that once the act was over. “It wasgood.”

“Good?” He chuckled. “I can probably do better thangood.”

“Okay, it was really good. Is that better?” This time, it was her turn to giggle.

“I was going to go with fucking amazing, but really good gives me room for improvement.”

She scoffed and pinched his nipple playfully in retort. “Smartass.”

He swatted her hand away from his sensitive peak and rubbed it gingerly. “Ouch. Thathurt.”

“Oh, stop being a baby. You’ve done much worse tomine.”

“Yes. Yes, I have, but I don’t believe I’ve heard any complaints.”

She rolled over so she was lying on her stomach facing him. “I do have a complaint, actually.”

His brows drew up in curiosity. “Do tell, because I seem to recall only moans of satisfaction coming from you in the last few minutes.”

She knew he thought she was still talking about the sex, which she would absolutely agree was fucking amazing, but she wasn’t anymore.

“I’d like to know why you never returned any of my calls or texts.”

He closed his eyes and let out a low groan as he raked a hand down over his face. “I was hoping we could put this conversation off and live in this bubble just a little bit longer.”

She was silent for a moment, contemplating his request, but knew in her heart she needed more answers from him. She decided to compromise slightly and see if she could learn more about his presence at the party this evening. “Were you working at the party this evening? You seemed to know Ben andDrew.”

He reached out, and she watched as he brushed a strand of hair that had fallen across her eyes out of the way, and then he swiped the pad of his thumb across her lip longingly before he replied. “I know Ben. We were stationed at the same location together. My unit went out with his quite often. He was a couple years older than me and looked out for me. I didn’t meet his brother until the other day. Their regular photographer had some kind of emergency, and they asked me to fillin.”

Her chin rested in her hands and bounced up and down as she nodded. “So, it was a last-minute thing.”

“Yeah, Ben asked as a favor.” He shifted to move on his side and asked her a question. “How do you know them? Worktoo?”

“Yes and no. Our fathers are friends and do business together, so I’ve known both Ben and Drew most of my life, but we also handle all their hotel publications, so I was actually here professionally this evening.”

She couldn’t help but notice the shadow that crossed his features when she mentioned her father and their company, and she let out a tired sigh. “I spoke to my father, Gage. I asked about what happened to your sister. I had no idea she was with my mother at the time of the accident. He hid it fromme.”

He grunted and rolled his eyes as he rose off the bed and walked to the end, finding his boxers on the floor and pulling them on. “Yeah, I’m sure he did. I would, too.”

She sat up, following his movements, her head tilting, her eyes narrowing in confusion. “I don’t understand.” She felt very naked and also got up and, finding his dress shirt, pulled it right side out and put it on. “I mean, I understand how upsetting it is to lose your sister unexpectedly like that, but why would you have kept it hidden, too?”

Gage sat back down on the end of the bed and shook his head. “What exactly did your father tellyou?”

Hope went and sat next to him. “He said my mother was in the office that day and offered to give your sister a ride home because the weather was getting worse. Apparently, she was an intern there. Mother’s car slid on the icy roads and crashed on the way. My mother died at the scene, and your sister lived for several days but eventuallydied.”

He nodded his head. “And what else? Why did he keep it fromyou?”

He was insinuating something more in his questioning, but Hope couldn’t figure out what, so she continued. “He said that the girl was the same age as me, and he felt dealing with my mother’s death was enough. He didn’t want to burden me with the girl’s death, as well. Your sister, Faith, thatis.”

His lips tightened in a grimace as he shook his head in disgust. “That’s it? Nothingmore?”

“That’s it.” She grabbed his hand and pulled it into hers. “Except that he made me understand why you pushed me away. How seeing me, and my connection to Faith’s death, would only serve to act as a reminder of what happened to her and cause you constant pain. When he made me realize this, I at least finally understood why you pushed me away without explanation. I didn’t like it, but at least I felt like I had some kind of reason.”

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