Page 98 of Shattered Hearts

“Don’t know why. That guy has the world by the balls.”

“His trust has been broken, and love makes you vulnerable.”

“I suppose. Just a few days until he marries Stella.”

“He loves Zarah, too.”

I press my lips together and think about what he said to her on the phone this morning. “I don’t like how he treats her. He’s callous.”

“Sometimes you have to be. Not for her, but for himself. I like him. The Blacks taught him not to take any shit. He’s doing his best and the last thing he needs is someone else kicking him while he’s down. I have a feeling he does that enough for everyone. Invite him out tonight.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. I’d like to see him sitting at Old Jake’s.”

The picture does bring a smile to my face. I’ve been pushed into their world of drivers and mansions and bodyguards. Let’s see how he does in mine. “I’ll give him a call.”

“Call Ross, too. We can buy him a couple rounds and thank him for the tips. They rang up pretty sweet last month. Made us a little.”

“You’re turning into a real social butterfly.”

Pop grins. “Never know. One day I might ask Zarah to hook me up. Now, let’s see what else we got going on. Wouldn’t hurt to call Krout and see what he says about Stacy Birmingham.”

I shoot him a look.

“Just for the hell of it.”

Pop never does anything just for the hell of it, but his persistence has paid off more than once. I tuck Zarah into the back of my mind and don’t let her out to play until late that night when I find her waiting in my bed, half naked and flipping through a magazine.

Coming home to her feels so natural, so right, but a voice rings in the back of my head, and the voice sounds like Max’s.

Don’t get used to it, because nothing this good ever lasts.

CHAPTER TEN

Zarah

Iwake up with Gage’s arms around me. He tries not to touch me while we’re sleeping—he says I can’t give my consent if I’m unconscious. I understand where he’s coming from, but sometimes it would be nice to wake up to his hands roaming my body, like even in sleep he can’t stop touching me. I’m grateful he respects my history, and I don’t say anything. I never want him to think he’s not giving me what I need. Waking up to him holding me, his hard cock pressed against my butt, is enough.

Stella and I didn’t end up going shopping yesterday, and we’re meeting in the city since I’m already here. It was a spur of the moment idea to wait for Gage at his apartment, but his pleasure at finding me here was worth the risk. I’m always afraid I’m going to bother him or he’s going to get tired of me hanging around. That’s a self-esteem issue, something Jerricka and I should be working on during our sessions, and that was another reason I wanted to talk to Gage. I don’t want to stop seeing her, and I want to know why he convinced my brother to fire her.

He knows I’m awake and his hand moves over my belly to cup my breast. I’ll never turn down making love with Gage, and I give in easily. He makes love to me gently, from behind while spooning me. After the first time, it became our favorite position. I love how he pushes his face into the curve of my neck, how his whiskers scratch at my shoulder. I love how he whispers things into my ear. Our position gives him access to every inch of my body, but his breath along my jaw, his tongue tracing the shell of my ear, those little things set me on fire, and he knows it, too.

Gage knows how to put the ‘love’ into lovemaking, and because I’ve never had that before, I find the most pleasure in the little gestures.

“You should move in with me,” he mumbles, his body quaking with the aftershocks of his orgasm. He’s still inside me, still a little hard, and testing, I tighten my muscles and squeeze. I like how it feels, how my body clutches at him. I adore how he responds, a ferocious, possessive growl.

“Really?” I like the idea, but I’m not sure Zane would be happy and I’d miss Stella and Lucille. What I would want if I could have it is Gage moving out to the house, but he would never agree to something like that and he’d hate the commute.

I must not have sounded as happy as he wanted. “Think about it. Maybe in the spring, unless you don’t want to. I know it’s too soon to be thinking like that, but I liked you waiting for me last night.”

“You didn’t mind?” He nibbles my earlobe between his lips and shivers run up and down my spine. “That tickles.”

“It’s supposed to, and I didn’t mind. Why do you think I gave you a key?”

That had been a surprise, to find his silver key on my keyring. He never told me he was going to give me a key to his apartment, and it took me a little while to realize what it was for. I don’twant to abuse the power he gave me, and last night was the first time I used it without telling him I’d be stopping by.

I’m glad he has nothing to hide from me. He would never let me in his place alone if he was keeping secrets.

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