Page 67 of Silver Secrets

She nodded, getting to her feet, but not saying anything about the way he led her to his bedroom. There was just that same, sweet smile on her face when he pulled back the blanket for her to slide in under.

“Sweet dreams, Sloane.”

“Where are you going? You can’t keep working, Gage. You need to rest, too.”

“I’m sleeping on the couch, remember.”

“Would you…” she bit into her bottom lip. “I mean, you should sleep in your room.”

His eyes bounced over to the chair in the corner. He’d definitely slept worse places, but there was no way his headache would go away sleeping up like that. “I could stay in here if you’re not feeling safe.”

“Not in the chair, Gage. I would feel better if we slept together.” Her whole face blossomed into the prettiest shade of pink he’d ever seen. “I just mean sleep. I want to make sure your headache doesn’t get worse, and I think I need you close just to feel… safe.”

“Okay, Red. We can sleep together.” He winked, immediately laughing as she let out the cutest little huff and rolled her eyes. She grabbed the edge of the comforter like she was getting ready to pull it over her body more for coverage. “I’m going to sleep on top of the blankets. We can put pillows between us if you think that will help.”

There she went again, biting that bottom lip. It took every bit of strength he had to not reach over and run his finger over the tender flesh. “No pillows.”

“Okay. No pillows.” Gage groaned as he laid his head down. His eyes drifted close almost immediately, so when he felt her hand slide into his, it jolted him.

“Is this okay?” Sloane whispered, her voice so soft and full of worry. Fuck. His control almost snapped, his whole body screaming at him to wrap his arms around her and pull her into his chest.

“Red, for me? This is fucking heaven.”

* * *

Sloane woke to a vicious groan filling the room.

“Gage?” She reached her hand out, trying to find where he was in the bed, but she must have rolled away from him at some point because there was no warmth around her.

“Sorry. I’m fine. Migraine. Just gonna be sick.”

Her eyes flew open and she threw back the comforter. He was hunched over on the edge of the bed, somehow looking even more in pain than when she had fallen asleep. “Here.”

He held up his hand. “Can’t go in there with the light on. I’ll go down the hall.”

“No. Wait a second.”

Sloane took off into the bathroom, shutting off the light and forcing herself to breathe as the soft glow from the nightlight illuminated the space. When she got her heart rate under control, she rushed back to his side, her arms going around his back, steadying his wobbly movements as she helped him to the bathroom.

“Don’t want you in here for this, Red. I’ll be fine.”

“I’ll go get some ice for your head. And a soda. Call out if you need me.”

She turned, closing the door just in time to hear Gage start bringing up his dinner. Poor guy.

It only took a minute to grab a bag and fill it with ice. She marched back into the bedroom, letting the kitchen light she’d left on filter through the slightly opened door. It was probably wishful thinking, but Sloane was half expecting him to be sitting back in bed when she got back. Instead, the bed was empty, the comforter still rumpled and thrown haphazardly to the side of the mattress. She cracked the bathroom door open and felt every muscle in her body stiffen as she rushed in.

Gage was laying on the floor, his eyes closed and his face pale.

“Hey,” she whispered. “Gage? You okay?”

“Yeah,” he croaked, not moving a single muscle.

“How long have these been happening?” She couldn’t hide the worry in her voice. The soda teetered on the edge of the sink, so Sloane pushed it in a little further onto the counter top before getting the ice set how she wanted it in the towel.

“After Mel and Mikey’s funeral, I had my first one.”

She sighed, understanding that stress was clearly a trigger for him, and she’d invited in an avalanche of stress into his life recently.

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