Page 21 of Gage (Love Under the Lights 1)

Once I had my dinner in the microwave, I reclined against the counter and pulled out my cell phone to play Mahjong. I’d done about a dozen tiles when my phone started ringing. Seeing it was Gage, I smiled as I slid my finger across the screen and brought it to my ear.

“Hey.”

“Were you trying to torture me with the outfit you wore today?”

I bit my lip and snorted out a laugh when I looked down.

“What am I wearing?” I challenged.

“A sexy black dress that shows off your perfect ass to maximum effect. I just about hit the damn floor when I saw it.”

“Are you stalking me now?” I teased.

“I set you as a Google alert,” he answered. “Every time you do anything around town, I get a notification.”

It was probably silly that I was made giddy when he said he’d set me as an alert, but it would’ve been impossible to keep the goofy smile from my face. “I’m going to have to do the same for you.”

He laughed. “Prepare for lots of pictures of me in jeans, jeans, and fucking jeans.”

I was glad we were on the phone since it meant he didn’t see the way I fanned myself. I was all about Gage in jeans. That said, I was also into him in a tuxedo or suit . . . or almost nothing at all. Sheesh. Maybe I was the stalker. I’d spent my fair share of time on the internet in the previous days looking at photos of him to qualify. I felt myself blush as I thought of the photos where he’d been shirtless.

I cleared my throat and forced thoughts of his hotness away. “Now that I know you’re paying attention I’ll try hard to dress sexier,” I teased. “Today was boring since it was just a little black dress. It’s nothing to write home about.”

His chuckle made me smile. “You’re wearing it, beautiful, which means it’s sexy as hell and the shoes make me want to do bad, bad things to you.”

The sensual tone of his voice made my stomach flip-flop. “What kind of bad things?” I asked softly.

“If I told you, it wouldn’t be a surprise,” he rasped. “For now, all you need to know is that being stuck several thousand miles away from you is killing me.”

I could feel myself blush as a smile spread across my face. “Yeah?”

“Yeah, beautiful. This separation is shit.”

I agreed wholeheartedly. The timing was terrible. We were starting something special, and I wanted to be with him, not separated by however many miles.

“It is, but since we can’t do anything about it . . . let’s talk about something happier while I eat,” I said as I pulled my mac ’n’ cheese from the microwave. Setting it down on the counter, I propped the phone between my shoulder and my ear so I could have my hands free to open the packet of powdered cheese and dump it into the cup. “How’s work?” I asked as I stirred.

There was a soft rustling sound as he yawned. “Well, I’m already in bed if that answers your question. My call time this morning was four thirty, and we went until seven tonight. I’m so tired I can barely think.”

“I’m touched that you called even though you’re exhausted,” I told him.

“You’re the best part of my day,” he said, his voice husky. “You have no idea how badly I wish I could be with you right now.”

I loved how direct he was. If he thought it, he said it. I decided to take a page out of his book. “I wish that, too,” I admitted.

“What’re you doing tomorrow night around five your time?” he asked.

I did a quick mental calculation of my schedule. “Shockingly, I’m not busy. I’ve got interviews booked starting early tomorrow morning. Then I’m having a late lunch with Gloria. After that, I’m done for the day.

“You and me. Dinner. Tomorrow night.”

I furrowed my brow. “You’re several thousand miles away,” I reminded him.

“True, but thanks to technology, there’s no reason we can’t eat together. We can Skype and eat.”

“Is Skype and eat a euphemism for getting me naked?” I asked, not entirely opposed to the idea.

He let out a low growl. “No, beautiful. The first time I see you naked won’t be through a computer. It’ll be live and in person, where I can touch and taste every delectable inch of you. Tomorrow night is just dinner. You with me?”

The visual his words sent a wave of heat throughout my body. It wasn’t a question of if we’d ever be naked together—it was a question of when.

“I’m with you,” I answered, my voice breathy.

“I’m glad, baby.”

“Me, too,” I answered.

“I’m going to set everything up for tomorrow. You don’t have to do anything at all. I’ll have the food delivered right at five.”

---