Page 18 of The Flame of Carson
Stacey's heart melted and she blew out a long breath.“Gage, baby, I didn't tell you about this BECAUSE of what happened to Krista.Hell, I haven't even told her about it and she's one of my best friends.All she knows is, Walt offered me this job after Jerry died, which is true.I turned it down.Again true.I told her I finally accepted because New York wasn't the same without Jerry and because my own parents had moved.That’s partially true.”
She rose from her chair as he sat the flower and mug on her desk.She walked to him and slid her arms around him, his own arms enclosing her, sheltering her.Her head resting against his chest.“I don't want to fight about this.I know I should have told you about it when this all started, but since there hasn't been physical contact, I didn't see the point.I told Walt that if he does manage to locate my email here, I would go to those friends of Krista and Danny’s at the FBI, I also promised him I would tell you.”
She felt her chin being lifted and looked into the brown eyes of her lover, her friend, her man.“I get it.So, we'll wait.Okay?”Gage said.
“Okay.”she nodded.
“But, if he does reach out to you here, I'm going with you to meet with Fortner and Harker.Then we'll go to Blackout and tell Ethan.Deal?”he stated.
“Deal,” she agreed.
She sighed when he leaned down and kissed her tenderly.Her hands slid up his back and sank into his hair as a whimper escaped her.Gage's hand slid down her back, over her hips, then cupping her ass, lifting her off her feet.
“Gage.”
“Yes?”
“Make love to me.Please...”
That was all she needed to say, and he was carrying her out of the office, across the hall and back into the guest room.The sound of the door being kicked shut was her last coherent thought before Gage's lips were once more devouring hers.
––––––––
––––––––
Gage sat on Stacey'ssofa watching some action movie.Stacey was laying on her back, her head resting on his thigh as she flipped through one of the dozens of manuscripts from the pile on her coffee table.He felt...content.Happy.Something he hadn't felt with a woman in a long time.
“Ugh, everyone thinks they're a writer these days.”Stacey grumbled, tossing the manuscript into the reject pile.
“What was wrong with that one?”he chuckled.
“Well, the thing was SUPPOSED to be a romantic suspense, but it read like a bad knock off of Law-and-Order episode mixed with bad porn.The spelling was atrocious, the punctuation nonexistent, and the flow of the story itself was all over the place.”she stated, reaching for another.
“Damn, your harsh woman.”he laughed.
“It's a harsh business,” she shrugged, reading the query letter attached.
Shaking his head, Gage leaned down and kissed her quickly before returning to his movie.Without looking at her he spoke again, “So why aren't you a writer?I mean you seem to know about this stuff.”
He glanced down when he felt her shaking and saw she was laughing.“Trust me, you don't want me to write.I barely squeaked by in school and college when it came to writing shit.Now, picking it apart and making corrections, I'm good at writing...yeah don't think so.And if you don't believe me, ask Krista.”
“What do you mean?”he asked.
Stacey sat up and looked at him with a smile, “About a year after I signed Kris as a client me, her and Jer had gone out and had a bit too much to drink, she challenged me and Jer to a writing contest.When she read mine, she just told me not to quit my day job.I suck at writing, well, the type that she does anyway.Besides, where else am I going to get paid to read the next potential best seller?”
With a wink, she shifted back so her head rested on his thigh once more.Shaking his head, Gage returned to the movie while now absently stroking his hand over her hair.Yet despite how content he appeared; his mind was still turning over the information she had dumped on him that morning.
‘Perhaps, I should call up Walt and see what else he can offer me.After all, the more information I have, the better I can help her, right?Especially if he does discover that she is here in Austin.Yes, that's what I'll do.I'll call Walt up in the morning.after I drive her to work,’ he thought.
“Hey babe?”
“Hmmm?”she replied without looking away from the manuscript.
“I was serious about taking you to work tomorrow.Now, before you get huffy, just hear me out.I was going to tell you I wanted to drive you to work tomorrow even before you told me about this asshole.I'm still coming to grips with the fact that you're actually here.”
“You really want to do that?Drive me to work?”she questioned.
“Yes,”
