going to be here, if he was going to be in her business, well, then he owed her this. He really did. Whether it was pity or not. It shouldn’t matter to her. The only thing that mattered was getting what she wanted. What she needed.
So, he needed to feel like he was giving her something, like he was taking steps toward atoning for his sins, whatever. She needed to put the monster to bed. She needed to start untangling the ways in which this had affected her life.
This seemed like a pretty good start.
“It’s fine, Finn,” she said. “I don’t need you to punch anyone out today.”
She couldn’t tell if the look on his face was brought about by skepticism, or by the fact that she was rejecting him. “Give me a call if you need anything,” he said, backing away from her and Gage.
“He’s not your boyfriend, is he?” Gage asked.
“If he were my boyfriend and that’s all he did to keep me from leaving with another man, I would break up with him. Let’s go.”
She stalked through the bar, doing her best to avoid looking at anyone. By tomorrow, she was going to be the subject of gossip, she just knew it. It was unavoidable. She had burst into the bar wearing an outfit that was advertising her intentions, then danced all up on Finn Donnelly, before leaving with another man.
Oh well. At least she was making a scandal, and the whispers behind their hands wouldn’t just be about how poor and sad she was. About how beautiful she would be if she weren’t damaged. About how tragic it was that her mother had left her. And how very brave she was to persevere in the face of it. Yeah, she would rather be the subject of this kind of gossip. At least it was interesting.
The night air bit into her skin, the cold coastal mist that settled over her face, sinking right in and chilling her down to her bones. But, she wasn’t cold for long.
Gage grabbed hold of her, hauling her into his arms and kissing her, deep and long. She lost herself in it, in him. And she let her mind go blank. Of everything. Let herself forget that any time had passed between the moment he had held her at his house, that first moment his lips had touched hers, and this moment.
She wanted to forget all about Finn. Wanted to forget about what she had almost done. That she had even for one moment entertained the idea of being with another man when Gage was the one who she wanted. It didn’t make sense. None of it did. And maybe it was all anger. Anger getting bound up in this hang-up that she had that was so big it was impossible to ignore. Really, it was impossible to separate them from each other.
Because what she hadn’t done, and what she had done, were largely dictated by the accident. And so, it was tied up in him.
Her body rebelled at that idea, forcing the thoughts out of her mind. And yeah, maybe it was best she didn’t think of it. Maybe it was best that she just pretended that she wanted him. That he was a stranger. And she was just a woman who needed a man very badly. Maybe that was the key. The way to cling to the tiniest sliver of sanity she could find.
If there was any sanity to be found in this.
She shivered, feeling hot all over by the time he released her. “You drunk?” he asked.
“Why?” She answered his question with a question mostly because she couldn’t really remember if she was drunk or not. She felt sluggish, a little bit dizzy. But it had nothing to do with the single sip of beer she’d had, and everything to do with the kiss that she’d shared with Gage just now.
“First of all, if you’re drunk, you’re not driving. Second of all, if you’re drunk, we’re not doing this. Well, depending on how drunk.”
“I’m not drunk,” she said.
“Then get in my truck.”
CHAPTER TEN
IF GAGE’S SPOT weren’t already reserved in hell, he might be more concerned for his eternal soul. But the fact of the matter was, he was going to burn already. He might as well burn for this.
“I’m not drunk. I can drive.” Rebecca didn’t seem quite as intense as she often did. At least, not quite as ready to engage him in battle.