don’t want to hear it, but you can have more babies one day.” Hell, he wasn’t promising anything and babies were never on his radar…he suddenly noticed that Meredith stopped crying. Stopped breathing, until she looked up at him.
“No more babies,” she said, raggedly, like the words hurt to get out. He stood still as she tried to gulp in air. Acid burned in his stomach and anger pummeled through his core, rendering him speechless. “When I hemorrhaged, they had no choice. I had a complete hysterectomy. I can’t…have babies. I had that feeling once, the feeling of a baby growing inside me, and I’ll never, ever have it again.” She clutched his shirt and he just held on to her. He tried to keep his own emotions hidden as best as he could. He tried, but it was damn hard because he cared for her so much.
He held on to her, kissing her silky hair, rubbing her back, and all the while battling his pain for her and the need to hurt her family and her ex, to make them pay and cause them the same pain they’d caused her. They had taken so damn much from her. He hurt for her, more than he ever had for himself.
“She was why I got the rose tattoo. A few months later, on a supposed overnight shopping trip with a girlfriend, I got the tattoo of the rose, because that’s what I named her. A pretty little girl’s name. Merry, Melly, and Rosie. See, it wasn’t just Mel who dreamed of reuniting with me.”
He pulled her head back and tilted her face to look at him and he knew without a doubt, Meredith meant a hell of a lot more than a one-night stand. He slowly lowered his mouth and placed a soft kiss on her lips, absorbing the tremor that ran through her body. “Meredith, let me make you feel better.”
She sighed against his lips. “No one can.”
“I can,” he said, keeping one hand tangled in her silky hair and the other roaming the side of her body.
“Gage…”
“Trust me. Let me. Let me make take care of you.”
She grasped the front of his shirt and pulled him down to her, kissing him with a hunger and a desperation that he understood. Minutes later, her clothes were off and the only thing on his mind was the hot, sweet woman in his arms, and burying himself inside her, the only place he belonged.
…
“I guess it’s okay if we call this a two-night stand, right?”
She felt Gage shift in the bed so that he was facing her. It was the middle of the night and the fire cast a delicious glow over his bronzed skin. She could make out his features, the lazy, satisfied grin on his face that made her toes curl under the covers.
“Mer?”
His grin dipped and he leaned over to smooth her hair from her face. She had no idea how he managed to evoke so many different feelings in her. “Thank you for telling me.”
Tears blurred her vision and she was shocked that for the second time tonight he managed to break down her walls enough that she could be herself in front of him. She was more herself with Gage than with herself, and wasn’t that the craziest thing to realize. She didn’t know what to do with that knowledge. “You kind of left me with no choice.”
She thought he would tease her or say something to lighten the mood. Instead, he gently pulled her into him until her head rested against his bare shoulder. He held her protectively, his calloused hand on her bare hip, resting there, his thumb moving back and forth. “I know you don’t want my sympathy, so I’m not going to say it, but I will say that you’ve got to let it go—the guilt you’re holding on to. You’re making a fresh start here. You’re safe here.”
Meredith closed her eyes, soaking in the sound of his deep voice, the strength of his body against hers. You’re safe here. She had never felt more safe anywhere. She didn’t feel like running. She didn’t feel like hiding from him or making excuses.
This would probably be the right time to tell him about Ron, but then again, did she even want to utter Ron’s name in
“No more babies,” she said, raggedly, like the words hurt to get out. He stood still as she tried to gulp in air. Acid burned in his stomach and anger pummeled through his core, rendering him speechless. “When I hemorrhaged, they had no choice. I had a complete hysterectomy. I can’t…have babies. I had that feeling once, the feeling of a baby growing inside me, and I’ll never, ever have it again.” She clutched his shirt and he just held on to her. He tried to keep his own emotions hidden as best as he could. He tried, but it was damn hard because he cared for her so much.
He held on to her, kissing her silky hair, rubbing her back, and all the while battling his pain for her and the need to hurt her family and her ex, to make them pay and cause them the same pain they’d caused her. They had taken so damn much from her. He hurt for her, more than he ever had for himself.
“She was why I got the rose tattoo. A few months later, on a supposed overnight shopping trip with a girlfriend, I got the tattoo of the rose, because that’s what I named her. A pretty little girl’s name. Merry, Melly, and Rosie. See, it wasn’t just Mel who dreamed of reuniting with me.”
He pulled her head back and tilted her face to look at him and he knew without a doubt, Meredith meant a hell of a lot more than a one-night stand. He slowly lowered his mouth and placed a soft kiss on her lips, absorbing the tremor that ran through her body. “Meredith, let me make you feel better.”
She sighed against his lips. “No one can.”
“I can,” he said, keeping one hand tangled in her silky hair and the other roaming the side of her body.
“Gage…”
“Trust me. Let me. Let me make take care of you.”
She grasped the front of his shirt and pulled him down to her, kissing him with a hunger and a desperation that he understood. Minutes later, her clothes were off and the only thing on his mind was the hot, sweet woman in his arms, and burying himself inside her, the only place he belonged.
…
“I guess it’s okay if we call this a two-night stand, right?”
She felt Gage shift in the bed so that he was facing her. It was the middle of the night and the fire cast a delicious glow over his bronzed skin. She could make out his features, the lazy, satisfied grin on his face that made her toes curl under the covers.
“Mer?”
His grin dipped and he leaned over to smooth her hair from her face. She had no idea how he managed to evoke so many different feelings in her. “Thank you for telling me.”
Tears blurred her vision and she was shocked that for the second time tonight he managed to break down her walls enough that she could be herself in front of him. She was more herself with Gage than with herself, and wasn’t that the craziest thing to realize. She didn’t know what to do with that knowledge. “You kind of left me with no choice.”
She thought he would tease her or say something to lighten the mood. Instead, he gently pulled her into him until her head rested against his bare shoulder. He held her protectively, his calloused hand on her bare hip, resting there, his thumb moving back and forth. “I know you don’t want my sympathy, so I’m not going to say it, but I will say that you’ve got to let it go—the guilt you’re holding on to. You’re making a fresh start here. You’re safe here.”
Meredith closed her eyes, soaking in the sound of his deep voice, the strength of his body against hers. You’re safe here. She had never felt more safe anywhere. She didn’t feel like running. She didn’t feel like hiding from him or making excuses.
This would probably be the right time to tell him about Ron, but then again, did she even want to utter Ron’s name in
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