he’d gotten to know most of the employees a bit during that
time, even though he usually only saw them once a year. Lynne normally was more
open and friendly, always striking up a conversation.
Today Lynne
appeared closed off and withdrawn. As if she was only going through the motions
of her job. Gage looked at her closely and saw her eyes appeared a bit red and
puffy as if she’d been crying earlier.
“If everything
okay, Lynne?” Gage asked as she went to the counter and grabbed a pad of paper
and pencil.
She turned in
his direction as tears welled in her eyes. Lynne quickly wiped them away.
“Sorry. I told myself I wasn’t going to cry at work, but I haven’t had much
luck with that.”
Gage crossed
over to her and took her into his arms for a hug, the only thing he could think
of to do. He pulled in her scent and every muscle in his body locked as his
cock went from a useless bit of flesh to hard as a rock and ready to go in a
matter of a couple seconds.
There was no
freaking way Lynne was his mate. She was a happily married woman. Fate wouldn’t
be as cruel as that. Gage took another sniff and filtered out each scent that
clung to the woman in his arms. It was then he realized it wasn’t hers that had
set off his cock. It was another she’d been in contact with in some way. The
scent of his mate was in Lynne’s clothes, faint but detectible by his sensitive
nose.
Lynne stepped
out of Gage’s embrace. “Thanks. I needed that.” She gave him a watery smile.
“Is there
anything I can do to help?” He racked his brain to come up with a way to ask
her who’d she been around without sounding like a weirdo.
“Only if you can
perform a miracle,” she replied. “It’s my sister. She’s dying of cancer. She’d
been in remission for so long we’d thought she’d had it beat, but it came back
with a vengeance. She’s in the hospital. The doctor says she has a couple days
left at most.” Lynne shook her head. “It’s so unfair. She’s twenty-five. I was
ten when she was born, and have always thought of her more as my baby than a
sister. And what’s worse, is she has a son who needs her. His father has never been
in the picture. Derrick is already at my place, but it should be his mother
raising him, not me.” She wiped more tears away. “I went to see her before I
came in to work this morning. If I didn’t need the money, I’d still be with
her. I already lost my mom to cancer and my dad a few years later to a massive
heart attack. I can’t go through losing a sister too.”
Gage felt as if
all the blood had drained out of his face, and his stomach had dropped to his
toes. Even his erection had deflated as he came to grips with the fact his mate
was close to death and he hadn’t even met her. He had to see her. As sense of
desperation washed over him, not to be denied.
“What’s your
sister’s name?”
Lynne sniffed.
“Jaimie. Jaimie Yates.”
“Would you be
okay with me sending her flowers?”
“She sleeps a
lot, but I’m sure she’d appreciate them. You don’t have to, though.”
“I know. I want
to. We’ve known each other for a few years now. I’d like to do something. Give
me her room number and I’ll stop by a florist after we’re done here.”
Lynne kissed him
on the cheek. “You’re a sweet guy, Gage. Out of you and your brothers, I always
thought you’d be perfect for Jaimie. I should have introduced you two a long
time ago. Now it’s too late.”
As Lynne turned
to the counter and then wrote on her pad of paper, Gage forced himself to act
normal. She had no idea how right she’d been about him being perfect for her
sister. Even if he’d met Jaimie before the mate brand had marked him, he had a
feeling he would have had strong feelings for her. It wasn’t unheard of for a
mated couple to have gotten together before the male reached thirty and then
found out later they’d been fated for one another.
“Here’s Jaimie’s
room number,” Lynne said as
time, even though he usually only saw them once a year. Lynne normally was more
open and friendly, always striking up a conversation.
Today Lynne
appeared closed off and withdrawn. As if she was only going through the motions
of her job. Gage looked at her closely and saw her eyes appeared a bit red and
puffy as if she’d been crying earlier.
“If everything
okay, Lynne?” Gage asked as she went to the counter and grabbed a pad of paper
and pencil.
She turned in
his direction as tears welled in her eyes. Lynne quickly wiped them away.
“Sorry. I told myself I wasn’t going to cry at work, but I haven’t had much
luck with that.”
Gage crossed
over to her and took her into his arms for a hug, the only thing he could think
of to do. He pulled in her scent and every muscle in his body locked as his
cock went from a useless bit of flesh to hard as a rock and ready to go in a
matter of a couple seconds.
There was no
freaking way Lynne was his mate. She was a happily married woman. Fate wouldn’t
be as cruel as that. Gage took another sniff and filtered out each scent that
clung to the woman in his arms. It was then he realized it wasn’t hers that had
set off his cock. It was another she’d been in contact with in some way. The
scent of his mate was in Lynne’s clothes, faint but detectible by his sensitive
nose.
Lynne stepped
out of Gage’s embrace. “Thanks. I needed that.” She gave him a watery smile.
“Is there
anything I can do to help?” He racked his brain to come up with a way to ask
her who’d she been around without sounding like a weirdo.
“Only if you can
perform a miracle,” she replied. “It’s my sister. She’s dying of cancer. She’d
been in remission for so long we’d thought she’d had it beat, but it came back
with a vengeance. She’s in the hospital. The doctor says she has a couple days
left at most.” Lynne shook her head. “It’s so unfair. She’s twenty-five. I was
ten when she was born, and have always thought of her more as my baby than a
sister. And what’s worse, is she has a son who needs her. His father has never been
in the picture. Derrick is already at my place, but it should be his mother
raising him, not me.” She wiped more tears away. “I went to see her before I
came in to work this morning. If I didn’t need the money, I’d still be with
her. I already lost my mom to cancer and my dad a few years later to a massive
heart attack. I can’t go through losing a sister too.”
Gage felt as if
all the blood had drained out of his face, and his stomach had dropped to his
toes. Even his erection had deflated as he came to grips with the fact his mate
was close to death and he hadn’t even met her. He had to see her. As sense of
desperation washed over him, not to be denied.
“What’s your
sister’s name?”
Lynne sniffed.
“Jaimie. Jaimie Yates.”
“Would you be
okay with me sending her flowers?”
“She sleeps a
lot, but I’m sure she’d appreciate them. You don’t have to, though.”
“I know. I want
to. We’ve known each other for a few years now. I’d like to do something. Give
me her room number and I’ll stop by a florist after we’re done here.”
Lynne kissed him
on the cheek. “You’re a sweet guy, Gage. Out of you and your brothers, I always
thought you’d be perfect for Jaimie. I should have introduced you two a long
time ago. Now it’s too late.”
As Lynne turned
to the counter and then wrote on her pad of paper, Gage forced himself to act
normal. She had no idea how right she’d been about him being perfect for her
sister. Even if he’d met Jaimie before the mate brand had marked him, he had a
feeling he would have had strong feelings for her. It wasn’t unheard of for a
mated couple to have gotten together before the male reached thirty and then
found out later they’d been fated for one another.
“Here’s Jaimie’s
room number,” Lynne said as
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