Chapter 30

 

“You look like shit.”

Gage spun around to see Cooper leaning against the fence, watching.

“It’s been a long week.”

Cooper looked at his wrist to check the time, he wasn’t wearing a watch. “Since when do we work in the moonlight?”

Glancing back at the backhoe he’d been pressure washing he shrugged. “Just trying to get caught up.”

Cooper came over and stood beside him. “And since when do we spit shine the rigs?”

Gage dropped the sprayer on the ground as his chin hit his chest.

“You can’t avoid going home, son. She’s still going to be there.”

Gage turned off the compressor and glanced at him. “That’s the problem.”

“I figured.” Cooper looked around the yard for a minute before looking back at him. “You have a fight?”

Picking up his shirt, Gage wiped his face off. “I don’t know what the hell you’d call it.”

Cooper chuckled. “Give me the word to define it then.”

Gage squeezed the back of his neck trying to ease some of the tension. “Clusterfuck.”

Cooper laughed, which should have pissed him off, but he found himself smiling.

“It’s a fucking mess, Coop.” He threw up his hands. “I kissed her when we went for that walk.” He rubbed a hand across his forehead. “The heat shocked both of us, but I thought…” He shook his head. “I thought…”

“She’d do an about-face and come running into your open arms?” Cooper had a huge smile on his face.

“You don’t have to say I’m a fool. I know I am.”

“This is Kelsey we’re talking about, Gage, have your hormones made you forget that?” Tucking his hands in his pockets, he stood there waiting.

Feeling awkward, Gage sat on the wheel of the washer tank. “She’s in her cycle, Coop. Not full blown, but…”

“When?”

Gage looked down at his hands resting in his lap. “I was checking around the house…” he realized he didn’t need to give him a play by play, “I found her pressing her chest and face against the counter trying to put out the fire.”

“Shit.” Cooper yanked his hat off and rubbed a hand over his head before jamming it back on. “Did you just leave her there like that?”

Gage noted how strained the older man’s voice was. He was glad it was dark sure even he would blush before the end of this conversation. “No.”

Cooper’s head snapped up, his eyes boring into him.

Holding his hand up, he shook his head. “Not like you’re thinking.” He sighed. “I helped her out and threw myself in a cold shower.”

Cooper nodded but didn’t comment.

“She…” Gage lifted his hands, “demanded answers and…” he closed his eyes. “I gave her all the wrong ones. I’m pretty sure she hates me now.” He leaned back against the water tank, trying to cool off, as he’d been trying to accomplish unsuccessfully for hours.

“I doubt she hates you.” Cooper finally said quietly. “She’s just pissed you’re the main cause.”

Gage snorted. “Is that supposed to make me feel better?”

Cooper shook his head. “No. I doubt anything I say will do that.”

“You’d be right there.” Gage started to wind up the hose. “I don’t know what to do, Coop.”

Cooper watched him silently for several minutes. “It’s a lonely fucking existence without your mate, Gage. When you know who it is, but can’t have her.”

Gage’s eyes snapped to him. That sounded as if he’d lived it.

Cooper shook his head when Gage was going to speak. “You’re going to see her through her cycle, whatever she wants…”

“I…”

“Don’t say you can’t, because I know what every bloody cell in your body is telling you.”

Gage closed his mouth.

“Whatever she wants, you’ll be there for her.” Cooper said softly.

“I don’t know if I can do it without marking her.”

“You’ll manage.” Cooper gave him a hard look. “Because you already know anything she agrees to when the heat has her won’t mean a damn thing when she’s thinking clearly.”

Gage blew out a breath and nodded. Any male from his clan knew that, most learned it the hard way.

“Be what she needs, Gage. When it’s all settled down, she’ll come around.”

“You can’t know that, Coop. What if…” he couldn’t say it.

Cooper rubbed his jaw and gave him a lopsided grin. “She’s been mooning over you for years. She’s just rebelling right now because we dumped a shit load on her and she needs to fight back, whatever way she can.”

Gage’s legs gave out and he flopped to sit on the wheel. “How do I not mark her?” He asked, his voice shaking.

Cooper blew out a breath. “Dig deep. You can’t until she consents…”

“I know that. I just…” he dropped his head into his hands. “Fuck.”

“Yeah.” Cooper turned away and then paused. “Gage?”

Raising his head, he looked at him, but Cooper didn’t turn back.

“Take it slow.” Cooper stood looking into the darkened path that lead to the house. “She’s all I have left of Katie.” With that he walked into the shadows.

Gage stared into the dark that had swallowed him whole. Cooper had sounded so lost. Had Kelsey’s mother been his mate? Why the hell had she been with Phillip then? Gage swallowed the knot in his throat. If he fucked this up with Kelsey, he’d end up with that hollow look in his eyes that Coop had. He didn’t know how he knew that was what happened, but his gut said it was dead on.

“Gage?”

He almost growled, hearing Blair’s voice in the the darkness. That was twice tonight someone had gotten close to him without sensing them near. He turned and watched Blair walk toward him. His movements were stiff.

“You all right, man? I got the drop on you.”

Gage smirked, he’d hoped Blair wouldn’t notice, but should have known better. “Yeah, my head’s just a fucking mess right now.”

Offering a sympathetic smile, Blair came over and leaned against the water tank. “I can relate.” He cleared his throat. “Sorry about earlier…”

Motioning with his hand, Gage interrupted him. “Don’t be.” He ran a hand through his hair. “I get it.” He sighed. “At least I do right now, which could change without notice though.”

“Everything okay?

Gage studied his best friend for a moment. He guessed Blair was in was just as hard a place as his own. “Not by a long shot.”

“It’s been a while since you worked yourself to exhaustion to avoid Kelsey.”

Groaning, Gage nodded. “Yeah. I’d hoped I was done with that.”

Picking at the cap on top of the tank, Blair nodded slowly. “What’s going on?” He rolled his eyes at him. “That kept you out here until midnight?”

Surprised, Gage hadn’t realized he’d been that long. Sighing, he rubbed at the back of his neck, the exhaustion was finally registering. “Kelsey’s hit her cycle.”

Blair tensed, “Fuck.”

Smirking, Gage nodded. “Yeah that’s my take on it too.”

Blair stood there, suddenly tense. “You want to bunk in with us?” He seemed to stop breathing.

Gage blew out a loud breath. “I don’t think I can just leave her to suffer…”

Nodding, Blair stared off into the darkness. “I get that.” He ran a hand over his face. “I don’t want to, but…”

“I’m sorry…”

Glaring at him, Blair straightened and started to move away. “Don’t be. Fuck, you found your mate. I…” He shook his head. “I’ll live through it. Somehow.” Turning, he stood facing the gate. “Get your ass home, Gage.” He took two steps and stopped, letting out a long breath. “She has to think it’s her idea.” He gave him a sober look over his shoulder. “Don’t say I never gave you anything.” Snapping around he walked away, stripping off clothes as he went.

Then from just outside the fence, a large sleek white tiger turned and studied him with pale eyes that glowed in the dark. With a low chirruping noise, he spun off and was gone into the night.

Exhaling a breath, he didn’t realize he was holding, Gage scanned the yard once before turning to go home.

Should have joined the fucking army when I turned eighteen, he growled inside his head. Then my life would have been a walk in the fucking park. Facing bombs and bullets sounded a helluva lot better than the mess I’m sinking in here.