Chapter 42

 

Kelsey had never been as happy as she was the next morning. She was surprised she didn’t feel tired, or sore. Gage had made love to her until the sun had started to rise, then with a growl he’d carried her to her own bed saying if she stayed in his, they’d still be going at it at noon and he had three jobs to complete.

She had breakfast with Rayne and Devin, Gage being long gone, but then apologized and headed down to the shop to see if she could help.

When she got there, the guys were neck deep in repairs that had to be finished by the end of the day. Ignoring the heated look from Gage as his eyes tracked her every move, she’d told him to put her to work.

The look he shared, told her he was reliving every second of their time together, just as she was while trying not to let her eyes roam all over his body. Tormenting him with her mouth was added to her to-do list as she watched his large chest rise and fall, no doubt scenting her just as she was him.

Finally, he’d given her a huge grin and sent her out to help Blair, Jake and Gary where they were struggling to replace half an engine some newbie operator had all but blown up.

An hour later she was wishing she’d stayed in the house and found something to do. She understood that the guys were essentially still adolescents at heart on a good day, but if they dropped one more not-so-subtle insinuation about her and Gage being together, so help her, she was going to feed them a wrench.

Wiping the sweat from her brow, she shifted and looked up into the cab Jake was hanging out of. “Try it again.”

Nodding, he ducked back in and turned the engine over. It caught for a second and then choked out again. Waving at him to kill it, she waited until the purr of the ignition went off.

Pulling the screwdriver out of her pocket, she leaned in and began making minute adjustments.

“Gage is in one hell of a good mood today,” Jake said louder than necessary looking at Gary. “I haven’t seen him smile this much since…”

“Ever,” Blair finished for him with a smirk.

Rubbing the back of his neck, Gary nodded with a smug smile.

“What did you do to him, Kels?” Jake continued. Glancing up from under her lashes she hoped he caught her drop-it look. He didn’t.

Winking at Blair he grinned. “I’m thinking you should do it again, twice, maybe three times for good measure.”

Gary chuckled along with Jake.

She waved her hand to motion him to try the engine again. He did. After a second the engine rumbled to life. Kelsey listened carefully to make sure there were no hesitations. Happy it was running smoothly, she signaled to shut it off.

“Great work,” Jake said as he climbed down. “I’d forgotten your talent is in making anything you touch purr so sweetly.”

Clamping her teeth together, she gave him a brief smile. Blair gave her a hand down and then handed her a rag. Exchanging the screwdriver for the piece of cloth, she focused completely on her hands for a moment. “So,” she began, keeping her eyes shielded from all of them so they couldn’t see her thoughts, “I’ve been giving this mating thing a lot of thought.”

Jake snorted. “Is that what you call it? Thought?”

Glancing briefly at him, she smirked, raising her brows dismissing his pathetic quip. “Yeah.” Looking back down, she feigned a shrug. “I was thinking I should make sure Gage is the one.” She noted that all three were quiet now, she looked at them innocently.

Cautiously, Blair raised a bottle of water to his mouth, most likely to avoid commenting, she thought with a smile. Turning, she eyed each one slowly. “I think I should kiss each of you…” she smiled, “just to make sure.”

She was shocked she managed to sound as serious as she did, and still keep a straight face. In hindsight, she thought, she should have had her phone out to record their reactions. Gary dropped the wrench he held, his jaw going slack. Blair spewed a mouthful of water in Jake’s face as Jake stood there stuttering.

Keeping the serious look on her face, she watched them for a moment. Wiping off his face with frantic movements, Jake gaped at her.

A low rumbling growl sounded, and Kelsey turned to watch as Gage stomped in their direction. Glancing behind him, she saw Cooper and Devin laughing, they’d all caught what had just happened. “You guys deserve what you got,” she said with an overly dramatic sigh and then turned on her heel and headed toward the house.

“Kelsey,” Gage growled from behind her.

The sound sent a shiver through her, in that moment she hated that it did. Sighing, she stopped and turned around to glare at him. His buddies and only he could deal with them, she thought. How she did, she didn’t know, but she felt her cat roll over her skin as a growl rumbled out of her throat from somewhere deep inside her.

Gage froze, his eyebrows raised. With a quick look at the men behind him, she shook her head and turned back to the gate.

“Honey, wait.”

She kept walking.

“Ah, shit.” She heard Gage spit out as she reached the path to the trees.

 

Watching his mate disappear into the trees, he put his hands on his hips and looked down at the ground. Turning around he gave Blair, Jake and Gary a quick once-over. “Did you guys leave your brains in bed today?”

No response, just three identical sheepish looks.

“Shit.” Turning he glanced back at the trees Kelsey had just passed through. Clenching his jaw, he took a deep breath, wondering how much groveling he was in for to make up for his friends’ idiocy. “How could you not sense her agitation?” He looked back at Blair. “I could feel it from all the way in the shop.”

“I…” Blair closed his mouth and looked at Jake.

Jake gave Gage a wide-eyed look. “I got carried away,” he finally said, head low and shoulders bowed.

Gary just shook his head, and refused to make eye contact.

Growling, Gage rubbed a hand over the back of his neck. When he looked back, Gary’s head was still hanging down; his shoulders slumped in a submissive posture. “Fuck.” Turning he looked over to Cooper, not having the slightest clue what to do next.

Cooper motioned to the trees lining the path to the house. Devin crossed his arms and nodded in agreement

Glancing back at his friends, he grimaced. “I may be back to rip your hides off later,” he grumbled as he jogged toward the path.

When he reached the porch, Rayne sat there, with an odd look on her face. Women were so hard to read. She pointed to the door and mouthed good luck. Wincing he tentatively went in the house, his steps silent. Kelsey wasn’t in the kitchen or living room. Taking a deep breath, he went to the stairs.

Stopping outside her closed door, he inhaled but didn’t pick up any scent that gave him a clue to her mood. He listened, nothing. “Kelsey, honey?” He waited but she didn’t answer. Shit. Damn. Fuck. Holding his breath, he tried the doorknob. It was open. Slowly he opened the door and looked in. “Kels?”

Something gripped his arms and spun him into the room. Before he could react, he found his back slammed against the door and Kelsey pinning him there with her body pressed into his.

“Our friends are assholes,” she said in a low snarl.

Gage nodded and looked down, still not sure if he should let out the breath he was holding or brace for…what? Her amber eyes were bright and his pulse pounded in response to the way she was looking at him. In a move he didn’t see coming, she tore his shirt open, sending the buttons scattering across the floor. The breath he held whooshed out all at once. Gripping her waist, he stared down into her eyes, still not sure what the right move was.

“Growl for me,” she panted.

Inhaling, he finally scented her arousal and was stunned he hadn’t caught that sooner. Grinning down at her he emitted a low growl and leaning down beside her ear as he did. He felt her shudder against him.

“Why does that happen?”

Her voice was breathless and he felt his body harden as a result. “Our cats know who we are to each other, honey.” Her hands slid up over his chest and clasped behind his neck. He felt her tense and then she jumped up, gripping his waist with her knees. Grasping her hips, he held her there and was once again stunned by her actions. Christ, my mate is a handful. With uncommon sense today, he kept the grin off his face.

She nipped her way up his neck with sharp teeth and he had to bite back a groan. “So, if I growl does it affect you the same way?”

He swallowed. “Not the way you did back in the yard, that one was definitely a back-the-fuck-off growl.” She made a soft sound in the back of her throat.

“I don’t know how to do it,” she whispered her lips brushing over his pulse.

Gage wanted her in a way he couldn’t ever remember feeling before. “Try,” he dipped his head down and inhaled the scent that was pure Kelsey. She squirmed against him, making him harder and his knees go weak.

Leaning back, she looked at him with passion-heavy eyes and he couldn’t look away. Slowly she inhaled, as she breathed out a low rumbling sounded, it was the most erotic sound he’d ever heard.

“Christ, yeah,” he grinned at her, “you better be careful when you do that, baby, it’s a sure way to get yourself fucked.” Gripping her hips, he pulled her tight against his body and rubbed her up and down his hard length.

Gasping, she clenched her fingers in his hair and pulled his mouth down to hers.