“I have a lead for you,” Gage’s attorney told him over the phone the next morning. “The final shares you need to give you a majority in Stewart Technologies.”
“What was that?” Gage asked absentmindedly. He’d been daydreaming about Fallon’s uninhibited response last night. He should be satisfied he could bring her to that kind of climax, but he hadn’t been unaffected, either. He had feelings for her, probably always had since he’d seen her fall off her horse when she was eight.
Being with Fallon had injected his life with meaning and made him feel emotions he’d never allowed himself to feel. The past two months had shown him she wasn’t the strong woman she portrayed to the world. She was passionate. Vulnerable, even. There were so many layers to his beautiful wife he hadn’t considered. He’d been so intent on taking her to bed, to claim what he hadn’t taken sixteen years ago and unleash the chemistry between them, he’d failed to see the consequences of his actions. He was falling for his wife. Hard.
“I said I have a lock on those shares you need,” his attorney repeated, clearing his fog. “Since the company is rebounding, stock prices are slowly starting to rise. You’ll want to get these now, while you can.”
Gage’s chest tightened and guilt settled in his stomach as the heavy weight of what he’d been doing registered. He needed someone to absolve him of the guilt, to tell him he what he’d done was right. But that wasn’t going to happen. If Fallon ever found out his true motives behind marrying her, it would crush her. She’d been so happy the last few weeks as she’d pulled Stewart Technologies from the brink of disaster. The projects she’d been working on would be coming to market in a couple of months. They were the brainchild of her new head of development and Fallon was excited to see what lay ahead.
“Are you ready to pull the trigger?”
A throb pulsed at Gage’s temple and he massaged it with his fingertips, trying to alleviate the pressure, but nothing was going to do that. His feelings for Fallon ran deep and he was conflicted as to what to do next. “I—I...”
“If you don’t act now, someone could swoop in and pick them up. You have to move.”
Gage sighed. He couldn’t allow anyone else to get those shares. They had to stay in the family. On the other hand, this enormous deceit weighed heavily on him. He would be crossing the line when he did this.
“Go ahead and purchase them.”
“I’m on it. I’ll let you know when it’s a done deal.”
“Thank you.” Gage ended the call. He sat back in his seat and rubbed a hand across his brow. There was no denying the emotion he’d never wanted to claim; it was there mocking him because he’d thought he could skirt it. Thought he didn’t need it. He certainly hadn’t needed it before. Why? Because none of those women had been Fallon.
Yet, because of her, he’d wanted more. To be more. And he’d accomplished that. But with it had come the all-consuming rage and quest for revenge. He now had the tools, the final nail in the coffin to get his ultimate revenge against the Stewarts, but it would cost him the woman he loved.
* * *
“What should I expect tonight?” Gage asked Fallon as they drove to the restaurant to meet Ayden and his fiancée, Maya, for dinner. “The firing squad?”
“Don’t be so melodramatic.” Fallon smoothed down her skirt.
“C’mon, Fallon.” Gage took his eyes off the road to glance at her. “I know your brother doesn’t like me. It was obvious at the wedding.”
Gage recalled the killer look Ayden had given him when they’d been introduced. Ayden had warned Gage to take care of his sister or else.
“He doesn’t know you. Give him a chance,” Fallon said, obviously attempting to ease Gage’s mind.
“If he affords me the same, I will,” Gage responded, turning his eyes to the road again. He knew how important this dinner was to Fallon. She was forging a bond with her brother and he didn’t want to get in the way, not when he wasn’t on even footing himself.
“Good.”
They pulled into the restaurant’s valet parking twenty minutes later. Gage came around and helped Fallon out of the car, then laced his fingers through hers as they walked inside. The maître d’ led them to a corner table where Ayden and Maya were already seated. Gage could see why Ayden had fallen for his fiancée. She was striking, with her mass of curly hair and flawless brown skin.
Ayden rose when they approached. He came over and kissed both of Fallon’s cheeks and offered Gage a hand. Gage shook it before scooting Fallon into a chair across from them.
“Glad you both could join us,” Ayden said. He glanced at Maya. “We’re eager to get to know you.”
“As are we,” Gage answered. He offered them a smile.
“How about some wine?” Ayden asked. “I took the liberty of ordering a bottle of red.”
“We would love some, thank you.” Fallon patted his thigh. She knew Gage liked ordering their wine himself.
“How’s married life?” Maya inquired. “I can’t believe you two beat me and Ayden down the aisle.”
“It certainly wasn’t a shotgun wedding,” Gage replied.
“Then what was the rush?” Ayden asked. “Were you afraid Fallon might change her mind?”
Gage felt Fallon’s fury beside him rather than saw it. She didn’t appreciate her brother’s inappropriate comment any more than he did, so he reminded himself Ayden was merely concerned for Fallon’s well-being. “No, I wasn’t afraid. I knew Fallon would honor the commitment she’d made to be my wife.” He reached for her hand and brought it to his lips.
“How is married life treating you?” Maya asked. Bless her heart, Ayden’s fiancée was keeping the evening cordial.
“It’s going well, thank you, Maya,” Fallon responded. “Actually, better than I’d imagined. Gage even manages to keep the toilet seat down.”
Fallon’s joke lightened the mood and everyone began to relax. But Gage could see Ayden watching his every move. Could he see what Gage had yet to share with Fallon—that he loved her?
* * *
Fallon was overjoyed the dinner was turning around. It had started off rocky with Ayden giving Gage the death stare. She knew her brother wasn’t happy about her arranged marriage to Gage, but he was going to have to live with it for another four months.
Her breath caught in her throat when she realized two months had already come and gone. The first month with Gage had been sheer bliss. The way they’d connected on such an elemental level had surprised her. All her life she’d been searching for that elusive connection with another human being. She’d found it in Gage; it was as if he fit perfectly into the slot. With each passing day and all the intimacy they’d shared, it became harder to keep her true feelings from bubbling to the surface. It’s why she’d pushed him away, making the last month hard. When Gage had felt rejected by her, he’d kept her at a distance, physically as well as emotionally.
His response had hurt, but she’d had to withdraw to save herself the pain she knew was coming. However, not being with him had hurt far worse than anything she could have imagined. Last night after the event, they’d given in and finally made love. It had felt so good and oh so right. That was why she’d felt in a good place to accept Ayden’s dinner invite.
“Gage is treating you well, which I’m glad to see,” Ayden whispered in her ear when they’d retired to the lounge to listen to a jazz quartet. Gage and Maya were engaged in a lively discussion on the latest mayoral candidate, while Ayden and Fallon stepped onto the terrace for a private conversation and some fresh air because Fallon had felt a bit queasy.
“He is.”
“Is the fresh air helping?” Ayden asked.
Fallon nodded and inhaled deeply. The last week or so she hadn’t had much of an appetite. And after seeing the crème brûlée Gage had ordered for dessert, she’d felt sick to her stomach.
“After hearing his story, I realize I misjudged him,” Ayden said after a moment.
During the meal Gage had shared the story of his inauspicious start in life, from never knowing his father to being raised on Stewart Manor to branching out on his own after college to find success. Fallon could see how impressed Ayden was by Gage’s determination. He respected her husband because he knew what it was like to make something out of nothing.
“I told you not to worry.”
Ayden snorted. “It’s an older brother’s prerogative to worry, Fallon. It would be different if you’d married for love, but you didn’t.”
Color drained from Fallon’s face and Ayden leaned in. “Omigod! You’re in love with him, aren’t you?” He glanced in Gage’s direction and Fallon followed Ayden’s gaze. Her husband was watching them and smiling.
She quickly turned around and tugged on Ayden’s sleeve, leading him farther away. “Lower your voice, please.”
Ayden looked down at her. His hazel-gray eyes pierced hers. “Does he know?”
Fallon shook her head. “And I don’t want him to know.”
“Why the hell not? I see the way he looks at you, Fallon. There’s something there.”
“Lust,” she replied. “Lust is all that’s there, Ayden. We’re compatible in the bedroom.”
“Are you sure? Because I would beg to differ.”
“Trust me, I know,” Fallon responded. “Let’s keep this between us, okay? I don’t want him to know.”
“You don’t want me to know what?” came the deep masculine voice from behind Fallon. Her heart thumped erratically. What had he heard?
“How I’m not that big a fan of jazz, but that it’s your cup of tea,” Fallon responded, turning to her husband with a smile.
Gage’s arm snaked around her waist. “Babe, you should have told me. We could have gone someplace else.”
She shrugged. “It’s fine. Ayden said he’d been wanting to come here for a while, too. Isn’t that right?” She glanced up at her brother for support.
Ayden grinned. “That’s right. So let’s go back to our seats. The quartet is back.”
The evening ended with Fallon and Gage saying their goodbyes and planning on another double date with Ayden and Maya. Afterward, in the car, Fallon was happy to hear Gage had enjoyed himself.
“That went well,” he said on the drive home. “I like Ayden.”
“You sound surprised.”
“I thought he was going to treat me like your parents. Like I wasn’t good enough for you.”
Fallon realized how deep Gage’s past wounds were when it came to being accepted. How her and her friends’ treatment of him had had a profound effect on who he was today.
“But he didn’t treat me that way. Instead he treated me with respect and I feel the same about him. What Ayden has been able to accomplish without any help from your father is nothing short of amazing.”
Fallon beamed with pride. “He’s pretty great, isn’t he?”
“Yeah, must be something in the genes.” Gage glanced in her direction.
A swell of rightness filled Fallon. If they had a real marriage, this would be the start of a great beginning for their family, but they didn’t and it wasn’t. What was she going to do at the end of six months when it was time to say goodbye?
“Fallon?” She heard the question in his voice. “You got silent on me all of a sudden. You okay?”
She nodded but deep down she was afraid of losing him.