He’d been jerking off every night and finding less and less satisfaction. Coming in his hands just wasn’t the same as releasing into Hailey. Hell, even the thought of getting her pregnant made him harder than stone and shockingly content. Imagining a little blonde girl with his eyes made his heart hammer, and he could all-too-easily envision Hailey rocking his baby to sleep each night.
Damn, but she had him wrapped around her little finger. And he still didn’t know how she felt about him. That “I love you ” he’d uttered still hung in the air between them, though she had yet to address it. Instead, they’d watched movies, fished—hell, she’d caught more than he had—cooked together, and taken long walks through her neighborhood and along the Riverwalk. They’d even attended a bluegrass concert, and he’d been stunned to actually enjoy the music.
“You’re in way over your head,” Derrick murmured. “Sucker.”
“Excuse me? Who was it who still owes me some comp time for a certain redhead’s phone number?”
Derrick cursed him under his breath. But when Dylan suddenly showed up with Hailey under his arm, Gage was struck mute.
“Hi, Gage. I hope you don’t mind, but Dylan invited me.”
Dylan grinned slyly at Gage, and gave his woman a thorough once-over when she wasn’t looking.
“Have I mentioned my brother is gay?”
Hailey blinked. “Really?” She glanced at Derrick, who stared back incredulously.
“Not me, him.” He nodded at Dylan.
“Actually, he prefers that no one label him,” Barbara said as she joined them in the kitchen. “And Hailey, I’m so glad you could come. Gage has been telling us so much about you.”
Hailey narrowed her eyes at him. “Really?”
“All good, mind you.” His mother held out a stool. “Please, sit. What can I get you?”
“I’d be happy to help, if you’d like,” Hailey offered shyly, and his mother beamed.
“Pretty and capable, how wonderfully different, hmm, Gage?”
“Mom.” Gage wanted to cringe. Great, why not mention all the other women he’d dated to the woman he’d finally fallen in love with? Like he’d thought, a few minutes with his family and Hailey’d bolt for sure.
“Did he ever tell you how we met?” Hailey asked in a wicked voice.
His brothers both grinned, and he groaned.
“No, as a matter of fact,” his mother said. “He just mentioned he’d met an incredible woman and wanted to know how best to impress her.”
“It was at a friend’s apartment. We were having a party and we took a few quiet moments to look out at the stars.” Hailey’s voice quieted. “I was looking up at Orion and made a wish, and then I saw Gage.” She glanced at him, and what he thought he saw in her eyes made his heart thunder with hope.
“Oh, that sounds so romantic. What did you wish for?”
Dylan shook his head. “No, no, Hailey. Don’t tell us. Don’t you know anything, Mother?” he asked with exasperation and a wink at Gage. “If you tell your wish, it doesn’t come true.”
“Mine finally did,” Gage said in a thick voice, “the minute I laid eyes on a feisty blonde with more brains than sense.”
Barbara glanced at him in surprise and then understanding. “You know, Hailey, I’d just love it if you could help me with these tomatoes. So tell me, where are you from originally? I didn’t catch an accent…”
Within the hour, his mother had all but collected Hailey’s social security number.
Barbara passed a plate of rolls to Gage and smiled.
“Did you know, Hailey, that twelve is my favorite number?” She gave Gage a meaningful glance, but it was Dylan who filled him in.
“Do the math. That’s one spouse and two kids per each of us. Hell, do us all a favor and make triplets. I’m not marrying any time soon,” Dylan whispered. And as he stared at Hailey, his expression softened. “Besides, your kids will be so pretty. And smart. I like her, Gage, I really do. She’s nice.”
“You could do much worse,” Derrick whispered on his other side. “In fact, if memory recalls, you have.”
“Keep it up, smartass. I have an in with the best friend. Remember that.”
Derrick grumbled, his frown growing as their mother honed in on his singledom.
After breakfast, Gage offered to take Hailey home since she’d arrived with Dylan.
The drive home was pleasant but silent. All the way, Gage wondered what Hailey thought, if his mother and brothers had perhaps scared her away. Lord knew, Barbara could do it all on her own.
“Gage, I hope I wasn’t intruding. Dylan stopped by work last night, introduced himself, and surprised me with an invite, and I couldn’t keep myself from meeting your family.”
He shrugged. “I’d have taken you to meet them before now. I just didn’t want them to scare you away. My mother can be hard to take.”
Hailey reached for his hand on the wheel, and in the process her breast brushed his shoulder. Fire lanced through his groin, and he clenched his teeth to keep his cool.
“Your mother is a wonderful woman, and I can definitely see you in your brothers.”
She grinned. “You’re all a bunch of smart-asses.”
Laughing, he pulled up in front of her house. He cleared his throat. “Well, we’re here.”
“Yes. We are. Look, Gage, I’d like you to come in for a minute. Do you have the time?”
Shit. He had nothing but time. “Sure.”
They entered together when the phone rang.
“I’ll be right back,” she said and left him for the bedroom.
He sat on her couch and flipped on the television. But the sight that met his eyes had him doing a double-take. There on her screen, a familiar blonde actress, Belinda the porn star, and her friends cavorted and frolicked through some rousing foreplay, anal and oral sex.
Glued to the scene, he could only stare, totally bemused as to what his video was doing in Hailey’s DVD player.
“Uh, Gage?”
He tore his gaze from the screen only to find himself tongue-tied again. Hailey stood in the hallway looking uncertain. She wore her hair in a twist off her neck, the silky strands clinging to her neck provocatively. A corset pushing her ample breasts together increased her impressive cleavage and accented her slim waist and full hips. He could see the side of her bare ass, and hardened like a stone. Fuck me, she’s wearing a thong under that thing. The corset showed a slim expanse of her belly before the sheer red thong she wore took over. And, try as he might, he couldn’t make out any blonde hair below her bellybutton.
“You shaved?” he asked in a hoarse voice.
She nodded and her breasts bounced, her nipples peeking over the lacy front of the material.
“Hailey, please tell me this means our celibacy is over. I’m ready to come in my jeans, and I don’t think I can take much more of your outfit without jumping you.”
She smiled and walked slowly toward him, making him take note of the fuzzy high heels she wore. It suddenly dawned on him she wore a similar outfit to the one Belinda wore in the movie, and he swore.
“You’re killing me, baby. Just killing me.”
When he was a breath away from reaching her, she stopped him with her hand.
“Wait. I have something to say.”
“Say it fast.”
“Did you mean what you said that night? When you said you loved me?”
He froze, not sure what she wanted to hear.
“Tell me, please.”
Her brown eyes looked so deep, so pure, that he wanted to drown in her. “Yes,” he answered. “More than I ever thought possible. More than I deserve to, probably.”