CHAPTER ELEVEN
Tessa couldn’t sleep, her mind reeling even as her body felt like noodles. She had passed out from the moment Locke had cradled her in his arms until her heated skin touched the cool sheets of the bed. However, she waited until the door closed behind him before opening her eyes. She could see the light dimming behind the curtains covering her bedroom window. Her body and mind were completely upside down and inside out.
And after a while, with ideas and scenarios swirling inside her head, Tessa pushed the sheets aside. This was not a rom-com. This was not a situation where she could feel emotions for a man with a shady life. Beyond everything else, she had accepted his protection, and his body, for a very clear reason: stopping Luther. The orgasms were a bonus, but nothing that could lead to anything deeper. There was her work, her colleagues, her friends, and that was it. Locke had no place in her life, even if she longed for more.
With new resolve, she flung her legs on the side of the bed and headed for the bathroom. A quick shower erased any remnants of Locke, even if she knew that what she felt was not only on her skin, but a little deeper. Another point of order was to call her boss, who along with Mabel, would be out of their minds with worry as she had been AWOL for two days now. As she finished rubbing her skin with the thick towel and saw more of her clothes in the room, she made a mental note to ask Locke how he’d accessed her apartment. It probably wouldn’t be an answer she liked. At least he’d brought some of her yoga pants and tops, which she appreciated as she didn’t feel like dressing up. Comfortable was the word for the moment.
Refreshed, Tessa tentatively opened her door. The entire apartment was silent, mostly in shadows. Streetlight came from the huge windows and filtered through the fabric. On the couch, with his back to her, Locke was fast asleep in the same pair of jeans she had seen him in earlier, his muscled back bare. His presence there surprised her as she half expected him to be in bed in his own room with Gage. After all, the men were intimate enough to have wild sex together, why not share a bed to sleep?
As silently as possible, Tessa padded to the master bedroom to take a peek and check if Gage was all right. Cracking the door open, it appeared she wasn’t the only one who couldn’t sleep. The man was lying down, his eyes on the ceiling. He detected her presence immediately when she moved, his blue eyes landed on her, a grin on his face. The swelling around his eye had almost gone.
“Doc! Glad I’m not the only insomniac in the building.”
It was impossible not to smile at him. Despite the danger oozing from the man in repose, she didn’t feel threatened by him. And why would she? Maybe she was thinking about what had happened earlier in the living room. After all, she didn’t know how Gage felt about Locke. It could be much more complex than it appeared.
“I wanted to check on you. I’m surprised to see you awake at all. The painkillers should have put you under at least until much later.”
His smile grew even more. “I have a fast metabolism. Medications and drugs never work as expected on me, that’s the reason I never take any. And even if I was in a drug-induced sleep, your screams would have woken me. God woman, you have the most incredible voice when you come.”
Tessa opened her mouth and closed it. Not knowing how to respond to that, she crossed her arms over her chest. “You’re hallucinating.”
Gage’s chuckle turned to a groan of pain as he touched his side. Tessa went to him right away, ignoring her own embarrassment. A quick examination put her fears at ease. No fever. His bruises looked impressive but were improving. His shoulder looked even better.
“How’s the pain?”
Gage exhaled, dismissing it. “I’ve been through worse, I’ll survive.”
Tessa continued her assessment. “The icing helped. As did the anti-inflammatory injection I gave you. I wish I had access to X-rays. I don’t doubt you have a broken bone or two with the number of bruises I can see.”
“If something was broken, I would know it. No X-rays needed for that.”
She ignored his smug look and once satisfied, pulled the sheet up again. “Don’t play the caveman with me, Mr.Gage. If there’s something I can’t stand, it’s lies. If you don’t want to answer, just say so, or tell me to shut up.”
She was about to turn around and walk out, when he caught her hand. She wasn’t angry, but she felt as if she was walking on thin ice, her morals, and her sanity were already shaken, she couldn’t add lies to the mix, not here, not now. She could bare her body, but there was no way she would submit to untruths inside these walls.
“Call me Gage, Doctor.” The way he pulled at her arm, gently but firmly, there was no way not to sit beside him on the bed. Although she didn’t like being forced into something, Gage had the good sense to let her go as soon as her butt touched the mattress.
“May I know your name? Locke calls you Doctor, but I doubt that’s the name your parents gave you.”
Gone was the attitude, and in its place, she saw tiredness. So heavy as if things had finally caught up with him.
“Tessa.”
She saw his lips move, as if testing her name on his lips. “What can of worms have you opened, Tessa? A poisonous one I dare say if Locke brought you here to his private lair. I’ve been his friend most of his life, and having a stranger here is no small feat, that I can tell you. He’s … peculiar.”
Images of him at the hospital and in his kitchen popped into her mind. His habits, the way he moved and looked at things. It was only cursory, but it spoke a lot.
“And still, he welcomed you into his house, helped you. And you’re lying in his bed, Gage. Perhaps he’s not as peculiar as you think.”
The smile was back, but this time amusement colored it. “You are defending him. Good. But there’s much more than meets the eye concerning Locke. But you probably know that by now, as you saw what happened between us earlier.”
Astonishment must have shown on her face because Gage nodded. “I know when I’m being watched. Years of living on the street do that to a man. I saw you move at some point too, it was from the corner of my eye, but as you were the only other person around…”
Now, Tessa was scrambling to form a sentence, either to deny or dismiss, but nothing intelligent came to mind.
“It’s the first time someone watched us having sex. I’m not an exhibitionist, but I like your eyes. I like you.”
Tessa opened her mouth and closed it, unable to form a coherent thought.
