Beautiful Misery (The Beautiful Series) (23 page)

“Can you blame me? It smelled like a urinal looks in there. I don’t care where you take me next as long as it has fresh air.” Annie glances up at me. Her blue eyes sparkling.

When we got to the field I pointed to the fifty yard line. “There.”

Annie’s eyes followed my hand. She covered her mouth with one hand and laced the fingers of her other hand with mine. Walking to the middle of the field, there was a large blanket spread out with a basket in the middle. Lining the blanket was pink and yellow rose petals. It was exactly how I wanted it.

We sat on the blanket and I pulled the basket close to us, opening the lid. I pulled out the bottle of chamagne and two flutes. Pouring us both a glass I handed her one. “To unforgetable first dates.”

She tapped my glass and smiled before taking a sip of the sweet liquid. “That smell will definitely be unforgettable. But, so far I’m having a good time.”

I reached
back into the basket and pulled out a plate with strawberries, grapes, and cheese. “Would the Madame care for a delectable berry or a slice of cheese?”

Annie laughed and plucked a strawberry off the plate. “Thank you, good sir.” Instead of taking a bite of the strawberry herself she held it up to my lips.

I slowly licked my bottom lip and took a small bite. Her sudden increase in breathing didn’t get passed me. “My turn.” I grabbed a plump grape off the plate and brushed it over her lips. Just when she cracked her mouth open, I popped it into my mouth.

“Not fair!” Annie joked and shoved my shoulder.

“Okay, okay. Here.” I grabbed another grape and rubbed it on her lips. She shook her head. “Come on. I’ll play nice.” I stuck my bottom lip out.

She slightly opened her mouth and I slipped the grape in, letting my thumb graze over her bottom lip. Her eyes fluttered shut. I leaned into her and let my lips linger on hers. She tasted like
perfection.

Laying her back on the blanket, I shoved my fingers into her hair. This felt right. Everything felt right with her. I let one hand wander down her body and under her dress. I slipped under her panties. She was wet. I leaned up on my knees and unbuttoned my jeans. Sliding them and my boxers down I let my throbbing cock rub against her wetness. I felt her thighs tighten against me. In one fluid motion I was inside of her. Fuck. This felt better than right. This felt like home.

I wanted to tell her I loved her. I wanted to tell her I wanted to spend the rest of my life tangled up with her. I wouldn’t, though. I was too fuckin’ scared.

I wasn’t Gage Motha Fuckin’ Tucker. I was Gage Cowardly Ass Tucker.

23

Annie

I
was pissed. I couldn’t believe Gage! That fucker actually mentioned me in his interview after I told him not to. I was going to kill him. Opening my car door I got out, slamming it shut.

Stomping across the practice field parking lot
, I walked up the steps. Flinging the door open, I made my way down the hallway toward the locker room. Those men were about to get the surprise of a lifetime.

Coming to the locker room door I didn’t bother knocking. I shoved the door open an
d stepped in. They had Metallica blaring through the speakers. Glancing around I saw men in towels, men in boxers, men in nothing, then my eyes landed on Gage. He was leaning against a locker, his arms crossed at his chest, talking to Trent.

Huffing, I
made a b-line straight for him. I could hear all the men hooting and hollering, but I paid them no attention. One guy even called out, “Watch out Tucker. Your woman is hot.” I’m not sure if he meant piss off hot or the way I looked hot, I didn’t care. I was on a mission. I had no plans of stopping until Gage was dead or bowing down calling me queen.

Gage turned his head to see what all the fuss was about. When his eyes met with mine I could see that damn smirk set in place. Not taking his eyes off
me he said something to Trent. Trent turned to wink at me. He laughed and patted Gage’s shoulder before walking away.

I stopped just in front of Gage and glared. “How dare you! I told you not to mention me. T
hen to call me your lady luck. You made me sound like a total slut.”

“Well, what the fuck are you? We both know fucking is what we do best.”
Gage caught me off guard and kissed me.

What did I come in her
e for?
Oh yeah, for making me sound like a whore.

Putting my hands on his chest I pushed him back.
Raising on my tippy toes so I was eye to eye with Gage I said, “You know a guy like you should wear a damn warning.” Grabbing his t-shirt I fisted it and shoved him back a little.

Gage grabbed my arm
and yanked me through a door and around the corner. Pressing me up against the wall, he placed his hands beside my head and dropped his head so his lips were brushing my ear. “Baby turning you on is just too damn fun. I may be a bad influence sweetheart, but fuck, I’m fun.”

“Gage we are in the locker room. Your team is on the other side of this very thin wall.”

Raising an eyebrow, Gage dropped his voice even lower and breathed into my ear, “I don’t give a fuck. I want you up against the wall. I’m about to do very dirty things to you. Let them hear you. I want them to know you’re mine.”

Sucking in a breath, my eyes widened. “Is there ever a time you don’t want it?”

Gage’s gorgeous face formed into a wide grin. “With you, never. I could fuck you all day long and still not get enough.”

Gage never took his eyes from mine as he leaned over and pushed in the lock on the door. Hearing the click of the lock, I watched as Gage’s eye
s turned to a stormy blue. The same way they always did when he was turned on. Which seemed a constant with him. Pressing his body to mine Gage ran his hand from my shoulder down my arm and to my hip. He slipped his hand under the waistband of my skirt and into my panties.

“For someone who is so
worried about people on the other side of the wall, you sure are wet.” Gage crooned as he slid a finger into my hot, wet center.

Letting my head fall back, I gripped onto Gage’s broad shoulders as he used his fingers to tease me.

Pulling his hand from my skirt he placed his arm around my waist, lifting me off the ground so I could wrap my legs around him. He pushed my skirt up and shoved my panties to the side. Using one hand he lowered his gym shorts and boxers, letting his large, throbbing erection free.

“You want it, baby?” Gage asked in a deep, throaty growl.

“Just shut up and fuck me.” I retorted.

Gage gave me a smug sm
ile before slamming his cock into me.

“Ahh!” I cried out
at the force and that amazing stretched feeling I got.

“I want them to know you’re mine. I don’t want them thinking I’m trying to kill you.”

I shut my eyes and bit down on my lip as Gage kept up with the quick pace.

“Fuck you. I can’t help the sounds that come outta my mouth when I have your dick sliding in and outta me. I have no control on what you do to me.”

Gage licked his lips and drug his teeth across his bottom lip. “I love what I do to you. Getting you all worked up and seeing that look on your face. That look is for me, no one else. I don’t share, Annie. You got that?”

I nodded and reached between us, my fingertips grazing the top if his dick. “
I don’t share either. This. Is. Mine.” I brought my hand back to rest on Gage’s shoulder. As he picked up the pace, our breathing became choppy and labored. “Oh, God. You feel so good.” I gritted out between breaths.

I could feel the intense burning building in my lower stomach. I felt a thin sheen of sweat covering my body as Gage pushed into me and ground his hips. Dragging my nai
ls down his back, Gage growled, “Fuck, Annie.”

Hearing my name
fall from his mouth was my undoing. Clinging to Gage I cried out. I wasn’t even sure what I said but I’m sure it wasn’t even in English.

Gage pulled out
before slowly sliding back in. “Annie, this thing between us…I don’t want to fuckin’ lose it. I know I’m a selfish prick of an asshole who doesn’t deserve you. Maybe I’m a glutton for punishment, but I can’t fuckin’ leave this, leave us. I want more than this. I want more than sex with you. I want you.”

Your Call by Secondhand Serenade came through the speakers. I would never forget this song. When words fail, music speaks. So true.

Gage lowered his forehead to mine and softly kissed me, slowly intensifying the kiss. Slipping my tongue into his mouth I explored, tasting him. He grabbed the back of my head and kissed me with passion, with desire.

I felt his dick stiffen before his whole body went rigid. He moa
ned into my mouth as he emptied himself inside of me, jerking involuntarily.

Releasing my mouth Gage rested his forehead on the wall next to my head and slowly slid out of me. Lowering my legs down his body until I was standing
, I placed my hands on either side of his face. I pulled his head to me so he was looking me in the eyes. I said, “The things you make me feel, make me think are scary. I want to be happy and I want you. But, we both have a lot of trust issues. It’s not just us we are talking about. We have kids we have to consider. I don’t want Gabe getting attached to you then shit with us falling apart. Gabe and Londyn need stability.”

Gage started to talk and I held my hand up, lightly covering his mouth.

“That being said, I can see a future with you. As long as you understand this is me and you, no one else. I want to be with you. I want to be yours.”

Gage crushed his mouth to mine. “Annie, I want so bad to tell you how I feel but I want it to be perfect. You deserve perfect.”

“With you, I have perfect. I am willing to wait. I will always wait for you. I am crazy about you.”

You know that moment? That moment when everything is perfect. Too perfect. Where life is bliss and you’re just waiting for everything to come crashing down. You just know when it happens it’s going to be like an EF-5 tornado crashing through your life. You try to prepare yourself, but nothing can prepare you for life. Then…it happens.
It makes that tornado you thought it would be look like a windy day. It’s worse. So much worse. You want to curl up in a ball and forget the world. Too afraid to brave the storm.

That’s what I’m doing. Preparing. My life is bliss. Lay under the clouds and count the stars bliss. Too perfect. And, I know
its coming. My life isn’t this good, this easy. Now I wait and pray that the tornado sirens go off before the storm hits.

But, they never go off in time, do they?

Gage

“
Y
ou sure you want to do this?” Trent looked up from the floor where he was playing with Londyn.

“Yes. I can’t change much about her past, but I can help fix the wounds. That night in the hotel when she told me about her mom and sister…she sounded so hurt.”

Trent rolled onto his back and Londyn climbed onto his stomach. Holding her middle he lifted her up and into the air. “I don’t know man. What if she doesn’t want this? Maybe she doesn’t want to know her mom or the life her sister got and she was denied. I just think you should talk to her first before jumping into something so personal.”

“I think I’m in love with her.”

Trent nearly dropped my daughter. Recovering, Trent put Londyn on the floor. “It’s almost Christmas. Why don’t you wait until after the holidays? Then you two can talk about this.”

“I want to invite them over for Christmas. Everyone is coming to my house and I wanted her real family to be there. She deserves to have a family.”

“I don’t know man. I still think I would talk to her first. At least mention it before shit blows up in your face.”

“Thanks for the support, bro. Keep an eye on Londyn. I have a call to make.”

Trent grunted as I got up and made my way down the hall to my office. Sitting at my desk I picked up the business card. Mr. Aaron Halt, Private Investigator.

Dialing his number I waited for an answer. “Hello, this is Aaron Halt.”

“Hi. My name is Gage Tucker. I was calling to hopefully get some help from you.” I was fidgeting with my watch. My nerves getting the best of me. Maybe Trent was right.

“What is it that I can help you with, Mr. Tucker?”

“My girlfriend. Well, really it’s her family. My girlfriend was in and out of foster care. Her sister was adopted when they were little. I wanted to try and find her mom and sister in time for the holidays. Surprise my girlfriend.”

“Of cours
e. That is something I can definitely help with. I just need a little more information. What is your girlfriend’s name?”

“Annie Nicole Holland.”

“Her date of birth?”

“July twenty first, nineteen ninety.”

“Was she born in Alabama?”

“That I know of, yes.”

“What is her mother’s name?”

“Vicky. I’m assuming her last name is Holland as well.”

“OK. And her sisters name?”

“Heather. I know she is two years younger than Annie. She was adopted around the time she was six. Other than that, I don’t know anything else.”

“This is a good starting point, Mr. Tucker. I will start my research and keep in touch as things progress. Hopefully I can have them reunited in time for the holidays.”

“Thank you, Mr. Halt.”

We hung up and I let out a deep breath. That was easier than I thought. Now all I had to do was wait.

Two weeks passed before Mr. Halt called me back.

“Mr. Tucker, Mr. Halt here. I have some good news. I found your girlfriends mom and sister. They actually have been in contact with each other the past few years. Heather lives about an hour outside of Fairhope and Vicky lives in Pensacola. I have a number for both woman if you would like.”

Scrambling around to find a pen and paper I jotted down the numbers he rattled off. “Thank you so much, Mr. Halt. I will have your check in the mail tomorrow morning.”

“It was my pleasure, Mr. Tucker. Good luck.”

I hung up my phone and sat it on my desk. The numbers on the paper were staring at me. Taunting me. Leaning back in my office chair I rubbed my palms over my eyes. Should I do this? Fuck it. I came this far. No going back now.

“Hello?” A quiet female voice answered.

Clearing my throat, I said, “Um. Hi. I was looking for Heather.”

“This is her. Who’s calling?”

“My name is Gage
Tucker. My girlfriend is your sister, Annie.”

“My…my sister? I haven’t seen her since I was six. How did you find me?”

“I had a little help. I was wondering if you would maybe want to meet.” My voice full of hope.