Fencing You In (2 page)

Without really thinking about it, she dropped the bathing sponge and cupped her breasts in her hands. Her eyes still closed, she rolled both her nipples between her thumbs and forefingers, imagining that Gage was touching her.

His green eyes would be dark with sensuality, his hair wet, rivulets of water running down his muscular chest as the water pounded down on them. He would have a fit body, rock hard and toned, and she bet he’d have a generous package.

He would kiss her, slowly exploring her mouth. Heat rushed through her as she could almost feel his hands on her. She imagined him moving away and dipping his head to latch onto her nipple. She gasped as she pinched her nipples, almost feeling the warmth of his mouth on her, licking, sucking.

The place between her thighs was slick with need and she slipped her fingers into the wetness and imagined they were his. She circled her clit while playing with her nipple with her opposite hand.

Sensations built up inside her and her lips parted at the thoughts of what he would do to her. He would catch her by her waist, raise her and brace her back up against the cool tile wall while she hooked her thighs on his hips.

She felt herself coming closer and closer to orgasm. Her imagination was so vivid that she almost felt him placing his cock against her core, then driving in hard. She moved her finger faster and faster on her clit as he thrust in and out, taking her with fierce intensity.

Her breathing came faster and faster as water pounded down on her. The feel of him moving in and out, his skin slick against hers, the sheer size of him…

She came hard, her eyes flying open at the strength of the orgasm that throbbed throughout her body.

With a groan she sagged against the shower wall. She couldn’t believe she’d just climaxed while thinking about sex with Gage McBride.

She groaned again. If she was going to be fantasizing about Gage, she was in serious trouble.

* * * * *

Tess held Jenny’s hand as they headed down the hall toward Miss Eddie’s kindergarten classroom. She regretted not having Steven here to get to go to their daughter’s class for her first year in school. Time was healing her heart but she wondered about how not having a solid male role model would affect Jenny.

Jenny chatted animatedly as they went past walls filled with colorful student art projects. The halls were crowded with other parents and students attending the elementary school’s open house.

When they reached Miss Eddie’s room, Jenny pointed out paper flowers stapled to the wall to the right of the door. Each flower was glued to a paper with big lines next to the flower where children had traced their first names in large block letters.

“I made that one.” Jenny looked up with a proud expression on her little face as she reached up and pressed her finger to the paper with her name beside a large purple flower.

Tess smiled as she examined the flower and saw how neatly Jenny had printed her name next to it. “It’s beautiful.” She squeezed her daughter’s hand. “You did a wonderful job on the flower and you’ve learned to write your name so well.”

Jenny looked delighted at Tess’s reaction then tugged on her hand. “Come on, Mommy. I want to show you everything.”

Tess let Jenny lead her into the room. All available wall space was filled with class projects. As they went around the room, Jenny showed Tess which ones were hers. Tess admired them all and her heart warmed at the excitement in Jenny’s eyes.

“There’s Katie Sue.” Jenny grabbed Tess’s hand again and started moving across the classroom, weaving in and out between the small desks. “I wonder if that’s her daddy?”

Tess’s eyes widened as she saw a cowboy crouched on one knee next to Katie Sue so that he was eyelevel with her.

Gage.

Heat rushed to Tess’s cheeks as the memory of last night in the shower shot through her mind. She shoved it away and raised her chin as she and Jenny closed in on Katie Sue and Gage.

Katie Sue was talking and Gage nodded. He tugged at her dark brown braid and she giggled.

Jenny let go of Tess’s hand and ran the rest of the way to Katie Sue. Tess reached them just as Jenny said, “Is this your daddy?”

Gage grinned at Jenny and Katie Sue shook her head. “This is Uncle Gage.”

He glanced up and a sexy expression crossed his features as he met Tess’s gaze.

“This is my best friend in the whole world,” Katie Sue was saying. “And that’s her mom, Mrs. Grady.”

“Hi, Jenny.” Gage remained crouched and looked directly at the little girl. He extended his hand. “A pleasure to meet you. I’m going to be your uncle, too.”

“Really?” Jenny’s eyes widened.

Gage gave a nod. “Your Aunt Megan is going to marry my brother, Ryan.”

Jenny’s eyes were big. “Wow.” She looked up at Tess. “I’ve never had an uncle before.”

Tess smiled. “Well, he’ll sort of be your uncle. You’re going to have five of them in about a month. Gage has four brothers.”

Her eyes seemed even bigger. “Does that mean Katie Sue and I are going to be related?”

Tess looked at Gage and he smiled as he looked at Jenny. “I guess you could say so. I’m really Katie Sue’s mama’s cousin, but she calls me uncle.”

The two girls squealed in delight, clearly excited that they were going to be related.

As the girls chattered, Gage stood and faced Tess. Nearly a foot taller than her, he towered over her five-three frame. The heat that had crept over her body when she first saw him increased threefold, and she hoped her cheeks weren’t red from the flush she felt in them.

Trying to gain control of the situation, Tess cleared her throat. “You didn’t say you were going to be at the open house tonight.”

Gage smiled. “This morning Katie Sue asked me to come to her open house because her father couldn’t make it tonight. She claims I’m her favorite uncle for some misguided reason.” And then he winked. “How was I supposed to know they were in the same class?”

Tess rolled her eyes.

He glanced at Jenny then back to Tess. “You do know that you’ll be expected to come to all of the family functions once Megan and Ryan are married, don’t you?”

Tess raised a brow. “I hear the McBride family gatherings are huge.”

“They can be.” Gage gave a nod. “But some are smaller than others.”

“We have a small family.” Tess said. “It’s just my mom, sister, and me. We don’t have any other living relatives.”

Gage rested his hand on Tess’s shoulder, causing her to shiver. “Well you won’t be able to say that anymore.”

For a long moment their gazes held and she felt that gooey melty feeling even stronger than she had at the bar.

“Mommy.” Jenny’s voice and her tug on Tess’s hand jerked her out of the near trance she’d been in. “I want to show you where we have story time.”

Tess smiled as she turned away from Gage and let Jenny pull her over to a corner with shelves of books and a carpet with big stars on it.

“Come on, Uncle Gage,” Katie Sue was saying as they followed behind. “Let’s go with Mrs. Grady and Jenny.”

“This is Barry.” Jenny picked up a large stuffed brown bear and hugged it. “He’s the class bear. We each get to take him home for a week and he’s supposed to go wherever we go.”

“And we can take him somewhere special,” Katie Sue said.

Jenny nodded as Katie Sue took the bear and hugged it. Jenny picked up a big notebook with a construction paper brown bear on the front of it with BARRY written across the top.

“We draw a picture of something we did with Barry,” Jenny said as she flipped through the empty pages. “And then we tell the class everything we did for the week.” She looked at Tess. “Can we take Barry out for pizza when he gets to stay with us?”

Tess laughed. Jenny would choose pizza over anything else when it was her turn to pick what they would eat when they went out. “Sure.” Tess patted Barry’s head. “Maybe we can even take him to a movie.”

Jenny clapped her hands and bounced up and down on her toes. “Can Katie Sue and almost-Uncle Gage come, too?”

“That sounds like fun,” Gage said as he grinned at Tess. “It’s a date.”

Katie Sue and Jenny squealed again.

Tess nearly groaned. Whether she liked it or not, it looked like she was headed toward going out one night with Gage.

“The girls will be good chaperones,” Gage said with a wink.

“Funny,” Tess said. “Aren’t the adults supposed to be the chaperones?”

Gage moved in closer to Tess while the girls made plans. “We don’t have to wait until Jenny’s turn to have Barry to go on a date. Why not tomorrow night?”

Tess frowned up at him. “It won’t really be a date, and I’ve already given you my many reasons why I won’t go out with you.”

“They didn’t sound like reasons to me.” Gage shook his head with a playful grin. “They sounded like excuses.”

“Well, whatever they sounded like,” Tess said with determination, “the answer is still ‘no.’”

“We’ll see.” He gave her a wink before he crouched down to talk with both girls.

Tess watched for a moment. It was so obvious that he was good with kids, something she hadn’t expected.

They spent time looking over the classroom. After talking with the teacher, Gage glanced at Tess then looked at the girls. “Why don’t you ask your mom if you can join Katie Sue and me for pizza tonight, after the open house?”

Tess’s mouth dropped open as the girls started jumping up and down with enthusiasm. “It’s a school night,” she finally said.

“We won’t take long,” Gage said. “You have to eat dinner, right?”

“Please, Mommy.” Jenny’s eyes were wide with excitement. “It will be so much fun.”

Tess shook her head but said “All right.” She looked at Gage. “But we need to be home by seven.”

“That’s enough time to eat pizza.” Gage gave her a grin. “See, that wasn’t so hard.”

The girls started leading them from the classroom. “You don’t play fair,” Tess said with a frown.

He shrugged. “It’s just pizza with the girls, Tess.”

She thought about it for a moment and how excited the girls were. Maybe she was overreacting. “I guess you’re right.”

Gage smiled. “That’s my girl.”

“Humph.” Tess tilted her chin. “I’m not your girl.”

“Not yet,” Gage said with confidence in his voice. “But you will be.”

Her eyes widened. “You are rather arrogant, aren’t you?”

“I just know what I want, Tess,” he said in a low tone, “And I want you.”

 “It’s no wonder women keep slapping you.” She frowned. “All the more reason not to go out with you.”

His eyes glittered with sensuality as they walked outside. “Just give me a chance, Tess.”

She eyed him. “Ha.”

“Good enough for me,” he said with a sexy grin.

She found herself looking up at the clear blue sky and shaking her head. She wanted to go out with Gage more than he’d ever know. It was crazy to even feel that way about the guy.

Gage laughed and rested his hand on her shoulder. She brought her gaze to him as she shivered from his touch.

Yes, she was definitely crazy.

Chapter 3

Mario’s Pizza was a large place with arcade games along with a ball pit filled with colorful plastic balls, and huge tubes for the kids to crawl through like hamsters. Tess watched the girls while Gage went to order the pizza.

Katie Sue was dark-haired like most of the McBrides while Jenny had Tess’s blonde curls, cobalt blue eyes, and fair skin. Katie Sue’s cheeks were full and she was a little stouter than Jenny who was petite like Tess.

Tess smiled as the girls played together. It was good to let Jenny have some fun with her friend, even if it did mean spending time with Gage.

Although it wasn’t really feeling like a hardship.

She looked over her shoulder and her belly fluttered as she saw the tall, sexy man coming toward her. He walked with such purpose and strength, a powerful man who knew his place in the world and was comfortable in his own skin.

He gave her a drop-dead gorgeous grin and she had to turn away to keep him from seeing the flush she felt in her cheeks.

“How are the girls doing?” he asked as he came up beside her.

“Great.” Tess gestured up at one of the tubes where the girls had their faces pressed to one of the big circular plastic windows, looking out over the tables and people gathered in the pizza place.

Jenny waved and grinned as she spotted Tess and Gage, and then Katie Sue was waving, too. In the next moment the girls disappeared into the tube, probably headed toward the ball pit or to the opposite side where the slide was. It was hard to tell since the tubes only had a couple of windows.

“We can sit over there.” Gage gave a nod toward a booth. “We’ll be able to keep an eye on the girls.”

Tess walked with Gage to the booth and they slid in across from each other. “This is more like it,” she said with a smile. “I’m used to having something between us.”

He laughed but said, “Soon there won’t be anything between us. I promise.”

Still keeping an eye out on the girls, Tess shook her head. “Give it up, cowboy.”

“Is that what it is,” he said, “you don’t like cowboys?”

On the contrary—she loved cowboys. At least to look at.

Instead of admitting she did, she said, “Maybe.”

Gage rested his forearms on the table and leaned forward. “I think you do like me. You just won’t let go of whatever it is that’s holding you back.”

“Right.” She rolled her eyes. “Keep dreaming.”

“So, you’re divorced?” he asked, his gaze holding hers.

She paused and shook her head, the familiar ache going through her heart. “Widowed.”

A keen look of understanding touched his expression. “I’m sorry, Tess. How long ago? Or would you rather not talk about it?”

“It’s okay.” She tucked errant curls behind her ear and watched Jenny and Katie Sue as they played one of the arcade games. “It’s been three years.” She met Gage’s eyes. “Steve died in a car accident.”

“That must have been rough on you and Jenny,” Gage said quietly. “I imagine that’s an understatement.”

She nodded, feeling oddly at ease talking with Gage about it. “Jenny was only three so she doesn’t remember much about her father.”