Chapter 16

Gage swore, tossing the folder onto the desk. He looked down at the mess and glared. His brain was completely A.W.O.L. He blamed that on only a few hours of sleep, seeing Kelsey’s naked body splayed on the bed was playing over and over and over in his mind.

He’d left the house before she got up, not sure if she’d want to see him.

His phone rang, bringing his focus back to the now. Devin’s number displayed on the screen. “Go ahead.”

“Hey, Gage. We’re going to be there tonight.”

Gage closed his eyes; he’d forgotten he’d have house guests.

“Gage?”

“Yeah, sorry, I’m here.” He rubbed the back of his neck.

“What’s wrong?”

Sighing, he decided he should let Devin know what they were walking in to. “Kelsey’s going through her first cycle. It’s…”

Devin laughed loudly. Gage was shocked, his friend wasn’t a really laughing person.

“Sorry,” Devin said, recovering his breath. “I just had flashbacks to the mind fuck I went through with Rayne.”

Clearly, Gage thought, Rayne wasn’t in hearing distance right now. “Yeah, it’s something, that’s for sure.”

“Kelsey still unmarked?”

Gage wanted to groan, or maybe whine, but didn’t. “Yeah.”

“Are you going to be okay with me near her?”

Staring at the ceiling, he thought about it for a minute before answering. “I think so. You’re mated and not even clan…” He fidgeted with the folders skewed on the desk. “Who knows? I’m having a bit of trouble with everything right now.”

“Maybe Rayne talking to Kelsey will help.”

“I won’t hold my breath.”

Devin laughed again and then paused. “Have you heard from Calum?”

“No.”

“I still haven’t heard from him.”

“Well, he’s in the back-country, and it is Calum…”

“Yeah. I swear I’m going to stick a tracker in him so we can see where the hell he goes.”

“Where doesn’t he go might be easier. Any more on what Tomas’s crew is up to?”

Devin sighed. “They’re all over the place. They’re not being picky about the types of two-form they want, and they’ve tried to snatch from just about all the clans so far.”

“Shit. I’d hoped he would have backed off.”

“No such luck.” He could hear voices in the background. “I have to go. We’ll see you tonight.”

“Okay. See you later.” He hung up and then stared at the mess on his desk.

“Any luck?”

Gage looked up to see Jake leaning against the doorframe. “No. I need that damn invoice this afternoon.”

“Did you take it to the house by mistake?”

Rubbing his forehead, he tried to remember. “I don’t know.”

“Why don’t you give Kelsey a call and ask her to look?”

Gage didn’t want to admit he was avoiding her. “Yeah.” He sighed. “Devin and Rayne are going to be here tonight. Let everyone know so they don’t freak out when they smell another shifter.”

Jake grinned. “I’m looking forward to meeting her. She’s all you and Blair talked about when you came back from the wedding.”

Not wanting to discuss mates and weddings, Gage stood up. “You get that brake line fixed?”

Straightening, Jake nodded. “Just waiting on Gary to lend me a hand to bleed the line before I sign off on it.” He walked out of the office.

Sighing, Gage picked up his phone again. He dialed Kelsey, almost hoping she ignored it. She didn’t, her soft voice teased his ear.

“Hey, honey. Can you go look in the office for an invoice?”

“I’m in the office, what am I looking for?”

He rhymed off the name of the supplier. “It may have got stuck in one of the folders I brought over last night.”

“Okay, give me a second here…” He could hear her shuffling through them. “It’s not here. Would it be anywhere else?”

Closing his eyes, he blew out a breath. “I doubt it.” He pawed at the folders on the desk. “I can’t find the bloody thing, and I need it.”

There was a long pause on the other end of the line. “I can come to the shop and see if I can find it.”

Gage realized what it was costing her to offer to come and help. “If you have the time, I’d really appreciate it. I can’t finish this invoice without it and can’t remember how much half the parts on it cost.” He rubbed his jaw. “It’s a huge account.”

“Okay. I’ll be there in a few minutes.” She hung up.

Standing, Gage looked around the office and shook his head. She was going to climb up one side of him and down the other when she got a look at the mess.

Cursing at himself, he bent to pick up folders he’d stupidly knocked on the floor. As he straightened, he spotted Kelsey in the doorway. Her mouth was open in shock as her eyes surveyed the mess.

“Did a cyclone come through here?”

He opened his mouth with the first sarcastic quip that came to mind, then snapped it shut.

She stepped into the room, moving toward him slowly. He searched her eyes for a clue to her mood. “Where’s the invoice you’re trying to finish?”

Pointing to the computer, he decided he couldn’t screw up a thank you. “Thanks for coming.”

Moving past him, she went behind the desk and moved files to find the mouse and clear the screensaver. “I was running out of things to do at the house.” Looking at the office, she raised an eyebrow. “The mess in here should keep me busy for a while.”

Deciding he was safe enough, he winked at her. “Anything to keep you from being bored.”

Holding out her hand, she looked at the folders he held. “You didn’t randomly start pulling files, did you?”

Handing them over, he gave her a half grin. “Only the ones that were active when the supply delivery came in.”

Glancing at the files, she frowned. “I can’t believe you guys don’t catalogue parts and prices in a database.”

Pushing the folders out of the way, he sat on the corner of the desk. He’d have discussed anything with her, just to be with her without tension filling the space between them. “Mom and Dad tried it last year, but neither are really computer savvy.”

She smirked and nodded. “I gathered that from the office at the house.” She smiled, a real smile that had his heart pounding. “That’s what I’ve been working on, cataloguing everything.”

Turning, she started clicking away on the computer, Gage had no idea what, mostly because he watched her more than the screen, and he was one of those tech illiterate people. He could text on his phone and program arms on the equipment, but put a mouse in his hand, and his brain shut down.

“So, I linked the database I started at the house to the shop…”

He looked at the screen to see what she was explaining.

“If you need to search for a part, you type it in, if it’s in the database all the info will open.”

Grinning, he read the screen and saw the supplier info, part specs, count and several other tabs. “You did all this?”

She gave him a cheeky grin. “All by my little self.” She waved a hand at the screen. “It’s not complete, not by a long shot, but it’s a good start.” Tapping the folders on the desk, she raised her eyes and looked at him. “As soon as I clean up your mess, I’ll start entering stuff here. I’m only going back through the last year though; anything older would be useless.”

He was so distracted watching the animation as she spoke, he didn’t realize she was just staring at him. He cleared his throat. “You learn all this at school?”

Kelsey shrugged. “It wasn’t part of my major, but I took a few classes on the side.” She smiled. “So, I could finally show your dad the system I tried to talk him into using years ago.”

Gage laughed. “Well, he won’t be able to argue it if it’s already done.”

“Exactly.”

She sat there looking so pleased with herself, it was hard for him not to reach out and pull her close. “I’m proud of you, Kels.”

A surprised look appeared in her eyes. Shrugging it off, she motioned to the desk. “You get to help me go through all of this and refresh my memory for some of it.” She stood up and patted his shoulder. “And then you get to get out of my way.”

Moving past, he wondered if she realized she’d just touched him when she didn’t have to. Standing slowly, he was afraid to do anything that would set her off. He lifted his hands. “What do you need me to do?”

Glancing up from the files she was looking through, she glared at him. “First, don’t touch any more files from the cabinet. It’s like you randomly threw them over your shoulder.”

He grinned. “Close.”

“Have a disagreement with the filing cabinet, Gage?”

They both turned to see Cooper leaning against the door.

“Ha ha, no.” Gage grimaced.

Wiping his hands with a rag, Cooper looked at his hands. “I guess that means the missing invoice is still missing.”

“That’s why I’m here.” Kelsey offered with a smirk. “And from the looks of it, I’m late.”

Cooper chuckled and looked up. “Good, you’ll get it and him sorted out.” He looked at Gage. “Devin and the Missus are coming, Jake said.”

Gage nodded, tucking his hands in his pockets. “Yeah, they’ll be here tonight.”

Cooper bobbed his head. “I’ll tell Blair, he’s on watch tonight.”

“Thanks.”

Looking around the room once more, Cooper tapped the side of his cap and winked at Kelsey. “Good luck, Kitty Kat.”

Kelsey chuckled and shook her head. After he left, she glanced at him. “Devin’s coming?”

She was biting at her bottom lip. Gage’s stomach tightened as he dragged his eyes away from her mouth. “What’s wrong?”

Her brow furrowed. “I don’t understand the dynamics with Devin, what he is and how it works into my…” She sighed. “…our world.”

Perching back on the desk, he crossed his arms biting back a grin, since she’d finally admitted she was clan. He had to tuck his hands under his arms so he wouldn’t wrap them around her. “Devin hasn’t stepped into his father’s place yet, so for now, and to us, he’s just my friend Devin.” He gave her a weak smile. “Calum and I are his seconds though, so when he does take over for his father, the rules will change somewhat.”

“So, I don’t have to…” She waved her hand around. “…bow to him or anything?”

Gage bit back a laugh. “Christ, no. Maybe later on in a ceremony or something, but not now.” He chuckled. “I’d never hear the end of it if you did that. He doesn’t like being who he is half the time.”

She exhaled loudly. “See, I don’t know. He’s some kind of prince or something, but I still can’t see the whole picture.”

Gage sighed and stood up. This time, he did go to lightly grasp her shoulders. “Relax. No one expects you to learn everything right now.” He ran his hands down her arms and back up again, arguing with his cat that was pushing him to do more. “It’s going to be all right, Kels.”

“Promise?”

He almost fell into her amber eyes as she looked up at him. “Promise.”

“Does Devin know about me? About…” She lowered her lashes and looked away from him.

“He does.” Releasing her before he lost the battle with his cat, he let his hands hang loosely at his side. “His mate, his wife Rayne, is actually looking forward to meeting you.”

Her eyes came back to his. “She is? Why?”

“Rayne just recently found out about her heritage…” He waved his hand around. “I’ll let her go into the details, but she thought she might be able to talk with you and answer some questions.”

Kelsey stood without moving for several seconds. He knew she didn’t realize she was doing it, but it was so cat-like he was almost bouncing with joy inside.

Finally, she nodded. “I do have several…” She crunched up her nose. “…thousand questions. Maybe she’ll be able to help.”

Nodding, he stepped back, the scent he’d been almost able to ignore had just gotten stronger during their conversation. He swallowed and hoped they could get through the next day without her heat coming back, so he could have some quiet time to maybe renew her faith in him a little. At that thought, his cat reacted, almost scratching him raw on the inside; he wanted the heat, the she-cat. Trying not to shake his head, he pointed to the computer. “Please save me and help me get this invoice done before Gary has to leave.”

Giving him a little smile that went straight through his heart, she nodded. “Okay.”

The stupid invoice turned out to be on the floor, under the desk. Which made him feel like an idiot, but Kelsey seemed thrilled to have something to do.

Several times over the next hour, Gage had to clamp down on his cat. Kelsey was so into this whole catalogue project, they’d ended up close together as he answered questions. He’d caught her inhaling his scent as they leaned near one another. He could have happily stayed in the office with her for days without complaint, even though he didn’t give a crap about indexing each part.

He made sure the door remained open, so her cat didn’t feel trapped. All the guys had wandered by slowly, but with a glare from Gage had kept moving away.

He was flipping through the files in the cabinet trying to find the stupid file they needed when Kelsey stepped in front to grab the file. Three seconds later, she had placed it in the drawer and shoved it closed.

“Done.” Turning, she smiled up at him. “The mess is sorted, everything is filed, and your invoice is finished.”

Grinning, he curbed the need to reach out and touch her. Being close to her was like some kind of self-inflicted torture. “I could mess it up again if you get bored.”

Her eyes widened. “Don’t you dare.” She poked him in the chest. “From now on all receipts and invoices will be placed neatly in the basket so I can enter them in the computer and then file them.”

“Yes, ma’am.” He gave her a big grin. Almost reaching out to touch her, he moved to place his hand to hold the filing cabinet, concentrating on keeping it there. Kelsey had stilled in front of him, he tried to decide if he should step away, in closer, or what exactly would be the right move. When she leaned in and inhaled deeply, he had to will his hands to not grab for her.

When she reached out and ran a hand down his arm to his fist, he clenched his teeth together, not breaking eye contact with her. Christ, don’t move. Don’t move. Her amber eyes lightened to a golden hue as she lifted his arm then placed it on the other corner of the cabinet. The scent of her cat was filtering through his senses as he tried to stay completely still. He needed to see where she was going with this.

Biting her lip, she looked up at him, determination clear in her eyes. “Just…” She took a shaky breath. “Just kiss me.”

Her soft voice rolled over his skin like a caress. He gripped the cold steel and lowered his head toward her.

When he was close enough to taste her breath, she whispered, “Don’t let go of the cabinet.”

His heart was pounding inside his chest, and his breathing already uneven. “I won’t.” She touched his jaw and stretched up the last few inches until their lips touched. He tried to kiss her softly, lightly, trying not to scare her, but all that changed as soon as he tasted her.

Turning his head, he deepened the kiss, his cat hissed in triumph when she grasped the back of his hair, pulling him to meet her halfway. Heat poured through him like flames. His whole body wanted to claim her, the desire more insistent than any force he’d ever felt.

She gasped against his mouth and pulled back slightly. Gage froze and stood there panting like it had been his first kiss. When he feared she was going to move away, she moved closer and grabbed his head with both hands, pulling his mouth back to hers.

His arms shook as he fought to keep his hands on the cabinet. She tasted so good, he didn’t want to stop. Even if all of his oxygen ran out, he’d still keep kissing her as long as she wanted him to.

With a groan, she tore her mouth away from his and stood there panting, looking at him with lust-heavy eyes. He fought to gain air as he stood there, not moving a muscle. Her hands slowly let go of his hair, and then left him all together.

Gage wanted to stop her, but he didn’t, continuing to do what she’d asked of him.

Her chest heaving, she licked her lips, Gage just watching and saying nothing.

Placing a quick kiss on his mouth, she ducked under his arm and ran out of the office.

Gage dropped his head and closed his eyes, still trying to get his breathing under control. He wanted to pick up the filing cabinet or beat the holy hell out of something.

“Shit.”

He didn’t look up when Jake’s voice came from the door. “I was walking past and damn near got my ass singed.”

Inhaling, Gage lifted his head leaned against the top of the cool metal file cabinet, his hands still gripping the corners. “You saw?”

“Uh…I needed a spec book, but caught the gist when I saw her put your hand on the cabinet…”

Gage glanced over at him, Jake stood there, hands up in surrender, eyes wide.

“I didn’t dare interrupt after that.”

“Good. That would have ended badly.”

Jake nodded. “Oh, I know.” He leaned against the door frame, a puzzled look on his face. “I don’t know how you’re not running after her right now.”

Finally feeling like he was in control, Gage straightened and rubbed a hand over his face. “If I did that, she’d keep running just to spite me.”

Jake crossed his arms over his chest, nodding thoughtfully. “Yeah, I can see that.” He glanced awkwardly around the office, avoiding direct eye contact. “Coop warned us that she was in her cycle…” He chanced a glance at Gage long enough for him to nod. “You must have the willpower to rival a saint. I remember what it’s like…”

Gage interrupted him, not wanting to talk about the females they’d helped when they were younger. “It’s not like that.” He sat on the edge of the desk and studied the rough cement floor. “When it’s your mate, you consider everything, not just the physical.”

Jake blew out a breath. “You still need an iron will to resist.”

Shaking his head, Gage glanced at him. “It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done. Truthfully, I’m scared to death that I’ll fuck it up.”

Jake stood and looked at him, so many emotions crossing his face that Gage wondered what the hell he was thinking. Finally releasing his breath, he came in and grabbed the spec book he needed off the shelf. With a half-hearted smile, he paused in the doorway. “I don’t think I want to find my mate.” He walked out, not looking back.

Gage continued to sit, trying to figure out why Kelsey had kissed him. Maybe Blair was right, and it had to be Kelsey’s idea for him to get anywhere. Problem there was if he knew Kelsey, and he thought he did, she could stretch this into months before she put him out of his misery.