Hoping that everyone would have some time to cool off, Gage had taken off for a little while. Well, that was partly true. His disappearance was a little more selfish than that, but he hadn't known what to do with himself. He could've added the anger and resentment that both Travis and Kylie felt for him, multiplied it by infinity and still not come up with even half of his own self-hatred for what he'd done.

He'd resorted to dousing his pain with alcohol, trying desperately to erase the last few months, praying that he'd wake up from the nightmare to find he hadn't done the worst possible thing he could think of. At one point, he'd even ended up shit faced drunk, sicker than a dog in an apartment at Club Destiny, and he had no idea how he'd gotten there or who had come to his rescue. The only thing he remembered was seeing Travis' handsome face somewhere in his drunken stupor, wishing and hoping he'd finally gotten the chance to apologize, to show him just how he felt. But no, that had only been a dream. One that continued to torture him every night since.

That's when he knew he was going the wrong direction.

Giving himself a couple of days to sober up had been the only solution, and that's when he decided it was time to make amends. He had so many people to apologize to, but first on his list was Kylie. Not that he expected her to hear him out, much less forgive him, but he had to try. He needed to try and relieve some of the guilt that was weighing on him because if he didn't, he might just drown himself in a bottle of Jack and call it a day. Hell, he might do that anyway.

Never in his life had Gage intentionally set out to hurt anyone the way he had managed to hurt the angel lying naked beside him. The sweet, little spitfire he'd come to know had evidently disappeared, and in her place was a woman ready to light him up like a bonfire. And she had. In ways he would never forget.

For all the time they'd spent together, getting to know one another, it had all been in vain because even after this, he knew she wasn't going to give him the time of day. The worst part about it all, he still wanted to get to know her even though he didn't deserve it.

Every curious bone in his body still wanted to know what happened between her and Travis all those years ago that would send them away from one another, yet never severing that one tie that held them together indefinitely. Even after Beau Bennett had swept Kylie away that day, and Gage had called Travis to the carpet right there in front of all of his brothers, the man hadn't told him a thing. When his brothers chimed in, trying to get to the bottom of what happened, Travis had closed up altogether and stormed out of Kaleb's house leaving more questions than answers.

Rather than stay and face the music, which Gage knew he should've done, he took the easy way out. That was until his conscience ate at him to the point he thought he would go insane. That and the downward spiral of booze that was getting too far out of control. That's what led him to Kylie's front porch, and ultimately to her bed.

Thrusting his free hand through his hair, Gage closed his eyes and took a deep breath. If he weren't lying down, he'd be pacing back and forth in order to burn off some of the restless energy that still fueled his mind to work overtime. He couldn't seem to stop thinking about Kylie, or Travis for that matter, but it didn't seem to matter how many miles he might walk back and forth, he didn't know how to fix this.

Inhaling sharply, Gage knew he had to face the music once and for all. As much as he wanted to roll over and slide into the heavenly warmth of Kylie's body again, he suspected that she was already beginning to overthink what had happened between them.

"Will you reconsider restoring my house?" The moment the words were out, he felt Kylie flinch. Damn it. That didn't come out right. And his timing sucked.

"Is that why you're here? For my services?" Kylie pulled away, taking the sheet with her and leaving Gage totally exposed in more ways than one.

Sitting up and twisting to the edge of the mattress, Gage dropped his feet to the floor, his head hanging low. No matter what he said or did, this wasn't going to turn out well.

"You know that's not it," he grumbled, making his way to his feet and retrieving his jeans from the floor before pulling them on.

"No?"

The reverence he thought he'd heard in her voice earlier was no longer there. The sweet, uninhibited woman was long gone, and in her place was the devastated girl who probably couldn't even see him through the red haze of her own anger.

Deciding to try one last time, Gage grabbed his socks and his boots and sat on the edge of the bed to slip them on as he glanced up at her. "Will you at least take the job?"

"Why would I do that?" she asked.

"Because I want you to."

"Not good enough." Kylie turned and stormed out of the room, still clad in only the sheet and Gage gritted his teeth to keep from going after her. Her passion stirred something inside of him, which explained how they ended up ravishing one another in her kitchen earlier.

He gave her a minute before he followed her out of the bedroom, grabbing his shirt from the floor and pulling it on as he went. She was in the kitchen, staring out the window when he made his way behind her. Her narrow shoulders and slender arms were smooth and seemed to beg for his touch, but he knew better. It was all in his mind. She was ready to be rid of him, and he had a feeling that he could drop to his knees and beg for her forgiveness, but she wasn't going to give in.

"Look, Gage," Kylie began with a weighted sigh and Gage steeled himself.

Before she could give him the old heave ho, he interrupted her. "Restore my house. I'll pay whatever you want. Give me another chance." Ok, so maybe he wasn't past begging, but he wasn't going to drop to his knees.

"Look," Kylie said, sounding serious and so terribly sad. "As much as I'd like to take the job, I can't." She followed her statement with another heavy sigh, and Gage waited for her to continue. "Travis and I shared a history together, and I'm not willing to intrude on his space. I wouldn't want him doing the same to me, which means I won't be able to work in the same town he lives in."

Gage understood her reasoning. Really, he did. She just wasn't telling him what he wanted to hear. "I'll make sure you and Travis stay far away from each other. Hell, I won't even tell him you're there."

"Right. And after what you did, I should believe you? Not on your life." Kylie paused, and Gage knew she was gearing up to throw him out on his ass. "I don't know what your motive is, but I don't appreciate being used in this vendetta of yours. I saw Travis' shock just as much as he saw mine. Our past is our past, and I don't plan to relive it again. Not with him and certainly not with you."

He couldn't come up with the words to argue. He wanted to ask her whether what they just did meant anything to her, but he knew better. It had. He'd seen it in the way she regarded him while they made love. He had felt the exact same way. But Kylie was hurt, and he knew she was more stubborn than he gave her credit for.

Gage had fucked up royally. Trust was something that had to be earned and even if he started out at zero originally, he knew he had a long way to climb before she ever even attempted to believe him again, yet he was willing to give it a shot. There was something about this woman. Something about her that would not allow him to walk away, no matter how hard she kicked him toward the curb.

When Kylie turned to walk away from him again, Gage found himself moving closer. When she pivoted abruptly to face him, he had put so little distance between them that they collided. Reaching out to steady her, Gage found himself unable to let go.

Looking down into her pale blue eyes, he held his breath unknowingly as he waited for her to speak. Her breath hitched, similar to the way his had, and he leaned in closer, unable to stop himself. He craved this woman's kiss like a drug. For weeks, he'd thought about kissing her, holding her, burying himself deep inside of her body and begging for something more, something he hadn't been able to give her because he'd been so eaten up with guilt.

Although he had given in to the desire that pulsed around them, he still felt the guilt, but he didn't want to pull away this time. He found himself craving more of her kisses, wanting to taste her again, breathe in the scent of lavender and vanilla that he found himself dreaming about. No matter what had happened between them, or how much he had fucked up, neither one of them could deny the attraction. It was even more potent now than it had been when he first met her.

Kylie's soft hand pressed against his chest, and Gage expected her to push him away, but she didn't. She just touched him, the warmth of her fingers seeping in through the cotton of his shirt. If only his clothes weren't in the way.

"Kylie," Gage whispered as he slid his hand beneath her hair, cupping her head and letting the fine, silky strands slip between his fingers.

"Don't do this." Kylie's words came out tortured, and Gage's heart constricted. "Please don't do this."

Gage heard the words, and he knew he should stop, but he just wanted to taste her again. "Do what?" Not that he needed her to tell him. He knew that the best thing for her would be for him to walk away and not look back, but he couldn't. It wasn't the best thing for him, and he knew it.

There was something drawing him to her, and Gage didn't want to walk away. He wanted to right his wrong, and the only way he could do that was to prove to her that he could be trusted.

He was being incredibly selfish, but he couldn't convince himself to walk away.

"You've already hurt me once," she whispered, his mouth hovering inches from hers. "And I can't resist you. I've tried. I really have. But I deserve better, Gage. I deserve so much better."

Gage's chest pounded with the rhythm of his heart. He wasn't holding his breath any longer because it had all been stolen right out of his chest. She was right. She deserved so much better. So why couldn't he just walk away? Why couldn't he give her the space she deserved?

Without thinking, Gage continued to lean in closer, using one hand to tilt her chin up so her eyes met his. Even through the sheen of tears in her eyes, he still recognized the longing. The same thing that pulled him to her was reflecting back, and for the life of him, he couldn't resist. He wanted to convince her.

He just wanted one more chance.

When she licked her lips, he lost what little control he'd brought with him. He was as gentle as he could possibly be considering his body was aflame with something distinctly foreign to him. Lust was a familiar emotion that he had a fond relationship with, but this was something more than that. Sure, when her lips touched his, his entire body stood up and took notice. His muscles tightened, the hair on his scalp tingled strangely, and his stomach did that odd clenching thing that it had done the first time she kissed him. The same as it had when Travis...

No, he wasn't going there. He wanted to be here with her. Kylie. Only her. There was no room in his life for even the consideration of what Travis was trying to tempt him with. Gage didn't have it in him to let Travis string him along for however long it appeased him. Unlike Travis, Gage would end up getting hurt. He wasn't nearly as emotionally adrift as Travis, and quite frankly, he wanted something more. Something everlasting.

Gage forced himself to pay attention to the sweet, soft mouth pressed against his, the firm, curvy body now moving closer as Kylie gave in to him as much as he was giving in to her. This was inevitable. Ever since their first kiss, he'd known there was something more with this woman.

Gage tilted her head back slightly, changing the angle of the kiss, delving into her mouth until she was damn near climbing him again. He was doing everything he could not to push her up against the nearest wall and reach for the slick warmth he knew he would find between her legs.

"Kylie," he breathed against her mouth, his tongue licking her lower lip, his fingers still threaded through her silken hair. "I can't stop this." He didn't want to stop it, although he knew he should, but he'd proven how weak she made him once before, and it was quickly happening again.

"I need you to go," she said, sounding sad. There wasn't a trace of anger in her voice and Gage was somewhat surprised, but the tone also tore his heart apart.

She was stronger than he was, and if he cared for her the way he was convinced he did, Gage knew it was best if he walked away.

He nodded his head, knowing she was right. He needed to go. Unfortunately, he didn't think she was just asking him to leave for the night. Kylie was telling him to leave and never come back. He wanted to beg her to change her mind. Beg her to take the job because he'd never find anyone who would be able to do as good of a job as she would do. It was his grandmother's house and he cherished it, but that was just an excuse; an excuse to keep her in his life for just a little while so he could prove to her that he wasn't an asshole that went around hurting people.

It wouldn't matter, he knew. She wasn't going to listen and quite frankly, it was his own fucking fault.

Without another word, Gage grabbed his hat from the floor where it had fallen earlier and walked back out the way he had originally come in. He didn't look back because he wasn't sure he would be able to keep going if he did.

And the last thing he wanted was for Kylie to see that his heart was breaking, the way his chest heaved as he swallowed the painful lump in his throat was proof.

Chapter Nine.

Two months later... June "Fucking hell, Travis. Shit! I told you, he'll be back today. That's what Gage said when I talked to him this morning," Kaleb exclaimed, clearly frustrated.

Well, it was gratifying to know he was back to his old self, getting his brothers riled up with minimal effort. Yes, he was enjoying the hell out of it at the moment too. Travis had perfected the art of being a royal pain in the fucking ass, but in his defense, they expected it from him.

He was just trying to be consistent.

Hell, Kaleb should be praising him as it was. Sitting in the small construction office of Walker Demolition with his brother, Travis had managed to bottle the question for the last hour. Never mind that it was the second time he'd asked since Kaleb walked in the door.

Ok, so yes, he was being a dick. Getting Kaleb pissed off by pestering him about Gage's whereabouts was too easy. And a little amusing. Which only helped to take Travis' mind off of some of his questions. Like why no one had heard anything from Gage. Not since the man passed out at the club, sleeping off a bender on the couch in Travis' rented apartment.

Since he walked out the door after Gage began to stir in the early morning hours, Travis hadn't seen or heard from him. Not that he expected to because he was pretty sure Gage didn't remember a thing. And he was almost certain he didn't realize it was Travis' apartment he was passed out in. It wasn't like Travis had any personal items there that would give him away. He liked his anonymity, and since the apartment was little more than a recreation room when he was in town, he didn't feel the need to clutter it up with personal shit.

Despite Kaleb's steadfast denial, Travis was pretty sure he kept in touch with Gage regularly. Ever since the mishap at Kaleb's when Gage showed up with Travis' wife in tow, Kaleb was keeping his distance from Gage, but he knew he wasn't shunning him entirely. Not that Travis had shared any information with his brother, but loyalty was loyalty. As it should be.

Over the course of two months, Travis had managed to retain some of his sanity. After the first time he drove by Kylie's house on a stakeout mission to see whether Gage was there or not, he hadn't been back. Of course, his stupid ass still wanted to go see how she was doing, but somehow he'd manage to argue himself out of that epic mistake waiting to happen.

Finding Gage at her house would've been the worst thing that could've happened, but much to his surprise, he had found no evidence to support Gage was staying with her. He'd been a happy mother fucker after that little revelation.

Didn't mean he wasn't interested in going back, but Travis had focused on getting his life back to normal. There was no sense in throwing any additional chaos into Kylie's perfect life. Gage had seemed to handle that splendidly, and Travis saw where that got him.

Missing. That's where.

Not that Travis expected her to embrace Gage with open arms, but if he knew anything at all, it was how painfully difficult it was to let a woman like Kylie slip out of his hands. He didn't think Gage was immune to her sweet charm either, even if he'd pulled the most dumbass move anyone could possibly come up with.

Travis had gone rounds with his own conscience ever since, wondering whether Kylie would even give Gage the time of day after that incident. Surely not, but then again, Travis had never expected her to waltz back into his world one day and blow his resolve clear to hell and back.

Now that he knew exactly where she lived, it had been even more difficult to refrain from going to see her. She was a temptation he was pretty sure he wouldn't be able to walk away from the second time, and Kylie Prescott deserved so much better than him. And that was the only valid reason he was keeping his distance.

He was having a hard enough time keeping his attention from straying places it shouldn't in the first damn place. If his reaction to her after seeing her for less than five minutes was any indication, Travis knew that showing up on her doorstep would only make things worse for him.

And her.

"What time?" he asked Kaleb, doing his best to piss him off even more because he didn't have anything better to do.

"Not doing it today, Trav. You can take your pissy attitude somewhere else. I've got work to do." Kaleb didn't bother looking up from his computer, and Travis knew he wouldn't get anything more out of his brother.

Mission accomplished.

Truthfully, he was so fucking frustrated with the entire situation that irritating the shit out of his brothers, and anyone else who stepped in his way, had become his sole focus. He'd much rather turn his aggravation on Gage, but again, the man was MIA.

Travis still wasn't entirely sure what prompted Gage to react the way he did. Hell, they had shared a couple of kisses. Granted, they would've shared much, much more had they ever had the opportunity in the form of just a little more privacy. And since the timing was never right, Gage couldn't pretend to be the scorned lover.

Standing, he decided he would go check to see what other sort of trouble he could get mixed up with. He hadn't been by the resort yet today, so maybe he'd start there. They'd come a long way in recent months. Much farther than Travis expected anyway. He figured his contractors were well aware of his temper and considering he was riding their ass day in and day out, he had expected some serious progress. Just not this much.

They would be thrilled to see him.

Grabbing his hard hat off of the small table in the miniscule kitchen area, Travis took off out the door. He could've sworn he heard Kaleb sigh in relief as he stepped out into the oppressive, Texas heat. The thought made him smile.

Travis rounded the front of his truck and was just about to climb in when he noticed an unfamiliar truck pulling down the dirt driveway that led to the construction office. Glancing down at his watch, he checked the time and tried to remember if he was expecting anyone. He didn't think he had any meetings, so he waited for the stranger to park.

The windows were tinted and the bright, morning sun was reflecting off of the glass so he couldn't see who was in the four door red Chevy pickup. He knew it wasn't one of his contractors because one, their trucks didn't look that clean and shiny or new and two, they wouldn't bring that fancy shit on the property. Hell, Sawyer was even keeping his prized possessions locked up these days thanks to all of the construction going on around them.

The driver's door finally opened, and Travis watched as a woman got out. Long, golden brown hair was all he could see because she was facing away from him, but he knew at once who the silky hair belonged to. His body had a strange reaction to the sight of her, and he was tempted to jump in his truck like he never even noticed her. He realized it was too late for that when Kylie turned and faced him, their eyes connecting over the hood of her shiny red truck.

So maybe there was a tiny amount of hope that swelled up from one of the dark, dusty corners in his chest, but when Kylie didn't greet him with either a smile or words, he forced himself to think rationally. Why in the world would she have come to see him? Whatever it was, he knew it wouldn't be good. As she approached, Travis tried to find words but came up bone fucking dry. He didn't even know how to greet her.

Tucking his hands into the pockets of his jeans, his attempt at appearing cool and collected, Travis watched intently as she opened the passenger door and leaned in to grab something. Without contemplating the results of his actions, Travis let his eyes linger on her stunning ass encased in a pair of tight denim shorts as she leaned into the truck, her toned thigh muscles stretching beautifully.

Ok, shit. Now something else was stretching. Fuck.

He must've been admiring the view for a little too long because when he looked up, Kylie was glancing back at him over her shoulder and she didn't look happy about being visually molested.

But hell, it made him feel better.

"Hey," he said, finally finding his voice.

"Hey." Kylie shut the door with a little more force than was necessary and then closed some of the distance between them.

Just like the first day he laid eyes on her almost eleven years ago, the woman stole his breath right out of his lungs without a please or thank you. Not only was she stunningly gorgeous, remarkably little had changed about her appearance over the last decade. Her eyes were still a sparkling baby blue, her hair still long and silky, her lithe body still just as curvy and sexy as hell in those faded blue jean shorts and... boots.

Awww, fucking hell.

She was country from head to toe and, truthfully, it wouldn't matter what she was wearing, she still managed to give him a damned hard on just by breathing.

"I brought you these," Kylie said, interrupting his perusal of her sinfully tempting body. Her sweet voice and sexy country drawl brought back an influx of memories, and all of them a reminder of exactly how stupid he was.

How the hell had he ever walked away from her all those years ago? Looks aside, Kylie had been sweet and innocent, and so damned good to him, his heart still hurt with the memories that flooded his brain.

Travis glanced down at her hands, noticing for the first time the manila envelope she was holding out to him.

"What's this?" He couldn't imagine what she could possibly have for him.

There was a brief pause as she glanced down and then back up while he reached out to take the proffered envelope. "Divorce papers," she said sternly and Travis' eyes flew up to meet hers.