Page 217 of Damaged Mogul
I open my mouth to thank him, but instead, I burst into tears.
Gage shifts on the bed so he’s facing me. “Hey.” He wipes away my tears with his thumb. “Why are you crying? This gift was supposed to make you happy.”
“It does.”
“If this is your happy face, I don’t want to see your sad face.”
“Mama—” I hiccup. I’m so emotional, I can’t speak for several beats.
“Take your time.”
“She would’ve lost her mind,” I say. “She would’ve wanted to hear about every little detail, from the color of the carpet to how many cracks I could count in the asphalt in the parking lot.” More hiccupping. “I won’t be able to share any of that with her.”
He takes my hand into his, brings it to his lips, and kisses it gently. “I get it. It took me a long time to quell the urge to call my mom to share milestones after she died.” He pauses. “I don’t know how it works in heaven, but I’m going to borrow a saying from my sister Sara. She always reminded me Mom was watching from up above and experiencing my milestone moments through our soul connection. It sounded woo-woo tome, but I went along with it. It helped me deal with the finality of never seen my mom again.”
His beautiful words make me cry harder.
Chapter 40
Lily
I’m so different from the woman who landed at LAX.
The past eight days have gone by in a haze of orgasms, ecstasy, and sheer bliss. I’ve lived through so many wonderful adventures, it’s hard to believe I was able to cram it all into such little time.
My grumpy bodyguard turned lover extraordinaire rolls my suitcases towards me.
It’s going to be so hard leaving you, Gage Hollingsworth.
He stops in front of me. “You arrived in this city without any luggage, and now you’re leaving with the contents of half the stores on Rodeo Drive stuffed into these three large suitcases.”
Being the gentleman he is, he suggested I wait inside the airport while he wrestled with all my stuff. I only had to worry about my handbag and carry-on.
“In my defense, someoneorganized a surprise birthday party for me, and his incredible friends were quite generous.”
He taps the tip of my nose. “They’reyourincredible friends, too.”
“I will miss them.”
“You’ll be back before you know it.”
That’s the plan.
A beat of silence passes between us.
I flash him a lopsided smile. “It went by too quick.”
Gage pulls me into his embrace. “It did,” he says, before dropping a kiss on my forehead. He sighs. “I don’t know if I’m going to be able to fall asleep tonight.”
My eyes meet gorgeous green ones.
Soon, I’ll only see them in my dreams.
Brushing off the melancholy, I play along. “Why’s that?”
He twirls a lock of my hair around his finger. “I won’t be wrapped around a sexy little thing with long black hair and a banging body.”
This man is my kryptonite. “If it’s any consolation, I’ll be in the same boat.”
