Page 179 of Play of Love
It was just bordering on four thirty when he came back. I was sitting in the living room distracting my mind by flicking through a fashion magazine, while Lucy finished up in the kitchen. Gage had that smug expression on his face again and acted like nothing had happened. As if he hadn't been missing for the whole day.
"Where were you? I was about to call the police." I snapped at him probably releasing more emotion than I intended.
"The police?" he chuckled.
I slipped off the sofa and observed him. He was all dressed up in one of those light cotton shirts and had the nerve to have a tan that made him look even better than he already did. And, it wasn't just any old tan either. He was full on brown, like Malibu Ken doll brown.
"Were you sunbathing with Giselle?"
He laughed at me. "Can you stop being jealous of Giselle?"
"I'm not jealous." I smacked his chest. "You know what Gage? I can't stand you. I really can't. You get on my nerves in the worse way possible."
He widened his eyes and clutched his chest wincing. "Uh, arrow to the heart."
"It's not funny. I was worried. If you're going out chasing skirts, you could have at least said." I was so silly. Of course he was with Giselle. I couldn't have been more annoyed at myself, and worse now because the cruel worm of jealousy had indeed burrowed itself into my mind, gnawing at my thoughts.
He caught my arm as I was about to storm away and held up the grocery bag he'd been carrying. "Apparently, pink marshmallows are hard to come by here." He reached into the bag and pulled out a large pack of fluffy pink marshmallows. "I drove around for hours looking for these and then had to trek up some hill to find the one shop that sold them. That was in Florence. Crazy right?"
I looked up at him as he held my gaze. Instantly I remembered our conversation on the beach about the marshmallows.
"You... got those for me?"
"Yeah, I promised you a mean hot chocolate. Hot chocolate isn't complete without whipped cream and marshmallows. I'll make you one after dinner."
I just stared at him, trying my best to let his explanation sink in.
"You went out specially for me?" I asked as if I needed confirmation.
"Swear to God," he slipped his hand down to mine and lightly touched my fingers.
"And, you weren't with Giselle?" Again I needed confirmation.
"After last night how could I be?" He replied making it sound like the
answer was obvious.
When he saw I was at a loss for words, he smiled and said, "looks like the only skirt I'm chasing is yours, Princess." His voice was low and purposefully seductive.
He tweaked my nose playfully and made his way into the kitchen to join Lucy.
I released the breath I'd been holding onto and watched him go, relishing the warmth that spread across my heart when he glanced back at me and winked.
