Page 11 of The Billionaire's Angel

Eyes narrowed on my face, Gage said slowly, “You must've been young when you got married, or you weren't married verylong.”

I took another sip of tea and wished I’d told him to mind his own business. “Both. I was young. Just finished nursing school. I was working my first job, in the ER, when he came in with a broken arm. We were only married threeyears.”

“It wasn't good?” he asked, his words so gentle they drew tears to myeyes.

It hadn't been good. It had been very, very bad. And I wasn't going to tell Gage Winters about any ofit.

I shook my head, my eyes on mytea.

“Have you talked to anyone about it? A friend? Or atherapist?”

I almost laughed at the irony of Gage asking me that question. Blinking away the moisture in my eyes, I met his gaze and challenged, “Haveyou?”

Gage looked away. I wasn't surprised. I could fall back on the easy explanation that macho guys like Gage didn't want to talk about their feelings. But the truth was, a lot of people didn't like to talk about their feelings. I wasn't beating down the door of the closest therapist to spill my guts about my horriblemarriage.

Both of us knew better. I was a nurse for heaven’s sake. I knew exactly why I wasn't able to sleep, and I knew that therapy would probably help. Still, two years had passed since Anthony had died and set me free. I'd managed to sell our house and move away. I'd had four different jobs with different families until I'd ended up at Winters House, and during none of that time had I made a single appointment with atherapist.

Gage surprised me when he said, “I know I should. I have a buddy who went through a bad time after an IED blew up under his caravan. Some of the guys gave him shit for it, but he said talking to someonehelped.”

I drank the rest of my tea in three long gulps and set the mug in the sink. “I'd better get to bed,” Isaid.

I moved to walk past Gage when he stopped me with a hand on my arm. “Sophie, you know you're safe here,right?”

Surprised that he could read me so well, I looked up expecting to see compassion, or sympathy, in his blue eyes. I didn't expect heat. Interest. The desire in his eyes was at odds with his gentlequestion.

Testing him, I asked quietly, “AmI?”

Gage tightened his hand on my arm and drew me closer until my breasts brushed his hard chest. We were separated by inches of fabric. His T-shirt, my robe, and my nightgown beneath. My body didn't care. My nipples tightened, and my breath grewshort.

Gage dropped his head until his lips brushed my temple. His hold on my arm loosened, his hand stroking up and down, fingers circling my wrist, then letting go to slide to my elbow before trailing down again. The warmth of his fingers, even through the sleeve of my robe, was soothing. Soothing, and something else. Something dangerous that sparked my nerves and set my heart beatingfaster.

His breath brushing my skin, smelling of honey and whiskey, he whispered into my ear, “You'll always be safe with me, Sophie. Ipromise.”

His hand left my arm, and he took a step back. If he was waiting for me to speak, he was going to be disappointed. I had no idea what tosay.

I was a coward. Crossing my arms over my chest, I whispered a hasty, “Good night,” and fled thekitchen.

For a second, my breasts pressed to his chest, his mouth at my temple, I’d been sure he was going to kissme.

I'd wanted him to. I wanted Gage Winters to kissme.

I don't think I needed to list all the reasons kissing Gage Winters was a terribleidea.

Laying in bed, staring at the ceiling, I did itanyway.

First, I worked for hisfamily.

Second, third, and fourth, he was newly home, was working through a trauma, and was in no position to start arelationship.

Fifth, I didn't do one nightstands.

Sixth, I had pretty much zero sexualexperience.

Anthony had been my first, and sex with him had been brief and dull. I was pretty sure sex involved more than laying there with my eyes closed, but that's what Anthony wanted from his wife. I’d learned quickly to give Anthony what hewanted.

Gage Winters would expect more than an untutored girl in hisbed.

At that thought, I stopped listing all the reasons kissing Gage Winters was a bad idea. It was toodepressing.