Page 46 of The Billionaire's Angel

I couldn’t forget what he’d said that night on thecouch.

If you let me get inside that sweet angel’s body of yours, I’m not going to be able to let yougo.

The memory of his words washed through me. The last thing I needed was another man who thought he owned me. Gage wasn’t Anthony. I knew that. That didn’t mean he was what I needed. I wanted to be sensible.Smart.

But more than that, I just wantedGage.

Chapter Nineteen

Gage

My sneakers struckthe pavement in a familiar cadence that felt so much better on a road than a treadmill. Winters House was a haven, but it was also becoming a trap. Or, itwouldif I didn't push the boundaries of my life. It was too easy to stay home, to bury myself in work. Especially with Sophiethere.

With Sophie around, why would I want toleave?

If I wanted my life back, I had to start living it. I couldn't remember the last time I'd gone running in the neighborhood, though when I'd lived here full time I’d done it every day. Buckhead was an urban anomaly: big lots, bigger houses, and winding lanes shaded by old-growthtrees.

If someone dropped you in the middle of Buckhead, you'd think you were out in the country and not just north of the heart of Atlanta. Minutes away you’d find busy streets, high-end shopping, office buildings, and freeways, but here in the silence of early morning, I was surrounded by the trees and only the occasional passingcar.

I had plans for the day, and they started with a run. When I got back, I’d hit the weights in the gym before I took a shower. A few hours of work, and then I was taking Sophie to lunch. We were having a family dinner that night to celebrate Annalise's return sometime that afternoon. Before the hordes of Winters descended, I wanted Sophie tomyself.

The night before had been beyond anything I'd expected. I won't lie. Since the night we’d met when I grabbed her in the dark, I'd been imagining getting Sophie naked. I'd had my hands on her, and I knew what she was hiding under that bulky robe and her starched campshirts.

For almost as long, I'd known this was about more than her body. Meeting Sophie had been a one-two punch—I touched her, I heard her voice, and Iknew.

Sophie Armstrong was it forme.

Coming back to Winters House should have been it. Should have been the thing that made me feel at home. I'd grown up there. But when I'd walked through the door, I'd only felt out of place. With Sophie, I washome.

Everything about her called to me. Her stubbornness, her kindness. The deft way she handled Amelia—keeping her out of trouble without trying to squash her spirit. Her smile, and the sweet, soothing tones of her voice. It didn't hurt that she was sexy as hell and looked like an angel with all that silvery blonde hair and those greeneyes.

By some kind of fucking miracle, she seemed to see something in me that she liked. We hadn't known each other long, but I knew in my gut that Sophie wouldn't have slept with me for sport. The way she kissed me, the way she’d stayed with me that night in the library. Sophie never would've let that happen unless she felt ittoo.

We had a chance for something if I didn't manage to fuck itup.

I wasn't going to fuck itup.

I grinned, remembering the way she’d gotten me to agree to talk to a shrink. Smart, stubborn, and a little sneaky. I liked it. It didn't hurt that she'd agreed to see one herself. I could deal with my own mess. I'd seen this kind of thing before. I knew what I was dealing with, and I knew it would be a lot easier to handle withhelp.

I just didn't want to go. Who did? No one. Especially guys like me. We spend our lives training to handle every eventuality. To never give up. To push to the end. Seeing a shrink is like admitting we can’t handle it. Fuck that. I can handle anything the enemy can throw at me. I've proven it over andover.

I could handle anything except the nightmares and the insomnia. The volatility and bursts of temper. That shit wasn'tme.

It had been just over a month since I'd made my way out of that hidden camp in the desert. Too soon to expect to feel normal again. Fuck, I had no ideawhenI could expect to feel normal again. Another reason seeing a shrink wasn't a bad idea. All the times I’d given that advice to other guys, never thinking I’d have to take itmyself.

If not for Sophie, I might've spent who knows how long insisting I could handle it on my own. One look into her green eyes, wet with tears, and I hadn't been able to say no. I could've gotten through my shit on my own.Eventually.

Sophie deserved better. Her husband had been dead for two years, and she was still trapped by fear. She deserved to move on. She deserved to feel whole and strong. Seeing a shrink wasn’t a magic pill that would fix everything, but it was astart.

I’d call Cooper first thing and see if he could recommend anyone. I knew he'd have a name for me, and I hoped he'd have one for Sophie aswell.

Thirteen years ago I'd walked away from my life. I was ready to take it back. Sophie was my catalyst. She was myreason.

All those long months locked in a cell had given me time to plan. I’d decided I was coming home, decided I was taking back my place in my family and in our company, but it hadn't seemedreal.

I'd walked through the doors of Winters House feeling out of place and off balance, as if my goals were a consolation prize. All my dreams felt like something to do because I didn't have anything else. I was alone, alive when I hadn’t expected to be, aimless and lost. UntilSophie.

She made me want more. For her, I wanted to be the man I imagined I could be. I wanted to give her everything she should have. A home.Stability.