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  “Then they must never meet,” Bentley added with a giggle. “Cami is a huge fan, and she’d promise to make him waffles forever.”

  “Xander’s used to that sort of thing,” I assured her. “They might be a good match.”

  “No,” she insisted with a shake of her head. “Cami always gets tired of her boyfriends within a few months. She’d leave him, and then you’d have to listen to your friend complain about how much he missed her.”

  “Maybe she’d be the one missing him,” I pointed out.

  “Nope,” she replied. “They all fall for Cami. She’s good at becoming every guy’s dream girl, for a short time. It’s sad when I run into one of them months after she ends things. She ruins every man she dates.”

  I was beginning to think Bentley was going to do the same to me. I was definitely not happy about only having her for one night, but I refused to dwell on that while she was naked and in my bed. “So, what should I order?”

  “I’ll have the steak and eggs,” she replied. “Eggs over easy and the steak medium.”

  “Nice,” I praised. “I might have kicked you out of my room had you told me you don’t like a good steak.”

  “What do you do with all your vegetarian groupies?” she asked. “This is California.”

  “I don’t invite them to spend the night in my room,” I explained.

  “So, you kick the vegetarians out of your bed?” she asked.

  “I don’t let the groupies spend the night,” I clarified. “You’re an exception. I like your company, and you are irresistibly sexy. You are the perfect combination of Ginger and Mary Ann.”

  She laughed at my description. “I’ve never heard that one before.”

  “I’m surprised,” I remarked. “You’ve got all these incredible curves and the sweet look.”

  Her cheeks flushed. When she said nothing, I grabbed the phone to order. I also talked them into sending up condoms from the gift shop.

  “Don’t you think two boxes of condoms might be too many?” she asked when I ended the call.

  “They only have the three packs,” I explained. Nine times was likely more than I could pull off, but I loved a challenge. “I better put some pants on so I can answer the door when our order arrives.”

  Her pout was adorable.

  “You want me to answer the door naked?” I asked.

  “That would probably be too much for the hotel staff to handle,” she remarked. “I hate covering all that perfection up.”

  “Perfection?” I asked with a raised eyebrow as I slipped into a pair of running shorts.

  “Are you trying to get me to stroke your ego?” she asked.

  “My ego definitely enjoys being stroked by you,” I teased.

  Her eyes darted to the front of my shorts. “I haven’t gotten a chance to taste you yet.”

  “Now, is not the time for that,” I insisted as I settled onto the bed beside her.

  “You seem to like the idea,” she pointed out, her eyes on my tented shorts.

  “I definitely like the idea,” I assured her. “I’m not sure we have enough time before our food arrives.

  Her lips curled into a naughty grin. “There’s only one way to find out.”

  I had to bite back a groan when she got to her knees and began to tug my shorts down around my thighs. We didn’t have time, and I should tell her to stop, but I wasn’t a masochist. There was no way I’d be able to walk to the door with images of Bentley’s mouth wrapped around my cock playing in my mind.

  Fuck it. We could make time.

  Bentley’s fingers wrapped around the base of my dick, and she moved her hand up and down the length of my shaft. With a sweet smile, she watched me. My fists were clenched at my sides in an effort to keep myself from taking control. This was her show.

  I watched as she leaned forward to run her tongue around the tip of my dick.

  My breathing was somewhat labored. Her warm tongue moved up and down the front of my shaft, occasionally stopping to tease the overly sensitive underside of the tip. All the while, her hand gripped the base, alternating between sliding up and down and squeezing with just the right amount of pressure.

  “That feels so fucking good,” I ground out just before her lips closed around my erection.

  I gripped her hair, unable to resist the urge to guide her movements. She made no complaint. In fact, she moaned around my dick. It wasn’t long until I was lifting my hips to meet her mouth. As for Bentley, I’d never been with a woman who could give a blow job like her. She took me so deep, I was amazed she didn’t gag.

  “Fuck, I’m going to come,” I ground out, releasing her hair, so she could decide how she wanted this to end. When she sucked and licked my dick with even more fervor, I came so hard, I saw black spots.

  “So good,” I rasped out as she drank down my release.

  I pulled her on top of my chest and kissed her until she was panting and straddling my hips to grind against my cock. I was already getting hard and dying to be inside her again.

  “Damn, I hope room service gets here soon,” I muttered.

  “Why’s that?” she asked with an innocent smile. “Are you hungry?”

  “As a matter of fact, I am,” I told her. “Why don’t you slide up here and let me eat that amazing pussy of yours?”

  “Shouldn’t we wait until after room service comes?” she asked, already moving to straddle my face. She was something else.

  “I guess you’d better come quickly, or you’ll have to wait for me to fuck you after we eat,” I told her before spreading her to give me better access. I had her screaming my name right before our order arrived.

  Chapter 21

  Bentley

  The buzzing of the phone sounded far off. It was a struggle to claw my way through the haze of sleep enough to realize it wasn’t my phone. After my night with Gage, I could barely open my eyes, and I was deliciously sore.

  “Hello,” Gage answered, his voice rough with sleep. There was a pause while he listened to the person on the other end of the line. He sat up in bed and spoke in an urgent tone. “Where is she?”

  Gage’s distress pushed away my sleepiness. Sitting up, I regarded him as he talked to the caller.

  “I’ll drive up there now,” he told the caller. “I love you, too. This isn’t your fault. I should have been there. I know. Yeah, you’re right. I’ll see you soon.”

  When Gage ended the call, he looked over at me. His face was etched with pain.

  “Are you okay,” I asked.

  “It’s my mom,” he began. “Fuck.” He ran his hands through his hair before continuing. “I hate to ask this of you, but can you call Colin while I shower? I need to let him know my mom’s in the hospital.”

  “Of course,” I assured him. “Is there anything else I should tell him?”

  Gage hesitated.

  “I can have him call you about it later,” I told him.

  “My mom tried to kill herself.” His voice caught on the words. “She tried to kill herself,” he repeated as if he needed to hear the words again to believe them.

  I wrapped my arms around him. “I’m so sorry. Get ready while I call Colin. Is there anything else you need me to do to help out?”

  Gage shook his head. “You’re amazing,” he breathed out before slipping out of bed and hurrying off to shower. While he hadn’t asked for my help, I could do more than call Colin. I was good at arranging things. I got all the information I needed from Colin to make the reservations, and then I got on the phone. By the time Gage stepped out of the bathroom, already dressed, I had everything taken care of.

  “I got you on a flight from Oakland to Portland. It leaves in two hours,” I began as I gathered up my belongings. “I texted you the car rental information, and they agreed to have everything ready when you arrive. All you need to do is give them your credit card and sign the paperwork. The hotel is providing a shuttle for you. They’ll bill your room. It should be ready to leave in ten minutes, so we need
to get you downstairs.”

  “What about my car?” he asked, looking somewhat dazed.

  “The hotel agreed to let you keep it here due to the special circumstances. I didn’t tell them specific details, just that a family member was hospitalized. Colin said you would prefer this to long-term parking at the airport. He also said he can have your car moved for you later.”

  “How did you pay for the flight?” he asked.

  “Colin had me use his credit card,” I replied. “I’m authorized on that card since I make arrangements for Colin. He insisted on taking care of everything.”

  “I don’t know what to say,” he admitted with a shake of his head.

  “You don’t have to say anything,” I assured him.

  “Thank you,” he murmured before giving me a brief kiss.

  “You’re welcome,” I replied, giving his bicep a gentle squeeze. “Let me know how your mom is doing.”

  “Of course,” he agreed.

  As we made our way down to the lobby, I realized my one night with Gage hadn’t gone anything like I’d planned. I’d certainly never expected to ask him to call or text me afterward, but I was worried about Gage and his mom. During our night together, I’d forgiven him for his accusations. We still couldn’t date. I hadn’t changed my mind about that, but I wasn’t going to pretend I didn’t like Gage. I wasn’t going to pretend I didn’t care about what he was going through.

  “She’s going to be okay,” I told him, slipping my arms around his waist to hug him when we stepped into the lobby. It was barely seven in the morning, so there were only a few others there.

  Gage’s arms slid around my shoulders and he held me close. When he pulled away, it seemed he was about to speak just before the desk clerk interrupted us to tell Gage his shuttle was ready. And just like that, my time with Gage was over.

  Chapter 22

  Gage

  When I arrived at the hospital, my aunt looked like she was ready to drop. Still, she continued to pace the small waiting area. Her normally pale skin was tan from her recent cruise. Her dark blonde hair was pulled back from her face, drawing attention to her gray roots. When she saw me approaching, her soft brown eyes warmed.

  “I’m so glad you’re here, Gage,” she said in a tired voice.

  I hugged my aunt, holding her close. “How is she?”

  Pulling away, she let out a sigh. “Physically, they say she’s doing fine. I found her shortly after she took the pills, and they pumped her stomach as soon as she got here.”

  She was focusing on my mom’s physical health. I understood why. There was no point in asking how my mom was doing emotionally. She’d tried to kill herself. Clearly, she wasn’t doing okay in that area.

  “Have you been in to see her yet?” I asked.

  She shook her head. “The doctors say she can have visitors, but she’s convinced I’m trying to kill her, so they recommended I stay out of the room until she’s more stable. She also won’t let go of her belief that Colin has brain cancer. I told her what you said, and Colin even called her, but she won’t believe either of us.”

  I was surprised by that news. When I’d assured my mom Colin didn’t have cancer, she’d seemed to believe me.

  “I’m glad you decided to stay at her place last night,” I told her as I ran my fingers through my hair. Things would have been much worse had my mom been at home alone.

  “I should have taken her to the hospital yesterday,” she said on a sob.

  I wrapped her in my arms again and held her close. “This isn’t your fault. You had no way of knowing she’d do something like this.”

  “She had an appointment to see her therapist today, so I figured it was fine to wait,” she began around her tears.

  This was too much for my aunt. She’d been taking care of my mom off and on since their early twenties. Even when my mom was doing well, my aunt lived in fear of another breakdown. There was always another breakdown.

  “We need to talk about moving Mom closer to me,” I stated when my aunt resumed her pacing.

  “She hates Los Angeles,” my aunt insisted. “I hate Los Angeles.”

  “I’ll figure out a compromise, and we can start working on it,” I assured her. “There has to be a solution. It’s not fair that you’re always dealing with this sort of thing.”

  “She’s my twin,” she stated simply. “I’d do anything for her, or for you.”

  “I know you would,” I assured her. “Where’s Uncle Jess?”

  “He stayed at home,” she replied. “He caught a nasty cold on the cruise.”

  “Why don’t you go home, too?” I suggested. “You can’t do anything while Mom is refusing to see you. I’ll take care of everything. I’ll also see if Colin can come up to visit her. To be honest, he doesn’t leave the house much, so I’m not sure he’ll come.”

  “He’s had a rough year,” she reminded me. “I still can’t believe your mom thought he was involved with that girl on the magazine cover.” Her lips curled up in a slight smile.

  “It looked convincing,” I told her.

  “You and your mom are the only people in the family who didn’t know Colin is gay. Why do you think your father doesn’t talk to him?”

  “For the same reason he doesn’t talk to me,” I replied. “My dad’s a dick.”

  “Watch your language,” my aunt warned. “I suppose in this case, the description is appropriate. The year you finally convinced your mom to let Colin visit, I was worried about how she’d react to having another woman’s child in her home. After having him there for a month, she told your dad he couldn’t have either of her boys back.”

  “My mom loves Colin,” I stated. “It hurt her when my dad finally took him back.”

  “That’s why he took him back,” Helen muttered. “Your mom made him mad when he called, and he took Colin away to punish her.”

  I nodded, remembering the day Colin had left. It had hit us all hard. My mom had another breakdown, one that kept her away from home for nearly a year. After that, a rift developed between me and my brother. Though I knew he hadn’t wanted to leave, I was still angry with Colin. Colin was angry, too. He was angry about being ripped away from his family and angry with me for being mad at him. When we’d finally started to reconnect after his accident, it had been clear we’d both made mistakes.

  “We’re all better off without my dad,” I muttered. “I’m gonna go up to the nurses’ station and ask if I can see my mom. You should go home.”

  “You’re right,” she agreed. “Call if you need me. I can always head back.”

  She gave me one last hug before walking toward the elevators.

  I waited for the nurse manning the desk to finish her phone call.

  “Can I help you?” she asked in a harried voice after ending her call. Despite her obvious stress, her smile was genuine and friendly.

  “I’d like to see, Karen Addison,” I began. “I’m her son.”

  “Gage or Colin?” she asked after entering my mom’s information into the computer.

  “Gage,” I replied.

  “I’ll call over to her nurse and see if your mom’s up for a visitor,” she told me. Without waiting for a reply, she picked up the phone. “Karen Addison’s son, Gage, is here. All right. I’ll send him back.” She set the phone down and nodded. “She’s in room eleven, straight back and on your left. Her nurse says they gave her a sedative, so she may not be very responsive.”

  “Thank you,” I told her as I headed back to my mom’s room. This wasn’t my first time dealing with my mom’s mental illness, but it never got easier. Each time was as scary as the last. I worried one day she wouldn’t come back to me.

  I hated the sterile smell of the hospital and the sound of the machines. When I walked into my mom’s room, the nurse looked up and gave me a shy smile. My mom’s eyes were closed, and her soft breathing indicated she was asleep.

  “How’s she doing?” I asked.

  “She was extremely agitated, so we
had to give her a sedative,” the nurse replied, giving me another shy smile. “Someone from Psychiatry came in to evaluate her before she was sedated, and they expect to move her over there tomorrow. We want to monitor her overnight to make sure there are no residual effects from the drugs she ingested.”

  I nodded but said nothing.

  “I’m going to check on another patient,” she began before removing her gloves and tossing them in the trash. “Hit the call button if you need anything. I expect your mom will be out for the next few hours.”

  “Okay,” I replied quietly. When the nurse was out of the room, I sat beside the bed and took my mom’s hand. “I’m sorry I didn’t see that you were having problems, Mom.”

  “Love you, Gage,” she said sleepily. I wasn’t certain she was even awake, but it made me smile.

  “I know you do,” I uttered.

  Since my mom said nothing more, I decided to text both Colin and Bentley.

  My first text was to Colin.

  Gage: Mom is doing okay. They are going to transfer her tomorrow. I’m not sure how long she’ll be in this time.

  Colin: I’ll be out there tomorrow afternoon. I know you need to get back to LA soon. I’m going to stay in Portland for a week. Marie is making the arrangements.

  Gage: I’m glad you’ll be here. Helen isn’t handling it well this time. She’s blaming herself.

  Colin: I know how she feels. I should have told Mom what was going on over the phone.

  Gage: She would have found something else to fixate on. We’ve been through this before. It’s not your fault.

  Colin: I still feel bad. Would you like to explain why Marie was with you when you got the call about Mom?

  Gage: No. Just let it go.

  Colin: Okay. If she was a man, I might be tempted to leave James for her.

  My brother’s joke actually made me smile. It also made me wonder if he was trying to play matchmaker. That didn’t seem like my brother.

  Gage: She’s a friend. It’s all she wants.

  Colin: That’s a pity.

  Gage: No. It’s a good thing.

  It was true. The alternative was not having her in my life, so I wasn’t about to complain about having Bentley as a friend. At least, I hoped she was my friend. Her actions could mean nothing, but I felt like we’d bonded. My next text was to Bentley.