Deadly Target [IAD Agency 3] (Siren Publishing Classic) (6 page)

Even living in the public eye, very few people knew the real Gage Stark. He had been dedicated to his craft, smiling when it was expected of him, but no one saw what had been beneath the flashy veneer. Deep inside Gage was shadowed, filled with a dark hunger that he brutally controlled and kept leashed. He had a temper, was extremely possessive, and knew that if that control slipped he would end up being the ruthless bastard his father had been.

Malcolm Stark had been a wealthy man. He had run the ranch where Gage grew up and built a grand house for his mother to live and raise their family in. They had once been happy together, but then Gage’s mother had been taken from them in a riding accident that had broken her neck. Part of Gage’s father had died that day. He had loved his mother so much that he had gone a little crazy when she died. For the years that followed, Malcolm had lived a half-life, not caring about anyone or anything until the day cancer had finally taken him.

On his death bed, Malcolm had once again warned Gage about the Stark curse. The curse was something Gage had heard about since he was born. He had always thought the family legacy was a joke, but Malcolm had always claimed it was true. Starks were born with a dark possessive nature, and it was said that love was the downfall of all Stark men.

Gage knew he had inherited that same dark core from his father, and frankly, it scared the shit out of him. That was why he had never really dated or pursued a woman he was truly interested in. After the accident, that had gotten even worse. Still, it was all because Gage knew a truth that no one else did. The truth was that if Gage ever did fall in love, he would love the woman to the point of madness and end up destroying her.

Cursing softly under his breath again, Gage pulled his truck to a stop in front of the large fortress that belonged to his friend, Brett. Rage surged hot in Gage’s veins as he thought about just what else inside that house might belong to his friend.

“Come on, boy,” Gage said to Wulf as he opened the door to the truck. Wulf jumped down to the ground and began sniffing at his new surroundings as Gage slammed the door shut. His thick boots crunched over the pristine snow-covered walkway leading up to the house, telling Gage that no one had been here since last night’s snowfall. Cursing again, he wondered why the hell it even mattered to him.

As he was halfway up the steps the front door opened and there she was. His violet-eyed witch stood framed in the doorway, the purple shirt she wore making those violet eyes glow even brighter against the white backdrop of the snow. Before he could say a word Wulf let out a happy bark and bound up the stairs toward Mikayla, causing fear to stiffen Gage’s body. His dog was huge and she was already injured and could really be hurt if Wulf jumped on her.

“Damn it, Wulf! Get—”

Mikayla said something in a foreign language Gage didn’t understand. Her voice filled with command as she held out a hand, and to his surprise his dog plopped down on his butt. She smiled down at Wulf and patted him on the head, causing his tail to wag, his body quivering as if awaiting the next command from the woman before him.

“What did you say to him?” Gage asked as he walked the rest of the way up to stand on the porch beside his dog. He unconsciously turned his body to his left side, which was the farthest away from her, making it difficult for her to see the scars on his face.

“I just told him to sit down. I wasn’t about to let him jump on me again.”

“But what language was that?”

“Greek. It’s not so much the word but the tone that the dog should heed.”

“I know that,” Gage snapped. He blew out a breath. Damn it, what was it about this woman that put his back up? “So, you’re Greek?”

“Part of me is,” Mikayla said with an easy smile. “To what do I owe this neighborly visit, Mr. Stark?”

She watched him with those quiet, eerie-colored eyes that made him feel like he was falling into her. With one damn look Gage’s cock rose to half mast, making him glad his long coat covered his wayward erection. “I came to apologize. I was rude last night.”

Mikayla sighed. “We both were. Apology accepted and returned.”

“Fine.”

They studied each other for a moment in silence before she spoke again. “Well then, is there something else I can help you with?”

“Are you sleeping with Brett?”

His cock went from haft-mast to rock hard when her beautiful eyes took on a steely edge as she glared at him. Why in the world did that kick-ass look of hers make him want to rip her clothes off? And Jesus, where the fuck was his filter?

“What is
wrong
with you?”

What
was
wrong with him? He had asked her to fuck last night and she had said no, so why was he here pursuing her still? It was simple. Because he wanted her. He needed to have her so he could work this want for her out of his system. Gage ran a hand through his hair, dislodging the strands so they fell in a haphazard way. “Brett’s a friend. I wouldn’t be comfortable knowing that I hit on his woman. So I need to know if you belong to him.”

Mikayla’s eyes narrowed further. “I don’t belong to anyone. And, not that it’s any of your business, but no, I’m not sleeping with Brett. That still doesn’t mean I’ll be sleeping with you either.”

A slow smile spread across Gage’s face. “But you will.”

Mikayla let out a disbelieving laugh. “You know, I read somewhere that you were good with women. Obviously I can’t believe everything I read. Is rude your default setting? Because you need some serious rewiring if it is.”

Gage’s smile turned into a frown as he once again felt the brunt of her displeasure. She wasn’t just playing hard to get. The scorn in her voice was very real. Was he really this out of practice actually speaking to a woman? Damn him this woman was trouble, but he simply couldn’t let it go. “Have lunch with me.”

Her eyes widened. “What? Do you mean like a date? I thought you didn’t do those, Mr. Stark.”

“Cut the Mr. Stark shit off, would you, and just call me Gage.”

Mikayla’s expression cleared, making her impossible to read. “Why are you here, Gage? I don’t particularly care for what you’ve offered so far, and if that is what this is about then you can forget it. I hardly think you are hard up for female company so just move on to the next woman on your list.”

“I don’t want another woman right now.”

“So, you want to fuck me so you can get over it and move on. Awesome. The flattery you are heaping at my feet is just spectacular…not. If you say any more of this sweet stuff to me, I may just have to hit you.” The mocking rebuke in her voice was almost enough to make him blush. He didn’t blush, ever.

What the fuck was happening here?

Taking control of the conversation, Gage took a step forward, crowding Mikayla’s small body with his. He was pleased that she didn’t back away, that she could stand up to him when so many others couldn’t, yet another part of him wanted to bend her to his will. He could imagine tying her hot body down on his bed so her perfect ass was raised as he drove himself into her from behind.

Lust burned inside of him, making him clench his hands against the need to grab her and yank her to him. He wanted to plunder that sarcastic little mouth and nip those lush lips with his teeth. “Are you going to deny that you feel the attraction between us? Because I can see it in those pretty violet eyes, Mikayla. You want me as much as I want you.”

The cool stare that met his almost unnerved him. Almost.

Instead, it made him hard as stone.

“I may be attracted to you, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to act on it. I pretty much don’t like you a whole lot at the moment, Mr. Stark. And I don’t sleep with men I don’t like. In fact, I don’t ever fuck a man that can’t give me more than simple courtesy, and so far you haven’t even given me that.”

Mikayla was pleased her voice was firm when she spoke. She knew she couldn’t give this man any room or he’d use whatever opportunity she gave him to wear her down. And she was so close to giving in. The devil on her shoulder was telling her to take what he was offering. Her pussy was creaming with the thought of his hard body pressing her back against the door where he could lift her up and take her like they both wanted, but she couldn’t. She would never forgive herself if she did.

“Can we just start over? I know what I said last night, but I would really like a chance for us to get to know each other.”

Mikayla wanted to give in. She liked being with this man, even when he was being an ass, which was pretty much every second that they had spent together so far. Hormones were a bitch. She knew it would be stupid to say yes. He wasn’t for her. They didn’t want the same things. Hell, she didn’t even know what she wanted, but she did know that she wanted more than he was willing to give. “Gage…” She sighed. “There is no point to all of this. I’m not really looking for a relationship, but I know I don’t want what you’re offering either.”

“Just have lunch with me. If you still feel the same way after we eat, I’ll leave you alone.” Gage seemed to hold his breath as he waited for her answer.

“Fine. Just lunch. Could you please ask your dog to move so I can go in and change?”

Gage looked down to see Wulf had sprawled his large body down over Mikayla’s feet like one enormous furry slipper. Damn, Gage thought, he must have it bad if he was envious of his own dog for getting close to this woman.

He had a feeling this was going to be a very long afternoon.

Gage sat next to the woman that had his mind reeling in a busy restaurant in the next town over from Serenity. He had chosen the Italian place to ensure their privacy since he knew the owner and the food was excellent. The owner, Dante Ricco, had welcomed them personally as they had stepped into the building and guided them to a table in the back where they were partially in the shadows away from the other patrons just like Gage preferred.

They sat down and Dante had insisted on choosing their meal for them, also sending a bottle of one of Gage’s favorite Barolo wines over. Gage had tried to politely refuse, but Mikayla had smiled at Dante, thanked him in Italian, and that was that.

She was a mix of contradictions that he couldn’t quite wrap his head around. She had let him and Wulf into the house to wait as she changed clothes after accepting his invitation to lunch. Gage had been to the house before to have a beer a time or two, but it hadn’t felt the same when Brett had been in residence. In the short time that Mikayla had been there she had made it a home, a place of welcome and warmth.

Fury had risen up inside him as he watched her walk into the master suite on the main floor, the room Gage had seen Brett use when he had last been in town. Just the thought of the other man, or any man touching her had Gage wanting to pound the man into bloody dust. Not that he could. Sure, he could hold his own in a fight, but there was something about Brett Michaels that made a man extremely cautious when it came to pissing the other man off.

When she was ready they had left the house, heading back into the cold. Gage had been surprised at the feelings that had overcome him on the short walk to his truck. The sight of her using that cane to walk had him frowning and made him want to pick her up and carry her to the vehicle. He had held back the urge, pretty sure the stubborn woman would have hit him if he tried.

She was a mixture of strength and vulnerability that had him off balance and unable to get a good read on her. Actors were trained at seeing beyond the surface, to see when people were playing a role based on their expressions and their attitude, but with Mikayla it was impossible.

Even more baffling was Wulf’s reaction to her. When they had gotten into the truck Wulf had refused to sit in the back of the cab where Gage had told him to go. His dog always listened to him, but the damn dog had insisted on sitting between them in the front, curled up next to Mikayla with his head in her lap where she could stroke his ears just like he liked.

There was a point on the long, silent drive that Gage would have given his left nut to be able to feel her hands stroking over him like that. His cock had been so hard it was a steel spike in his jeans. He knew it would take a few simple strokes before he blasted his cum onto her hand.

Damn it, the truth was she fucking fascinated him.

It had been a relief when they had arrived at the restaurant. He had felt his heart clench when Mikayla had turned those beautiful eyes to him in question. “What are we going to do with Wulf? We can’t leave him in here, it’s too cold.”

“He’ll be fine. We won’t be long.”

Gage had looked at Wulf as they got out of the car and thankfully the dog hopped into the backseat on top of a thick blanket, settled down, and gave a doggie yawn before closing his eyes. Mikayla had finally given in only after she had pulled the blanket over the animal, gaining yet another look of pure adoration from Wulf.

Now, sitting across the table from her the lust was still there burning inside him, but surprisingly it had been throttled back by the simple enjoyment of the meal. The meal had started out strained, but both of them had relaxed at the pleasure of excellent food, wine and good conversation.

They had opted for an unspoken moratorium of any of the subjects that had gotten them into trouble thus far, choosing to speak of their childhoods and other safe topics instead. Mikayla had told him a little bit about what it had been like growing up on an Army base, and Gage had found himself telling her about growing up in Colorado. He had briefly mentioned the accident that had ended his career as an actor, focusing more on the business he ran on the ranch with his brother, sister and cousin.