“Oh?”

“I haven’t met him yet, but we’ve chatted a few times. I have to tell you, he’s concerned about Gage.”

“Why?”

“Glad you asked.” Sydney leaned closer. “Because for the past six-plus months, Gage has been obsessed with a certain blonde—that’s you—living in the Abberwicks. He nearly had a coronary when you moved, and when he manipulated you into your first date, he was beside himself with glee. Derrick said, and I quote, ‘It’s damned embarrassing to see a man make such a fool of himself over a woman he’s never even met’.”

“And this is the guy you’re considering dating?”

Sydney shrugged. “He’s got a great phone voice. Makes you think of sex, wicked and dark. And he’s an architect to boot.”

“Whatever.” Hailey rolled her eyes. “Gage makes his own furniture, did you know that? And it’s beautiful.”

“Mm-hmm. So tell me again what he does for a living.”

“He’s a construction worker,” she said defensively.

“Is that what he told you?”

At Sydney’s somber tone, Hailey sat up straight. “Not exactly. Why do you ask?”

“You said he works with his brother, and his brother’s an architect. Derrick Warren, co-owner of WCC—Warren Construction Company. They make close to a million a year.

High-end jobs, with the occasional smaller stuff.”

Hailey stared, incredulous. “Are you serious? Because Gage never mentioned it.”

“I did some research. But whatever he does, the man is seriously hung up on you.

According to Derrick, he’s in love, and it’s frightening.”

After a short pause, Hailey admitted, “Gage told me he loved me a few weeks ago.”

“What? ”

“I thought he was just basking in the afterglow.” She blushed. “You know. After some good sex? How was I to know he meant it?”

“What did you say when he told you?”

“Nothing.”

“Nothing? You didn’t even acknowledge it? Hailey, you need some serious help.”

“Oh, Sydney. I thought it was just sex talk. Gage…he’s so special. He’s the only guy I’ve ever felt so free with. And I’ve wanted him since day one. But it’s not just the sex.

This week together, we’ve had so much fun. And he makes me laugh.”

“Funny, but he never struck me as the funny type.”

“But he is. He’s almost as bad as I am. Hell, our first date he brought up his dad’s death at the table.”

“Maudlin, but not so bad.”

“And he told me that he loves big-breasted women,” she muttered. “With wide, full asses.”

Sydney choked on her drink. “He did not.”

“Yep, just as he was putting the moves on me.”

“And that worked?”

“Have you seen the man or haven’t you?”

“Okay. But is he that bad?”

Hailey thought about it. “I just think he doesn’t try too hard, or at least not with me.

And I like that. He doesn’t fake the way he feels. He’s not into games, and we have a good time together.”

“Even without the sex?” Sydney looked skeptical.

“Well, I admit it’s been a week of frustration, but a fun week all the same.”

“So what are you saying, exactly?”

Hailey sighed. “That I’m going to put us both out of our misery, and maybe try out the L-word on him soon.”

Sydney lifted her glass. “To the future, and to you and Mr. Tool.”

“To the Tools. I like that.”

Sydney rolled her eyes. “You would.”

Gage slumped over his mother’s counter on yet another Saturday morning, committed to the course he’d set. The past week had been surprisingly enjoyable, and expectedly frustrating as hell. Having opened the floodgates on his libido, stopping sex cold-turkey was harder to bear than going without for months at a time. But he couldn’t deny the progress he thought he’d made with Hailey.

Instead of tearing each other’s clothes off each night, they’d learned something new about one another. Hailey loved mysteries. He hadn’t known that. And she attended aerobics twice a week, hated wearing pantyhose, and had a surprising thing for silk—which he planned on exploiting just as soon as she put an end to this insane celibacy.

He’d been jerking off every night and finding less and less satisfaction. Coming in his hands just wasn’t the same as releasing into Hailey. Hell, even the thought of getting her pregnant made him harder than stone and shockingly content. Imagining a little blonde girl with his eyes made his heart hammer, and he could all-too-easily envision Hailey rocking his baby to sleep each night.

Damn, but she had him wrapped around her little finger. And he still didn’t know how she felt about him. That “I love you ” he’d uttered still hung in the air between them, though she had yet to address it. Instead, they’d watched movies, fished—hell, she’d caught more than he had—cooked together, and taken long walks through her neighborhood and along the Riverwalk. They’d even attended a bluegrass concert, and he’d been stunned to actually enjoy the music.

“You’re in way over your head,” Derrick murmured. “Sucker.”

“Excuse me? Who was it who still owes me some comp time for a certain redhead’s phone number?”

Derrick cursed him under his breath. But when Dylan suddenly showed up with Hailey under his arm, Gage was struck mute.

“Hi, Gage. I hope you don’t mind, but Dylan invited me.”

Dylan grinned slyly at Gage, and gave his woman a thorough once-over when she wasn’t looking.

“Have I mentioned my brother is gay?”

Hailey blinked. “Really?” She glanced at Derrick, who stared back incredulously.

“Not me, him.” He nodded at Dylan.

“Actually, he prefers that no one label him,” Barbara said as she joined them in the kitchen. “And Hailey, I’m so glad you could come. Gage has been telling us so much about you.”

Hailey narrowed her eyes at him. “Really?”

“All good, mind you.” His mother held out a stool. “Please, sit. What can I get you?”

“I’d be happy to help, if you’d like,” Hailey offered shyly, and his mother beamed.

“Pretty and capable, how wonderfully different, hmm, Gage?”

“Mom.” Gage wanted to cringe. Great, why not mention all the other women he’d dated to the woman he’d finally fallen in love with? Like he’d thought, a few minutes with his family and Hailey’d bolt for sure.

“Did he ever tell you how we met?” Hailey asked in a wicked voice.

His brothers both grinned, and he groaned.

“No, as a matter of fact,” his mother said. “He just mentioned he’d met an incredible woman and wanted to know how best to impress her.”

“It was at a friend’s apartment. We were having a party and we took a few quiet moments to look out at the stars.” Hailey’s voice quieted. “I was looking up at Orion and made a wish, and then I saw Gage.” She glanced at him, and what he thought he saw in her eyes made his heart thunder with hope.

“Oh, that sounds so romantic. What did you wish for?”

Dylan shook his head. “No, no, Hailey. Don’t tell us. Don’t you know anything, Mother?” he asked with exasperation and a wink at Gage. “If you tell your wish, it doesn’t come true.”

“Mine finally did,” Gage said in a thick voice, “the minute I laid eyes on a feisty blonde with more brains than sense.”

Barbara glanced at him in surprise and then understanding. “You know, Hailey, I’d just love it if you could help me with these tomatoes. So tell me, where are you from originally? I didn’t catch an accent…”

Within the hour, his mother had all but collected Hailey’s social security number.

Barbara passed a plate of rolls to Gage and smiled.

“Did you know, Hailey, that twelve is my favorite number?” She gave Gage a meaningful glance, but it was Dylan who filled him in.

“Do the math. That’s one spouse and two kids per each of us. Hell, do us all a favor and make triplets. I’m not marrying any time soon,” Dylan whispered. And as he stared at Hailey, his expression softened. “Besides, your kids will be so pretty. And smart. I like her, Gage, I really do. She’s nice.”

“You could do much worse,” Derrick whispered on his other side. “In fact, if memory recalls, you have.”

“Keep it up, smartass. I have an in with the best friend. Remember that.”

Derrick grumbled, his frown growing as their mother honed in on his singledom.

After breakfast, Gage offered to take Hailey home since she’d arrived with Dylan.

The drive home was pleasant but silent. All the way, Gage wondered what Hailey thought, if his mother and brothers had perhaps scared her away. Lord knew, Barbara could do it all on her own.

“Gage, I hope I wasn’t intruding. Dylan stopped by work last night, introduced himself, and surprised me with an invite, and I couldn’t keep myself from meeting your family.”

He shrugged. “I’d have taken you to meet them before now. I just didn’t want them to scare you away. My mother can be hard to take.”

Hailey reached for his hand on the wheel, and in the process her breast brushed his shoulder. Fire lanced through his groin, and he clenched his teeth to keep his cool.

“Your mother is a wonderful woman, and I can definitely see you in your brothers.”

She grinned. “You’re all a bunch of smart-asses.”

Laughing, he pulled up in front of her house. He cleared his throat. “Well, we’re here.”

“Yes. We are. Look, Gage, I’d like you to come in for a minute. Do you have the time?”

Shit. He had nothing but time. “Sure.”

They entered together when the phone rang.

“I’ll be right back,” she said and left him for the bedroom.

He sat on her couch and flipped on the television. But the sight that met his eyes had him doing a double-take. There on her screen, a familiar blonde actress, Belinda the porn star, and her friends cavorted and frolicked through some rousing foreplay, anal and oral sex.