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but he did not know when, only he knew that it was Gage's arm circling around his waist and the
infuriating man was bending toward his mouth and
Oh.
Oh.
It was better than he remembered. The hot, slow way Gage moulded his lips to Alexis' own, the
heavy tongue that invaded his mouth, and the press of a tall, firm body against his smaller one... the
kiss on the couch had not been this intense, had it? But then Gage bit gently down onto his bottom
lip and an uncontrolled moan escaped his throat, breathless with want, forgetting all thoughts of
comparison because he couldn't think straight anymore. Those broad shoulders felt large and
expansive under his hands, smooth and warm, sculpted with muscle the way he remembered. He
followed them with his fingertips, his hands, smoothing upward to where he could grasp on. Gage's
body cradled him gently, pressed him into the embrace so completely that...
When Gage lifted his head, Alexis knew he was a wreck. He didn't bother moving, he remained
tightly pressed against Gage, stretched up along the man's taller frame, his arms draped high over
Gage's shoulders and completely propped up this way because if he wasn't then he'd have crumpled
to the floor.
His frustration mounted and he murmured, "I hate you."
"I like you," Gage returned calmly, looking pleased and completely relaxed. "I like you very, very
much." He stole another kiss, quick, possessive and passionate, the desperation in it confusing Alexis
even more. He convulsively swallowed as his hungry eyes traced Alexis' kiss-swollen lips and he
seemed to be forcing himself to regain control.
"Who are you?" Alexis asked softly, angry and confused. "I don't like kissing ghosts."
"A man," Gage replied on a teasing tone. But then the smile slipped away and he said softly, "Before
anything else happens, Elfling, I should tell you the truth about me."
Alexis froze, waking from his dazed submission as though he'd been doused in cold water. He refused
to heed the tender tone of the endearment. He withdrew his arms.
Catching the change, Gage kept him close and quickly chased up with, "I don't work for your father
and I never will. And I don't have anything to do with him." He breathed regretfully, "Not yet."
"I don't want to hear it." Carefully, Alexis resettled his weight and tried to withdraw from the
embrace, heart beating heavily, disappointment suddenly thick in his chest; tried, mind you, because
Gage wasn't letting him go.
Of Suits & Swords 31
"You should. Hear me out, Alexis, please," Gage said softly into Alexis' ear, arms still wound tightly
around his captive, holding Alexis in place and making clear all his intensity and earnestness. "I don't
care about whatever business my family has with yours. What matters to me right now is that you
give me a chance. I swear I "
The men's room door swung open and Alan stood suddenly frozen in the doorway. His surprised gaze
swept over Alexis' arms raised, hands at Gage's chest to push away and escape, and the way Gage
seemed to be pinning him in place. His expression turned hard, "I say, Kerrigan, get your hands off
him."
Kerrigan; Alexis reeled. "Gage," he murmured disbelievingly, shocked and shaken. "Short for Gregory,
perhaps?"
Guilt seeped into Gage's expression and Alexis felt a cold fist close tightly in his gut, his vision going a
little too bright. "Elfling, please, I didn't know until "
"Shut up. Don't call me that." His voice came out hoarse and he wanted to bash his own head in with
amazement at his stupidity. Whatever he had imagined Gage to be... this was much worse. "Let me
go."
Alan growled as he stepped forward, "You heard him."
Watching them stare each other down, Alexis remembered one thing Alan had admitted as they'd
talked over dinner: the man had no experience in hand to hand combat; Gage might hurt him for
trying to help. Instinct took over, and Alexis bent his knees, slipping just slightly under Gage's hold,
quickly closed his hand around one of Gage's wrists and squeeze enough to surprise, enough to twist
and bend and slide under it and get away. He blocked the arm that reached for him and jabbed an
attack meant only to force Gage to move defensively away.
They stood staring at each other, two metres of space and a flood of hurt between them. Gage's
brows had furrowed with cheerless distress, and he still had one hand in the air half-reaching for
Alexis. And Alexis, refusing to acknowledge the heavy clench in his stomach, the overwhelming
disappointment, backed away enough to get to Alan's side and to the door before he dared to even
partially turn his back.
Gage called quietly, sadly, after him, "See you Monday."
Hurt poured through him amidst a pang Alexis fervently denied could be from loss.
Andra Sashner 32
Chapter 4 - Whirlwind
"Wait, what?" Basil demanded, aghast.
"I said," Alexis wearily repeated, "That my father has been blackmailing people." He tapped the
report in his hands, a copy of Sir Ashton's paperwork carefully marked against a print out of Alexis'
own version that he'd sent over for comparison. "My father fed me false information; I've been
running this company wrongly, based on false input. My father manipulated these figures according
to what he wanted me to do, how he wanted me to react. I have been his unwitting pawn."
"That sounds plainly evil, you realise," Basil said, appalled. "So that was why no one revealed these
things to you, why people are angry at you for seemingly no reason."
"I had thought it was anger by extension, as I'm my father's son," Alexis admitted, "Or that I'm always
the one to fire people, give bad news, announce budget cuts, that sort of thing."
"And now we know the truth."
Alexis agreed, "And now we know the truth." He sighed, "People thought I was in on it. My father
basically turned me into his attack dog. Set me loose on people who would not bow to his will." He
grimaced, "Even, to an extent, including the K-Sat merger. No wonder Ian didn't talk to me for weeks
afterward, he probably thought I had been gleaning secrets from his office or something or that I'd
been spying on him."
"We know nothing of that sort ever happened," Basil protested, faithfully a friend. "You're not that
kind of person."
"No, but the poison had been laid. Whatever father said to Ian, it was enough to plant a seed of
doubt. It kept Ian distracted and concerned," Alexis murmured. "Anyway, now we know who is that
kind of person." Giving a dismissive wave of his hand, he nudged a stack of folders across his desk, "I
need you to see to these. I want them transferred out of the Grayson Corp as soon as possible."
Basil quickly looked the documents over, a puzzled look coming over his face. "Why are you doing
this? Sorry, I realise he's your father, but aren't you going to take that bastard up to task?"
"My father is too quick," Alexis admitted, scratching at the leather edges of his desk blotter. "He's
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