I get lost in the special comfort only she has ever provided, but I forgot what it was like to be with someone who has this power over me like Sage does.
As I continue moving inside her—as I continue reveling in the feel of her—I’m reborn.
Having her in my life makes me feel like the last few years without her have been one giant fog, and my vision has finally cleared now.
“So close,” she pants, moving her hips in sync with mine at a rapid pace, like we’re trying to tear the whole building down. “Don’t stop, Aiden. Don’t,” she whispers, and her eyes roll into the back of her head.
Her cheeks are tinted pink.
Her hair a wild mess of honey blond, bright against my black pillowcases like auroras in the sky.
I thrust into her once more, then pull out, pumping my release onto her stomach and continue coming until there’s nothing left.
Until I’m sated.
I move her hair from her shining eyes, my heart cracking. Like a solar storm, Sage Mathews re-entered my life like the natural order of things.
Like destiny.
Even though the last time we were together ended in a colossal explosion of broken hearts, being here with her now, two small specks in a New York City loft after years of our souls wandering, the pain of the past seems easy to forget.
To forgive.
Right now, it’s easy to imagine we can finally move forward—together.
Sage pulls the covers higher under her cheek, making me smile.
I clutch my phone tighter in my hand, pressing it to my ear, trying to focus on what Westin’s saying when my mind is a blur of all things Sage.
“Are you listening?” Westin asks.
Her natural blush.
The curve of her shoulders and slender arms.
Her lips so swollen from our kissing that the bow of her top lip is barely visible.
“Hello?”
I shake my head. “Yes, man, I’m here. I’ll be at the office in less than an hour. I’m dressed and everything,” I assure him as Sage gives me a peek of her bare nipple, her lips curling in a mischievous smile. I involuntarily groan.
“What the hell are you doing?”
“Nothing. See you soon.” I hang up and tsk at Sage. “That was dirty, Jersey, and you will most definitely pay for that.”
“Do your worst,” she challenges.
“You’re going to kill me, aren’t you?”
“That’s the plan. Re-enter your life just to sex you to death.”
“I knew it.” I capture her lips in mine, cupping the back of her head with my hand. I press my forehead to hers, my voice strained as I say, “I wish I didn’t have to go, but I have a ton of work to do.”
“Go,” she whispers. “I’ll lock up.”
“Meet me for a late dinner.” I brush soft kisses across her knuckles. “Please?”
“You said please?” She raises her eyebrows. “Who even are you?”
I roll my eyes, standing from the bed. I take one last look at her, sitting upright with the covers bunched around her waist.
Feminine perfection.
“Dinner,” I rasp. “I’ll call you with details.”
“I’ll be ready.” She smiles so bright, I know it’ll stay with me through the rest of the day as I try to focus on Jock Stock.
On our company that two guys dreamed up five years ago.
A dream that’s looking more and more like the beginning of something real. Of something big.
And having Sage through it all has turned out to be the blessing of good luck I didn’t know I needed.
I take the subway toward our building.
Grab a coffee on my way in.
Sidestep people on their phones, taking pictures, and hailing cabs.
It’s the same routine, but different in so many ways.
When I reach our office, I stroll in a new man, and the guys notice too.
Westin takes one look at me and asks, “What’s different about you?”
“What do you mean?” I shrug, my expression coy. “It’s Saturday. The weekend. Hashtag weekend vibes, or whatever the trendy millennials like to say.”
Westin rolls his eyes, and Jared walks toward his office, a steaming cup of coffee in his hand. He glances at me, stops, then backtracks. “What’s going on here?” he asks, waving his free hand in front of my face. “I thought you’d be hungover and moody like a middle-aged man going through man-opause.”
Westin and I both stare at him, but he just shrugs, then sips his coffee. “Ow!” He grimaces. “Burned my tongue.”
“Serves you right.” I smirk.
“What did I do? You’re the one who ruined dinner.”
I wince.
“So? What happened last night?” Westin asks, and his frown makes me feel like scum.
My shoulders slump. “I’m sorry. I drank too much and let it get the best of me. I’m going to call Taylor on Monday too and apologize for being a dick.”
“That’s a start.” Westin relaxes a fraction. “And Sage?”
A slow smile spreads across my face as I sit in my desk chair and lean back. “Sage is… she and I talked.”
“And?”
I finally admitted I was wrong.
That I was angry and holding too much resentment toward the woman who didn’t deserve it.
At last, I’m putting it behind me. I thought I’d done it once before, but it wasn’t real then.
This is different. True. I’m finally feeling peaceful.
“We worked things out.”
“You dog!” Jared slaps his leg.
I drop my smile, my demeanor sobering. “We really did talk too. Worked through some of our baggage. Shit from the past.”
“Which part? Seemed like you had a lot to deal with.” Westin’s concern is obvious in the crease of his forehead.
I nod slowly, my expression falling, deciding to finally tell them what she told me two weeks ago. The main reason I’ve been on edge for days and a dick last night.
“She was pregnant.”
Westin and Jared both stand taller, peering at each other in question.
“She only told me a couple weeks ago that she was pregnant with my baby in college, but she had a miscarriage.” Shaking my head, I rub my aching chest as I tell my friends the truth about us. “It’s why I was such an asshole last night. It’s no excuse, but I was mad at her for not telling me before. I was… devastated that she lost our baby. I didn’t handle any of it well.”
“Dude…” Jared starts, his coffee long forgotten.
“I’m sorry, man…” Westin’s voice trails off as he frowns even harder than before.
They’re at a loss for words, like I’ve been.
“Are you okay?” Westin squeezes my shoulder like he’s my dad instead of my friend and business partner. He’s only two years older than me, but he tends to act like he’s sixty and wise from a long life lived. “If you need to talk, you know you can come to us.”
“Thanks.” I give them both a tight-lipped smile. “But I’ll be fine. Better than fine. Sage and I… we’re going to be okay.” I rock in my seat, and my good mood from when I first walked in comes back full force as I think about her.
Her laugh brightening my loft.
Her soft touch.
Her tight body wrapped around me.
I didn’t realize how much I missed her until she showed up in my life like a thief in the night.
“Oh, God. Don’t tell me you’re going to be all dopey now.” Jared groans. “Love is not a good look on you.”
Westin chuckles as I sit upright. “It’s not love, asshole. I mean, Raven and I broke up two weeks ago. We were distant for far longer, but still.” I run my hand through my loose hair and sigh, the guilt over Raven still weighing on me.
She packed her things from my place while I was at work. That’s how much she didn’t want to see me, but we did the right thing by splitting up. We weren’t right for each other, and being with Sage las
t night only reassured me of it.
“Sage and I just reconnected. Taking things slow, starting with dinner tonight.”
“Then we better get to work, so we can get out of here at a normal hour and enjoy a Saturday night for once, like regular people.” Westin backs away.
“Yeah, leave me alone,” I joke as I hook my laptop up, and they leave me to work.
I’m sure Westin and I will have a more in-depth conversation about what went down, as it’s not in his nature to be satisfied by simple answers. No, he needs the details. To know that I’m truly okay and that there isn’t anything left unresolved.
He’s a problem-solver, which makes him a good friend and leader.
But until then, I’m content and surprisingly at ease, although a few more thoughts do surface as I log in to my computer to check my reports and data.
Raven was right.
I had been subconsciously biding my time, waiting for the right person to reappear and fill a void I didn’t realize existed. That it was Sage I’ve been waiting for.
Half an hour later, Jared pops his head back into my office. “Ready?”
“Let’s do it.” I grab my laptop and follow him into the conference room.
Lila’s already waiting, her steaming cup of tea on the table in front of her. Ethan from quality assurance joins us a moment later too. He’s been coming to our meetings since our launch is coming up so quickly, and that way, we’re all on the same page. A process that will likely change once our team grows, as will the need for Saturday morning meetings, but for now, this is working well.
It’s business as usual, for the most part, but I’m lighter and happier.
And it’s because of tonight.
Because of my date with Sage Matthews.
Chapter Twenty-One
SAGE
“Where’s he taking you?” Naomi asks, sitting on my bed. She cups her hot tea with both hands and blows on it, causing ripples through the dark liquid.
“I’m not sure. He’s surprising me with something special that New York City has to offer,” I repeat what Aiden told me, then sigh, in a dreamy daze. “Isn’t that romantic?”
She swallows her sip of tea. “Yes, which is why you need the perfect outfit. What’re you wearing?”
“He said casual, so I’m thinking one of these two shirts with jeans.” I hold up a flowy top with a high neckline in one hand and a floral shirt in the other. “What do you think?”
She studies the two options and finally points to the flowy top. “That one. And you can borrow my suede jacket.”
“The gray one? Perfect.” I hang the floral top back in the closet, a grin on my face.
Part of me is still worried about my discussion with Taylor on Monday. Aiden said he’d speak with her too, and my hope is that she can look past Friday night and trust that Aiden and I can be civil and professional for the remaining few months of our contract.
Until then, I can exist in the moment. Tonight… tonight, it’s simply Aiden and me.
“Are you finally going to tell me what happened between you two last night, or what? You’ve been smiling like an ass all day.” She rolls her eyes, but her lips twitch in the corners.
“We talked.” I toss the clothes over a chair in the corner and sit on the bed with her. “We really talked. We got things out in the open and cleared the air. It was cathartic, being able to share my grief with him. We grieved without the tension between us, you know?”
“That’s huge.” She sets her tea down and gives me her full attention.
“He was a dick at dinner, so I went to his place to yell at him afterward—and I did. But we ended up talking and… um”—my face heats—“having sex too.” I cover my mouth, feeling giddy.
I feel like I’m young again—carefree and happy.
When Aiden held me while I cried, I could feel the bitterness dissolve with each tear. Each exhale. Each of his kisses.
I needed last night to finally let go of the burden that’s weighed me down like an anchor, tying me to the past.
“Look at you. You’re glowing.” She pats my hand.
My smile grows wider. “I’m just… really excited for tonight.”
She squeezes my hand. “Do you need help with your hair or makeup? You can’t tell by looking at me, but I’m pretty good at both.”
I scoff. “You’re the sexiest nurse I know.”
“I’m the only nurse you know,” she teases, then stands, pulling me with her. “Now, let’s get moving.”
We move to her bathroom, and I spill the details of my confessions with Aiden while Naomi does my makeup and curls my hair. An hour later, I’m dolled up and ready for my date.
“It’s perfect. Thanks for helping me.” I watch Naomi from the mirror.
“Anytime.” She puts the makeup brushes in her bag and zips it up as I stand from the chair we pulled in here from the kitchen.
I start to hoist it up to put it back in its place, but she gently touches my shoulder, stopping me.
“Listen, I’m really happy for you, Sage. That you and Aiden talked, and I hope you don’t take this the wrong way, but given what happened with Dave, I’d never forgive myself if I didn’t speak up this time.”
“What do you mean?”
“I don’t know Aiden, but from what you’ve said, he caused you a lot of pain. It was difficult watching you struggle through so much… heartache the other night when you told me about how Aiden abandoned you. Since he’s back in your life now, there’s light in your eyes again, but I… I want you to be careful, is all. Promise me you will.”
“I will.” I gulp, searching her gaze.
This is the most she’s said in one breath in a while, and it seems her words of caution are hard to get out. But she said them, anyway. Like a sister might.
Before I leave her room, I turn to her. “I haven’t said it enough, but thank you for everything. For not giving up on me. For taking me in when I needed family and a friend. I know I can count on you to have my back, and it means a lot.”
She smiles a rare smile and follows me into the kitchen. She grabs her keys from the counter, then tugs on her top—black scrubs tonight for her graveyard shift. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
I sit on the couch, twiddling my thumbs, when my phone vibrates with an incoming message.
Aiden: On my way to pick you up.
When he called about our date earlier, I offered to meet him, since it’s likely more tedious for him to come to my apartment, then go all the way back across the river.
But he insisted he pick me up.
And I have to admit—it made me feel special.
He left to hook up with girl after girl while you cried for him.
I blink into the empty room, my nagging thoughts in the back of my mind.
“I want you to be careful.”
Half an hour later, there’s a knock on my door. I run my palms down my jeans and tuck the front of my top into the waistband. Touching the side of my head, I check the bobby pin in my hair that’s keeping it back in what Naomi called the “classy bitch” style.
Inhaling, I open the door, and my exhale comes out with a resounding whoosh as I take in Aiden. He stands there, one hand against the frame and a single red rose in the other.
His wavy hair is pulled back in a low bun, and his plaid shirt is buttoned over a black T-shirt. It’s an outfit he normally wears, but tonight, he’s even sexier.
And when his lips stretch in a smile that reaches his eyes, my stomach flutters like a butterfly garden.
Gulping, I tug the suede jacket around me. “Hey,” I breathe.
He steps into my apartment, offering the rose to me. “For you.”
“Thank you.” I accept it and smell it like I’d inhale the fresh scent of a meadow, then grab a tall glass from the cabinet. After I fill it with water, I set the rose inside. It’s much taller than the glass, but it’ll have to do for now. “Are we ready?”
“I only need one more thing.” He cu
ps my cheek in his large hand and captures my lips in a heady kiss that leaves my head spinning when he pulls back. “All set.” He winks, grabbing my hand, then leads us out the door.
Once it’s locked behind us, we head down the hall, down the elevator, and onto the sidewalk.
We walk in the direction of the train, our fingers intertwined, and the night sky vast above us.
“Where are we going?” I skip to keep up with his pace.
“You’ll see.” He watches me out of the corner of his eye, amused.
“Can I guess?”
“You could, but this is New York. You’ll be guessing for the next ten years before you think of everything there is to do here.” He chuckles, and the deep sound tugs on my heart.
“Fine.” I pretend to pout.
I let the crisp spring air distract me, instead. It’s April, and the nights are still chilly here. They remind me of late winter nights in North Carolina.
The soft breeze.
The quiet calm around us, even though we’re in a much bigger city. Not many people are out in these parts right now.
Together, the anticipation of this date builds. Where is he taking me?
When we reach the station, Aiden doesn’t let go of my hand while we wait a few minutes for the next train. He holds it as we board along with the rest of the crowd and find two empty seats. As we ride into the city, the chatter of the other passengers falls over us as I lean my head on his shoulder, letting his spicy cologne and the rattling sounds of the train soothe me.
“You ready to see what I have planned?”
I nod against him, at a loss for words, realizing I’d be content to simply ride to Manhattan and back with him.
His warm confidence and intensity are addictive—they always have been.
In his presence, I’m confident too. He brings out a side of me I love. Wild. Content.
“Do you keep in touch with your friend Carter from college?” I ask.
“Jacobs?” He chuckles, referring to Carter’s last name. “We still talk from time to time. He’s a loan officer now and married with two kids.”
“Really?” I sit up and face him. Carter was always a jokester—Jared reminds me a lot of him, come to think of it. It’s hard to imagine Carter as a dad with a career. “How grownup of him.”
Unbreakable: A Salvation Society Novel Page 15
