“I thought we’d get it,” she said, looking defeated.
I held her hand and looked into her eyes. “Do you trust me?”
“Sure, what are you going to—” Her breath hitched as I took her finger into my mouth, and with my teeth, I got the splinter out.
I pulled the tiny grain out of my mouth. “There.”
She laughed. “I can’t believe you got it.”
“Me too. It worked on a couple of my own, but I’ve never done it for anyone else.” I was glad I had, or else I’d have looked like a real ass.
I stood there still holding her hand and rubbing the sore spot. “It should feel better soon.” I brought it to my lips and kissed it.
She glanced over my shoulder at the hull. “I’ll have to be more careful. I guess I should learn to keep my hands to myself.”
“I don’t think so. I don’t mind where you put your hands.”
“I suppose I should learn to be a bit gentler.” Her voice was low and breathless.
“Gentle is always nice.” I gave her a wink and then turned back to my work, not wanting to put too much pressure on her. “Have you ever built anything before?”
“No. I know you might think I’d be into that sort of thing, but I’m terrible at it. I hate power tools, and I’ve made quite a few messes on my walls with the drill. I can never find the stud.” She pulled her lips in tight as if the word was indecent. “It sucks when I have a project I want to do. I don’t have anyone to ask for help.”
“What kind of things do you want to do?” I thought I could offer to help her at the very least.
“Well, at the moment, I’m working on a large mural, no drilling required. But I’d love to build some cabinets for storage or a shelf. I don’t know.” She gave a shrug.
“I could help you out. I love to build. I learned a lot from school and watching my grandfather. He even gave me a lesson here or there, and we built the sailboat together. Actually, the project was in process when we bought it, much like this, only a little bit further along. It was some of the best times I’ve ever spent in my life.” I carried the board to the saw, and Sage covered her ears as I cut it in two.
“He sounds like a lot of fun. And who knows? Maybe I’ll find something you can help me with.” Her tone was soft, and I wondered, as she licked her lips, what she would do if I suddenly made a move.
She’d probably slap you silly. But you never know until you try.
Sage cleared her voice. “You work fast.”
If you only knew. I’d love to show her, but I knew she meant the boat. “Yeah, I had a lot of help from Christian.”
“Are you two becoming fast friends?”
“Yeah. I guess you could say that. He’s a nice guy. Likes to drink my beer, but I don’t mind it. That’s what it’s there for. Which reminds me. Would you like a bottle?”
“Sure, thanks.”
I walked over and got one of the longnecks out of the fridge, and maybe I was a dog, but I wanted to see what her lips would be like wrapped around the bottle. She turned it up, and I could feel myself getting harder.
“Does he ever talk about Lissa?”
“Not really. I mean, he mentions her, but never in any specific context.”
“Yeah, I’m not sure if they’re ever going to get it together. I mean, I love them, but make a decision already.”
I wasn’t going to be the one to tell her that those two might not work out because of Christian’s tastes for other women. I thought he was an idiot and knew it was best to just stay out of it. I had my own problems to deal with.
“So, I might not be doing the right thing in bringing it up, but I’m really curious. Did you see or talk to Maddox again that day at the cookoff?”
She rolled her eyes. “He’s a loser. He can’t take no for an answer, and that’s all there is to that. Nothing more.”
“Have you told him no? I mean, sometimes, you have to spell it out for someone like him. Especially when it seems like he’s head over heels for you.”
“I’ve told him time and time again. He just won’t listen.”
“I would make sure he listened.” The only problem was, I didn’t want things to get really ugly like I knew they would if I had to get on the guy.
“Well, there’s not much I can do,” she said with a shrug.
“Sure, there is. You tell him that you’ve moved on and so should he. What were things like? Hot and heavy? He sure talks like it.” Something about the guy made me want to mark my claim on her, and it made me feel like a barbarian compared to my usual mood.
“We only went out a few times. It didn’t get where he wanted it to, so he broke up with me for someone who would put out. He seemed okay, but we just didn’t work. As it turns out, I dodged a bullet. Besides, I’d like to be with someone I connect with.”
She looked up at me as if to see my reaction, and I wondered for a moment if she could read my attraction.
“Do you think we connect?” I moved closer, putting us no farther than a foot apart.
“I’d like us to, but we just met.”
“There are worse ways to get to know each other,” I said, leaning a little closer until she had no choice but to turn her eyes up at me.
She licked her lips and brought them to mine, wrapping her arms around my neck. The gesture was nice and slow at first, but then it took a turn as my cock stiffened. I pulled her close as my hands cupped her face, twining with her hair.
She pulled away, breathless. “I’ve wanted to do that for some time.”
“Me too. What else have you wanted to do, Sage?” I wanted to hear all of her fantasies and make them come true.
She tugged at the neckline of her dress as if she were suddenly feeling warmer. “Everything.”
I couldn’t keep the smile off my face, and I knew it had to be sinister from all of the dirty thoughts going through my mind. “I’d like a little bit of everything myself.” Or a whole lot.
16
Sage
The kiss was so hot, I felt a deep coil in my tummy, and I knew I wanted him. What I didn’t know was if it was right. But as soon as I admitted my desires, I had a feeling from the look in his eyes that he wasn’t going to let me chicken out.
I had never been one to cave to peer pressure, but I knew that Lissa would give me hell if I left here with my virginity intact.
I had thought it out, and I was ready. Even if whatever we would have wouldn’t last, I could think of no better person to give myself to, and it was worth a shot to see if we could have more.
I tugged at my neckline again, and suddenly, my clothes felt very restrictive.
“Would you like to go inside where it’s cooler?” he asked.
I could feel my skin beginning to glisten, and I didn’t want to stay out there and be a sweaty mess. “Yes, please.”
He smiled and took my hand. Then he cut off the lights to the boathouse as we stepped out into the evening light. The sun was about to go down, and even though it was past dinner time, the only thing I wanted to fill me up was him.
We went inside his house, and he stopped near the kitchen. “Are you hungry, or would you rather work up an appetite?” He closed the distance between us, taking me into his arms. “I could make you dinner if you want to go slow. Otherwise, I think I want to skip right to dessert.”
“I’m not opposed to having dessert first,” I said, not believing the words coming from my mouth. I had waited years for this, and now I wasn’t going to let anything stand in my way.
He stepped forward, and soon, I was in his arms, my hands moving feverishly across his body, up his back, and around front where I felt his chest and his strong shoulders. I made a move for his buttons, and he looked down between us and let me do my task.
When the last button was done, he moved behind me, turning me mid-step as he reached for my zipper and slowly brought it down my back. The move happened so fast, the dress falling forward from my shoulders, slipping down until I was standing in a p
uddle of fabric, wearing nothing but my bra and panties.
I turned to face him, unhooking my bra in a bold move and letting it fall from my shoulders.
He glanced down at my body and then met my eyes, staring deep into them. Then he leaned down and kissed my breasts, his mouth warm and wet, sending a heat spreading across my body.
I pushed Greyson’s shirt open and let it fall off his shoulders. He shrugged out of it, getting his arms free, and it fell to the floor. He was so beautiful, his body tight, his skin soft and perfectly tanned. I worshipped it with my mouth, kissing his neck as I felt the pleasure in me intensify. He moved his hand to my ass, around my hip, and down the front where he cupped my mound.
I hissed in a breath through my teeth as the lick of heat burst through me. “Greyson,” I whispered.
His eyes were narrowed with the weight of passion as they met mine. “Do you want to stop?”
“No, please, don’t stop. It’s just. I’ve never done this.”
“Never? Any of it?” He gave me a look as if he didn’t believe me.
I shook my head, feeling the heat in my cheeks. “No, it’s never felt right like it does now. But I don’t want you to think I need it to mean something you don’t want it to be.” I was afraid of his expectations or what he might think of mine.
“Why don’t we just go with it and see where it takes us?” He took my hand. “Would you like to go upstairs?”
“Yes, please.” I couldn’t believe my nerves as my voice shook.
He led me to the first step. “Are you sure? I don’t want you to feel pressured. I know you just came to hang out, and—”
“I want to.” I moved to kiss him, and he scooped me into his arms and carried me up the stairs as if he didn’t want me to change my mind. My heart rushed, and before I knew it, I was on his bed. He hadn’t laid me down. Instead, he placed me on my bottom at the foot and then moved for his zipper.
I held my breath as he popped the top button. Then he slowly took down his zipper, or maybe it was just the way I imagined it. Soon enough, he stood before me, his proud cock straining against his shorts, which he pulled down. He gripped it tightly, and before he could do anything else, I moved forward, taking it into my mouth.
I wasn’t sure what I was doing, but I’d heard enough stories to assume, so I licked his shaft all the way to his head and then closed my lips around his head as he hitched in a breath. “Damn, Sage. That’s so good.”
“Is it?” I asked, looking up at him.
“Have you never done this either?” His hand rested on my head as I worked him, and in between my task, I found time for pause.
“No.” I went back down on him, and he moved his hips slowly, pushing himself in and out of my mouth, barely moving it inside my lips and past my teeth.
“You’re doing so good,” he said.
“Should I take it deeper?” I looked up to see his head thrown back and his mouth open as if he was on the verge of a moan.
“Yes,” he whispered. “Take it slow if you want.”
His taste was salty and sweet, and I worried how I’d fit it all inside my mouth, much less take it into my throat like Lissa had done. I continued to work his head a bit longer, inching him slowly deeper, letting my tongue roll across his veiny flesh.
Before I knew it, I had his bell-shaped head pressed against the back of my throat. My lips closed around his shaft as I moved up and down on his length.
“You sure you haven’t done this before?” he asked with a chuckle as he pulled away. “Any more of that, and I’m going to spoil our fun.”
“I was having fun,” I said as he knelt down in front of where I sat and slipped his fingers beneath the elastic of my panties. “But I have a feeling I’m about to have a lot more.”
“If you liked that, you’re going to love this.” He tugged my panties down, and I raised up my bottom so he could pull them down past my knees. Then he parted my legs and moved closer, hitching my legs up over his shoulders as his mouth found my clit.
It felt amazing, having him kiss me there, and soon, he pulled away and kissed me, letting me taste myself on his mouth. The sweet flavor exploded in my mouth, and soon, he pulled away, putting his thumb across my lip. “Here,” he said, holding two fingers to my lips, pushing them into my mouth.
I sucked them just like I had his cock as he returned to his prior task. Soon, my body felt like a great pressure was building, and he took his fingers away from my lips as I moaned and then pushed one at my opening, which was already slick from his mouth and my juices.
His invasion was so good that I laid back and spread my legs even more. I was so ready for him to be inside of me, and I could barely contain myself from looking like a wanton slut, too eager for the penetration of his cock.
My body cried out as a wave of intense pleasure came over me, and it curled my toes and left me breathless.
“That’s right. Come for me.” He watched me as the pleasure continued to roll through me, and I suddenly felt a bit embarrassed, at least until he pulled away. Then my only emotion was getting him back inside of me. Fingers, tongue, his cock, I didn’t care. I needed to be filled.
He dragged his finger through my wet folds and smiled as he moved quickly for his wallet, which must have been in his pants at his feet. He pulled out a condom and made quick work of putting it on. “Are you ready for me?”
“Yes.” I reached for him, and he lowered himself closer, putting his hips between my legs, his thick length aimed at my entrance. He pressed it against me once. Then he backed away and aimed for my tight pussy.
He pushed his head against me, and I held my breath, waiting for the girth of his cock to spread me so wide until there was nothing left of my virginity. I had anticipated this moment for far too long, and as I looked into his eyes, which were full of concern for me and desire, I bit my lips and raised my hips against him.
Suddenly, it was like something snapped, and he was inside me, his head so broad that it felt like a spear. He looked into my eyes and brushed back my hair. “Are you okay?”
“Yes,” I said.
“Am I hurting you?” He was sweet to care, but all I wanted from him was to be taken and taken hard, not like a delicate flower.
“I won’t break. I promise.”
As if all he needed was my permission, he thrust into me slowly at first, until he worked up to a steady rhythm.
This time when my pleasure reached its climax, he threw his head back and moaned with me. “Fuck, I’m going to come.”
His body tensed as he pushed deep, and he held it there, his cock twitching inside of me until he finally collapsed against me, holding himself on his elbows and kissing my breasts and lips.
Finally, after a moment of just lying there with his cock still inside of me, he pulled away and kissed me soft and slow.
“You were perfect,” he said. “And so beautiful.” He brushed his fingers across my cheek, and we laid there until I could get the energy to move. “You should shower before you get dressed. I could make us some eggs if you want.”
“That sounds nice. Thank you.” I felt like I was glowing, though tired, and I hadn’t expected to feel so wide awake, yet exhausted all at once. Part of me wanted to stay there in his bed and sleep, but I knew that was probably crossing some kind of line. It wasn’t like we were a couple.
I got to my feet and stumbled into the bathroom as he headed to the kitchen.
After taking my time in the shower and realizing that the bleeding hadn’t stopped and that I was much more tender than I’d expected, I walked out to find that Greyson had brought my clothes up and left them lying neatly across the bed. Downstairs, there were eggs waiting, but Greyson was on the phone.
“Well, how much did they take?” he asked with a concerned voice. “And Katrina is okay? What? They put their hands on her?”
Only hearing one side of the conversation, I could tell that something serious had happened. I fixed a plate of eggs and then sat at the table whi
le he carried on the conversation. The man had an entire life I didn’t know anything about, and there I was, feeling out of place in it after giving him the biggest gift I’d ever given anyone.
“Don’t tell me to calm down, Eric. I’m furious. I want those assholes put in fucking jail. She knows to check all of the doors. She could have been killed.” He beat his fist against the counter. “I’m driving down.” He paused another long minute. “Fuck that, Eric. I’m coming. It’s no bother. Tell her not to worry. I’m not mad at her. I’m just angry at the situation.” He ended the call and then walked over to a bowl on the counter and got his keys. “I’m sorry. That was a call from New York. My coffee shop was broken into, and my business partner was robbed at gunpoint. They hit her with the gun. I should really get my ass out there and take care of this.”
I didn’t even know that he ran a café. “I should get going anyway.” I was growing more tired and sorer as the minutes ticked by. I needed to soak in a hot tub and then sleep.
“I’m sorry, Sage. The last thing I wanted to do was rush you out.” I could tell that he was genuinely upset about his partner back in New York, and that was all that was on his mind, as it should have been.
“It’s cool. It’s not like you can help it.”
He walked over and put his arms around me. “I’m sorry. I’ll call you, okay?”
“Yeah, okay.” For some reason, I wasn’t convinced. Was this his way of brushing me off? Playing like there was some emergency just to get rid of me. But then, why go through all the trouble? I was just being paranoid. Wasn’t I?
17
Greyson
I had never expected to be gone for an entire week, and since I wasn’t around, Dodd used that as his excuse for not painting my house.
As I pulled into the driveway, thankful to be home, Christian walked over.
His hands were in his pockets, and he looked like he had a lot on his mind.
I opened the car door and stepped out to shake his hand. “Hey, man. Thanks for keeping an eye on the place for me.”
Caught Up In Love Page 10
