“Honestly, I’ve thought about calling my mom and maybe giving her some of the money. But I don’t want to have to buy my way with her, you know? Plus, I’m afraid she’ll be like a stray cat.”
“Yeah? Coming back for more?”
“It’s horrible, isn’t it? That I can’t think better of my mother?”
“No, it’s not horrible. Your father taught you caution, even if he went about it in a fucked-up way. And your relationship with your mother shouldn’t be based on money anyway. If she wants to have one, she shouldn’t be bought.”
“Thanks. That’s how I feel at times, and then other times, I just want to see her.” She had a longing in her eyes for her mother, and she wrapped her arms tightly around me. “Thanks for listening to me cry about my mom. I know it’s killed the mood.”
“I wish I knew the answers, but whatever happens, I want to be here with you, beside you, whether it’s my house or yours. And you haven’t killed anything. Let’s eat, and then we’ll focus on dessert.”
“Or,” she said, kissing my neck and whispering close to my ear. “We could skip dinner and have our dessert first?” She kissed her way slowly across my jawline and found my mouth, the kiss even hotter than before.
She practically climbed me, with one leg wrapping around my hip as her arms were around my shoulders. I lifted her up and put her on the nearest counter, which turned out to be the bar, where a bowl of fruit toppled and spilled and an apple fell to the floor and rolled across the room. She went to reach to move it all out of the way but squished a grape with her elbow. “We’re making a mess in here.” She giggled, wiping her elbow.
“Then maybe we should move someplace else?” I had yet to have her in her own bed and knew she considered the place her sacred room, where the only energy was peace and harmony.
She rose up, guiding me back with her palm flat on my chest. “Come on. I know just the perfect place.”
Before she could hop down, I hitched her up against me and helped her find her feet. Taking my hand, she led me down the hall and to her bedroom, where the lights had already been dimmed.
Among the tall crystal towers and cathedrals of amethyst clusters, she lit candles. Then she came back to me, took my hand, and led me to her bed. The soft, gauzy canopy draped down to hug the floor, and fresh roses in the bedside vase made the room smell sweet.
She turned and lifted her hair to reveal her zipper, and I pulled it down slowly to appreciate the moment, knowing how special this had to be for her. She had always protected her sacred space, and now she was going to share it with me, giving me her all. It was the type of gift that money couldn’t buy, special and pure.
38
Sage
I couldn’t believe he was in my sacred space again, undressing me this time. As he slowly pulled down the zipper, I closed my eyes and felt the warmth from his fingertips as they brushed against my back. Then he slowly pushed the fabric forward, and it fell away from my flesh, sending chills across my body as the cool air from the room caressed me.
His warm mouth found my shoulder, planting a soft kiss, and I trembled as I released my arms from the front and the fabric puddled at my feet.
“You’re so beautiful,” he whispered as he leaned forward to my ear. My back was warm with his body heat, and I needed him to warm the rest of me.
Turning to face him, I reached for his buttons and slowly undid them. Then I pushed the fabric away from his shoulders and planted one kiss there, as he had me. He took over, shrugging out of the sleeves, and I went to work on his pants, undoing the buttons.
I knew he was well aware I hadn’t had a man in my room before, and not many—well, no one aside from him and Lissa—had ever been in my sacred space. Not counting Jasper, of course, who went where he pleased.
When we both stood there naked, save for my panties, which I wanted him to take off, I took his hand and led him to the bed. “You have a lot of pillows,” he said.
“We can move them.” I shoved a few off onto the floor.
“No, you might need them.” He took my hand and eased me back against the sheets. He kissed me down my neck and across my breasts, lower to my flat tummy, where he paused and parted my legs to move between them.
Once he settled there, we kissed, and he worked his way back down again, this time making sure he took his time. His mouth pleasured my nipples, and as his tongue danced around the tender flesh, tightening them so much they ached. I felt another sensation, a tingling coil deep in my core. It was a feeling of need, and soon, I craved him inside of me.
But he was a slow torturer, taking his sweet time to attend to me, letting the yearning build until I felt like I might implode with desire if he didn’t give me what I wanted. I slipped my hand down his back, only making it halfway, but then he went down lower, taking my prize even farther away from me.
But soon, his mouth moved to my mound. Then his teeth brushed the aching, tender bud that was swollen with need beneath my panties as he nibbled at me. He slipped his hand under the lace and dragged his fingertip across it. Then he found my folds, pushing his fingers to part them, and suddenly, two invaded my pussy, causing me to moan with pleasure.
As he made a move to pull them down, I moved my legs to help take them off. But he left them around my knees and continued to pleasure me with his long fingers and tongue until the pressure had consumed me, a heat spreading from my head to my toes, and I suddenly felt as if I was coming undone. Whatever had coiled in my belly coiled tighter, then released, unable to make up its mind.
“That’s right, baby. God, you’re so beautiful when you come for me.” He rose up and kissed me, choking off my cries of pleasure, which turned to muffled moans against his lips. His hand continued to work my clit as if that were my trigger.
He cupped my face and looked deep into my eyes. “I missed you, Sage. I don’t want to ever have to miss you again.”
“Me too. I’m sorry.”
He shook his head. “No, don’t apologize. It was the right thing, baby. It seemed like hell, but it was only to show me how much I love you.” He kissed me before I could respond, so I responded the only way I could—with my body.
Feeling his hard length against my thigh, I reached down and took his erection into my grip as our kisses became more feverish. I pumped my wrist a few times, and he moaned when I dragged my thumb across his sensitive tip.
I broke the kiss and pushed against his shoulder, and as if I’d pushed some magic button, he rolled over, settling back against my pillows. As he looked at me, I felt sexy and desired, and it was then I realized that I really did love him too. But now was not the time for words.
I moved to kiss him, a short, sweet kiss that ended with us both staring longingly into each other’s eyes. I moved down his body, briefly pausing here and there to drag my tongue across his flesh. And he began to breath more heavily, as if in anticipation for what I might do to him. How I might do it.
I dragged my tongue down his stomach and then around his navel until I had to slide my body farther. I looked up to see him watching, and as I took him into my hand, his girth so wide my fingers barely met around it, I stroked him. He hissed through his teeth as he sucked in a breath, and then a soft moan escaped him as I swirled my tongue around his fleshy, bell-shaped head.
He was the only man I’d ever given this kind of pleasure to, and I was so glad I’d saved myself for him. What more did I need?
I felt an ache in my core that suddenly felt so empty and called out to me with its craving. But I wouldn’t be greedy. Not yet, at least. I moved my mouth down on his cock, my lips stretching across his flesh. As I worked him over, relaxing my throat to take him deeper, I cupped his balls, causing him to moan even more.
The desire to taste him, to have him erupt in my mouth, something I’d never experienced, consumed me. Even though it scared me a little, wondering what he’d think of me, I wanted the experience. My movements became more fevered, and he dragged his fingers through my hair, holdin
g me on his cock for short moments until he finally growled out a warning. “Baby, it’s close.”
But I didn’t retreat. I wanted to see it to the end. I moved my attention to his head and sucked and twirled my tongue, and suddenly, he moaned out as his load coated my throat. It was a shock when it happened, but I closed my eyes, determined to enjoy the experience as much as Lissa had told me she had. With a deep breath, I swallowed, and he met my eyes with a look of surprise.
“I tried to warn you,” he said as I came up for air. He moved to kiss me as I rose up, my face flushed from what I’d just done.
“It’s okay,” I said. “I wanted to.”
“Another first. There will be others, you know? We’ve got time for all of them.” He brushed his thumb across my lips and kissed me again as he pulled me into his lap.
As we kissed, I stroked his cock, and all it took was a few pumps, and he was ready for more. I straddled him and centered myself over his cock. Then I slowly lowered myself, feeling his delicious flesh stretching me, one inch at a time. As I settled around his base, I rocked my hips and ground against him, feeling the pressure build with my next orgasm.
“Fuck,” he whispered. “There’s nothing like that feeling on my sensitive dick.” He lifted my ass and bounced me on his lap, causing me to ride his cock much faster.
As we changed our pace, I met his eyes with a request I didn’t think he’d mind. “Take me from behind?” I moved off of his cock, and his eyes widened. “I don’t mean that. Yet.” I gave him a wink and moved to my pillow, which I laid against.
He came up behind me and moved his cock up my crack, dragging it down through my juices and back. As he entered me, he took it slowly, but once his cock was deep in my core, I turned my head, and he kissed me and proceeded to fuck me harder.
The pleasure was intense, and I needed him to do it faster and harder. It was as if something was just out of reach, my pleasure building so much, it brought me to the edge and back until I couldn’t stand it.
“Please,” I whispered. “Fuck me harder, Greyson.”
His response was not verbal. Instead, he pumped his hips, thrusting hard and deep until our bodies slapped together like an audience clapping in approval. And then it was time for our encore.
My body seemed to collapse on itself, my knees weakening, my elbows giving way until I was nothing but a limp noodle of limbs in his arms, but it didn’t stop him—thank god—because I was so close to another orgasm that I could feel it lingering on the edges of my pleasure sensors.
“Greyson, I’m so close,” I said. Then he reached around to my front and stroked my clit, and in no time, I was screaming out in ecstasy, my release trickling from my core between us, soaking his heavy sac.
“I’m right behind you, baby. Where do you want it?”
“Don’t stop, Greyson. Please, don’t stop.” In my mind, all I could think of was the pleasure and no consequences.
Greyson began to pull out, but I moved back on him. “No. I want this.” I was on the pill, and even though I knew it was risky, I was ready for another first.
He worked his hips and soon erupted, his seed warm inside me. It was like nothing I’d ever felt before, and I closed my eyes and savored the sensation.
I felt like I was glowing as he settled beside me. “Are you okay?”
“Yes, I’m good. It was perfect.”
He kissed my hand, bringing it to his face as he closed his eyes. With the other, I stroked his hair and nuzzled closer to keep warm. There was nothing better in the world than being with him. Nothing better than the love we shared together. I still couldn’t believe he’d told me he loved me.
“I love you too,” I said, looking at his peaceful face, the blue of his eyes hidden by heavy lids.
But there they were, looking at me all of a sudden. “I hope you really mean it because after this, I’m not ever letting you go.”
I closed my eyes and nestled closer to him. “That’s all I could wish for.” As we lay there, I could see a future for us spanning out through the years. It was going to be a wonderful life for us both.
39
Greyson
Three months later.
Things had been great with me and Sage, and after a few weeks, she’d finally warmed up to the idea of me hiring her for her art. I stood in the boathouse with Jasper, who had refused to go back in the house once he found the old box of rope I’d left lying in the corner of my shop. He’d found his heaven, and even though Sage and I had tried to give him a cozier bed, the once-stray was happy right where he was.
I was just killing time as I waited on Sage to get ready, a task that involved morning coffee, makeup, and a brief phone call with Lissa. And for the past few minutes, I’d stared at the boat and vowed that I’d give the interior the attention it deserved. I’d put off finishing the boat to spend time with Sage, and now that things were going smoothly, I knew it was time to settle down together. I wanted her to move in.
We had just gotten to that step a little faster than I thought, and I wondered if it would all be too much for her too. She had lived alone for so long, but then so had I, and I loved having her in my space. She wasn’t the kind of girl you fucked and encouraged out of your bed and your apartment, who you’d chew your arm off just to keep them from sleeping over or getting too clingy. She was the kind of girl you snuggled up with and didn’t mind the feel of her cold feet against you when you’d finally gotten warm, who you wanted to hear snoring, and didn’t mind their morning breath, and they didn’t give a care about yours either.
As I stood there, I knew it was time to ask her. But since the idea of broaching the subject had made me a little unsure, I let my mind wander to other things. And that was when I realized I still needed to come up with a name for my boat.
Most people named their boats after the loves of their lives or some quirky turn of phrase, but I couldn’t come up with anything clever. After years of working at DeVant and with all of the success from writing ads and making millions at it, I was coming up blank, thinking maybe I’d lost my touch.
“Greyson?” Sage called from the front porch. “Are you out here?”
“Coming dear,” I called from the boathouse, and I walked up the drive to meet her. I felt like we were an old married couple, even though her permanent and official residence was still across town.
I walked out to find her in shorts and a tank top, but her hair was done up in a clip, and she had put on her makeup like she was ready for an evening out. “You look too good to go to the warehouse.”
“It’s one of my positive changes as part of my new self-care routine. Lissa insists that makeup every day, even on the job, will make me feel confident enough to compensate for the rock habit.”
“How do you feel?”
“Like a painted clown on my way to get a pie in the face. I’ve accepted that this isn’t going to last long once I get going with the project, but I’m giving it a shot.”
“Well, then, allow me to ruin your lipstick.” She giggled, and I gave her a big kiss. “You taste confident.”
“Maybe it’s this?” She pulled the tiny pink stone from her bra and gave me a wink.
“I see you’ve packed your weapons,” I said, and we shared a laugh as I walked her to the Jeep.
We rode out to the warehouse, and while she seemed like she was in a good mood, I could tell there was something else on her mind as she stared out at the road.
“Are you happy with how things are?” I wondered if it had all been too much, and that made me think the burning question I’d wanted to ask her might need to wait.
“I’m happy. I just feel bad for Chuck. He said Tommy hasn’t gotten his order right not one single day, and he forgot to send the mail out on time.” She had been doing fine, and since she had trained Tommy to do her job, including the lunch run, there was nothing left for her to do for Woodchuck’s now that her two-week notice was a week past.
I chuckled, knowing it had to be something about
the lumberyard. “You are going to have to let them learn, Sage. You can’t keep popping in to do their work for them. Besides, I like having you all to myself for lunch.” We had been locking the door of the warehouse and getting naked in the office. Then we’d get dressed, jump in the Jeep, and go get something unhealthy from the fast-food joint. It was heaven.
She reached out and took my hand. “I know. Me too, and that’s part of the guilt. Not only am I having the time of my life, but I’ve packed on at least five pounds.”
“You look amazing,” I said, slowing down to turn into the parking lot.
“Not the point.” She sank down in her seat. “I think I want to surprise the guys with one more lunch run. At least give Chuck a decent meal this week.”
I loved her beautiful soul, always thinking of others. “Whatever makes you happy, baby. When we get inside, you can call Chuck and make the arrangements. I’ll even buy.”
“No, I want to buy.”
Lately, we’d been having the same old argument, and she’d usually win. “Come on, not again. Let me do this.”
“No, I want it to be from me. Besides, they’re like my family.”
I didn’t know why I bothered arguing with her. We went inside, and she took out the buckets of stones she wanted to use for the table she was doing. She hadn’t wanted the colors of the tables to match, and while I agreed, I also didn’t want my bar to look like it existed somewhere over the rainbow. So, a compromise had been made to go with earthy tones, and so far, the tables she’d finished, five total, were a gorgeous array.
She took the stones and a few glittering grains of sand and prepared them for use in smaller cups. Then I wiped the dust from one of our precut tops and then moved it to her work table while she made her call to Chuck.
“He was surprised,” she said with a smile. “He says they miss me, and I need to come back.”
Caught Up In Love Page 23
