by KL Donn
The epitome of all things evil.
Her nightmares come to life.
“I don’t… What do you want to know?” When he said they would talk, she hadn’t thought he meant about this.
“Why he wanted you, what he was like when you met, what happened to his wife?”
“Why?” It wasn’t easy to talk about the man who stalked her every thought.
“Because Frank and Braxton told me some things, and I want your opinion on him and what he’s done. I know your nightmares are mostly about him and what he could have done to you. I want to know how to ward him off for you.”
Taking a deep breath, she swallowed the fear of speaking the man’s name and filled him in. “Morgan came to our community about nine years ago; before that girl went missing. His wife was nice enough. She was never outside and active as much as other wives. I always got the feeling she was afraid of something. Then Jossilyn told me what happened. I hadn’t known he’d beaten her to death.”
“How does she know that?” They never found a report on the woman’s death.
“I don’t know. She must have overheard them talking or something, I suppose.” Sage had never thought to ask how her sister had known.
“When did he become interested in you?” Loch’s hand reached for hers as he asked his questions.
Sage spent the next hour answering all the things he wanted to know about the horrid man. Telling him how whenever Morgan had come to the house, his gaze would always follow her, from the time she was a young girl. She had never been able to get away from the man.
When her parents announced that she was to marry him, his leering grew worse. He’d found ways to make sure they were alone in a room together. While he didn’t touch her, she always felt dirty afterwards.
As her eighteenth birthday had approached and her feelings for Lochlan became known, the situation grew worse. He’d trail his fingers down her arms and across her cheek. It was always provocative but looked innocent to anyone observing them.
“Your parents, were they always dismissive of his advances?” Loch appeared to be torn between confoundedness and complete astonishment.
So was she.
“At first, he hid it. When I turned sixteen, he gave up on pretense and started becoming more forward with his want for me. Father never cared enough to stop it.”
The timer rang before he could respond to her comment. She watched as he walked away, his jeans molding to his buttocks as he moved. She could see his strong thighs flexing as he shuffled around the kitchen getting their plates ready.
For the first time, she truly admired him as a virile male. He wasn’t just a boy she crushed on anymore, he was a man she desired. His arms flexed as he reached into the cupboard for dinnerware. While he wasn’t as muscular as Braxton, he had a softer strength to him. One that came from the heart. It was one of the things she loved most about him.
As he turned with their dinner plates in hand and came to sit at the table, her mouth opened, and a question she never thought she’d ask popped out. “Are we going to have sex?”
They spoke about it very briefly at the hospital, but she hadn’t thought any more about the specifics of it. Lochlan was her first everything, and while she knew the semantics of the act, the decision to do something so intimate was terrifying.
His blank stare worried her. He seemed to be frozen in place as he processed her question. Clearing his throat, he finally spoke, his hand reaching for her cheek. “Angel, I told you that when I take you, it’ll be as my wife, not before.”
He didn’t really answer her question. “But we’re going to have sex?”
A small blush fought its way through his tanned flesh as he answered her. “Yes, Sage. One day we’re going to have sex.”
“Okay.” After that, they sat quietly eating their dinner. Sage was left wondering what was wrong with her, changing from such a serious topic to such an intimate one. Watching as he wrapped his lips around the fork, her body lit up imaging him doing that to certain areas of her body.
She had so many questions and desires that she couldn’t concentrate on the delicious food in front of her. “Eat, Sage,” Loch demanded.
His Adam’s apple bobbed up and down as he swallowed. His gaze never left hers, waiting for her to take a bite. Picking up her fork, she did as he commanded only so she could continue watching the erotic way his tongue touched the side of his mouth, licking the small dot of sauce off.
A shiver raced up and down her spine as he smirked. His lip on the one side quirking a tiny bit and a dimple appeared. “You have a dimple.” She sighed. He was making her feel goofy. Not herself.
Is this lust?
The way Sage watched Loch throughout the rest of the evening made his body hunger for her in an uncomfortable way. His dick wouldn’t stop throbbing as he thought about taking her body and melding them into one person.
When she’d asked him if they were going to have sex, he couldn’t have been more shocked or aroused and it was all he could picture now. Her lithe body hidden by long layers of material, nude beneath him as they explored each other.
He finally had to send her up to bed in the spare room an hour ago so he could calm down and not break his promise to take her before she was his wife. His self-control only carried so far before he would snap.
Figuring she would be asleep for the night, he went up to his room, leaving all the lights off so he didn’t wake her. Loch stripped to his boxers and climbed into bed, shocked when he felt Sage’s warm body lying there. Right in the middle, too.
Her arm snaked around his waist before he could move. Her soft fingers splayed out on his hip. The desire to stay with her, hold her through the entire night instead of just when she had her nightmares was strong.
“Please don’t leave me, Lochlan.” Her sleepy voice beckoned to him.
“I won’t. Not ever.”
Quiet surrounded them as darkness enveloped the room, the moon lost behind the clouds as a storm moved in. Lightning could be seen flashing through the windows as thunder crashed on the horizon. Winds whipped tree branches against the house, and with every boom, she flinched.
Lying in his queen-sized bed, he began playing with Sage’s curling hair. Loch confessed, “I was serious when I asked you to marry me, Sage,” wanting to distract her.
“You didn’t really ask me, Lochlan.” A little bit of sass was starting to shine through. “It was more of a demand.”
“I meant it, nonetheless,” he murmured softly, their bodies somehow becoming closer. As if magnets were trying to fuse them together.
“I know you did,” she whispered, only a hairsbreadth away from his lips.
Loch ached to kiss her more than taking his next breath. To feel her soft lips against his own. Her tentative touches mingled with his. “I want to marry you, Sage.”
He could feel the heat of her blush. “But why?”
“So many reasons,” he replied, brushing his lips against hers.
“Tell me”—she breathed—“please, tell me.”
Loch couldn’t deny her if he tried. “You’re everything I’ve ever wanted in a partner. You’re soft, caring, sweet. You don’t hide anything from me. I may not know what you’re always thinking, but your feelings are wide open for me.”
“Do you love me, Lochlan?” He sensed the answer was more important to her than she would ever let on.
“What I feel for you–” He stopped to think of how to phrase it without sounding like the answer was no. “I’m not sure if I know what love is. Sure, I love Ma and my brothers. Soph and Hayes are like sisters. But what I feel for you is so different. It’s more than anything I could ever explain.”
“Try,” she gasped, sounding out of breath.
Rolling on top of her, he needed their hearts to be aligned, for her to feel the erratic beating of his own. He settled between her naked thighs as he tried to explain further. “I have this unrelenting drive to make your entire world perfect. To make you happy. I’m
consumed with thoughts of you during the day. Wondering how you are, if you need anything. Wanting to know if your day is bringing you joy.” Loch took a moment to gather his resolve as she wiggled her hips, pressing her core against his already hard cock, stealing his breath. “Christ, Sage.” His head bent forward, losing strength when she didn’t stop. “You gotta stop, Angel,” he begged her.
“I can’t, there’s something there,” she moaned. “It’s building in my womb.” He could feel her little pussy throbbing against him, begging for relief.
“Fuck,” he growled, meshing their mouths together as he snaked one hand between their bodies to rub her clit to a release.
Her back arched as she came apart from the light touch. Seeing and feeling the orgasm roll through her tight frame had his own balls drawing up close to his dick as he pressed harder into her. “Sage,” he groaned as his own release chased hers. His toes curled as he pushed himself against her pelvis, needing to know that some small part of him marked her as his.
“I love you, Lochlan,” she cooed, rubbing her body on his like a kitten. Purring through her pleasure while he silently fell apart.
“Angel…” His voice was thick with need.
“That was amazing,” she whispered in his ear, kissing just below it.
Who is this vixen? Where did she come from?
“What I feel for you”—he was out of breath now—“surpasses love. But if you’d like a title for it, then yes, I love you. More than I ever thought possible. For longer than you’ll ever know, I love you, Sage.”
“I’ve loved you from the moment our eyes met, you know,” she admitted. Thunder clashed in the background as they lay in the mess of their pleasure.
“You’re going to kill me, Angel.”
“That felt unbelievable.” She ignored him. “It was like sparks went off in my head, and I could see the stars up close. Will it always be that way?”
“I have no idea,” he told her honestly.
She was quiet after his confession, but he refused to be embarrassed by it. “You mean you’ve never?”
“Just my hand in the shower. Usually to thoughts of you.” Might as well go for broke.
“I like that.” She kissed him for once. Their mouths mating in a soft caress. Leaning the full weight of his body on hers, one hand sunk into her hair while the other massaged her breast, plucking at her tiny nipple as her thighs tightened around his hips.
“Marry me.” He groaned when she brushed against his cock again.
“I already said yes.” She giggled, and he loved the freeing sound.
“Tomorrow.”
She froze.
“We’ll go to Vegas.”
He felt her heartbeat pick up speed.
Kissing her neck, he murmured in her ear, “You’ll be mine”—he kissed along her jaw—“and I’ll be yours.”
“Yes.” She was so quiet, he pulled away, needing to see it in her eyes, hear it in her voice. “Yes.” She responded stronger that time, with more conviction.
“Yeah?” He asked, needing confirmation again.
“On one condition.” She looked shy about it.
“Anything.”
“I want babies.”
“However many you want.”
“I want to be a housewife. It’s all I’ve ever wanted.”
“God, do I love that idea.” Loch rubbed his stubbled cheek against hers. “At my beck and call twenty-four seven.”
“Until the baby comes.” Her voice was husky, eager. “I want a real wedding night, too.” She paused. “You’ll take me, every part of me. You’ll complete me and make me yours.”
“You’re already mine, Angel.”
The kiss he delivered was fierce. Full of ownership and need. The desire to have her in a way they were both holding back from. Her enticing moan was heard throughout the room.
Hunger for her man.
Chapter Thirteen
Love is the dawn of marriage, and marriage is the sunset of love.
They drove all night, neither wanting to wait to recite their vows. Neither wanting to hold off the inevitable. After a stop in Utah around dawn so Loch could get a few hours of sleep, they finally arrived in Las Vegas around three in the afternoon.
The city became congested as soon as they hit the strip. Loch had mentioned he had a destination in mind of where they would stay and where to get married.
Sage had called the only friend she had to come and enjoy their moment together, and after talking with Lochlan, she had confirmed she would be there with her +1 to celebrate with them. Even though she was sad her family wouldn’t be there to witness her Holy Matrimony, Sage was still as excited as a kid in a candy store. She’d been unable to sit still almost the whole drive.
“We’ll check into the hotel, then shop for a dress if you want?” Loch said as he watched the road.
“I’d like that.” She had expressed the desire to, at least, have a white dress to marry him in, and Loch had told her, not for the first time, that she could have whatever she wanted.
Her love for this man grew with every waking moment. He was always thinking of her first. Not once had he asked for anything other than to be tied together to her, and that was the one thing she could most definitely give to him with ease.
“Oh wow,” she said amazed, as he drove along what he’d told her was called the Strip.
“Pretty, isn’t it?”
“It’s stunning.” Her body tingled with overwhelming desire to explore everything that lay before her. From the glamor and glitz of the shops to hotels and casinos, it was all so much to take in. Street performers were on nearly every corner.
“Wait ‘til you see where we’re going,” Loch teased with a smirk.
She didn’t have to wait long as he pulled up in front of the most magnificent piece of architecture she’d ever seen. Driving slowly along the curved path, he parked, and a man came to hold open her door. Stepping out hesitantly, Sage was rendered speechless. The archways, the lighting, the people milling about made for a fantastical sight.
Lochlan’s hand on her back had her turning to him. “We can’t possibly be staying here.”
He chuckled. “We are, Angel. Come on, there’s something I want to show you after we check in.”
As they walked through the exquisite front doors the doorman was holding open for them, Sage took a quick look back and noticed the ceilings of the overhang. Angels, cupids, and clouds abound. Everything she imagined Heaven to look like, it was there, painted in perfect symphony.
“Lochlan.” She sighed into his embrace. Stopping, he looked down to her. “How did you know?”
“I know you.” He shrugged as if it were no big deal he was giving her everything. The Venetian was an absolutely perfect place for them to say their vows. If she couldn’t have the real thing, this was the next best.
“Sage?” a soft voice called as they entered the lobby.
Spinning around until she saw soft blonde hair and a big welcoming smile, she squealed, “Ashley!” Dislodging from Lochlan’s arms, she ran to her friend. Her only one in the entire world. The woman who encouraged her, however slightly, to break free from her constricted life.
“It’s so good to see you,” Ash mumbled into her hair. “How are you? I’m so sorry I couldn’t come to the hospital. Cecilia was having complications, and Landon was out of town on business.”
“I feel better.” Sage smiled, understanding full-well how important Cecilia had become to her. Never would Sage ask her to abandon her sister-in-law.
“You look better. You look happy, Sage.”
“Cupcake,” the big man with Ashley growled. Like an animal.
“Hush, you.”
Sage watched as he turned her friend towards him. With a tight grip on the woman’s hips, he pulled her close. The words he spoke were too low for Sage to hear, but Ashley’s sigh spoke volumes.
“Sage, this is Declan. Dec, be nice to Sage.”
Hands on her own waist had Sa
ge jumping. “Easy, Angel,” Loch whispered in her ear. His warm breath caused goosebumps to break free along her skin.
Clearing her throat, Sage introduced them. “Ashley, this is Loch. Lochlan, this is Ashley.”
“Nice to meet you.” Loch held out his free hand for her to shake.
It took Ashley so long to respond, Sage worried she didn’t like him. “So, you’re him, huh.” She finally took his hand. “You crush her, and I’ll break you.” Sage gasped so loudly they all looked at her. “Oh, don’t you try it, missy. Someone has to protect you, even if he does look like he can do the job.” She winked at Sage.
“Careful, cupcake,” Declan growled again.
“Ignore him. He has two modes of speaking: growling and yelling.” The girls chuckled; the men shared a knowing look.
“I’ve got us all checked in; we’re on the eight floor.” Loch handed them a key card as two bellhops joined them with their luggage, following along behind them to the elevators.
“When’s the ceremony?” Declan asked Loch.
“Nine. Ashley, I was hoping you’d take Sage to one of the boutiques and shop?” Loch’s arms wrapped around Sage.
“Of course! Let’s do that now!”
Sage caught on to her enthusiasm quickly.
“Could we?” Her hopeful look to Loch was matched as he reached for his pocket.
Handing Sage a credit card, he told Ashley, “Whatever she wants, she gets. Got it?”
“Oh, buddy, trust me, she’ll be the bell of the ball.” They giggled together as the men left, and they waited to go back downstairs.
Suddenly serious, Ashley demanded, “Tell me how you are really? I mean marriage, Sage? Are you sure about this?”
Shocked by the questions, Sage tried to explain. “He’s the other half of me.” Licking her dry lips, the words that would explain how and why were hard to come by. “When I’m with him, I feel. Not just safe or happy, but I really feel. Everything. Like the sun is warmer, the sky is brighter, the nights are longer and shorter all at the same time. He brings out a side of me I’ve never seen before.” Ashley’s face softened. “I breathe easier when he’s in the room than when we’re apart. I don’t fear all the things I’ve yet to learn in your world. I anticipate them—good or bad. When he walks into a room, the air crackles and the fine hairs on my arm stand on end.”
