“Sweetheart, I’m so sorry it took me so long to give it to you. I should have given it to you the night of that horrible party. However, instead I insulted you and pushed you further away from me. Do you like it? If you don’t, we can take it back to the jewelry store and you can get something else.”
“No, I love it. This is exactly what I wanted,” she admitted.
Coming back to her, Rally snapped the box shut. He gently pulled her into his arms. “Will you come to dinner at my house tonight? I’m asking you instead of demanding that you come.”
Sage heard Julian’s voice in the back of her head telling her to give Rally a chance to prove himself to her.
“Okay, I think I can make it,” she agreed.
“I promise you that you won’t be sorry,” Rally whispered. He gave her a quick kiss and then took a step back. “I need to get back to work. I’m meeting with a client for lunch, but I wanted to bring your present by. Thank for agreeing to have dinner with me.”
“You’re welcome.” Sage held her gift against her chest, watching as Rally opened the door and left the room.
****
Walking down the corridor, Rally was headed back to his car when he spotted Julian walking into his office. He hadn’t talked to Julian since he started going out with Sage. For a second, he thought about just heading to his car and leaving, but he couldn’t do it. He needed to know where things stood with Sage and Julian.
Spinning on his heel, he headed down the hallway to his office. He stopped at the door, watching Julian for a few minutes while he searched through some paperwork on his desk. He hated to admit it, but his buddy was a good guy. He would be thrilled if he was involved with any other woman, just not Sage. She wasn’t supposed to be with any other man but him. It was past time that he made his intentions clear about her to Julian.
He knocked on the door and Julian looked up at him. “Can I talk to you?”
Julian waved him inside. “I’m surprised it’s taken you this long to come and see me.”
Rally walked inside and sat down in front of the desk while his friend took a seat behind it. “Why are you doing this to me? You know how much I care about Sage. I can’t believe you would stab me in the back like this.”
“What a damn minute! I haven’t done anything to you,” Julian snapped back at him. “Sage was single and I asked her out on a date and she accepted. You have no right to be upset when you were throwing Vanity in her face each and every day. How could you do that to her? She loved you so much. Vanity was a piece of work no man should be saddled with.”
“I was running from her.” Rally sighed. “Why can’t anyone understand? I was scared Sage could give me everything I wanted on one hand, but she was missing the most important quality I had been searching for.”
“So what if she wasn’t Shawnee?” Julian asked. “How did Vanity being a Shawnee woman help you? Was she devoted to you? Did she smile at you like you were the only man in the entire room? When did she ever ask about your day before bragging about hers? It seems to me that she was the exact opposite of what you needed to have in a wife and mother of your children.”
“I know,” Rally whispered. “I just don’t understand why it took me so damn long to see it. I love Sage so much. I think I’ve been in love with her since she turned twenty, but I never wanted to let her know. She was so young and had her entire life ahead of her. Could I really make her my wife? I wanted her to experience the world and see what she might be missing.”
“You’re such a damn fool. Sage always saw her life with you and no one else. She only started dating me because she felt betrayed by you. She was never in love with me and we both knew it. We were two lonely people that wanted to find a way to cope with our pain.”
The more he listened to Julian, Rally was beginning to see how much time he had wasted by being with Vanity instead of Sage. He would be married right now to the woman he loved instead of working so hard to win back her heart.
“Do you think I still have a chance with her?”
“I told her last night to stop living in the past and see how much you are working trying to prove you love to her.”
Rally sat up straighter in his seat at his friend’s confession. “Why would you do that for me? I thought you were in love with Sage? It doesn’t make sense for you to help me.”
“What I may or may not feel won’t ever compete with this thing the two of you share. Sage is yours. She has always been and always will be. Now, all you have to do is prove to her that you know it as well.”
Standing up, he stared down at Julian. He thought he was going to come in here and tell Julian something, but his friend turned the tables of him. He told him why he had to keep fighting for Sage.
“You’re a good guy,” he said.
“I’ve been told that more than once.” Julian sighed. “I just hope one day it brings me a woman like Sage into my life.”
“I know it will. Just be patient. You never know what is waiting for you around the corner.”
Getting up from his seat, Rally turned away and walked right back out the door with thoughts of Sage filling his head. He wouldn’t be able to let her leave dinner tonight without her knowing what she truly meant to him.
Chapter Twenty-One
“Dinner was amazing,” Sage said, taking a seat next to him on the couch. “I’d forgotten what an excellent cook you are.”
“Thank you,” Rally said. “I don’t get to do much of it now since you and Shawn moved out. I liked fixing your favorite meal for you tonight.” Honestly, he would have eaten ramen noodles if that meant Sage would be here with him right now.
All the while he was at work, he couldn’t get his conversation with Julian out of his head. He had already wasted too much time with Sage and he didn’t want to spend any more trying to think of ways to win her back. She told him more than once to tell her the truth, and tonight he was going to do it.
“I want to tell you something.” Reaching for her glass, he took it out of her hand and placed it on a table behind the couch along with his. “I should have told you this a very long time ago, but I was scared. I didn’t think you were mature enough yet to handle it.”
Sage frowned. “I’m not following you.”
“I never got involved with Vanity because I thought she would be the perfect woman for me. A wedding wasn’t ever going to be in our future, but I had to have someone there to keep me away from you. You were the main reason I stayed with her for so long.”
“I don’t think I want to hear this. I thought I was coming over here to have a romantic dinner with you, not drag up things from the past, especially Vanity.” She started to stand up, but he pulled her back down.
“No, you need to hear this. I talked to Julian today after I saw you and he opened up my eyes. I couldn’t believe how foolish I had been behaving until he pointed it out to me. Sage, I’ve been in love with you since the day I kissed you on my birthday.
“However, my emotions scared the hell out of me. How could I ask you at such a young age to give up all of your dreams to be with me? Your time in the world was just beginning and to snatch that way from you would have been wrong.
“So, mistakenly I got involved with Vanity hoping she could a replacement for you. Yet, I was wrong. All she made me do was see how much I truly loved you, but when I was ready to tell you the truth you quit and moved on to a new job, then Julian.
“I swear that day I saw you kissing him, I felt like my entire world was over. I couldn’t breathe. I lost count of how many sleepless nights I had. Even Shawn noticed the change in me and I think that’s why he came to see you. He was concerned I was only going to get worse instead of better.”
“Rally, I─”
“Shhh…please let me finish,” he said, cutting Sage off. “I have been holding this in for way too long and you deserve to hear every single word.”
Sage nodded at him, but she didn’t say another word. Closing his eyes, Rally got himself together b
efore he opened them again. Every single word had to come from his heart or they would mean nothing.
“I wasn’t expecting to ever fall in love with you. For the longest time I saw you as the little girl who came to live with us, wearing the crooked glasses that never seemed to be able to stay on your nose. However, one day you walked into the room and everything around me went still.
“Somehow, the shy little girl had disappeared and she was replaced by this gorgeous, tempting young woman that I wanted. I couldn’t wrap my mind around the sudden change going on in my mind and body. I wanted you, but I felt guilty and torn by it.
“I made this promise to myself to marry a Shawnee woman, but I had fallen in love with you. I couldn’t go back on my word, so I made a stupid ass mistake by getting involved with Vanity. I knew she was wrong for me on the first date, but I stuck with her like an idiot.
“Days turned into weeks and months. I was so far in my misery that I never saw a way out. All of those times she insulted you I should have stopped her, but I was too caught up in my own personal hell. God, when I think about the times you turned to me for help and I did nothing it still saddens me.”
“Rally, it’s all right,” Sage said.
“No, it isn’t. Julian showed you more love and understanding that I was capable of back then. It took you turning to him to shake some sense into my head. Sweetheart, I can’t lose you. I’m in love with you. I don’t want any other woman to be my wife or the mother of my children.”
Tears streamed down Sage’s soft brown cheeks and he prayed they were ones of joy and not pain. He wouldn’t be able to take it if she had truly gotten over her love for him because of his bad decisions. Getting off the couch, Rally pulled a ring box from his pocket and got down on one knee.
“Rally, what are you doing?” Sage gasped in shock, placing her hands against her chest.
“Something I should have done at your graduation party weeks ago,” he admitted.
Flipping open the velvet box, he showed her the huge diamond on the inside. “Sage, baby, I’m in love with you. I want to watch you eat dry cereal on the couch and cuddle with you on a rainy Sunday afternoon. Can you find it in your heart to forgive me for all of the pain I’ve caused you? Will you marry me?”
He held his breath while Sage stared at the ring and then finally looked at him. He couldn’t tell a thing she was thinking by looking into her beautiful brown eyes. God, he had truly ruined his future with her. Rally didn’t know how he could come back from the agonizing disappointment.
“I’ve spent so many years dreaming about this very moment,” Sage said, staring at him. “I used to have different versions of it each and every time, but none of them came close to hearing you tell me you were in love with me.”
Hope filled Rally, but he couldn’t allow himself to go too far until he heard the words. “Is that a yes? Are you agreeing to marry me?”
Sage nodded as tears poured down her face. “Yes, I’ll marry you.”
His fingers shook as he took the diamond out of the box and slid the ring on Sage’s finger. Seeing it on there would be a sight that he would never forget. Standing up, he pulled her into his arms. Today was a day he would never forget.
“Darling, you don’t know how you just made me the happiest man in the world,” he whispered, then kissed her.
Moving back, Rally stared down in Sage’s face. “I want you. I thought I could wait, but I can’t.”
“I don’t know,” she whispered. “Do you think we should wait?”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Reaching out, he cupped one of her breasts in his hands. “Have you forgotten how I sucked and licked at your nipples back at Serenity? They tasted so good in my mouth, like warm chocolate. I can do even more now since we are engaged,” he promised as he undid her shirt and bra, tossing them to the floor.
“Rally,” Sage moaned, running her fingers through his hair.
“Shhh…just let me show you how much I love your beautiful body,” Rally growled before he pulled a taut nipple into his mouth, sucking until Sage felt her legs give way.
Picking her up, his mouth never left her breast as he carried her through the door and down the hallway to his bedroom. He laid her down on the bed and covered her with his body. He let go of her nipple and started licking at the other one. “Tell me that you love me. I need to hear the words. I haven’t heard them in so long.”
“I love you.”
Green eyes locked with hers as Rally stood up and, before she could move, quickly stripped her out of the remainder of her clothes. Spreading her legs wide with one hand, he eased three fingers inside of her body. “You are mine forever, Sage. I’m not ever going to let you go. It took me too long to get you,” he swore, tracing her clit slowly and making her body burn for him.
“My body doesn’t want anyone else but you,” she answered honestly. Sage bit back a moan and lifted her body as Rally joined her on the bed.
“It shouldn’t because it knows how it belongs only to me.” He ran his tongue down the side of her neck. “You know that I’m just as much into this as you are.”
He was driving her crazy with his touches.
“Yes, I know.” She never doubted that Rally was attracted to her. Sage closed her eyes and got lost in the moment.
“Sage, look at me,” he uttered.
She slowly opened her eyes and looked at him. “What?”
Rally cupped her chin and turned her head until she made eye contact. “Sage, I love you. You’re my world, and I’m going to do everything in my power to prove how much you mean to me.”
“Show me how much you love me. Wipe all of those bad memories out of my mind.”
****
Rally caught his breath because it felt like his heart literally stopped in the middle of his chest. Did he hear Sage correctly? She wanted him to make love to her? He couldn’t ruin this. It had to be perfect because Sage was everything to him.
“Are you sure?” he asked, placing small kisses along the side of her neck. The softness of her skin was almost his undoing.
“I’m positive,” she whispered, tracing the side of his face.
I swear I’m not going to blow this, he promised himself.
Removing his body from Sage’s, he stood up and slowly stripped off his clothing. His shirt floated to the floor behind him, but he ignored it. He was only focused on making this night as memorable for Sage as possible.
“You’re so beautiful,” she whispered, sitting on the bed. Her small fingers reach out to touch his chest but he jerked back before she made contact, and he saw the sudden hurt in her eyes.
Catching her hand before it landed on the bed, he placed it in the middle of his chest. “Sweetheart, touch me anyway you want. I want your hands on me.”
His body vibrated with need as Sage trailed her fingers down his chest until she stopped at the bulge threatening to spill out of his pants.
“Do you promise not to pull out this time or say anything to destroy it for us?”
Lord, he wasn’t an idiot.
“I swear the only thing I’m going to do is take it slow,” he whispered. Rally gently removed Sage’s soft touch before he lost control.
“Why did you do that?” she asked.
“Baby, you’ve got to stop or I won’t be able to continue.”
Taking off the last of his clothes, he stood there naked and let Sage’s chocolate eyes travel over him. He felt his cock swell and grow even thicker. He was dying to be inside of her wet pussy, but he could handle this. She deserved to take all of the time she wanted.
“Are you nervous?” he asked, joining her on the bed.
The breath rushed from his lungs as her body connected with the warmth of his. He heard the small moaning sounds as they escaped Sage’s mouth as she wiggled underneath him.
“No, I’m not,” she finally whispered, caressing his back with the tips of her fingers. “Please, Rally, make love to me. I have been waiting so long for this to happen.�
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“Oh, sweetheart, I’m going to make love to you like you’re the finest piece of china.”
Slipping his knee between her warm thighs, he gently eased them apart and placed the tip of his cock against her wetness. He felt her instant withdrawal. “Baby, don’t panic. I want you to get used to the feel of me. Remember I’ve been inside of you before.”
He didn’t want any misunderstanding. Now wasn’t a time for mistakes. Tonight was going to bind them on a deeper level than she knew. Cupping her face in his hands, he nibbled softly at her sensual lips. “You’re mine. I’m not going to ever lose you again.”
“I’m yours as long as you want me.” Sage breathed, then pulled his mouth down for a slow, soft kiss.
As much as he tried to hold onto his control, it snapped. Grabbing Sage’s wrists, Rally gently pulled them above her head. His eyes zoned in on how the position made her breasts perfect for his mouth. He kissed the valley between them and then took each nipple into his mouth, teasing and sucking at them.
Sage shocked him by throwing her leg over his. “Please, Rally. Baby, I can’t stand it. I need you inside of me.” She squirmed against the sheets, begging him to take her, but he held back, wanting her crazy with desire for him.
Letting go of her wrists, he skimmed his hands over her sweaty body. Masculine pride filled him as he realized he was the one who brought Sage’s body to this point. Rally dropped his fingers lower and traced her wet folds to make sure he could give her everything that he promised and more.
“Oh, I need….something,” she cried in one breath and panted in the next. “Please….Rally.”
He kissed her, swallowing down her words, and thrust three fingers inside her pussy. Her body bucked and his erection grew another inch. He was beyond ready to make Sage his in every sense of the word.
Tough To Love Page 13
