by Rebel Adams
All of this uncertainty and questions have to be dealt with, but not yet. I want to make sure that she’s feeling better before I dive into the inquisition I have in store for her.
There’s so much I want her to tell me, so many questions I want to ask, but I know that I need to wait and be patient. I don’t want to do anything to push her away, well, nothing more than I already have. Thankfully, she’s accepting me for the man I am and not running in the opposite direction.
Baby steps, Ty, baby steps.
As she takes her final sip, I laugh, watching her as she wipes her lips with the back of her hand.
“Oh, sorry,” she says with a smile. “Where are my manners?”
I shrug and give her a wink before moving to stand. Taking the mug from her hand, I set it down on the table and reach my arm out to her. She gives me a smirk and look filled with question, and then reaches her hand out for mine. As our fingers touch, a tingling sensation coats my arm and goose bumps begin to appear. I watch her reaction as the same thing seems to be happening to her as well.
“I don’t think we can fight it any longer,” I say, while looking down to her.
“Yeah, I think we have a lot to talk about, Sherriff Jones.”
Ouch, that hurts.
I scrunch my brows, remembering the way in which I told her my official name last night. Not only was I an ass, I treated her so unfairly.
“I’m sorry about that. I shouldn’t have talked to you the way I did last night. I need to you know, no…I need you to understand a few things so that you can see where I was coming from. But first, you need to get yourself cleaned up and in some more comfortable clothes. That is, if you want to stay here today.”
She bites down on her lower lip, and I can tell she’s thinking things through. “I don’t understand why you did what you did, but I’m willing to hear you out,” she says with a sincere look in her eyes. “If you want me here with you, then I’ll stay.”
I pull her in closer to me so that our bodies are mere inches apart. “Of course I do. From the moment I realized it was you last night, I wanted nothing more than to know where you’ve been all this time.”
A smile appears on her beautiful face. “You mean you’ve thought about me since that night?”
I nod and wrap my arms around her. She feels so right pressed up against me. I don’t want to let her go. She lets out a giggle and squirms out of my embrace. Looking up at me with those wicked eyes, I smile back at her.
“Okay, well, let me show you to the bathroom and you can take a shower. I already have all of your bags in there and towels are on the counter.” I lead her out of my room and towards the hallway. Letting go of her hand, I gesture to the closed bathroom door. She walks past me and I watch as she moves into the bathroom.
Going back to the bedroom, a real sense of hope begins to set in. We can make this work. It may take a lot of explaining, but I’m willing to do whatever I have to do.
Once I hear the water start to run in the shower, I fix up the bedroom and grab the mug, heading back down stairs. Since she’s talking now, maybe she’ll be willing to eat something a little bit more substantial. I look through the cabinets and the fridge, trying to figure out what I can make for us that won’t hurt her throat, yet will still fill up her belly. I pull out the ingredients for spaghetti and boil up some water when I see her come into the kitchen.
Turning to face her, my gaze is drawn to her long blonde hair, which is combed straight. She’s changed into some clean clothes and looks absolutely breathtaking. My beautiful stranger is here with me, in all of her glory. Now it’s time to set things straight once and for all.
Saige
I watch his reaction as I walk into the kitchen and stand before him. His bright blue eyes are staring back at me, never roaming my body, just looking into my eyes.
“Feeling any better?” he asks before turning back toward the stove.
“Yeah, much better. I really needed that. Thanks for letting me take a shower,” I reply, taking a seat along the breakfast bar.
He turns to walk toward me and rest his hands on the counter. “So, I thought I’d make us something to eat that will fill you up more than the chicken broth. Do you like spaghetti?”
I nod my head and smile; it’s as if he can read my mind. I’m still starving and this will be perfect.
“Good, it should be done in about half an hour. So what do you want to talk about first? I know there’s a lot we need to learn about each other. I just don’t know where to start.”
Letting out a puff of air, I figure now is as good a time as any. Well, here goes nothing; I may as well start us off. I extend my hand out to him, “Hi, I’m Saige. I believe we’ve met, but weren’t formally introduced.” I can’t help but to smile, looking at the expression on his face.
He reaches his hand out to mine. “I’m Tyler, but you can call me Ty.”
He smiles back at me and our hands remain locked together. “Well, it’s nice to meet you, Ty. Thanks for having me over for a nap, shower and dinner.”
He throws a wink my way and his piercing blue eyes captivate my attention.
“Nah, don’t mention it, Saige. It’s my pleasure.”
We both laugh at the corniness of our conversation. Together, we continue to make small chit chat about ourselves till the food is ready.
In less than twenty minutes, I’ve learned a lot about him. Well, at least the things he likes. It’s a start and a good way for us to warm up to one another.
“What do you want to drink? I have beer, wine, soda, wa…..”
I put my hand up to stop him. I really don’t need him to name off every beverage in his fridge, so I decide to speak up. “Oh, I’ll have some wine.”
“Help yourself; I have a full wine rack in the dining room. I don’t drink the stuff.”
“Aww, come on, not even if I have a glass?” I ask with a pout.
He looks at me with a smirk. “Fine, but to be honest, I’ve never touched the stuff. Pick something that won’t stunt my growth.”
“Why the hell do you even have the stuff?”
The look on his face shows that I really shouldn’t push the issue.
He gives me a smile, reassuring me that he’s okay.
I let out a giggle and move into the other room to pick out a bottle. He has a large selection of wines amongst the rack and I take a good look to choose just the right one. I pull down a bottle of white since I’m not the biggest fan of red. The label reads ‘Middle Sister Sweet Sassy Moscato’, perfect.
While Ty finishes getting the food on our plates, I set the table and pour us each a glass of wine. He brings our food into the dining room as I take a seat at the table.
“You know, I haven’t used this room in over three years.”
I look to him in surprise. “Do I dare ask why?”
He lets out a heavy sigh and takes a seat across from me at the table. Leaning forward onto the table with his elbows, he runs his fingers through his hair. Uh oh, this can’t be good.
“My ex-wife and I used to eat dinner in here every night. I guess I just thought it was kind of pointless to eat in here alone.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. Should we eat out in the kitchen?” I feel like a complete moron for assuming this is where we would eat. I should have asked, and then this wouldn’t be the topic of conversation over dinner.
“No, it’s totally fine, Saige. Really, it’s okay. I’m glad to have you in here eating with me; I was just saying it’s been awhile. No harm no foul.”
I look up to him and smile; I guess this is the only way we’ll get to know one another.
Live and learn.
For the next hour or so, we enjoy one another’s company and to my surprise, Ty is a great cook. At least I know now that he can make a mean plate of spaghetti.
Once dinner is done, I help him clean up and we move to the living room. I have to laugh when Ty fills up both of our glasses with a bit more wine; guess he’s a wine drinker now afte
r all. We both take a seat on the couch to the far wall of the living room. Sitting in silence for a bit, we decide to turn on a movie and relax for the rest of the night. There’s only so much conversation we can have before our brains go into overdrive.
I want to get to know him better, but I also want to do it over time. There’s no doubt that we are completely comfortable with one another, and now knowing that we are both single, there’s nothing standing in our way of starting fresh.
He gave me the details of his marriage to Tess and I explained what happened with Ted. We both know that we’ll need some time to sort through our stuff. Ty completely understood that I may need a bit more time than him. It’s just refreshing to know that he’s willing to take a risk on a complete stranger, but then again, I feel the same way.
It feels good to have him with me, to help me get over the hurdles life has just thrown at me. He’s been through a lot too and I know we can help one another; it’ll just take time.
Even if it takes us months, I’m willing to do whatever I have to do to keep him in my life. I’m not willing to let go of him this time, not that easily.
6 Months Later
January 2014
Tyler
Today is a big day.
It’s been six months since Saige came back into my life, six of the most incredible months of my life.
From the moment she stepped back into my life, I knew things were going to work out. Call it a gut feeling, I don’t know, but whatever it was, there was no way I’d ever let her go again.
We’ve taken things slow up to this point, but today…today we are moving into our new home. We both wanted to start fresh, move away from the past pain and hurt of our prior relationships.
As soon as I could, I put my house on the market and we started looking around for a place of our own.
Some people may think we are rushing this, especially our parents. They’ve never seen us happier than we are now though, so they tend to lay off the third degree.
After the night I brought her back to my house, we stayed up talking for hours. It felt so natural to have her by my side. We learned a lot about one another in a short time and continue to learn more every day.
Things were hard for us at first; Saige was without a place to live, no job, and honestly, she was just wanting to create a life for herself.
As much as we tried to live apart, we always found ourselves together. I knew for certain that I was connected to her in more ways than one, but I wanted to prove to her that I was in this for more than the physical attraction.
Sex with Saige was amazing that first night almost four years ago. I wanted to recreate that night so many times. It was something I needed to know she was ready and willing to accept. There was no way I was going back in time again; she was it for me and I wanted her to know I was in this forever.
Slowly, as time passed, the walls of my black, cold heart started to melt. She did things to me that no other woman ever has.
Saige and I fit like puzzle pieces that were lost out of the box. At one point, we were lost, but thankfully through time, we found our way back to each other. We work together as a team, and no matter what, we talk about everything. It’s something we’ve both learned that had to be done in order to maintain a successful relationship.
She really has made me a better man and I’m so grateful to have her by my side.
I know that one day I’ll ask her to be my wife, just not yet. We’ll both know when the time is right, and when it happens, we’ll be saying I do for the last time.
Turning into the development, I steer the moving truck down the street. Our house is at the end in a cul-de-sac with four others. It’s a two-story contemporary home. The front of the home is covered into finished stone and the sides along the back have tan siding. The windows covering the house will be a bitch for us to clean, but they’re probably one of my favorite aspects of the house.
The moment we walked into this place, we knew it was going to be our forever home. It has four bedrooms, three baths and a fully finished basement. Sitting on a half-acre, it has a fenced in backyard and plenty of room to grow…when the time is right.
As I pull the truck into the driveway, I see Saige walking out the front door. The smile on her face lights up her eyes. She’s dressed in a pair of sweats, a hoodie and her favorite running shoes. She may think she looks like a hot mess, but she’s still the most beautiful woman in the world to me.
I hop down out of the truck and walk towards her. Picking her up in my arms, I squeeze her into a tight embrace. “Hey, baby, how are things going so far?” I ask as I plant her feet back to the ground.
“Good, the gas company just left and the cable people just called to say they’ll be here in fifteen minutes.”
I lean down to her and kiss her lips. She tastes like strawberries, and I want nothing more than to take her upstairs and christen our master bedroom. I let out a growl as her tongue licks at the seam of my lips and I begin to part them, welcoming a deeper kiss.
The sound of a honking horn pulls me away from her as we both turn to look down the driveway.
“Perfect timing as always,” she laughs, waving at the guys in the car. She reaches her hand around my neck and pulls me back down to her.
Our kiss is soft as her tongue sweeps into my mouth. I wrap my arms around her waist and lift her up off the ground. I can feel the guys coming up alongside of us, staring...dickheads. Slowly pulling away, I place another soft kiss to her lips and set her down. “You’re going to kill me before the guys and I start to unload the truck.”
She pushes me away and swats her hand at my chest. “Get to work, boys. I’ll have pizza delivered and beer ready for lunch time.”
I throw a wink in her direction and head to the back of the truck. Things really are this good. I never thought I could be this happy, but I am. It took a lot of pain and hurt to get to where we are, but there’s nowhere else I’d rather be. Saige has healed the walls of my broken mind, body and soul with the love she feels for me.
Saige is the one woman I can see myself with forever. She has put the pieces of who we once were together, to make us once again whole.
Saige holds my heart.
Everything is perfect because we were willing to fight through our obsidian desire.
She felt the roughness of her hands as they wrapped around the cool metal bars. They were dry and cracked from night after night of washing dishes. A privilege to be able to work while in jail, they said, but it felt more like a punishment. Before jail, Abigail River’s perfectly manicured nails hadn't touched soapy water except for a bubble bath. Now she couldn't remember the last time they had even seen a file.
That was over ten years ago. She wondered if she would even remember how to paint them. He had better appreciate what she did for him, for them. His last letter said he wouldn't be writing for a little while. There was some big heist, which was going to take him away from civilization for a while. Two years had passed and there hadn’t been a letter since then. The first few years he visited a couple of times in disguise, but still sexy as all hell. The next couple he came once, and the years after that his letters always explained the reasons why he didn’t visit. All his letters were full of promise and sweet nothings. She missed those letters.
There was anger, in a way she felt like he abandoned her. She fantasized about running those unkempt nails of hers across the bastard's face until he bled, and then letting him make up the ten years she served for him on every surface of his house, wherever he was calling home these days. Benton always did like it rough; smiling, she walked back over to hop on her bunk and think about the different ways they would love each other when they were finally together again.
They had always had a kind of a love-hate relationship. There would be hours of screaming at one another and then hours of making up. Sometimes things would get broken in both instances, but she wouldn’t have it any other way.
"Forever, baby," the last words he spok
e to her, "I'll wait for those gorgeous tits of yours forever." Okay, granted he could have said eyes and been more romantic, but her breasts were his favorite body part. She loved the way he gave them special attention, so she let it slide.
There would be no sleeping tonight; she would be going over and over their reunion in her head. After ten years in jail, she had thought about many things she wanted to say and do to him. She went to climb up into her bunk, not paying attention to where her foot was landing.
"Miss Priss, what the hell are you daydreaming about? You almost stuck your foot in my damn eye." Ruby poked her head out from under the bunk.
Abigail's cellmate was her complete opposite, and the color of their skin was only the beginning. The nickname Ruby was one she had earned at the end of a shank, both on the receiving and giving end. You didn't mess with Ruby, and Abigail was happy to have her on her side. They called Abigail Miss Priss. No one thought she was tough at all until one day she helped Ruby in a fight and earned their respect. They still called her that because she was girly, and that couldn’t be taken away from her.
“Benton,” Abigail knew there was no reason to lie to Ruby, she could almost smell deceit on people. She would know she was lying if she said it was nothing.
“Oh, Mr. Perfect again.” Ruby stood up so she was eye level with Abigail. “’Mr. I am leaving you in jail’ for something I was mostly responsible for, see you in ten years.” Ruby didn’t much care for Benton.
“He is waiting for me, Ruby. I am going to be with him forever when I get out of here. One more day.” Abigail couldn’t help but smile.
“What guard did you suck off to get the hell out of here?” Ruby still didn’t believe it. “No one actually leaves for good behavior.”
“First, I would have to suck off a judge because the guards don’t have that kind of pull. Next, these lips are only going to wrap around one man for the rest of my life. You are just going to have to believe I am getting out on good behavior.” Abigail lay back on the bunk staring at the same ceiling she had day after day. It would be great to look at a different ceiling. She pictured watching the fan spin on Benton’s ceiling, hands intertwined, and bodies gleaming with the aftermath of their lovemaking.
