by Amelia Shea
“You came in my room?” His face showed definite signs of anger but Stone knew he was doing it for show.
“I did. The computer was beeping and blinking and I know I shouldn’t have done it, I opened up the laptop. I’m sorry. I saw the information on the job you guys were doing. I closed it when I realized what it was.” The last part was a lie, Stone thought. But the rest was the truth.
Sadie looked to Stone. She was sorry, he could read it in her eyes. She squeezed his hand and he squeezed. T walked over to the door and looked back at Sadie.
“Okay. Don’t do it again,” he calmly stated.
“I promise I won’t.”
He nodded, glanced at Stone, and shut the door. Stone walked backward pulling Sadie’s hand leading her into his room. Sadie stared at him and mouthed, “I’m sorry.” Stone held her stare and lifted his chin in acknowledgement.
Stone’s phone chimed. A text. He grabbed it from his pocket and looked over to Sadie.
“Go ahead, get in bed.” Stone gestured to the bed.
She nodded and walked over to the bed. Stone touched his phone and read the text.
Bogs: Plane ticket? Only one left, you want me to get it?
Stone looked over to Sadie as she stripped down to her bra and panties and slid into bed. She must have felt his eyes on her because she looked over at him. Her gaze was unsure, she seemed to not know if he was mad at her or not.
Stone typed into his phone.
Stone: Get it
He tossed the phone on his night stand and climbed into bed with Sadie.
Chapter Fifteen
The heart wants what it wants. That phrase never made much sense to her. To Sadie, it had always been an excuse others used to make reckless and careless choices. It was one of her mom’s favorite phrases. She dated married men—the heart wants what it wants, Sadie—or she moved her young daughter miles away from the only family they had to chase after a man. “The heart wants what it wants.” All those poor decisions blamed on a heart. Her phrase should have been the heart wants what it wants even though the mind knows better, but that was her mom.
Sadie was lying awake on her side drawing circles on Stone’s chest as he slept. She had her head propped up on her hand as she watched him. He looked so peaceful and vulnerable. She’d never watched anyone sleep. It was soothing. He was completely still under her hand as his heartbeat. Sadie watched his face. You could really observe someone while they were sleeping. No fear of getting caught staring. He had a strong brow line with dark eyebrows. High cheekbones and full pink lips. She studied his scar from his eye to his cheek. Up close she saw that it wasn’t deep, it led into his stubble. She reached out and gently stroked his face, fingers gliding down his scar.
She was going to miss him. Sadie knew she should have walked away. With only three days left, she was bound to fall harder for him but she just couldn’t leave. She wanted to spend as much time with him until it was over. Maybe it was true what they said, the heart wants what it wants. And her heart wanted Stone.
He stirred a bit from her touch but didn’t wake up. She grazed her hand down his neck and chest and lowered her hand to his cock underneath the sheet. Sadie lightly skimmed her finger on his hard erection as she looked up to his face. He was still asleep. Sadie pushed the sheet down further to his thighs and saw his morning erection. God, he was big. She circled his balls gently with her palm and slid back up to his cock. She stroked him slowly. As she continued to stroke, his breathing got heavier. She looked up to see his eyes still closed.
She caressed him a few more times before she slid down and gave the crown a soft lick. He moaned softly and she did it again. She swirled her tongue around the head and then took his entire length down her throat. She did this again before taking a slow steady rhythm of driving him in and out between her lips. His hand dove into her hair and caressed her scalp.
“Mmmmm, that’s so fucking good. Your mouth is so hot!” He groaned.
He was now fully awake and moving his hips a little faster. He was taking control. However, Sadie wasn’t ready to give it up just yet. She pulled back releasing him and licked down to his balls. She took one in her mouth and lightly sucked. His hips shot off the bed as he shouted. “Fuck Sadie!”
She did the same with the other one as she stroked his cock with her hand. Sadie rose back up and took him completely between her lips and quickly started to bob while her tongue dragged along the underside of his cock.
"Fuck! Babe, I’m gonna come.”
She could feel his body tense as he panted wildly. Her lips covered him again and she took him down her throat once more. He groaned loudly. His hand tightened in her hair and he shot hot jets down her throat as he pumped in her mouth. His groaning and jerking slowed down and she released him. His sleepy eyes gleamed down at her as she licked her lips.
Sadie always made Tyler pull out before he came; she never wanted that in her mouth. But with Stone, she wanted him, every part of him. It was hot!
Sadie crawled up his body until he yanked her onto him and her face went into his neck. His hands caressed her back down to her ass and he whispered, “That’s the way a man should wake up every morning.” He slapped her butt.
“Hey!” She screeched and she pulled away from him but he grabbed her waist and pulled her back on top of him. They lay in silence just breathing together. She lightly traced the scar on his face. His face was serious watching hers.
“How did this happen?” Sadie asked softly.
“My first tour, hand to hand combat. I was sucker punched, guy had a knife, and I never saw it coming. Got lucky though, an inch closer and I would have lost my eye.” He solemnly stared back at her as she continued to caress his face. She remained silent.
“Does it bother you?”
“No! I think you’re perfect.”
“Not even close to fucking perfect.” He snorted.
She leaned into him until they were nose to nose. “Perfectly imperfect.” Her lips hovered on his to seal their kiss. It was sweet and pure. Sadie backed away and cuddled into his chest again. She loved being in his arms. He covered her in his embrace.
“Did you like being a marine?” Sadie asked.
“It was good for me. And T. We joined together after we graduated high school. We were assigned to the same unit.”
“How long were you enlisted for?”
“Four years, my first stint and then a two-year gig in special ops.”
“Wow!” Sadie paused. “I bet your mom and dad were proud.”
“They were. Although, my mom refused to talk to me and T for one week straight after we enlisted.” He laughed.
“Awww…she was just worried about her boys I’m sure.”
Stone laughed. “Yeah. She was worried, that’s why she sent each of us a letter every day in boot camp.”
“That’s sweet,” Sadie whispered.
They lay in comfortable silence for a few minutes.
“That was a sweet story last night.” He paused. “You didn’t have much sweet in your life, did you?”
“I had enough,” Sadie whispered.
“You deserved more.”
She stayed silent. She hadn’t really told Stone anything about her. Yet she felt as though he knew her. How did she let someone in that she knew she was going to lose?
She propped her head up on her hand and stared down at him. His green eyes met hers and she gave him a mischievous grin. “How do you know I deserved sweet, huh? I could have been a bratty nasty little kid.”
His eyes remained serious and stared deep at her.
“You were a sweet girl. You were shy and quiet, a good girl. You were the kind of kid parents wished for, dreamed of. But you didn’t have sweet. You never volunteered to join in with the other kids unless you had to. You never made close friends. You didn’t let anyone in. You smiled a lot but there was sadness behind your eyes. Your mom was hardly around. She fed you and she clothed you. She did the minimal requirements a mother has to do
but she didn’t give you sweet. No hugs and kisses and bedtime stories. You were left alone a lot even when you were too small to be alone,” he said solemnly.
He held her stare until Sadie dropped her head down to his shoulder. She couldn’t look him in the eye. He kissed her head. She remained silent taking it all in.
“You did almost everything on your own. You hardly complained and you did what your mom told you to do. You made sure no one ever got too close. You learned to fade into the background.”
A tear rolled down her face onto his shoulder. He was right. Everything he just said was completely true. She was that little girl but she never felt sad about it as a kid. Sadie wanted things, lots of them. She wanted her mom to be like other moms who played with their kids and hugged them, showed them real love. But she didn’t realize what she had missed until she was much older. Hearing Stone talk about her as a child made her sad. Sad for a sweet little girl who missed out on so much. She never felt sorry for herself. That was how her life was, others had it far worse. But now the sadness washed over her for that little girl.
“How do you know all this stuff?” Sadie cuddled deeper into his side.
He hugged her tighter and one hand held her hip while the other caressed her arm. He took a deep breath.
“That night I gave Bogs your ID, told him I wanted everything. He got me everything. I knew your background, your mother’s, every doctor visit, which were not enough for a child by the way. Transcripts from school, other stuff. I was looking for a police record or a pick-up as a kid but you had none of that. You were a good girl, Sadie. I did, however, come across your file from children’s services.” He stated the last part but it was meant as a question.
Sadie remained silent.
“A teacher reported you to social services after you came in with bruises to your arms and hands. The social worker checked it out, spoke to you, and it was filed as an accident.”
“It was. An accident I mean. I was riding a bike my mom’s boyfriend at the time grabbed from the garbage and fixed up for me. It was great. It was rusty and old but he fixed it up and even added a new basket and bell. I loved that bike. I rode it everywhere in the trailer park. One day in February I was riding it and I hit a sheet of ice and flew off.” Sadie smiled at the memory.
“That was the same story that was in the report. Your file continued on until you turned eighteen. Did you know that?” he inquired.
She shook her head. She didn’t.
“Yeah, well, she couldn’t prove any abuse. Not physical or verbal. She wrote in your file that not loving a child should be a crime. I got the impression that she watched and waited for your mom to fuck up legally. She wanted to give you a family that would love you, take care of you, and give you sweet. She wanted that for you, Sadie, because it’s what every child deserves.” His voice was filled with emotion.
Another tear fell from her eyes. Sadie spent so much time watching others that she didn’t see anyone watching her. Her heart grew heavy knowing someone was watching out for her. Sadie hugged Stone as deep as she could and lifted her lips to his ear.
“I’m glad you had sweet, Stone. I wish you still had it, your mom sounds like she was an amazing, loving, woman.” She sighed.
“She was.” He leaned back and cupped her jaw. “But I got sweet back in my life, and I’m never letting you go.” He touched his lips to Sadie’s in a long tender kiss.
They spent the rest of the morning in bed. They talked about everything. He told her more about his time in the Marines with T. He didn’t go into too much detail but he told Sadie they were some of the hardest days of his life. He saw combat during his tours.
“It was hard to be away from my family for so long. I had T with me and it helped. But I saw things…I saw things I’ll never forget. It changed me, I came home different. We lost so many guys…” Sadie watched as Stone stared at the ceiling. He looked lost in a thought or maybe a memory.
“Well, I’m glad you came home safe.” Sadie hugged him deeper.
He said nothing more about his time in the Marines and she didn’t ask. He talked about growing up with his biological mom.
“She was really young when she had me and an addict. I was placed in foster care more times than I was in her care. But I couldn’t be adopted because she refused to relinquish her rights. You fucking believe that shit. That selfish bitch.” He paused. “Anyway, by the time she was sent back to jail for ten years, I was too old to be adopted. Most people want babies. My time had come and gone.” He snorted and his eyes lightened. “Or so I thought.”
Sadie loved hearing about Stone with his mom and dad. He was their first foster child when he was eight. Two years later they adopted him when his mom finally gave up her rights. Darla and John showed him love, honesty, and discipline. They adopted Bogs and then Ethan and Roxanne. Six months later, T came into the mix and the family was complete. He talked about T being distant at first. But his demeanor changed by one simple statement from Darla after they had signed the adoption papers. She said, “T, we had been waiting for you, finally we have the missing piece to this family puzzle.”
She loved that story.
“Come on, we got to eat!” He pulled Sadie up from the bed.
They got dressed and went to the kitchen in the early afternoon. The place was quiet except for T watching a football game. He didn’t look up or say a word when they entered the room.
“Go have a seat and I’ll make us sandwiches.” He gestured toward the living room.
Sadie nodded and walked past T in one of the recliners and sat on the “good” couch. She looked up at the television. The green and yellow team was beating the blue and silver, she thought. She was clueless when it came to sports. Sadie watched as the green and yellow team did something that made the other team point at the white lines. Yes, completely clueless. Sadie looked over into the kitchen to Stone when T’s eyes caught mine. He was staring at her.
“Good morning!” She cheerily said with a quick wave.
“It’s afternoon.” He was grumpy.
“Oh right!” Sadie smiled.
He just stared back at her.
“How’s your day going?” Sadie asked, trying to be friendly.
“Oh it’s going great! I love being cock blocked and then woken up by the sound of people fucking in the next room. It’s fucking great!” he sarcastically responded.
Well, it looked like Sadie was number one on T’s shit list. They continued to watch the game in silence until Stone came over with sandwiches. Sadie remained silent and ate as Stone and T talked about the game. They looked nothing alike but they were truly brothers. They had such an amazing rapport with one another. They were lucky to have each other. Sadie wished she had that.
****
“I should go.”
This was the second time in the last hour that she said she should go. Stone lounged back on the couch with his feet up on the table. He had one arm wrapped around Sadie’s stomach and the other on the armrest. She was cradled into his side with her feet tucked under her. She fit perfectly with him. Now, if she’d shut up about leaving it would be perfect. Football with the guys and his girl, a perfect Sunday.
“You can’t leave now; you’ll miss the best part. When my team kicks his team’s ass. Fucker’s gonna owe me a hundred.” Bogs laughed as he pointed to Stone from the recliner he was sitting in. T sat in the other one.
“It ain’t over yet, asshole,” Stone barked.
“Wait, you guys bet on these games?”
“Hell yeah, hundred bucks,” Bogs said.
Sadie turned back to Stone, “Oh my God, you’re gonna have to give Bogs a hundred dollars?” Her eyes were shocked, and showed little faith that Stone’s team could pull it off.
Bogs burst out laughing, even T chuckled.
Stone scowled. “The game isn’t over yet, babe.”
“C’mon man, it’s over. There’s no way they’ll recover,” Bogs teased.
Stone’s cell phone
began ringing and the room got quiet. He was expecting a call but was kind of hoping to be alone when he got it. With Sadie so close, he had to keep it short.
“Yeah.” Stone kept his voice neutral.
“Job is done. Had a little snag but nothing Dec couldn’t handle. Money’s been wired.”
“And the other?” Stone showed no emotion.
“He won’t be saying anything.”
“Good. Then we’re done?” Stone asked with a sense of relief. This job was done.
“Until next time, my friend.”
“Later,” he said and ended the call.
The line went dead.
The tension in the room eased. T and Bogs knew from hearing only that small bit that the job was done. Sadie sat still against Stone. He knew she must be curious about the call. But he didn’t think she’d ask.
The game continued and no one questioned Stone’s call. But fifteen minutes later Sadie insisted on going home.
“I gotta go home, Stone.” Sadie got up from the couch but he yanked her back down on top of him. He reached behind her head and brought her mouth down to his. His lips moved over hers softly. He felt her small hands on his chest, gripping at his shirt. She pulled back from the kiss and Stone smirked at her dazed look and pouty lips. He loved that look on her.
“I’m just gonna grab my stuff from your room,” she whispered.
Stone smirked and nodded. He watched her get up and walk down the hall.
Stone got up and followed her. He needed to give her one more kiss before she left. A kiss that he had wanted to give her since he first saw her.
Stone stood in the doorway watching Sadie grab her clothes from the floor and bed and stuffed them in her bag. She was so pretty with her brown hair up in one of those messy balls on the top of her head. She didn’t have a trace of makeup on and her clothes were completely casual but she was absolutely beautiful.
Stone closed and locked the door behind him and stalked to Sadie. She turned around and smiled and then widened her eyes.
