I tipped her head to give me deeper access, licking and stroking along her tongue until her little moans fed my lust. Before I knew it, her back was against the doorjamb and my free hand found its way to her breast.
My cock hardened in my jeans and I groaned. I wanted to peel her out of her dress and feast on the most perfect tits I’d ever seen.
“We need to go,” she said breathlessly against my hungry mouth.
Grunting, I drew back, sliding my tongue along her lower lip and then taking one last gentle kiss to hold myself over.
“Yes, we do,” I agreed and then added, “So we can come back here, and I can see how far I can make that Pink Lady blush of yours go.”
My grin widened, seeing the start of that color bloom in her cheeks.
“You’re insatiable,” she scolded, and led the way to the door.
“I like to think I’m in-Sage-able.”
She liked my pun… and she’d like my proof once I had her to myself again.
Chapter Fourteen
Sage
“And here we are.” The keys to the street front space clattered onto the windowsill at the front as Dina reached for her phone. “I’ll give you a couple of minutes,” she said like she was doing us a favor when really, she just wanted to take the incoming phone call; she didn’t even step outside before her nasally greeting resonated through the small shop, the hunger in her voice making it obvious she was trading time during our showing for a bigger sale.
I caught Luke’s astonished gaze.
“Don’t even get me started.” I shook my head and walked deeper into the empty space.
With white walls and no furniture, it looked big. Massive. But I reminded myself how quickly the room would fill with all my cases and a desk. And potential buyers.
“You weren’t kidding. This is a great location—right on the main street. Tons of pedestrians and visitors.”
I bit my lip and nodded, reminding myself that was a good thing.
I wandered silently for a few steps until I was in the middle of the floor, my eyes darting wildly around the room, searching for a sign that this was wrong—that it was a mistake. But if there was a sign, I couldn’t focus long enough to find it.
“Sage.”
I gasped, feeling Luke’s big hands grip my shoulders and encase them with warmth.
“I’m fine,” I said automatically.
I knew I was being ridiculous; I knew my independence was marred by my indecisiveness. But screw anyone who thought I was simpering or annoying with my concerns. I overthought big decisions because I shouldered all the responsibility and risk of making the right choice, and if that wasn’t understandable then I didn’t want to be understood.
He spun me to him, the skirt of my dress fluttering around my knees.
“I see you, Sage. I see your worry,” he said in a low voice, his broad body shielding mine from the surrounding waves of worry crashing against me. “Close your eyes.”
“What?” I didn’t understand.
“Do you trust me?” he asked, and I immediately nodded. “Then close your eyes.”
My eyelids obeyed and fluttered shut, dousing my thoughts in darkness.
“Alright, now, we’re standing in the middle of your jewelry store. Everything is all set up and ready to go for the grand opening. What do you see?”
I felt him move behind me, his hands sliding to gently cup my upper arms.
“Start at the front door and tell me what you see.”
I inhaled deeply and then pulled up the image that, without all the other input, was so vivid in my mind.
“I see tons of bright lights shining down on display cases that flank the front door.”
“Describe the cases,” he instructed.
I swallowed. “The base looks like antique furniture, painted white, but the cushions in the glass are all black velvet.”
“Good.” His hands squeezed. “What about the walls? What color are they?”
“White,” I replied without needing to think.
“Really?” He sounded surprised.
“White paisley wallpaper.” I nodded. “I want it to look clean and classy. And I don’t want anything competing with the colors of my jewelry.”
He hummed, understanding.
“Except the back wall,” I went on, turning slightly in the direction of that wall even though my eyes were still shut. “That wall I’ll paint a wine red, and it’ll have a huge white clock hanging on it.”
“Keep going,” he insisted, moving closer until his chest pressed to my back, his hands taking a more intimate stance and a more possessive grip on my waist.
And it fueled me.
I continued to tell him how I envisioned the rest of the space—with the back room split between a workspace and a packaging and shipping section. I told him how I even wanted a small table in the corner where I could discuss custom designs with clients that would be made to order.
And when I was finally done and sufficiently out of breath, his head dipped next to mine and he said quietly in my ear, “Now, open your eyes.”
I obeyed but to my surprise, none of the concerns previously knotting my mind were there any longer; they’d been nothing but shadows he’d chased away with the bright vision of my dream.
And I couldn’t stop the wide smile that split my face wide open, excitement drowning out the risks. I spun slowly, absorbing every angle with the vision I had in its place, and when I finished the circle, Luke stared at me with a look spun of fascination, admiration, and desire.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” I asked, half teasing. “What do you see?”
My smile faded under the intensity of his gaze, his eyes like hot coals ready to burst back into flames.
“You.”
My head tipped and with my lips pursed, I couldn’t help but reply, “Maybe because you just started to look.”
His jaw tightened, and I was a breath away from retracting
“No, Sage, I’ve always seen you.” His voice grew hoarse. “I’ve seen you ever since Callan introduced us. I saw you grow—saw you blossom. I saw all your awards and honor roll certificates hung on the fridge. I remember when your Harry Potter obsession began; I remember you yelling at Callan because he said he’d take you to the store to buy the second book, but he couldn’t because I was over.”
I blinked at him, hardly able to pull up that memory myself, but I slowly reeled in the threads; I’d bought The Sorcerer’s Stone the week prior and had devoured the story throughout the week, so I’d asked Callan if he could drive me into town to buy the second book in the series, The Chamber of Secrets, so I could continue reading without having to wait. He said he would, but when he got home, Luke was with him and they locked themselves in Callan’s room all night.
My brother had yelled through the door that they were playing a video game with friends that they couldn’t walk away from.
“I think my book left a permanent dent in his door,” I murmured wryly.
Because I was a young teenager with a temper when it came to my love of reading, I tossed my finished Sorcerer’s Stone at his door and spent the rest of the night in my room.
And because Callan was really a good brother, he took me the very next day and bought me books two and three to make up for it.
A small smile worked its way to Luke’s face, right along with a shadow that felt like there was a piece of the past I was missing. “It definitely left a mark on my memory.”
The funny thing about memories was that they were like Christmas lights, and once one lit up, it led me to the next.
“You know, that copy disappeared after that night…” I said, recalling how I’d made it all the way through the series and went to go back for a reread, only to realize that I couldn’t find book one.
Luke cleared his throat but continued with his original train of thought, “Even after we graduated, I saw your bright sense of self dim… after you started dating Sean.”
I tried
to swallow but it felt like I had an apple stuck in the middle of my throat, the sweetness of his words taking my breath away.
Reaching up, he tenderly stroked his knuckles along my cheek. Pink Lady blush. I knew it was there, and if I was being honest, I like his analogy. A lot.
“Even when I shouldn’t have looked, I always saw you, Sage. I knew you as Callan’s sister, but I saw you as more—I saw you as things I didn’t understand and couldn’t describe except that they were things I shouldn’t feel.” His hand dropped. “But by then, I was used to ignoring what I wanted for the sake of expectation.”
Before I could ask him what he meant, Dina reentered the shop with a nasally sounding declaration.
“So sorry about that. So, are we decided then? Can I send over the lease?” She flicked her wrist up to check the time. “Because I’ve got another showing I’ve got to get to—”
“Yes,” I cut her off and took charge, standing a little taller—a little prouder for my small business that was taking a big step forward. “I’ll take it.”
“Perfect.” She smiled like a cat given cream. “Let me just grab some information from you, and we’ll see how fast we can get you keys.”
Keys.
To my own shop.
I gave the skin on the back of my hand a little pinch as I replied, “Sounds great. Thank you.”
Whatever else she said was relegated to background noise as my attention returned to the man next to me.
“Luke—”
I was interrupted by the buzz of his phone, and when he saw who was calling, he gave me an apologetic smile and said, “I have to take this; it’s brewery business.”
“Of course.” I nodded.
“The joys of expansion,” he murmured, winked at me. “I’ll be right back.”
I bit my lip, watching him walk to the front door.
I knew it was real—he was real. Though I might have pinched myself a handful of times over the last day to confirm.
What seemed impossible to believe was that he was both real and magic.
Chapter Fifteen
Luke
“These are incredible, Sage,” I murmured, completely captivated by the intricate beaded designs of her jewelry. “I can’t imagine making something like this with my hands.”
“Why not?” she asked blithely. “You’re really good with your hands.”
As soon as the words were out, I heard her suck in a loud breath. A chuckle rumbled from my chest, watching vivid color stain her cheeks.
“For certain things,” I rasped. “But I’d like to keep those skills just for you.”
She froze. Like a delectable deer in headlights midway to opening the bottle of champagne again to refill her glass.
When we’d finished up downtown with the realtor, I’d insisted that a celebration was in order—one that involved her favorite takeout and some champagne. I’d guessed that neither of us felt like going out to a restaurant after all the running around we’d done today; I was right.
I also—selfishly—wanted her all to myself.
And from her heated stare that kept crashing into mine, I knew she felt the same.
I felt her look in my direction for only a split second before she was able to tell exactly which ones I’d been looking at.
“I got the bigger beads from a glassblower I found in Ogunquit. He thought I was joking when I asked him if he could make me beads like the set of chimes I saw in his shop window.”
My lips curved up into a smile. That sounded like her.
“But he did it.” She sighed, opening the garbage and dumping the containers from dinner inside. “And now, he makes beads for me every month.”
I carefully set down the necklace I’d picked up, layers of intricate tiny beads broken up by the larger glass-blown pieces.
“He’s a smart man… getting into business with you,” I murmured, raking my eyes over her and then letting them glance at the shelf of jewelry. “These are absolutely amazing.”
“Hopefully everyone else thinks so, so I can afford my new store,” she joked, clearing the rest of our Chinese take-out containers and throwing them in the trash.
I folded my arms and gave her a hard stare.
“Kidding!” She lifted her hands in defeat and laughed.
“Good.”
She knew her strengths. She knew her weaknesses. She knew herself. And damn if that wasn’t the sexiest thing about her. That, and those blushes.
Next, my fingers went to a bracelet that had familiar coloring and a very well-known snake crest in the center.
“My Harry Potter pieces are still fan favorites,” she said, coming to stand beside me.
“Maybe you should start a Wizard of Oz collection.” I grinned at her.
Her little groan made my cock harden.
I reached out and trailed my fingers along the necklace she was wearing. The center ornament was glass-blown like the other I’d been admiring and wine-colored like her dress, the smaller beads along the sides were mostly deeper red but broken up with a few teal beads.
I felt goose bumps shadow her skin when I traced the center glass circle where it rested at the tops of her breasts, drawing my gaze down the shadowed valley between them, down to where I could see how her nipples were beaded and tight.
“I don’t know about that. I think I gave the Wicked Witch a bad name.” Her pale throat bobbed.
“And here I thought it was quite a feat to bring Lord Voldemort to his knees,” I rasped, trailing my fingers up her neck to her jawline.
She snagged her lower lip between her teeth, making me ache to kiss her.
“Lord Voldemort? No.” Her hair fluttered against her cheek as she shook her head. “Luke Chambers, on the other hand…” she trailed off with a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Do you think we should head back?” she changed the subject.
I snaked my arm around her waist, hauling her to my front.
The catch of her breath turned my dick to stone. “We’re not going anywhere tonight, beautiful.”
She shivered in my hold and turned her head away like the endearment was too strong to feel directly.
“Sage,” I rasped her name, the urge to know too strong to bury any longer. “Let me see you.”
She laughed weakly and shook her head. “You’re looking right at me.”
“I am looking at you, gorgeous. And I’m asking you to show me the pieces of you that were broken.” I wanted all of her. Every beautiful, bold, and broken piece. Dipping my head, I said with a rough whisper, “I’m asking you to see me… to trust me.”
And as easily as all the other times color had risen to her cheeks, this time, it drained just as quickly.
“It was a long time ago. It doesn’t matter—”
“It matters to me.” My voice was hoarse, never wanting to mean as much to someone as I wanted to mean to her in this moment—enough for her to trust me with the truth. “Tell me what happened with Sean.”
She didn’t protest. Instead her tongue wetted her lips like it was convincing them to give way.
“We started dating in high school. Well, no, let me rewind. His friend started dating Rose, but they would always come over as a group to our house and Sean was with them.” She nodded as she talked like she was gearing up momentum to make it through the confession. “He was a senior. I was a sophomore. He flirted. I fell.” Her voice broke. “He was faking. I was a fool.”
My arms tightened around her, the instinct to protect her so strong my body thought it was capable of saving her even from her memories.
“He never saw me. He saw a lump of insecurities he could take advantage of. And I… I was too awestruck to realize what was happening.”
My jaw clenched.
I knew wars had been started over frivolous things—crimes committed for all kinds of slights. But when I saw that lone tear slide from the delicate rungs of her lashes and escape over the dewy pink of her cheek, I would’ve declared war with Sean on its behalf.
I brought my thumb to the tiny drop and smeared it over her skin.
I didn’t wipe it away, I wiped it in—because I didn’t want her to hide her hurt; I wanted her to know I saw the woman who’d blossomed from whatever had broken her.
“He stripped away little pieces of me that he didn’t like. Not like a hurricane that comes in and destroys everything in its path but like a regular wave slowly eroding away the shore.” She rolled her lips together and clarified, “My haircut. My clothes. My jewelry. And never in an outright mean way, but in a subversive way.” Her head lulled to one side. “‘You should cut your hair like Rose’s, muffin. You shouldn’t wear so many bright colors, it makes you look like a little girl, muffin,’” she mocked his psychological torture.
I pulled my lips tight together, anything to stop them from kissing her.
But god, did I want to kiss her.
I wanted to press my lips to every inch of her and brand the word beautiful to every spot they touched.
She stopped there for several seconds, her silence making the tightness around my chest even more brutal.
“What happened, Sage?” I prompted—pleaded. “What did he do?”
“He went off to college,” she said, her voice taking a hollow tone. “And I believed him when he said he wanted to make it work with me.”
I swore under my breath.
“For over a year, I believed everything he told me. All his excuses. All his promises.” I felt her weight sag against me, searching for strength. “And then I got my license.” She inhaled tremulously. “I got my license, and I drove to his dorm to surprise him one weekend. Turned out, I was the one in for a surprise.”
I felt every muscle in my body tense—like in the middle of a football game when I saw the other team’s lineman heading right toward me, and I was bracing for impact.
“He was with some other girl. Actually, she was the one who opened the door to his room wearing a shirt I’d bought him for Christmas.”
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