“Nice to meet you.” I shake his large hand, taking note of the dimple in his left cheek when he smiles. It gives him a boyish quality, a contradiction to his commanding stance and deep, throaty voice.
“Great to meet you too, Sage.” He nods as I feel a warm hand on my lower back. Aiden appears at my side, and I introduce him to the group as well.
“Aiden is a client too. Sound familiar?” Taylor eyes Catherine and Jackson, a teasing smile on her pale pink lips.
Catherine rolls her eyes and snuggles deeper into Jackson’s side as he says, “Something about you CJJ women. You have some kind of magnet pulling us to you. We don’t have a choice but to fall for you.”
Catherine tosses her hair over her shoulder. “It’s the competitive side you love.”
“That’s definitely it.” Aiden squeezes my hip. “This one tried to fight me over a cronut. I knew I never should’ve introduced her to the best pastry in New York.”
“You did this to yourself.” I shrug, earning me laughs from the group.
Joe joins us as a server comes by with a tray of champagne, which they all accept. I shake my head when the server offers me one. I take a glass of water instead and raise it to meet theirs in a toast to the happy couple.
I sigh into Aiden’s side as guests clink their silverware against their glasses, signaling for Taylor and Joe to kiss.
When they do, I place my hand over my chest, smiling widely for them. For their future together and their happily ever after.
Taylor deserves all the happiness in the world, and I’m fortunate to have run across her ad for a new assistant. Yet again, I count my blessings that she took a chance and saw potential in me.
Now, I might be promoted soon.
I always heard New York is fast-paced. A whirlwind. And they’re right. I’ve only been here for almost five months, and my life has already drastically changed.
For the better.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
AIDEN
“What were you thinking about all day?” she asks as we settle down from our high, pulling the covers over us. “You were smiling the way you do when you think about Pop-Tarts. Or my ass.”
I kiss her temple. “I’m always thinking about your ass. It’s too perfect not to.”
She nudges me with her shoulder. “Seriously, what is it?”
“Just thinking about you.”
“Oh,” she breathes, shifting the covers to inch closer to me.
My mouth and hands were all over her the second we stepped inside our hotel room after the reception. We didn’t even make it to the bed before I was inside her, pumping into her, bracing her against the wall.
All night, we danced and hung out with Catherine, Taylor, and their guys. Sage’s chest moved up and down when she laughed, making her breasts push up against her dress like they were about to spill over.
My hands itched to touch her.
And I snapped the second I got her alone.
She didn’t mind, either. She was wet for me. Her hands were frantic. Her movements wild like she was feeling the exact same about me—she had to have me.
“What were you talking to Taylor and Catherine about? The trouble you got into when you were in Vegas?” I joke, recalling the lemon drop shots Taylor mentioned.
“What? No.” She playfully smacks my chest. “I couldn’t do much, anyway, since I was already pregnant at the time.”
I rub her stomach. She’s still not showing, but I know she’s carrying our miracle. After a moment, I lie back. “You never did tell me about that trip. I’ve been wondering…”
“About the strippers we saw?”
“What?” I growl. “You went to see strippers?”
I feel her warm breaths against me as she laughs. “Don’t worry. I was just hit on once, but I only have eyes for you.”
I hug her tightly. “That helps a little, but the idea of some guy shaking his junk—”
“Aiden?” She brings my face to hers and kisses me, then whispers against my lips, “I love you.”
I sigh. “I love you too. So damn much.”
I kiss her softly, then lie back, closing my eyes, forgetting what we were talking about. All I can think about is some guy half-naked on stage hitting on my girl.
“You’re shaking.”
I open one eye and stare at the ceiling, but she comes into view, her hair mussed from where I ran my hands through it.
Her amusement is obvious. “You’re hot when you’re jealous.”
“I’m not jealous.”
“You are. Your whole body is tense, and you have this crease in your forehead.” She rubs her thumb from my hairline down, between my eyebrows.
I sigh again. “I’m being ridiculous. Go ahead. Say it.”
“You’re ridiculous… but I like it.” She kisses me, running her hands through my hair. “Can I tell you what Catherine and Taylor were talking to me about now?”
I sit up against the headboard, bringing her with me. “Yes, please, change the subject.”
“You know how Piper was fired? Well, her position has yet to be filled.”
“Right…”
“Taylor thinks I’d be perfect for it. She said Catherine has some pull and that we’d talk soon.”
“Jersey…” I cup both her cheeks. “That’s amazing.”
“It is, isn’t it?” Her eyes shine with wistful tears. “It was hard selling my business in North Carolina. I felt like I was really helping people, and I loved it. But I’m realizing that it was for the better. I mean, I could be a publicist here, in New York City. I could have clients like you. Dreamers of all kinds. I could help people’s businesses be successful, but this would be on a much bigger stage. Like moving from high school theater to Broadway.”
“That’s great news.” I place a firm kiss to her lips. “And you deserve it.”
She dips her head.
I know it must’ve been hard to build her business, then to sell it, but it got her here. She’s strong. She makes the difficult decisions in order to do better. To do more. To kick ass in a world like Manhattan that often chews the faint of heart up and spits them out.
I lift her chin and meet her gaze. “You fucking deserve this. All of it. You’ve worked hard and continue doing so every day. And you’re not going to stop there, either. Big things are coming for you.”
“For both of us.” She leans into my hand on her cheek.
I swallow the lump in my throat. I love how much she cares about my success, like it’s her own.
It’s sexy.
And makes me love her more.
“For both of us,” I repeat.
It feels like we’re taking on the world together. Like we can do anything as long as we’re a team.
It’s what I’ve been missing. Someone to share successes with.
It feels good and right and even better that it’s the woman my heart has waited for.
Sage steps out of the bathroom, running a comb through her wet hair. “You’re still in bed?”
I sit up, exposed from the waist up.
Her hungry gaze lands on my bare abs, traveling farther south, and as much as I’d like to haul her back to bed with me, there’s something I need to talk with her about. I stare out the window. At the sailboats in the distance. The clear day.
Being at the wedding yesterday, seeing Taylor and Joe with their families, made me miss my own more than usual. It’s time I make visiting them a priority.
“What’s wrong?” The bed dips where she sits next to me.
I tear my gaze from the window and face her. “After the launch, I want to visit my parents and sisters. Since I left, I’ve only gone back for Mia’s and Avril’s graduations, and I’m long overdue. I want you to come with me, if you can take a couple days off.”
“Really?”
I intertwine my fingers through hers. “Yeah. I’d like for you to meet them.”
She slides her other hand onto our joined hands. “I’d like that. I’ll ta
lk to Taylor first thing tomorrow morning.”
“They’re not going on a honeymoon?”
“They’re going after Jock Stock launches. She wanted to wait for a honeymoon, anyway, and this works out.”
I kiss her forehead. “Now, let’s get something to eat because I know how angry you get when your stomach starts growling.”
“Especially since I’m eating for two.”
“Exactly. I noticed a little café along the boardwalk our first night here. I think you’d like it.”
“You know me too well.” She scoots to the edge of the bed, glancing over her shoulder at me. “You know what else I want to do at some point?”
I raise my eyebrow as her smile becomes wistful.
“How good are you at Frisbee still?”
I scoff. “Even better than when I was in college. Why?”
“I was thinking we could play, say, in Central Park sometime. I haven’t been able to enjoy The Lawn yet, and Frisbee with you would be perfect. Especially now that the weather is so nice.”
“Summers in New York always are.”
“So, what do you say?”
I crawl toward her and kiss the back of her head. “I say, yes, and you’re going down.”
“We’ll see.” She goes to stand but whirls around again. “And maybe we can take a cooking class?”
I raise my eyebrows, my lips twitching. I’m not a cook—and I don’t say that lightly. I’m the kind of monster who can’t even make a peanut butter sandwich. I mean, I can, but I always smear too much of it in one corner instead of evenly spreading it.
But there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for my Jersey.
“Yeah. We’ll take a cooking class.” I nod. “But a basic one that shows us how to boil water or something.”
She kisses my cheek, then pulls back, giggling. As she hops up to dry her hair, I’m left with my chest swelling.
We’ve been making so many plans for the future.
This is how we were always supposed to be, Sage and me.
The wedding, watching Taylor and Joe exchange vows, gave me a second idea, beyond visiting my family.
But I’m going to need to be patient—one thing at a time.
I need to do this right.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
AIDEN
Soft wisps of hair fall from the bun on top of her head.
I take in the curves of her shoulders. Her naked torso. The sheet is bunched around her waist as she faces the window, and her breasts are on display for the city beyond.
Sage makes me weak in the knees.
She’s spent almost every night for the last month here, and the more time we spend together, I’m a better man with her next to me.
She shows me a new world.
We’ve been crazed with the launch coming up next week, and we appointed a board. They’ve been on our asses. Every day is a new challenge, and it takes a lot of energy to stay on top of it all.
But at night—at night, it’s Sage and me and the moans between us as we get lost in each other. For those few hours, we think of nothing else.
Even in the chaos, we’re each other’s peace.
I clear my throat, but it doesn’t faze her. “What’re you doing?”
She scribbles something on her notepad, then says over her shoulder, “I’m writing.”
I’m not surprised. She’s been writing a lot lately, especially since she read one at open mic last week. Her face reddened as she bared her soul to the room. She was brave, like I always knew, and I felt insurmountable pride.
I kneel on the bed and lie beside her, running my fingertips down her bare back. “What’s your inspiration this morning?”
She makes another note on her paper, shivering as I continue rubbing her back. “Tina.”
“The woman who does hot yoga in the nude?” I blink, raising my eyebrows in confusion.
“Yeah.” She smiles down at her paper, makes another note, then meets my gaze. “She was having another yoga session, sans bra, and it got me thinking.”
“Tell me more,” I whisper, waggling my eyebrows.
She rolls her eyes. “I was thinking that she’s in her apartment, doing yoga alone. A tiny speck in this vast city that is so crowded it often feels like you’re in the middle of the whole world. And she’s there, in the living room of her small apartment, naked, even though many neighbors and people walking below on the sidewalk can clearly see her.” She peers down at her notebook, scanning the words and crossed out lines, then frowns. “Like she’s crying out for attention, desperate for someone to see her.”
I grip her behind her neck, running my thumb across her cheek.
“We’re a lot like her. All of us. Maybe we’re not all trying to be seen by the world, but by someone. Someone special. It makes us feel loved, a rare sentiment, don’t you think?”
“That’s beautiful.” I bring her down to kiss her lips. “Can I read the poem?”
She snatches the notebook up to her chest. “Not until it’s ready.”
I tilt my head to the side. “Duh.”
She worries her bottom lip. “I’m going to submit it to hopefully be published.”
“Really?” I prop myself on my elbow.
Her eyes are as bright as the sun this morning. “I want to try to put myself out there again, beyond reading in front of people only to hide afterward. I want something permanent.” She dips her head. “And I don’t want the last poems I submitted to be the ones from college. From when I was in a bad place.”
“Hey…” I lean up, gripping her cheeks again. “We’ve come a long way since then. And I have no doubt your poems will forever be printed in a magazine. They’ll be crazy not to want them.”
She kisses me, crushing her lips to mine with sudden fervor, and I roll onto my back, pulling her with me until she straddles me.
I cup her swollen breast, kneading her hard nipple between my thumb and forefinger.
She moans into my mouth and arches her back into my touch. “We can’t,” she murmurs against my lips, but she doesn’t stop kissing me. “You need to… you have to work.”
“Maybe I’ll skip today.” I dip my head toward her breast and pull the bud into my mouth, between my teeth, sucking on the sweet taste of her.
She cups the back of my head to keep me there, but between pants, she stutters, “You… can’t skip… They… need you.”
“What about you?” I mumble as I move to her other breast. “What do you need?”
I love the weight of her breasts in each hand. They’re full and perky and perfect.
And since the pregnancy, she’s extra horny too—so hot.
“I… need this. God, that feels fucking good.”
I hum against her as I continue sucking on her obviously sensitive nipples. She loves when I do this—and I’m always quick and willing to oblige—but this morning, she seems to be enjoying it even more.
Her moans are louder.
She’s needier.
And I get lost in her, putting aside all the work I have to do today.
She tugs me back by my hair, blinking down at me.
“Ow,” I groan, squeezing one eye closed as she loosens her grip on my hair.
She shakes her head, rapidly blinking like she’s trying to remember where she is. “You need to go to work.” She clears her throat. “I have to be at work in an hour too.”
“Buzzkill.” I kiss her lips, then jump up, adjusting my erection over my boxers. “I can’t go to work with this.”
She crawls to the edge of the bed and wraps her arms around my neck. “I’ll make it up to you tonight.”
“I’ll hold you to it.” I palm her ass as I give her one more kiss.
“I love you. Now, go.” She smiles as she shoos me away.
“Okay, okay. I’m gone.” I grin, enjoying the new routine we’ve settled into.
One I could definitely get used to—and plan to.
Just a few days to go now.
Chapter Forty<
br />
SAGE
My hand trembles as I put the finishing touches on my makeup. This is it—the night. This is what we’ve been working so hard on for months, and I can’t help but run through every detail in my head to think of something we might’ve missed.
Although Taylor and I thought of everything—or at least most of everything—I have this strange feeling we overlooked a crucial detail.
“It’ll be great,” I reassure myself.
Squaring my shoulders, I leave the bathroom and slip into my dress. It’s long and flowy, which covers the early signs of my baby bump, and the way it pushes my breasts up makes me feel sexy. Naomi helped me pick it out, and I bought it solely for this occasion.
For Aiden’s big night.
I pull my phone out to check in with Naomi. She took a change of clothes with her to the hospital, so she can meet us at the venue straight from work. She’ll be tired, but it means a lot that she cares so much and wants to be there for the guys and me.
I poke my head out of Aiden’s front door and find him pacing the hall as he talks into his phone. He’s mumbling, so I can’t make out what he’s saying, but his deep laugh puts me at ease that everything’s fine.
“We’re going to be late if you don’t hurry. For the first time in history, we’re going to be late,” I tell him, walking out into the hall.
He glances up with a mischievous gleam in his eye, then hangs up and stalks toward me.
His hair is styled to the side. He’s in a crisp suit, much like the one he wore to Taylor’s wedding last month, but this is a deeper navy color, and the pale blue shirt underneath works perfectly.
He looks good. Sexy and smart, and he’s about to become an icon of the sports industry.
When he reaches me, I run my fingers through his hair and nibble on his bottom lip. “Your hair grows so fast.”
“I love when you talk dirty to me,” he teases, wrapping his arms around me.
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