by Jules Dixon
“I made that for us.” I pretended I was going to stab my fork at her hand as she reached across to grab a second piece.
“There’s plenty.” Sage patted my knee under the table to distract me. The move worked. I held her hand in mine.
I glared at Laken. “Where’s Slash?”
“Who?” Laken asked with a mouthful of bacon.
“Roecker.”
She rolled her eyes. “Sleeping. He had a gig in Lincoln last night, got in after two. So you like sculpture?” she asked Sage.
“Yeah, thought about taking a class in college, but the cost…”
“Agreed, tuition isn’t worth the expense for the fun stuff, better to do classes that you can add to a resume. I would love to take an art class and now that I’m out of school and don’t have a job, I should do something. You ever heard of Graphite and Acrylic Art Studio?”
“No, but sounds interesting. I could use some drawing skills as well. That was my one downfall in school. I am CAD all the way but my new boss prefers a rough sketch to start. Mine are really rough. She’s kind of old-school but her talent leaves me in awe.”
“CAD rocks.” Laken said a little loudly and Sage flinched.
Glaring my words but keeping my voice soft, I said, “Laken, Sage has a headache, lower your voice.”
Laken giggled out. “Well, just go give her more endorphin ecstasy, Rahl.”
“What the hell, Laken,” I huffed like a bull preparing to charge.
“I take it you heard us this morning?” Sage smirked, not at all embarrassed by Lake’s comments. She squeezed my hand to distract me again.
“Yeah. Sorry, Sage.” Laken tipped her head and crinkled her nose. “I was in the kitchen getting a cup of coffee.” She took a big bite of French toast and mumbled, “I heard a lot of words … noises … screams … that sisters shouldn’t hear in the morning.”
“Then. Don’t. Stay. Here!” I yelled at her.
Sage’s fork crashed to her plate, and she clutched her head.
Adjusting my escalating attitude, I guided her body onto my lap and kissed the crown of her head. “Sage, I’m sorry.”
“Can I have some bottled pain reliever, please?” My shirt muffled her words as she said them.
I jerked my head at Laken. She snatched the bottle and dispensed two pills. Sage swallowed the medication and rested her body against me. Her grey-green eyes squinted with discomfort, turning almost pine-forest dark.
I rubbed her back. “You barely ate anything.”
She nuzzled against me. “I know, sorry. I think I need a nap.” I helped her to stand. “Thank you for breakfast, Rahl. It was delicious.” She placed a soft kiss on my cheek and walked to the door. “Laken, maybe we can talk about an art class some other time?”
“Definitely. Hope you feel better, Sage.”
“Thanks.”
After Sage left and the door to my room was closed, I leaned forward and lowered my voice. “I hope you are looking for a new place for you and guitar boy, because your welcome here is quickly coming to an end.”
“Stop it with the grumpy old man act, Rahl. You don’t have to like that I’m in love with Easton, but I expect you to respect it. You know that thing that’s part of the army’s values. What does it say? Oh, maybe treat people like they deserve to be treated. Right?”
“Don’t use my service against me, Laken.”
“And don’t use my love for you or for Easton against me, Rahl.”
“Good morning.” Easton’s rumbled words turned both our heads.
I shoved him on my way out of the kitchen. “I’m going to check on Sage.”
“Rahl, grow up!” Laken demanded.
I was already down the hall and didn’t feel the need to respond.
Sage snuggled into my side of the bed. I couldn’t stop staring at the vision. After seeing so much horror and tragedy, her delicate body curled around my pillow almost seemed like too much beauty, too much sanity, and too much of something else that I probably didn’t deserve.
Just too much of a lot of things.
I shook myself free of the craving to climb into bed with her. She needed the sleep, and I needed to get some work done. I tagged my computer bag from my dresser and headed to the living room.
An hour later, I checked on Sage. She mumbled a few words. I rubbed her hair and watched her go back to sleep. Two hours later, nearing lunch, I returned to the bedroom and Sage was sitting up in the bed, her face in her hands.
I leaned against the doorway. “Sage?”
She jumped at my voice, her hands dropped, and a gloss of tears covered her cheeks.
“What’s wrong?” I stalked across the bedroom to her.
“I really don’t know.”
I cupped her face. “Headache?”
“Not really.”
“Hungry?” I dropped my hands.
“Kind of.”
“Worried about work?”
“No, nice to have a day off.” She leaned back against the padded grey headboard.
I sat next to her on the bed.
“Homesick?”
“No, I like it here … with you.” Her eyes flicked between mine.
With me.
“I like having you here. If you don’t feel better by this afternoon, I’ll call Ty to stop by after work. Maybe some lunch and you’ll feel better? Remember, you basically emptied your stomach last night. And those two bites of French toast, cup of OJ, and piece of bacon don’t count.”
She closed her eyes and gurgled. “That delicious steak was wasted. I’m sorry.”
I wrapped an arm around her shoulders. She nestled against my side, fitting perfectly. “There will be more steaks in the future. What would you like for lunch?”
“Pizza?”
“I’ll get some ordered.”
“Lots of meat.”
“Even better.”
“And birthday cake?”
“Roger.”
Sage laughed. “I’m assuming that’s a yes and you’re not nicknaming me Roger?”
I nodded, and she cuddled into me.
“Knock-knock.” Laken stepped into the doorway. “Sorry to interrupt. Sage, I have some extra clean clothes if you’re looking for something more comfortable. Nothing fancy but probably more comfy to rest in than those jeans.”
“Thank you, Laken. That’s nice of you.” Sage slid off the side of the bed.
“I’m heading out,” Laken said. “Maybe I’ll see you later? Would love to go to that Renoir and Chagall exhibit sometime soon. Think it runs through June.”
“I’d get your number, if Rahl would give me back my phone.”
Laken chuckled.
“Shit, I forgot. I’ll go get it.” I scooted by the two of them and down the hall, pausing in the kitchen when I came face to face with Easton. “Hey.” I did a quick chin-lift.
He stepped off to the side. “Hey. How’s Sage doing?”
“She’s better.” I reached into the cabinet and grabbed the keys and phone I’d placed there early this morning. Truthfully, I’d have given them back anytime. I wasn’t really into holding women hostage in my home, but she didn’t seem too worried about not having either item.
Or leaving.
“Rahl.” Easton’s voice pulled me from my thoughts.
“What?”
“I want to explain some things.”
“There’s nothing for you to explain, Easton. I won’t forgive you and we both know I don’t forget anything.” I closed the gap between us and he backed away. I lowered my voice to a whispered growl. “You hurt her and I’ll be second in line after Fiona to make you wish you had listened to me. First, she will cut your dick off, then I’ll shove it down your throat. Either you’ll bleed to death or choke to death, but you’ll deserve however your end comes to you.”
Easton’s eyes darted to the hallway.
“Everything okay?” Sage’s voice straightened my back.
I turned to her. “Here you go.”
<
br /> Easton skirted around the group. “Lake, I’m going to head to set up for tonight’s show.”
“Where are you playing?” Sage inquired after finishing up with the phone number exchange.
“Little bar downtown, Happy Hour. It’s acoustic night.”
“I love acoustic sets.”
“I’ll give Laken our schedule and maybe you two can come see us.”
“Sounds fun. Have a good night.”
“You, too.”
“Bye, Sage. Bye, Bubba Vee,” Laken added cheerfully as she followed Easton out.
I ordered the pizza while Sage changed clothes. While we waited for delivery we sat out back.
“Tell me about your new home.” She twisted her hair into a coil, somehow tucking the strands so they stayed on top of her head. Chunks of caramel slipped out to frame her diamond-shaped face.
“Four bedrooms, two stories, big porch across the front and even bigger deck off the back, finished basement with a brewing room. Contemplating a pool, but that can wait. Actually, I was going to ask you a favor. Would you be willing to offer up some of your interior design expertise to help choose finishes? I’ll be the first to admit that most of my shit Laken or Fi or my mom picked out. That includes the furniture and most of my clothes. That bedroom stuff was all Laken. I have no eye when it comes to what goes with what, hell, if they made Garanimals for adults, I’d be first in line.”
She giggled but quieted and doodled in the condensation on her water glass, watching drips of water fall onto the concrete. “Laken did a great job, Rahl. Maybe you should ask her to help you?”
“I thought about it, but I’m afraid if we’re alone for a long period of time, I might tell her too much about Easton. Things she might not want to know.”
She bit the inside of her lip and leaned back. “Let me think about it. I like Laken and think we could be good friends. I don’t want her to resent me or to overstep my boundaries.”
The doorbell rang and I headed inside to pay for the pizza. When I returned, Sage dug in, finishing off two pieces in no time. I liked that we didn’t need to always be talking. Silence was momentary in Afghanistan and usually meant something bad was about to happen. With Sage, silence gave me time to watch her and revel in her authentic beauty. She didn’t have to cover anything up with makeup, ‘cause what she was blessed with was damn near perfect.
“Good pizza, Rahl. Thank you.” She leaned back in the chair that bounced on a spring.
“Anytime. Want a piece of cake?”
“I’ll go get it.” She moved to stand.
I touched her hand. “No, you sit and I’ll go get it for you.”
I caged her in her chair, dropping my head to share a long kiss. Sage’s hands rounded my neck and her nails dug into my skin when I deepened the kiss, and both of us moaned at the same time.
“Cake or something else?” I placed my forehead to hers.
“We’re never going to eat that cake, are we?” Her dark brown eyelashes flashed a confession of what she really wanted.
“Probably not, but thank you for the surprise.” I lifted her slight frame from the chair and she wrapped herself around me. “It’s time for an endorphin-ecstasy wow.”
“Wow,” she breathed out as she felt how completely wowed I was by her.
If she only knew how wowed I really am…
Chapter Fourteen
Sage
“No. You’re not!”
“Yes. I am!”
“No!” His finality spurred my blood pressure to rise.
I closed my eyes and counted to ten. Reopening, I calmly looked him in the eyes. “Rahl, I feel perfectly fine. I’m going to drive myself home.”
“Tyson said twenty-four hours of no driving. It’s been less than nineteen hours. I will drive you home.” He crossed his arms and stood like a marble statue of some Greek god.
“I’m sure the twenty-four hours is a general guideline.” I emphasized each point with a finger. “One, I’m not vomiting. Two, I’m not slurring my speech. And three, the headache is almost gone. Probably because of the…”—I counted in my head—“seven orgasms in about twelve hours.” I dropped my hands to my hips. “It’s almost miraculous that I can walk after that much endorphin ecstasy.”
Rahl burst out in laughter, but his demeanor returned to stubborn ogre. “Sage, I will drive you home. Kirby and I will bring your car to you later and I will check on you.”
“No. I’m an adult and I’ll drive myself. And at this point, maybe I’ll see you again.”
I marched out of the house without a good-bye or a good-bye kiss. Part of me wanted to go back and enjoy one or more of each, but I stomped petulantly to my car, got in and turned the ignition over.
And there was … nothing. Not a hiccup, not a chug, not a hiss.
Seriously, not now. Please … please.
I tried again.
Nothing.
I screamed every colorful word before exiting the chunk of worthless metal and trudging to the front steps where Rahl stood, arms crossed, legs spread, like a military sergeant waiting to give orders.
“Don’t. Say. A. Word!” I released at a decibel loud enough that my head pounded again, and I flinched at my own voice.
Rahl didn’t. However, he did wear an arrogant grin that spoke more to me than words. I stomped into the house, down to the basement, and out to the garage to climb into his truck. It took him a few minutes to join me, but he climbed in without saying anything.
The tires pounding the pavement was the only sound in the cab as his truck rumbled down the streets. He kept his eyes safely on the traffic while I sulked against the passenger window. There was a moment of clarity where I remembered my mother asserting her wisdom that there was a time in every relationship when you say you’re sorry even when you can’t be sure what you’re sorry for. Although, it was clear to me why I was sorry this time.
I turned to him. “Rahl?”
“Yes.”
“I’m really sorry for everything.”
“Me, too.” He glanced my way. “I just want to know you’re safe.”
I unhooked my seatbelt and scrambled into the middle seat. “Thank you, I do appreciate that.” After I clicked the seat belt, I snuggled into him. “Did you do something to my car?” I murmured the question.
He reached down for my hand. The winding of our fingers circulated a wonderful tingle of happiness through my body.
“No, but that was as entertaining as anything I’ve ever seen. Made me want to go for an eighth try at endorphin ecstasy.”
I rolled my eyes. “It might take a couple of days before I’m physically able for another ecstasy attempt.” My nose crinkled. “I’m pretty sore.”
“Why didn’t you say something? We didn’t have to do anything … that last time.” A salacious grin perked his lips while he parked in front of my apartment building.
We unhooked our seat belts and turned our bodies. Our eyes collided, the truth of how much attraction we had bubbled like a volcano ready to explode.
“Come on, Vendetti, the way we are together…” I reached up to graze his prominent cheekbone and slid my hand into his soft short hair. “I’ll take a piece of that heaven every day until the day I die.”
My heart ticked loudly in my ears when I realized what I had just said.
One … heaven? Two … every day? Three … until I die? Might as well have just bought him a one-way ticket back into Singlesville via the she-was-a-clingy-freak-after-we-did-it train.
Our eyes remained locked. He opened his mouth to say something but I was already freaked out enough. I pulled my hand away. I couldn’t imagine whatever he was going to say was going to help alleviate my anxiety.
I spewed my farewell and with each word my anxiety ratcheted. “Okay, thanks for taking care of me. Appreciate it. I’ll send a tow truck to get my car tomorrow.” I kissed his cheek and scrambled across the seat, letting myself out the passenger door. “I’ll text you tonight to let you know I�
�m fine. See you later, Rahl. Bye.”
Before I stepped on the sidewalk, he was in front of me.
“Please stop, Sage.”
“I didn’t mean—”
His hands cupped my face and his lips hit mine. After he’d taken my breath away, he backed off slowly. “Can I talk now?”
I nodded and blinked in acknowledgment.
His warm hands slid around my neck and down to the middle of my back, warming every inch of skin on their way. “First, taking care of you was my pleasure. You are a wonderful patient. You take your medication very well.” His body chuckled without the sound.
My triple-timing heart slowed and I sunk into his body.
“Second, I already called a tow truck I have on standby for business and what will never be referred to again as a car is at Jessen Auto Mall, waiting to be traded in, if Presley will give you anything for it. The dealership may insist on you paying them to take it off your hands.” He lifted my chin to his face. “I’ll feel more at ease when you have something dependable to drive. Third, I’ll pick you up tomorrow morning to take you wherever you need to go for work. And lastly, Sage Karrae Whiteman, I knew it would be heaven. After all, you’re my angel. In fact, our time together was better than heaven, and I’d know.”
I tipped my head, questioning.
He kissed me lightly. “When you decide to share your past, I’ll share mine.”
I wrapped my arms around his waist and released a happiness-filled squeeze. His muscles firmed under my arms.
“I need to go check on Lassie. Can you pick me up by seven-thirty in the morning? Please and thank you.”
He acknowledged my request with a military-grade nod.
I adjusted my purse. “Can I make you dinner tomorrow night as a thank you for acting as my chauffer?”
“I’d like that. Have a good night and please text me when you’re getting into bed or if you need me.”
I’m almost afraid that I’ll always need you.
“I will. Good night, Rahl.”
“Good night, Sage.”
We kissed one more time. I made my way inside of the locked entry and gave a last wave. He turned all that bulky man muscle back to his truck.
In my apartment, I leaned back against the door and inhaled a deep breath to calm every bodily system that man had excited. And it was all of them.