Her Hometown Hero

by Melody Anne

  “Oh my gosh, Spence. I can’t imagine what you must have gone through to stand before the woman who willingly gave you up,” Sage said as she took his hand and squeezed it.

  “I’m not angry with her, Sage. She did the right thing. She was too weak, and too addicted to take care of a child. Yes, my early years in foster care weren’t pleasant, but ultimately it led me to Jackson and Camden, and then Martin and Michael. My brothers by choice are my best friends, and with Martin, I learned that someone doesn’t have to share the same blood to be family. He was and is a great father, and I’m the man I am today because of him, so I’m grateful to the woman who birthed me.”

  Sage found herself fighting tears as she listened to this man who was so much stronger than she was. If she hadn’t lived with her grandmother after her parents died, she didn’t think she would have been as strong. She didn’t know what to say.

  “I’ve shared with you,” Spence said, and then waited. His opening up gave her the courage to share with him.

  “I lost my parents when I was ten. My grandfather was taking my mom and dad fishing and their tire blew out over a bridge. They crashed through the guardrail into the river, and it took the rescuers eight hours to pull the car out. I still have a hard time discussing it. I was supposed to be with them but wasn’t feeling good that day, so I was home with my grandma. She told me it was the angels protecting me, but if that’s the case, why didn’t they protect my parents and my grandfather?” She knew she’d never have an answer to that question.

  “We don’t always get to know the reason something happens, but I do believe our lives are shaped by every experience we go through. Maybe that feeling of helplessness is what shaped you into who you are, is what gave you the drive to be a doctor. No, it shouldn’t take losing your parents to find yourself, but everything really does happen for a reason.”

  Spence reached across the table and took her hand, offering her the only comfort he was capable of giving right then. It wasn’t enough, and at the same time, it was exactly what she needed. She didn’t want to speak about it anymore, and he seemed to get that.

  “Okay, we’re going to shelve conversation for now. The band is about to start, and I want to hold you.” Spence stood up, escorted her to the corner of the dance floor, and put his arms around her. Couples were already swaying to the recorded music coming from the speakers. When the live band started, the floor would be packed.

  “Thank you for sweeping me off my feet tonight, Spence,” she said against his neck.

  “Thank you for giving me the chance to do it, Sage.” He kissed her gently, giving her a taste of the way their night was going to end.

  Well after midnight, Spence opened the door to their rooms at the Fairmont Olympic Hotel. The hotel was beautifully designed and appointed, with an ambience of high style and exclusivity, but this corner suite still managed to surprise Sage. They entered the living room to find a fire burning and soft lights. On every table sat a vase holding roses and lilies in colors and shapes she’d never seen before. It was romantic. It was perfect.

  She walked to a window and looked out at the beautiful green hotel grounds through the bright lights that illuminated the area. Even after her years in California, she never ceased to be amazed at the beauty one could find in the middle of a metropolis. When she’d imagined cities as a child, she’d thought only of pollution and garbage. Thankfully, there were always oases to be found.

  As Spence’s arms wrapped around her, she closed her eyes and leaned back against him, feeling perfectly happy just as they were. Yes, she wanted to get to the lovemaking, but at the same time she wanted to freeze this moment, this feeling of bliss from the first truly romantic day she’d ever experienced.

  “I don’t know how you arranged all of this, but thank you,” she whispered, afraid of breaking the spell she was under if she spoke too loudly.

  “I just made a couple of phone calls. The staff here did the rest.”

  “Well, they were great phone calls. Thank you again, Spence. You’ve made me feel special.”

  “I want you to feel special because you are. Everything I do for you, I do because it pleases me so much to see your eyes light up with happiness. A smile from you brings me joy unlike any gift ever has.” He punctuated his words by caressing the side of her neck with his lips.

  She found herself tilting her head to give him better access to that sensitive skin.

  Spence drew his head away momentarily. “Would you like a drink before . . . ?”

  Sage was glad he didn’t finish the sentence. She was ready for this, but to talk about it . . . no, she didn’t want to. Talking might give her the opportunity to back out, and that’s the last thing in the world that she wanted. This was what she wanted. If she could just manage to fight off the nerves that kept threatening her.

  “A drink sounds good,” she said, and nearly whimpered when he released her.

  He walked over to a wine bucket, lifted out a chilled bottle, and prepared it for the corkscrew. “From the moment our eyes connected, I wanted you. It soon became an all-consuming passion, a need to have you. Now . . . now, it’s so much more.” He drew out the cork smoothly and then poured the wine into crystal goblets.

  She accepted the glass he offered and moved back to the large window. “It feels like I’ve wanted you forever. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before about . . .” No. Why belabor their fumbled night? It was something best forgotten.

  “I have this strong impression that I need to guard you—or rescue you. Am I the one you need rescuing from?” He was joking, but not entirely.

  His uncharacteristic moment of insecurity gave her strength, wiped away the nerves that had been gnawing at her most of the night—heck, most of the time since being back in Spence’s presence.

  “I think I need to be rescued from myself—from the protective ball I’ve placed around myself. I think you really are my prince come to life,” she told him, setting down her wine and walking over to him, feeling the material of her dress swirl delicately around her legs.

  He set down his own glass and raised his hand to her cheek. “I can do that. I can be anything you want me to be. I want to be a better man when I’m with you.” He bent down and took her mouth gently, showing her his need in a slow, sweet kiss.

  Sage broke away only long enough to say, “I just want you to be you. I just want you, Spence,” and then returning to the kiss, she got lost in his arms. If this was a preview of their night to come, she thought she might never float back to earth again.

  “We won’t rush this, Sage. I want to build the fires, make sure you know that lovemaking is about pleasure, not pain. I don’t want to push you, and I don’t want to ever stop. Tell me what you want, what you desire. Let me please you.”

  “Don’t treat me like a porcelain doll—that’s all I ask. I want you to lose yourself,” she said, crying out when he gripped her hips and pulled her against him, showing her that he was thick and hard.

  “I can do that,” he said, the low growl in his voice stoking an inferno inside her. “You are mine—only mine, Sage Banks.”

  Lifting her up, he moved to the bedroom, making her breath catch and her heart race. Yes, he was her Prince Charming, claiming her, owning her, taking what he desired. She was more than willing to be his partner—to be whatever he wanted her to be.

  She was seduced, and from the look in his eyes, he was just as much hers as she was his. They were made to come together like this, made to catch fire in each other’s arms. She hoped time would stop and the night would never end.

  Sage hardly noticed the low lighting in the room, or the flowers on the nightstand. She barely registered the silk sheets, or the rose petals covering them. She seemed unable to notice anything but the sultry look in his eyes.

  Setting her down next to the bed, he stepped back, making her hunger to be in his arms again, but he just stood there, his eyes roaming up and down her body as he removed his jacket and then began undoing the but
tons on his crisp white shirt.

  “Spence?” She wanted to be bold and reach for him, but the secretive smile flitting across his mouth told her to be patient. She was—but just barely.

  When he’d cast his shirt aside, her mouth watered as she gazed at the golden smoothness of his chest. Taking a step forward, she reached out, ran her finger along the hard lines and down the planes of his stomach.

  “Oh, Sage,” he groaned, making her feel bold, making her want to move her fingers even farther downward. He grabbed her hand and drew it up to his shoulder, then wrapped his arm around her back.

  He kissed her now, this time with so much more heat, possessing her, leading her to what was coming. His hands splayed across her back, moved down and gripped her behind to pull her against him, press her against his pulsing arousal. She groaned into his mouth, opening even more for him, feeling completely devoured.

  She felt his hands at her shoulders, felt him removing her dress, but she could barely register the material falling away as he pulled back just enough to let it drift down her body. When he saw the sexy lingerie she’d almost chickened out on wearing, the pure lust in his eyes made her glad she’d bought it.

  Then his mouth was teasing the sensitive skin of her shoulder, skimming over the swells of her breasts, while his hands found her nearly naked behind. He paused and brought his head back up to hers, his eyes smoky with passion, his mouth moist from their kisses.

  “You are . . . all my fantasies come to life,” he told her, his hot breath rushing over her neck as he leaned forward, his mouth running along her collarbone.

  She couldn’t speak, couldn’t respond no matter how much she wanted to.

  Spence took his time, running his hands all over her, tracing the edges of the undergarments she was wearing. She loved his obvious lust, loved that the lingerie spurred it on, but now she wanted the frivolous lace gone. She didn’t want any barriers between the two of them. She wanted his hands and mouth all over her, her skin pressing against his.

  Shivering, she arched into him, pushed against his arousal, pressed her breasts against his chest, tried to find relief for the aching that was consuming her. His hand came up and cupped one of her breasts, his palm rubbing against the aching peak before both hands moved to her back and he began undoing the tiny clips in the back of her corset. She held her breath as he moved inch by excruciating inch until the garment finally came undone and then only their bodies held it in place.

  He moved back just a bit and the material fell away. She thrust her naked breasts against his chest, her nipples aching even more for the touch of his hands, his mouth. He didn’t make her wait long. He bent down and captured one peak, sucking it deep into his mouth, making her cry out in pleasure. He moved to the other, licking it before blowing on the area, making her twist her back so she could get closer.

  When he suddenly kneeled down in front of her and caressed her stomach with his tongue, her legs trembled, and she didn’t know how much longer she’d manage to stay standing before him. This was too much, all too much. So many feelings were rushing through her body. How could she survive the night?

  His hands skimmed up her legs, starting at her ankles and moving upward until he reached the clips of the delicate straps on her garter belt and he began undoing them, one at a time. When his hand caressed the sensitive skin at the inside of her thigh, she cried out again, her core moist and eager for his touch.

  With the garter straps unattached, he began slowly peeling off her stockings, everywhere he touched feeling like fire on her skin. When he next removed the lacy belt, and then pulled her panties off with his teeth, her entire body shook.

  Standing before him completely nude, her body was a playground of pleasure for both of them. When he stood back and looked over her as he undid the button on his trousers, she found her heart thudding rapidly.

  Oh yes, she wanted to see what had been pressing so pleasingly against her. When he revealed himself in the low light, her mouth formed a wide circle. “Oh my,” she gasped. Yes, she was hot; yes, she was turned on, but slight fear filled her, too, because she remembered how badly it had hurt when he’d thrust inside her in the hot tub. Would it still hurt? Or would this time be nothing but pleasure?

  Then she didn’t have time to think, because he laid her down and then he was on the bed with her, his body covering her, his mouth capturing hers. There was a new urgency in him and his movements were more forceful.

  Her fear evaporated, replaced by consuming desire to be taken by this man. She wanted more. When she was desperate for him to thrust inside her, he pulled back, his mouth growing gentler, his hands slowing down. No! That’s not what she wanted. She wanted passion, heat, hunger, fire.

  His lips moved to her neck and sucked on her flesh, and he nipped her with his teeth. His hands caressed her, up and down her body, molding her, shaping her, preparing her. Spence worshipped her breasts, then her stomach, then the sensitive flesh below her navel.

  He tasted every inch of her, and had her begging him for more. She forgot her fear. He wasn’t giving her time to be afraid. He was only giving her time to beg—to beg for more and more and more.

  She moved her hands into his hair, guiding his head, leading him across her body, feeling the softness slip through her fingers, and then, as he moved his mouth upward along her body again, she ran her fingers down his back, over the solid muscle that flexed as he moved, as he returned his attention to her mouth.

  He shifted his body to the side, ran his fingers between her breasts and lower, until he was at the juncture of her thighs. She opened for him without hesitation, opened and urged him to touch her there. He didn’t keep her waiting, but slid his fingers inside her, plunged into her wet heat, making her scream as her body built to a level of pleasure she’d only dreamed about.

  She arched into him, instinct taking over as she sought what only he could give her. “Yes, Spence, please,” she begged him, the pressure almost unbearable.

  Pure sensation overtook her. She was a giant stream of lava, her body melting as she peaked, as fire consumed her and she let go, her body flying. She knew there was no coming back from this. Before she could even think of recovering, Spence was above her, the weight from his body a welcome anchor to this world, his legs spreading hers even wider apart.

  “Are you ready for me?” He asked the question through clenched teeth as he tried to slow himself, tried to ensure he didn’t hurt her. It only made her love this man more.

  “Oh yes, more than ready, Spence.” The quivering flesh of her core was more sensitive than ever, and finally she felt him pressing into her, filling her, completing her. She groaned as his lips took hers again.

  “Oh my, Sage. You are so hot—so tight,” he groaned as he pulled back, making her whimper until he thrust forward again. No pain this time, nothing but unalloyed pleasure as he got into a sublime rhythm, moving in and out of her, building her higher and higher again.

  One hand gripped her hair, holding her in place, while his mouth devoured hers. The other grabbed her hands and trapped them above her head, holding her captive.

  “Open your eyes,” he commanded.

  Though it felt like weights were holding them down, she cracked them open, looked into his passion-filled eyes while he continued his erotic dance. Time stopped. She’d gotten her wish. This moment was forever frozen in time, and she would never have to leave it.

  “Let go, Sage,” he said, and she did. She flew over the cliff—this time with him, and it was even better than before. It was better than she’d ever imagined it could be.

  Silence reigned for several moments. He withdrew from her, making her groan her disapproval, but he didn’t go far. He simply turned onto his side, pulling her into his arms as he kissed the tops of her breasts, her shoulder, her neck.

  “You’re amazing, Sage.”

  “I could do that forever,” she said with a sigh, making him chuckle.

  “I may need a few minutes to recover before we t
ry again. And again. All night long.”

  “Ah, but I want more now.” In her newly found passion for this man, she felt bold and strong.

  “Woman, we will never leave this suite,” he told her. He captured her nipple and sucked, making her writhe against him.

  “That’s a promise I’ll hold you to,” she said, and pushed his head closer against her breast. And then she urged him upward. His mouth returned to hers and her body caught fire once again as he began caressing her in all the right places.

  Sage was forever lost in Spence’s arms, and for now, at least, she never wanted to be found again.

  Spence woke Sage up by stroking the flat planes of her stomach. “I know I promised never to leave the suite, but I do have a full day of fun planned,” he told her.

  “Mmm, how about this? Our fun day happens right here in this bed . . .” What a wanton woman she was turning into. This was so not her.

  “You aren’t going to be able to walk if we make love again, Sage.”

  When she shifted, she finally felt the ache. And she had to groan when she sat up.

  “Oooh, I think you’re right,” she said, chuckling as she moved to the edge of the bed. She stood up in front of him completely naked, shocked she wasn’t embarrassed. Maybe it was because she’d suppressed her sexuality for so long, and now it was coming out in spades. But when she took a step, she winced. Yep, she was sore.

  “I changed my mind. A day in bed is all the fun we need,” he said, making her turn toward him. Pure lust filled his eyes as he looked at her body.

  “Sorry, that offer has expired,” she said with a smile. “The doctor has ordered a superhot shower.” With that she turned and walked to the bathroom, adding an extra sway to her hips because she knew his eyes were glued to her derrière. His moan gave her immense satisfaction.