“We haven’t been together that long.”
“I’m glad you have someone you can lean on for support. And just to reassure you, we’ll give you any help you need with Josh. We know he’ll be better off with you. It would just be too much for us.”
Sage had known she wouldn’t have to worry about Hank’s parents trying to take Josh away from her. Max’s health wasn’t great, and he had been in and out of the hospital because of his heart a few times in the past year. Looking after a six-month-old baby would take its toll on both Max and Kate.
“I know,” Sage said. “And thanks for the offer. I’ll be sure to call if I need anything. Once we get finished here, you’re both more than welcome to stay at my place for however long you’re in Anchorage.”
“That won’t be necessary,” Max said. “We already booked a room at a hotel. It’ll be less stressful for you.”
Sage nodded. “Okay, but you’re welcome to change your mind.”
After that, the rest of the time Sage spent at the hospital passed in a blur. She filled out the necessary paperwork, barely paying attention to what she signed. Once she’d done all she could for now, she said goodbye to Hank’s parents with a promise to talk to them in the afternoon to arrange a time to go to the funeral home.
Sage drove home. She was tired but didn’t know if she’d be able to sleep. For one thing, Josh would be awake soon. On the way, she stopped off at a store to buy diapers and all the other things such as food and bottles she’d need for her nephew. She had a key to Macy’s house but she couldn’t bring herself to go there to pick up what she’d need just yet. Though she’d have to do it very soon. Josh would need his crib and clothes. Plus, she also had the decision as to what to do with the home.
She pulled into her two-car driveway and parked beside Grady’s expensive sedan. After getting out of her SUV, Sage headed for the front door. She unlocked it and stepped inside, placing the items she’d bought in the entranceway. The house was completely quiet. It was early enough for Josh to still be asleep. She figured Grady must be sleeping as well since he didn’t come to see her.
After taking off her coat and boots, she went to the living room. The scene that greeted her had her smiling despite what the night had turned into. Grady lay on the couch, his feet dangling over the end. Josh was on his chest, his little head tucked under Grady’s chin. The quilt from the playpen was covering the baby and the sides were tucked under Grady, holding Josh in place. Grady had his arms wrapped around her nephew. The sight of them together pulled at her heartstrings.
Sage leaned against the wall next to the entrance to the room and slowly slid down it until she sat on the floor. She couldn’t tear her gaze from them. Being sleep deprived and an emotional wreck on the inside, she crazily thought Grady would be the perfect replacement father for Josh. It was stupid to be thinking like that when she’d had one date with him that had lasted a few hours at the most, but at the moment, he was the only person in her world who she thought she could lean on.
She then noticed Josh had his little hand wrapped around Grady’s cougar head pendant just as she’d done when she and Grady had been fooling around. It was the second time her nephew had taken hold of it. He obviously liked it, and Grady mustn’t have minded.
Sage lifted her knees to her chest and rested her forehead against them. She closed her eyes. The image of her sister lying in a hospital bed, broken and bleeding, rose inside her mind. It would probably be something she’d never forget. She swallowed past the lump in her throat as she fought back her tears. She wanted to wail and scream about the injustice of it. Macy and Hank had been too young, and Josh should have been able to grow up with his parents. But she wouldn’t do any of that. There was too much to do to settle her sister’s affairs.
“Sage.”
At the sound of her whispered name, she looked up to find Grady awake and staring at her. Sage pushed to her feet and quietly walked over to where he lay. Josh was still sleeping. She kneeled on the floor in front of the couch and softly caressed her nephew’s cheek.
“Have you been home long?” Grady asked in a whisper.
“No,” she replied just as quietly.
“Did your sister…”
“She didn’t make it. Macy died about a half hour after I arrived.”
“I’m so sorry.”
“Did Josh wake up for you?”
“Yeah. He wasn’t too sure about me at first. The only way I could get him to sleep was on me like this. I tried to put him back in the playpen, but he started to cry again.”
“At least you got some rest.”
Grady ran his gaze over her face. “You need to sleep as well.”
Sage shook her head. “I can’t. Josh will be awake soon. And you’ll want to go home.”
He stared into her eyes. “You have to sleep. I’m not going to leave you alone.”
“You’ve been here all night. You’ll want to change your clothes and shower. Plus, there isn’t much to eat here. I need to go grocery shopping.”
Grady reached over and cupped the side of her face. “Then you and Josh can come to my place. We have a personal chef who makes all our meals. And you’re more than welcome to sleep in my bed. I’ll take care of the baby. My brother and his wife will be there as well to help. We all live together, along with my parents.”
Normally, Sage would have been able to manage everything on her own, but not now. Having someone take care of her, make it so she didn’t have to worry about anything, was something she couldn’t turn down.
“Okay, I’ll go to your place once Josh wakes up. I’ll have to feed him and get him dressed, then we can go.”
As if he’d heard his name, the baby squirmed against Grady and opened his eyes. Grady sat up and shifted Josh until he had him cradled in his arms and disentangled the baby’s fingers from his pendant.
“Hey there, buddy,” Grady said. “Did you have a good sleep?” The baby smiled at him.
Sage stood, then took Josh from Grady. “I’ll get him ready to go.”
She grabbed some of the things she’d bought on the way up the stairs. Once again, she was glad Grady was there. For someone who’d asked her for a simple date, he sure as hell got a lot more than he bargained for.
* * *
Grady took a quick look at Sage, who sat beside him in his car. The baby was in his infant car seat in the back. It’d taken about a half hour to get Josh fed, changed and set to go.
Sage looked about ready to drop. There were dark circles under her eyes and she seemed to be staring at nothing. Grady focused his attention back on the road. No matter what she said, he was going to get her tucked into his bed as soon as they got to his house. She needed to get some rest before she faced what she had to do that day. It wasn’t going to be easy on her, but he planned to stay with her every step of the way.
Once they arrived at his place, Grady hit the remote to open one of the doors of the four-car garage. He pulled in next to his brother Jase’s car and parked. After he shut the engine off, he closed them inside.
He carried Josh in his car seat and one of the bags Sage had brought while she grabbed the other one, then walked to the entrance to the house. Grady stepped aside for her to go in ahead of him. He motioned for her to keep walking up the short hallway.
They stepped out into the foyer. Grady was surprised to see a pile of luggage sitting near the front door. He then saw his dad coming down the stairs from the upper level. His father smiled as he came to join them.
“I thought you and Mom were going to be away for a week,” Grady said.
His dad shrugged. “Your mom decided she couldn’t afford to take an entire week away. We just arrived home about ten minutes ago.” His father looked at Sage, then the infant car seat Grady carried. “Who do we have here?”
Grady put down the bag he held and wrapped his arm around Sage’s waist. “This is Sage.” He turned the car seat around so his dad could look inside. “And this is her nephew Josh. They’re
going to be spending some time here with me. Something happened last night while I was over at Sage’s place on a date and she was babysitting. Her older sister and husband, the parents to Josh, were hit by a drunk driver while they were out for dinner. They both died. Sage has been at the hospital all night while I stayed at her place to watch the baby. She’s Josh’s godmother. She also doesn’t have any family to help her.”
“I’m sorry for your loss,” his dad said solemnly. “I’m Charles, Grady’s dad.”
“Thanks,” Sage said quietly.
“And I’m sorry as well,” his mother said as she joined them from upstairs. “I heard what Grady said about your sister. And you’re more than welcome to stay here for as long as you need. You look about ready to drop.”
“This is my mom Olivia,” Grady said. “I was going to put her to bed,” he told his mother.
“Well, in that case, I’ll look after the baby while you take care of Sage.”
Before Grady could say anything, his mom took the car seat from him, then placed it on the floor so she could unbuckle Josh. She squatted and took the baby out and managed to take off his snowsuit.
She stood and smiled. “He’s gorgeous. How old is he?”
“Six months,” Sage answered. “You don’t mind looking after him?”
“Of course not. I love babies.” His mom lifted Josh and gave him a kiss.
The baby’s little hand came up and took hold of his mom’s cougar head pendant, which was identical to Grady’s. It’d once belonged to his father. All male cougar shifters were given one once they reached puberty. The pendant was made with a bit of magic inside. When a male met his mate, the cougar’s ruby eyes glowed. It didn’t necessarily happen right after the couple met. It could take days, weeks, even months. It was triggered once the male could accept the female as the one he loved and wanted as his, be it consciously or subconsciously.
Once that happened, he would only be able to think about her, being unable to eat and sleep. He wouldn’t be able to stop thinking of making love to her, using sex to help convince her to claim him. And it was the female who decided to claim the male as hers by taking his cougar head pendant from him and putting it around her neck, thus having the mating bond form as their souls joined.
“You have the same pendant as Grady,” Sage said. “Josh liked his, so I guess he likes yours as well. I’ll take it from him.”
His mom laughed. “It’s okay. He can hold on to it if he wants. He can’t damage it.” She looked at Grady. “Sage looks about ready to fall over. Go take her upstairs. I have everything under control here. I’m sure Jase and Katrina will be down soon as well. They’ll want to meet Josh.”
“All right,” he said as he took the bag Sage carried from her and placed it with the other one. “We’re going up now.”
Grady guided Sage up the stairs and down the hallway to his bedroom. Once they were inside, he closed the door behind them. He walked her over to his bed and tugged down the covers, then stepped aside.
“In you go,” he said. “I’ll wake you up in a few hours.”
“Stay.”
He looked at her. “What?”
“I want you to stay with me.” Sage closed the distance between them and put her hands on his waist.
“You need to sleep. If I stay I might get worked up, if you know what I mean?”
She met his gaze. “I want you to make love to me. I need it. Right now I feel as if my whole world has been knocked off its axis. I want the connection sex will give me. I’m about ready to break down, and I can’t. Please. Stay with me. I promise I’ll go to sleep after.”
“Are you sure? You’ve been through so much.”
In way of answer, Sage went on tiptoes and kissed him. She pushed her tongue past his lips and thoroughly tasted him. Her grip on his waist tightened as she tugged him closer so their bodies met. Some guys would have done their best to stop what was about to happen based on principle, but Grady wasn’t even going to try. If it was something she needed from him, then he’d give it to her.
He wrapped his arms around Sage and took over their kiss. He licked and sucked, pushing inside her mouth. It didn’t take much to have his cock fully engorged. What they’d shared at her house before she’d been informed about her sister… He remembered all too well what she’d looked like as she’d come apart in his embrace. He wanted to make her come again, but this time while his cock was buried deep inside her.
Grady slowly stripped away her clothes one at a time, learning her body with each inch of skin he exposed. Once he had Sage completely naked, she helped him undress. Now as naked as she, he pulled her close again. The feel of her skin-to-skin caused his cock to jerk between them. He sucked in a sharp breath as she reached down and put her hand around it. She pumped up and down, squeezing tight.
He let her stroke him a few more times before he gently pulled out of her grasp and lifted her onto the bed. He came down beside her, running his hand down her body until he reached her pussy.
Purrs rumbled out of him. “You’re so wet.”
“I don’t want to wait anymore. I want you inside me. Show me I’m not alone.”
Grady gently kissed her as he shifted to lie between her thighs. “I’m right here for you.”
He nudged the head of his erection into her pussy. He pulled back, then sank a little deeper until he’d worked his full length inside her. Sage moaned as he set a pace that was sure to bring them both to release. She lifted her bent legs to either side of his hips and matched his strokes. Her inner walls tightly hugged his shaft as he surged in and out of her.
Grady purred again, unable to hold it back. Making love to Sage didn’t compare to other women he’d been with. He was more in tune with her, wanting to make this good for her, to show her this was all for her.
He thrust into her faster, loving the feel of her taking him. She panted and moaned, clutching his biceps after he lifted his upper body off her. He sank deeper, his cock growing even harder.
As her pussy tightened around his plunging shaft, then clutched and released it as Sage climaxed, Grady’s point of no return rushed to the surface. He growled like the cat he was and surged into her one final time before his orgasm overtook him.
Once he’d given her all he had and she’d settled beneath him, Grady lowered himself on top of her, bracing on his elbows so she didn’t have to take his full weight. He kissed her gently. He pulled out of her and rolled onto his back, bringing Sage up against his side with her head resting on his chest. He ran a caressing hand up and down her back. She slowly, by degrees, relaxed. She reached for his pendant and closed her fingers around it.
Grady kissed Sage’s forehead and saw her eyes were shut and her breathing had evened out. He’d lie there with her for a while to make sure she stayed asleep, then he’d get up and see how Josh was doing.
Chapter Five
Grady gave Sage one last look before he headed out his bedroom door. She was sound asleep. He’d gently eased out from under her and gotten out of bed without waking her up. Now dressed, he went downstairs to see how his other guest was doing.
He found Josh being showered with attention from his mom and Katarina in the living room. They had a thick blanket on the floor, which the baby lay on as the women sat on either side of him, smiling and laughing at what he did. Jase and his father were on the couch watching them.
“You two are going to spoil him if you’re not careful,” Grady said as he went to join Katrina and his mom.
His mother looked at him and smiled. “You can’t pay too much attention to a baby. Is Sage asleep?”
“Yes, but I have to wake her up in a few hours. She has to go to the funeral home with her brother-in-law’s parents to make arrangements for Macy and Hank.”
“Will you go with her?” his dad asked.
“If she’ll let me. I already know none of you will have a problem looking after Josh for us.”
“Of course we won’t,” his mom said. “Jase and Katari
na were telling your father and me how you met Sage, and that she’s a police officer.”
“Yes, she’s a cop. And I suppose you also know Caleb got the jump on me.”
His dad nodded. “And Jase told me about your assumption of what he could have been doing meeting a human in the middle of the night in a parking lot. I have a feeling if we don’t capture him soon he’s going to leave the country and we’ll be lucky if we find him again.”
“I know. Draven is working on something that will hopefully help us find him. I don’t know how he plans to do it, and quite frankly, I’m not going to ask since I’m sure it’ll be illegal.”
Josh whimpered, and Grady went and picked him up. The baby smiled and rubbed a hand wet with drool over Grady’s face. He didn’t care. During the night when he couldn’t get Josh back to sleep right away, he’d had lots of time with him. He’d grown attached to him, as he had Josh’s aunt.
His mother sighed. “What?” Grady asked.
“Seeing you holding a baby, it makes me want grandchildren.” She then grew serious. “You feel something for Sage, don’t you? For only knowing her a short time, you’ve taken on a role of a mate for her by standing with her during a bad time in her life. And for someone who has never looked after a baby before, that didn’t stop you from taking care of Josh all night. Plus, you brought them both into our home so you can continue to look after them.”
Grady kissed Josh’s cheek. “I’ll admit I’m falling for Sage. And I have no trouble with Josh being a part of her life. I’m just not sure how she feels about me yet.”
Jase chuckled. “Well, from your scent, which smells like sex and Sage, she has to have some feelings for you if she slept with you, especially considering the state of mind she’s in.”
“Jase,” Katarina said as a rebuke.
“It’s okay,” Grady reassured her. “She at first wanted to cancel our date, but she reluctantly invited me into her place. Now, losing her sister who was her only relative, I think she feels as if she’s alone. I’ll do everything I can to show her she isn’t, that I’ll be here for her.”
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