Games of Love: Enemies-to-Lovers Romance

I grabbed her hips, wrapping my hands around the warmth there and flipping us over on the bed. I was sitting against the headboard and once Sadie realized what I was doing, she put her hands on my shoulders and lowered herself down onto my lap. I let out a moan that Sadie echoed and neither one of us was worried about someone hearing. It was everything I’d wanted and everything I hadn’t known that I needed. Sadie moved faster on my lap, her auburn hair wild around her face. Her cheeks were flushed, and her breasts brushed my chest with every movement, pulling gooseflesh over my skin. I brought our mouths together and Sadie’s gasp of pleasure was muffled by my tongue as I held her hips hard enough to bruise—

There was a shout and a crash from outside of the door. Sadie jumped, scrambling off of my lap. I was longing for her warmth as soon as she was gone. Both of us sat frozen and I wondered if a burglar had broken in or something equally more ridiculous. Of course, something would happen whenever Sadie and I had finally come together like we should have done ages ago.

It was Rose. She was yelling and I couldn't quite make out what she was saying outside of the door. Sadie jumped up from the bed, taking the comforter with her, glancing at me once before she ran across the room. I watched her run to the door, useless without my pants.

“Rose?” Sadie called, peeking her head out of the door.

There was no answer and then Rose screamed.

“The baby, Sadie,” said Oliver instead. “She’s coming!”

Chapter 13

Connor

“I am leaking like our kitchen sink when you refused to hire a plumber last summer, Oliver,” Rose cried shrilly. “We need to go now.”

We dressed quickly without speaking, barely looking at one another, and Oliver ran around the house, grabbing this or that like his life depended on it. Sadie eased Rose toward the door, her arm around her shoulders, and Ben started up the car outside. I stood in the doorway of the dining room, thinking longingly of Sadie’s naked body beneath mine and wondering whether I should help them or not. I had never been a part of a big family and as I thought about it, I couldn't remember ever holding a newborn baby. I had never realized how odd that was until I was dropped into a situation where familial thoughtfulness might come in handy. The closest I had ever experienced to this was when Nora needed someone to watch her dog while she went to the doctor and my dad said no.

“C’mon, Rose, I’ll help you into the seat,” Sadie said. She glanced over at me and I could see the pink spread over her cheeks.

Rose paused in the doorway, hunched over her belly, and looked between both of us. I knew she saw my mussed hair. “Sorry for interrupting.” She grinned for a minute and I snorted, shaking my head.

Oliver rushed out behind us, nearly slipping on the icy steps of the porch in his haste. He wrapped a blanket around Rose, who slapped his hands away, and then crawled into the backseat beside her. Ben turned in the driver’s seat with his excitement clear on his face, looking over at where Sadie was standing next to me. “You two can take the farm truck. It’s full of hay bales but just drive slow.”

Hay bales?

“We’ll be there as soon as we can,” Sadie nodded, arms wrapped around herself in the cold. I put my jacket over her shoulders without thinking and she seemed to relax the tiniest bit.

The car took off, heading presumably toward the county hospital.

Sadie gave me a cautious smile as if she wasn’t sure if it was okay anymore. I wondered what this meant for our relationship, our fake one and the real-life spark between us, and for Games of Love. The truck was parked in a peeling red barn. It was pale teal and there was more rust than paint on the exterior. For some reason, I liked it immediately. Sadie pushed the barn door open further and handed me the keys. The inside of the truck smelled of coffee grounds and the back was indeed filled with stringy bales of fragrant hay. The interior was freezing, and my hands shook as I reached down, realizing very quickly that it was a stick, and I could not drive stick. I wavered as Sadie slid in, shivering. “I can’t, uh…”

“I’ll drive,” Sadie said quickly, motioning for me to get out as she slid over.

Suddenly, as she backed the truck out, there were headlights bouncing up the driveway. Did Oliver forget something in his haste? Sadie looked over her shoulder, tapping her fingers impatiently on the thin steering wheel. The headlights flickered off and someone came running up the drive.