She saw her clothes folded on a chair in a corner. Chrissy stalked to them and pulled them on.
“Who are you to make decisions like that? Who are you to tell me what to do with my life?” She snapped her words out after she shrugged her shirt over her head.
“Whoa,” Saks said. “Giving you coffee first thing in the morning is a bad idea.” He stepped toward her, holding his hands up as if surrendering. “I was just thinking out loud. Of course, you get to decide things. We decide them together as a couple. That’s what marriage means. But what is not going to happen here is you walking away from me, not without a damn good reason.”
Chrissy shut her eyes. She loved Saks. The night prior, when she’d been bent over the pool table and under his spell, she’d been ready to submit to anything. Now, though, in the light of day, it seemed like a pipe dream considering the obstacles they faced.
“So, tell me,” he said. “Do you want to walk away from me?”
She shook her head. “No. I’d just like to slow things down. I have things going on, Saks. My father, for one. And despite what you think, I’m worried about the problems between our respective families. Maybe you can walk away from your family, but that’s not in my plans.”
“But you’re the one who went off with James Pearson.”
“Yes. I did. But it was a temporary solution.”
“So, you did run away.” Saks crossed his arms and gave her a hard stare.
“What was I supposed to do? First, they want me to marry you, then they tell me to stay away! My boss came on to me—”
“What?” said Saks.
Chrissy sighed. “Forget it.” She never should have mentioned it.
“No, Chrissy. You should tell me these things. You don’t have to face your life like a one-woman wrecking crew anymore. I’ve got your back.”
“Just like that,” she snapped.
Saks sighed. “Damn, you’re a stubborn woman.” Then he smiled. “Do I have to bend you over the pool table again?”
“No.”
“Yes.” With a swift move, he swept her off her feet.
“Put me down!”
He laughed. “Nope.”
With a few swift steps he was out the door, and Chrissy found herself in the Hades Spawn bar once more. He stepped into the alcove, with Chrissy struggling but also giggling in his arms.
“Put me down.”
“Sure,” he replied. He set her feet on the floor right in front of the pool table.
“Now,” he said. “Do I need to put you over it?”
“Saks. You’re ridiculous.”
He smiled mischievously. “No more than you trying to fight me off.”
Saks put his hands on her waist, and her eyes widened at the thought of what he did last night on the pool table. But instead of twisting her around to face the table, he leaned in and kissed her. At first, he was gentle and sweet, but then the kiss gathered force and passion, and she melted against his body. His tongue entered her mouth, coaxing her desire and need. Chrissy’s breathing hitched, and he pressed his denim- covered shaft into her hips.
He broke away and stared intently into her eyes. And she saw there what he said all along. Saks wasn’t just her lover. He was her partner, now and for eternity.
She sighed. “I’m sorry.”
He stiffened, and she realized he misunderstood what she was trying to say.
“I’m sorry that I'm difficult. It's because I’m not used to someone having my back. But what can you expect? I’m a Serafini.”