“Yeah, I just feel like an idiot,” I confess, and his eyes soften.
“You’re not an idiot.”
“Tell that to the woman who’s had a pretend boyfriend for months because she was too afraid to face the fact she had fallen for a guy she barely knew,” I grumble, and he tucks a piece of hair behind my ear.
“You were protecting yourself. I get it.”
“You weren’t mad?”
“Mad about what?” he asks, and I stare at him in disbelief.
“That I pretended to have a boyfriend,” I supply, and his eyes change in a way that makes my skin tingle.
“You pretending to have a boyfriend didn’t only protect you. It protected me. You were off the market. Anytime anyone asked you out, you told them the same thing—you had a man—so they would back off. I’m not mad, because in the end, your lie also helped me out.”
“You’re serious?” I breathe, studying him, and his hand moves to wrap around my jaw.
“You could have taken a chance on someone else, fallen in love, and moved on. So yeah, I’m serious.”
Swallowing at the sudden intensity in his eyes, I look over his shoulder. That could have happened, but he also could have met someone else and fallen in love. I would’ve had to witness the whole thing while knowing I messed up my shot with him because I was too afraid to face my fears. Feeling his thumb move over my bottom lip draws my attention back to him.
“None of that matters now. Right now, we just focus on getting to know each other.”
I don’t agree with him verbally or by nodding. Instead, I lean up and touch my mouth to his—because I can, because I want to, and because as much as this whole thing scares me, I know I want it more than my next breath. If I end up heartbroken, I will have the memories of my time with Sage to look back on. And if this by some chance works out, I will have something amazing for the rest of my life.
“I’m hungry,” I say when the kiss starts to go from a soft touch of my lips on his to him rocking his hard length into me, with me moaning against his mouth.
“Me, too,” he agrees, and I can’t help but to laugh. Resting my forehead against his, I move my fingers along his strong jaw.
“Please feed me.”
His eyes close and his chest presses against mine as he pulls in a breath. Standing us both up, he kisses my forehead before leaving me standing in the living room. Watching him go, I wonder what I should do, and then he’s back a minute later with my bag in his hand. I follow him down the hall to his room, where he flips on the light and carries my bag to his bed, dropping it there.
“We’ll go out to get something to eat, since I don’t have anything here and need to do some shopping.”
“Sounds good,” I agree.
“I’ll stay in the guest room tonight, so you can get ready in here.”
“No,” I deny, shaking my head and trying to move around him to grab my bag.
“Yes.”
“No.” I plant my hands on my hips. “You should be sleeping in your bed,” I say, and he mutters something before walking toward the closet. Knowing he’s doing his whole ignore me thing to get his way, I start to get annoyed. “I’m not staying in here, Sage Mayson,” I state, picking up my bag and heading for the door, only to let out a squeal when I’m picked up off the floor before I make it there. Dropping the bag to the floor halfway across the room, I let out a whoosh of air a second later as my back hits the bed and Sage comes down on top of me.
“You’re sleeping in here.”
“I’m not,” I huff out, trying to push him away, only managing to somehow flip him to his back. Looking down at him, I don’t know what comes over me. One second, I’m getting ready to hop off the bed and make a run for the door, and the next, my mouth is colliding with his. Our teeth gnash together and I pull back a second before going back for more, thrusting my tongue into his mouth.
A whimper slides up my throat as he pulls his mouth from mine long enough to rip my shirt over my head. It’s then I lose what little self-control I have. I remember what it felt like the first time we were together. I remember how it felt when his mouth was on my breast against my skin and between my legs. I remember it like it was yesterday, and I want that again. I want to feel his mouth and hands on me, and I definitely want to put my mouth and hands on him.