Hot & Heavy (Lightning 2)

Sage holds me tight—arms around my shoulders, leg around my hips—her body cradling mine as I shudder against her.

When it’s over, when I can finally think again—finally breathe again—I slowly pull out of her. Gently lower her to the ground.

She wobbles a little as I pull back, so I keep a hand braced against her stomach as I deal with the condom. “You okay?” I ask softly.

“Yeah.” She still looks dazed. “I’m good.”

I can hear two women talking somewhere down the hall, so I move closer, angling my body to give cover to hers. She smiles a little sleepily, and I don’t even try to stop myself from leaning in for another kiss.

I keep it easy on purpose, light, and Sage relaxes into it, her body melting against mine even as her lips turn up in a grin.

Eventually, the voices disappear into the bathroom. With nothing left to protect her from, I pull away. Then bend down and scoop up her pants and underwear.

Draping her pants over my shoulder, I hold her panties out for her to step into. She looks at me, a little bemused, but she goes along with it, bracing herself on my shoulders as she steps into them.

I do the same for her pants, then kiss her again as I fix the mess I made of her blouse. When her body is finally covered again—every gorgeous inch of it—I pull back. And look at her. Just look at her.

She’s beautiful like this—skin flushed, lips dark rose and swollen, eyes nearly iridescent. Her hair is asymmetrical—pixie short on one side and angled down to her chin on the other—and I take a second to run my hands through the softness of it.

She smiles at me, arches into my hand, and I don’t even fight the urge I have to kiss her again. Normally I’d be out the door by now, but there’s something about her that keeps me here. Something about her that makes me want more. More of this. More of her.

I move to deepen the kiss, but voices sound from down the hall again. Sage stiffens in my arms, pulls away.

I let go of her immediately, take a couple steps back. After the intensity of the last twenty minutes, it feels strange not to be touching her. Wrong.

“I should get back to the party,” she says, putting even more distance between us. For the first time, things feel awkward.

I don’t like it, any more than I like the distance she seems hell-bent on putting between us.

“Can I get your number?” I ask, pulling my phone from my pocket.

“I…don’t think that’s a good idea.”

Her answer is such a surprise that for long seconds I just stand there, blinking at her. I can’t remember the last time a woman refused to give me her number. Maybe never?

I know I should be graceful about it, but I’m so shocked that I can’t help but blurt, “Why not?”

Her eyebrows go up. “Excuse me?”

“I’m sorry. It’s just, I’d really like to see you again.”

She bites down on that rosy red lower lip of hers, worries it between her teeth. “I, um—”

“Sage! There you are!”

I glance down the hallway to find the redhead who’d been eye-fucking Clay heading toward us. “Come on, silly! It’s time for the cake! You don’t want to miss Skye cutting off that big ole dick, do you?”

Sage makes a choking sound deep in her throat, mutters something that sounds an awful lot like, “Who’d want to miss that.” Then she’s turning to me, a polite but distant smile on her face that belies everything we just did together. “I should go. Autumn gets pretty strident if you cross her.”

“Of course.” I step back, then make one more try. “How about I give you my number? Then you can text me if you decide you want to go to dinner or for a drink.”

She glances over her shoulder, then turns back, eyes wide as she realizes how close Autumn is getting. “I’m going to pass. But, thanks. I had…a really good time.”

Pass. She’s going to pass. Women usually jump through hoops to get my number, and Sage is going to pass. I’m not sure I understand what’s going on here.

I don’t say that though. Instead, I nod and say, “Yeah. Me, too.” Then watch as she heads down the hallway and intercepts Autumn before she can get to us.

I continue watching as the two of them head back to the main part of the bar, a little stunned and a lot intrigued. Sage and I just had the best sex I’ve had in I don’t even know how long and instead of trying to explore the chemistry that led to that, she just walked away.