Until Sage (Until Him 2)

“I agree with you.”

“Christ, she left us alone for two days, and the only reason she even came back is because she found out the cops were at her place,” I growl, feeling pain slice through me at the thought of the woman who was meant to protect us leaving us alone to fend for ourselves when we could barely walk.

“Nalia knows all of that. She doesn’t give a fuck,” he states quietly.

“I fucked up. I should hav—”

“You didn’t fuck up. You didn’t do anything wrong. She needs to find her own way and realize for herself that sometimes you can’t fix people, no matter how hard you try. And you need to have her back while she does that.”

“I get that, but I want not one fucking thing to do with any of that.”

“And I understand that, but—”

“No, I know you and Mom have always been about forgiveness and second chances, but no.”

“What about your other siblings?”

“We’re cool. We talk now and then, but my relationship with them has nothing to do with her.”

“All right,” he murmurs, and with that, I stand, take the envelope that I will never open over to my desk, and shove it into the top drawer.

“I gotta head out,” I state as I turn and head into the kitchen and open the fridge, grabbing a bottle of water for the road. “I’ll be out of town for a couple days chasing a skip, but I’ll call and check in.” I watch my dad unfold from the chair and stand.

“Make sure you call. You know your mom worries.”

“I’ll call,” I agree, picking up my keys before heading for the door. Feeling my dad close, I open the door and grab my bag I dropped next to it earlier.

“Be safe.” He pats my shoulder as he moves past me. Lifting my chin, I lock up then move to my ride while he heads for his bike.

Kim

“HARDER, PLEASE,” I WHISPER, running my hands up the smooth skin of his back, feeling his muscles bunch at my touch.

“Slow, baby, you feel too fucking good,” he murmurs, licking and kissing up the column of my neck.

Nice.

No. More than nice. Perfect.

Pressing my head back into the pillow, I wind my legs around his hips and tip my pelvis, sending him deeper, moaning in my throat when I do.

“Goddamn, you’re beautiful.”

My face softens and I slide one hand around his waist, up his abs, chest, and neck, stopping at the underside of his jaw to run my fingers along the sculpted edge there.

“No.” I shake my head, swallowing over the lump forming in my throat. “You’re beautiful.” And he is, the most beautiful man I’ve ever seen.

Waking with tears in my eyes, I roll to my side and wrap my arms around my stomach. He’s still torturing me. Months later, the memory of him is still torturing me. “You need to get over this.”

I roll to my back and watch the rain beat against the skylight as I blink away the tears in my eyes. A few months ago, Sage came to me and apologized for the way he treated me. I told him I accepted his apology, but I lied. The time that had gone by before his apology had given me a lot of time to think, and the more I thought about what went down, the more upset I got.

Yes, he was wronged, but if he had felt even a fraction for me of what I had felt for him, he would have at least heard me out. He would have at least let me tell him about Kelly, but he didn’t do that. He made assumptions and said shit to me that I can’t get out of my head. Shit still hurts every time I think about it.

Three weeks after that apology, he asked me to have dinner with him. I didn’t say, “Fuck you,” like I wanted to. Instead, I lied and told him I was seeing someone—that someone being my best friend, who also happens to be gay. Yes, I lied, but once bitten, twice shy. I may have fallen for the charms of Sage Mayson once, but there’s no way in hell I would do it again. But that doesn’t mean my heart has given up on the idea of him. Every time I see him, I remember exactly what I felt in those moments we had together.

Letting out a long, deep breath, I sit up. Today would be the perfect day to do nothing but lie in bed and read. Unfortunately, I have a doctor’s appointment that I need to get to, and if I don’t get up now, I never will. Hearing my cell phone ring in the living room, I sigh. I’m sure it’s my mom calling to remind me about the appointment, since she’s the one who set it up.