Until Sage (Until Him 2)

“I wish I could help her,” I whisper.

His face softens. “That right there is the reason I couldn’t move on.”

“What?”

“Your soft spot, your kindness, and your need to make the people you don’t even know feel better,” he says, dropping his mouth to mine, which has opened to form a soft O. Then he leans back and runs his fingers along my forehead. “I gotta get up. You mind if I use your toothbrush?” he asks before I’ve even had a chance to recover from his sweet words or gentle touch.

At his question, I feel my face get soft and I shake my head. “No, you’re welcome to it.”

Smiling at my answer, he moves. But then he stops with his knees between mine, and I can feel the heavy, hard length of him come to rest against my lower belly and see his biceps flex as his fists go into the bed on either side of my head.

“Kiss me good. I need something to hold me over until tonight. You passed the fuck out before I even got my car started last night and didn’t even make a peep when I carried you up here, took off your clothes, and put you into bed.”

“I must have been tired,” I whisper as his mouth drops closer to mine.

“Kiss me, Kim,” he repeats his command, ignoring my excuse.

So I do.

I lean up and kiss him, but he’s the one who makes it good. And then he makes it even better when he cups my breast and tweaks my nipple before getting out of bed and sauntering out of my room naked.

Pulling my eyes from his perfect ass, I fall to my back against the pillow and grin up at the closed skylight above me, taking a second to enjoy the feelings that have filled my stomach before I roll out of bed.

After putting on a pair of sleep shorts and a tank, I head to the kitchen and make him a fried egg, cheese, and turkey breakfast sandwich. I’m searching for one of my travel mugs that doesn’t have flowers or some other girly thing on it when I see him wander naked from the bathroom and into my room. I grab the only cup I can find with a lid and quickly make him coffee that is done as soon as he comes out dressed a few minutes later.

“Here you go, for the road.” I smile, handing the sandwich and coffee to him before I open the door.

Recognizing the look in his eyes when he sees what I’ve given him is better than any thank you. Or I think it is, until he drops the stuff to the counter and pulls me against him, planting a kiss on me that causes my toes to curl.

“Thanks, babe,” he mutters against my lips, and I smile then melt against his chest once more when his hand wraps around me and he touches his forehead to mine. “See you tonight.”

“Tonight,” I agree as he lets me go.

Picking up his things, he heads down the stairs, and I watch him take a bite from the sandwich in his hand halfway down.

Yes, I’m most definitely falling for Sage Mayson, I think, closing the door when I hear the garage open.

Chapter 11

Kim

“I TOLD YOU so,” Chris says after I tell him about what’s been going on between Sage and me.

I ignore his words and focus on cutting his hair and not my fingers.

“Told who what?” Ellie asks from the sinks, where she’s cleaning up after her last client. Looking at Chris through the mirror in front of us, I silently tell him to keep his mouth shut, because no one likes a know-it-all.

“Just told Kim something, and I reminded her I retained the right to say ‘I told you so’ when she realized I was right.”

“Oh, like when she finally realized she and Sage are perfect together?” she asks, coming over while wiping her hands on a towel.

“Exactly.” Chris swings his chair around to beam at her, causing me to almost cut off my finger. “They’re meant to be together. Everyone can see it, can’t they?”

“They are perfect together,” Ellie agrees softly, holding my gaze, but then her expression shifts to worry. “Have you told him about….” Her words trail off, not that I need to hear them. I know exactly what she’s referring to, and the thought causes my heart to squeeze painfully in my chest. I know realistically that I’m running out of time to tell him about my illness, but every second we spend together, the scarier the idea of confessing gets.

“Not yet.”

“Fuck me,” Chris growls, and I tip my head down to look into his disappointed eyes. “Kim, what the hell are you waiting for?”

“I….” I have no excuse except fear. The truth is like a big dark cloud that I can see off in the distance, but right now it’s okay, because above me are blue skies and sunshine. Unfortunately, that cloud keeps getting closer, and I know when it’s overhead I’m liable to drown in its downpour.