Chapter Twenty-Seven

Sage sucked in a breath. Stretched to her limits, she was full of him, but it was more than their bodies joining. Like liquid, he seeped into the holes of her heart and soul, sealing all the fissures and making her complete.

Never had a man looked at her the way he did with eyes full of love and compassion. Kissed her with lips that left heat long after they were gone. Hands that held her gently but firmly enough to let her know he was there and he had her.

No one had seen to her needs before their own. Not purposefully anyway.

His movements were slow and deep. Every stroke, every touch, every kiss was a promise of everything. If this was everything, she wanted more. Nothing different. Just more.

“Oh God.” Her hips lifted to meet each thrust.

Her fingertips skimmed the hard edges of his body. She reveled in the ridges and ravines of his muscles. His skin remained bronzed, despite the lack of sun from a long, cold winter. She loved the way his eyes turned emerald green when passion filled him. Eyes that stared down at her now. In their depths, past the hint of blue and speckles of gold circling the black, was love.

Her lungs seized as the impact of what she saw and felt became known. Cannon Bishop loved her.

Although it would be so easy to lie to herself, she couldn’t. What she felt for him was profound. What started as loathing had turned to love.

She cautioned herself, because Sage gave her heart too easily. Was this love she was feeling, or was he another project like the goldfish, the butterfly, the bird? Was he the man who could fill her world with happiness, or another who would take everything and leave her in despair?

As he moved in and out of her body, she held her hand to his heart and felt it beating, its steady rhythm a reminder he had taken nothing from her. She’d given it freely. She’d opened her heart to love him, and if that turned to hurt, then so be it. To have loved him for a second was better than not to have loved at all.

“You with me, sweetheart?” He pressed his lips to hers. The fog of her thoughts cleared. It was just them, and no one else.

“I’m with you, always.”

She pulled her knees up and wrapped her legs around him, pulling him closer—deeper. Mouths met. Tongues sparred. Hands roamed. All the while, their eyes never lost sight of each other.

The buildup was slow and delicious. Each time she didn’t think she could rise any farther, he took her a step higher. What started as a tingling in her core burst like an explosion around him. His name rushed from her lips.

She gripped his hips tightly so he’d stall his motion and feel her shudder around him. He plunged forward once more and stilled. “Jesus, Sage.” Strung tight with tension, he fell over the edge with her, then collapsed half on and half off her body.

His labored breath tickled her bare skin.

Entwined with each other, they fought for calm.

Her hand slid up and down his back. Bumps rose under her fingertips. “I’d give anything to hear your thoughts,” she said.

The low rumble of laughter vibrated against her skin. “Are you sure about that?”

She pushed him off her and rolled onto her side to face him. “What are you thinking?” Even though she would have loved for him to say something like, “I’m thinking about how much I love you,” she knew it was too soon. The thirty-year-old cynic knew it wouldn’t happen, but her inner sixteen-year-old romantic wanted it anyway. “Tell me,” she pressed.

He pulled her close to his body, where she could feel his steely hardness probe her thigh. “I’m thinking we need to do that again.”

“Seriously?” She had no idea a man could be ready again so fast, but then again, it became apparent Cannon wasn’t an average man.

He pulled off the spent condom and wrapped it in a nearby tissue. “Only when you’re ready.”

She curled into his open arms. “Anything for you, Cannon.”

“Be careful what you promise.” He reached for his wallet, where another foil packet waited.

She took it from his hand. “Be careful what you ask for.”

In spite of all the words of caution, Sage rolled on the condom and straddled him. She was a giver, not a taker. She’d accepted everything he offered and intended to give more than she took.

When she settled her body onto his length, she watched his eyes roll back. Never had she seen the look of bliss until then. Pure, unadulterated satisfaction shone in the softness of his expression, beat in the rhythm of his heart, and hummed in the deep timbre of his voice.

She paced herself so they reached climax together, and although it was the end of this moment, she knew it was the start of everything.

The rich aroma of coffee filled the air. Sage rolled over, reaching for the body that had enveloped her all night. It was no longer naked or under the blankets. She opened her eyes one at a time to take in the sight of a shirtless Cannon sitting in bed beside her, propped up against the headboard. In one hand he had a cup of coffee, in the other a newspaper.

She rolled over and laid her head on his bare stomach while her hands rubbed the soft cotton of his sweatpants.

“You awake?” He set the paper down and ran his free hand through her hair. She wanted to groan, because she knew what her hair looked like on a good day. There was no telling what the mop on her head looked like after a naughty night.

“Barely.” She pulled herself up to sit beside him. Her head rested on the firm muscles of his chest. “Are you going to share that coffee?

“It’ll cost you a kiss.” He tipped it to her lips. There was something about a cup of fresh brew that made her blood pump, or maybe it was the sexy man who had rocked her world all night. Or . . . maybe it was both. She swished the coffee in her mouth and swallowed. With a tilt of her head, she sought out his lips, and that was the start of their morning.

In all honesty, she was game to stay in bed and feast on Cannon all day. Under the sheets, it was only them. There weren’t the stresses of the world. No drunken father. No noisy honeymooners. Just them. But by noon, both of their stomachs were louder than their sounds of satisfaction. To keep up with the activity that brought them so much pleasure would require sustenance.

“I’ve got Pop-Tarts at my place.”

“Let’s shower, and I’ll cook.” He hopped off the bed. Before she could roll out of bed herself, he had her wrapped in his arms.

“You cook?” All she could think about was that she’d hit the lottery. He was a man who had mad bedroom skills, and he cooked.

“My mother insisted on it.” He set her on the cold bathroom counter while he turned on the shower. “She sat Bowie and me down when we were teenagers.” He pulled two towels out from under the sink and placed them next to her.

“Was this the birds and bees talk?”

“Yes, but it was more. She said if we had a woman in our lives, it should be because we wanted a partner, not because we wanted a hot meal or clean clothes.”

“I wish I could have met her.”

A soft smile framed his face. “I wish you could have, too. She would have liked you.”

Although Sage would never meet Cannon’s mom, it meant a lot that he’d given the seal of approval on her behalf.

“Did you check on your dad?” They had left the cocoon of Cannon’s bed, where nothing but them existed. Back in the real world, she had to consider others, and Ben’s well-being was a huge consideration.

“I did. He’s not here.”

Her heart raced. “Oh no.”

Cannon brought his hands to her lips. “He’s okay.” The steam from the shower floated around them. He dropped his sweat pants and lifted her from the counter. They both entered the warmth of the soothing water.

“Good.” There were so many questions she had, but she leaned back and let the water wash them away. Cannon would share what he wanted. One thing she’d realized about him was that if she waited, he’d give her everything.

“I got up when I heard him. I made him coffee. Even set a bottle of vodka on the table.”

Sage picked up the bar of soap and ran it over his body. He leaned against the wall and closed his eyes.

“What did he do?”

“He measured a shot. Downed it. Drank the coffee.” He pushed off the wall and towered over her. “You know what else he did?”

Sage searched Cannon for injury. She analyzed his expression for internal pain. There was nothing but a smile. “No idea.”

“He apologized, and then he asked me for a ride to the bakery. Told me he had painting to do.”

Sage dropped the bar of soap. “No kidding.”

“How is it you show up in town and turn everything upside down, and yet it all feels right? Your presence, unwelcome at first, has become my saving grace. You came when I needed you the most. You saved me.” He covered her mouth with his and showed his gratitude with an earth-moving kiss.

“I didn’t save you.” She hated the word save or anything to do with it. Saving someone was impossible. She knew the truth of that now. “All I did was show up. I stirred things up. Sometimes that’s all it takes.”

“Call it what you want. I know what you did.”

It sounded like she had a master plan, but she didn’t. “All I did was care.”

“That was enough.”