LOGUE

“Jack?” Sadie shut the door behind her and glanced around the front rooms of Jack’s grand Victorian row home.

It turned out that Jack hadn’t completely wasted his time while hunkered down at the Ritz. Some time after they’d abandoned the park and rushed back to Sadie’s, Jack had told her all about his new company, his fingers tracing lazy patterns on her bare stomach, their naked limbs tangled up in the sheets of her bed. He was staying in D.C. for good. And so was his new consulting firm, Avery & Associates. Jack was still on the board of D&A International, but he’d sold all of his property in California and had been bursting with excitement about buying a house in D.C. Especially since Sadie had agreed to help him pick one out.

Sadie was equally giddy about helping Jack find a new home, especially since he was looking in a price range she’d only ever dreamed of affording. It had taken them a few weeks to land on the right neighborhood. Jack had made an offhand comment about looking outside of the city limits, but Sadie had quickly encouraged him to consider some of the statelier homes in the District. Jack had leaned towards Georgetown, but after Sadie pointed out that he was neither a student nor a former cabinet secretary, he agreed to visit the magnificent old townhouses that lined the streets of Capitol Hill.

Which was why Sadie was wandering through the expansive, airy first floor of the historic home that Jack had purchased six months before.

“Jack, where are you?” Sadie glanced at her phone, checking his message one more time.

Come home. Have a surprise for you. Love you.

With Jack nowhere in sight, Sadie was about to call him when she caught the glimmer of light from the grand staircase that curved up to the second floor. A mass of butterflies attacked Sadie’s stomach as she got closer.

Flickering candles were carefully placed on each of the smooth hardwood steps, their tempting glow curling upwards as the stairs rose through the house. Alight with anticipation, Sadie carefully followed the trail Jack had left for her, climbing up to the second floor and then the third. At the top landing, the candles spread out to line the hallway leading to the rooftop terrace.

Resting her hand on the terrace door, Sadie noticed she was shaking. Steadying herself with a few deep breaths, she pushed down gently on the lever and swung the door open. The rooftop was one of the things Sadie loved most about the house. Jack had taken the relatively simple space and, with the help of a fantastic landscaper, had created an oasis in the heart of the city. Leafy ficus trees provided shade while cheerful lemon trees perfumed the warm, early autumn air. Trimmed boxwoods rose up around the perimeter, the lush walls interrupted at regular intervals so that the Capitol dome was visible from one side of the terrace and their favorite park from the other. Covering the entire expanse was an intricate pergola, wisteria laced across the top, the purple flowers forming an enchanting canopy when in bloom. At this moment, however, the air those flowers filled in the spring months was consumed with candles. Hanging from delicate wires, hundreds of pricks of light flickered in clear glass votives. The effect was mirrored by even more candles on the ground, lanterns of various heights casting a decadent warmth across the beautiful space.

Sadie stood motionless, her eyes wide, one hand covering her open mouth, utterly enchanted. She only blinked when she saw Jack step out of the shadow of one of the trees, a small smile on his handsome face.     

“Sadie, love.” Jack held out his hand and Sadie found herself standing in front of him, the depth of emotion in his eyes outshining the hundreds of candles above them.

Sadie opened her mouth to respond but Jack traced the curve of her jaw with one finger and dropped a light but lingering kiss on her lips before wrapping both of her hands in one of his.

“Sadie Carter. I love you. Your heart, your mind, your soul.” Jack tipped her face for another kiss, his lips gently caressing hers as he continued. “I spent so many years working for the things that I thought mattered. My career, my company. My success. But none of it, Sadie, not one single part of it has ever brought me the peace, the joy that I find with you. I couldn’t breathe before. All that time, I was simply surviving, one shallow gasp after the other. But with you,” Jack’s eyes glowed bright and certain, “Sadie, with you I’ve come alive. You have given me love, you’ve given me a home. You’ve given me the most precious thing in the world: you.”

Jack dragged in a shaky breath and dropped to one knee. Sadie felt tears collect in her eyes as she looked down at the devotion written across Jack’s face. “Sadie, please tell me I get to keep you. Forever. Marry me, Sadie? Be mine, always.”

Sadie was nodding before Jack finished speaking, bathing him with a dazzling smile even as a few tears escaped. Through the glaze of happiness, Sadie saw Jack pull a small velvet box from his pocket and remove a ring. Releasing her left hand from his possessive grip, Jack brought the platinum band to hover at the tip of her finger, his body tense as he waited for her answer.

It took Sadie a second to realize why Jack was hesitating but as soon as her mind caught up with her emotions, she pulled him to his feet and met his mouth with a fervent kiss. “Yes, Jack. Yes. Most definitely, one-hundred-percent, yes.” Sadie barely got the words out before Jack hauled her into a crushing embrace, the ring momentarily forgotten as he pulled her tight.

Her head light and giddy, her heart bursting with joy, Sadie sighed as Jack claimed her mouth, his lips and tongue worshiping hers. Sadie slipped one hand up to cup Jack’s face, her fingers delighting in the subtle stubble roughening his skin. “Jack,” she managed between kisses, “I love you. So much, Jack, so much.”

Jack’s arms tightened reflexively around her and Sadie let her lids fall in deep and utter satisfaction.

“Don’t ever let go.”

“Never, love. Never.”

As if to prove it, Jack slipped one arm behind her legs and swept Sadie off the ground, curling her against him as he made his way to a large sofa hidden in the corner of the terrace. Gently laying Sadie on it, Jack hovered over her and captured her left hand. “Let’s get this on,” he grinned as he slipped the stunning diamond ring onto her finger. The emerald-cut solitaire was radiant in the glow of the candles and Sadie wanted to absorb its elegant, classic beauty. But Jack had other ideas. Running his fingers down the buttons that held together her sun dress, he chuckled against her lips, “And let’s get this off.”

In a matter of seconds, they were both naked and gasping against the plush cushion of the sofa. Their hands moving reverently, their lips capturing heated breaths between kisses, they made love under a blanket of candlelight. Sadie dug her fingers into Jack’s shoulders, thrilling at the play of his muscles as he moved above her. Jack threaded the fingers of one hand through Sadie’s hair, angling her head back so he could trail his tongue along the line of her throat. His other hand on her knee, Jack opened Sadie fully, wrapping her leg across his lower back as he positioned his throbbing erection against her sensitive opening.

Their eyes held as Jack entered her, and Sadie bit her lower lip as he stretched her, filling her completely, the utter bliss of their bodies joining almost overwhelming. 

Together, they coaxed each other towards that inevitable summit. Sadie rocked her hips as Jack powered into her with smooth, languid strokes. With the sparks of pleasure coalescing into a pulsing knot in her core, Sadie tilted herself up into Jack, her inner muscles tightening around him every time he entered her.

An answering groan broke from Jack’s lips where they were torturing one of Sadie’s heavy breasts. With a subtle shift, Sadie lifted her throbbing nipple to his open mouth and moaned when Jack nipped it with his teeth. That spurred them both on, Sadie’s legs gripping Jack’s hips as his stomach muscles tightened under his growing need.      

“Come with me, love,” Jack whispered against her mouth. “Come…”

Jack slipped one hand between them and pressed down on Sadie’s throbbing bud, setting off a cascade of sensations through her body. Her head thrown back, eyes squeezed shut, Sadie shuddered in rapture, the tight ripples of her sheath pulling Jack apart with her. His release breaking through him in torrid waves, Jack’s back bowed, his body surrendering to the call of the woman below him.

Sated, their slick bodies tangled together, cooling in the autumn evening air, Jack dropped his forehead to Sadie’s and let his breathing slow. He watched in delirious wonder as her mouth curled into a gloriously sated smile.

Her eyes still closed, Sadie released a shaky laugh. “For the sake of our reputation in the neighborhood, we might want to curtail our outdoor activities for a bit.”

“Oh, I don’t know,” Jack murmured, his heart pulsing with contentment. “I’d say this might be the start of a trend. We’ll see private patches of green popping up all over. After that rousing endorsement, who’d blame them,” Jack chuckled as Sadie half-heartedly slapped his side. “Besides, now that I have you, Sadie, I plan on keeping you here for a very, very, very long time.”

Sadie opened her eyes and Jack’s breath snagged at the unadulterated love and happiness glowing in their green depths. “Promise?” Sadie whispered.

“Promise,” Jack vowed, before capturing her with another kiss.