Chapter Five
Saige stared at him, body buzzing with need. Isaac’s unusual green eyes glimmered with sincerity, and for once, she had no doubt that he meant exactly what he said. She’d learned to trust her intuition over the years, and right now, she knew he wasn’t lying. I don’t really know who he is, she mused, forcing herself to think this through. But I want to. I want to know him.
“Is Isaac your real name?” she asked.
He nodded. “Yes. But Wilson isn’t.”
Saige chewed on her lip. Clearly, he wasn’t offering to tell her his true last name. Should she press at him? She shook her head, deciding that she didn’t care. He pissed her off, but weirdly, he also made her feel safe. And I need to feel safe right now. The call with her father and the niggling feeling that someone was stalking her had thrown her completely out of whack. Isaac is large enough to pound my dad to a pulp, she suddenly realized, looking up at him. He held himself still above her, careful not to crush her with his weight. The thought of him defending her made her want him even more. This is nuts, but I don’t care. I’m tired of always being careful.
“Saige? You with me?”
Fuck it. “Whatever your name is, I’m sure,” she said, hands suddenly figuring out how to open his fly. She unzipped him and boldly reached a hand in.
“My name is Isaac. I didn’t hide that from you.” He sucked in a hard breath as her fingers found his cock. “Jesus.”
“Whoa,” she said, flushing. Isaac’s erection felt huge and warm, and she didn’t have the first clue what to do with it, despite her brash moves. Her previous disastrous attempts at making out with a few guys here and there were nothing like this. I hope he doesn’t freak out when he discovers I’ve never done this before, she thought, fingers stroking him softly. She had no idea how hard she could grip his cock without hurting him. He shuddered as her fingertips bumped the wet tip of his shaft. “Isaac?”
“It won’t bite you. I promise,” he said, a hint of amusement in his voice. His hips pushed his erection into her hand.
Saige rolled her eyes. She was inexperienced, not an idiot. “No? You promise?” she teased, not wanting him to know how clueless she was.
“My cock won’t bite, but I make no other promises,” he said, voice low and gravelly. His eyes were nearly glowing. “I wouldn’t mind if you bit me, however.” His hips pushed forward again.
Saige tilted her head, fingers exploring. His pants constrained her wrists uncomfortably. “Take these off,” she told him, wanting to get past her shyness. She wasn’t a bashful person. She’d been through too much shit in her life to not go after what she wanted, and right now, she wanted this man. This guy who made her feel things she’d never experienced before. Screw propriety. Screw waiting for Mr. Right. I want to do this.
“You first,” he said, reaching down and tugging at her t-shirt. “I want to see you, too.”
Saige lifted her arms and let him pull it off, grateful she’d worn her lacy pink bra today. From the look on his face, he appreciated it.
“Wow,” he said, hands going to her breasts.
She sucked in a breath when his fingers teased her nipples. She grabbed at her bedding, needing something to hold onto. When he let go, she almost protested, but then he stood up and kicked off his shoes. Her mouth went dry when he took off his shirt. He wasn’t a small man. Thick muscles moved under skin and soft hair that arrowed down to the vee of his hips. He pushed off his pants. His cock sprang out, and she couldn’t help but stare. His erection was huge. When he knelt down again, his powerful thighs flexed in a way that made her head spin. Nothing about this guy was small. Not one thing.
“Shh. I won’t hurt you,” he said, running his hands down her legs. He reached her boots and gently pulled them off, tossing them behind him. The solid thunks of them hitting the floor jolted her out of her reverie.
“You will not fit,” she stated, certain of that one thing.
He chuckled. “I will. I promise.” He leaned in and kissed her stomach as he held her arms down near her sides.
His stupid, messy beard tickled her belly button, and Saige laughed, trying to push him away. “Stop.”
“Stop?” he asked, fingers pressed into the inside of her elbows. He held her in place, and that only pushed her arousal higher. It felt good to let him take control, and if that wasn’t a mind-fuck, she didn’t know what was. She’d had to take care of herself since forever. Saige licked her lips. The look on his face…
“Saige? Do you really want me to stop? I will,” Isaac murmured, lips tracing along the delicate skin of her abdomen.
“No. Don’t stop,” she sighed as a fresh burst of heat shot through her. She could almost feel the intensity of his arousal. His face tightened, and he moved up again, kissing along her breasts. He let go of her arms and slid his hands under her back, unclipping her bra. He tossed the scrap of fabric away, then tugged at her tights until she lifted her hips. He rolled them down her hips.
“I’m nervous,” she blurted, like a ninny. She put her hands over her face. He’s going to think I’m a child, she thought to herself, mortified.
“I know, but there’s no need. I would never do anything to hurt you.” Isaac drew her tights all the way off, then climbed up over her and lowered himself onto her body. The heat from his skin seared hers, and she sucked in a hard breath. His cock nestled against the inside of her right thigh like a brand. He shifted, lifting her legs around his hips. He moved up, and then his erection pressed against her pussy. “You’re so wet for me,” he said, smiling. His intense green eyes glimmered with heat. “I love it.”
“God.” Saige could barely speak. Shocks of energy like static zipped along her spine. His cock nudged her clit, teasing her. She shuddered, hands still on her face. She couldn’t think straight anymore.
Isaac drew her fingers away from her eyes and kissed her cheek. “We don’t have to do this. We can still stop. We can stop any time you want. Just say the word.” He pinned her hands to the bed near her head, then rolled his hips again. His erection slid along her pussy, spreading her cream over her clit.
Fuck, that’s so hot. Who knew I’d like being held down like that? Saige squirmed as she shook her head. She was already too far gone. She dug her heels into his lower back. He didn’t even flinch. He’s really strong.
“Be sure. Tell me how you feel, with words.” Isaac let go of her hands.
Saige swallowed, hard. He wasn’t giving her any way to make excuses for herself later, was he? “No. I don’t want to stop,” she replied, cupping his face. She swore she could feel his emotions pressing at her skin. He felt strong and steady and … safe? “Why do you feel so sure this is okay? I can tell you’re certain about this. I can tell you want to take care of me.” She shook her head, confused. And being confused and aroused at the same time is really messing with my head.
He kissed her. “I can sense things that other people can’t.” He leaned back, eyes dark with heat. “So can you.” He tilted his head. “Which is very interesting.”
She frowned, trying to ignore the way his erection throbbed against her skin. More moisture gathered in her pussy, making her ache. She wanted him inside her. She’d never wanted to get this close to a man before. “Too much talking,” she said breathlessly.
He chuckled. “We can certainly change that,” he said, kissing her more deeply. He rolled his hips, sliding the crown of his cock over her clit again and again.
Saige kissed him back, sinking her hands into his hair. “You’re going to have to explain everything to me eventually, you know,” she said, letting go of her doubts. She’d always had a sixth sense about people. She’d known Isaac was lying about who he was, and she knew that she could trust him anyway. He pissed her off, but only because she sensed the integrity at the center of all of his evasions. “Are you going to tell me who you really are?”
He stilled, then nodded. “I promise you’ll know.”
Saige gripped his hair, hard. “That isn’t an answer.”
He leaned back, hips slowly moving again. “It will be. I promise.”
Saige gasped. How did he know exactly what to do to make her crazy? “Isaac, please. No more teasing.”
“Look at me, Saige.” He waited until her gaze met his. “Do you trust me?”
“I don’t want to.” She bit her lip. His eyes bored into hers, damn him. He knows how I feel. I’m not sure how, but he knows.
“Trust me, Saige.” He ran a thumb along her lips, then stroked down her body. He knelt up, cock sliding across her labia. He teased her nipples again, and then slid a hand down to her pussy. “You’re so fucking beautiful.” He put a thumb on her clit. “Let go, Saige. I’ve got you. I promise I won’t let you fall.”
She writhed as he slid his thumb over the bundle of nerves again and again relentlessly.
“Look at me,” he said, finger still moving.
Saige didn’t know when she’d closed her eyes. She forced them open, staring up at the man above her. Isaac’s hair was a mess, but his eyes… Dear God, he looks like something supernatural, she thought. Pleasure shuddered through her, but she wasn’t quite at the edge. Not yet.
“Are you with me?” he asked, almost growling. His control was obviously just as shredded as hers.
She nodded. What the hell else could she do? No one had ever made her feel like this before. “Come on, Isaac.” Her voice cracked. “Stop playing and just do it.”
He reached down and grabbed himself, then put his cock at her entrance. “Deep breath, Saige.”
Saige gasped involuntarily when he began to press forward. He was so big she felt like he was going to tear her apart, but then he put his fingers back to work on her clit and pleasure sparked all through her. “Oh, my God. What the fuck are you doing to me?”
“Saige,” he groaned, hips moving slowly. “You feel so fucking amazing.”
“Isaac, don’t stop,” she moaned, feeling him filling her up.
He laughed shortly. “Yeah, no. Not stopping,” he said, face tight with concentration.
He looks like a man hanging onto the side of a cliff, and wondering if he should let go, she thought, sensing a sudden, shocking cascade of emotions rolling over her. Were they his? She grabbed his shoulders, desperate for something to hold onto. He felt as solid as stone. She dug her fingers into his warm skin. “Isaac, what’s happening?” She had no idea if she was supposed to feel so much. His cock slid in further, and then he stopped.
“Let me in, Saige,” Isaac said, voice straining. “I can’t do this unless you trust me.” He stared at her, desperation on his face. “It’ll be okay.”
Saige shook her head, desperate to get him to move. “I don’t understand. What are you asking me to do?” He was already inside her. His cock filled her up completely. Her emotions … well, they’d broken open in a way she hadn’t thought possible. Is this love? Instinctively she knew she had to trust Isaac, or everything would fall apart. “Isaac, please…”
He squeezed his eyes shut. “I am asking you to let me inside your mind, and I’m sorry. I didn’t know…” He trailed off, and then his expression tightened even more. He opened his eyes and stared down at her, intense and overwhelming. “Saige. It’s okay.” He cupped her cheeks, eyes steady. “I promise it will be okay.”
Saige didn’t care anymore what the hell he was wrestling with. She trembled, on the cusp of orgasm. “Move, Isaac. Please. Do it before I break into pieces.”
He licked his lips, then kissed her like a man drowning. When he pulled back, Saige dug her fingers into his shoulders again. “Isaac.” His emotions teased at her brain: safety and strength and purpose, all rolled up into one delicious package.
“Look at me,” he said.
Saige moved her hands to his wrists, feeling nearly insane with need. “You have to move.” She wrapped her legs around him and tilted her hips, urging him to thrust. She didn’t care if it hurt anymore. She moved her hands to his hair, pleading with him wordlessly. “I want this.”
He shuddered, still staring at her. “I swear to God, Saige, I would never hurt you.”
“I know. Jesus, I know,” she replied. She did know. She could feel his sincerity, and that weird intuition she’d always trusted told her to let him in.
“Trust me,” he said, again.
She frowned, not understanding, and then the cascade of emotions intensified. She groaned as pleasure shook through her. His face tightened, and everything went blurry, except for a brilliant, piercing light that seemed just out of reach. She stretched out, and the star zoomed in to meet her. She heard Isaac growl, and a door opened in her mind. Pleasure rushed through her as countless scenes from Isaac’s life screamed past her inner vision. His emotions threaded through hers. She screamed, or cried, and tried to speak, but her mouth wouldn’t work. The next thing she knew, Isaac was fucking into her, hard and furious and desperate.
“Oh my God,” she managed to say, voice barely a whisper. She still had her hands in his hair, but she could feel him in her head. And she knew things about him, suddenly. “You’re a Sentry,” she croaked, still cascading through the pleasure.
“Yes.” His thrusts shoved her up the mattress.
Saige didn’t care. She didn’t give a fuck about anything right now except how freaking good he felt inside her body. Inside my mind. “Isaac. This is crazy.”
He licked his lips as he slowed his movements, eyes gone jade dark. “No. It’s fate. You’re my perfect match.” He kissed her, hard and bruising.
“Oh, fuck.” Saige squeezed him tighter, feeling his pleasure as if it was hers. Or maybe it was hers? Before she could say anything more, an orgasm ripped through them both. Isaac groaned, hips snapping hard into her. His pubic bone ground against her clit, and Saige cried out, spine tingling as her climax shuddered through her. Isaac held her so close she could barely breathe. She liked it. She wanted to crawl inside him and never let go. His cock jumped as he continued to orgasm, and his warmth spread all through her body. She squirmed as his pleasure triggered another peak in her body. His emotions seeped into her: satisfaction, joy, wonder, and worry.
“Isaac, what’s happening?” Saige managed, but he swallowed her words with his mouth. Another wave of pleasure swelled up, and Saige cried out as her spine bowed. Isaac buried his face in her neck as he slid his arms around her waist, fucking into her again. His hips slammed into her body, and then another orgasm swept through them both. When the sparks finally began to fade, he lifted his face. Saige stared at him. She couldn’t move. His body surrounded hers, inside and out, and she liked the way it made her feel. “Isaac.” Her voice broke.
“It’s okay, Saige,” he said, and then he dropped his head down onto her shoulder, breathing hard. Aftershocks trembled through them both. Saige held onto him, feeling as if she would drown if she let go. This man is a Sentry, her mind whispered to her, but she shied away from the knowledge.
A long moment later, he rolled over, bringing her with him. He tucked her into his side, gentle and sure. “So.”
Saige waited for him to say more, but he didn’t. She frowned. “That’s the first thing you say to me? That’s the only thing you have to say?” She shook her head, but didn’t move away. The last thing she wanted to do was let go of his solid warmth, but all too soon the reality of what they’d just done began to seep into her consciousness.
“Shh,” he said, kissing the top of her head.
“Don’t shush me, Isaac,” she blurted, just beginning to understand the implications of what they’d just done. “My God. You’re over two hundred years old!” She propped herself up on her elbow, mind racing with a jumble of confused images.
“Yes.” He looked at her, eyes steady.
Saige narrowed her gaze. “I know you don’t feel as calm as you look.”
He grimaced. “I won’t be able to keep any secrets from you anymore, will I?”
Saige rolled her eyes. “You couldn’t before, either. Don’t fool yourself.” She didn’t know whether to hold onto the feeling of safety he offered, or give in to her indignation. What they’d just done was a hell of a lot more than just sex. He looked at her, eyes never more honest than in that moment. She studied his face. She could see his true identity now, behind that stupid beard of his: Sentry Isaac Dawn. One of the most important men on the planet had just made love to her. Awe warred with irritation in her head. “What the hell are you doing teaching history?”
Surprise chased across his face, but then he smiled. “I’m not sure, to be honest.”
Saige glared at him. “Bullshit.” She sensed his uncertainty as if it were her own. “I can fucking feel your emotions, Isaac. What the hell did you just do to me? And why?”
He sighed. “The truth?”
Saige nodded.
“I felt restless. I’m always restless, and I travel a lot, but this was different. I felt … unmoored, so I decided to come here, where I’d built a home for myself a long time ago. When I started teaching, the restlessness disappeared.” He paused, then continued when Saige didn’t say anything. “I met you. Everything changed.”
At least he’s being completely honest, now, she thought, struggling to digest his words and line them up with the flashes she had of his life. When they’d made love, his mind had touched hers, and now his memories welled up in her brain in an overwhelming flood of images.
“But you already know all that,” he said, reaching a hand up to her hair. He fingered one of the short strands, then touched her cheek. “You lived through my memories, Saige.” He sighed, thumb running over her lips. “And I lived through yours.”
Saige bit his finger, savoring the spark of arousal in his gaze. “Is that what they are? Memories?” she asked, already knowing the answer.
“You know what they are,” Isaac said softly, pulling his hand away. “Just let it happen. They’ll settle properly in your head after a little while.” He paused. “Or at least, that’s what I’ve been told.”
“Who told you?” she asked.
“My brothers.” He leaned up and kissed her softly, then pressed his forehead against hers. “I have your memories now, too, you know. It goes both ways.”
Saige wanted to toss her head, push him out of her bed, but she also wanted to snuggle closer. “I don’t understand anything anymore,” she whispered, already knowing that was a lie. She understood too much. Pieces of his life flashed through her mind. She knew things, now. Things about Isaac. Things about his family. His parents were dead, tragically lost when his mother was kidnapped. The separation had hurt them somehow, and Isaac’s father and mother died. He and his brothers had some insane technology she could barely believe was real. He piloted starships. She shook her head. His hands fell away.
“We paired,” he said, as if it were a simple thing.
“What exactly does that mean?” she demanded, sitting up. Fleeting bursts of pleasure shot through her as she moved. Looking at his face, she knew he felt it too. “Fuck,” she muttered, exasperated. “What a way to lose my virginity.” She ran a hand through her hair.
“And I’m so very honored that you trusted me with your first time,” he said solemnly. “It means a lot to me.”
A fleeting burst of irritation shot through her, and then she sighed. She had no one to blame but herself for this mess. “I wanted to hook up with you.” She said it aloud to remind herself to take responsibility. Or, at least take part of the responsibility for this, this… Ugh.
“But you didn’t anticipate being tied to me, and I’m sorry for that.” Isaac sat up, too. “Honestly? I had no idea this would happen.”
“That’s not true,” Saige said, automatically. She could always sniff out a lie.
Isaac laughed ruefully. “Well, yes and no. I hoped it might happen. I thought it could happen, but I didn’t anticipate it actually would. I thought I’d make love to you, and woo you. I didn’t expect to pair with you the first time we had sex. Not this easily. Pairing is something that requires a lot of concentration and trust. My older brother, Solomon, tried to pair with his wife for decades, and they failed. His wife died without them ever succeeding.”
“I don’t understand.” Saige frowned, confused. “Solomon? Isn’t he married now?” She searched her new memories. “To Lucy. Right?”
Isaac nodded. “Yes, but Lucy is his second wife.”
“And she’s a Sentry now, too.” Saige took a deep breath. “Okay. I have all of your memories. I can feel your emotions. What else does this ‘pairing’ thing mean?” She air-quoted the word, already knowing that there was more to this than spectacular sex. Because nothing in my life is ever simple. She wanted to feel bitter about being tied to Isaac, but the insane pleasure they’d experienced kept derailing her anger. I’ll have plenty of time to be pissed off later.
“You’re a Sentry,” Isaac said, bluntly. “You will be able to feel other people’s emotions, fight off Spiders, and use our Stronghold tech, just as I can. Our pairing added your energy to the Stronghold net, helping power it.” He lifted a shoulder. “Frankly, your ability to see through my disguise even before we had sex points to you having some sort of Sentry genetics, because no one should’ve been able to see who I was. I’m very good at blending in with humans. And that concerns me, because I thought we knew all the people the Others tinkered with.”
“Whoa, wait a second. Back up. I’m a Sentry?” Saige grabbed the sheet and pulled it up over her. She couldn’t face this conversation while she was naked. Me? A Sentry? No. No no no. Her thoughts about everything else scattered as she fixated on that one particular point. She was a college student who could barely take care of herself, let alone be responsible for anyone else. This was a disaster. She rubbed her arms, abruptly chilled.
And cue the anger, she thought. Right on time. What the hell is wrong with me? Why does every difficult thing in my life make me want to kick a wall?
“Yes.” Isaac’s tone gave no quarter.
“And this is permanent?” Saige had a sinking feeling there was more. And that thing about me having Sentry genetics … shit. Is that why Dad is so insane? He could always tell when I was lying. And he knew things. Ugh. She wasn’t looking forward to sharing that with Isaac, although he might already know, given the weird memory-sharing thing they’d just been through.
“You know it is,” Isaac said gently. He radiated calm, but Saige knew he wasn’t nearly as serene as his outward appearance implied. She could feel the uncertainty behind his other emotions.
“You’re can stop with the fake composure, right now,” she told him irritably.
He frowned, running a hand through his hair. “It’s done. Not much we can do about it. You know that.” He took a deep breath. “And I’m not going to pretend I’m upset about it. I’m not.” He looked at her. “I wanted you. I want you still.”
Saige licked her lips. He was right. She did know. “Shit.”
“Is it really so bad?”
Saige scrubbed at her face. “I don’t know.”
Isaac exhaled. “Look. We don’t have to do anything drastic right now. We have time to get used to it.”
Saige stared at him. “We can’t be separated or we’ll go crazy. That’s how your parents died. Horribly.” She remembered that much from his memories. Someone had kidnapped his mother for ransom, and his father pursued them, but not before the damage had been done. They’d been separated too long, and it hurt them. Isaac’s mother went crazy. His father went mad from grief as his mother descended into insanity, and then they both died. Isaac couldn’t save them. Even today no doctor could repair brain damage of that magnitude. The tragedy was that his parents died just when they’d finally been reunited. Saige pushed the memory back down, shuddering. She had enough of her own terrible memories without reliving Isaac’s again and again.
“We’ll be careful,” Isaac said, sounding confident.
Saige knew he was trying to make her feel better, and she appreciated that, but she still felt like her life had just been yanked out from under her. But then, what else is new? The shit has hit the fan before, and I managed. I’ll deal, just like I always do.
“And we’ll investigate your father,” Isaac added, as if he could read her mind.
“No.” She shook her head. “No way. I don’t want you to have anything to do with him.” Saige slid off the bed, wrapping the sheet around her as she stood up. She crossed her arms across her chest. Isaac lay on her bed, looking like something out of a porno film. He made no move to cover up his considerable assets. Her eyes strayed to his cock. Even soft, it looked formidable where it nestled against his thigh. I can’t believe I just had sex with an immortal. She took a deep breath. “I think you should leave.” She needed time to process this.
Isaac stared at her for a moment, and then he rose from the bed.
Saige averted her eyes, even as she sensed the hurt he quickly suppressed. Looking at him aroused too many feelings, and she wasn’t prepared to deal with them right now.
“I’m sorry,” he said, touching her cheek. “I didn’t plan this, but I promise everything will be okay.”
She nodded, soaking up the warmth radiating from his body. He was everything she never believed she could have. All the more reason to put some distance between us. I don’t know him well enough to want him this badly. What I’m feeling is not real. Not yet. She stepped away, tucking the sheet more securely around her. “I know.” Sounds of rustling told her he was getting dressed, but she kept her eyes on the floor. She did not need to watch him. She’d just end up in bed with him again. He was like a drug, and she was already addicted.
“I have something for you,” he said, closer than she expected.
Saige finally allowed herself to look up. He stood next to her with his hand out. A pretty silver ring sat on his palm.
“Oh no. No way.” She backpedaled immediately, heart pounding.
“It’s not an engagement ring, Saige,” Isaac said, green eyes shuttered. He had his emotions locked down so tightly she could barely sense him, but she could still feel enough to understand he really wanted her to take this ring.
“Isaac—” she began, not sure what she was going to say, but he cut her off.
“It’s a shield ring. It generates an energy shield when confronted with Spiders.” He closed his fist around the small piece of metal and stepped closer. “Theoretically, you have immunity to the Spiders now, just like all of us Sentries, but I’d feel better if you had it. You don’t have to wear it, but keep it on you. Please.” He grabbed her hand and pried her fingers apart, depositing the ring on her palm.
Saige couldn’t stop her heart from banging on her ribs. “I don’t want it.” The ring meant too many things to her, regardless of what Isaac said about it.
“It’s yours. I prepared it for you even before I knew I’d end up here today.” He closed her fingers around it. “Just…” He sighed and stepped back, running a hand through his hair again. “Please. Just keep it in your pocket or something. Okay?”
Saige hated how much she liked the feel of the ring against her skin. It buzzed, telling her it was more than an ordinary piece of jewelry. “I make no promises.”
Isaac blew out a breath, obviously exasperated.
Anger surged through her. “You might know my past, but you clearly don’t understand what I’m feeling right now, Isaac,” she said angrily. “I thought this would be a fun hookup so I could get you out of my system, and instead I’m stuck with you. That’s not cool.” Saige let all of her frustration rise to the surface, even as she knew she wasn’t being fair to him. He’d warned her, and she ignored him. Her guilt made her even angrier. “And you. Look at you! You’re just fucking happy about it! You’re fucking delighted!”
Isaac stepped back further. “I always wanted someone to pair with, and then I met you. And you are so much more than I ever expected.” His eyes glimmered with patience and something else. Something enticing.
God, why is he so perfect? Saige thought, forcing herself to look away. “Just go, Isaac. I’m sorry, but I’m not a good person to be around right now,” she said, pissed with herself now. She wanted him all over again. She wanted the safety he offered, and the strength that seemed to be so much a part of him he didn’t even notice projecting it. And wanting those things made her angry. She’d been taking care of herself for a long time now, and she wasn’t about to start relying on someone else, especially not a man who walked around the world wearing a disguise. “We hardly know each other.”
“That isn’t true,” he said in a low voice. “We know everything about each other.”
She glared at him. “That doesn’t make me feel any better. We don’t know how to be together.” She looked away. “I don’t need you to take care of me.” Maybe if she said it enough times, she’d believe it. Saige rubbed her eyes. “I don’t know how to deal with this.” She hated the way she was acting, but she couldn’t seem to stop herself. She took a deep breath. “Look. Just give me some time. A few hours. A day. Anything.”
He frowned. “I know this is overwhelming, but only time will fix that.” He strode over to her and cupped her cheeks. Before she could protest, he dropped a quick kiss on her lips. “Whatever happens, we’ll figure it out, Saige. I don’t ignore my responsibilities.” He walked over to the door. “You can have some time, but I won’t leave you alone for long. You know that. I can’t leave you alone.”
“I don’t know if a day will be enough,” Saige said, anguished. “I’m broken. I’ll always be broken. You should never have tied yourself to me.” The anger that moved across Isaac’s face frightened her, and then she realized that he wasn’t angry at her. Or at least, not in the way she thought he was.
He strode back over to her. “Don’t put yourself down like that, Saige,” he said fiercely. “Of all people, I know what it means to feel broken. I know what it’s like to make terrible choices. And I know what it means to drag yourself back up to your feet.” He cupped her shoulders. “When my parents died, I knew it was my fault. I hesitated when those men took my mother. I could’ve stopped them, but I was young and stupid, and then it was too late. I had to own that mistake.” He shook her gently. “You are not broken. Past trauma doesn’t have to haunt you forever.”
She caught her breath as his emotions raked over her newly strengthened empathic gift. He felt so strong and certain, and she didn’t understand him. Stupid girl, she berated herself. So fucking stupid. He’s a Sentry. He may be easygoing on the surface, but that isn’t all of who he is, and you know that. “You don’t understand. It’s different for me,” she insisted, feeling guilty as hell. And scared that he’d believe what she said. Scared that she truly was irreparably damaged. What man would want a woman who couldn’t handle intimacy? Who pushed him away every time he tried to touch her?
“I do understand, but only time will show you that. That is the truth,” he finally said, his voice hard as iron. “That one time I fucked up taught me a hard lesson I will not ever forget. And I don’t abandon my family, even when they try to push me away.” With that, he opened the door and strode out, leaving her standing naked in the middle of the room.
And for the first time since she’d met him, she felt truly alone.