Chapter 7
Kim
PARKING NEAR THE large fountain in the driveway at Dillon and Ashlyn’s house, I shut down my car, slip off my seatbelt, and open the door, grabbing the bouquet of flowers I got her from the passenger seat. Getting out, I push the door closed with my hip and head around the hood of my car and up the large front steps toward the double front doors. I’ve never been to this house, but before Ashlyn and Dillon were a thing, Ashlyn would complain about how obnoxious Dillon’s place was. So it’s pretty damn funny, seeing how it’s now the place she calls home.
Pressing the doorbell, I wait for someone to answer then put my face to the glass on the side of the door to see if anyone is moving around inside. Ashlyn told me that she and Dillon would be hanging out at home most of the day and to just show up when I got off work, so I did. Now I’m wondering if I should’ve sent a text or called to make sure they’d be around. Hearing the door being unlocked, I pull myself from the glass, wondering how I didn’t spot anyone, and then smile at Dillon when I see it’s him.
“Hey,” he greets with a warm smile as he opens the door. “Ash has been waiting on pins and needles for you to get here.”
“I should have called to tell her that I was going to be a little longer than I thought. The shop was busy all day,” I say quietly as I step into the house.
“It’s all right,” he assures as he closes the door and guides me through a large foyer with two sets of stairs that lead to the second level and down a hallway. “She’ll be back in a second. She ran up to see if she could find her damn cat. He’s been in hiding all day.” We step into a large room that has bookshelves lining the walls and a fireplace in the middle of the room, with a comfy looking couch and two chairs surrounding it. “Do you want something to drink?”
“Water would be good,” I reply as I spot Ashlyn standing in the doorway with her ugly, angry-looking cat hissing in her arms. Staring at me, her eyes fill with tears, and I hear Dillon curse right before she disappears behind his large frame as he wraps his arms around her. Watching the hairless cat drop to the floor and run out of sight, I stand here not sure what to do with myself. I’ve been friends with Ashlyn for a long time now, and I’ve never felt awkward around her before, but suddenly, it feels like she’s a stranger.
“I’m okay,” I hear her say, and it takes a second, but Dillon lets her go only to take hold of her face between his hands.
“You sure?”
“Yeah,” she replies with a nod, and he leans down, pressing a kiss to her forehead before letting her go and turning to look at me.
“I’ll get you some water.”
“Thanks,” I say as he turns to leave. Looking at Ashlyn, I hold the flowers out awkwardly toward her. “These—”
I don’t have a chance to finish my sentence. Before I can do little more than open my arms to prepare myself, she rushes across the room, engulfing me in a hug that takes me back a step.
“I’m so sorry, Kim, so, so sorry,” she whispers, and tears instantly fill my eyes as her words rush through me, leaving me off-balance once more.
“You have nothing to be sorry about,” I murmur, closing my eyes. “None of this was your fault.”
“I just know you must hate me for not doing more, for not—”
“You were drugged and kidnapped from your bed in the middle of the night,” I cut her off, reminding both of us of what took place. Kelly had gone to that crazy man willingly. Ashlyn had not. She was an innocent victim. She didn’t deserve anything that happened. Not that Kelly deserved to be murdered by someone, but my sister’s lifestyle was full of careless acts that constantly got her into trouble.
“I just… I… I wish I could have done more,” she confides, pulling away, and I shake my head at her as she accepts the flowers from me. Setting the bouquet on the coffee table, she takes my hand and pulls me to the couch that is just as comfortable as it looks. Wiping away the wetness from my cheeks, I lift my head as Dillon comes back into the room offering us each a bottle of water before picking up the bouquet and leaving without a word.
Spinning off the top of the bottle, I take a sip before setting it down and looking at her. “Please don’t cry,” I plea quietly when I see tears falling from her eyes and down her cheeks in waves.
“I’m just glad you’re here.” She takes my hands and squeezes them tightly. “I thought you were dead. You don’t know how relieved I was when I found out that it was…” She pauses as the same guilt I’ve been feeling fills her eyes. Pulling in a breath, she moves her eyes past me and closes them. “I didn’t know her. I knew you had a twin, but I didn’t know it was her. I thought—”
“I know.” I squeeze her hands. “Did… did she say anything? Did you talk to her?” I ask, and her sorrowful eyes come back to me.
“No, when…” Her eyes close again before she opens them back up. “When I woke up, I heard her… I heard her…” She cuts off her own words and shakes her head like she wants to get rid of whatever memory she’s having. “He tossed her into the room with me. I was so out of it,” she whispers, and I hold on to her now shaking hands tighter. “I was asleep in bed with Dillon, then I was there. I couldn’t remember anything happening before that moment. I thought I was drunk. It felt like I was drunk. My head was pounding and everything was blurry. I didn’t know where I was. I thought I was dreaming.”
“Ash,” I whisper.
“I saw her. She was barely alive. I thought she was you, and I knew I needed to get free to get us both out of there, but he came back,” she explains, and my own hands start to shake from the fear I hear in her voice. “He…” Her eyes fill with distress, and she visibly shivers. “I passed out, and when I woke up, I was free. I…” She forces me to let her hands go then pulls me in for a hug. “I checked on her, but she was already gone. I was too late. She was already gone. She freed me before she—” Her voice cracks as she sobs, and my chest aches with her unspoken words. “She saved me,” she whispers. “Because of her, I was able to get away from him.”
I drop my face to her shoulder as I absently hear the sound of the doorbell ring through the house.
“I’m sorry, Kim,” she says, and I squeeze my eyes closed as a sob I can’t hold in any longer rips painfully from my chest.
Suddenly, Ashlyn is gone and the familiar scent of Sage is cocooning me. Burying my face in his shirt, I hold on to him and cry while his hands smooth over my hair and he whispers soothingly into my ear. It takes a long time to stop crying, and when I’m finally able to pull myself together, I’m exhausted and a headache has started to pound behind my closed eyelids.
“I shouldn’t have told her,” I hear Ashlyn say from close by, and I pull my face away from Sage’s now soaked shirt and open my eyes to look at my friend, who is standing under her husband’s arm, nervously wringing her hands together.
“I need…,” I croak out then rest my hand against my dry throat. “I—”
“Drink,” Sage commands, cutting me off by taking my free hand and pressing my bottle of water into it. His worried eyes scan my face as my hand holding the bottle shakes. Wrapping his hand around mine, he holds the bottle steady, repeating, “Drink,” as he tips it toward my mouth.
Taking a sip with his help, I sit up. Wiping at my cheeks, I pull in a much-needed, deep breath before looking at Ashlyn once more. “I needed to know,” I tell her, thankful my voice no longer cracks, even though it still feels raw from the tears I’ve cried. “I needed to know,” I repeat, and she nods, biting her lip as tears fill her eyes again.
“She saved me. I owe her everything,” she whispers, and I let those words wash through me and clean away the anger I’ve been holding on to.
No one knows why things happen the way they do. I just hope my sister is resting in peace. This life wasn’t always fair to Kelly. Yes, a lot of what happened to her was her own doing, but having been raised the way she was, it’s sadly understandable why she acted out the way she did. Why she couldn’t just accept good things when they came into her life, and why she was always waiting for the floor to crumble from beneath her feet.
Fighting back the new wave of tears I feel creeping up on me, I dig my nails into the palm of my hand until they’re gone, then stand, and go to my friend on shaky legs. I hate that she had to go through what she went through, but I’m glad Kelly was able to save her before she died.
“I love you,” she whispers as we embrace in the middle of the room.
“I love you, too. Thank you for telling me what happened, and thank you for giving me a little bit of closure,” I say, and her arms tighten before she releases a shaky breath and lets me go. Pulling in a breath of my own, I wipe at my face once more, having no doubt I look a mess. I’m sure my makeup is now all over my face and Sage’s shirt.
Sage.
I turn to look at him and blink. I knew he was here, since I cried all over him, but it didn’t really hit me until right now that he is here. He’s back. I want to run across the room to him and throw myself against his chest in happiness and relief, but I don’t do that. I stare at him like an idiot then mutter, “You’re back.”
“Yeah.”
“I….”
“We’ll be in the kitchen,” Dillon mumbles behind me, and I look over my shoulder and watch him lead Ashlyn out of the room.
“Kim.” My head swings toward Sage and I lick my lips in sudden nervousness. “Come here.” He pats the seat next to him, and I look at the couch then him.
“Did you get the guy?” I ask, and he frowns.
“Yeah, why are you looking at me like that?”
“Like what?”
“Like you wanna run away.”
“I don’t look like that,” I lie, knowing I do look like that, because there is a part of me that does want to run from him. The part of me that just realized he’s back and my parents are gone. I have no excuse to use when things between the two of us start to get too intense, and things between us tend to get intense when we’re just standing in the same room breathing the same air. It’s not about his hands or his mouth on me. It’s his presence that affects me. He has the ability to become the sun I so desperately need in order to survive, and I’m afraid if I allow myself to feel all that warmth, when he’s gone, I won’t be able to live in the shadows.
“Kimberly,” he says, snapping me out of my thoughts, and I realize he’s no longer sitting on the couch but standing in front of me with a concerned frown on his face.
“Sorry, I….”
“It’s all right,” he assures gently, stepping closer and resting his hand on my hip. Then his lips touch my forehead before he leans back, gripping the underside of my jaw in his free hand. “You gonna be okay?”
“I’m getting there,” I tell him, and his face softens. I know then just like I knew the moment I met him that I will regret it if I don’t take a chance and see what could happen between us.
“You here with me?” he questions as his thumb sweeps sweetly across my chin.
“Yes, I’m here with you.”
“Good.” He smiles then leans down to brush his lips softly over mine. “Come on.” Taking my hand, he leads me out of the room and down the hall toward the sound of Dillon and Ashlyn talking. As soon as we enter a huge kitchen, Ashlyn stands and comes around the large island in the middle of the room.
“You’re coming tomorrow, right?” she asks as soon as she’s standing in front of me, and I shake my head in confusion.
“Going where?”
“All of us are going out to dinner at Madison’s. I thought he told you already,” she says, nodding toward Sage, who drops my hand and slides his arm around my waist tucking me close to his side.
“I don’t know anything about dinner,” I state, and she frowns at me then looks at Sage.
“I thought Aunt Sophie said Kim was coming.”
“She is,” he replies, and I look at him, finding his eyes already on me. “I told my mom we would be there.”
“You did?” I ask, feeling my eyes turn squinty at his assumption.
Scanning my face, his lips twitch before he mutters, “You can yell at me later, but we’re going. My family’s been worried about you, and they want to see for themselves that you’re okay.”
“You could have asked me if I wanted to go,” I grumble, and he shrugs.
“Sage’s right. Everyone has been worried about you,” Ashlyn confirms quietly, breaking into my stare down with her cousin, and I look at her. “Everyone knew your parents were in town, so they didn’t want to bombard you, but they all want to see you.”
“Who’s all going to be there?”
“Everyone. The whole family is supposed to show up,” she says, and anxiety fills the pit of my stomach, because I know everyone also includes Sage’s parents, Nico and Sophie. “You have nothing to worry about. I promise it’s just dinner. No one is getting married,” she mutters, and I smile at that. We had told her just weeks ago that we were all having dinner, when in truth Dillon had planned a surprise vow renewal ceremony for her, since they had eloped in Vegas without anyone around. “Please say you’ll come.”
“We’ll be there,” I agree, reminding myself of my promise to be a better friend. “Are you sure it’s okay that I come?” I confirm, and Dillon chuckles.
“I don’t think you got much choice in this. I think these two bringing it up now is just a warning of what will happen tomorrow,” he says with a smile, and I smile back then look at Ashlyn.
“Thank you for having me over.”
“You’re welcome anytime,” she urges, giving me a hug before wrapping her arm around mine and leading me toward the front of the house, with Sage and Dillon following us. As soon as we reach the door, she opens it, giving me one last hug with a quiet goodbye before moving to stand under Dillon’s arm.
Sage takes my hand in his and leads me outside then down the steps to my car. “I’ll follow you to your place,” he tells me, opening my door, and I tip my head back to look up at him then shake it.
“That’s okay. I’m sure you want to get home after being gone.”
“I do, but we’ll go to my place after we stop at yours to pick you up some clothes.”
Blinking at him, I open and close my mouth like a fish out of water, trying to get my brain and mouth to work. “I’m not staying at your place,” I finally get out, while taking a seat behind the wheel and hitting the button to turn on my car. He doesn’t reply to my comment, and I wonder if he heard me, but I don’t have a chance to ask if he did before he shuts my door.
Watching him in the side mirror as he heads for his ride that is parked behind mine, I let out a breath, thinking I may be in way over my head this time.
And that’s proven true an hour later when I’m getting into his car and heading to his place with the bag I packed.
*
Sage
LOOKING OVER AT Kim sitting in my passenger seat, I smile at the windshield when I notice the scowl she’s still wearing. “You still pissed?” I ask, hiding my grin, and she turns her narrowed eyes on me.
“I think you cheated,” she states, and I start to chuckle but fight it back. “I don’t know how you did it, but I’m pretty sure you cheated.”
“You can’t cheat at Rock, Paper, Scissors, babe. It’s a game of chance,” I correct, and she gives a little huff that’s way too fucking cute.
I purposely ignored her statement about not staying with me when we were out in front of Ash and Dillon’s place and followed her home, figuring I could convince her to stay with me when I got her alone. It didn’t work. She had dug in her heels and refused to come with me, so I did the only thing I could: I challenged her.
Chris and her parents all said on more than one occasion that Kim was stubborn and would never turn down a challenge. Knowing that, I used that weakness against her. I told her that if she won a game of Rock, Paper, Scissors against me, I’d let the idea of her staying with me go and head home, but if I won, she had to pack a bag. She lost, even after demanding a rematch two more times.
“Well, somehow you found a way around that rule,” she grumbles as we turn into my driveway, and I smile at that comment.
It’s not hard to know someone’s next move in Rock, Paper, Scissors. People tend to use the move you used before them, and Kim did just that every time, not even realizing she was giving herself up.
Reaching my house, I shut down the engine and turn to look at her. “Are you always a sore loser?”
“Yes,” she admits, and I lean over, sliding my fingers over her cheek, then down her throat, and around the back of her neck to pull her toward me over the center console.
“I’ll teach you how I did it sometime, if it makes you feel better.”
“You did cheat.” Her eyes widen, and I grin right before I touch my lips to hers.
The second I feel the softness of her mouth under mine, I nip her bottom lip and she opens her mouth on a gasp, giving me exactly what I wanted, what I’ve been missing. Sliding my hand up into her hair, I use my grip to deepen the kiss then groan when she whimpers against my tongue. Her hand moves to my chest then up to my shoulders, where her nails dig in. Pulling back, I slow the kiss and rest my forehead against hers.
“I’m not having sex with you,” she says suddenly, and I chuckle, tip her head down, and press a kiss to the top of her head.
“I’m not having sex with you either,” I confirm, letting her go. It’s not that I don’t want to. There is nothing I want more than to feel her heat around my cock, to hear the little whimpers and pleas she makes when she’s under me or over me, but we need to take things slower this time. The last time we were together, it was sudden and spur of the moment, and I’m not willing to let us burn bright only to fizzle out.
“I said it first,” she gripes, and I laugh as I open the door and get out. Pulling open the rear door, I reach in, grab her bag and mine, and then meet her at the sidewalk.
Leading her into the house, I flip on the light, and then shut the door. Turning around, I stop mid-step and scan the room. The beams have all been re-stained, and the plastic that had been covering the floors is all folded and stacked in the corner with the ladder and paint cans. “What the fuck?”
“My dad and Chris got all but two of the beams done before my parents went back to Florida, so I decided to finish them while you were gone,” she says, sounding nervous, and I pull my eyes from the room to look at her as she slips off her jacket. “I’m sorry. I should have asked if it was okay to keep going.” Her eyes drop from mine.
Shaking my head, I let both bags fall to the floor, grab her jacket from her, and toss it toward the coatrack near the front door. Then I turn and pick her up, listening to her squeak as her arms fly around my neck.
“What are you doing?” she asks breathlessly as I head toward the sitting room off the kitchen.
“Thanking you,” I reply. As soon as I reach the couch, I bend at the waist and lay her down, covering her body with mine.
“Sage.”
“Right here.” Dropping my mouth to hers, I move my knee between her legs so she’s straddling my thigh. Roaming my hand down the back of her calf, I pull her ankle around my hip. Her head tips to the side, and her mouth opens on a quiet whimper. Hearing that sound and tasting her on my tongue, I press my already hard cock into her hip as her hands slide up the back of my shirt and her nails dig into my skin.
Jesus.
I move my hand over the top of her thigh, her hip, and then her stomach. Biting her lip, I cup her breast and roll my thumb over her hard nipple through her shirt, hearing her moan as I move my mouth down her chin and the column of her throat.
“Please,” she whispers, and I pick her up without thinking and take a seat on the couch with her straddling my waist. Wrapping one hand around her hip, I slide the other up her back and into her hair at the back of her head. Dragging her mouth back to mine, I feel her heat through the fabric between us as my hips lift into hers and my balls draw tight. “Please,” she repeats, rocking into me, making my teeth ache as my jaw clenches.
Ripping my mouth from hers, I fight myself for control, when every instinct is telling me to take what’s mine. With a frustrated groan, I drop my forehead to her chest.
“Um…?” She pants, and I pull in a breath through my nose and tip my head back to look at her. Her hair is wild, her eyes are glazed with lust, and her lips are swollen from my kisses. She looks beautiful. “You stopped,” she says, and I don’t smile at the disappointment in her voice, even though I want to. I’m glad I’m not the only one affected in this situation.
“You said you’re not having sex with me,” I remind her quietly as my hands smooth over her soft skin.
“Right.” She nods, looking uncertain.
Moving my hands to her hips, I rock her against my cock, letting her feel what she’s doing to me. “I want you, Kimberly.”
“Sure,” she agrees as she tries to stand, but I don’t let her. In one quick motion, I flip her to her back and nip her neck. Once I have her attention, I move my face above hers.
“Your mouth is sweet.” I lick across her lips, smiling when she gasps. “But I know for a fact your pussy’s sweeter. So until I can have all of you, I need us to slow down. You almost had me coming in my jeans like a fourteen-year-old kid who just got his first taste of pussy.”
“What?” She blinks up at me in surprise.
“Since you, there’s been—”
“Don’t,” she cuts me off, trying to push me away, almost succeeding since the move was sudden.
“Calm down.”
“Get off me!” she yells, pushing harder while using her knees to try to shove me off.
“Listen to me,” I bark close to her face, and she stills for a moment as her chest heaves against mine.
“There’s been no one since you.”
“I’m sure,” she cries, pushing against my chest once more.
Taking her hands, I hold them above her head and press them down into the couch, waiting until she stops struggling to continue. “Since the moment we met, I wanted you. And when I walked away from you, I knew. As pissed as I was for what I thought you did to me, I still wanted you and knew no piece of random pussy would change that.”
“You….” She shakes her head, and I release her hands and frame her face.
“It was you. You ruined me for anyone else. You didn’t even know you were doing it, but did it all the same.”
“But—”
“No buts,” I interrupt, taking her mouth in a soft kiss before pulling away. “I have no reason to lie to you. Even when I thought you and Chris were together, I still held out hope you’d realize I was waiting for you,” I say, watching tears fill her eyes. Then she leans up, shoving her face into my chest.
Letting out a breath, I pull her up with me and hold her against my chest, hoping my confession has brought us a little closer to my end goal.