Worthy of the Harmony (Mountains & Men Book 2) (20 page)

BEFORE WE PULL
out of the parking spot, Sage puts the top down. When I ask him if we’ll get too cold, he hands me a zip-up hoodie from the back seat and makes me promise to tell him if I want him to put the top back on. Now, as he drives us away from the city, I could care less how cold I am. I like the wind in my face and the night air blowing through my hair. I like being wrapped in Sage’s scent, and I’m content to ride in his company.

I don’t know where he’s taking me, and I don’t care. All that matters is that I’m with him. He makes me happy and right now, I just want to be wherever he is, doing whatever he thinks we should do. He told me earlier that he wanted to cheer me up, and he’s done more than that already.

He drives for at least a half an hour, neither of us speaking a word. It’s a comfortable sort of silence, one we both seem to enjoy. The farther he drives, the darker the night gets. With the city lights behind us, the stars shine brighter, and I admire them—reminding myself that the world is so much bigger than me. It’s bigger than the environment in which I was raised. It’s just
bigger.
And in all of its grandeur, life can be different.
My life
can be different. I am not bound to live in the past. Just like the night sky that seems to stretch on forever and ever, I can live beyond the limits of what I’ve seen—of what I’ve known.

I’m pulled from my thoughts when Sage veers off the main road onto a dirt path. We ride through a thicket of trees that leads to a large clearing. When he stops, I swear we’re in the middle of an empty field, nothing but sky above us.

“Where are we?” I murmur, looking over at him. He’s lit only by the moon and the stars, but I can still make out the glint in his eye when he smiles at me.

“We’re in a field.”

“Yes,” I say with a small laugh. “I gathered that much. Are we trespassing?”

“Not exactly.” I raise an eyebrow at him, signaling that I’m not satisfied with his answer, and he chuckles. “Come on, get out and push your seat up—we’ll climb in the back.”

He acts without a moment’s hesitation, and unsure of what else to do, I follow suit. “Sage—”

“Get that sexy, little ass back here,” he demands, reaching for my hips as I do as he says. I close the door behind me and settle in beside him, snuggling into his side when he wraps his arm around my shoulders. “This land belongs to Derrick. It’s kind of a long story, but we come out here sometimes. The view is insane. When we catch a sunrise?” He shakes his head, clearly looking for the right word and failing. “You’d just have to see it to understand.”

“Hmm. Do you bring all the girls here?” I say, half teasing. I really don’t get why Derrick has so much unoccupied land and what a group of guys would do here, besides bring girls and alcohol to get rowdy.

“No,” he murmurs, his lips grazing my forehead, effectively silencing my thoughts. “I’ve never brought any girl here.”

I shift so that I can look into his eyes. “Why me?”

He looks back at me for a moment, not speaking, and I wonder if I asked the wrong question. But then he speaks. “He comes out here to find peace. We all do. Sometimes, we just need to get away from all the bullshit, you know? Tonight, I wanted to rescue you from all the bullshit. Is it working?”

His declaration steals my breath. If he hadn’t already stolen my heart, he’d have had that, too. I don’t know what to say, overwhelmed by this man who sought to rescue me from my own personal
bullshit
. No questions asked. It amazes me that this is who he is. Then again, it makes sense. He’s my dreamer. No way could he hold onto his optimism, his hope, without learning to seek and find an escape—a place to grasp hold of
peace
.

“Tell me something,” he murmurs, leaning down to brush his lips against mine in a feather soft kiss.

“Tell you what?”

“Anything. Something…
real.
Something honest.”

“I despise my mother.” The words come out as I exhale—no filter, no second thought—they just fall right out of my mouth, as if they’ve been there all night, waiting to be called.

Once I realize what I’ve said, I search Sage’s face for some sort of response. He simply looks at me like he’s waiting to hear more. I’m amazed at the calm that I feel. I’ve never actually said the words out loud. I sigh and then rest my cheek against his chest, surprised that I have more truths waiting on the tip of my tongue to be spoken. Maybe it’s this place; maybe it’s the darkness and the endless sky. Or maybe it’s just him. Sage—the heat of his body wrapped around mine; the warmth of his gaze; the comfort of his presence.

“I don’t remember when I stopped loving her. All I know is that it was long after she stopped loving me. She always provided for me, but she never really took care of me. I had to learn how to do that on my own. But she needed me. She’s always needed me. In her little, miserable world, I’m
his
scapegoat. Since I was six, she’s needed me as her target. I’m to blame for everything that went wrong in her marriage. I’m the reason he left. And I hate her…I hate her for so many reasons.”

I don’t realize that I’ve got a fist-full of Sage’s shirt until he places his hand over mine. I suck in a deep breath, lifting my head to look at him. He doesn’t say anything, though. Neither does he try and pry my fingers away from him. He simply stares down at me, his eyes roaming over my face as if he’s trying to memorize me in this very moment.

There’s something about his silence that puts me at ease. Like—like he understands there are no words to be said. I’ve shared with him a piece of my reality, a piece of my bullshit, and nothing either of us can say or do will change it. But here, now, under the stars, he’s brought me to a place for me to let it go—even if just for tonight.

“Kiss me,” I whisper, suddenly needing his lips on mine more than my next breath.

He responds in kind, kissing me decisively. I free a soft moan, the feel of his mouth satisfying me in a way words could not express. I let go of his shirt, sliding my hand up and around his neck, begging him to stay close. He traces his tongue across my lip, seeking entrance, and I grant him full access as I open up for him. When he deepens the kiss, I feel it as my desire dampens the thin fabric of my thong. I’m no longer close enough—I want more. I
need
more.

Without breaking our kiss, I move to straddle his lap, my sweater dress riding the short distance up my thighs as I settle myself against him. He sits up straighter, pulling me tighter against his chest. I can feel his growing erection beneath me and the instant I grind my center over it, my whole body is aflame—the night not so cool any longer. When I start to shrug my way out of his hoodie, he helps push it over my shoulders and onto the floor before I grip both sides of his face, kissing him even deeper.

Deeper. Deeper. I need him as deep as he can go.

“Baby, tell me you have a condom,” I plead, rubbing against his bulge in a desperate attempt to relieve the ache he’s caused between my legs.

“Need me inside of you?”

“All of you,” I whisper, my lips grazing his. “I need you now. Right now. Do you?”

“Mmmhmm,” he hums. As he lifts his hips to reach for his wallet, he simultaneously makes contact with my swollen clit and I bite my lip as a wave of pleasure washes over me. While he fumbles for protection, I make quick work of his jeans, pulling out his throbbing cock. My mouth waters at the feel of him pulsing in my hand. I unwrap my fingers only to make way for the condom and then I’m up on my knees, poising myself above him.

“Sage, baby,” I sigh, his fingers sliding along the length of my slick slit, moving aside my thong. “Don’t tease me—please, don’t tease me.”

“Need your lips, doll face,” he tells me, coating his head in my arousal. I kiss him, hard, anxious for what will follow. As I sweep my tongue through his mouth, he penetrates my entrance and then takes hold of my hips, guiding me over him until every last inch of him is buried inside of me. “Fuck, baby. Can’t get enough of this pussy.”

I manage no more than a groan as I begin to ride him, his cock filling me up just right, giving me exactly what I need. One of his hands lets go of my hip and reaches to cup around my boob. He gives it a squeeze, spurring me on even more, and I wish I was naked—completely bare for him to touch, taste, and savor. I know, no matter how hot it gets between us, it’s entirely too reckless to remove any more clothing—in the middle of nowhere or not. Nevertheless, I crave more of his touch.

“Touch me, baby,” I murmur, slipping my hands underneath his shirt as I seek to explore every dip of every muscle on his chest.

He growls, dropping his other hand down and around my bare ass, gripping me as he helps guide my movement up and down over his shaft. He kisses and licks his way along my exposed shoulder and up my neck, nibbling on my ear before his husky voice demands—“Say that again.”

“
Touch me, baby.
”

“Shit, Millie—” he grinds out. Before I know it, both of his hands are underneath my sweater, gripping my sides as he lifts his hips and takes control. He bucks into me fast and hard, making me gasp in delight. I tuck my face into his neck as my fingers dig into his lower back. I can’t silence the senseless noises that pour out of my mouth as he takes possession of my body—my pleasure climbing higher and higher as we both ascend closer and closer to our release.

“Oh—Sage, baby, right there, right—ahh—
yes.
Don’t stop!”

“I’m gonna—Fuck—come, baby doll. Need you to come.” As he says the words, he smacks a hand against my ass and then holds on. That pushes me over the edge and I lose myself in him, screaming his name into the night. I feel it as I squeeze around him, just as he swells and then spills his own release. He grunts in my ear, thrusting until he is spent, and I’ll be damned if that’s not the hottest sound I’ve heard all day.

Both of us damp with sweat, we hold onto each other as we catch our breath. A part of me can’t believe I just had sex in the backseat of his car. It’s been
years
since I’ve done such a thing—but it certainly wasn’t as satisfying as all of that.
Not even close
.

“Hey,” Sage mutters, running a hand up and down my back. I pull away to peer at him through the darkness and he kisses me soundly. “Stay with me tonight.”

I nod, not even stopping to think about it. There’s nowhere else I’d rather be.

“HEY, YOU.”

I look over at the doorway just as Lindsey makes her way into the classroom, effortlessly dodging the students who have just been dismissed. I’m sure they’re all aching to get out of here after the pop quiz I just doled out.

“Hi, Lindsey.”

“I’m headed back to the office. You?”

“Yeah,” I reply, tucking away the rest of my things into my tote. I swear, I don’t know what I’d do without this thing. I throw the strap over my shoulder and hook my purse over my arm before I offer her a smile and a nod, signaling that I’m ready.

“How are your classes going?”

“Pretty good. I’m just about on schedule, looking to start mid-term prep week after next. How about you?”

“The same. Though, how we’re even
thinking
about mid-terms already, I have no idea. I’m not ready to spend hours of my weekend grading exams!”

“Well, you’ve got a little time,” I say with a small chuckle.

“
Speaking
of weekends, thank god it’s Friday. Do you have any plans for the next couple of days?”

A small smile plays at my lips as my thoughts drift back to last night. Sage came over after band rehearsal and stayed the night with me. After he owned my three incredible orgasms, he held me while he chatted excitedly about the show tomorrow night. He’s feeling pretty confident—they all are, after the week of hard work they’ve put in. They’ve worked with the understanding that they are preparing for what could be their best chance at finding real representation and getting them out of the local music scene and onto a national one.

“I’ll take that smile on your face as a
yes
,” says Lindsey, nudging me with her elbow as we turn down another hallway. “I’d even wager a guess that this has something to do with a certain
male friend
of yours.”