I
’VE READ THE
same page four times. At this point, I’m not even sure why I’m reading it.
Clearly,
I’m far too distracted to digest a single word. I should just call him…
I haven’t heard from Sage since this morning, when he and the band left for Denver. I know that he’s probably had a lot going on today, but I expected to hear from him by now. It’s almost nine o’clock. Up until about an hour ago, I was doing a pretty good job of distracting myself from his silence. I worked late. I threw something edible together for dinner. I cleaned the kitchen. I got ready for bed. I even braided my hair, a rarity for me, just to give my hands something to do
other
than check my phone.
It’s not that I’m worried. Not exactly. Something tells me that if he wasn’t alright, I would have heard from Violet by now, and I haven’t. It’s just that he
always
sends me texts or calls me throughout the day. Even in the very beginning, when I swore we couldn’t see each other, he was annoyingly good at letting me know whenever I was on his mind. I didn’t think that I was the kind of woman who needed that. Perhaps I’m still not—but his break in routine has me feeling restless.
I cannot say why I haven’t just called him myself. Honestly, I’m not sure that I’m that kind of girlfriend—the kind that checks in on her boyfriend’s whereabouts. Then again, it’s been a long time since I’ve been with anyone. I suppose I have no idea what kind of woman I am in situations such as these.
I pick up my phone, turning it over in my hands as I ponder my next move. I don’t know why I’m thinking about this so much. I need to get out of my head. I know the longer I wander around in my thoughts, the closer I’ll get to the possibility that this may in fact be my reality in a few weeks. Perhaps being on the road will make it difficult for us to catch each other at a time when we’re both available. What if we go days without speaking? What if—
“Fucking hell,”
I mutter, tossing my phone onto the coffee table.
What is wrong with me?
What is happening to me?
One day? I can’t go one day without speaking to him?
For Christ’s sake, I need to get my shit together.
I jump, startled when a knock sounds at my door. I look down at myself, wondering if I’m in any state to answer. I’m in a pair of sweatpants that hang low on my hips, and a spaghetti-strap tank top. I’m not wearing any underthings, but my nipples aren’t hard—a bonus, seeing as how the hair that hangs down my chest is twisted up and useless in the event that I need to hide anything.
My quick assessment ends with me standing to peer through the peephole, and my stomach flutters at the sight of him, relief making me far more happy than it should. When I open the door, Sage is leaning on his shoulder, propped up against the doorframe. He lifts his head, bringing his eyes to meet mine, and a tired smirk tugs at his lips.
“Hey, doll face.”
My nipples turn into hard peaks at the sound of his voice. In this moment, I understand
exactly
what kind of woman I am—I’m the kind of woman who needs to hear the rich, alluring, sexy tone of my man’s voice. It’s what drew me to him in the first place. It’s part of who
we
are.
I sigh softly, my shoulders relaxing for the first time in hours as I rest my head against the door.
“What’s wrong, Millicent?” he asks, reaching up to run the backs of his fingers down my cheek.
“I missed your voice, today.” The words come out automatically, but I know as soon as I’ve said them that I don’t regret my honesty.
“Yeah?” I nod my response and he takes a step closer to me. “Is that all you missed?” He slides his arm around my waist and gently pulls me against him. I go willingly, circling my arms around his neck.
“No,” I answer as I exhale.
“What else d’you miss, baby?”
I lift myself up on my tiptoes, amused but not surprised that he’s fishing for the details of my longing.
My arrogant little shit.
“Just shut up and kiss me, Sage.”
He grins at me before he presses his lips against mine. The second our mouths touch, every cell in my body comes alive. I hold him tighter, needing him closer, and I tell him all he could wish to know with my tongue. He reciprocates my affection in kind, keeping himself in control as he kisses me slowly, deeply,
lovingly
.
I adore him.
I pull away from him with a start when I hear a door slam shut. I recognize the sound, knowing that someone just entered the building, and I’m reminded that we’re still half in, half out of my apartment. The interruption was probably for the best. My body is still on hiatus after yesterday and I don’t want it, or him, getting any ideas.
“Will you come in? Tell me about your day?”
“Mmmhmmm,” he answers with a hum before he scoops me off of my feet and into his arms, cradling me against his chest. “Get the door, baby doll. Hit the lights.”
I do as he says, locking us in and shrouding us in darkness. He then carries me all the way to my room, depositing me into my bed. I watch as he turns on my lamp and begins stripping off his clothing. I start to question him, but the words don’t make it past my lips—I’m too entranced by the sight of him. I don’t have a single tattoo, but I love each one of his. He wears them well; so well, that I have to remind my body that
his
body is off limits tonight.
“Sage—”
“I’m not here for sex, Millie,” he interrupts me as he kicks off his shoes and steps out of his jeans. “But I am staying. Though, you probably should keep those clothes on so I don’t go breaking any promises.”
I giggle, because apparently he makes me do that, and then pull back the covers and slip between the sheets. He joins me, stretching out on his side and propping his head up with his fist as he wraps his arm around me and pulls me close. I prop my head up, too, and he leans in for a quick kiss before he speaks.
“Baby, today was incredible.
Absolutely
incredible. Stefany is great. I think she’s exactly who the band needs. I mean, she saw us
Saturday
and today, after we worked out the terms of our partnership, she told us that she’d been on the phone since she left The Brew, trying to get us studio time. She wants us to record an EP before we go on tour. Can you believe that?”
“That’s amazing,” I tell him, my eyes dancing around his face. He’s lit up with excitement and it makes me want to get lost in him. I’ve never been in awe of someone as much as I’m in awe of him right now. His dream is everything to him and it’s on the precipice of coming true. I have no idea what that feels like—no idea what it’s like to hold onto a dream, to fight for it, to bask in the possibilities of it.
I rest my hand against his chest, wishing to be closer to him, closer to this
joy
. As if he can read my mind, he hooks his leg over mine, smirking at me as we tangle our legs together.
“She managed to get us a few hours on Saturday for our first session. We have to leave at the ass crack of dawn, but I don’t care. I seriously cannot wait to hear what we sound like when we’re professionally mixed. I mean, JJ is pretty damn good, but equipment is everything.”
“How long will you have in the studio?”
“A couple hours. Do you want to come?”
I balk at his idea, surprised that he would even ask me. “Is that—is that allowed?”
“I’m sure JJ will bring Vi,” he replies with a shrug. “I want you there. Say you’ll come.”
“Okay,” I say with a nod. “I’ll come.”
He smirks at me before he presses his lips against mine. I follow his lead when he doesn’t pull away, but instead pins me beneath him. My fingers find their way into his hair as his tongue seeks entrance into my mouth. The weight of him on top of me is welcome, and when I feel him grow hard between my legs, I can’t silence the soft moan that escapes my throat.
“
Fuck
,” he murmurs against my lips. He rubs himself against me and it’s like my sweatpants don’t exist. I gasp, my grip tightening in his hair. “Damn, Millie, you’re something else, you know that?”
“Hmm?” I manage. I can hardly think as he rubs himself against me once more.
“You
see
me,” he whispers. I stare into his eyes, searching for meaning and coming up short. “I’ve never been with someone who gets me like you do. I’ve never been with someone who believes in me like you do. You’re my best girl, Millicent.” He grinds against me again and I can no longer resist.
“Sage, baby, I want you,” I murmur.
“I promised—”
“Take me slow. Make me come like only you can. Please?”
“For you?” he mutters, kissing his way down my neck. “Anything.”
“MILLIE. MILLIE, WAKE
up, baby doll.” I groan, appreciative of the sound of my wake-up call, and totally unappreciative of its intent. “Up, Millicent!” He throws back his covers and smacks my ass. I furrow my brow, my eyes still closed as I whine in protest. “If you want to shower, it’s now or never. I waited until everyone else was finished. So, see, you can’t be a grump.”
“Oh, god. Remind me why I agreed to go with you today?”
“Because you were looking to take advantage of your girlfriend privileges. Behind the scenes with Mountains & Men—lesser women might bitch slap a chick for your coveted invitation.”
I roll my eyes, but he can’t see me do it behind my lids. I don’t remember what time we went to bed last night, but it wasn’t nearly early enough to condone waking up before the sun is in the sky on a Saturday morning.
“Dammit, Millie,” he begins to say when I don’t move a muscle. “I just want you to know, when you have only ten minutes to shower, that you brought this on yourself.”
For a second I imagine that my grumbling has rewarded me the equivalent of a nine-minute snooze, but then I feel the bed dip at my feet. Before I know it, I’m on my back, my legs are spread, and his warm, wet tongue is being drug along my slit. When he reaches my sensitive nub, he gently grazes his teeth over the bud, and my body responds instantly, making me slick with arousal.
“Oh, fuck,” I breathe, my eyes shooting open as I look down at the man working diligently to rouse me from my slumber with an orgasm.
He grunts, curling his arms around my thighs as he thrusts his tongue inside of me. He feels sensational—the heat of his breath, the firmness of his tongue, the perfection of his calculated movements as he travels between my entrance and my sweet spot. He sucks. He licks. He nibbles. He repeats.
I reach down and grip a fistful of his damp hair, unable to stop myself from bucking my hips. “Sage—Sage,
shit
, Sage.” My need to speak supersedes my ability to find any words. I call his name repeatedly, unable to conjure up anything else as the fog of sleep dissipates and haze of lust takes its place.
When he shoves two fingers inside of my center, hooking the tips as he pumps in and out of me, kissing the inside of my thigh, my back bows away from the bed.
“Come for me, baby,” he hums against my skin.
“Mmhmm,” I sigh, grabbing at his sheets, nodding my understanding. “Don’t stop! I’m almost—” Before I can finish my sentence, a wave of euphoric pleasure spreads all over my body. I can feel it as my pussy tightens around his fingers and he wraps his lips around my clit once more, sucking until my orgasm has subsided.
When he pulls away from me, he dips his fingers into his mouth as he stares into my eyes. He’s not wearing his glasses at the moment, and my view of his beautiful, icy blue irises on his dangerously handsome face makes it nearly impossible to catch my breath.
“Now?” he asks, leaning over me. “
Now
will you get in the shower?”
A lazy smile tugs at my lips. “Yes,” I whisper.
“Good,” he smacks a kiss against my mouth before he stands. “We gotta jet in half an hour. Move that sexy, little ass, doll face. We can’t be late and I’m not leaving you behind.”