CHAPTER SEVEN
Sadie
I woke to silence. Blake wasn’t in the bed beside me but I could still feel the warmth of him. That made me smile. This was another first for me, waking up in a man’s bed.
I stretched languidly, every muscle in my body reminding me of what we’d done yesterday afternoon. And evening. And again in the middle of the night when I’d woken to find him hard against my hip.
My cheeks heated at the memory. I’d been bold then, surprising myself by taking him in my mouth, exploring his body the way he’d explored mine. The taste of him, the way his hips had jerked helplessly when I’d sucked him deeper—the sound he’d made, the way he’d lost control—
The smell of coffee drifted down the hallway, and I heard Blake’s low voice, though I couldn’t make out the words. A phone call, maybe.
I slipped out of bed, pulling on his flannel shirt from yesterday. The fabric brushed against bare skin, bringing back memories of his touch. I bit my lip at the soreness between my thighs.
“Morning,” I mouthed when I found him in the kitchen, phone pressed to his ear.
His eyes narrowed as he took in the sight of me wearing his shirt, my hair messed from sleep, probably looking thoroughly debauched. His eyes darkened, and he held up one finger, indicating he’d be done in a minute.
“Yeah, I understand,” he said into the phone. “Thanks for letting me know.”
He hung up and moved toward me, but I was curious.
“Everything okay?”
“That was Sheriff Martinez from town. Apparently your boyfriend—ex-boyfriend—got himself arrested.”
“Aaron? Arrested for what?”
Blake’s mouth quirked up slightly. “Public intoxication and disturbing the peace. Seems he spent the night in the local bar telling anyone who’d listen about how he got attacked by a psychotic mountain man for no reason.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “Oh my God. Is he okay?”
“He’s fine. Sleeping it off in a cell. Sheriff says he’ll probably be released this morning with a warning.” Blake stepped closer, his hands settling on my waist. “Point is, he’s leaving town. Won’t be bothering us.”
“Good,” I said, then realized how that sounded. “I mean—”
“You mean good,” Blake said firmly. “He doesn’t deserve another thought from you.”
He was right. Aaron was already becoming a distant memory, something that had happened to someone else.
“You’re wearing my shirt,” Blake said, his voice going rough as he changed the subject.
“Is that a problem?”
“Fuck no.” His hands slid down to grip my hips. “I like seeing you in my clothes. It makes you look like you belong here.”
Belong here. The words sent warmth spreading through my chest.
“Do I?” I asked softly. “Belong here?”
“Yeah,” he said without hesitation. “You do.”
We stood there in his kitchen, the morning light streaming through the windows, and I felt something settle deep in my bones. Something that felt like coming home.
“The weekend’s almost up,” he said quietly.
“It is.”
“And?”
He made me feel things I didn’t know I could. And I wasn’t certain how to express myself. “I don’t want to leave.”
“Then don’t.”
Two simple words that changed everything.
“Blake...” I started, but he stepped closer, his hands framing my face.
“I mean it, Sadie. Stay. Stay with me.”
“For how long?”
“Forever.”
The word hung between us, loaded with promise and possibility. Forever. Not just the weekend, not just a few more days. Forever.
“You don’t know what you’re asking,” I said, though every cell in my body was screaming yes.
“I know exactly what I’m asking.” His thumbs stroked across my cheekbones. “I’m asking you to build a life with me. Here. On this mountain.”
“I have a job, an apartment, a life back in the city—”
“Do you want that life?”
The question stopped me cold. Did I? I thought about my cramped apartment with its view of the brick building next door. My demanding job where I spent my days creating marketing campaigns for products I didn’t care about. My nonexistent social life, my string of disappointing relationships.
“No,” I said quietly. “I don’t want that life.”
“Then what do you want?”
I looked at him—this impossible man who had crashed into my world when I’d least expected it. Rugged and unshakable, yet somehow tender in ways that unraveled me. A man who stripped me bare with a glance and made me crave things I hadn’t dared admit out loud.
“You,” I said simply. “I want you.”
“Then you have me.” He pressed his forehead against mine. “You have me, and this place, and whatever kind of life we want to build together.”
“It’s crazy. I’ve known you for three days.”
“Sometimes crazy is exactly what you need.”
He was right. My entire life had been about playing it safe, making sensible choices, following the path I was supposed to follow. And where had it gotten me? Abandoned on a mountain by a man who didn’t deserve me.
“What about my job?”
“Quit.”
“My apartment?”
“We’ll get your stuff, break the lease.”
“My student loans?”
“We’ll figure it out.”
He made it sound so simple. And maybe it was that simple.
“I’d need to make some calls,” I said, my heart racing.
“Make them.”
I stared at him for a long moment, and I could see the hope in his eyes, the way he was trying not to push but wanting this just as much as I did.
“Okay,” I said.
“Okay?”
“Okay, I’ll stay. I’ll quit my job and break my lease and figure out the rest as we go.”
The smile that spread across his face was devastating. Relief and something that looked suspiciously like love.
“You sure?”
“I’m sure.” And I was. For the first time in my life, I was completely, utterly sure about something. “I’m yours, Blake. For however long you’ll have me.”
His answer was a kiss. Hard and devastating, but exactly right. I tasted coffee and heat and everything I hadn’t realized I’d been missing. My body leaned into his, needing more even after everything we’d done last night. When he broke the kiss we were both breathless. “So what do we do now?”
His answer was to scoop me up and toss me over his shoulder.
“Blake!” I squealed, laughing as he headed toward the bedroom. “What are you doing?”
“Taking my woman to bed.” His hand settled possessively on my ass, his rough palm running over my skin. “We’ve got the rest of our lives to figure out the details.”
He slapped my ass lightly through the flannel and the sharp sting made me gasp, made heat lick through me all over again. The bastard grinned like he knew exactly what he’d done.
He tossed me on the bed, following me down. His weight pinned me to the mattress, his hands roaming like he was memorizing me all over again. And I let him, because I was exactly where I wanted to be.
“The rest of our lives,” I repeated, the words sending warmth spreading through my chest.
“That’s right. Starting now.”
And as he kissed me, I knew I’d made the right choice.
The only choice.
I was exactly where I belonged.