Chapter 44 #2
I smirk and smooth my hands down her body, settling on her thighs. “I got you a present.”
Pulling back, she grins. “You got me a present?”
Humming, I nod. “You want it?”
Her eyebrows waggle, her hand sliding between us to my dick. “Is this it?”
“Oh, you’ll get that later, desperate girl,” I growl, feeling warmer as I reach across to the bedside table, grabbing the small, wrapped box I brought with me from home. Holding it out for Sage, I find her chocolate eyes and smile. “Merry Christmas.”
I don’t mind that Beckham and Vinny are both sitting at the opposite end of the bed watching, even as Sage’s face blooms with a blush and she starts to unwrap the box. “Kai, you didn’t have to get me anything.”
She throws the paper to the side, then opens the small jewelry box, exposing the necklace inside. It’s all silver, the chain holding a large pendant of the letter K in the center. She looks up at me, her eyes burning with lust. “Kaiden Thorne, you got me a necklace with your initial on it?”
I grin. “I need everyone to know you fucking belong to me.”
“A month ago, I couldn’t get you to admit you enjoyed my company, and now look at you…” She twists her lips to the side playfully. “Marking me for everyone to see.”
I grunt, sliding a hand up her throat. “I just don’t want anyone touching what’s mine. I don’t even want them thinking about it.”
“Ours,” Vinny corrects, pulling me from the little bubble I’ve managed to create around me and Sage. Finding anger in his eyes, I smirk before I look at Sage again.
“Let me put it on you.” As I take the necklace from the box, she lifts her hair, then I fasten it around her neck. When she drops her hair back down, I grin at her. “Looks perfect.”
“Thank you,” she breathes, kissing me softly once before pulling away. “I love it.”
Sage stands up then. “I got you guys presents, too.”
“Sage, you didn’t have to,” Beckham says, swinging his legs over the side of the bed and standing.
“I know,” she says, then disappears into the hallway for a second before she comes back in the room with three gifts in her hands. “I wanted to.”
She passes them out, one for each of us, then stands before us to watch us open them. Vinny goes first, ripping the silver paper off his gift and tossing it to the floor. He looks down at a small leather-bound journal, then flips it open and reads what Sage has written on the first page out loud.
“For when your mind is too loud, and you need to get the words out.” He smiles at her, standing up and embracing her. “Thank you, princess. I love it.”
She wraps her arms around him. “Merry Christmas, Vinny.”
When Vinny’s returned to his seat, Beckham tears the paper from his gift, revealing a medium-sized cardboard box.
Inside is a Polaroid camera and a few cartridges of film, as well as a small photo book.
He plucks the small handwritten note from the box and reads it aloud. “So we never forget the good things.”
I start to get nervous about my own gift as Beckham walks to her and embraces her, thanking her for the gift.
I go through what could possibly be in the small, wrapped box in my lap, and I come up empty.
Vinny and Beckham’s gifts were so thoughtful, tailored to their own struggles.
I go through what could possibly be in the small, wrapped box in my lap, and I come up empty.
She smiles at me once Beckham sits back down next to Vinny again, a mischievous sparkle to her eye. Tearing the paper from my gift, I flip open the lid to a small jewelry box.
“I think we kind of had the same idea,” Sage says as I lift a necklace from the box.
There’s a tiny pendant on the thick chain resembling a vial, except it’s completely made of silver so you can’t see what’s inside.
It’s maybe the size of a dime, not very large at all, and I flip it over in my hand to inspect it and try to figure out what it is.
There are small designs on the vial—thorns and tiny leaves.
I look at Sage, and she grins, holding up her finger to show me the band aid wrapped around it. “It has a drop of my blood inside.”
Chuckling, I turn the vial over in my hand once more, studying the designs. “Thorns and leaves?”
“Thorns for Kaiden Thorne. And sage leaves for, well, me.” She presses her lips together. “It isn’t my fault sage isn’t very special looking.”
“Fuck.” Gripping the necklace in my hand, I stand up and rush to her. I grab her face with my free hand, pulling her lips to mine. Holding my waist, she tugs me closer as we get lost in each other.
When we finally pull apart, I breathe against her wet mouth. “I fucking love it, crazy girl. It’s perfect. Thank you.”
“Merry Christmas.” She smiles up at me, and I feel something I’ve never felt before. Something so bright and so full and fucking scary that my lungs become too small and too big all at once. I look at Sage, realizing that she’s my home and my hope and the answer to any prayers I could ever have.
Beckham and Vinny were right—she’s the missing piece we’ve always needed.