Chapter 32 Ronan
RONAN
“What did you just say to me?” Sage asks with quiet fury.
She’s been through the wringer in the past day. I know this. But so have I, and right now, I cannot stop myself from spinning out on the matter. My heart is crumbling apart, and I’m not sure it’ll ever be put back together.
I step away from the nursery door, in case this gets loud. To my understanding, breakups are not generally quiet affairs. I’ve never been through a real one, so I’m unsure of the protocols. But protecting the children from hearing it seems a savvy choice.
When I was a boy, I had a girlfriend, if she could be called that. Susie Baker and I shared juice boxes at recess, and from then on, she called me her boyfriend. That lasted until she and her family moved to London a few weeks later. Not a real breakup. And we were eight.
In high school, there were a few girls, but things fizzled out before they were serious. Nothing real to speak of.
Then, there was Aoifa. And then, there wasn’t.
Dating since her as been a series of unserious hookups. So, no real breakups to speak of.
Until now?
“Sage. You tell me you could be interested in a throuple—”
“I thought we were past that.”
“Please, allow me to finish. You said that, and now, you want to start back up at uni, where you will meet hundreds of young, attractive people who could be open to such a thing.” I breathe deep, or try to anyway. Nearly choke myself.
Or maybe I’m just choking on the words. “We are in different places in life, and I knew that could complicate us. But I… I cannot compete with that. So, if that’s what you’re looking for, please say so now, and let’s make this as easy as possible on everyone involved.”
Before it hurts worse.
Before our children know the difference between life with Mum and Dad, and life in two households.
She takes a beat, her brow lining in confusion before it smooths again. Her voice is cool and calm now. “You might be the dumbest smart person I have ever known.”
I am envious of her newfound composure, so much so that my brain takes a moment to register her words. “Come again?”
“I know we’re still pretty new, and things got wonky, and all that. It’s been a stressful time, and your insecurities are bumping into mine… and that makes things messy in the best of times. But I need you to know that I am not a cheater.”
“I never said you were.”
“You’re implying the hell out of it, Ronan,” she says with a strange look in her pretty eyes. “You’re saying I’ll find someone else, which implies a good amount of—bare minimum—emotional cheating. I don’t do that. That’s not who I am.”
“I recall how uni is. People… they blur lines. Cross boundaries. Experiment. That’s what it’s there for, aside from the basics of book learning. You’re there to figure yourself out.” I swallow my thoughts on what I’m about to say, because verbalizing how I feel about it won’t help things.
“And you should, Sage. You should experiment. Try new things. Figure yourself out. You have never mentioned a time in your life where you’ve done that, and it’s healthy and normal for anyone to have that chance.”
“That’s not what this is about, Ronan.”
The lump in my throat grows, but so does my resolve.
“I want you to take that chance. You deserve it. You have given me three perfect babies, and I will do everything in my power to take care of them while you go to class and do whatever it is you need to do. Let me help facilitate the next phase of your life.”
“Oh, you stupid, stupid man.” She shakes her head and loosens her ponytail. Those dark waves crash dramatically around her.
“Call me all the names you like, but that doesn’t change anything. I understand you think you’re beyond cheating, but—”
“I’m afraid you don’t understand any of this.
” She slinks her way to me, all eyes and tits and lips.
“When I am with someone, I am with them. And you, Dr. Callahan, do things to me that make my toes curl. So, unless you plan to stop doing them, I don’t plan to be with anyone else.
” Then she hooks her hand into my collar and kisses me with unexpected passion.
I’m not sure what’s happening anymore. Moments ago, I thought for certain we were through. That she hated me. That I’d earned it.
Now, her tongue is in my mouth, and she gropes me over my sweatpants. It appears I unnecessarily doubted her fortitude. A mistake I’ll never make again.
She presses herself against me, so I cup her bottom and lift as she wraps her strong legs around my waist. I cart her to the couch in the living room, and sit there carefully folding her legs back, so as not to hurt her.
She grabs the back of the couch for leverage and grinds against me, her leggings so thin they might as well not be there.
My sweatpants, soft and warm, do things to me as she moves.
She murmurs against my lips, “Do you plan to stop making my toes curl, Dr. Callahan?”
“Never.” I turn us so her back is on the couch, and I’m on top of her. She whoops as I move—I’ve caught her off guard. Good.
My hand fits perfectly over her leggings over her pussy, and she grinds up to meet my touch. Her moans, ones I thought I’d never hear again, rival every other sound for dominance in my heart. When her eyes roll back, I know I’m getting her there. But I want more.
I need more.
I work my hand into those leggings from her waistband and find her so fucking wet that I’m dying to use more than my fingers. But not yet.
She rides my hand urgently, lustfully, until her body goes tight beneath me. “Close—”
“Now the question is, should I let you?”
Her eyes go wide. “Please—”
“You have given me several frights in the past day or so, and that warrants some punishment.”
“Don’t you dare!” But she doesn’t stop. There’s a curl at the corners of her mouth. She’s enjoying this game, even if it doesn’t get her where she wants to be.
I take a breath, acting disappointed. I’m not good at it when it comes to Sage. She impresses me relentlessly. “I don’t know. Tell me a reason to let you come.” I add another finger inside of her, earning a full body shudder from her.
“I’m not going anywhere—”
“You’re going to uni.”
She gasps, “You know what I mean!”
I rub my thumb over her clit, and she loses her breath. “See, I want to make you come—”
“Then do it! Please!”
“But if I let you come for no reason, what kind of lesson is that? Am I only reinforcing this troublesome—”
“Oh my God, Ronan, if you don’t, I am going to—”
I kiss her hard and finger her harder until she’s a quaking mess. Her screams fill my mouth and my soul. I’d wanted to do this the right way, take her to the bedroom, make love, all of that. But I can’t wait.
Can’t even wait long enough to fully remove my clothing.
I yank my sweatpants down along with her leggings, just enough to be able to enter her. Her legs are close together like this, thanks to the leggings acting like shackles. She’s still twitching when I work my cock into her, and as I do it, she wriggles beneath me, muttering, “Oh God, oh God, yes!”
As soon as I’m halfway in, I kiss her once more, unable to stop myself from humping her into the couch. This is what I needed. The reassurance of her body on mine. The feel of her beneath me. With me. To make her cry out and crave more.
My balls ache, my spine pulses. The edge is right there, and I see it in her eyes as I lace my fingers with hers, pinning her to the couch.
She gasps my name, body arching hard enough to move me, but not push me out.
I feel her coming on me, and it ignites my flame, burning through my blood, my bones, until all that’s left is her.
Pleasure crests while we kiss and bite and lick as we slow to a gentle stop.
My breaths blow the errant hairs around her face. They had crowded there from the couch cushions while I pounded her, and now, they’re a cherry-chocolate halo mess.
My dirty angel.
She nips at my bottom lip and smiles. “See? Toe-curling. I’m not going anywhere.”
I laugh and kiss her again until our mouths are raw. I was wrong earlier, and I’ve never been so happy to be wrong.
Nothing else in the world can restore my crumbling heart like Sage Henley.