Chapter 8 #2
“You’re not taking advantage of us. I’m not even the one who offered.” I grab her hand, but drop it quickly after the look of surprise she gives me. “Why don’t we do a quick drive-by of the place and head inside so we can check it out? And then you can decide if you actually want to live there.”
“We don’t need to do that, Dalton. I don’t know why you keep persisting with this, but I am happy to figure it out myself. I don’t need anyone to—”
“Let that wall down, Sage. I’m not trying to dictate your life to you. I’m just trying to see if this apartment is one you should be living in.”
“But it’s none of your business.” She folds her arms. “You don’t get to decide if you think we should be living there or not. Who made you the boss of me?”
“Um, Lucia did. I am literally your boss.” I smirk at her, and she groans.
“You know what I mean. Who made you the boss of my life?”
“I did.” I grin at her, but she doesn’t grin back. “Okay, so I’m guessing you’re going to be stubborn and move in.”
“I’m not being stubborn. You didn’t even know me this time last week. I didn’t even know you. How many other women who live there are you trying to help? Also, what would Gigi think?”
“What would Gigi think about what?”
“You trying to be my Prince Charming or knight in shining armor.”
“She wouldn’t believe it.” I throw my head back, laugh, and casually move my arm on the back of the swing. “What she knows and what you will hopefully realize is that I’m no Prince Charming, Sage. If I were in a fairy tale, I’d be the villain of the story.”
“Uh-huh, sure.” I can tell she doesn’t believe me.
For all her bravado, Sage is still pretty sheltered. She likely has no idea the shit she’s going to see at Sal’s place, but I can’t make her listen to me. Even though I know what I’m talking about.
“Do I look like a Prince Charming?”
“Do you want me to be honest?” She laughs loudly and shifts her body so she’s facing me full-on. “You look like the bad guy in a movie.”
“Ouch.”
“Not saying that you’re not handsome or anything, but you look like the morally gray guy who makes a viewer question all the decisions she makes in life.”
“So, I look like trouble?” Maybe she’s more astute than I thought she was.
“Yeah, you do. But you also act like a white knight, so who knows?”
“Who knows indeed.” I tap my foot against the ground.
I don’t want this conversation to end, but I need to get back inside. I need to talk to Brett. I need to find out if he’s gotten any information on Toby’s mother. That is my first and only priority in life right now.
“You look deep in thought.” Her voice is soft and melodic, and if I’m not wrong, she looks strangely concerned as she gazes at me. “Are you the morally black guy as opposed to the morally gray one?”
“I don’t even know what you’re talking about, Sage.” I give her my full attention, trying not to notice how her lips twitch. “Is that some sort of New Age term?”
“No, it’s a book term. I like to read a lot of books, and that’s how some antiheroes are described.”
“Are you calling me an antihero?”
“Depends on if you’re morally gray or black or not.”
“Definition, please.”
“So, morally gray characters have a mixture of good and bad traits. They will do crazy or bad stuff, but they still have a conscience about it. Morally black characters are malicious, lack empathy, inflict severe harm, take what they want when they want it, and they don’t care about the consequences or feel bad.
Like Robin Hood might be a morally gray character, but someone like John Gotti might be a morally black character. ”
“Yikes, and you think there’s a possibility that I’m either one?”
“I guess I’m just asking.” She grins. “Though I think I know you well enough to know you’re not morally black. So, maybe morally gray or just a good guy.”
“Well, I guess you’ll just have to see.”
“You’re not easy to read—you know that, Dalton?”
“I could say the same about you, Sage.”
“What were you thinking that had you so deep in thought just now?” She tilts her head to the side and gazes at me. “You can tell me to mind my own business if you want, but you looked—”
“Mind your own business.”
Her face drops, and I want to growl. I don’t want to hurt her, but I cannot bring her into my world. Into the craziness.
“It was nothing much. I was thinking about Toby’s mom.”
“Oh.” It’s one word, but it’s full of questions and curiosities.
I can tell she wants to ask more, but she doesn’t, and I’m grateful for that.
“We should go back inside. Are you sure you don’t want me to use my truck? It will save you some money at Home Depot.”
“I mean …” She pauses and then offers me an impish smile. “If you really don’t mind. I’m trying to budget, and it’s ninety-nine dollars an hour, plus the insurance, so that would be a savings.”
“I got you.”
I get off the swing and reach out my hand to help her as well.
She takes it and stumbles a bit. I steady her and bring her into me.
My hand slides around her waist, and she presses her soft hand into my chest. Her breathing is heavy, and I see her swallow hard as she looks up at me with big doe eyes.
“What would a morally black character do in this situation?” I ask her.
“I don’t know,” she squeaks out, but blushes a deep red.
“Maybe he’d slip his hands between your legs or pull your panties down and bend you over the swing and take you from behind,” I whisper in her ear. “I’m not going to do that.”
“Good.” She swallows again.
“I’m guessing a morally gray character might do something like this.
” I gently lick her earlobe and kiss down the side of her face until I get to her lips.
I then grab her face, and I’m about to kiss her when I pull back.
“He’d kiss you hard and fast and slide you up against his body so you could feel his hardness pressed against your stomach. ” I step back and smile.
“And then the good guy would just give you a chaste kiss like this.” I grab her hand and kiss her inner wrist and let it go. “And he’d have your heart fluttering for another reason.”
“What are you doing?” she says finally, her fingers playing with her hair as she stands there.
“Wondering if you can read my mind,” I say with a wink. “Can you guess which one of those things I’d really love to do right now?”
“I, uh, what?” She shakes her head, but her eyes don’t leave mine. “Are you going to tell me?”
“I’ll leave you to wonder, sweet Sage. Can’t have you knowing all my secrets just yet.”