Chapter Fourteen
Sunlight streamed through the sheer curtains covering the windows.
Matt nuzzled Sage’s neck and breathed in her scent.
He couldn’t get enough of her smelling her sweet fragrance.
This morning her scent mingled with his.
Despite having made love to her multiple times last night, he still found the marriage of their smells arousing.
He tightened his arm around her waist and drew her back to his chest.
Sage murmured and then wiggled her hips against his morning erection. He moaned. Her lips curved in a smile. “Don’t you ever get enough?” she asked, her voice husky with sleep.
“Of you? Never.”
She laughed.
“Is that a ‘yes’?”
“Yes.” She curled her arm around his neck, and tipping her head to the side in invitation, she drew his head forward into her nape.
Matt tugged up the hem of her t-shirt to feel her incredibly soft skin. As he tended to run hot, he’d slept naked. However, Sage had put on a t-shirt after they made love. Kissing up the line of her neck, he captured the lobe of her ear between his teeth.
Her fingers curled in his hair. “Matt, touch me.”
He flattened his hand against her stomach, one fingertip dipping into her belly button. His other hand moved down, stroking over her hip, clasping her knee and then dipping inward between her thighs. He growled at the feel of her warm, silky skin.
An eternity would be too short for him to get his fill of touching Sage.
He cupped her pussy, seeking and finding her wet heat.
“You’re so sweet, getting so wet for me,” he murmured, sliding a finger between her damp lips.
Sage moaned as he lightly circled her clit.
Her thighs moved restlessly, trapping his palm against her apex.
He palmed her breast, his thumb seeking and finding her hard nipple.
Pinching and tugging the turgid peak, he rained kisses down the column of her neck.
Sage held her other breast, giving her other nipple the same treatment.
She bowed her back, arching into his hold and shoving her ass deeper into his lap.
Matt growled. His cock was as hard as fucking steel and weeping at the tip.
There was something primal about taking her from behind that appealed to him.
The submission, her giving herself to him fully, ramped up his pleasure.
He didn’t know how long he could hold out before either embarrassing himself or giving into his urges and driving into her welcoming depths.
But this wasn’t all about him. He needed to please his mate. So, he continued with the teasing touches and the kisses until she whimpered and begged. Only then did he lift her upper thigh and position his cock at her wet opening.
He growled at the heat and tightness as he worked his way inside.
“Oh, my God, Matt.”
He withdrew slowly. Splaying his fingers over her belly, he held her immobile as he plowed forward. He kept his pace slow, plunging deep and grinding, making sure she felt every inch of him.
“Faster, Matt, please!” She squeezed the hand covering her belly and canted her hips back at him.
He didn’t resist the invitation. The ferocity of his impassioned thrusts forced her onto her stomach. Her hands fisted the sheets. He shoved her thighs farther apart so that he could get deeper.
He slid his hands between her body and the mattress and cupped her breasts, tugging their taut tips in time to his thrusts. Beneath him, Sage shivered and bucked. Her pussy clamped down on his dick, making him want to howl in ecstasy.
More of her juice flooded him as he lost control and pounded her body into the bed. Her pussy milked him in rhythmic pulls that he was powerless to resist.
His climax hit him with the force of a freight train, his vision whiting out with pleasure for several seconds. He clenched his jaw and shoved his face into a pillow, muffling his growl. Biting Sage and making her his mate, dominated his thoughts.
Be buried inside her spasming pussy made reasoning next to impossible. He bit savagely into the pillow as he pumped Sage full of cum.
With a sigh, he flopped over onto his back to keep from crushing Sage. He drew her into his arms. She turned and snuggled into his side. He stroked her back and drew the covers up around her shoulders.
“Are you okay with today? With me going off on a run with the guys? We didn’t exactly specify what we would do when we got here, but the idea was that we would be doing it together.”
She patted his chest. “I’m looking forward to today.
I’ll have a chance to see more of the town.
And I want you to enjoy yourself. You seemed so much more at peace with yourself after the run yesterday.
I came here for you. However, you need to spend the time is fine with me.
We’re still having dinner together, right? ”
“Yes.”
“Good.” She kissed his chin and then bounded out of bed while he still felt too drained and languid to move. When he heard the shower turn on, the vision of Sage naked with soap bubbles coursing down her curves got him scrambling after her.
***
“It’s a small town. There’s not much to see,” Missy said apologetically as they entered a small shop.
It was their third stop this morning. Though cozy, each store had its own brand of charm. They’d visited Needle & Thread, the shop where Haven sold her quilts. Afterward, they’d explored a vintage clothing store.
“I’m from a small town,” Sage replied. “And I love shops like these. Big box stores are great for cleaning supplies, but I prefer supporting small business owners.” Though this particular store wasn’t one she would have chosen on her own.
It was filled with antique knickknacks. She had so many books, she didn’t have space for decorative clutter.
As she studied a display of vintage perfume bottles, she noticed a red headed woman watching her surreptitiously while she rearranged plastic wrapped postage cards.
Sage moved further down the aisle, following Halle and Missy’s wake.
Her lips tightened as she noticed the woman shadowing her path, shifting in and out of sight.
She’d experienced this sort of thing before, but she hadn’t expected it here since everyone they’d encountered thus far seemed to know Halle or Missy.
“What do you think of this for Rick’s desk?” Missy held up a glass paperweight with flowers in it.
Halle frowned. “I don’t know Rick as well as you, but he doesn’t seem like a flower guy to me.”
“You’re right. I just wanted to get him something to show him that I was thinking of him.”
“Well, I don’t know if you’re going to find anything in here,” Halle said, casting a doubtful glance around at the store’s inventory of clocks, figurines, and vases.
“This stuff just doesn’t scream ‘mechanic.’ Not that I’m implying Rick is just a mechanic.
But….” She gestured at a tray of genuine silver flatware.
“This stuff doesn’t seem like his thing. Dade’s either for that matter.”
“Or Matt’s,” Sage chimed in.
“You’re right,” Missy agreed. “We should leave. I’m getting hungry.”
As they spilled onto the sidewalk, Sage breathed a sigh of relief. “I’m not into antiques, but even if I had been, I wouldn’t have bought anything from that store. That employee kept following me around, waiting for me to shove a fork in my pocket.”
Halle’s head whipped around. “What employee? I saw Sandra behind the register near the door. She and her husband run the store. Occasionally her daughter helps out, but she’s away at college. They don’t have any employees.”
“Oh.” Sage frowned. “I could swear she was following me.” She shrugged. “Must have been a coincidence.”
Missy smoothed a hand over her honeyed curls. “Where are we eating? Please, don’t say Millie’s Diner.”
“Definitely not. Angie still works there, and I don’t trust her not to add something special to my food.” Halle turned to Sage. “I used to waitress at Millie’s. Angie is one of my former co-workers. She’s not in my fan club and the feeling is mutual.”
Sage nodded and opened her mouth to reply when she spotted a library on the corner across the street. “Oh, can we go to the library after lunch?”
Halle shook her head. “It’s closed. The head librarian, Mrs. Branch, passed away a few weeks ago.
Miss Silver was supposed to take over, but her boyfriend got a job out of town, and she decided to go with him.
There’s been talk about letting volunteers handle it until a new librarian can be found, but without anyone to oversee them… .”
Missy nudged Sage with her shoulder. “You should apply.”
Halle’s eyes widened. “Are you a librarian?”
“Yes, but I don’t know….”
“What can it hurt to apply?” Missy asked. “If you and Matt decide to stay, then you have a job. There’s no pressure.”
Sage rubbed her temple. “I feel like there is, but I’ll think about it.”
“Let’s pick up a pizza and go to my place to discuss this,” Halle suggested. “We’ll pick up enough for the guys. Missy, that way you can tell Rick you were thinking about him.”
Sage bit into her pizza and hummed with appreciation. She didn’t realize how hungry she had become. They’d done more walking than actual purchasing.
“I hope that you don’t mind that it’s only pizza,” Halle said, placing a slice with a variety of meats on her own plate. “After burgers, I’m sure you were looking forward to something more sophisticated.”
“Actually, I don’t eat out that often. This is like a vacation for me.”
“Matt told me about your accident,” Missy said. “I’m glad that you weren’t badly hurt. It was so sweet of him to go to take care of you like he did.”
Sage smiled. “That’s Matt. If you need him, he’s there.” She laughed. “This time I didn’t even call.” But then she sobered. “I just wish I’d known he needed me as much. I would have been there for him.”
“Doesn’t matter. You didn’t know. Now that you do, you’re here for him.” Missy smiled. “Tell me about Matt. We’ve been texting, but I want the dirt in case I ever need some sisterly leverage.”
“Well….” The first thing that popped into her mind was that sorority scoring, but there was no way she was sharing that story with his sister. She’d always considered that to be disgusting behavior on the part of those women. It was an embarrassing moment for Matt and an invasion of his privacy.
“I’ll even the score and give you the dirt on Missy,” Halle said before picking a piece of pepperoni off her pizza and popping it into her mouth.
Missy gasped. “Never mind.”
Sage laughed.
The men arrived as they were cleaning up.
Halle had had the forethought to place the pizza boxes in the oven to keep the pizza warm.
Most of the men made a beeline for the food.
Dade stopped by Halle’s side, asked if she’d eaten, then kissed her before fixing his own plate.
For such a large and intimidating man, he was terribly sweet.
Rick didn’t bother with a plate. He snagged a slice of pizza, claimed a chair, and then pulled Missy into his lap.
Matt’s face lit up when he saw her. She’d seen that expression on his face probably thousands of times before only now did she finally recognize what it meant. That man loved her. How could she have been so blind?
Well, obviously, she knew he loved her. He’d told her often enough as a friend. And now as her lover. But part of her still marveled at how quickly their relationship had gone from friendship to a lifetime commitment. It was more whiplash inducing than her car accident had been.
Matt was in love with her. And had been for years. It was an unselfish and giving love. He’d been willing to walk away and let her marry someone else if that had been her desire.
How could she not love him back? It was impossible. She did love him. And not as just a friend. She was his mate and he was hers. What the hell was she waiting for? All the obstacles she’d thought of to prevent her from committing to Matt were minor compared to what she shared with Matt.
She stood as he approached. Draping her arms around his shoulders, she drew him down for a kiss. She breathed in his wild scent, a mixture of forest and pure Matt. “I love you,” she murmured against his lips. “And I want to be yours. In every way.”
He searched her gaze, his pupils expanding to consume much of the blue. Whatever he saw there caused Matt to emit a low growl. His hands tightened on her waist. “Sage, let’s—” he began, his tone urgent and she knew that he wanted to leave immediately.
She stepped back and slipped her hand in his, prepared to agree.
Dade’s angry growl cut though all the conversations in the room. “Son of a bitch,” he bit out as he stared at his cell phone screen. “Those fuckers are already in town. They had to already be on their way here before I contacted them.”
“Who?” Travis asked.
“The O’Connor pack.”
Matt stiffened. “When do we meet?”
“Boyd’s. Half an hour.” Dade glanced around the room at the members of his pack. “The goal is for this to be a peaceful meeting. But, as I’ve already warned Boyd, conflict is a possibility. Volunteers?”
Jack grinned and ran his fingers through his hair. “Good. It’s been a long time since I was in a fight.”
Travis sighed. “Now I have to go to keep you from getting your ass whipped.”
Mitch grabbed a slice of pizza and headed for the door. “Let’s go.”
Sage released Matt’s hand. “I’ll get my purse.”
“Wait,” Matt said. “You don’t have to come.”
“Where you go, I go,” she said, giving his words back to him. “I’m your mate. I should be there.”
Matt clenched his jaw, but she refused to back down. “Sage, this could be dangerous.”
She waved a hand around the room. “With all these big shifters and you? I’ll be fine.” She stepped close and whispered, “Please, Matt. Let me be there for you.”
He swore under his breath. “Fine, but you stay by my side, and you let me and the others do all the talking.”
Smiling, she shrugged. “That’s fine by me.”