Chapter 18
SAINT
What the fuck is she doing? I gave her strict orders to go to the secret room and wait for me there. Did she listen? Of course not. That would be too easy. Instead, she’s standing on the back patio with a gun in hand, looking at me like a deer in the headlights.
“What the fuck did I tell you to do, Sage?” My tone is murderous, and all I want to do is strangle her for not listening to me. I slowly make my way up the patio to stand in front of her.
“You’re bleeding,” she whispers, her eyes wide and still in shock at seeing me fight two fucking thugs who thought they could rob the house. Wrong fucking house. I lift my hand, wipe at my nose, and peer down at my hand.
“It’s nothing. Just a moment of weakness where one of them got a punch in. I’ll survive.” Rolling her eyes at me, she grabs my hand and pulls me back into the house, closing the sliding door and locking it behind us. She pulls me to the island and tells me to stay put while she fishes out the first aid kit that’s in one of the cabinets. I head for the alarm system that’s on the side wall and check to see if everything is still armed—it’s not. When I ran outside, it sent a silent alarm to the security company.
“This is Home Security Protection. What’s your emergency?” a calm woman says over the intercom.
“My mistake, I didn’t turn off the alarm before taking out the trash,” I say back to her.
“Can I get your security passphrase please?”
“Witch stick,” I respond again, looking at Sage, who is shaking her head and trying to conceal the smile that’s threatening to show. It was my idea when Saxon got this new security system for the passphrase. In the middle of setting it up, Frankie asked us, “Where is witch stick?” and that’s what we landed on. It’s easy to remember and honestly hilarious when you know the concept behind it.
“Thank you, Mr. Wilder. Have a great night.” The woman from the security system says before ending our brief conversation. I don’t correct her when she calls me Mr. Wilder; she probably assumed it was Saxon talking, anyway.
I turn the system back on and head back over to the island.
“I thought you guys were going to change that stupid passphrase.” She scowls at me while rummaging through the first aid kit and grabbing gauze and antiseptic ointment.
“Yeah, well, why change something that works?” I say, pulling out one of the barstools and taking a seat. Fuck, I haven’t fought like that in a while, and the ache in my ribs tells me I will be feeling every punch they landed tomorrow.
“Who the hell were those guys?” she asks me, gently wiping away at my blood, one gauze piece at a time. I shake my head at her.
“Probably two thugs who thought they could rob us but didn’t know who actually lives here. Bad move on their part.” I close my eyes as she starts putting a wet gauze over my nose, stinging my skin. “Which reminds me, why didn’t you listen to me? You could have gotten hurt.” I say to her in my stern tone.
“I couldn’t just let you get hurt without helping.” Her voice is small. “But by the looks of how scared those two were, you handled yourself okay.” I laugh at her last comment.
“I handled it just, okay? If I would have had more time, I could have ended both of them with my hands. You don’t give me enough credit, witch stick.” She swats at my thigh before closing the first aid kit and leveling me with one of her looks. That intoxicating fucking look that goes straight to my soul and makes my cock want to escape from my sweats.
“I’m saying that I couldn’t just let you do that alone. I wouldn’t forgive myself if something were to happen to you while I was hiding in the closet.” Her face softens and her eyes remain fixed on mine.
“So, you’re saying you love me now?” I tease, winning me another slap to my thigh as she turns to put away the kit. With her back towards me, she stands on her tiptoes to put the kit away.
“I’m saying that you’re important, Saint, and I don’t want anything happening to you.” She doesn’t turn around right away, her back to me as she lowers her head slightly. A small sigh escapes her throat. I stand from my chair and step up behind her. Again, her smell of vanilla and strawberries fills my nose, and I inhale deeply. She takes a deep breath, aware of my proximity.
“You’re important, Sage, and I will never let anything happen to you,” I say on a breath, noticing the sharp inhale she takes before finally turning around to face me. We stare at one another, the color of her eyes, so similar to mine, drawing me closer to her. She doesn’t step away; instead, she raises her hands, placing them on my chest.
“Saint, I don’t know what’s changed between us, and I don’t think Saxon would be very happy.”
I brush a loose strand of her now dry hair behind her ear, resting my fingers on her jaw.
“I don’t know, but I’m not going to pretend to hate this feeling either.” Her eyes close for a long moment. A frenzy of mixed emotions swirling through her mind. I rub my thumb down her cheek a few times, and with a slight adjustment of her face, she presses into my touch.
Don’t do this, Saint. This isn’t right. This is your best friend’s sister.
My brain is screaming at me to walk away, to forget these feelings and pull back. But my heart is pulling me towards her. I’m drawn to her. Ever since watching her dance with the punk in the club, all I’ve wanted to do was tell her I’m the only one allowed to touch her from now on. I want her—body, mind, and soul. I’ve been confused about these emotions building in my chest ever since she was in high school, and I realize now what my body is trying to tell me. It wants her, all of her, and only her.
“Tell me to stop if you don’t want this,” I whisper to her, our lips so close I can feel her warmth radiating off her face. Opening her eyes, she sees how close I am.
“Saint.” Just one word, my name. A whisper on her tongue, and I can’t stop myself. I crash my lips onto hers in a frenzy of desire, and I can’t stop. My hands reach around, grabbing her thighs and hoisting her up towards me. She wraps her legs around my waist as I turn to sit her on the counter. Her soft lips open to mine, and the taste of her on my tongue has me feeling out of control. An animal that’s finally been set loose. I grab her face in my hands, deepening our kiss even more as I grind my now rapidly growing cock against her. The clothes between us suddenly feel like a prison, restricting me from getting what I want. A barrier I will demolish.
She pulls at my waistband, her fingers dipping below the fabric. My abdomen tenses, my skin igniting from her touch. She pulls away from our kiss, her forehead resting on mine as we both try to catch our breath.
“This is crazy,” she says breathlessly.
“I happen to like crazy.” I step back and pull my shirt over my head in one quick motion. I don’t miss the sudden jump in her eyes as she stares at my chest, every inch covered in elaborate ink. Soft fingers touch my collarbone and slide down my skin to my abs. My body reacts to her touch, flexing every muscle she caresses. Her fingers leave a trail of embers, burning and marking me as she explores my body.
Silver eyes reach mine.
“Why now, after all these years?” she asks. I give her a small smile as my hands run up the outside of her thighs and wrap around her small waist.
“It’s always been you.” I pick her up again and carry her to my room. I’m tired of acting like this is nothing more than a brother-sister bond. We’ve been harboring our feelings from one another, and now that I know where she stands, I won’t hold back. We’ll figure this shit out with Saxon later, but for now, Sage is mine.