Page 11 of Burned

“Jackie, is this what all this is about? You want me to move back to D.C. to be close to you? For what? The dead-end job I left? To be Terrell’s side chick? Or back to being your lackey? I’m not moving back to D.C. and if you think by giving Terrell my number I’d be interested in getting back together with him, then you can forget it. I’ve moved on.”

By her mother’s silence, Sadie knew she’d hit the nail on the head. It wasn’t the first time her mother had suggested she move back to D.C. ″where she belonged”. Sadie suspected her mother was lonely and she was the last daughter left who’d have anything to do with her. Sadie had bent over backward to try to please her mother but nothing ever seemed to, so she found it ironic that Jackie wanted her to come back. Not that much would change. Jackie would still be Jackie and Sadie would probably be expected to do drop everything in order to run and do her bidding.

“That’s it, isn’t it?” Sadie persisted. She wasn’t going to let her mother off the hook so easily this time.

Instead of giving her an answer to the question, Jackie practically snarled into the phone. “Listen here, girlie, you may be smelling yourself now but you’re not your sisters and you never will be. You may think I’m just being mean by telling you this but you should learn not to reach above yourself because you’ll only be hurt. And when this white boy gets tired of you and he will—”

Tears stung the backs of her eyes again. She felt like she was in high school all over again, dateless and depressed while her sisters had more guys than they could handle. “Stop it, Jackie.”

“And he will,” Jackie continued on as if Sadie hadn’t spoken. “Then maybe you’ll stop chasing after the impossible.” She paused with a sigh. “Look, baby, you’re a nice person and sometimes you try too hard. I bet you even cooked that white boy dinner tonight, didn’t you? Bet you were even thinking about giving it up? Just because you do a lot for a guy doesn’t necessarily mean he won’t leave you. Terrell did. Jordan did. By the way, I saw him the other day witha man. They looked might chummy. I always thought that boy was loose in the loafers. Remember that boy in high school you liked so much? Craig, I think his name was. You tutored him for a while and eventually just did his homework for him. You even baked him cookies. He took you out a few times, but the minute he passed math class, he ditched you for a cheerleader. Not much has changed since adolescence, Sadie. Men still want the cheerleaders, not the tutor. It’s time for you to stop this foolishness and come home.”

The tears fell unheeded and Sadie didn’t much feel like having the romantic dinner she’d planned for Rhys. “I’ve got to go.”

“Enjoy your dinner, dear. I’m sure whatever you cooked will be delicious. Bet you made that special lasagna, didn’t you? That was Terrell’s favorite. I’ll let you go now. Don’t wait too long to call me.” She hung up before Sadie had a chance to reply.

Sometimes it felt like her mother actually hated her but she could never figure out why. It was her older sisters who had rebelled and left home and had nothing to do with her, yet Sadie was the one her mother constantly put down. Could her mother have been right? Was it true that she tried too hard? What would Rhys think of her efforts? Despite how well things were going between her and Rhys she still had misgivings about his motives for being with her and this talk with Jackie didn’t help matters.

When her doorbell rang it didn’t register at first because she was still deep in thought. It was only when the ringing became more insistent did she spring into action. She wiped away her tears and hurried to the door.

Rhys stood on the other end holding a bottle of wine in one hand and roses in another, looking like her every fantasy come true. He wore a black button down shirt that was slightly open to reveal a patch of dark chest hair and a pair of khaki pants. He took her breath away but as she looked at him those misgiving came back full force. What did he want from her?

He must have noticed something was amiss because he frowned. “Sadie, what’s the matter?”

She shook her head not trusting herself to speak. Instead, she opened the door wide enough to let him in.

When he was inside, he placed the wine and flowers down on an end table and closed the door. “Something is wrong. Are you going to tell me or will I have to drag it out of you?”

“It’s nothing really. Please, take a seat and I’ll bring plates out. Dinner should be ready in five minutes. In the meantime, I’ll bring out some glasses and you can pour the wine.” She pasted a smile on her face hoping he would be fooled by her fake cheerfulness.

He was not. When she attempted to turn away Rhys grabbed her arm and turned her to face him. “We’re not going to proceed unless you tell me what’s going on. You’re obviously upset so how in the world can you expect me to enjoy the evening if you’re unhappy?”

“Do you find me attractive?” Sadie blurted out. She had to know.

“What?” He seemed taken aback by her question. “Of course I do. I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t.”

“Prove it.”

He moved closer, stopping until he was inches away from her. “That’s simple enough.” Rhys grasped her waist and pulled her against him until his pelvis ground into her and before she knew what was happening, his mouth swooped down to capture hers.

Chapter Five

This is what he’d been waiting for since the moment he’d laid eyes on her. These past few weeks they’d been dating had been a fulfilling yet frustrating experience. Slowly she was opening up to him, sharing little tidbits about her life. In their time together, Rhys felt validated in his decision about perusing her. Sadie was an absolute sweetheart. She was the kind of person who always had something nice to say about everyone, even when they didn’t deserve it—a true lady.

He could tell by the way she interacted with others that she was genuine and actually cared about people. She listened. Some people made you think they were listening by simply keeping their mouths shut all while impatiently waiting for their turn to speak. Not Sadie. It was apparent she took an actual interest in what others said to her.

He’d even witnessed her help an old lady across the street. Rhys didn’t realize there were still people like her in the world. She volunteered her time at a local shelter where she dragged him on their third date. Sadie dealt with the people at the shelter with compassion and allowed those who lived there to hold on to their dignity.

It was apparent she was also very close to her sisters who she spoke highly of. Whenever they were together and they happened to run into someone she knew, it was obvious to him how well liked she was. Sadie was a true gem he had no intention of letting go anytime soon if ever.

The frustration, however, came from her obvious low self-esteem. Sadie was a beauty who didn’t know it. He wasn’t blind to her extra pounds, but he didn’t have a problem with them. Frankly, he wasn’t particularly fond of stick thin women. It was quite painful at times to be with someone whose bones jabbed into his flesh during intimate moments. Besides, she carried her weight well and it looked good on her. She had nice hips, thighs, and boobs. Dear god, he’d lost count of the many hours he’d fantasized over those luscious globes that looked as if they’d burst from her blouse at times. They had to be at least double D’s. He’d always been a breast man. And then there was her ass. Whoa. He never focused too much on a woman’s derrière before he met Sadie, but she certainly had a nice one. All her nice curves added up to a handful of irritating nights alone with his cock so hard it wouldn’t go back down for hours. He hadn’t jerked off so much since he’d hit puberty.

And then there was her lovely face, her beautiful brown eyes, her smile, the beauty mark at the corner of her lips. Her lips were so full, he ached to taste them. Rhys wished he could show her how beautiful he thought she was, but he sensed a reserve about her—almost a pulling back as if she didn’t believe he’d be interested in her.

He couldn’t think why she’d feel that way. There was nothing special about him in his opinion. If anything he was the one who was worried she’d wake up one day and realize she was too good for him.

But now, here was his opportunity to prove to her just how much he wanted her. He didn’t know who had upset her but he’d deal with that later. He wasn’t about to pass up the opportunity he’d been dying for since they’d met.

Dear God, she tasted of ambrosia. Her lips beneath his felt more than right. It was like this was meant to happen to them all along. The feel of her soft breasts crushed against his had his dick so damn hard he wanted to throw her on the floor and take her right then and there. He ran his tongue along the seam of her lips, sampling her sweetness. Rhys wanted inside, needed it.

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