Page 51 of Hidden Desire

Stassi laughed. “When you’re home alone with your closet full of shoes, you can get to know a person. But I bought myself a pair, as well. You want to skate, and I want to teach you. I thought we could start tonight.”

“Tonight?” Sage exclaimed. “But where?”

“The basketball court out back seems like a great place to start.” Sage opened her mouth, but Stassi held up her hand. “I already spoke with the manager, and he said that he’s cool with it, so there’s no arguing. Let’s get these skates on and go.”

Sage knew that no one had ever done something as sweet for her as Stassi had done with the skates. And to go through the trouble of getting the manager’s blessing for them to use the basketball court seemed even more special.

Sage put on her skates, with Stassi taking care of hers and they rolled through the apartment and to the front door. Stassi grabbed hold of Sage’s arm to guide her. It wasn’t too difficult, since Sage could also hold onto the wall. However, once they reached the back, it began to get a bit sketchier.

“I don’t think I can do this,” Sage argued.

Stassi turned so that Sage was directly in front of her. “Do you trust me?” she asked.

Sage nodded and Stassi took both of her hands. She rolled backward with Sage slowly following her, their eyes interlocked. “Just don’t let go,” Sage replied between clenched teeth.

“I’ll never.” Stassi continued to skate backward, as Sage continued to go forward. When Stassi turned, Sage did, as well. They were in-sync with one another. Stassi dropped her one hand and turned so that they were going side by side. “Just follow my lead.” Sage watched her, mimicking the steps that Stassi maneuvered. Sage felt more at ease, letting her body relax. She focused on Stassi’s cool and calm words and never once feared that she would fall flat on her face. “That’s it,” Stassi called. “You’ve got this.”

Sage grinned, believing she truly did, until her skate hit a rock and she felt that the world was shifting. Stassi reached for her to help steady her, but it was too late. Her skate went out from under her, and she skidded to a halt, lying flat on her back.

“Are you alright?” Stassi knelt down over her, staring into Sage’s eyes.

Sage laughed and nodded. “That was a rough fall.” Stassi reached for her hands and helped her to a seated position. Sage began laughing harder, until her stomach ached from laughing so hard. “Let’s do it again.”

Stassi laughed, helping Sage back to her feet. Sage moved in, and they briefly kissed one another. Stassi’s heart rapidly beat across her chest. From the corner of her eyes, Sage spotted Stassi watching her, and Sage grinned.

“This is amazing,” Sage said. “Now you’ll just have to let me take you camping. I’ll show you how it’s done.”

Stassi’s grin widened and they rolled back to the apartment building and up to Sage’s apartment. Once inside, Sage collapsed in a chair and took the skates off. She had been exhausted at the start of the evening, but now she had reached her second wind.

“This was a wonderful surprise,” Sage began.

Stassi leaned in and kissed her, her tongue gliding along Sage’s. “I’m glad you liked it,” Stassi whispered. Sage stood up and snaked her arm around Stassi’s waist. They walked to her bedroom, both so close that you couldn’t slip a paper between them. “I love you so much, Sage.” Stassi stopped in the bedroom and wrapped her arm around Sage’s neck.

“I love you!” Sage pulled Stassi to her. One hand grasped the back of her neck, the other rapidly tugged at her clothes to remove what covered her.

Sage pulled back and dropped her gaze to Stassi’s jeans, she quickly tugged on them until they were lying on the floor, then turned her attention to her own clothes. The only thing left was Stassi’s lingerie and Sage reached her hand around Stassi’s back to work the zipper. It slowly slipped off of her, leaving Stassi naked.

Sage reached around for the clasp of her bra, but Stassi reached out and touched Sage’s hand. In a silent plea Stassi said her peace. Sage stopped attempting to get her bra off and watched. Stassi touched the clasp of Sage’s bra and flicked her wrist. The bra dropped. She then grabbed hold of Sage’s panties and helped her remove them.

Stassi crashed her lips against Sage’s, and they stayed in that position, their two naked bodies crushed against each other, with growing admiration. Their love had never been stronger.

Stassi

“There’s something I need to tell you. I’ve been going around and around about how I should put this out there, but there’s really no easy way. The truth is my father—he’s Martin Hewitt.”

Stassi waited for Sage to respond. Her brows furrowed, but she didn’t remark, good or bad. Stassi took a deep breath, waiting. Finally, Sage’s lips twitched. “Martin Hewitt? Am I supposed to know him?”

Stassi wanted to laugh. She was surprised, almost ready to laugh it off and say, nah, you wouldn’t run in the same circles. But she had gotten this far and needed to be completely honest. “He’s the owner of the hospital. Martin Hewitt. He owns a few hospitals in the area. And when I needed the job, he was there to make sure I had one.” She couldn’t even stop spewing out the words. Once the truth cascaded out of her, it was over. “I needed to tell you because I don’t want some false pretense that I got this job just because I’m the owner’s boss.”

Sage’s eyes narrowed. “False pretense? That’s exactly what you just said. You needed a job, and he got you one.” She shook her head. “So, your father is the reason our hospital is struggling. You said he had hit some bad investments, right?” Sage got up from the couch and began pacing. “What am I supposed to do with this information, Stassi? Am I supposed to be happy that the woman I love is the daughter of the man that doesn’t care about the workers?”

“What? No! And that’s not true.” Stassi jumped up from the couch. “He cares and will ultimately do something to save the hospital. I just felt guilty.”

Sage scoffed. “You felt guilty sleeping with me because you knew you were harboring this huge secret? Well, I’m damn sure you did feel guilty. But this isn’t going to ease your conscience, Stassi, because you just ruined everything. And you tore my heart into pieces. Congratulations. Are you happy and relieved that all the truth is out there? I need some air.” Sage turned on her heel and stormed out of her living room. Stassi held her breath, hearing the sound of the slamming door.

“Don’t go! Don’t go!” she called, but it was too late, Sage was probably halfway to the car by now, leaving Stassi unsure why she had felt the need to tell her everything. It didn’t make her feel better. It only tore them apart, and she wanted Sage to come back, so they could mend things.

The sound of a ringing bell echoed in the living room and Stassi glanced around. It almost sounded like a timer was about to go off, but she didn’t know where the sound was coming from. She just wanted Sage back in her arms.

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