Page 71 of Scrape the Barrel
“Hey,” I muttered, crooking a finger under her chin to bring her eyes back to mine. I loved when she looked at me. “I’m sure you already know this, but he’s an asshole, okay? Real men don’t treat women like that, and I promise, as long as you’ll let me, I’ll make sure you know every day how important you are.”
Her expression changed from sad to piqued interest. “As long as I’ll let you?”
“I like you, Sage. I don’t know if that’s clear after what we just did, but I want more. Not just of that, though I’d gladly take that every day,” I admitted with a smile, “but I want more of you. As much as you’re willing to give, I’ll take it all.”
“Are you saying you want to date? Officially?” she asked.
I nodded. “Do you?”
She blinked a few times and I dropped my finger from below her chin. “I mean, yes. But—”
“Baby, don’t think of the buts.” I lay back, pulling her on top of me so that she was straddling my hips. I brought my hands up to her cheeks, brushing her hair behind her ears. “We’ve got a million years to think of the reasons we shouldn’t, but what if instead, we spent those thinking of the reasons we should?”
A smile reached her lips, and all I wanted to do was kiss her again and again and again.
“I think that sounds like a good plan,” she said, inching her face closer to mine.
“A million years, then, yeah?”
Her smile widened, and right before she pressed her lips to mine, she murmured, “A million years.”
25
Callan
All I could smell and feel was Sage wrapped around me in the early morning light that peeked through the crack in the curtain. I’d stripped down to my boxers after we talked for a bit, crawling under the covers with her. She’d worn my shirt to bed, but from the waist down, she was bare. We cuddled all night, and even now, her leg was in between mine, pulling my thigh closer to her as the rest of her was draped over my chest. Her breathing was still deep with sleep, so I took the time while I waited for her to wake up to recite last night’s memory in my head.
Her moans were my new favorite sound, along with her laugh. Her smile, how fucking bright it was, was the only image I wanted to see from this point forward. I was falling too damnquickly for Sage, but I guess life didn’t have a timeline, so why would I pump the brakes?
I could waste precious time by holding back with her, but where would that get us other than delaying right where we both wanted to be?
An inkling of doubt crept in, reminding me of how I’d had the same thoughts before, and it left me heartbroken and alone for years. Trust wasn’t easy to hand out, but something about Sage made me want to open my walls again, tear down the fortress that I’d built in my mind to protect myself, and let her in.
She was already in.
I didn’t consciously realize it, but every lesson she came to with Avery, every interaction we shared from the moment we met at the coffee shop, it all piled together and I was tumbling down in an avalanche of feelings that I couldn’t hide any longer.
I liked her.
And she liked me, too.
Sage shifted, letting out a small sigh as she buried her head deeper against my bare chest. Her hand moved, dragging across my stomach to awaken the butterflies that hid inside.
“Good morning,” I said, stroking a hand down her hair.
“Good morning,” she mumbled, her voice laden with sleep.
“Sleep well?” I asked.
She lifted her head, and I instantly missed the weight of her on my chest.
“I slept better than I have in a long time,” she admitted, blinking the haze out of her vision as she looked at me.
Brushing a lock of hair behind her ear, I admired her like this. Just woken up and beautiful. Raw, untouched, and wholly herself.
“I’m glad. Coffee?”
“Yes, please.” I wished I had everything she needed to make her special coffees she liked at Triple B, but black would have to do today.
