Never to Keep (Accepting Fate #1) (33 page)

His shoulders rounded as he sat on the edge of the bed. “I found out the night you were attacked. It was her idea to go to the club. I only went along to spend time with my brothers.” He looked at me out of the corner of his eye. “I figured it out when she started talking shit about you.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” My chest hurt as I wondered what else he was keeping from me.

“I was afraid you wouldn’t want to be with me if you found out I was related to her.” He diverted his eyes.

I really didn’t want to have any kind of connection to her, but Sawyer was worth it.

“At first I was too preoccupied with your condition to worry about it,” he said. “Then when things worked out between us, I didn’t want to give you a reason to leave again.”

“It’s not your fault that your brother is stupid.” I took his face in my hands to bring his eyes back to mine. “It really hurts that you didn’t trust me enough to tell me.”

“I’m an idiot when it comes to relationships…or whatever this is between us. Please, give me some leeway to make mistakes. I promise I won’t make the same one twice.”

“What if she had been here tonight?” I couldn’t imagine what might have happened.

“I made sure she wouldn’t be. If she had been here, we would have stayed home, and if she shows up, we will leave.”

“You would have missed your mother’s birthday for me?” My irritation was replaced with warmth.

“Of course. I couldn’t go that long without you.” The look in his eyes warmed my heart. I wondered if he was beginning to change his mind about love and relationships.

“You have to be tired,” I said, really hoping he wasn’t. “It’s almost four in the morning our time.”

“I’m never too tired to be inside of you.”

“Thank God for that.”

Madison

Ethan and Charlie came over for dinner a few days after we got home from California. “I thought Brianna was coming, too,” I said as my guests came in the house.

“She’s spending the night with a friend,” Charlie said. Ethan took his hand and led him into the living room where they sat down together on the love seat. I smiled when Ethan rested his arm across the top of Charlie’s shoulders.

“This might be the last night of good weather for a while, so Sawyer wants to grill. Does that work for you?”

My two friends looked at each other and came to a silent agreement. It felt as if they had been together for years instead of a couple of short weeks. “Sounds great,” Charlie said for the pair. “I’ll go see if Sawyer needs any help.”

I could see the excitement and indecision on Ethan’s face after Charlie had left the room. His knees were bouncing like a kid with a huge secret.

“Spill it,” I said.

“I wasn’t sure if you would be comfortable talking about this kind of thing with me,” he said.

“I’m really happy for the two of you. You’re one of my closest friends in the world; you can talk to me about anything.”

“I know it hasn’t been very long, but I think he may be the one.”

I felt the smile spread across my face. “That’s amazing!”

“I think tonight might be the night, if you know what I mean.”

“Are you nervous?” I asked.

“A little—more excited than anything. I don’t want to be rude, but we probably won’t be staying very long.”

“No problem at all,” I said with a knowing grin. It worked out well for me, too. The earlier they left, the earlier I could get Sawyer out of his pants.

“Yeah, I didn’t think you would mind.”

*

“How much longer?” I asked. I stuck my bottom lip out at him. “You’ve been working for hours.” With Peyton and Olivia gone, I didn’t have anything to keep me occupied while Sawyer worked. Ethan and Charlie hadn’t been around since they came over for dinner several days earlier. It wasn’t difficult to guess how they had been spending their time.

“I haven’t gotten much done in the past couple of weeks,” Sawyer said.

He’d been camped out on the couch grading papers all evening. I knew it was my fault, since the only thing he’d gotten done lately was me. He looked delicious in his oxford shirt and khakis. The wire-rimmed glasses he wore when he worked inspired all kinds of naughty teacher fantasies.

“Patience, Madison,” he said in his authoritative teacher voice while keeping his attention on his work. “Give me another hour, and then I’ll be all yours for the rest of the night.” He didn’t know what that voice did to me.

“But, I’m horny,” I whined. I don’t know what had gotten into me, but I knew exactly what I wanted to get inside of me.

I knew I had made a small dent in his defenses when he shifted in his seat. “I need to get everything finished. My last day is only a couple of weeks away.” He took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. “I have to be caught up on grading and have interim report cards done.”

I wondered if he was intentionally trying to drive me crazy. Two could play this game. He put his glasses back on and returned his focus to the stack of papers on his lap. I raced upstairs and stripped down to my red, lacy panties. I pulled one of his white button-down shirts from my closet and fastened two of the buttons just below my breasts. I tied the shirttails at my waist and threw my hair up in a sloppy bun on top of my head.

He glanced in my direction when he heard me coming down the steps. His double-take was almost comical. He threw his papers on the floor as he watched me saunter in his direction. I straddled his lap, making sure to rub my breasts against him as I settled into position. I took his glasses from his face and put them on mine.

“What do you think?” I asked coyly.

“I think you look like a sexy librarian.” He swallowed so hard I could have heard it across the room. “I also think I’m going to fuck you.”

“Okay, but after that, I get to fuck a sexy college professor.” I slid the glasses back on his face.

The tone of his mood quickly softened. He gently took my hands and looked up into my eyes. “No, you will not be fucking a sexy college professor,” he said quietly. The calm intensity in his eyes wasn’t fueled by lust. “Only me. You are only going to be with me.”

I knew he hadn’t misinterpreted the meaning behind what I’d said. I searched his eyes for confirmation and quickly found what I was looking for. He was making a declaration. He was trying to tell me that he was seriously considering a future that had been off limits before.

I leaned forward and placed my lips gently on his. His mouth moved with mine in a seductive dance. I ran my fingers through his soft hair.

“How fond are you of these panties?” he asked against my lips.

“I think you should ask yourself that question,” I murmured.

“I’ll buy you a new pair.” His hands went to my hips, and a moment later the red lace was in pieces on the couch next to me. He shifted me toward his knees so he could reach his zipper. He pulled his hard length from his pants and reached for my hips. I had him inside of me before he could blink.

“Oh, God, I’ll never get tired of this,” he moaned. I rolled my hips as he worked on removing my shirt.

“Me either,” I breathed. He filled me up completely in every possible way. He was the piece of me I hadn’t realized was missing before.

He held me close and shifted our bodies until my back was on the couch. He tugged his pants off as far as he could without pulling out of me. I pulled up my knees and used my feet to shove his khakis down his legs until they were around his ankles. I ran the soles of my feet up his muscular calves and then wrapped my legs around him. He kicked off his pants as he continued to slide in and out of my welcoming body.

His lips were fused to mine as he brought me the most intense pleasure I’d ever experienced. I broke free to breathe when I was close to finishing.

“I wish I could stay inside of you forever,” he whispered.

“I would like that.” My body gripped his hard flesh tightly as I convulsed around him.

*

I’d fallen asleep that night lying on top of Sawyer after we had made love three more times. I was woken up in the morning by the feeling of him moving inside of me.

“Good morning,” I breathed.

“I was wondering how long it would take you to wake up.” He picked up the pace of his powerful thrusts.

“You weren’t kidding when you said you wanted to stay inside me forever, were you?”

“Nope. That was the best night’s sleep I’ve ever had. I need to fall asleep inside you more often.” He wore the sexiest smile I’d ever seen. “Now, I just need to figure out how we’re going to pick your family up from the airport with your legs wrapped around my waist.” If anyone could figure it out, it was him.

He wrapped his arms tightly around my back and somehow managed to stand without breaking our intimate connection. He carried me down the hall and started the shower with ease. I knew he was strong, but I had no idea just how strong.

“We’re not going to be able to get clean,” I said, not that I minded.

“We’ll wash as much as possible. Then we’re going to go downstairs to eat breakfast, and then we’ll brush our teeth.” The warm water flowed over our joined bodies when he stepped into the shower. “I’m not leaving your body until the last possible minute.”

“Are you going be able to keep it up through all of that?”

“I’ve been sporting wood almost non-stop since the day we met. I really don’t think it’s going to be a problem.”

He pressed me against the wall and pumped in and out of my hungry flesh, proving he was definitely up for the challenge. I would miss all of the naked fun when everyone came home. Maybe Sawyer and I could make this a new Friday night tradition.

Olivia

Madison scooped Peyton up as soon as we cleared the security exit. David brought up the rear, said his hellos, and then headed to baggage claim.

“I missed you so much,” Madison said to Peyton. “I don’t think I can stand to be away from you for that long ever again.” Madison had nearly squeezed the life out of my baby before she realized Pey was squirming to get down.

Peyton ran to Sawyer when her aunt—soon to be her mother—set her on her feet. Sawyer’s smile was a mile wide. He picked her up and swung her around in a circle a few times before pulling her into his chest for a hug. He reminded me so much of Ryan it made my heart hurt. I wish I had more time to get to know him better.

“He’s going to be a great father,” I said when my sister-in-law came to my side. “It gives me so much peace to know that Peyton will have such wonderful parents when I’m gone.”

“I wish you wouldn’t say things like that.” Madison’s eyes glistened with unshed tears. “It rips me apart to think about a world without you in it.”

“I’m going to have the surgery,” I said. The time I’d spent with Peyton in California was magical. I’d do anything for a chance to have more time with her. I looked at Peyton and Sawyer through the water clouding my vision. “I called Ethan a few days ago. He scheduled the surgery for the middle of November.” I took a shuddering breath as a rogue tear escaped from one of my eyes. “That gives me about two weeks to make arrangements in case it goes south.”

“You need to think positively,” she said. “I know it’s easier said than done, but I strongly believe that the will to live is incredibly powerful.” She dashed a stray tear from her cheek. “Look at what happened to my dad. No one expected him to live when he was shot, but he pulled through.”

“I know, but you know the old adage: hope for the best and plan for the worst.” My eyes were locked on the most important person in my life and her future daddy. “I don’t want to leave anything to chance.”

“You’ll get through it. I know you will.” She took a faltering breath. “You have to.”

“I’ll try my best.” I was determined to fight as hard as I could for my baby girl, but I couldn’t quite shake the ominous feeling I’d had since Ethan told me about the surgery. Peyton ran back to us. “Okay, little lady, let’s find your grandpa and go home.” I took Peyton’s sweet little hand in mine; Sawyer did the same with Madison. I hoped one day he would work through whatever imaginary issues he had and realize he was just as in love with her as she was with him…maybe even more.