Surrender to Fate (Fate's Path Part One: A New Adult Romance Series) (11 page)

But the fact that couldn’t be denied was that it was indeed, all in the past. Her mind then went to Adley. He was the
here
, he was the
now
, and how could she possibly ignore that as a major factor in her decision? Adley certainly had qualities that had an extremely powerful influence over Sarah, especially when she was in his presence. The way he was so transparent in his intentions were both flattering and nerve racking. Now that he knew that there was someone else in her life, would that change his impression of her, or smother his building attraction toward her? A sudden pang of concern hit Sarah, and that message too, she heard loud and clear. She felt an excitement whenever she was around Adley, and she had noticed more than once his eyes raking over her body. Then again, she should not be one to point fingers, as she had found it nearly impossible not to be in awe of the way his broad shoulders gave way to rippling arm muscles, and wondered what those arms would feel like if they were to ever wrap around her. She questioned if she truly wanted all of that to end.

Sarah watched the tip of the sun dip below the horizon and knew she ought to be getting home. She was no more certain of what to do as when she first sat down hours earlier. The frustration was debilitating, and she felt that she could barely bring herself to get up off of the ground. She finally stood and brushed the dust from her clothes. She leaned her head back to the tree once again and closing her eyes, made a concession in her mind that would just have to be enough, for now.
I don’t know how, or when, but I will just have to trust that when the time comes, the answer will be clear.

Sarah stood staring at the doorstep of the little house. She had made her way home feeling somewhat at peace with her acknowledgment that her Will and Adley quandary would somehow resolve itself in due time. But now, she stood staring at a bouquet of California Poppies tied with a string and a folded note with her name on the outside of it, waiting for her.
This, is not, all in due time.
She wondered if she could somehow ignore the flowers, and therefore whatever was in the note, and it could just go away...but once again, the duality of her emotions stopped her from doing just that. Between wanting to walk past the offering, or the other option of tripping over her own feet rushing straight to the note, left her with only the ability to stand and stare. Sarah closed her eyes, and literally felt exhausted. This day had been filled with more than its fair share of emotional turbulence. And clearly, the ride wasn’t over.

She decided not to prolong the inevitable. She knew she would not be able to bring herself to actually ignore the note, and staring at for any more length of time would be ridiculous. Besides, she wondered if Adley was at some hidden vantage point and was actually watching her. Just the thought of his eyes on her made her skin tingle and her stomach flip.

She picked up the flowers and the note and observed how badly her hands were trembling. What was it about Adley that she just didn’t seem to be able to still within herself? She paused for a minute to observe the poppies. With it being dusk, the poppies knew their ritual of closing their petals up tight, only to open again when the bright sun beckoned. Sarah mused how envious she felt of the flower, wishing she possessed the same obscurity, and could hide when the shadows came.

Turning her attention to the note, she wondered if Adley would be as convincing with his words as he was with his actions. She realized she was about to experience first hand if his words had the same intoxicating effect as his kiss, and she at once felt the familiar heart pounding reaction that Adley could so easily conjure. Taking a deep breath, she unfolded the paper. As her eyes began scanning the words, she abruptly let out the breath she had been holding in, as she read the words of the note.

Dear Sis,

I just wanted you to know that I’m sorry about what I said. I didn’t mean it. You’re the best sister I could ask for. You’re my best friend no matter what. Friends?

Love,

Matty

Sarah swallowed at the huge lump that had immediately formed in her throat. All that time and attention she had devoted to Adley, she hadn’t even thought of her brother and the fight they had had earlier in the day. The guilt coursed through her and she was furious with herself for allowing her selfishness to overcome what was truly important. Matty. She and Matty had always taken care of each other, and how quickly she tossed him to the wind the second she became distracted with Adley. Matty had been right. She was spending so much time with Adley that she had neglected her treasured connection with her brother, and it wasn’t right. But, despite all that she had done over the past several weeks that must’ve hurt him, every time, Matty was the one willing to apologize. Sarah felt sick. She had become so wrapped up in Adley, that she had lost sight of what meant the most to her. It was in that moment that Sarah heard her heart
and
her head speak to her in a clear, resounding voice. Her mother was right. It was obvious. Sarah understood what was essential to her. And it wasn’t the rush of excitement she would feel when Adley’s eyes smoldered as he looked her, or her thoughts of what his arms would feel like around her. All of that seemed so superficial now. What mattered, what
truly
mattered, were the people that could make her heart either soar to unimaginable heights, or sink to depths so painful that she would move Heaven and Earth not to hurt them, or at least to not hurt them again. And those people were all that mattered to her now.

Sarah found Matty quietly working in the barn raking old straw out of a stall. Riley had been lazily watching Matty from the center aisle of the barn when he saw Sarah approaching, and his thumping tail on the wooden floorboards announced her arrival. Matty was a hard worker for such a young boy, and Sarah took notice that her little brother wasn’t so little, anymore.

“Hey, Matty.”

“Hey, Sis. You got my note?” Matty asked nodding to the flowers that Sarah still held in the crook of her arm.

“Yes, I did. And you shouldn’t be the one apologizing. I should. You’re right, I’ve been spending a lot of time with Adley and that isn’t fair to you. I’m sorry, Matty.”

He smiled and walked out of the stall. “It’s okay, Sar.”

Sarah smiled lovingly and held out the palm of her hand, “Friends?”

Matty smiled broadly. Ever since they were very young, they had had their secret handshake that signified everything was alright, and that even after bickering, they knew they were still best friends. He dusted his hand off on his jeans and drew his palm over Sarah’s. “Friends.”

Sarah returned the code as he turned his hand up, “Friends.”

Sarah wasn’t sure how she’d react the next time she saw Adley. It had been a week since their kiss, and while they saw each other from a distance as they did their chores, neither one of them had approached the other. The butterflies in her stomach would reappear by just catching a glimpse of him from across the yard, and Sarah knew how challenging it would be to rein in her feelings for him. But the note from Matty had solidified what meant the most to her, and she knew she would have to remember that. Sooner or later, she would be face to face with Adley, and she would need an iron will to withstand his undeniable charm.

Much to her dismay, the meeting with Adley came sooner, rather than later. Sarah was once again in the refuge of the garden and had gotten lost in her task of harvesting what she could before the impending frost would certainly claim the vegetables first if given the chance.

“I am beginning to think you are avoiding me.” Adley’s voice was quiet, but strong.

Sarah braced herself before she even turned around to look into those emerald eyes. She knew this was the moment to prove her resolve. The question was, did she believe it enough to convince Adley?

She stood and faced him. For the first time, she could actually read his expression quite clearly. The confidence that he typically exuded was clouded with genuine confusion. Adley had most likely never experienced anyone able to actually ignore him, and certainly not any girl. She was certain that he was quite accustomed to getting all the attention he ever wanted, and the fact that she had been able to purposely elude him, gave her a renewed sense of assertion.

“Adley…I…” she began but almost instantly realized that this was going to be harder than she anticipated. “I’m not trying to avoid you. I just needed some space and time. That’s all.”

“Time away from me, obviously. I already figured that out, Sarah.” His tone clearly conveyed that Sarah had managed to hurt him, probably another new emotion for him from the opposite sex.

“Adley, no…I mean, not necessarily. There’s a lot in my mind that I’m still trying to figure out. Since moving here. There’s been a lot of change in my life, surely you can understand that?”

Adley took a moment, appearing to actually contemplate her words and how she must be feeling. What Sarah didn’t know was that he couldn’t take his eyes off her, and his mind was thinking about anything but her emotions. Sarah had a beauty that was so pure in simplicity and yet, drove him wild. Her silky long brown hair shone with the most beautiful golden highlights in the sunlight. But her body was what he couldn’t stop himself from being in awe of every time he saw her. When he first laid eyes on her almost a year ago, he recognized the potential in her to be stunning. And if he even remotely thought it then, every day since had only accentuated her every feature to the point that when he wasn’t with her, he couldn’t help but to fantasize about her. Her skin was perfectly smooth and tan, and when she would wear a sleeveless top like she was today, and put more of that delectable skin on display, it would nearly drive him over the edge with desire. Her long neck flowed into beautiful shoulders, and slender, shapely arms. But what had mostly changed over the last year were her attributes that only a woman could possess. Even though Sarah was talking about her heartfelt emotions, Adley couldn’t help his inner monologue about what he would rather be doing with her. Sarah had a body that was lean and tight, and he could only imagine what it would feel like to run his hands over every inch of her skin. And her breasts? Adley swallowed hard as his eyes drifted to her chest and noticed her nipples begging for attention through her thin cotton shirt. Her breasts were perfect, too. Round and full, providing a perfect canyon of cleavage that he would be all too happy to explore, if given the opportunity. He caught himself thinking how they would fit quite nicely in his mouth.

Snapping out of his latest vision of her as she stared expectantly at him, he quickly continued with his case. “Yea, I know. But I thought that you were getting over Colorado. I thought that maybe you were actually starting to like it here. That maybe you were actually starting to feel happy--because of me--but I guess I was wrong about that.”

“Adley, please. Don’t be like that.”

“Now I know, this whole time, you’ve been thinking of ‘him.’ Isn’t that right, Sarah?”

Sarah paused at the obvious jealously spiking his words. He couldn’t stand that she had been thinking of someone else, that much was clear. “I have been trying to feel happy here, you know that. And you know that I do have feelings for you.”

“Then don’t you think I deserve to know? Don’t you think that I deserve to know who you’ve been thinking about every time you’ve been with me?” Sarah didn’t think that his eyes could be any more intense than they had always been, but they were blazing now, proving her wrong.

“Adley,” Sarah could feel the tears threatening but forced herself to remain in control. “That’s not true. It’s just that...that...yes, there is someone else; someone that I had to leave. And believe me, I’ve tried to be happy here. I don’t want to spend my days being miserable. And you’ve been...a distraction for me, helping me get over leaving Colorado.”

Adley squinted at Sarah in pure shock, “A…a
distraction
? Did you just say that I’ve been a
distraction
? Well, I’m so happy that I could provide you with some sort of distraction while you’ve been pining away for someone else. You’re welcome, Sarah. Glad I could be of help.”

The threatening tears were no longer going to stay hidden and Sarah could only stare at Adley, wishing she had the power to go back in time and change what she had just said to him. But what could she say now? She knew that she had some semblance of resolve to stay true to Will, and what they had promised to each other, but maintaining that resolve felt like an impossible raging river that she would have to cross in order to keep it.

“Please don’t say that, Adley,” she sobbed. “Please…that’s not what I meant. I just...I just didn’t expect that
you
would be a part of moving to California. I certainly didn’t expect to have feelings for someone out here. I am so confused, and I don’t know what to say to you.”

Adley stared at her for several beats before he crossed the few rows of plants that stood between them. She watched him, moving toward her, but she had no time or capacity to make any movements of her own. Before she even knew what was happening, he was once again inches from her face, staring at her with the same intensity that was frightening and beyond exciting, all at the same time.

He leaned down to her face and whispered, “Then don’t say anything.” In a second, his mouth was on hers, his tongue invading in forceful plunges. Sarah almost couldn’t breathe, but without even thinking, she parted her lips and took in his kisses without hesitation. She returned his probing, allowing her tongue to mesh with his. He clasped his hands around the back of her head and held her so close that she couldn’t have broken the connection even if she had tried. Kissing him felt amazing, she felt herself fall in even deeper to his kiss as he slid one of his hands down her back and held her face with the other. She felt his touch, his strong hands moving lower and lower until she could feel him pressing her from behind into his body. She moved her arms unsurely to his shoulders, and allowed herself to feel the power that they possessed. He pulled her in even closer, his kisses becoming more and more deep and he moved and tilted his head to kiss around her mouth from all angles. Sarah’s body had no resistance, and he took advantage by pressing her against his hips. She could now feel exactly how badly he wanted her. Pressing against her abdomen, she could feel the bulging hard force of him. His hips began a slow, pulsing motion against her, all while he pressed her from behind so she could feel his rock-hard bulge grind against her. Sarah could feel a hot, wetness begin to pulse within her, so unlike anything she had ever felt, and couldn’t believe how incredible it felt. She found herself kissing him back, in the same rhythm of his grinding against her hips. Her arms wrapped around his shoulders, and found that now she needed to hold on for pure support as she was certain her legs would give out at any moment.

Adley’s kisses began to slow, and became even deeper as his grinding motion slowed accentuating every inch he had. He moaned into her mouth, “Tell me, Sarah. Tell me.”

Sarah pulled her lips from his but he held her so their foreheads were pressed together. “Tell you…what?” she asked breathlessly.

“Are you…distracted?”