Wilde For You (The Wilde Sisters Book 3) (4 page)

“Look, Sage, you don’t have to make me dinner. We can talk about my mom’s party and I can get out of your hair.”

“Dinner is ready. I’m hungry, so you can watch me eat or join me.” Her smile didn’t reach her eyes as she placed the salad bowl on the tiny table. “It’s vegetable lasagna. Take it or leave it. Doesn’t matter to me.” Sage grabbed two hot mitts and pulled the steamy dish out of the oven.

Not one to refuse a home-cooked meal, Luke pulled out a chair for Sage and waited until she served herself. A nice, hefty portion too. Not one of those dainty girls afraid to eat in front of a man. He liked that.

Sage started eating before he even put a piece of lettuce on his plate. The seductress who greeted him at the door vanished and this distant one had replaced her. The vibes coming off the woman could freeze beer. Remembering his bottle, he picked it up and drained nearly half of it.

They ate in silence. Before Sage could get up, Luke stood and cleared their plates. “Thanks for dinner. You cooked. I’ll clean. Then we can do business.”

“Not really. My sister made it. I just threw it in the oven. I won’t say no if you want to do the dishes, though. I hate domestic crap.”

Whatever was going on inside the woman’s head had spooked her. Luke ran their conversation back through his mind but couldn’t recall any stupid foot-in-mouth things he said. In fact, he stood there silent as she stroked his beer bottle.

Maybe she thought he wasn’t interested? Maybe she thought she made a fool of herself? He’d have to show her that he was very interested and one hundred percent invested in a night ending in nakedness.

***

Sage

Damn, she was an idiot. Pregnant for five minutes and she already almost ruined everything. Having a beer with a sexy man, or with dinner, was second nature to her. She needed to train herself to stay away from alcohol. Not that she cared about being dry for the next nine months. Alcohol didn’t define her, and while drinking socially was part of her job, part of her look, part of the sex appeal, surely sipping on tonic water for a few months wouldn’t put the kibosh on her entire life.

Pretty soon she’d have no sex appeal. She’d have a fat belly, swollen ankles, and saggy boobs. She’d done some research online. Not too much—the internet could be a damn freaky source of too-much-information—just enough to learn the basics of pregnancy. The do’s and don’ts. Beer was a definite don’t.

Thankfully sex was a definite do. Until she felt like a tuba. In the meantime she’d have lots and lots of sex. Preferably with Mr. Sex-on-a-Stick. If she could ever get a read on the man. Was he here to get laid or was he seriously planning a birthday party for his mother?

A mama’s boy. Definitely not her type. Still totally doable. He’d quench her thirst for a while. She couldn’t have a beer, but she could drink Luke Riley up. He finished drying the last plate and stacked it in the cabinet, making himself comfortable in her kitchen pretty fast. It had taken her six months in her condo before she remembered where everything was.

“So, about your mother’s party…”

He turned and dropped his chin to his chest for a moment before sucking in a deep breath.

“Yeah, about that.”

“Ha! I knew it. There is no birthday.” So he was after sex. Perfect.

Luke’s head lifted and he shifted his weight from left to right. Putting his hands in his back pockets, he flashed a dimpled grin at her. “There is a birthday, and I could probably handle it on my own.” Sage raised a knowing eyebrow at him. “But it would be a hell of a lot more fun to plan it with you.”

An unfamiliar sensation overtook her body. Probably pregnancy hormones. Her belly fluttered. The baby moving? Her research told her the kid wasn’t even a kid yet and more like a grain of rice. Gas? God, she hoped not.

“What exactly did you have in mind, cowboy?”

His eyes crinkled when he smiled, lighting up his whole freaking adorable, sexy face. “Cowboy? That’d be my brother. I’m just a redneck firefighter.”

“Hmm.” Sage took four steps across the kitchen and pulled at the collar of his denim shirt, peeking around his neck. “I’m not seeing any tan lines here. Got them anywhere else?”

Luke growled and pulled her into his hard body, crashing limbs against limbs. He wasn’t smooth or gentle, taking her mouth rough, just like she liked it. He sucked on her lip, hard, and put his hands on her butt, drawing her tight against his chest. Sage freed her arms that were trapped between their bodies and wrapped them around his neck, pulling him in even closer, breathing his scent, sharing his air.

The man knew how to work his lips and tongue. She’d never felt so thoroughly kissed in her life, and she’d done a lot of kissing before. Although, now that her mouth was being licked, sucked, and loved, maybe she hadn’t done a lot of real kissing. Sex had always been more animalistic than sensual. The roughness of Luke’s kiss should feel the same way, but it didn’t.

“God you’re beautiful.”

“Liar.”

Luke pulled back. His lust-filled eyes turned from amber to molten chocolate. “You’re gorgeous. And funny. And the sexiest woman I’ve ever met.”

An unladylike snort escaped her. “I don’t need the words, big boy. You’re going to get lucky. Save the sweet talk for someone else.”

He looked offended and she felt a twinge of guilt. Damn pregnancy hormones again. Sage didn’t do guilt. Especially when it came to sex. She was a woman who spoke her mind. “I’ve got an idea how I see the rest of the night playing out. What I’m wondering is if it aligns with yours?”

That devilish grin appeared again and his licked his lips, eyeing her as if he wanted to eat her for dessert. “I was thinking vertical first. Then horizontal.”

“I see we have parallel thoughts. That works for me.”

Only he didn’t rip her clothes off and do her against the kitchen wall. Instead he slowed his movements, sliding his hands slowly up and down her rib cage, her back, her butt. Keeping them off the two areas she desperately needed to feel him.

“Luke.” His name escaped her. She wasn’t used to begging. She was used to being in control. Her legs turned weak, her mind went fuzzy, her erogenous zones became ultrasensitive and needed—desperately—to be touched. Now.

Damn pregnancy.

Sage trailed her hands down Luke’s chest and unbuttoned his jeans. “Now, Luke. Now.”

He ignored her pleading, moving his hands to her front and gently massaging her super-sensitive nipples. Too much foreplay. Sage pushed his jeans down his legs and reached for him. Luke stepped back and smiled. “Easy, honey. I’m not going to last if you keep doing that.”

She didn’t care. Hell,
she
wasn’t going to last and he was only on second base. It was the hormones. She had to be pregnant. But…what if she wasn’t? What if Luke had a condom malfunction and she got pregnant with
his
child? She’d never freaked about pregnancy in the past because she had always been double protected: the pill and condoms. But she’d been off the pill for months and…no. Pulling away from Luke, she tugged down her t-shirt.

“Sweetheart, what’s wrong?” His voice tender and sensitive. His touch loving and supportive.

“Stop. We have to stop. I can’t chance getting pregnant with
your
baby.” Her heart thumped so loudly she couldn’t think straight. Couldn’t hear anything beyond the drumming in her head. She pulled her hands over her ears. “God, make it go away.” It was like she was…the Grinch. Only it wasn’t a heart that was growing, it was her…feelings. Sage didn’t do feelings.

So, maybe if she had feelings then she was pregnant already and she could have sex with Luke. Maybe. Taking a cleansing breath, she lowered her hands and opened her eyes only to find Luke buttoned up and storming for her front door.

“Wait. I’m okay now. We can finish this.”

Luke spun around. “
Finish
this?” He had one hand on the door and his eyes bore into her, daring her to speak. “You’re the most emotional, confusing woman I’ve ever met.” He closed his eyes and breathed deep, as if calming himself so he wouldn’t fly off the handle.

“I have no idea what kind of sex games you’re playing, Sage, but I’m done.” He spoke so softly she shivered at his hurt tone. “I wouldn’t want you to live in fear of getting pregnant with
my
child. I obviously can never live up to your standards.” He closed the door gently behind him before she could reply.

And say what? Sage Wilde didn’t explain herself to men. And she never wanted them to explain themselves to her. Uncomplicated. That’s how she liked things.

And Luke Riley was one hell of a complication.

Chapter Four

Sage

“Congratulations. You’re pregnant!”

So she could have had sex with Luke a few weeks ago.

“Why do you look so disappointed?” Thyme and Dr. Whitmore stared at her with confusion. “If you’re not sure about going through with this, we can…”

“What? Take it back? No, Thyme. I’m fine. I’m just in…shock.”

“I know. Me too. I can’t picture you nine months from now with a big round belly.”

“Actually, it will be seven and a half months. Sage is about six weeks along.” The doctor played around with the large wand that was inserted in her, taking pictures of the grain of rice that would soon be a baby. The internal ultrasound was a little too personal to have her brother-in-law in the room, so she made Grayson sit out in the waiting area. Daddy or not, he didn’t need to see her do-da.

“Can we keep the pictures, Dr. Whitmore? They’re adorable.”

Gah. Thyme and her perkiness were enough to make Sage want to puke. In fact…“I’m going to be sick.”

The good doctor withdrew the magic wand and helped her sit up. “Can you make it to the bathroom?”

“I’m not an invalid,” Sage grumbled as she ran to the bathroom door just two feet away. As she retched, she could hear her annoying sister talk with the doctor.

“Is she going to be okay? I know morning sickness is common, but how does the baby look?”

The doctor spoke too softly for Sage to decipher her words, but she heard Thyme’s scream. “Twins! Grayson, we’re having twins!” The outer door opened and Grayson’s laugh echoed through the walls from the waiting room. They were sickly cute. So not Sage’s cup of tea.

And a cup of tea right now would be awesome. After flushing and gulping a quick swirl of water from the sink, Sage stepped back into the exam room. “Seriously, doc? Twins? My body’s going to take a toll as it is.”

Dr. Whitmore smiled sheepishly and patted the table. “I need a few more pictures.”

“You owe me big time, little sis. Big time,” she said to Thyme when she came back into the room, beaming with pride.

***

Luke

Luke had worked extra shifts during the holidays. He loved his family and knew how important it was for the dads in his station to be with their kids on Christmas Eve, Christmas morning. To kiss their wives on New Year’s Eve. So he and the other single guys took the holiday shifts while the lucky bastards who had a wife and kids at home got to be with their loved ones.

Not that he minded too much. It kept his mind off sexy blondes with eyes as green and lush as an evergreen. Memories of the times when Sage’s eyes twinkled, looking just like the town square’s Christmas tree, made him smile. And then her mood swings reminded him how opposite they were. He didn’t even know her. Didn’t know much about her family, other than she had two sisters who were both married.

He didn’t know anything about her parents or her upbringing. And family values were important to him. Luke typically went for the girl-next-door type. The type of woman you could bring home to your mother. The type of woman who would cook delicious meals and stay home with their children. Although he’d have no problems if his wife wanted to work, as long as the family always came first as it did for him.

And Sage Wilde did not fit that mold. She screamed independent woman from her barren condo to her sexy red heels. The woman would be too afraid of messing up her clothes to want a dog. Would never go near a toddler with their peanut butter and jelly fingers or runny noses.

Even though she was wrong for him in so many ways, he couldn’t help thinking about her. A lot. Anytime he talked with his brothers or sisters about the party, he pictured Sage. Smelled her. Tasted her. Time didn’t erase the memories and sometimes he wished it would. He didn’t need the way her mess would complicate his life. His life was simple, just the way he liked it.

At the end of January, the fire station was fairly quiet. They had their share of Christmas tree fires but the new LED lights and more awareness of tree safety cut back on the calls. The next month would bring an onslaught of chimney fires, though. January and February were damn cold in Maine.

Luke finished the safety check on Engine 57 and headed up the stairs to the lounge when the front bell rang. Probably a pizza delivery. Only a few guys were on, so no family meal was made. He opened the front door but it was no pimply-faced pizza kid that greeted him.

“Hey.”

Her hair had grown out a little. Before it had been barely long enough for him to grip as he tilted her head back to suck on her neck. Now he’d have even more leverage. It fell soft around Sage’s face instead of being in the usual seductive style she’d worn before. Her lips were just as full, only not as ripe as the last time he saw her. Granted, he’d been lapping and sucking at them for twenty minutes before she slapped the insult on him.

“What do you want?” He didn’t mean to sound so rude, but the memory of being discarded like worthless trash did that to a man.

“Are you busy?”

“I’m working.”

Sage had the courtesy to look away before she sighed. “I’m sorry.”

If she looked him in the eyes it would have had more effect. He couldn’t refuse her sultry gaze. Still, he wanted her to work for it. “For what?” Weeks had gone by since her embarrassing brush-off, yet the rejection still felt raw.

The strong, independent woman he knew returned. She lifted her head and threw back her shoulders. “For insulting your ego. However, I can explain. After I do, if you choose to never see me again, that’s fine. But I think we could…” She quirked her eyebrow and smirked. “Please each other.”

Yeah, she knew how to get his attention. “Okay. So explain.” He still hadn’t let her in the fire station. He knew he was rude, keeping her out in the cold, but he didn’t want to be overheard by his buddies and he didn’t want them ogling Sage. The territorial thing kicked in, even if she didn’t belong to him.

“Not here. When do you get off work?” She stroked her finger down his cheek and he shivered.

“Damn, your fingers are ice cold. Where are your gloves? You’re going to get frostbite.” Screw the hecklers, he couldn’t let the woman freeze to death. He pulled her inside by her coat sleeve, keeping her coat in his grasp, and kicked the door closed behind her.

“I wasn’t planning on having a conversation outside.” Mischief flickered in her eyes, making his tongue itch to lick along the seductive arch of her brow.

They stared at each other, each too stubborn to give in first. He could ask her to meet him at his place, cook her dinner, but he couldn’t face rejection again. Somewhere safe, where there’d be no expectations.

Tamping down on the lust that threatened to show its colors, he let go of her coat and stepped away from her warmth. “The Coffee House at three. I have an hour break before I’m back for an all-nighter.”

Sage licked her lips before lowering her gaze to his mouth. The fire inside his belly burned with desire. “Fine. I’ll see you at three.” She let herself out and he smiled at his victory. She didn’t even pull out her phone to check her schedule. Either she was wide open or she was canceling an appointment to fit him in.

Luke had no idea why that made him so happy.

***

Sage

“The rat bastard,” Sage mumbled as she scrolled through her calendar. She had to reschedule two meetings so she could have coffee with Luke. So not what she had planned. Hot sex on her kitchen table. Or the floor. Or hell, even the bed. Not coffee in some stupid coffee house. She didn’t want to be friends with Luke Riley. She wanted to screw his brains out.

Damn pregnancy hormones making her horny and weak. While her sex life had been quite active, she was never driven by it. Coffee shops were for business meetings or girlfriend chat. Not that she had girlfriends. She had her sisters and they usually met over margaritas. Or at least, they used to until Rayne started spitting out babies and now it was Sage’s turn. Thyme had volunteered to forgo the margaritas until after the twins were born as well. Fair is fair.

Now the sisters had hot tea or iced tea, depending on their mood. So…civilized. So…not Sage. Not wanting Luke to have the upper hand, she arrived ten minutes early, ordered her green tea, and found a semi-secluded table in the back. Sitting with her back to the wall so she could see when Luke entered, Sage took out her iPad and worked on the Davis wedding.

Even with her mind focused on the spreadsheet in front of her, she sensed when he entered. Two college girls stared all gah-gah at him as he scanned the shop, paying no attention to them. He zeroed in on Sage, locking his hazel eyes on her. He broke the stare first by looking down at her tea. He nodded toward the barista but she shook her head. Luke placed his order and waited patiently for his coffee while Sage fidgeted in her seat.

The man filled out a pair of jeans well. Too well. His thighs were massive, his waist tapered, and his shoulders. Oh. My. God. Hercules had nothing in comparison to this Greek god. She was surprised he could even find a coat to fit over his chest.

He didn’t seem in a hurry to see her or to hear her explanation. Maybe he didn’t care. He’d probably slept with five other women since she’d hurt his pride. Not that she cared. Luke could sleep with whomever he wanted.

That unfamiliar tingle in her belly happened again, so she decided not to think about Luke with other woman. Surely he didn’t kiss other women the way he kissed her. She felt her cheeks redden as he walked toward her. His jeans were worn, his boots solid and heavy, and his leather jacket open. Sex. On. A. Stick.

When he shucked his coat and sat down across from her, she sucked in her breath. A black long-sleeved t-shirt with his fire station emblem over his heart stretched across his broad shoulders and molded to his tight abs. She had intimate knowledge of the ridges. It wasn’t a six-pack, more like an eight. Hiding behind her tea, she brought her cup to her lips and sipped.

Luke’s eyes never left hers as he brought his steaming cup to his mouth and sipped as well.

“Are we seriously going to drink coffee all day, or are you going to tell me why you went from horny as hell to cold as ice in a matter of seconds?”

Well, he didn’t need to be so crude. Not that she had a problem with it. Normally Sage was the crude one. Finally, a man who could keep her on her toes. She kinda liked it.

“I was still horny as hell after you left.”

“Yeah? Well, I wasn’t.”

Ouch. She crushed his man pride. Time for her to fess up.

“I’m sorry, Luke. Really. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to have sex with you—”

“Oh, I know you wanted to have sex with me,” he said too loudly. “You just didn’t want to get knocked up with
my
kid.”

She cringed. “No, that’s not it. Well, yes it was, but—” He stood to leave. “Wait. That came out wrong. Can you hear me out?”

Luke gave her a cold, emotionless stare and shrugged as if he didn’t have a care in the world. “Go ahead.”

Sage looked around the coffee shop and realized this wasn’t where she wanted to have this private conversation. “Can we go for a walk or something?”

“Whatever.” He took her peacoat off the back of her chair and held it out for her. Pissed, but still a gentleman. He handed her the scarf that had fallen to the floor and she wrapped it around her neck. Luke then pulled on his coat and motioned for her to go ahead of him.

Once outside, she looked left, then right, and decided to walk left, away from the center of town. Not that they were likely to run across many people on the streets when it was ten degrees out.

“You should wear a hat,” he grumbled.

“I didn’t bring one.” She hated wearing hats. It messed up her hair and made her look unprofessional. Besides, she didn’t spend much time outside in the winter. Just long enough to get from one appointment to the next.

Luke pulled a knit hat out of his coat pocket and pulled it over her head.

“What are you—?”

“You lose most of your body heat out of your head. You should wear a hat.”

“Why aren’t you wearing one?” She put her hands on her head and adjusted the hat. It smelled like him. Soap and man.

“Because it’s on you.”

“Well, I have more hair than you, so you should probably wear it.”

“I have a thick head.”

Another unladylike snort escaped her. He brought out the primitive in her. Next thing she knew she’d be farting and belching.

They walked a block in silence before they came to a bench. Luke pulled her down to sit. “Okay. No one can hear us. Talk.”

Sage brought her hands to her face and blew on them, wishing she remembered her black leather gloves. Lately she started forgetting stupid things like that. Her gloves. Her scarf. On Monday she forgot to put on earrings. But if she wanted to have sex with Luke—and holy pregnancy hormones, did she ever—she needed to let him know that she was pregnant.