It took me a second to react, the lump in my throat blocking my words, before I hugged her back. “I missed you, too.”
Sage took my hand, pulled me into the kitchen where Andrew was slicing crusty bread. He looked up, saw me and came around the counter. He didn’t offer his hand. Like Sage, he pulled me in for a hug. “It’s good to see you, son.”
It was the ‘son’ that had my eyes burning. I hugged him back. He stepped back, but kept his hands on my arms. “I hope you’re done being a stranger.”
I looked past him to Cedar. “Yes, sir. I’m not going anywhere.”
Like with Cedar, her parents and I took up where we left off. I had thought I didn’t have a family, but I had been so wrong.
Dinner at Cedar’s became a regular thing. Some nights, they cooked; some nights, they trusted the meal to Cedar and me. We didn’t do too badly. Days turned to weeks. It was Halloween, and I was at Cedar’s. It felt good being here again.
I hadn’t yet turned down Dax’s offer. But I’d heard through the grapevine the Iron Guardians had some legal shit they were dealing with, so my job offer was the last thing they were thinking about.
My dad hadn’t retaliated, and it was easy to think he wasn’t going to, but that was part of the game…building a false sense of security, hitting his opponent when they least expected it. I didn’t put my guard down, but the longer he drew it out, the more pissed I grew because this was all about his ego.
Cedar and her dad were setting up the last of the Halloween decorations while Sage and I got the candy ready. They didn’t fuck around. Every brand you could think of and full-size bars, none of that snack-size shit.
“You get a lot of kids?”
“Yes,” she said, her eyes meeting mine. “Though, that’s only because word has gotten out over the years that we give out the big bars.”
My parents never handed out candy. They were that house on the street that kept their light off; the one at Christmas that was dark, while the rest of the street could be seen from space. Funny the things you don’t think about, don’t even realize you’re missing, until you’re thrown into it.
I hadn’t realized I intended to share my ugly secret with Sage until I heard the words coming out of my mouth. Once I started, I couldn’t stop. Like I’d done with Cedar, it was a purging, a purification. Sage said nothing; she didn’t even stop filling the candy, but I saw how her hands shook, saw the subtle twitches in her body as I described the abuse. Silence followed my confession, and for the first time in my life, I felt vulnerable, exposed because I had told her everything. Then I felt her arms go around me. She said nothing as she pulled me close. I felt her tears on my cheek, felt as her shoulders shook with her silent tears. It took me a few seconds before I moved, and when I did, I held her tight, my own tears running down my cheeks.
We stayed that way for a few minutes, as we both got a hold on our emotions. And as revealing as it had been, it was also cathartic. She pulled away, but kept her hands on my arms. Her green eyes were bright, her face streaked with tears. “You have a place here if you want it. You aren’t alone. You need us, day or night, you call. Understand?”
“I’m sorry…”
She cut me off. “Nothing to apologize for. It’s what families do.”
She then pressed a kiss on my cheek before she moved to the sink. Wetting two paper towels, she handed one to me and used the other to wipe her tears away.
Before we left the kitchen, Sage offered softly, “They don’t deserve you.” Her eyes found mine. “But their loss is our gain.”
If I had known then that accepting her offer would come at such a high price, I never would have made that call.
Chapter Seven
Cedar
I couldn’t get enough of him. The garage was closed; his boss was out for the night. Brock invited me over to watch a movie, but we never put one on. I was pressed between his mattress and his body. It had started out as playful, but my body was on fire with an ache between my legs that was growing painful in the best possible way. I shifted, rubbing against Brock’s leg to ease it.
He knew what I needed when he brought his leg up, between my legs. “Ride it.” He ordered, before his mouth closed over mine again. I moaned when I pressed into the muscles of his thigh, that ache intensified as I jerked my hips. He caught the groan that followed because it felt so good.
“I want you,” he muttered against my mouth.
I wanted him too. My hands moved down to his ass, pressing my body harder into his thigh, but it wasn’t enough.
“I want more,” I said, the words coming out almost like a plea.
His hand moved down my body. My heart was tripping behind my ribs; my clit pulsed in anticipation. He worked the snap on my jeans, his hand slipping into my panties. When he spread me and ran his finger over my clit, my hips jerked off the bed. “Oh my God.”
He pulled his mouth from mine; his eyes were almost black. “Feel good?”
I tried to draw in a breath. “Yes.”
He watched me, as he drew circles on my clit with his finger.
My body had a mind of its own, my hips moving into his touch, as a whimper of need fell from my lips.
“So fucking beautiful.”
My eyes met his, my body going crazy with sensations. “I want more.”
His eyes went hot, his finger stopped. “Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
He deliberately ran his finger through my folds again, focusing on my clit, before he removed his hand and brought his finger to his mouth. His eyes never left mine when he licked my taste off.
“Not enough of a taste,” he whispered.
My heart pulsed right along with my clit. I didn’t answer with words: just spread my legs in invitation. He didn’t hesitate, grabbing my jeans and panties and dragging them down my legs. His eyes were focused on the part of me aching for him. I’d always thought I’d feel insecure or nervous, but in that moment, it just felt…right.
He kissed me, his hands moving to my tee that he lifted up and over my head. My bra followed. His inhaled breath when I lay before him completely naked made me feel sexy. “So fucking beautiful.”
Another kiss on my mouth, before he dropped kisses on my neck, shoulder, and down the valley between my breasts. He tongued my nipple, and my clit pulsed. When he pulled that tight bud into his mouth, I whimpered, my hips moving to ease the ache that was hurting to the point of pain.
He took my other breast, his hand moving down my stomach, between my legs, teasing with little touches as his mouth kept moving south. I felt his breath there, stirring a chill because I was so wet. My pussy convulsed, and then his mouth was on me.