I lay her on my bed, but as I pull away, she reaches for me. “Don’t go.” Just a whisper.
“Are you sure?”
“Stay. Please. Take my mind off things.”
I pull off my shirt before I lay down next to her. “You don’t have to do this,” I say quietly. “You don’t have to feel…obligated.”
“I don’t,” she says quietly, still sleepy. “I promise. And I mean that one. But first I need to know that you forgive me.”
I roll over her, loving the feel of her body underneath me. “Sadie I forgave you already. You don’t need to ask. But the thought of you getting hurt—” I take a breath. “That’s terrifying. But you’re amazing, and so brave.”
“I hoped that you’d think that. Even though I broke my promise, I hoped you’d think that.”
I kiss her. Hard. Deeply. “I’m not going to let anything happen to you, Sadie.”
“I know.”
We don’t need words after that as I kiss her again. This time we go slow. I have condoms here, and we undress each other carefully. I taste her skin as I peel away her clothes. Her pussy hugs my cock like a glove, so hot and tight that I’m instantly undone.
But just like that first night at the club, I keep it slow. This time I have no plans on speeding up. We move together, slowly, building up. Sadie’s soft moans make me harder, and I swallow the sounds that she’s making.
We reach the end together, shuddering in pleasure at the same time, falling deeper and deeper before we surface. When we come together, I groan.
I don’t move an inch away from her. I pull her tighter against my body and cover us with the blankets. Sadie’s breath slows until I know she’s asleep again, and I want to stay awake and enjoy it, but I’m pulled down into sleep too.* * *The sun streaming in the window is what wakes me, and Sadie is still in my arms. Holy fuck, I can’t get enough of this woman. Waking up with her, just feeling her body against mine, already has me smiling ear to ear. It feels impossible to be so affected by this. It’s too soon, too much. But I can’t ignore the feeling in my chest. Sadie already feels important to me.
This is heaven, lying with her next to me, and I don’t want to move. But I can hear scrabbling at my door. The pups want breakfast, and they’re expecting their morning run. Nerves spike in my gut at the thought of leaving her here alone. But I’ll set the alarm and double check that every door and window is locked. She’ll be safe. I’ll be back in less than an hour.
The thought of getting back to her makes me fly through the distance of my run faster than I normally would. The dogs love the pace, and they’re smiling and slobbering the entire way. Frank’s probably going to kick my ass later for pushing too hard, but I don’t care. I don’t have a fight for at least another two months, and even though I am on a strict practice routine, I can diverge from the schedule today. Getting back to Sadie is the most important thing for me this morning, and making sure she’s safe is a higher priority than any workout.
A low-riding car drives toward me on the road, and I move to the side to get the dogs out of its way. We don’t get too much traffic out here normally, but occasionally I’ll run into someone.
I’m almost past the car when the voice calls out. “Lawson.”
I go still too quickly, nearly stumbling as I turn and see Jack Singleton in the window of the car. Fuck. Fucking fuck.
He nods his head toward the car and I walk back to him, despite the dogs’ eagerness to get home for their breakfasts. I stand back few feet, not wanting to put myself any closer to him than I have to. “What do you want.”
Shifting intentionally so that his jacket falls open and shows me the gun tucked into his waistband, he smiles. “I know that you have her in there. Or at least you did.”
“Fuck off, Jack.”
All he does is smile as he drives away. The creepiest fucking smile in the world. And then his words sink in. He’s driving away from me in the direction of my house. Oh fuck. I run the remaining distance at top speed. Images of tearing Jack limb from limb fill my mind. I’m fueled by rage. This motherfucker has caused so much harm. I’ll be damned if he lays a finger on Sadie.
As I sprint through the gate to my property, and quickly unclip the dogs’ leashes, I start yelling her name. Throwing open the front door I scream up the stairs, “Sadie? Sadie, where are you?”