Tough To Love (12 page)

Why does she have to sound so hot and sweet at the same time
?

He was fighting the urge to give Sage everything she wanted, but he wouldn’t….no he couldn’t. So, he gave her half.

“I’m going to go deeper, but you can’t keep squirming around like that. It’s going to make me lose control and we both can’t have that.”

Hell…he wanted to lose control right now so badly, but he couldn’t.

“I promise. I won’t move no matter how good you’re making my body feel,” Sage swore as she sucked her bottom lip into her mouth.

Holy shit! His cock grew even harder at the thought of Sage’s mouth sucking on something else.

Swallowing, Rally slid Sage down until his erection hit a barrier. He knew it! Sage was still a virgin. She wasn’t sharing Julian’s bed, and she wouldn’t after this. He would be the only man to ever have her.

“This is where we stop. I can’t move anymore without causing you some pain and that isn’t going to happen,” Rally said. He was trying desperately not to break them, but Sage was so damn snug and his erection was begging to finish the job.

Purring in the back of her throat, Sage tried to move, but the death grip he had on her hips wouldn’t allow it. “Oh, Rally, I can feel you. It’s
so
…” she moaned, tossing back her head. “Can’t I move just a little? Just having you there is driving me crazy.”

Yes!!!

He wanted to yell the word at the top of his lungs; however, he knew Sage was just feeling her first taste of passion.

“No, baby, you can’t,” he said, and then lifted Sage completely off his throbbing body.

Shit! Now he remembered why he hated the tip idea in high school. It always left him horny and cranky. He wasn’t ever going to do that again with Sage. The next time they were together, they couldn’t do any of this again. He had to prove to Sage how much he cared about her before they made love.

Standing her in front of him, he pulled down her skirt. “I gave you what you wanted and kept my word.” This was one time in his life that Rally hated being a man of character. Grabbing Sage’s shirt off the floor, he slipped it back on her and quickly snapped it back up before he lost what little senses he had left.

Sage opened and closed her mouth several times before words finally came out. “I can’t believe that just happened.”

“I knew something like this had been building up for a while between us.” He sighed as he hurriedly fixed his own clothing. “I can’t make love to you until I settle some other things first.”

“I wanted you to, even after everything you’ve done to me. I still wanted you,” she whispered, taking a step back from him. “You’re still with Vanity, aren’t you?”

“Yes, but—” he replied, reaching for her, but Sage knocked his hand away.

“Rally, you need to leave and I mean it this time. I need time to think.”

Rally knew if he left Sage alone right now she would read something more into what just occurred between the two of them. She wasn’t aware of how things had changed for him. Every time he tried to tell her, something or someone interrupted them. She was assuming he still cared about Vanity. He never loved her. It took Sage truly leaving him to make his heart and head see the truth.

“Why don’t you leave with me?’ he suggested softly. “I have to tell you something.”

Sage shook her head. “No, I can’t. Julian needs me to stay here until the kids come back from their trip.

“Fuck Julian,” Rally yelled and mentally kicked himself when Sage took another step away from him. “Baby, I need to clear the air with you. Will you see me later tonight?”

Sage opened her mouth, but the sound of running feet stopped her. “I can’t do it. Please, go.”

“No, not until you listen to me.”

Chapter Fourteen

Sighing, Sage looked directly at him. “Rally, are you ready to make a commitment to me? I mean one where everyone knows that we are together.”

“Yes,” he answered. “I want to be in your life. We’ll be perfect together. You might have seen it before me, but I see it now. Let me prove it to you.”

“Do you still believe the worst thing you could do is marry a woman that isn’t Native American? I know you may love me on some level and that’s wonderful. But I loved you so much, and every single time I saw you with Vanity, a piece of my heart broke,” she confessed. “I realized one day that I had to make a change in my life. One of us had to let go and it wasn’t ever going to be you, so I did.”

Why did she have to tell him that?

“Sage, my feelings for you and loving my heritage are two different things. Do you really know the hard time my parents had? My mother wasn’t a pure Shawnee woman, but interracial. Her father was white and I inherited my green eyes from him. However, my father adored her so much that he left his people and moved here. I don’t want that for my children.”

“Oh, I understand now. You think I’m good enough to sleep with or maybe even date for a while, but you won’t ever put a ring on my finger. Lord forbid, your children will be a combination of both of us.”

“No, I’m not telling you that,” Rally denied.

Sage gave him a sad smile as she walked closer to him. She kissed him on the cheek and took a step back. “Go back to your Vanity. She’s the one for you. I’ve outgrown running around in circles trying to get something you don’t have to ability to give me, Mr. Teveare.”

Rally felt like a knife had been shoved into his gut. Sage sounded like she didn’t believe he wanted her to be with him. He
never
saw her like that. She just didn’t understand the pressure he was under.

“Sweetheart, I never…”

“Don’t. I can’t listen to any more of your excuses, Rally. I wish you the best of luck with whatever choice you make, but leave me out of it. I actually have something good going on with Julian. He’s a good man. I think…no, I know we can be very happy together.”

Why did her words make his blood run cold?

He never actually thought about how it would be if he made that ultimate commitment to Vanity. She wasn’t loving or giving. How could she express that emotion with kids? Honestly, he doubted Vanity was even thinking about being a mother. Her career was everything to her, it was even more important than him.

“Can we go somewhere and talk about this?”

“There’s nothing to discuss,” Sage retorted. “You made your choice. I might not have heard it at first, but I hear you now.
Paselo
, Rally.” Twirling around, Sage went over to the door, opening it. She went out like she had finally washed her hands of him.

Rally buttoned up his shirt and started after Sage until he glanced at clock on the wall.
Fuck!
He only had thirty minutes to get halfway across town to meet with a new client.

This gentleman came highly recommended from one of his most influential clients that he had worked for over the past six years. A businessman wanted his help with some financial reports. His last stockbroker had been stealing from him and now he was looking for an older, more reputable man to deal with.

 “I’ll deal with Sage later. She can’t possibly believe I’m going to give up after what happened in that office,” Rally said, as he left the room.

Chapter Fifteen

In the days that followed his rendezvous with Sage in Julian’s office, Rally tried to get her alone again so they could talk, but she wasn’t having it. If he went to her job, she found ways to brush him off and leave. So, he tried catching her at her apartment when she would be home, but she wouldn’t answer the door.

He was worried that Sage had brushed him off so easily. Even Shawn noticed how Sage wasn’t the same. However, Vanity was thrilled Sage wasn’t around like she used to be at the house. She was bold enough to hint for an engagement ring. He had been trying to break things off with her, but she would cut him off or leave before he was finished. She probably sensed the change in their relationship and was trying to avoid the inevitable.

Earlier this week, he had thrown a party at the office to celebrate landing a new account and he invited Sage. Julian showed up and stayed a few minutes, but Sage had been a no show. Yesterday, he saw them out together holding hands walking down the sidewalk like neither one had a care in the world.

Did she really think he wasn’t going to find a way to get her alone? He had so much to tell her, but she was being so damn difficult now.

Well, she wasn’t going to push him out of her life. For years she watched him with such love and adoration in her eyes. Now, Sage looked at him like he wasn’t more to her than a stranger on the streets.

Rally promised himself to put an end to this game she was playing. Sage wouldn’t keep avoiding him like this. He never thought his life would feel this vacant without her around. She was such a constant in his life that he felt like a part of him was missing, but he didn’t know how to get her to even talk to him.

“I’m not going to worry about it,” Rally said to himself. “I’ll find a way to get Sage alone, and when I do she isn’t going to leave until everything is out in the open.”

****

“You must have found a new hobby,” Vanity taunted, staring down at her as she placed a designer purse back on the shelf.

Sage hoped that she could get out of the store without Vanity talking to her, but she wasn’t so lucky. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She wasn’t going to lose her temper. It took her a while to realize Vanity was a very insecure woman who only felt good when she made other people feel bad.

“Come on, don’t play dumb. You’re a very intelligent girl. You finally gave up on winning Rally’s heart. It was about time. He was trying his best to be nice to you, but his patience was wearing thin.”

“I’m involved with Julian now. I’m not worried about getting anything from Rally anymore,” she said. “I already have a wonderful man, so why would I want Rally when he’s happy with someone like you? We aren’t even in the same league. I mean, I don’t have to keep telling myself everyday I’m worth something. I already know it.”

Vanity’s dark eyes narrowed into slits. “I can’t believe you’re standing up to me. When did Little Spice decide to grow a backbone? I thought you were too meek to ever say anything mean to anyone.”

“I always had a backbone, but I kept my comments to myself because of Rally. He wanted you, so I thought it would be best to keep the peace. However, since I’m no longer working for him or living with him I can finally tell you what I think of you. I don’t like you and I never have. You are mean, bitchy, and only using Rally for his money.”

Vanity gasped and took a step back from her. “Wait until I tell Rally what you said to me. He isn’t going to be pleased.”

Sage sighed. “Aren’t you listening to me? I don’t care what Rally thinks of me anymore. What I do, and especially what I tell you, isn’t any of his business. If you aren’t woman enough to handle it, stay away from me.”

Tossing her silky black hair over her shoulder, Vanity smirked at her. “Oh, you will care when Rally calls you. He won’t stand for you mistreating his fiancée.”

Sage stepped back from Vanity. She tried not to feel the pain as it raked through her body, but it was there tearing her apart. She was trying to get over Rally in a fast and furious way, but she did still love him. As much as she hated it to be true, it was still there staring her in the face every morning in the mirror.

 “Rally is really going to marry you? Even after all of the warnings Shawn and I have given to him over the past several months. I can’t believe he would be this stupid.”

Vanity leveled her eyebrows at her. “I guess what I’m giving him is more important than any of the words coming from your mouth or his brother’s.”

“God, you are such a bitch,” Sage said, then spun away. She didn’t give Vanity a chance to taunt her anymore as she hurried from the boutique, almost knocking down Shawn’s girlfriend, Lara, as she came through the door.

****

For the rest of the day Sage went through the familiar actions of helping the younger children with their homework at
Serenity,
but her mind was still on Vanity’s confession. It was a hard blow to know the man she had been in love with since she was sixteen was actually getting married.

Julian coming into her life when he did was the best thing that could ever happen to her. She no longer had to hold onto the secret fantasy that Rally might come to his senses. It was really over. He belonged to another woman and pretty soon it would be official. It was truly now time for her to grow up.

“Have you seen the floor plans for the charity fundraiser?” a voice asked her. “I want everything to be perfect.”

Moving away from the office window, Sage looked at Julian. Today he was wearing a dark blue shirt with a pair of black jeans. He didn’t make her breath catch in the back of her throat like Rally did, but Julian was a good man and any woman would be thrilled to have him. So, why wasn’t she?

“I think they’re on your desk in your office.”

“God, I’ve been so busy running errands that I haven’t even been there yet. We have over two hundred people coming to the charity event and I’m nervous as hell,” he confessed. “I want this to go well, and if it does I’m going to donate half of the money to her.”

“Did you send her an invitation?” she asked, walking away from the window. She stopped in front of Julian. Placing her hand on his arm, she gave it a small squeeze. “I really wish you would stop punishing yourself about this.”

“I can’t stop trying to make amends for what I did. I killed her son, Sage,” Julian muttered. “God, he was only three years old.”

“It was an accident. You didn’t know he’d run into the street that time of night.”

Julian groaned. “Do you think his mother cares? I’d have left the club the same time as Rally; but no, I allowed Evan to talk me into drag racing down that side street.”