Tough To Love (18 page)

It was hard and ready. A lock of his raven hair rested against his forehead. He looked so beautiful with his copper skin against the stark white of the sheets. She was going to burn this image into her mind, because she wanted to remember how it felt to wake up in bed next to Rally for the very first time.

She lightly planted a kiss on Rally’s mouth. “I love you.” Sage quickly got out of bed and grabbed his shirt off the floor. She dressed and then rushed out of the room because she needed to take care of something before Rally woke up.

****

Twisting around on the bed, Rally moaned as the silky sheet brushed over his morning erection. He hadn’t felt this good in years and everything that happened last night came rushing back to him. Sage was with him and not Julian. He couldn’t stop the smile that covered his face. It felt so good to finally be with her like that. Sage gave him everything and he was touched she saved herself for him.

He finally told her that he was in love with her. She wasn’t going to leave him and run off to spend time with his best friend anymore. He had finally gotten rid of the pressure he had placed on himself. He could start the life he had always dreamt about with her.

She might not have believed him last night, but there was no way he was going to let her leave this morning without knowing he meant every single word.

After he fixed Sage and himself something to eat for breakfast, they could go and see Shawn and tell him the good news about their engagement. 

“Sage, sweetheart, wake up,” he said stretching. He rubbed the back of his hand across his eyes. “What do you want for breakfast?” He knew what he wanted. A little morning quickie sounded perfect, but he could wait if Sage wasn’t up to it. They’d made love four times last night and her body might be sore this morning.

“Sage, come on. Get up.” He reached over to touch her and jumped up when his hand touched a cold, empty bed. “What in the hell?”

Dropping his hand from his face, Rally sat up in the bed and his gaze swung over the left. Sage wasn’t there. He quickly glanced around the room and his heart clenched in the middle of his chest when he didn’t see her.

“Don’t panic,” he told himself. “Maybe she went downstairs to get breakfast started.”

He flung the sheet off and climbed out of bed. Rally grabbed his pants off the floor and pulled them on in record time. He quickly made his way out of his bedroom door.

****

“Julian, I want to thank you again for being there for me when I needed a shoulder to cry on. I wouldn’t have made it through the hard times without you,” Sage said, staring out the bay window inside Rally’s den.

“Sweetheart, you know that I only wanted the best for you. I always knew that Rally was the only man for you despite how he was treating you. He came to his senses and fought to get you back,” Julian told her.

“Are you sure you’re okay with this? I mean we were trying to ─”

“Sage, don’t even think twice about it. I’m fine. This isn’t the first broken heart I’ve experienced and it probably won’t be the last.”

“I’ll be back at work in a few days. I just have to take care of a couple of things. I’m pretty sure since I’m engaged now, Rally will want me to move back into the house.”

“Don’t worry about hurrying back,” Julian said. “I’m going to close
Serenity
for a few days. I need to go out of town and take care of something.”

Sage didn’t like the sound of Julian’s voice. “Are you okay? Do you need me to keep
Serenity
open while you’re gone? I mean, will the kids have any other place to go?”

Julian sighed. “No, they won’t, but I don’t want to put that kind of responsibility on you. Rally will probably want you back working for him, anyway.”

“I’m not going back to work there.
Serenity
is my job and that’s where I’m staying. So, I’ll run the place while you’re gone. Are you sure that you can’t tell me where you’re going?”

She knew Julian was still dealing with guilt about the accident. It got to him every year around the anniversary. She just wished he would find a way to finally let it go and move on with his life. He was too good of a man to be having such guilt.

“Sweetie, I can hear the concern in your voice. I can promise you I’m truly okay. I just need to take care of some personal things. I’ll be back in a few weeks, but if you need me don’t hesitate to call me. Thanks again for looking after
Serenity
while I’m gone,” Julian told her.

“That’s what friends are for,” she said. “Goodbye, Julian.”

“Goodbye, Sage,” he said and hung up.

“Should I be upset that you left my bed to call another man?” a voice teased behind her.

Spinning around, Sage grinned at Rally standing in the open doorway of his den with his shoulder braced against the doorframe. “Of course not,” she said, placing the phone back on his desk. “I was only talking to Julian. I told him about our engagement and he’s very happy for us. He’s going out of town for a while, so I’m taking over
Serenity
. Can you handle me not coming back to work with you?”

Coming further into the room, Rally quickly closed the distance between them. “I don’t like the idea of you still working for my best friend. He was trying to steal you away from me, but I can handle it because I know you’re going to marry me and not him.”

Rally grabbed her hand and held it up to the light. A flawless four carat diamond ring winked back at her. It was the most perfect thing she had ever laid eyes on, and it was hers. Rally had placed it on her finger last night right before they made love.

“I almost gave up hope that this would even happen,” she admitted, wrapping her arms around his neck. “You were being so stubborn. I almost hated hearing the sound of your name.”

“I can’t blame you,” he admitted. “I was starting to feel the same way when you talked about how great Julian was. I thought I might have to find a way to get him out of the picture.”

Sage leaned back in Rally’s arms. “You wouldn’t have done anything to him.”

“Of course not,” he answered. “However, after that rude awakening I got from talking with Julian, I realized how much I wanted to be with you. Sage, I love you more than my life. I would die for you. I know I may not have shown it, but I can’t live without you. When I look into the eyes of my children I want to see yours looking back at me,” Rally said.

Holding back tears, Sage stared into the eyes of the man she had been in love with since she turned sixteen years old. She tried to get herself back under control before Rally wrapped her up in his muscular arms.

“I can’t wait until you’re my wife.”

“Neither can I,” she admitted. “You’re so deep in my heart. I don’t think there would ever be anyone to remove you from it.”

“God, you sure know how to stroke a man’s pride,” Rally’s deep voice told her. “Just to think I almost lost the chance of being with you out of sheer fear on my part. I can’t believe I let that take such control of me, but it’s over now and I’m more than ready to go in deep with you.”

“Mr. Teveare, how deep are you willing to go?” she asked.

“As deep as you want me to, sweetheart,” he answered with complete love in his voice.

“Oh, I have such plans for you,” Sage teased, running her fingers through the back of Rally’s thick hair.

“Tell me all of them and I promise to make each and every one come true,” Rally promised.

She stared into the green eyes of the man she had been in love with half her life. Deep down in her heart, Sage knew Rally loved her and it took her finally leaving him to make Rally break through his own tough to love exterior and come after her.

If someone asked her would she do it all over again to be right here today, without a doubt in her mind the answer would be...Hell yeah!

THE END

Sneak Peek

True Blue

Julian Messener pulled the collar of his jacket up around his ears to block out some of the cold air blowing around his body. For years he had thought about this place, but he hadn’t been back since she tossed him out of her house. She wouldn’t ever accept his apology and he couldn’t blame her. What he did was inexcusable, but he had been trying for so long to make amends. Yet, it didn’t seem like what he did was ever good enough. A part of his soul still felt tarnished. How could he ever move on with his future if the dark hands of the past still had such a tight grip on his heart?

Well, this was it. He had come back.

About the Author

The Queen of Tease:  If you want to read interracial romance stories that leaves you panting for more and turning the pages faster than you can read them. Marie is for you.  

After reading her first “dirty” book as a teenager, Marie knew she had to become a writer. She started writing a few years ago because she wanted to reach for her dream. She writes her characters so her fans will believe in the Happily Ever After. She loves collecting bear figurines and reading a HOT book when she gets the chance.’

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