Wilde For You (The Wilde Sisters Book 3) (11 page)

“Too?”

“I told you I don’t do relationships.”

“Honey, whether you like it or not, we’re in a relationship.”

“No, we’re not.”

“Yes, we are. And I think you like it, you’re just afraid to admit it.” Luke pulled her through the door and to the crowd outside.

The rest of the evening went by in a blur. She stayed aberrantly quiet and worked really hard not to stare—or drool—at Luke too often. When her sisters commented on his dimples, or his butt, or his biceps, she shrugged indifference, but could feel the heat rush to her cheeks.

Damn. Luke was right. She was in a relationship. But he was wrong about the second.

She didn’t like it one bit.

Chapter Ten

Sage

Filling her days with appointments, spreadsheets, and list-making wasn’t hard. Ignoring her texts and constant calls from Luke, however, was damn near impossible. Since her belly button became an outie a few weeks ago and showed through her blouses, Sage hadn’t been seen naked by anyone but her OB. When Luke knocked on her door for a booty call, she feigned sleep, and whenever possible she planned on not being home when she knew he wasn’t working.

But it was getting harder and harder to ignore him. Her girly parts hadn’t received—or chose to ignore—the memo that she was hanging up her thongs—literally, the string up her ass couldn’t compare to the parachute underwear she found in the maternity section at Macy’s—and would no longer be receiving visitors. Luke, apparently, hadn’t gotten the memo either. It wasn’t like she wasn’t clear about their relationship. Or lack thereof. From the beginning, she’d told him the sex would end as soon as the cantaloupe changed to a VW Bug. She’d surpassed basketball status weeks ago, and it felt like the twins were throwing midnight parties and invited all their friends who stayed up until the wee hours of the morning, finally calling it quits when the alarm went off.

It had been weeks since she’d slept well. And the timing had nothing to do with Luke’s absence. It was the babies causing havoc in her life, not her decision to finish this solo.

Luke was a good guy. He deserved someone that didn’t come with a cargo plane full of baggage. He carried enough of his family’s troubles; there was no need to add her messed-up problems to his plate. Sure, the man had shoulders that could carry the weight of the world, but that didn’t mean she had to add to his burden.

Sage sat at her desk and rubbed her temples. If only she could find someone to rub her feet. Luke would. He’d come off a fifteen-hour shift, dirty, sweaty, starving, and put his own needs aside to take care of Sage. Damn pansy. She didn’t need a guy like that in her life. She wanted someone who could…Sage sighed and slumped in her chair, resting her head on her desk.

Hell. She wanted a man who would put her needs before his. Who would be at her beck and call but not be a wimp. Someone she could spar with. Laugh with. Boss around, who wouldn’t wilt under her orders, yet, if the occasion ever occurred, could take care of Sage and make her feel like a princess.

Double hell. Luke fit the bill and then some. A whole hell of a lot some. She set her expectations incredibly high because she didn’t want a man to hold permanent residence in her life. No man could fit the bill and now she’d made a stinking mess of everything. Luke didn’t only hold a place in her life, he damn near took over her heart as well.

The only thing she could do was shut him out completely. A man like Luke wouldn’t stay single for long. He needed someone to take care of. He only thought Sage was that woman because she was single and pregnant. As soon as she popped the party animals out, he wouldn’t need to take care of her anymore. Sage would continue being the independent woman, and Luke would find the pretty little housewife who had loving parents who would treat Luke like one of their own.

Luke would dote on his country girl and they’d take turns cooking in his impressive kitchen. Then he’d get her pregnant and be the perfect husband. The perfect father. And she’d be the perfect wife. The perfect mom. Luke deserved that. He worked so hard to give his mother the perfect family, and took care of his brothers and sisters. He deserved someone who would take care of him, give him his fantasy life.

Triple hell. Sage Wilde was the last person he needed and he was the only person she wanted.

***

Luke

Luke needed Sage so bad, he hurt. He tossed his keys on the kitchen counter and shucked his dirty, smoky clothes on the way to the bathroom. The past month had been holy hell. Not only had he picked up every available shift there was, but he’d somehow turned therapist and innkeeper to his sisters. Lucy and Rachael were fighting for his attention, which gave him no time to pursue Sage to find out why she was giving him the freeze out.

He knew she thought their relationship was purely sexual and figured she’d be down on her self-image. Being seven months pregnant with twins probably didn’t make a woman feel sexy. If only she’d let him near her he could show her how damn sexy he thought her. He actually preferred her with no makeup, tousled hair, and naked. Her growing belly only made her more approachable. The moving babies softened her. When she didn’t think Luke was looking, he’d catch her stroking her belly and muttering to herself, or most likely, to the babies.

Luke loved watching her grow. Being a part of this experience made him feel closer to her, even though the babies weren’t his. Heck, they weren’t hers either, but he could see how much she loved them.

She’d pretend she didn’t care for kids but he’d noticed how her nieces and nephews asked her to push them on the swing, or if they could touch her belly. He’d watched her wipe little Owen’s face after he had his cake and clean up the lemonade Maddie spilled on the picnic table. Auntie Sage to the rescue.

He wanted to be there to see the relationship develop with the babies she carried. Luke finished in the shower and dried off, noticing the foggy mirrors. Normally he didn’t spend long in the shower, but daydreaming about Sage took a lot of time.

If only she’d answer her phone, return a text. Answer her door. What they’d shared the past few months was more than hot sex. Sage may not have opened up and told him her deepest, darkest secrets, but he knew what was on her mind—sex. What she feared—intimacy. What she wanted—independence. What she needed—him.

Luke wasn’t one to give up. He’d fight for her. He’d push and push until she was too weak to fight anymore. Letting her slip away was not an option. After pulling on his jeans and a worn Red Sox shirt and baseball cap, Luke slid his feet into flip flops and searched for his keys. Whether Sage liked it or not, she’d talk to him face to face. Luke didn’t like having to stoop this low. Again. But he’d do anything to win her back.

***

Sage

Sage stuffed her belly into a simple yet fashionable black maternity skirt, pulled a tight teal blouse over her inner tube, and slipped into a pair of beige peep-toe Valentinos with lace trimming on the sides. She didn’t want to waste her money on designer maternity dresses, and figured her investment would go further in shoes. Her five o’clock appointment was a pilot, and he sounded incredibly sexy on the phone. His deep baritone voice reminded her of…no, not Luke. Just of testosterone and sex and heat. Nathan Bradley wanted to meet at Luciano’s, a pricey Italian restaurant in Kennebunkport. He’d made reservations and told her he wanted to sample the menu before making his decision to book his corporate event there and to hire her to plan the event.

A private party at Luciano’s? This would be her last event before D-day. As long as the party animals decided to keep cooking in her oven a little longer. She had five more weeks until her due date, and Mr. Bradley said this party was a last minute idea. Armed with her iPad, loaded with notes, lists, prices, and spreadsheets, Sage placed the strap of her Coach bag neatly over her shoulder and checked her reflection one last time before leaving the house.

There weren’t many cars in the parking lot yet. Too early for a romantic meal, the time was right for just the rich elderly couples out for their dinner before making it home to watch
Wheel of Fortune
and then hitting the sack. Sage didn’t have romantic notions with the wealthy Nathan Bradley or having wild, raunchy sex with him. One look at her naked body and he’d go screaming for the hills. But a girl could dream. Besides, he was probably seventy and she’d never sleep with a client anyway.

Except for Luke. But he wasn’t a client when she was sleeping with him. He didn’t hire her and she volunteered her services—not in bed—as a favor to his mother. Not to earn herself points in the bedroom, she didn’t need them. Sage was good at her job. In and out of the bedroom.

Still, she applied another layer of lipstick and started the inhumane torturous experience of trying to extract her extra sixty-five pounds from the car. Her four-inch heels actually helped. God, she couldn’t imagine if she had to put her feet all the way to the ground. “Damn.” Sage looked at her passenger side seat where she left her bag. She couldn’t lean in and get it. Closing her door, she walked around to the other side.

The Coach bag was just far enough in the middle of the vehicle where she couldn’t just reach down and grab it, but had to bend over and extend her hand. Hoping no one was behind her to view her newly widened ass, Sage held on to her belly—just in case the babies fell out—and strained until she could wrap her index finger around the strap. After successfully pulling the bag closer, Sage breathed a sigh of relief, picked up her bag, and wiped the sweat from her brow.

Yeah. No need to worry about improper client relationships here. She used her meaty hip to close the door and sauntered with perfect precision to the main entrance. For the first time in…ever, Sage was thankful Maine didn’t have valets. She could imagine a long stream of cars waiting as she held up traffic trying to get her enormous body out of her car.

“Good evening, madam. Party of one, or are you meeting someone?”

“Good evening. I’m meeting Nathan Bradley. I’m a little early.” Even with the delay in getting her bag, she still had ten minutes to spare.

“Would you like to wait in the lounge or shall I show you to your table?”

Sage needed time to nestle into her chair and hide her belly. “The table will be fine, thank you.”

Once seated, which took almost as much time as getting up, Sage took out her iPad and studied her notes again, not that she needed to review them. Her brain retained numbers, figures, and dates better than any app could.

“Your table, sir.” She heard the maître d’ and looked up with a smile.

“So nice to—what the hell?”

Luke stood at her table, dressed in a charcoal suit and white shirt, and a tie nearly the same blue as her blouse. She had no idea places sold fancy suits in his size. It must have cost him a fortune. His hair was shorter, styled in that sexy Channing way he’d done for her birthday.

“Sage. You look stunning.” He leaned down and kissed her cheek.

“Would you like to see our wine list, sir?”

“I’ll have what she’s having, thank you.”

“Water then, sir?”

“That sounds perfect.” Luke didn’t take his hazel gaze off her as he pulled out his chair, unbuttoned his suit coat, and folded his long body in his seat.

“Don’t tell me. Lucy was busy so you used one of your brothers?”

“Graham. Although he wanted to take my place. Doesn’t think I deserve you.”

What?
She’d done nothing but ignore him, treat him like crap for the past five weeks, and he was complimenting her? “Look, Luke. I appreciate the gesture, but as I told you all along, I don’t do this.” She waved between them.

“I think you do. And I think you do it very well.”

“Okay.” She breathed through her nose, took a sip of water, and attempted to calm her temper. “Let me rephrase that. I don’t want to see you anymore.”

“Why?” He sipped his water and smiled at her, flashing that damned dimple.

“Why?”

“Yes. Why? I think I deserve to know. And you not wanting a relationship is bullshit. Call it whatever you want. Regular sex, dinner, cuddling on the couch while watching movies, and sleeping in on rainy weekends. We don’t have to call that a relationship. But whatever the hell it was, I want it back.”

“Well, you can’t. It’s gone. It got…boring,” she lied and picked up her water again.

“Which part? The sex?” he said too loudly.

Sage blushed, darting her gaze around the nearly empty restaurant. The waitress must have mistaken her frantic movements as a sign to come over. “Good evening. I’m Monique and I’ll be taking care of you tonight. Can I start you off with some hors d'oeuvres?”

“Sage? What would you like?”

“Nothing.” She folded her arms and rested them on her belly.

Monique eyed her mountain, smirked, and smiled flirtatiously at Luke. “And you, sir? What can I do for
you?”

“Hi, Monique. We’d love some lobster ravioli to start. My…love—” He smirked at Sage.

“—would like the pecan-crusted salmon and asparagus with new potatoes. I’ll have rib eye, cooked medium rare. Baked potato with all of the toppings.” Luke never took his eyes off of Sage and didn’t see the irritated look Monique gave them both before marching off.

“What if I don’t want the salmon?”

“Then you should have spoken up.”

“Like you’d listen to me?”

“I always listen to you.” Luke reached across the table for her hand but she pulled it away before he could make contact.

“You’re not listening to me now.”

“Okay. I’m all ears. What would you like to eat?”