ing his hand over the page, he smiled, remembering the rosy blush that would coat Saige’s cheeks when they’d get to more of a romantic bit in the book. He’d nuzzle into her neck to hide his amusement. Her voice would go all soft and husky and it had taken a lot of self-control to not take advantage of the situation. He’d craved a taste of her but he’d always held himself back—until that last night.
Dreaming about that last night a couple of days ago and waking, not having Saige in his arms, had crushed him all over again.
He was desperate to see her in the flesh instead of in his memories, and tomorrow he would.
* * *
3:00pm
* * *
“Bring me a beer and yourself, woman.” Quinten smirked and laughed.
“Getting demanding aren’t we, Mr. Peterson?” Saige grabbed a beer that Quinten had brought with him, and flounced over to the sexy man.
He’d showered and changed into a long-sleeved, navy t-shirt and workout pants. The long sleeves had been shoved up to his elbows, showing off the amazing artwork that he’d had permanently inked into his skin, which she thought was sexy. Not that he needed anything to add to his manliness.
Placing the beer on the table, Saige straddled his thighs and wiggled closer. Quinten sucked in a sharp breath when her breasts pressed into his chest. She grinned and wrapped her arms around his neck.
“Saige,” he groaned as she felt something growing hard beneath her. Saige pressed closer. “Fuck.” Quinten hissed as he held her hips still and closed his eyes before opening them to look into hers. “I want you. More than I’ve ever wanted anyone, but until I’m free, we can’t.”
Saige knew he wanted her, he couldn’t exactly hide it and, unfortunately, she agreed with him when they talked about it.
The time in the boathouse was so they could be together, and Quinten had often told her that it was out of love and respect for her that he couldn’t make love to her. He wanted to come to her free of everything. She understood that. It just left them both frustrated.
Taking pity on him, Saige rearranged herself on his lap and snuggled into his welcoming arms.
Quinten kissed her on the forehead. “You know how much I love you, Saige. How much I want everything with you. As soon as I’m free, I’ll claim you and never let you go. I hope you know that.”
She smiled. “I can’t wait for you to claim me, Quinten, and I respect you for wanting to wait.”
“But?” He rested his head against hers.
“I want to be closer to you,” Saige admitted.
“You’re closer to me than anyone else. You know more about me than even Alex. I respect you too much to take what I crave while I’m not completely free.”
“As frustrated as I am, as I think you are, I love you all the more for that.” Saige cupped his bearded jaw and placed a sweet kiss to his lips. “I love you, Quinten Peterson, and I’ve never been more excited about my future as I have been since I met you.”
“God, babe.” Quinten kissed her hard before he pulled back and rested his head against the back of the chair and stared at the ceiling. “Talk to me because you sitting on my erection is killing me.”
Saige felt butterflies fly around in her stomach at his confession. “When?”
Quinten blinked at her but she could see he knew what she meant. “I told you that I already talked to a divorce attorney before I even met you, right?”
Saige nodded.
“I called him at the beginning of last week. I paid the deposit he requested and he’s starting on the paperwork. I quoted irreconcilable differences as to the reason for the divorce. Figured it would be simpler then her adultery.” He sighed. “Jocelyn will be mad as all hell when she finds out that I’m actually going through with divorcing her, so I’m trying to go the easy route instead of accusing her of multiple accounts of adultery.”
He shifted so that she was half on and half off his lap as he loomed over her. “She’s vindictive and I really don’t want her knowing about my feelings for you.” He leaned down and kissed her. “But make no mistake, Saige. Nothing and no one will be able to stop this divorce from happening. I should have listened to Alex, but I didn’t and I’ve paid the price. No more though.” He caressed along her lips with a finger while licking his own lips.
“I love you,” he whispered softly before sealing their lips together.
Saige jumped and her eyes snapped open seconds before she rolled from the sofa with a thump.
“Oomph...ouch,” she moaned but remained on her back while she got her bearings, and slipped back into reality.
Tears seeped from her eyes in a strange mixture of longing and desperation. She wanted to be with Quinten and she wanted to remember all the times they’d spent together.