HIM
Sex.
Food.
Naked conversations.
More sex.
I’d be lying if I said the past month hadn’t been one of the best times in my life. It was obvious she didn’t trust me fully. I expected it. I still hadn’t kissed her on the lips. I didn’t think I ever would. This wouldn’t last forever. It had been ten months since she ran from up north. Four months since we’d been in this house. And I had a feeling Alex was getting sick of having me around. He’d been trying to get closer to Sage, wanting things to start moving forward.
I was going to enjoy every second with her. Which was why I was tongue deep in her pussy right now. She was leaning against the wall, and her thighs were clenching around my head as I kneeled under her. The way she reacted to my touch made my thirst for her never-ending. When I used my fingers. Tongue. Cock. It didn’t matter. Anything I did had her writhing. I fucking loved it. Every moan. Every scream. I swallowed it all up and dove back in to do it again.
Her legs shook as she tried to stay standing, and my grip on her hips tightened to keep her upright. Her fingers were knotted in my hair, silently pleading for me to go faster. Usually I would have given her an orgasm already, but this time was different. We were going to have a conversation first, and she wasn’t getting off until she gave me the answer I wanted. There was more than half a chance she was going to tell me to fuck off.
“Niko,” she moaned out my name, making my dick twitch. “Please.”
I pulled away from her pussy and glanced up at her, ignoring her protests. “I need you to do something for me.”
Curiosity flared in her eyes as she grinned. “Miss my mouth already?”
Jesus. If I didn’t spit it out right this second, I’d put it off another day. Like I’d been for a week. Standing up, I pressed against her, letting my fingers replace where my tongue had been. The back of her head hit the wall when I circled her clit.
“Sage. Look at me,” I ordered, making her gaze snap to mine. “After today, the drinking is done. You need to stop.”
Her relaxation fizzled out as her eyes went cold. “No.”
“You went from a couple glasses to almost two bottles a night—in four months.” I didn’t stop rubbing her clit as I spoke. “It’s only going to get worse. Soon, drinking at night won’t be enough. It’s going to turn into an all the time thing.”
“It’s the only thing that numbs me,” she muttered as she failed to stop reacting from what my hand was doing. Her back arched when I slowed down. “When I have to look at him. Talk to him. It helps me not feel.”
I knew that. And understood it. But she was slipping away. Every time she drank, her eyes glazed over into someone I didn’t recognize. It made me sick. If she kept going, the things that made her who she was would disappear.
I couldn’t sit here and watch that happen. Even though I’d been trying to block it out, it was becoming impossible. Because it wasn’t just about sex. Even with everything still between us, she’d opened up a lot in the last month. I’d heard her laugh. Her infectious giggling until she worked herself up so much that she snorted, and then her face would flush pink. I’d try to get her to laugh just to see that blush.
She’d tell me sly jokes and then explain them as if I didn’t get it, laughing until tears filled her eyes. She had an obsession with reality shows and would binge one until she finished the entire series. I acted like they bored me, but she always filled me in if I missed any episodes so we could keep watching together. I enjoyed everything we did together. Fuck. It would have been easier if it were only about sex.
“No more drinking.” I stood my ground as she glared at me. “Or no more orgasms.”
Her mouth fell open. “What?”
She nearly jumped when I pinched her clit. I didn’t stop moving my fingers, and she dug her nails into my wrist. Her breathing quickened, and she lost focus of the conversation. She bit her lip, and I froze before she got to the edge.
“Promise me that after today, you’ll stop drinking,” I murmured in her ear, sliding a finger inside her. “Then you can come.”
She blew out a shaky laugh. “Why? So, I can trade one addiction for another?”
I frowned. “You think I’m as bad as the wine you drink?”
“No.” She locked eyes with me. “I think you’re worse.”
Damn, that hurt.
“You’re an addiction I never want to quit,” she whispered, a bit of fear flashing through her gaze. “Only I know this won’t last much longer. Once it ends, I’ll be craving it every single fucking day. Then I feel guilt. Because I shouldn’t be thinking about you like this. Your brother—your twin killed my sister. I should hate you as much as I hate Geo and Alex. But I don’t. And I don’t know why. At least I know with alcohol, I can numb all that too.”
The pain in her eyes held me hostage as we stared at each other. I couldn’t tell her it was going to be okay. She couldn’t just choose me over Alex. She’d be with him for the rest of her life. Even if she did have the chance, so much shit had happened. There would always be doubt and resentment.
I tore my eyes from her when I heard something from outside. My jaw clenched, and I hurriedly stepped away from her as I watched Alex park his Jeep in the driveway. We’d been ridiculously careful this last month, but I’d lost track of time while we talked. The passenger door opened, and dread swamped me as Geo stepped out. We’d barely talked the last couple of months.
Sage peeked out the window, going tense when she saw both of my brothers. Snatching her jeans off the floor, she shoved past me.
“I’ll be in my room.” She didn’t even turn to look at me while she got to the hall.
“No more wine,” I reminded her. Even though the conversation had gone sideways, I was still going to get her to stop.
Shooting me a death glare over her shoulder, she didn’t say a word before disappearing into her room. A few seconds later, the front door opened, and Alex strolled in with Geo right behind him.
“She’s in her room,” I told Alex before he could ask. Glancing at Geo, I added, “She saw you through the window.”
“Thanks,” Alex muttered, heading straight to the bathroom.