Sadie opens her mouth to say something, but per usual, Mom keeps on talking. She does this so we can’t tell her no and she gets what she wants. The woman is diabolical.
“You eat lamb, right? You’ll love mine. Come to my house on Sunday and we’ll talk.” She kisses her again, and then Mom is out the door. It was a whirlwind of love, but that’s what I love most about my mother.
“Oh god.” Sadie drops her face in her hands, and I rush to her side.
“Are you okay? I’m sorry, I didn’t know she was coming by.”
“Look at me!” she cries and then waves her hands to the shirt she’s wearing. “Look at you.”
I’m in lounge pants I grabbed out of the laundry room and shirtless. It’s not like I would go out in public like this, but I’m in my house, and it was just my mom. Sadie is in one of my college T-shirts, but it’s so big it’s like a dress on her.
“What’s wrong with how we look?” I’m genuinely confused as to why she’s so upset.
“She probably thinks we slept together.”
My jaw hardens, and I lean away from her. “Oh, I see. You don’t want her to think you’d be with me.”
“What?” She looks up at me, and now she’s the one confused. “No, that’s not what I’m saying. It’s not you?—”
“Yeah it’s fine, I get it. You wouldn’t want her to get the wrong idea. Clearly you’re horrified she thought you were sleeping with me.”
“Ari, that’s not what I mean.”
Sadie reaches for me, and as much as I want to touch her, I stand up and take a step back. The longer I’m with her, the harder it is to not do the things I’m craving.
“I heard you last night when you said you weren’t attracted to me.” I hate saying the words out loud.
“I lied, okay?” she blurts out. “Of course I’m attracted to you! Have you looked in the mirror?” She waves her hand up and down my body. “What woman on the planet wouldn’t be attracted to you?”
“But my mom?—”
“I’ve never slept with anyone before. How the hell am I supposed to know what to do?” Her cheeks flush, and she looks away from me. “I just got embarrassed that she thought we had sex when I’ve never done that before.”
My heart thuds loudly in my chest, and I’m almost afraid to breathe.
“Then she invited me to meet your family, and you’re just using me to get information on my dad.” Her eyes meet mine, and I shake my head.
“What are you talking about? Your mother isn’t my client anymore. I gave your father information to help his case.”
“Why would you do that?” Her eyes narrow, but I see the muscles in her shoulders begin to relax.
“Because what your mother is doing isn’t right.” I step closer to Sadie and close the distance between us. “I’ll tell you everything you want to know, but I swear I’m not using you.”
“Then why did you bring me here? You could have sent me a file, but instead you brought me to your house, where I’m pretty sure I don’t have the ability to leave on my own.” Her full lips part as I stand between her legs and slide my hand up her neck.
“I brought you here because I can’t stand the thought of letting you go.” Bending down, I brush my lips gently against hers as I breathe in. “Because if you’re here then you can’t run.”
My mouth comes down on hers, and this time, the kiss is claiming. With both my hands, I hold her face and use my thumbs under her chin to tilt her head back. She moans, and when her lips part, I sweep my tongue inside and claim her there too. I’m too aggressive in the way I kiss her, but I can’t stop. My need to possess her after I thought she denied me is all-consuming. I’ve got to stake my claim and mark her before she has a chance to try and be free of me.
“You’re mine,” I say through clenched teeth as I pull back and look her in the eyes. “I don’t give a fuck if my mom tells the world. And by the time we see her again, I’m going to make sure you’re mine in every way imaginable.”
Chapter Eleven
SADIE
I’m never at a loss for words because I’m the type of person that could go on forever. My responses are normally quick and often with a jab to them of some kind. They can be funny or because I meant to land a verbal blow.
No doubt it’s because of my mother and the fact that my major in college was dominated by men. It might not be a compliment to my dad, but I knew I would never let anyone verbally abuse me. Seeing the two of them, I knew what I wouldn’t tolerate and that I would fight back. Now it’s all I seem to know, but clearly, that isn’t always the answer.
