He squeezes my hand and smiles. “I really like you, Sage Summers. I was wrong about you, too.”
Acting affronted, I place my hands on my hips. “Wrong? How?”
He pulls me into his arms and kisses the top of my head. “I thought you were just a hot yoga instructor. I didn’t know how kind and wise you were.”
I struggle to keep a smirk off my face, but it’s proving difficult. “Well, that’ll teach you never to presume anything about me, Casey Tucker. With an open mind, I might just keep surprising you.”
He shakes his head and stares into my eyes, then his hand caresses the side of my cheek. “I have no doubt about that.”
9
Sage
It’s been six days since Casey’s father woke up and he’s come to see me each day after visiting the hospital. We’ve eaten out for dinner, we’ve practiced yoga together, and of course we haven’t missed a daily walk.
One place I haven’t been back to is the hospital. His mother asked that I not visit, saying it should only be family for now, but I know it’s her way of punishing me for my clothing.
I complain to Casey about it as we walk into town. “I wouldn’t worry about it, Sage,” he says. “What she thinks really doesn’t bother me.”
“Well, it bothers me,” I say as we walk side by side along a gravel road. “Decent clothes? Of course, I own decent clothes, but I couldn’t argue with her in the hospital room, minutes after her husband woke up from a coma. I do have some decency despite what she thinks.”
He clasps his hand over mine and squeezes. Smiling down, he whispers. “I like your clothes and wish you wore less of them today.”
His boyish grin and flirtatious words are enough to coax me out of my bad mood. I don’t usually let other people’s opinions bother me, but she embarrassed me in front of Casey’s father.“I was fully covered, wasn’t I? Nothing’s indecent about nipples for goodness’ sake. Why is everyone so concerned about seeing them?”
“Because they drive men crazy.”
“Then we should blame men for not controlling themselves and not women for having what God gave them.”
“You’re right. And to prove your point, I think you should show me your nipples every day so that I may acclimatize to them.”
“Are you serious?”
“Yes.”
There’s a sparkle in his eye and I haven’t seen this side of Casey before. It’s irresistible.
Turning to my left and then my right, I see no one around. We’re on the gravel path, leading to the falls. The Mill is on the other side of the road, but no one ever walks this way unless they’re traveling to the waterfall.
“Fine,” I say, then I lift my white cotton T-shirt to the top of my breasts. I’m wearing a sports bra underneath but it’s thin enough that surely he can see my nipples through it.
Casey stares at my breasts and his cocky grin falters. Suddenly, all his playfulness is gone. I sigh, realizing he lost the point of the exercise, and move to drop my T-shirt.
“Wait,” he says. “Don’t move.”
He slowly raises his hand and looks at me. “May I?”
I eye him skeptically. “Maybe. What are you going to do?”
He places his finger on the top of my sports bra and pulls the material down until my breast pops out. Leaning down, he takes my nipple into his mouth and flicks it with his tongue.
My nipple hardens and pleasure zings from my breast to my stomach, making me dizzy on my feet. He holds me steadily with a hand to the small of my back, then lifts his head and finger. My sports bra snaps back up and he grabs my hand and pulls mealong the path to the falls, as though he didn’t just turn me on with a flick of his tongue.
“What the hell was that?”
“What was what?” he asks casually.
The sun is shining on his short brown hair, and he narrows his blue eyes up ahead. He seems unphased and I’m annoyed that I am… well… I am ‘phased.’
