Page 146 of Sage Haven

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This was possession.

I guided her backward, my fingers mapping the soft curves of her body, until we were tangled in a mess of mouths and hands, breathless and desperate.

And then—she laughed.

A quiet, breathless sound.

A laugh that nearly kept destroying me.

I pulled back just enough to take her in, to memorize the way her flushed skin glowed in the dim light, the way her lips trembled, the way her eyes held something uncertain.

Something devastating.

She didn’t realize it yet.

But she owned me. Completely.

I brushed my thumb over her cheek, watching the way her breath caught.

The way her body instinctively responded to my every touch.

“I need you,” she whispered, her voice shaking and wrecked.

The words settled between us, sinking deep.

I let them linger.

Let them consume me.

Then, slowly, I smirked. “I know, Sage.”

My lips brushed against hers, my voice barely above a breath.

“But first—” I traced my fingers along her jaw, tilting her chin up. “I need you to do something for me.”

She swallowed, heat flickering behind her gaze.

I leaned in, my voice a whisper against her skin, “I want you to trust me.”

She hesitated.

Not because she didn’t.

But because she already had.

Because I already owned every fragile piece of her trust—and she knew it.

Her lips parted, but before she could speak, I pressed a finger to them, silencing her.

“No talking.” My voice was low, teasing. “Just feel.”

Her breath shuddered against my skin.

And then—she did.

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SAGE

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