Page 11 of Reckless Youth
Chapter 6
Being careful not to jostle him awake, I removed the blanket from under my chin; the heat became too oppressive and much too hot.
I stared down at the top of Sage’s head of thick, dark, messy hair. It was always floppy, but the mass of feathery softness called to me and I weaved my fingers through the silky strands. His moan stopped me short and I held my breath, hoping I didn’t wake him with my greedy hands. It wasn’t unusual for me to touch him – but this felt different.
Maybe it was just me and my crazy teenage hormones, but it felt almost naughty.
Illicit.
Sensual.
Sage moaned again and then spoke. “Mmm. That feels good. Don’t stop.”
It seemed like I’d put him in a state of euphoria, so I continued my ministrations. I reassured myself that it was okay for me to do this to him because he had no one else who provided him the affection that he deserved. No mother at home to hug him when he was hurt or feeling down. No father who patted him on the back to congratulate him when he’d done something to make him proud.
No, my sweet Sage had no one else but me and Cam to make him feel loved. And that’s what I wanted to do.
I continued my gentle combing, sometimes brushing over the tip of his ear, tugging on his lobe, curling my fingers at the nape of his neck. I’d doodle a little on his back and he’d nearly come unglued, purring like a cat. I grinned as I looked down upon the beautiful, burdened boy in my lap.
We were both getting warm, so he shifted and sat up, removing his shirt so that I had better access. My hand trailed over the dips and valleys of his backside, over the smooth shoulders, and the carved cut of his bicep. I traced the inlay of his tapered waist, stopping to tickle at the rib where I knew he was ticklish. It felt good touching him in this way. Making him sigh with satisfaction and laugh with happiness.
His life was so complicated. I just wanted to wrap him up in all the love that I had to give.
When my finger ended up at the waistband of his shorts, I stalled for a moment, noticing the way his body tightened and flexed. His own breath became choppy and anxious as I played with the skin underneath. It was so soft and warm there, I couldn’t stop myself.
In the end, I didn’t have to stop myself because he did it for me. Practically catapulting upright, he took the blanket with him as it fell to the floor in a heap.
Sage sat at the edge of the couch, his back to me, as I watched his sharp exhalation and ragged breaths, his shoulders rising and falling in rapid succession. My hand instinctively ran down his smooth, muscular back, drifting over the cluster of freckles that created a crescent moon shape above his shoulder blades.
Goose pimples broke out over his skin as I fluttered my fingertips over that expanse of flesh.
His voice was low; a warning. “London.”
Our knees bumped as he shifted around to face me, but didn’t look me in the eye, his lips pressed into a firm frown.
The current that ran between us sparked and sizzled, like the sound of June bugs lighting up the air.
His touch was both welcome, and unfamiliar, as he laid his hand on my thigh, his thumb stroking the peach fuzz on the inside of my bare leg. My eyes closed as I luxuriated in the simple pleasure of his touch.
I felt him shift forward, his palm sliding inward and upwards, as I clenched my legs together; to either stop him or keep him there, I’m not sure.
“London, open your eyes and look at me.”
I complied with his request and when I did, he was a breath away from my face.
“I need to kiss you,” he said as if it pained him.
Need. Not want.
“Yes.”
Slowly, ever so slowly, he leaned forward, cupping my face in his hands, and then covered my lips with his to kiss me. If I were to compare the way Cam first kissed me with Sage’s kiss, they were as opposite as the sun and the moon; yet both equally as vital to life.
Cam had a reserve about him that he could control. A gentling factor.
Sage was all passion. All-consuming. Completely unforgiving and demanding, as if to say, “You’re mine. You were made for me.” He took what he wanted from me and only wanted more. And I loved it.
I. Loved. It.
