Page 118 of The Bluffing Game

We both collapse onto the bed, and he has a wide smile. “I hope I didn’t take more than five minutes.”

“You didn’t.” I breathe deeply. “I guess I’m just as bad as you, huh?”

He chuckles. “Why would you say that?”

“Because we weren’t going to do this again. It was meant to be off-limits, and yet you can’t resist me, huh?”

“And don’t worry. You can’t resist me either, Sage.”

I lick my lips and nod. There’s nothing else I can say. He pulls me into his arms, and while I know I shouldn’t touch him back, he just feels so warm, so right. I don’t even want to think about what we did. I don’t want to think about why I’m here. I just want peace. I want to forget my pain and my hurt and lie in the comfort of Dalton’s arms.

For one night, I don’t want to be strong. For one night, I want to be me.

“You can touch me tonight,” I say, “anytime you want, but just tonight.”

“Just tonight,” he says, slowly moving his fingers down the side of my arm and gently cupping my breasts. He rubs his thumb and one of his fingers against my nipple and pinches. Then he slides his fingers down my stomach and gently caresses it. He holds me close to him and kisses me hard and then soft. “Tonight, you’re mine, and no one can take that away from us.”

Chapter 32

DALTON

“Welcome to Mama’s Kitchen. My name is Sage. I’ll be your server today. Here are your menus. Let me know if you’d like something to drink. I’ll give you a couple of minutes with the menus.”

Sage greets a family who just sat down. She’s got a smile on her face, but I know it’s not real. It doesn’t reach her eyes, and the cheery air that she normally has is not there. She’s tense but trying to process everything and keep going. I know she thinks she’s being strong, but I wish she would let me in more. I wish she wouldn’t try to carry it all on her own.

“Just four waters, please,” the mom says.

Sage walks away with a nod and heads to the bar. She looks tired, in her crisp white shirt and dark pants.

I know her thoughts have been keeping her up at night. Just like my own have been doing to me. I can’t help but think about the secret smile she offers me each morning when she wakes up, before she thinks about the complicated mess that is our life. It warms my heart every morning, and I know if I could bottle her radiance, I’d never feel down again.

“Hey, Jimmy. Can I get four glasses of water with lemons, please?” She pauses and looks toward the table. “Actually, put the lemons on the side. I’m not sure if they asked for lemons or not.”

“Sure thing,” he says, a frown deepening on his face. “You okay today, Sage?” He glances over at me for a second and then turns away before I can glare at him.

“Yeah, just fine. Thanks.” Her words are short and clipped, and it’s obvious that she’s far from just fine.

I can tell Jimmy senses that too. He pauses before pouring the water. I can see the hesitation in the way that he studies her, like he wants to say something, but doesn’t know how. I wonder if he knows that I know. Actually, that’s not true. I know he knows that I know because Brett would never keep a secret from me.

I need to speak to Jimmy alone, but I’m going to have to do that away from the bar. I can’t risk someone hearing our conversation. It just wouldn’t be right. I need to convince him to talk to Sage and tell her the truth. The rejection that she felt from her unknown dad not wanting to meet her was far worse than finding out that Jimmy was her dad. I need him to see that.

“How are you feeling today, Sage?” I ask her as she sashays past me with the waters on a tray.

“Quite fine, boss.”

She gives me a small smile and a little wink, and I can’t help but think about the last time I saw that wink. I shift my stance and ignore the heat rising in my body. Now is not the time to be thinking of a naked Sage.

I know we’re both thinking about the evening that we had a couple of nights ago, the way that we made love all night long. I hoped that meant she had forgiven me, but it was just one night. I held her in my arms, and I fucked her over and over until morning came, and I thought maybe this was the beginning of something amazing, but maybe it was the end. Maybe it was her way of exorcising me from her body and mind because the last couple of nights, we just lay there on our own sides, no teasing, no games. I missed her even though she was right there with me.

I take a deep breath, and I head over to the bar to speak to Jimmy. “I have to talk to you,” I say in a low voice, making sure Sage is nowhere around. “This has put me in an awkward position.”

“What are you talking about?” He looks away.

He’s a shit liar, and I really want to call him out.

“Shit,” he grunts as the door opens, and a loud whistle sounds throughout the room.

There’s a coldness that emanates through the space, and I look to the front. I freeze when I see Parker walking in, shoulders back, head up high, an evil smirk on his face. He looks around the restaurant like he owns the place; he spies Sage and heads over to her. I immediately spring into action and make my way over to them.