Page 65 of Save a Wish

I let loose at the same time a breathy cry tore from Sadie’s throat and we jumped from the mountaintop of bliss together. Floating, falling, finding such pleasure on the playgrounds of each other’s bodies.

I draped myself on Sadie and we spent long moments breathing together. My head rested on her chest and the fast beat of her heart filled my ear. My own heart matched the pace of hers and we were so synched it was as if a single heart beat for the both of us.

Sadie’s fingers raked through my hair, her nails scraping along my scalp. “You said you were going to devour me.” She tipped my head up and her gaze locked onto mine. “I believe you’ve accomplished that mission.”

I pressed kisses down to her stomach and back up before sliding out of her and disposing of the condom.

“If your mission was to make me feel like the luckiest guy on the planet,” I said as I strode back into the bedroom and kneeled on the bed beside her, “you’ve accomplished that as well.”

She stretched out, cat-like, then got to her knees in front of me. “Well, aren’t we accomplishing a great deal tonight?”

“Real over-achievers.” I cupped her cheek and pressed my mouth to hers, fully enjoying the way her hands coasted up my arms and settled at the back of my neck as she kissed me back.

After a few moments, Sadie broke away, her tongue coming out to lick her bottom lip as if she’d tasted something delicious.

“Now that we’ve had appetizers,” she said with a grin, “let’s get dinner going. I’m starving.”

I rubbed my hands together in anticipation. “Then gingerbread cookies.”

Sadie stood then bent to pick up her discarded lingerie. As she slipped both pieces back on and added a matching robe, I almost said to forget dinner and cookies because I didn’t want to leave that bedroom.

“Why don’t I bring dinner in here?” Sadie suggested.

“A perfect idea.” I loved that she wanted to continue being in the bedroom as much as I did. “But I’ll get it.”

“Okay,” Sadie said. “I’m going to pop into the bathroom and I’ll meet you back in here.”

“Deal.”

She left while I gathered my underwear and my T-shirt and put both of them on. I then padded out to the kitchen to collect the Bear Belly Tavern bag from the table where Sadie had deposited it. I brought it over to the counter, took two plates from the cupboard, and heaped them high with the tavern’s famous macaroni and cheese, fried chicken, and green bean salad. The food had cooled while Sadie and I had been otherwise engaged so I popped the plates into the microwave to heat them back up.

While I waited for the reheat to complete, I grabbed two beers from Sadie’s refrigerator and poured them into glasses. I brought those and some coasters into the bedroom and set them on the bedside tables. As I turned to head back to the kitchen for our dinners, something in Sadie’s open closet snagged my attention. The bedside lamplight illuminated a rich burgundy color. I wandered over and opened the closet door a little farther. Brushing my fingers over the fabric revealed it to be velvety and no doubt expensive. I pushed the hanger it was on back so I could take a better look at the garment.

Which appeared to be a cloak of some kind. I’d never seen Sadie wearing it. Was it a costume? Had she picked up something for the All Hallow’s Eve Walk at Hartley’s Nest already? I’d thought we were still debating about what to dress up as, but perhaps she’d made a decision.

A small patch on the cloak made me turn it so the front of it faced me more fully. The shape of a shield, the patch had a set of green mountains with a faint plaid design on them. Three peaks lined up next to each other made up the small mountain range. The two end peaks were topped with yellow stars while the center one sported a white crescent moon at its summit. It was a simple design, but I’d never seen anything like it.

Backing up to pick up my jeans from the floor, I fished out my phone and took a picture of the crest as the microwave dinged. I set my phone on one of the bedside tables, collected our dinners, and met Sadie in the hallway as she emerged from the bathroom.

“That smells delicious.” She took one of the plates from me and stepped into the bedroom ahead of me.

“Hey, did you get a costume for the All Hallow’s Eve Walk already?” I asked as we both climbed onto the bed with our plates.

“No.” Sadie’s brows crinkled. “We didn’t make a decision yet, did we?”

I shook my head. “I saw that cloak in your closet.” I gestured to the open door and the cloak that was still facing out.

Sadie’s gaze flicked to the closet then she popped off the bed. She maneuvered the cloak back into the mix of clothing hanging in there and closed the door.

“That’s not a costume,” she said. “I . . . found it in a vintage store. The fabric is interesting. I might make something out of it. Pouches for the jewelry I sell, maybe.” She came back to the bed and immediately shoveled a big mouthful of macaroni and cheese into her mouth. Closing her eyes and throwing her head back, she hummed. “Oh, this is so good.”

My gaze went to the closet again, but when Sadie launched into the details of her first client appointment today, I devoted my attention to her. She nearly glowed as she recounted the experience and it delighted me to see her so happy.

By the time we hit the gingerbread cookies—which were exactly like my mom’s—I didn’t care about cloaks or patches. All I cared about was enjoying the company of a woman who was becoming more important to me than I’d ever expected.

Chapter Twenty-three

Sadie