Page 8 (1/2)

Just like she had known her e walked to the toilet and opened the lid, then poured every da the empty bottle and the manila envelope on the counter in plain view

With her head held high, she left her faht hoe tackled Joaquin as he walked in the front door He caught her up in his ars around his waist

"I’rateful and happy you’re alive; you’re healthy and ho, "Stop it We were both young and dumb Well, you were I was hter escaped her lips and he drank it in He only wanted laughter or happy tears with Sage

"I forgive you," she said, leaning back in his arms "I should have known it was you in those last letters, but I was too stupid to realize it and the handwriting threw me off"

"I had to i officer school," he teased, sitting on the sofa with her She laid her head on his shoulder and he closed his eyes, sending up a prayer of thanks "Got hazed for my chicken scratch"

"Come to bed with me, Joaquin"

His cock stood at attention with that softly uttered command, but his brain ed her s to fall apart when or if her parents or his decided to go against them

"We should wait" He kissed the top of her head "Let’s decorate instead"

"Are you turning down sex?" Disbelief colored her words "I thought it had been a while for you"

"Oh it’s been longer than a while"

Sage jerked up "How long?"

"Since June twenty-second, two-thousand and--"

"Not since our wedding night?" Her eyes were round and full of hope

Hope was so his friend right now

"That so hard to believe?" He cupped her face "We were still h I will admit there were tiot Rosie and her five sisters with me at all tiether, then understanding dawned "Ooooh"

"Don’t tell me you didn’t take care of business"

"I prefer to call it my happy time"

"You would" He snorted "Wish I could have seen you do it"

Glancing away, she nibbled on her bottoht"

Oh yeah, that would be perfect Then she ground her sweet ass into his dick "You’re killing ers tiptoed their way down to his zipper "I can rabbed her wrist "No"

She blinked "No?"

"We need to talk first, spend soether and--" She ran her free hand under and up his shirt, caressing his chest He sed a ue touched the base of his neck and he struggled to keep his hands froan

"I’m all about that, Joaquin" She kissed her way up his neck, then bit down on his earlobe, nibbling and sucking "Let go ofa deep breath, he did as she asked and placed his hands on each side of her waist She dropped back a little, looking him in the eyes "Did you ever come back here, after you left?"

He nodded "I drove up froia the very minute I was able" It had rained the duration of his ten hour trip By the tie’s house and she still hadn’t answered his calls or texts he had sent at every stop sign or light, he’d been pissed off and unreasonable "Your mother wouldn’t letthe words that had damned her mother, he continued, "I sent you letters and called you every daot stationed at Ft Hood, I kept writing and calling, until, well, that day" Hoping and praying that Sage would tell hiotten her new number from his cousin, Roberto, and had called, Joaquin had been a first-rate ass to her

"I didn’t get the letters or any of your calls while you were at boot camp and officer school" She rubbed her teot froht the entire ti out the beast in me" He titled his neck to one side, then the other "Doesn’t excuse my behavior You didn’t deserve to be talked to that way I’listened in her eyes "I’ your letters, and she’s the one that dropped hed bitterly "And I thought she was being so nice for once, buying h I had to get a new nu you e made a face "He would"

"Hey, Roberto can’t help but be a romantic It’s the Latin in him" Joaquin smiled sadly "Your s She pitched a fit over you going to college an hour away froet married, I should’ve acted like a married woman"

"And I should have acted like a et his way It’s called cohed, her curious fingers roa his stoether"

"I love being here with you" He wrapped his are"

This time when she kissed hier for the taste of her

Tie He lowered her to the floor, in front of the fireplace, where her capable hands had started a fire Staring at the lovely vision as firelight played on her perfect skin, he debated where to start first Hisjustice to the body laying before hi about her was sexy and fereen toe nails

Now this was a ho every hot-blooded man should have with his wife