Her smile could bring him to his knees, and the way her eyes would light up when she looked at him always made his heart thump wildly in his chest. Saige had given him a reason to get out of bed every day. Before he met her, he’d felt his life spiraling out of control because of the disaster of a marriage he’d been in.
His business with his brother had just started to get off the ground, and he’d finally managed to hide enough money to go ahead with the divorce and then his life had shattered.
He’d given his heart to Saige, something that Jocelyn had never had. He thought back to his marriage. It had happened quickly and he realized, even before he’d sought a divorce that he’d confused lust for love. When he’d met Saige, however, he had finally understood what it meant to love someone unconditionally.
Saige was a breath of fresh air in his miserable life. She gave him something to look forward to. Meeting at the boathouse, he’d spent hours with her in his arms as they talked and cuddled.
At first, he always felt guilty for being with Saige while still married. The guilt hadn’t been for Jocelyn—that woman had had so many affairs he’d lost count. His guilt was for Saige. He wanted to be with her freely, without all the baggage that he had. He’d planned to make that happen before everything derailed.
Slowly shaking his head, Quinten made his way to the metal desk in his room and sat down heavily. The only item on the desk was a dog-eared book, City of Ashes, which had been Saige’s favorite. She’d given it to him for safe keeping when she’d gone back to school. It was the only thing he asked Alex to bring him once he’d been shown his new home in Harlington.
Opening the book to the center, his fingers rubbed against the worn leather bracelet that Saige had given him. He never wore it because it was too small for his thick wrist, but he’d taken it and treasured it always.
When he was first incarcerated, it had been his security blanket of sorts. Eventually, he’d hidden it away in the middle of the book. No matter how much he’d been asked by the guards to lend the book to other inmates, he always refused.
Smoothing his hand over the page, he smiled, remembering the rosy blush that would coat Saige’s cheeks when they’d get to more of a romantic bit in the book. He’d nuzzle into her neck to hide his amusement. Her voice would go all soft and husky and it had taken a lot of self-control to not take advantage of the situation. He’d craved a taste of her but he’d always held himself back—until that last night.
Dreaming about that last night a couple of days ago and waking, not having Saige in his arms, had crushed him all over again.
He was desperate to see her in the flesh instead of in his memories, and tomorrow he would.
* * *
3:00pm
* * *
“Bring me a beer and yourself, woman.” Quinten smirked and laughed.
“Getting demanding aren’t we, Mr. Peterson?” Saige grabbed a beer that Quinten had brought with him, and flounced over to the sexy man.
He’d showered and changed into a long-sleeved, navy t-shirt and workout pants. The long sleeves had been shoved up to his elbows, showing off the amazing artwork that he’d had permanently inked into his skin, which she thought was sexy. Not that he needed anything to add to his manliness.
Placing the beer on the table, Saige straddled his thighs and wiggled closer. Quinten sucked in a sharp breath when her breasts pressed into his chest. She grinned and wrapped her arms around his neck.
“Saige,” he groaned as she felt something growing hard beneath her. Saige pressed closer. “Fuck.” Quinten hissed as he held her hips still and closed his eyes before opening them to look into hers. “I want you. More than I’ve ever wanted anyone, but until I’m free, we can’t.”
Saige knew he wanted her, he couldn’t exactly hide it and, unfortunately, she agreed with him when they talked about it.
The time in the boathouse was so they could be together, and Quinten had often told her that it was out of love and respect for her that he couldn’t make love to her. He wanted to come to her free of everything. She understood that. It just left them both frustrated.
Taking pity on him, Saige rearranged herself on his lap and snuggled into his welcoming arms.
Quinten kissed her on the forehead. “You know how much I love you, Saige. How much I want everything with you. As soon as I’m free, I’ll claim you and never let you go. I hope you know that.”
She smiled. “I can’t wait for you to claim me, Quinten, and I respect you for wanting to wait.”
“But?” He rested his head against hers.
“I want to be closer to you,” Saige admitted.
“You’re closer to me than anyone else. You know more about me than even Alex. I respect you too much to take what I crave while I’m not completely free.”