Tough To Love Read online

  At six feet, six inches, the muscle he packed on by working out every day made him unapproachable to most individuals, but he didn’t care. If they couldn’t see past the outside to the man he was on the inside, they shouldn’t be around him.

  “God, I need to stop daydreaming and get to work,” Rally muttered, closing his eyes and resting his head against the couch. He was only going to take a quick nap and then he would get caught up on his work.

  ****

  Sage stood next to the couch, staring down at the sleeping Rally and fighting the urge to run her fingers down the side of his cheek. Without a doubt, he would knock her hand off of him and warn her to never touch his body again. After taking one last look at him, she spun around and went over to his desk, placing the latest stock reports on the top. As she made her way back over to the door a voice asked, “Sage, were you going to leave without checking on me again?”

  “I have no reason to be concerned about you. I saw you were breathing so I knew you were fine,” she answered, turning around to look at Rally.

  Grass green eyes stared back at her; they were something Rally inherited from his mother’s side. When she first saw Rally’s eyes as a little girl they had amazed her. She would think of anything to ask him just to get him to look at her.

  “If I hadn’t been breathing would you have given me mouth to mouth?” he asked, sitting up.

  Sage’s knees almost went weak at the thought of her mouth on Rally’s, but she would never let him know that. “Honestly, I think I would have just left you there, especially after the way you treated me.”

  “Brat…I have no doubt that you would have,” Rally laughed. “My parents and Shawn spoiled you way too much growing up. You don’t know how to respect people.”

  “I always respect my elders, Rally,” Sage uttered back as he walked past her. “Besides, I don’t know why you think your parents spoiled me since they never wanted me around in the first place.”

  Rally pinned her with a look that should have had her running for the door, but she stood her ground and glared back up at him. “Do you have something to say to me?”

  “Sage, you need to stop pushing my buttons. Every time I say something you have a comment. You need to stop it,” Rally complained, staring down at her. “I don’t have the time to baby you the way Shawn does.”

  Baby her? Was that how Rally truly perceived the rare times they got to spend together? Well, if he was tired of her being around him, he was going to get his wish. He couldn’t have made it any clearer for her. It was time she stopped with her hero worship when it came to the gorgeous man in front of her. Rally wouldn’t ever see her as a woman he could fall in love with.

  “Rally, I’m done. I promise you I won’t push your buttons anymore. For the longest time I held out hope that we could be friends, but now I see I was wrong. I’ll be out of your hair by the end of the week, if not sooner.” The pain she was experiencing was intense, but she had to let go of her crush on Rally and find a man who wanted her.

  Rally ran his hand over his hair. “I’m not telling you to move out of the house. There’s more than enough room for the both of us. Besides, I don’t like the thought of you living alone.”

  “I don’t care what you like. It’s time for me to be on my own and do as I please with my life,” Sage snapped. She was tired of Rally breaking her heart over and over. She would never be able to move on from him if she kept seeing him every day. “After I’m gone, Vanity can move in and you’ll have everything you’ve wanted.”

  “How do you know what I want out of life?” he demanded.

  “Truthfully, I don’t, but I know the one wish you’ve had for several years now,” Sage stated, feeling like she was growing up right in this moment.

  “Okay…tell me what I’ve wanted.”

  “You’ve wanted me gone ever since I can remember, and you will finally get your wish granted,” she promised. Sage brushed past Rally and headed for the door. She had a lot to get done in the next few days and standing here talking to him wasn’t even in her top ten.

  “Sage, wait, we have to talk more about this. Shawn will kill me if he thought I kicked you out of the house,” Rally yelled after her, but she kept walking away from the man she been in love with since she turned sixteen.

  ****

  Rally rested his shoulder against the doorframe and studied Sage working at her desk. In the past two years, she had changed so much and it was extremely hard for him not to notice. Sage was still curvy in all the right places like a woman should be, but the way she moved her body was more confident. She looked him straight in the eye now instead of past his shoulder.

  Poise poured from her, attracting him more, and he lashed at her more because of it. Dropping his eyes down, he couldn’t look away from how her white wraparound dress displayed her full breasts, making him want to do things he shouldn’t. For God sakes, he was practically her guardian, but he wanted to know if her lips tasted as good as they looked.

  Sage wasn’t going to leave him. She was just upset with him, but after she calmed down she’d be back to her old self. I’ve nothing to worry about.

  “Do you want me?” Sage’s soft voice whispered, making his cock harden inside his fitted pants.

  “What?” he asked, glancing at Sage. Her dark eyes stared at him. God, why hadn’t he ever noticed before how beautiful her eyes were? It was like they could see straight into his soul.

  “Are you coming or not?” Sage’s soft voice questioned, drawing him away from his thoughts again.

  If she kept talking to him like that, he would be coming and her hot little body wouldn’t be far behind his. He suddenly had a flash of taking Sage on top of her desk.

  “Rally, will you listen to what I’m telling you,” Sage yelled, getting his full attention.

  “You don’t have to scream at me. I can hear you just fine,” he snapped, stepping away from the doorway.

  He wasn’t proud of his lustful thoughts when it came to Sage. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad if she moved out after all. Her smooth mahogany skin was driving him insane and it was getting harder for him to fight off the alluring sight of her.

  “Well, you didn’t answer any of my questions, so I had to yell to get your attention.”

  “I was thinking about what you mentioned earlier. I think you’re right. It would be for the best if you did move out. Vanity does have a problem with you still living with me. She wants to be able to come over and not get into an argument with you every time.” He had to get Sage away from him before he started acting on his desires.

  “Of course she does,” Sage agreed as she turned off her computer and reached for her purse. “Vanity is very insecure, she has this jealous streak that is a mile long and three inches thick. She doesn’t have a clue about what is really going on between us.”

  His cock jumped again at the thought of something transpiring between him and Sage, but he couldn’t ever allow that to happen. Sage was practically like his little sister.

  He remembered teaching her how to drive when she turned sixteen, and that one moment he had lost control and did something that he shouldn’t have. If Shawn hadn’t come looking for them in the garage things might be different between the two of them now.

  He wasn’t a man to lose control, but that day Sage had been pushing his buttons and he almost gave in to his needs. Sage still didn’t know that was the reason he kept such a distance from her.

  “Vanity shouldn’t be jealous of you on any level. She’s a breathtaking woman and you’re a girl who doesn’t know how to get past her crush on me. You’re so focused on trying to please me that you aren’t able to find a man for yourself.”

  “I agree with you, Rally,” Sage said. “I have wasted too many years trying to get your approval. Shawn believed one day you would open your eyes and see me, but he was wrong. You’re a proud man and you wouldn’t ever do anything to disgrace your family name.”

  Shocked by Sage’s words, he couldn’t figure
out what Sage was trying to him. “What in the hell are you talking about?” he snapped.

  “Vanity is the kind of woman your family wants you to marry. I know that your grandparents weren’t happy when your father went off to college and came back married to your mother.”

  Rally was speechless. How did she find out about his grandparents’ views on his father’s marriage? “Who told you that?”

  “It doesn’t matter,” she sighed. “You’ve found the perfect woman for your family in Vanity. I see why you aren’t willing to let her go. I don’t blame you for wanting your family’s approval.”

  “Stop avoiding my question. Who told you my grandparents weren’t happy my father hadn’t married a Shawnee woman? I didn’t even know about it until I turned about thirteen years old because my father kept that to himself for years.”

  “I won’t tell you.”

  He didn’t have to think about it for long. Sage spent her time with only one other person besides him. He would kill Shawn the next time he saw him.

  “My brother told you, didn’t he?” Rally questioned. “He never knows when to keep his mouth shut.”

  “Don’t you go blaming Shawn. He was only trying to help me understand you better. Now that I see the bigger picture, I understand why you’re with Vanity.”

  “I’m in love with Vanity,” Rally defended.

  “Of course you are, or you still wouldn’t be with her. Which gives me the chance to fall in love with a wonderful guy, and the more I think about it the happier I get because it’s only a matter of time before it happens.”

  “Do you really think you can stop having feeling for me that fast?” he questioned.

  “Rally, we both know my crush on you was childish and immature. You told me when I was sixteen that I’d never be a part of your life. I should have taken you seriously.”

  His pulse leaped at Sage’s words, but he kept his face emotionless. Sage did remember what happened in the garage. Did she think about it as much as him? “What else do you remember about that day? What were we about to do?”

  He kept walking closer until he was blocking Sage’s body with his. He wasn’t going to let Sage leave until he got the answers he wanted from her.

  “Of course not,” she said, looking him directly in the eyes. “I don’t think anything important really happened, do you?”

  “Why are you lying to me? We both know you do.”

  “I’m not lying to you,” Sage replied. “If anything else stood out in my mind, I would tell you about it.”

  “How about when I told you that you were too young for a man like me?” Rally asked, watching Sage for her reaction. “I know you believed me, but it wasn’t true. I was just upset and said the first thing that came to my head.”

  He was surprised that Sage didn’t know the true reason he pushed her away all those years ago. Her age was a huge factor, but much more was involved.

  “Oh yeah, how could I let that speech of yours slip my mind?” she demanded as her stunning eyes glared at him. “You made it very clear in front of your brother how you only tolerated me for the memory of your parents. How sweet of you.”

  “I don’t tolerate you,” Rally corrected. “I’ve said a lot of things to you I shouldn’t have.”

  “Don’t try to change your words now. We both know you spoke the truth and will continue to do so. I’m truly the burden you can’t wait to get rid of.”

  Rally reached out and touched the side of Sage’s face. “Yes, you do test my patience sometimes, but that is my problem and not yours.”

  He ran his thumb across Sage’s full bottom lip and secretly wondered what she would do if he kissed her. He had a chance once and missed out on it. Rally didn’t think he wanted to make that same mistake again.

  Chapter Four

  “Do you know what you did after I helped you with your driver’s lesson?” Rally continued, running his thumb over Sage’s mouth.

  Leaning in closer, he slowly breathed in the sweet scent covering her silky skin. It pushed him to take back all of the cruel remarks he had made over the years to show Sage how much he secretly wanted her.

  “No, I don’t know what I did,” she answered as her breath heated the back of his thumb.

  “Yes, you do,” he challenged. “Come on, brat, confess.”

  The devil on his shoulder had won. He was finally going to give in and do what he had been dreaming about.

  “You told me never to mention it to you again because it was a huge mistake. I think I’ll stay with keeping it as secret. You know what? How about this: what happened in the garage stays in the garage?” Placing her hand on his chest, Sage shoved him back from her personal space.

  “Secrets have a way of coming out, and I think you want this one to come out, but you don’t want to admit it anymore.” He wrapped his hands around Sage’s smooth shoulders, pulling her up from the chair.

  Spinning her around, Rally pressed Sage’s back to the table behind them. “Have you told Shawn?”

  A pink tongue came out and licked the top of Sage’s lip. “No, I never said a word to him. Why would I?”

  “Why not?”

  “It’s not like it was anything special. You should be thrilled I wasn’t running all over town telling people. I mean, you do have an image to keep up,” she answered, tracing the side of his face with her cool fingers.

  Rally tried to ease one of his long legs between Sage’s thighs and growled in the back of his throat when her pencil skirt wouldn’t allow it. Grabbing a handful of it, he shoved it further up her body. He eased his knee between her legs and brushed it over her soaked underwear, going back and forth. “Tell me that you don’t want me like you did back when you were young? Do you still call my name out in your sleep?”

  Sage’s body jumped at his words and she tried to move away, but he held her waist a little tighter, making her immobile. “How…How do you know about that?”

  “Did you forget that my room had a connecting door to yours? I was working late one night in my bedroom when you were about twenty-one. I heard you crying out in your sleep. So, I went to check on you and you gave me the surprise of my life.”

  “Please don’t say anymore,” Sage begged, wiggling in his tight grip.

  “Damn you. I tried to leave, but I couldn’t. I mean, you looked so beautiful,” he muttered, removing his leg and replacing it with his fingers.

  “Brat, you had kicked the covers off your beautiful body. You were lying naked in the middle of the bed, pleasuring yourself and calling out my name. My cock got so hard I thought it was going to rip through my pajama bottoms.

  “How often did you do that in your sleep?” he asked, tracing the outer edge of Sage’s silk panties with the tips of his fingers.

  “I was asleep. I don’t know.” Her voice broke as he dipped two fingers inside of her wet pussy.

  “Rally, please,” Sage whimpered as her body responded to the caress of his fingers.

  “You cried out the same exact words that night, too, don’t you remember?”

  At Sage’s silence Rally continued. “I closed the door and came further into the room. Your beautiful body was glistening with sweat as your fingers pumped inside of your pussy. I could smell how much you wanted me.”

  Sage shook her head. “I don’t believe you. I wouldn’t do anything like that,” she whispered, panting softly.

  “I’m telling you the truth and you know it. I’m a man and I was unable to resist getting a closer look. So, I sat down on the bed and traced a line of moisture that started at your breasts and slid down into your navel. God, your skin was so warm and soft.”

  “None of this happened,” Sage denied, wrapping her fingers around his wrist to stop the movement of his fingers.

  “How would I know any of this if I wasn’t there to witness it?” he countered, shaking off her touch, removing his drenched fingers. “You were dying with need to have my cock inside of you. Shit, my self-control was clawing at me to give you what you w
anted. The kiss you planted on me at sixteen was nothing compared to watching you about to orgasm while screaming my name.”

  “Enough, I’m tired of hearing about this.” Sage shoved him away from her body and fixed her clothes. “Rally, why are you doing this?”

  “Doing what?” he murmured, yanking Sage back to his throbbing body. He kissed his way down the side of her neck. “I thought you wanted to have sex with me. I’m giving it to you, aren’t you happy about it?” Grabbing a handful of Sage’s tight ass, he rubbed his erection against her body. “How many of those college boys did you give it up to before you realized they weren’t me?”

  “You smug bastard!” Sage screamed, shoving him away from her. “How dare you imply I slept my way through college? I worked extremely hard to graduate with a double degree.”

  He shoved down some of his guilt for talking to Sage like this, but he was going crazy holding back. It would never work out between them. He wanted to let his feelings come out, but he couldn’t give in. He saw the hurt coming back into her beautiful eyes, but closed his mind to the words he was about to tell her.

  “The only reason you got a double major was to be around me. You knew I would give the job to you because I wouldn’t have any other choice. People who were more qualified than you applied for the position. Another man had the job; I was seconds away from hiring him when Shawn stopped me.”

  Tears filled her coffee-colored eyes as she took a step back from him. “Shawn told you to hire me,” she whispered softly. “I thought I was wrong, but you really don’t want me around.”

  “No, I want to date Vanity without you continuously finding a way to make her look bad in my eyes. Vanity is the woman I want to be with.”

  Spinning around, Sage picked her purse up off the floor. She slid on the strap over her shoulder and brushed past him without saying a word and hurried toward the office door. “I have to go. I can’t stand the sight of you any longer. I might tell you something that I wouldn’t be able to take back.”