Chapter 500
Sage and Katelyn stumbled backward into the beach house, the door hitting the frame with a resonant thud that was instantly muffled by the rush of their shared breath. Sage didn’t release the kiss; instead, he braced the edge of the door tightly with one hand while the other held Katelyn’s waist with firm, uncompromising pressure.
When their mouths finally parted, Katelyn let out a breathless, sharp gasp for air. Her hands remained cradled around his neck, pulling him closer even as she leaned back to look into his eyes.
“Hah! We were hungry, remember?” Katelyn whispered, her breath still catching slightly.
“Yes, we were,” Sage replied, his gaze intense, though he managed to hold the heavy grocery bag firmly in his one hand. “What shall we cook first?” he inquired, a hint of playful domesticity entering his voice as he reluctantly withdrew his free hand from her waist.
Katelyn took the bag from him and placed it with a thump onto the nearby kitchen counter. Then, without breaking eye contact, she reached up, grasped the collar of his shirt, and tugged him gently closer. “We can have dinner much later,” she proposed, her meaning unmistakable.
He didn’t need further invitation. Sage ducked his head, burying his face in the crook of her neck, inhaling her unique scent deeply. His chest vibrated with a low, powerful rumble, the sound of his wolf responding to her. “Your scent brings a profound calm to me,” he murmured against her skin, his nose nuzzling lightly against her collarbone.
His warm lips landed softly on her skin, sending an immediate, intense shiver through Katelyn that caused her fingers to curl tightly into the fabric of his shirt. This was her first experience of anything quite like this, something so profoundly intimate and consuming. He peppered quick, hot kisses along her neck and across her collarbone before swiftly scooping her up into his powerful arms.
His mouth connected fiercely with hers as he carried her, their steps unsteady, until he lowered himself onto the plush cushions of the couch. She found herself immediately settled on his lap, her legs falling naturally to straddle his hips.
Her hands grabbed the top button of his shirt, quickly unfastening it before moving with swift determination to undo the rest. Meanwhile, one of his large hands slipped beneath the hem of her top, fingers warming her skin, while the other remained anchored on her thigh, applying steady pressure.
Sage finally pulled away from her lips, giving both of them a ragged moment to breathe. He planted a lingering, soft kiss on her chin, then began inching his mouth lower to her throat, where he settled and delivered a hard, possessive suck.
A low, involuntary moan escaped from Katelyn’s throat, a sound she had never made before, confirming the depth of the pleasure he commanded.
His hand abandoned her thigh and moved upward, cupping her breast firmly through the fabric of her clothing, and another deep, resonant moan resounded in the air. “Sage,” she mumbled, tilting her head back, leaning fully into his touch. Tracing the lines of her hand over the taut muscles of his chest, she pressed a heated kiss onto his neck, her inner wolf humming inside her with a profound sense of pleasure and joy.
Sage instantly hardened beneath her. The next second, without warning, he flipped her body onto the couch, reversing their positions and astonishing her with the sudden shift.
“Now, I can look at you in a better way, Kate,” he murmured, his gaze intense as he knelt above her. He gripped the edges of his shirt and pulled it off completely, revealing his tanned body with perfectly carved muscles and abs. He grasped Katelyn’s hand and brought it directly to his bare chest. “Here,” he instructed. “This heart beats like this only for you p>
She gulped upon hearing the sound of his heartbeat thrumming rapidly beneath her palm. Her own heartbeats instantly increased. She allowed herself to admire his body.
“Did you get trained well?” Katelyn questioned softly, her voice still breathy from the intensity of the moment, seeking to anchor herself back to reality.
“Of course! As an Alpha, I had to go through rigorous training,” Sage replied, a hint of pride in his tone, when she suddenly moved and sat up beside him. Her hand, which had been exploring the terrain of his chest, halted instantly at a small patch of skin, a wound that had long since faded but left a pale, visible scar behind.
“What’s this, Sage? How did you get this scar?” asked Katelyn, her voice dropping as her playful mood dissolved, her brows furrowing instantly with deep concern.
“I think this is the only scar on your body,” Katelyn mumbled, her finger tracing the raised line gently, confirming her observation. “Don’t tell me it was the doing of your stepmother p>
When Sage remained silent, his gaze distant, Katelyn pressed softly, “I am all ears. You can tell me anything p>
“I had a fight with someone when I was young,” he began, his voice flat as he revisited the memory. “Turned out, the boy was none other than Blythe’s brother’s son. I think I was only eight or nine. Dad wasn’t home; he was overseas handling a business merger.” A dark shadow crossed his face. “She beat me up, and while I was protecting myself, I accidentally injured myself with a penetrating object,” he explained.
As Katelyn heard that terrible, vulnerable experience from his childhood, tears instantly welled up in her eyes. She hugged him tightly, instantly wrapping her arms around his bare chest and sharing her warmth completely with his.
“I am so sorry you had to go through all of that, Sage,” she whispered against his skin, holding him fiercely.
Sage smiled, his head buried in her neck as he embraced her. “I am glad that you are here with me. Thanks, Kate. I truly mean it.” Before she could speak, a growling sound escaped from her stomach.
Both of them instantly withdrew from the hug. “Well, now, we shall definitely cook. I can’t let my mate go hungry p>