*** Read Part 6 HERE

Sage and Charlie stand awkwardly before the door to their “honeymoon suite.”

Charlie takes out the key and opening the door he holds it for Sage to enter first.

Sage wearily and slowly walks past Charlie and into the room, their eyes graze eachother in sight.

She turns to face him as she watches him from the center of the main bed room.

Charlie closes the door behind them.

The two of them stand in silence for a beat, looking at eachother. Wondering what the other is thinking, or who will make the first move to cut the heavy tension with their words.

“So…there are a few rooms in the suite to choose from. Um… but I hope you know it goes without saying that you are free to keep the main bedroom. Where ever you feel most comfortable is fine with me. I don’t really need much, just a pillow and a somewhat soft surface,” he chuckles slightly trying to dull the awkwardness he has knowingly created in the room.

Sage looks around the main room.

Her gaze drifts to the bed, she momentarily has an image flash in her mind of she and Charlie kissing in that same bed just a few hours ago.

She takes a deep breath and looks elsewhere as she exhales.

“I think I should choose one of the others.”

She walks over to the nearest one, opening the door, she walks in- flipping the light on, she looks around briefly.

A few things catch her eye in the whole 5 seconds she allowed herself to choose.

Ruffled white cotton curtains. Bright yellow paint. Floral bed spread. Simply Sweet.

“This will do, Good Night,” she says closing the door.

Charlie sighs as the barrier between he and Sage becomes uncomfortably much more permanent.

He flops down on the bed and lays back, as he has a quick flash of Sage during their recent intimacy.

Sage stands by her bedroom door, her face obviously saddened. She walks over to her bed, sitting down on it, she removes her hat and her wig throwing it to the side. She lays back looking up at the ceiling. Her mind hazy.

Well, you’ve done it this time Sage. You’re a wanted criminal, who just fell for a cop.

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Sage awakes abruptly and looks around her darkened room. The only slivers of light coming from underneath her door, and seeping through the thin white curtains.

She looks at the clock- 3:42 am.

Guess I slept through dinner, she thinks.

Her stomach clenches making a very audible noise.

Sage drags herself off the bed and to her door, turning it she opens it to find Charlie sitting off in the distance at the kitchen counter; eating a bowl of cereal.

She hesitates for a minute not wanting to have to deal with the tension and the deep heavy emotion that could come from shared moments with Charlie.

Her stomach growls again, this time louder than the last.

Sage closes her eyes and takes a deep breath in, opening her eyes she exhales; mentally preparing herself for face to face contact.

Sage walks into the kitchen.

Charlie notices but looks down at this cereal, awkwardly.

Sage walks past him, over to the fridge. Opening the door she reaches for the milk and her choice of cereal and sets to making a bowl herself.

Sage begins to look for the bowls, opening a few cabinets.

“It’s the one on the left.” Charlie says pointing to it with his spoon.

Sage looks at him for a brief moment, opening the cabinet and reaching up to the highest shelf, she grabs a bowl.

As she does, Charlie notices her shirt rise up exposing a scripted tattoo on her lower back closer to her right hip. The word reads Love. 

As she makes her way to the kitchen counter to pour it, Charlie can’t help control his lingering stare.

Noticing, Sage looks at him.

“What?” she says in annoyance.

“Nothing,” he says, holding his stare, he shrugs, as he takes another bite of his cereal.

“God, I hate it when you do that,” she huffs as she adds her milk.

“Do what?”

“Stare at me and then not tell me why.”

“You don’t want to know why.”

“What does that mean?” Sage says her pulse quickening, her stomach fluttering.

“You’re not going to like it. No matter what I tell you, no matter if it’s the truth, you’re just going to throw walls up and walk away. So forgive me if I don’t exactly feel like getting into a fight with you at 4 in the morning.”

Sage narrows her eyes at him as she sits across from him to eat her cereal. She takes a few bites, as Charlie gets up to put his dish in the sink.

Charlie walks to the fridge to pour a glass of water, on his way out of the room-

“By the way, nice tattoo,” he says his back to her, as he takes a sip of his water.

A confused yet intrigued Sage is left sitting behind him and she turns and lifts her shirt slightly to look at her tattoo. She sighs noticing he was watching her. Charlie exits the room a smirk playing on his lips.

Sage sits alone in the dimly lit kitchen, her view of Charlie intensifies as he reaches over his head to pull his shirt off, exposing his toned and muscular chest.

Sage’s heart beats faster. Her eyes transfixed.

Charlie lays back in bed, out of sight.

Sage breathes a sigh of relief.

**********************************************************************

The hit was hard. The blood splatters. And instantly Sage feels sick, weak. Her heart pounding, her head foggy, dizzy. She can’t breathe. The blood is everywhere. It’s all over the white and black tiled floors, the white walls, her clothes. Sage looks down and begins to feel like she’s going to faint.

Her anxiety kicks in as she feels like all her oxygen has been used up and she is being trapped in a air tight sealed coffin, being buried alive. Fighting to get out, she screams-

“No. No. No,” kicking her legs and arms about.

Her bedroom door opens and Charlie rushes over to her bed side.

“Hey, hey,” he shakes her shoulders gently.

Sage awakes with a jolt, as she exhales profusely, seeing Charlie’s face.

“Oh my god,” she says her whole body shaking in a cold sweat, as tears begin to flow down her face.

“Hey hey, you’re ok. You’re ok,” he cups her face in his hands.

Sage looks at him and pulls him to her, hugging him tightly.

“Ok. I’ve got you. It was just a bad dream. I’ve got you.” He says holding her in his arms.

Sage stills, her hold on Charlie still intact. Her breathing starting to slow down, as she realizes where she is and what’s going on.

“You okay? Huh?” Charlie says leaning down to look into her eyes.

“Yea.”

“Here, why don’t I get you a glass of water?”

Sage untangles her arms from him, just long enough for him to come back with a glass of water for her.

Charlie stands above her as he holds the glass out to her.

She takes it, taking a small sip.

“Thank you,” Sage says looking up at him.

“Sure. I’ll let you get back to sleep,” he says turning to head for the door.

Sage calls out after him, “Charlie,” she says her voice cracking and barely above a whisper.

Charlie turns back toward her with curiosity.

“Will you…stay with me. Just for tonight?”

Charlie looks at her and smiles faintly.

“Of course,” he walks back over and stops at the bed, not knowing what to do.

Sage looks up at him, she scoots over to the other side of the bed and opens the covers to him, taking his hand to lead him into the bed next to her.

He lays down next to her as she cuddles up against his bare chest. Both wrapping their arms around each other.

The two of them lay there, still, just listening to the night sounds of passing cars, and the water fall trickling outside. Every now and again, the elevator would ding signally someone getting off on their floor.

But most prominent was the slow steady breathing, and the beating of their hearts, intertwining with each other’s. Sage feels Charlie’s chest moving up and down as her head lay on his chest. She stirs moving her position slightly, for more comfort as her hand strokes over his chest, unintentionally. Sage notices the quickened rhythm of his heart rate. Charlie’s hand grippes her waist tighter.

Sage looks up at Charlie as he looks down at her, their eyes meet. Sage reaches her hand up to his face, cupping his face with her hand, she pulls him into a kiss.

Charlie reciprocates immediately, his hands sliding up the sides of her body and into her hair, as he flips them over, leaning into Sage, as he deepens each kiss.

Sage pulls Charlie to her, her hands reaching down to his belt bucket.

Charlie catches her hand.

She looks at him puzzled.

“On that note, I think I better go,” he says moving away from Sage and sitting up.

“What? Why?” Sage says looking at him surprised.

Charlie gets out of bed and stands up.

“I know it’s not what you need right now.”

Sage looks up at him.

“Good night,” He says leaning down and kissing her cheek, the both of them fighting their instincts to jump on top of each other. Fighting an odd hormonal rage.

Charlie turns and walks out the door, closing it behind him.

Sage flops back on the bed.

“Damn it,” she says staring at the ceiling as she brings her hand to her lips, thinking.

Charlie stands about a foot from the door, his head spinning with thoughts.

He struggles, trying to silence them.

Charlie turns on his heel, swiftly walking back to Sage’s door, as he’s about to reach for the door knob the door opens swiftly. Sage stands there.

“What’s the harm, in one more kiss?” Charlie says pulling her into a passionate hold.

Sage’s arms wrap around his shoulders, her whole body accepting the spark between she and this man she’s known for only a few days.

Charlie pulls back and looks at Sage’s face, He smirks.

“Come in,” Sage says breathlessly as she pulls Charlie toward her.

Charlie kisses her.

“No. Not now. Not yet.” He says cupping her face. He kisses her again.

“Why?” she kisses him.

“Because this is your fear talking. Not you. I know you’re still uneasy about me, about what’s happened between us, about this whole situation.”

Sage looks at him and then looks away, biting her lip.

“Soon though. We’ll get there.” He says leaning in and kissing her lips one last time in an unknowingly teasing manner.

“Good night.” Charlie says standing in the frame of the door, he turns back to Sage.

“Do me a favor, lock your door tonight please. I can already feel my will fading.”

Sage smiles as she walks up to the door, she leans her head against it as she watches Charlie walk back to his bed.

“You’re right about something though,” Sage calls out to Charlie.

“What’s that?” he smiles turning toward her.

“I’m scared. I’m scared because I want you. And I’m even more scared now, because I realize that you want me.”

“You’re just now realizing that? Clearly I need to work on my flirting skills,” he smirks with a small laugh.

“No. (she smiles, with a laugh) It’s just that- I guess trusting that feeling has been hard for me.”

“Considering my dishonesty, it’s completely understandable that you would pull away,” Charlie says more seriously.

“I don’t want that to be how this works though. I know there’s a lot we need to talk about and we definitely don’t know each other that well. But I want that to change. I want to be able to trust you. But I also think you already have a weird way of knowing exactly what I need, before even asking me.”

“It’s all the staring. It works,” he says smirking as he cocks his head to the side his eyes light with flirtation.

“Hmm. You sure it’s not because you’ve been trained to investigate people and their every move?” Sage says actually with an heir of fun in her voice.

“Nope. It’s all you. Trust me the way that your body moves, the way that you work a room, no amount of training can teach a guy how to handle that, let alone how to control himself around it.”

Their eyes gleam at each other, the flirtation finally feeling normal to some degree. Like they could be a regular couple making up after a small spat.

“And here I thought you were trying to dissuade a sexual encounter here, We’re gonna need a deadbolt on both sides of that door, if you don’t stop talking like that,” Sage says smiling his way.

Charlie smirks and looking down, he simply says “Good night.”

“Good night,” Sage says as she closes the door, Charlie hears the lock. He chuckles and works his way back to bed wanting to get a few more hours of sleep in before the sun comes up.

 

To Be Continued….

I hope you’re enjoying! Please feel free to leave a comment down below. 😀

 -<3-

 *I do not take credit for any images or gifs used in my edits or otherwise.*