Page 20 of Rough Trip

“Fiona, Florida would be better if you hadn’t forced me to live with Mia,” he stated, cutting to the chase. How could she do this, he thought. She was just asking for trouble. Had someone told her about what happened at the bar? Did she think it would be fun to torture them even more by making them live together? No, everyone had been distracted by women giving them lap dances, no one had even noticed their absence, Sage thought.

“Oh, Sage, what's the big deal? I’ve put you two together in a huge house. Why are you making this into an issue?” Fiona asked. She was playing dumb and Sage knew it. She had known exactly what putting them together would do, right at the beginning, she had known.

“You know why it’s an issue,” he said.

“If you feel like the physical attraction you both have for each other will be a problem then stay in one of the rooms at the far end of the house,” she said matter of factly.

“Well, that’s exactly what I’ll have to do, isn’t it?” he said.

“See? Problem solved. You’ll live in the house with Mia just as I want you to and you’ll stay at the opposite side of the house,” Fiona said.

“Okay, fine. I guess that will have to do,” he said as his initial anger started to fade.

“Good boy, now I have to go. Make sure everything runs smoothly there, Sage. I’m counting on both of you,” Fiona said just as she hung up.

Sage knew that Mia wasn’t right for him. He found her attractive that was for sure but like he had sensed from the very beginning, she was just bad news. She seemed to have always been bad news, and because of that she just attracted it into her life. She had constantly been mixed up with the wrong people. First the drug dealers she used to work for, then being an addict herself, she didn’t value her life like Sage did. He had come close to death so many times and he had always been grateful to have survived but he had never been reckless with his life. He had always put his life on the line for the greater good, but he definitely could not say the same for Mia. She just didn’t seem to have a huge regard for human life. She had gotten herself mixed up with the Omens which is technically the only reason Sage was stuck with her, otherwise, he would only have been bumping into her at the bar like he usually did. He probably never would have had sex with her either. She was a feisty person but she was too quick to act, too naive, and lacked the maturity he needed from a woman. One minute she would be all over him and the next she would be irritated with every little thing he did. She blew hot and cold way too much for his liking. Sage needed a woman he could always rely on. He would never have to question her loyalty nor would he have to question what she would do next because she would be so constant with her actions. Mia was not that person for him.

The next thing Sage knew, Mia was there in his room, distracting him from his train of thought. She looked so sexy, he thought. She let herself in, looking around the room as she entered.

“So I guess you’ve chosen your room then,” she said as she noticed his clothes had been brought out of his bag. It would also seem as though he had bought some more since there were a lot more clothes than what they had brought with them.

“Yes, I think this is for the best,” he said. He couldn’t look her in the eyes.

She was in her almost see-through pajamas again and Sage could see her nipples peeking through.

Don’t look, he thought, she must’ve done this on purpose.

“Why is it for the best, Sage?” she asked as she sat on the bed next to him. She positioned herself so her body was pointing directly at him, deliberately making him unable to look anywhere else but at her when he turned to his side to face her.

“We’re here for business, Mia. What happened the other night can’t happen again,” he said. Although he wanted it to happen so badly.

“Did you not enjoy it?” she asked. Sage could tell the thought of that hurt her. He could see it written on her face.

“Mia, how could you think I didn’t enjoy it…? It was amazing. I was left speechless,” he said. He had to be honest with her which seemed to help lift her mood again.

“So then surely it can’t be that bad, then? Surely it could happen again?” she said with hope in her voice. They both wanted each other and Sage knew that. But he had to resist, although he couldn’t help himself from looking at her nipples every now and again, wishing he could cup her breasts in his hands.

Mia moved forward, shifting herself closer to him. She was getting too close and yet Sage could not bring himself to move away. He was captivated by her. Her eyes hadn’t left his and he could see the desire burning in them. Just by looking at her, his body was overcome by a sense of need and longing.

She reached over and placed one hand on his thigh, slowly running it up and down, teasing him. He couldn’t move. She leaned across and proceeded to kiss his neck. It was too late, he couldn’t stop her now.

He reached for her greedily, wanting his hands all over her body. She didn’t fight it; she moaned at his touch which just turned him on even further. He found her lips and soon their mouths and tongues were all over each other. He wasted no time and pulled her top off, kissing and gently sucking at her breasts and nipples which were hard to the touch. Mia reached her hand across and felt his erection through his jeans. She wanted all of him and she wanted him now. Soon they had tugged and pulled at each other’s clothes, almost ripping them off in a frenzy of bodies and hands reaching and touching at exposed skin. Neither of them having the patience to take it slowly. They both were desperate for each other.

Sage gently pushed Mia back so she was lying on her back across the bed. He took a moment to take all of her in. She was mesmerizing, lying fully naked on his bed. He leaned down, kissing and licking at her skin. He could tell she was ready and lord knew he was ready too, so he reached for a condom from his cupboard, opened it and positioned himself over her. Soon their bodies connected and all that echoed throughout the house was the sound of them losing themselves in each other. Their hands never left the other’s body, fingers gripping onto skin, locking each other as they moved their bodies in time, finding a pattern, connecting in a way they hadn’t the first time.

The first time had been amazing. It had been dirty and hot, filled with exploring new skin, but this time had been different. The second time was filled with desire and need, needing each other to be close, needing the contact of the other person’s body on theirs. Sage know they had crossed the line again but this time he couldn’t think of much else other than Mia’s naked body under his. They soon both let go, finally giving in to the sensations their bodies were feeling.

They lay on the bed, having never gotten under the covers in their rush, and continued to breathe heavily as they both tried to catch their breaths. The room felt 100 degrees hotter as both of them were slightly covered in sweat. They didn’t move, they didn’t talk, they just lay there coming back to reality.

Sage knew that this would change everything. They hadn’t just done it once now but twice and he couldn’t help but wonder if it would just continue to happen even when he tried to fight it. Mia had a way with him. She could do one thing that would just overrun his logical thinking and even though it was exciting and she was definitely something worth getting excited over he was unsure of whether it would help if they continued the way they were. However, he could not deny that he would continue to want her.

Mia soon fell asleep, right in Sage’s bed. Her body was spent and she didn't think she was capable of moving back to her room. Sage didn’t move her nor did he move himself. Sleeping next to Mia hadn’t happened much and he felt like he just wanted to feel her body next to his in case they both got the strength to stay away from each other from here on out. He pulled her sleeping body into his and wrapped his arms around her. She nuzzled her head into his chest and took a deep breath in. Although she was sleeping she felt completely at ease. Sage soon found himself drifting off into a deep sleep, where Mia was the only thing he could see. Her brown, honey-like eyes, her dark short hair and her pixie-like ears filled his mind along with freckles, freckles everywhere.

Sage usually dreamt of being in Afghanistan when he went to bed. The attack that had happened to him and his team played out behind his closed eyelids, always ending in the same way. He could never escape it, his past constantly taunting him in his sleep. It had been a traumatic experience that his mind would constantly go back to when he was unconscious and he, unfortunately, had no control over it. He didn’t know why he couldn’t move on past it after all the time that had passed by but he thought it could have something to do with the guilt he felt. He had tried sleeping pills in the hopes that they would just knock him out cold, but he could never escape the dream, even then. Sometimes he was lucky, and he wouldn’t dream at all. Those nights he loved because it was always so much easier than reliving his own personal hell. He could imagine hell being that moment played over and over for him to relive constantly.

He would usually be helpless in the dream, standing stuck in one place watching as the bombs went off, never touching him but always ripping through his team. The sense was always exactly like the real one. No walls to hide behind and bullets flying everywhere. He felt like he was constantly covered by an invisible shield that could not be penetrated, and all he wanted to do was help them. He had watched them die night after night in his sleep while he stood as a spectator. Sometimes in his dreams, his teammates would yell at him for help but every time he tried to move, nothing would happen. His arms remained at his sides and even though it felt like he was using every single muscle he had in his body to reach out to help, he could never reach them. He'd watch as Laura would call out to him, reaching for him with her bloody fingers. He’d cry out to her, he could feel his mouth moving, but words would never come out.

“I’m so sorry!” he yelled at her and the rest of his team.