Surely he'd always remember the first time he saw her. From the tiny attic window far above her, he watched. Bold in his belief that he couldn't be seen, he moved to another window to study her. That very first moment when she'd left the shadow of the moving van, he wanted her, knew he had to have her. Her hair unfurled in the wind like a brilliant copper banner, the swing of the hips, even the lilt of her voice captured him as she unpacked. There was no way she could have seen him, but her bright eyes scanned the outside of the house and stared up at his window as if she knew he was there.
He loved her; it wasn't all secret dark wanting was it? No, of course he loved her.
She reminded him of his wife; his mind ripped that thought away and hid it. He wasn't ready to deal with the pain of those memories yet.
Finally, she was almost moved in, only a few boxes remained packed. He felt a faint sadness thinking of it, how he'd enjoyed watching her unpack her life and find new homes for it all. It had given him a small window into her world, her life and thoughts. No one visited her, or came to help her move in. How wrong of him was it to be grateful? There wasn't a doubt that he would find himself madly jealous of anyone who took her attention away. How could he be expected to control himself should that happen? She was all he had.
For now, she lay sleeping, head tilted slightly and hair spread in a crimson cloud on the cream of the pillow. He'd not yet seen her tie up her hair to sleep, something he personally loved about her. Deep in sleep her eyelashes fluttered against her cheeks tickling her freckles. Behind those lashes he knew her eyes were a brilliant sky blue. Her full lips puckered in sleep, begging him to kiss them, to press against them.
Despite the slight chill, she slept under nothing more than a sheet. It lay about her, hugging her curves, her nipples pushing up tiny tents in the fabric. The sight of them made him feel a little weak. Though he'd watched her nearly from the first moment she'd arrived, he'd not managed to see any of the part of her he dearly wished too.
The scent of her curled around him, embraced the heart of him.
He wanted her, needed her. More than he had wanted anything before. He even loved her name, Sage.
Slowly he crept forward, oh so careful to be quiet though he wanted to sing at her nearness. Once he'd loved to sing, to hear his voice ring out in joy. Those times were long gone. He couldn't sing any more. He knew she'd been unable to hear him, she never had so far, but he was cautious none the less.