Sawyer groaned against her breasts as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close to him. He held her still for a moment once she was fully seated, and squeezed his eyes tightly shut. He wanted to savor every moment, every feeling, because this probably wouldn’t ever happen again. Soon they would come to their senses and realize how stupid they were, but right now, right this very second, he was going to enjoy every delicious sensation.
After a moment of stillness, Kat ran her fingers through the curls on the top of his head and gripped a fistful. Gently, she pulled back, until Sawyer had no choice but to look into her bewitching green eyes. Then she eased up and sank down on him a second time. Moving slowly at first, Sawyer leaned back and enjoyed the view of his redheaded hellcat taking control. This was the woman who’d slapped him hard across the face at his sister’s wedding. The one who had called him daily and tried to track him down to get her way over the artist community. She was feisty. Sexy as hell. Kat was unlike any woman he’d ever been with before.
The slow burn she was building was teetering on the edge of torture. He wanted more and he decided it was time to turn the intensity up a notch. Sawyer reached out and cupped her hips to hold her steady. She braced her arms on his shoulders, letting her breasts sway tantalizingly just out of his mouth’s reach. Then he planted his feet firmly on the floor and thrust up into her.
Sawyer watched Kat’s expression as he moved hard and fast inside her. Her emotions shifted from surprise to delight, then the tense, almost pained look of a woman on the verge of undoing. He slowed temporarily, reaching between them to allow his fingers to stroke her center. Kat’s mouth fell open, her eyes closing as she rocked with him to her climax. And then, once her first cry escaped her throat, he gripped her hips and thrust hard into her again until they were both satisfied and spent.
Kat collapsed against him in exhaustion and he was happy to catch her as she melted into him. She buried her face in his neck, with her hair cascading over his chest and shoulders. He was content to wrap his arms around her and hold her close as their heartbeats and breaths slowed back to normal.
So this is what it was like to do what you wanted to do. Sawyer had to admit it was exhilarating to take a page from his twin’s book, damn the consequences. True, he might rot in hell for sleeping with the woman having his brother’s child, but he just didn’t care. Tonight was worth it.
And he couldn’t wait to have her again.
Seven
Kat woke up late. Later than she’d let herself sleep in a long time. Of course, she had been up late with Sawyer. After their encounter on the couch, they’d finally had their cooling coffee, then moved to the bedroom to make love again.
And again.
Now, she was afraid to open her eyes to the light of morning and face reality. As long as she stayed right where she was, she could revel in last night without pondering the consequences.
It had been amazing. She wasn’t ashamed to admit it. While Finn and Sawyer might look alike, they were day and night when it came to the bedroom. Finn had the playboy reputation and an adventurous spirit, but she preferred Sawyer’s style. He was more serious, but also more thoughtful. She’d never had a man focus so much on her needs in bed. Kat had lost count of how many times she’d come undone under his expert touch. It seemed like anything less would’ve been a failure on his part.
Things with Finn had been...fine. He was a little wilder than what she was used to. She’d had a good time. But somehow it didn’t compare when it came to intimacy, which was what she found she really craved.
It made her wish more than anything that it had really been Sawyer, not Finn, who she’d met that night at the award ceremony. Somehow it seemed like having his baby would be easier. She could envision them actually having a future together where they might be happy. With Finn, she got the feeling she and the baby were just going to be a stone around his neck.
Kat ran her hand across the mattress, and when she found it empty and cold, she pried one eye open. Sawyer was gone. Long gone, by the feel of it.
It was a stark reminder that she wasn’t having his child. And she wasn’t living some fairy tale.
With a groan, Kat pushed herself up out of bed and clutched the sheets to her chest. She almost felt hungover despite not having a drop to drink. She supposed she was love drunk and still feeling the aftereffects.
“A fine punishment, and duly deserved,” she said aloud as she swung her legs out of bed. She really needed to get her priorities in line. There wasn’t much sense in sleeping with one twin while wanting to marry the other. At the very least, it didn’t help matters. Finn wasn’t a model of monogamy, of that she was sure, but she didn’t think he’d take kindly to knowing that she and his brother were having sex while she waited for him to return from China.
That was why no one would ever know. Kat would never speak of it. And it certainly wouldn’t happen again. It had been an amazing night. One that was hard to regret. But she couldn’t let her desires compromise her child’s future.
She reached for her floral silk robe from the hook in her closet and wrapped it around herself before stumbling down the stairs to the kitchen. She half expected to see Sawyer sitting there, smugly drinking a cup of coffee, but the house was silent and still.
Which was why the loud beeping of a tow truck outside caught her attention so easily. Realizing that Sawyer must’ve had her Jeep towed to the house, she slipped into a pair of flip-flops and went out to the piazza to see what was happening.
There, a tow truck was unloading what looked like some kind of luxury SUV into her driveway. The cherry-red vehicle was beautiful, but definitely not hers.
Great. They’d gotten the cars mixed up. Her Jeep was probably getting dropped at some rich guy’s yard in Mount Pleasant, where they were about to throw a fit.
With a groan of irritation, Kat tightened the belt on her robe and pushed through the heavy wooden door to flag down the tow truck driver. “Hey!” she shouted, waving her arms at the guy in the cab.
Finally the man noticed her and stopped what he was doing. “Yeah?”
“What are you doing? This isn’t my car. You’ve got the wrong car or the wrong house.”
The man turned from the window and picked up a clipboard to read the pages there. “Are you Katherine McIntyre?”
“Yes.”
“Then I’ve got the right house and the right person.” He went to hit the lever to continue lowering the SUV off the truck.
“No, this isn’t right. This isn’t my car. I drive a Jeep. A broken-down, dark green, rusty Jeep Wrangler.” She turned to the car halfway in her driveway. She could see now that it was a brand-new Lexus SUV. It wasn’t even close to the right car. In her dreams.
“Listen, lady. I don’t know anything about an old Jeep. All I know is that I was supposed to bring this vehicle from the dealership to this address and give the keys to you.”
“On whose authority?”
The man rolled his eyes. He’d probably never had someone fight so hard against receiving a car. He looked down at the paper again. “Looks like a Mr. Steele had it sent. If you don’t want the car, take it up with him. But I’ve got to deliver it. That’s my job.”
Before Kat could open her mouth to ask which Mr. Steele had sent it, he flipped the switch again and the cable lowered the SUV the rest of the way to the ground. The man finally climbed down from the cab and busied himself unhooking things and getting everything set up so he could leave. Then he raised the flatbed back into position and walked over to where she was waiting.
“Sign here,” he said.
She was too tired to fight with him. She signed the paperwork, which drew an audible sigh of relief from the driver. Then he handed over a pair of key fobs.
“There are worse things than waking up to a new Lexus,” he pointed out. “Have a nice day,” he added, before crawling back
into his cab and disappearing down the street.
Kat looked at the keys in her hand in disbelief, then slowly made her way over to the SUV. It was beautiful, with sporty lines and elegant chrome details. It had to be the latest model, with top-of-the-line trim features. The interior had red-and-black leather seats and a shiny polished wood-and-leather dashboard. It made her old Jeep look like it was made from papier-mâché or Tinkertoys or something.
It was exactly the kind of car she would have chosen for herself if she could’ve had any car in the whole world. Each detail, from the sunroof to the wheels, was perfect.
But she couldn’t accept a gift like this. Not from Finn and certainly not from Sawyer.
Kat reluctantly walked back into her house and hunted down her phone from where she’d left it the night before. There, on her screen, was a text from Sawyer, answering her question at last.
Do you like it?
Kat rolled her eyes and shook her head before texting back. Of course I like it, she responded. But I can’t accept it.
Her phone rang precisely five seconds later, with Sawyer’s number coming up on the screen. “Come get your car,” she answered without saying hello.
“Good morning to you, too,” he said in an irritatingly chipper voice. He knew full well how she would react to a gift like that and he seemed to be reveling in it.
“Good morning, Sawyer. Now will you please tell me why there’s a brand-new Lexus in my driveway? Where is my Jeep?”
“Your Jeep is at the repair shop. I had it towed there early this morning. The guy took a look at it and said it’s on its last legs. The starter has gone out, which is why it won’t turn over, but he didn’t feel right charging you to fix that because the whole engine would need to be rebuilt before too long, anyway. I can’t have you stranded on the side of the road, pregnant and at the mercy of random bystanders.”
Kat had been afraid that the news about her Jeep wouldn’t be good, but this was even worse than she’d expected. “And so naturally, you bought me a new car instead?”
“Naturally.” She could almost hear his smug grin in his voice.
“Sawyer...” Kat said in a stern tone.
“Hear me out,” Sawyer argued. “You need a new car.”
“That may be true, but it doesn’t mean that you need to sweep in and buy one for me. If the Jeep is DOA, then I’ll go get something else. You buying it after last night makes it feel like some sort of thank-you-for-the-sex gift.”
Sawyer laughed over the phone line. It was one of the first times she’d ever heard him really, truly laugh. She liked the sound of it and wished she was with him in person to see if his eyes lit up or his dimple was on display. Finally, the laughter faded. “Do you really think I give cars to all the women I sleep with?”
“Well, no...”
“That would be an expensive habit, even for me, Kat. The truth is that yours isn’t safe for you to drive and it certainly won’t be safe to take my new niece or nephew around town, either. My brother asked me to keep an eye on things until he can get back, and in my opinion, the best thing I could do is get you a safe vehicle to drive.”
While Kat was relieved it wasn’t a morning-after gift, she still couldn’t take something like that from him. Or from anyone. Even from Finn and his team of bribing attorneys, although they’d offered her everything but a car in their settlement package. “I can’t accept this, Sawyer.”
“That’s a shame, since you currently have nothing else to drive. I can tell the mechanic to try and get your Jeep running, but it won’t be a quick fix. I hope you don’t have anything you need to do the next few days.”
Kat sighed. “I actually have a doctor’s appointment on Tuesday. Not to mention going to the District to work.”
“Well, there’s no way your car will be ready that soon. The guy only took it in today as a favor to me. How about this? Since you need a car to get around, drive the Lexus for a couple of days. I’ll see what he can do with your Jeep. If he can get it running, I will take the Lexus off your hands. Maybe I’ll give it to Morgan for her birthday.”
Kat was more suspicious of this than anything. He’d backed down quicker than she expected. “Are you serious?”
“Absolutely. Red isn’t really Morgan’s color, but I think she’ll like it.”
“Why not just return it to the dealership, and I’ll get a rental car?”
“I got too good a deal on it. If you don’t want it, fine, but someone is getting a new Lexus. There’s no sense paying for a rental car, too, when it’s sitting there in your driveway.”
“Okay,” Kat said reluctantly. “Is this why you crept out of my bed at dawn?”
“I hardly crept out at dawn. It was eight thirty and you were out like a light. I hated to wake you up, so I let you sleep.”
That made Kat feel a little better, although as she looked down at the key fobs in her hand, she couldn’t help but think that Sawyer would get his way where the car was concerned. Where everything was concerned, actually. No matter how much time they spent together, she never seemed to be able to pin him down to talk about the District. There were parties and family members and new cars to distract her, and she was running out of time.
“I’m going to talk to the guy about your Jeep and I’ll give you a call back later, okay?”
“All right.”
“Oh, and before I forget, do you have plans for the Fourth of July?”
Kat didn’t need to look at her calendar to know she didn’t. She figured she’d be working at the District, like she always was. They got higher than average foot traffic on holidays. Still, she liked the idea of seeing Sawyer again that soon. “I don’t think so.”
“Oh, good. Grandmother wanted me to invite you to the family Fourth of July party.”
Kat tried to swallow her disappointment that it was Ingrid, not Sawyer, who wanted to see her again. At least she hadn’t embarrassed herself too badly with the family if they’d invited her to another gathering. “Another party?” Kat asked. Her toes still hurt from the last one.
“This one is different. Just the immediate family cruising the harbor to watch fireworks from our yacht.”
Kat cringed at the way Sawyer could talk about the family yacht as though that’s what everyone did on a summer holiday. “I’ll think about it,” she said.
“I’ll tell Grandmother Ingrid you said yes, then.”
Before Kat could argue, the call ended and she found herself staring at her phone, dumbfounded. She certainly hadn’t intended to get this involved with the Steele family, but now that she was, they were turning into a handful.
It was a nice change of pace from being alone.
* * *
“Come on back, Mr. Steele. Ms. McIntyre is already in the exam room, but the doctor is still with another patient.”
Sawyer smiled and nodded to the nurse as she knocked gently on the door and then opened it to let him inside.
“Guess who’s here?” the nurse said brightly. “Daddy was able to make the appointment, after all!”
Sawyer saw Kat whip her head around to where he was standing in the doorway. Her jaw clenched, but she didn’t bother to argue with the nurse, or have him tossed and cause a scene.
“Great,” she said flatly.
Once the nurse slipped back out the door, Kat’s smile faded. “What exactly do you think you’re doing, crashing my prenatal appointment?”
Sawyer shrugged and settled into the guest chair. “My brother told me to keep an eye on things. I’m sure he would want to be at this appointment if he were here, so I thought I’d pop in and pass any news along to him.”
“So you just told them you were the father and they let you in?”
“Yes and no,” he admitted. “I was waiting patiently in the lobby for you to finish. They approached and asked if I was the father and if I wanted
to come back to see the ultrasound and get the lab results, so I said yes. It’s not like they’ll ever know me from Finn, anyway.”
“I’ll know.” Kat fidgeted with her uncomfortable-looking paper gown.
“It’s a little late to act shy around me,” Sawyer said. “I’ve seen all this, and recently.”
“This is different.” Kat crossed her arms over her chest and twisted her lips in irritation.
Sawyer sat back in his seat and looked around. He’d never been in a gynecologist’s office before. There were big posters on the walls with drawings that reminded him of fifth grade health class, and the exam table had handles coming out the ends like a motorcycle. “What are these?” he asked.
Kat rolled her eyes. “Stirrups.”
“Like for a horse?”
“Not exactly, but my feet do go in them. It’s for the...exam.”
Oh. Yeah, he’d definitely never been in one of these offices before. Or given much thought to what actually happened in them.
He was second-guessing his decision to crash the appointment when a quick rap at the door disrupted their conversation, and a shorter man in a white lab coat rushed in. “Hey, everyone, how’s it going today?”
“Hey, Dr. Wheeler.”
He shook Kat’s hand and turned around to face Sawyer. “Dad? Friend? Moral support?”
“All of the above,” he said.
“Okay, great,” Dr. Wheeler said without missing a beat. He sat down on his little rolling stool and flipped open the medical file he’d come in with. “So the results on all the tests from your initial appointment look normal. No concerns there. Are you taking your prenatal vitamins?”
“Yes.”
“Good. Any problems so far? Nausea? Tenderness? Spotting?” The doctor stood up and guided Kat back onto the table. Sawyer heard her respond, but at that point he checked out. He hadn’t fully comprehended what he was walking into today and realized now that he didn’t want to see the man behind the curtain, so to speak.
From Seduction to Secrets Page 8
