by Karen Booth
Her eyelids fluttered. He was sending electricity straight through her. “The message was you’d better call me.”
“Now I officially feel like a cad. I will never not call you again.” He laughed quietly, then got serious again. “Let me send my own message.” His lips fell on hers, strong and insistent. His hands slipped around her neck and he cradled her face, lifting it to his. The kiss was warm and wet, his tongue winding with hers. The utter relief of it set free a chorus of jubilation in her body. She couldn’t believe she’d lived through two months without this. With every passionate move of his lips, she was reminded why it had been so hard to forget Sawyer. It wasn’t the clues the world was leaving her that had haunted her. It was her hunger for him.
He slipped his hands under her sweatshirt, circling her waist with his arms. That first hit of his warm palms against her bare skin was enough to make her light-headed. She scrambled to get him out of his sweater, lifting the hem. He sat back, crossed his arms and lifted it over his head. Her memory of his incredible chest was put to shame—she hadn’t captured every well-defined contour, the way his shoulders stood straight, and she definitely hadn’t noticed the narrow scar that trailed from his collarbone to just shy of his armpit.
“Sawyer,” she muttered. “How did I not see this before?”
“It was pretty dark in my hotel room. And you left very early in the morning.”
This was true. She’d also been swept away by him that night. Certainly she’d missed some captivating details of his physique. “What happened to you?” She pressed her fingers to it gently, the skin slightly raised and dark pink against his otherwise tan skin.
“Injury from the navy. It’s nothing.”
“You were in the military?”
“Yes.” He kissed her cheek, her jaw, her neck. “Is this really what you want to talk about right now?”
It wasn’t, but she tucked it away in her head as one of the many things about Sawyer that surprised her. “Will you tell me about it later?”
“Right now I will literally agree to anything you ask me.” He pulled her hair back from her neck and kissed the stretch of skin beneath her ear, sending tingles through her body, making her shoulders rise up in anticipation. He took his time, and her eyes drifted shut as she allowed herself to get lost in the sensation. She tugged on his shoulders, wanting him closer, and his lips traveled back along her jaw until he finally claimed her mouth again.
His hands roved under the sweatshirt a second time, but this time he traveled north, lifting it. “I need to see you,” he said, his voice low and gruff.
She smiled—whatever the cost might be later, knowing Sawyer wanted her was the best feeling—Christmas morning and a winning lottery ticket rolled into one.
He groaned softly when the sweatshirt was gone. She might have been a bit unkempt on the outside, but her underpinnings were always on point—a dark purple bra with black lace along the sides and cups. Sawyer wasted little time reaching back and unhooking it. Kendall shrugged it from her arms.
She’d had men show great enthusiasm for her breasts, but Sawyer’s appreciation was different. The look in his eyes was more than lust or desire, it was adoration and admiration. He took them into his hands gently, kissing each one tenderly before he wound his tongue around one of her nipples. The skin instantly drew hard and taut, and Kendall watched as his eyes flashed up at her. The look said that he wanted her more than anything.
His lips were heavenly on her skin, but she had to have the rest of him, and the couch wasn’t cutting it. “Can we go into your bedroom?”
“Yes. Of course. I’m sorry. I got a little carried away.”
He took her hand and led her down the hall, but they only got halfway before he pulled her into his arms and kissed her again. They bumped into the wall on one side of the hall, turning in circles on their way into his room, her bare back brushing up against the door frame. Kendall had to pirouette on her tiptoes to keep up with him, but she dedicated herself to it. It was too hot. Too sexy.
They arrived in his room and she immediately went for the button and zipper on his jeans, pressing her chest against his and claiming another kiss. His pants slumped to the floor and she molded her hand around his length, feeling how perfectly primed he was for her. He groaned and reached down for the edge of the duvet, tearing it back, sending a few pillows flying. He sat on the edge of the bed, and tugged her to him so she was standing between his knees. He shimmied the sweatpants past her hips, then smiled and dragged a finger across the edge of the fancy purple-and-black panties that matched her bra. His lips skimmed over her stomach as he slipped his thumbs beneath the waistband and tugged them down.
“You are so sexy, Kendall. Again, I’m wondering what in the hell I was thinking.” He looked right at her when he spoke and she got the message. He was sorry. He was really, really sorry.
She was about to counter that they’d both been stupid, when his fingers trailed from her knee along her inner thigh. The anticipation crept along her skin, knowing where he was headed, and she reflexively arched into him when he found her apex and began to tease her with soft circles and the tips of his fingers.
Her eyes fluttered shut as his touch became stronger and faster. It felt so good to experience these things she’d been fantasizing about, dreaming about, with Sawyer. It was only their second time together and he’d already figured her out. He knew exactly how to touch her, where and when to kiss her. She dropped to her knees and pulled Sawyer’s black boxers from his hips. She took his firm erection in hand, watching the look on his face, and the way his mouth went slack as she took strong strokes.
He had both hands planted on the mattress, looking down at her with eyes heavy with desire. “I have to have you, Kendall. Now.”
She climbed up onto the bed, stretching out on the mattress, and enjoying the cool, crisp sheets. Sawyer had her so overheated, every second waiting to have him inside her felt like an eternity. Hopefully he’d remember that they’d had the birth control talk in Maine—she was on the pill, they’d both been tested. “Don’t make me wait, Sawyer.”
“I won’t.” He descended on her, kissing her stomach and continuing along the center of her chest before planting his mouth on hers. He positioned himself between her legs and she welcomed him, relishing that moment when he filled her perfectly and they began to move together. He lowered his head and kissed her collarbone. She dragged her hands up and down his muscled back, then rounded over the top of his strong shoulders and flat across his heavenly chest.
Every thrust Sawyer took was careful and deep. The pressure built quickly under its own inertia, so much so that Kendall felt like she was holding on for dear life. Finally, it rolled through her in an overwhelming rush of heat and relief of tension. She gasped his name in a single breath, wrapping her legs around his waist. Sawyer followed, his body rigid in pleasure before he collapsed against her chest and kissed her collarbone.
She found herself oddly thankful for the disastrous turn her morning had taken. If it hadn’t all gone wrong, she never would’ve ended up tucked away in Sawyer’s apartment, making love to the man she’d tried so hard to forget.
* * *
Sawyer sank back on the bed, his mind mercifully devoid of a single complicated thought. Kendall was amazing—gorgeous, sexy, smart, determined. That wasn’t complicated. It was simple.
She smiled and rolled to her side, scooting up alongside him. Her fingers delicately traced his scar. It always felt strange when anything rubbed against it—a mix of numbness and sensitivity. “Do you want to tell me what happened?”
He didn’t think about that day often. He’d worked hard to banish it from his mind. It was the start of a series of horrible events that had left far more than his collarbone and chest scarred. “I was stationed in the Middle East. Peacekeeping. We were ambushed and I had to fight off a guy in hand-to
-hand combat. He had a knife.”
“You must’ve been terrified. Were you discharged because of it?”
“I was, but I shouldn’t have been. It wasn’t life threatening. But I made the mistake of calling Noah and he called my dad and the next thing I knew I was being shipped home. My dad pulled strings. Which I absolutely didn’t want him to do. But it was too late.”
“Didn’t you want to come back to see your family?”
“I wanted to do what I’d signed up for, but that’s not how it happened.” He looked into her eyes, which were so open, taking in every word he said. He loved how keenly focused she was. “But to answer your question, I did have people I wanted to see when I got home.”
Kendall’s pupils opened wide. “Was there a woman waiting for you?”
That edge of glee in her voice nearly matched the anticipation he’d felt about seeing Stephanie when he’d learned he was being sent home. But then he got the call from Noah just as he was about to get on the plane. I ran into Stephanie. She wasn’t wearing the ring you gave her. She’s wearing a different engagement ring. Something is up. Oh, something was definitely up. And it had torn him up far worse than a man with a knife. “There was, but it didn’t work out.”
“Oh. I’m sorry.”
“Ancient history at this point.” Time had helped to dull the pain. “What about you? Surely you must have left a long trail of broken hearts along the way. I mean, before the fake engagement ring.”
“We aren’t talking about me, Sawyer. We’re talking about you.”
Way to deflect, Kendall.
“Plus, I want to know why you went into the military,” she continued. “Is that a family thing?”
Sawyer laughed quietly. “No. It’s not a Locke thing, at all. My dad went to a military boarding school, but that’s not even close to being the same. I come from a long line of men who liked to drink, smoke cigars and play poker.”
“And make lots and lots of money.”
“Yes.” He had given in to that aspect of the family history, that much was true, but it was always the Grand Legacy that was driving that. If anyone had asked teenaged Sawyer if he was going to go into the family business, he would’ve said absolutely not. Then he inherited the hotel and everything changed. “My dad actually begged me not to join the military. He’d assumed I’d want to work alongside him when I got out of college, but I never saw myself doing that.”
“Why not?”
He shrugged. “I didn’t want to spend my days beating my head against a wall. My father and I have had a difficult relationship ever since my mom passed away.”
Kendall’s brow furrowed and she shifted closer to him. “I’m so sorry about your mom. I lost my mom in my early twenties. It’s so hard.”
Finally, she’d shared a piece of herself. It felt as though a locked door had been opened a sliver. He was so eager to walk through it and learn more. “Were you close?”
“We were. Incredibly close. It was always just the two of us, so we had to lean on each other. My dad took off when I was a baby. They were young. Probably too young to be having kids.”
“Did your mom ever remarry?”
Kendall shook her head. “No, but she wanted to. She really wanted to. She had a real talent for finding the wrong guys. Guys who never wanted to commit. It wasn’t all bad, though. There were a lot of years when those guys were the reason there was food on the table. My mom always had a hard time holding down a job.”
“It can’t be easy being a single mom.”
“It isn’t, but there was more to it than that. I think she always underestimated herself. She thought she couldn’t do much, so she’d take jobs that didn’t challenge her or keep her interest, and she’d end up getting frustrated and doing something to get herself fired. It was a self-fulfilling prophecy. She always blamed herself, but I really think that if she’d believed in herself and pushed for something bigger, she would’ve been much happier.”
“So that’s where you get your drive from?”
“If you’re asking if there’s a part of me that doesn’t want to make the same mistakes my mom made, the answer is an unequivocal yes.”
He and Kendall were cut from the same cloth, working hard to not repeat the mistakes their parents had made. No wonder he was so drawn to her. He just hadn’t known that particular reason when they were in Maine at the wedding. Now that they were learning these things about each other, they weren’t in a position to pursue it, at least not now. Kendall’s job clearly meant a great deal to her. She almost seemed defined by it. “My dad’s on wife number four. I definitely don’t want to go down that path. My dad practically has the minister on speed dial.”
“Four wives makes me think your dad doesn’t like to be alone.”
“He doesn’t. He’s a serial monogamist. It makes me a little crazy to be honest.”
“Why?”
“Because a person should learn to stand on their own before they get into a relationship. I don’t think my dad has ever stood on his own. Ever. He inherited his money, his business, an important name. He hasn’t worked for things.”
“Not like you have.”
“I’m not trying to build myself up here. I’m just saying it’s one of many reasons my dad and I don’t see eye-to-eye.”
“Well, you definitely aren’t like your dad from what I can see. Not at all.”
“Good.”
Kendall rolled to her stomach, lazily stroking the sheets with her fingers. He couldn’t take his eyes off her—what had made him think that the second time would be enough? Where had he even come up with that idea? He had absolutely no clue, he only knew that his gut was telling him that it was going to be torture to work with her and not touch her. He might have made things worse for himself by making love to her, but there was no taking it back now. And he wouldn’t have wanted to if he could.
“Are you hungry?” he asked.
“Starving. Absolutely starving.”
Judging by the way the rain was still battering the windows, going out probably wasn’t a good idea. He wasn’t much of a cook and there was never much food in the house anyway. He ended up making a sandwich most nights or his housekeeper would leave a few meals in the refrigerator. “Chinese? There’s a place around the corner. They never close. There could be seven feet of snow on the ground and the owner would still send one of her sons out to deliver.”
“Sounds like Chinese then.” A tentative smile came to her lips. “I should probably get dressed.”
“Are you okay? You know. With the fact that we made love, and we’d said we were going to keep things solely professional?” He almost couldn’t believe the words were his own. It wasn’t like him to open a can of worms with a woman. It was the sort of question that could illicit hours of conversation and an analysis of the state of things. It wasn’t that he didn’t care with most women...it was just that he knew not to start things he wasn’t prepared to finish.
She rolled to her back and sat up, tugging the sheets along with her and covering up. That single act seemed to tell more than anything. If he was skittish about being open with someone, she might be even more so. “It’s hard to feel good about crossing the line. I can’t lie to you about that.”
He nodded. “I get it. I don’t mix business with pleasure. Too many potential problems.”
“Maybe we just needed to get each other out of our systems. Too many unresolved feelings about phone calls and things like that.” Did she really think that? Was he the one who was going to have a hard time going without more?
“We have a good working relationship. That won’t change.”
“Better than good. It’s great.”
“Of course you say that. I pretty much do everything you tell me to.”
She smiled and scooted up in the bed, leaning back agains
t the pillows. “You are a highly intelligent man. Only someone as smart as yourself can see how wise it is to defer to my brilliant ideas.”
“True. I am smart.”
She reached over and smacked him on the leg. “Are you going to order that food? Or do I have to do it myself?”
“I’ll do it. I’ll take care of everything.”
Eight
Kendall woke to the sound of Sawyer snoring and a strong sense of dread. They’d shared a magnificent evening, they fit together perfectly, but today was back to reality. Back to work. Back to having a job with a boss who didn’t put up with this sort of thing. Plus, Sawyer’s dad had threatened Kendall yesterday—that didn’t bode well for a continuation of whatever it was that she and Sawyer were doing.
She tiptoed into the guest room and fetched her dress, which was finally dry. She wormed her way into it and zipped it up, then folded Sawyer’s sweatshirt neatly. It really belonged in a laundry hamper, but she had no idea where that was and this was as good a stalling technique as anything. The truth was that she didn’t want to leave. She’d enjoyed her time with Sawyer so much. Being with him was like being presented with an enormous hot fudge sundae and being told you could eat the whole thing and not gain an ounce. Mouthwatering. Delicious. He satisfied her sweet tooth. But they’d both agreed that sex and work do not mix. She could not go around eating hot fudge sundaes whenever she wanted.
She wandered into his kitchen and made a pot of coffee. Maybe a warm cup of morning courage would help soften the blow of the words that had to be said before she left. He took it with a splash of cream, no sugar. And that was exactly how she made it for him. Then she walked back down that long hall, past the guest room and his office, and back into his bedroom.
The sight was almost too much to bear. He was asleep on his stomach, the sheet draped across him at his waist. His face was turned away from her, toward the side of the bed she’d slept on. This was a good thing. He was painfully adorable with his eyes closed. She placed the coffee cup on his bedside table, stepped back and cleared her throat. Several moments ticked by. He didn’t stir.
