“Do you still want to leave?” Sawyer asked.
She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth and nodded. “I do. I just don’t like football.”
He put a hand over his heart. “You’re killing me, Pax.”
She laughed. “Sorry.”
He smoothed his hand up her arm and to her neck, fitting the back of her head in his palm and brushing his thumb back and forth along the pulse point behind her ear.
“Would you mind if I walked you to your car?”
She frowned. “Actually, I don’t have a car. Shayla was my ride.”
One brow arched quizzically. “So how exactly were you planning on getting home?”
“I guess I hadn’t thought that far ahead.”
A low, deep laugh rumbled from his chest yet again. Paxton would be annoyed with him if she didn’t find the sound so sexy. He caught her by both hands and started to walk backward.
“Where are we going?”
“I’ll drive you to your mom’s.”
Paxton stopped short. “But don’t you want to stay for the rest of the game?”
He shook his head. “I’ve had my time on the field as a Gauthier Fighting Lion.” He pulled her in closer. “Besides, I’m hoping I can convince you to take a detour.”
Her stomach did that flipping thing again.
“Where are you looking to take me?” she asked.
His brow hitched.
Oh, she was so there.
* * *
“Oh, my God! This is so good.” The moan that escaped her lips drizzled down Sawyer’s spine.
“I told you it would be,” he replied.
“It’s been so long since I had it. I just didn’t think it could still be this good.”
“It’s always as good as the first time.”
Paxton let out a satisfied sigh and sat back in the chair she’d occupied for the past hour on his rear deck. As she licked her fingers clean of the sticky remnants of the roasted marshmallow she’d just eaten, Sawyer had to stop himself from going for her lips. He wouldn’t move too fast.
But he would make his move tonight.
He threw another log into the built-in fire bowl that he’d never used once since moving into this house. It was only fitting that he christen it with Paxton. Picturing the two of them spending countless nights together like this had become his new favorite pastime over the past hour.
She reached for another marshmallow, speared it with a kebab spear and placed it over the fire bowl.
“Here,” Sawyer said, handing her the one he’d been roasting for several minutes.
Paxton stared at the slightly charred marshmallow. “You’re giving me your marshmallow?” she asked. The awe in her voice made him wonder what the other men in her life had ever done for her.
“I will roast as many marshmallows as your heart desires,” Sawyer said. “I just have to warn you, you’ll probably get sick after the seventh or eight one.”
Her head flew back with her rich laugh. “Now that I do remember, but my mom always had seltzer water or ginger ale on hand.”
“So this really was a thing?” he said. “You and your mom really roasted marshmallows when you were a kid?”
Her enthusiastic nod combined with that bright smile was infectious. Sawyer couldn’t help but smile himself.
“She used to take me camping in the yard, that patch of land between our trailer and Harlon’s Bar,” she clarified. “We’d roast marshmallows and she’d tell me ghost stories and we’d read books that I picked up from the library. I guess it was her version of a low-cost vacation, because she could never afford the time off from work or the money it would take to go on a real one.”
Sawyer thought about his own childhood and couldn’t deny the stark difference to hers. Because his father had been sequestered in his Ninth Ward neighborhood while growing up, he’d vowed that his son would get out and see the world. Sawyer had visited more than a dozen states by the time he was twelve. He’d been to the top of the Empire State Building, observed the majestic beauty of the Grand Canyon and dipped his toes into the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California.
“It’s okay, Sawyer,” she said. He looked up at her. “I know what you’re thinking, and, really, it’s okay.”
He doubted she knew what he was thinking, and Sawyer wasn’t inclined to share his true thoughts with her. Not right now. He didn’t want the startling difference between the way they grew up creating any more of a chasm between them, especially tonight.
“I was just thinking—” he started, but she cut him off.
“You were thinking about all the cool places you’ve visited, but you’re afraid to say anything because you think it will make me feel bad.”
Damn. Maybe his poker face wasn’t as good as he thought it was.
She held the marshmallow she’d been roasting out to him.
“Okay, yeah. That is kind of what I was thinking,” Sawyer said before taking a bite. A trail of the warm sticky substance fell onto his chin.
“Don’t,” she said. “Those campouts with my mom are some of my very best memories. I didn’t need anything else. I’m ashamed to admit just how jealous I was of some of the things other kids in Gauthier—those whose families had money—got to do, but fancy vacations was never one of them.
“And it’s not as if I was stuck in Gauthier my entire childhood, either. When Shayla and Braylon were kids, they would go to the beach in Biloxi for a week every summer. Their folks were sweet enough to bring me along. So, you see. There’s no reason for you to feel bad for me.”
She reached over and ran her thumb along his chin where the marshmallow had fallen. Her eyes zeroed in on his lips. “You missed a spot.”
The husky rasp coloring her words clutched at his gut. And lower.
“That was the best way you could think of to clean it off?” Sawyer asked.
Her brow lifted, a slow smile edging up the corner of her mouth. “What exactly do you suggest?”
He shrugged. “It all depends.”
“On what?”
Sawyer leaned forward. “On whether you plan to sneak away like you did the last time,” he said, his voice as husky as hers.
Her gaze traveled from his mouth up to his eyes. “There’s a lot I want to do tonight, but leaving isn’t a part of the plan.”
Sawyer closed the distance between them. “Then why in the hell are you not doing it?”
He wrapped his arms around her and lifted her out of the chair, settling her legs around his waist. Her lips collided with his, thick with passion, heavy with the lust the two of them had been fighting over these past couple of weeks. With her body wrapped around him, Sawyer started for the open French doors. Once inside he laid her on the chaise lounge in the living room and quickly covered her body with his.
“Pax, do you know how many times I dream about doing this every day?”
He charged for that spot on her neck just below her ear. Three years had passed, yet he still remembered how much she’d loved it when he sucked there. Sawyer went for it again, first sucking, then gently biting, while his hands roamed the soft skin underneath her shirt.
She released a low moan, her neck arching, reaching for his teeth and his tongue.
“I want you so much,” she admitted in a rush of breath.
Her words, spoken in that lusty, desperate voice, had the effect of throwing hot grease on a burning fire. Sawyer’s body went up in flames.
He kissed his way down her body, then buried his head underneath her shirt, kissing his way back up again as he rolled the shirt up and off her. The bra came next, going the way of her shirt.
For a moment Sawyer just hovered above her, his body temporarily stunned at how sexy she looked dressed in nothing but skintight jeans. He nee
ded her fully naked, but there was something so sensual, so damn sexy about half of her body being bared to him, that he just needed to soak it in for a minute.
Then he decided a minute was too long.
He hooked his hands in the waistband of her jeans and peeled them from her body, quickly removing her satin panties after that.
Sawyer pulled her to the edge of the chaise and knelt on the floor before her. He was overwhelmed by the feelings swirling within him as his eyes roved over her body. This woman had captured his heart so long ago. Nothing would make him happier than finally having the chance to give it to her.
Actually, right now, he saw one thing that could make him pretty happy. Running his palms up her inner thighs, he spread her legs apart and hooked them over his shoulders.
He was like a starving man who had just had a banquet feast fit for a king set before him. As much as he was dying to pounce on her body with a rapaciousness unparalleled to anything he’d experienced before, Sawyer told himself to take it slow.
He made his way up the inside of her thigh, marking the ridiculously soft skin with gentle love bites. He soothed each bite with a soft kiss and followed with a slow, wet lick. He kissed his way around her, deliberately avoiding the one place he knew she wanted him the most.
“Sawyer!” Paxton yelled. “Stop teasing me.”
But teasing her was exactly what he wanted to do. He drew the backs of his fingers along her inner thigh, then around her center before finally giving her some relief. Using the pad of his thumb, he lightly teased the mass of nerves at her cleft, then rolled it between his fingers. Paxton rocked her hips, her body jerking as soft whimpers escaped her lips. Sawyer grew harder with every moan, but he fought the urge to strip out of his own clothes and fill her body with his. Right now it was all about her pleasure. He wanted to make it so good that she would never think about leaving his bed again.
Tucking his hands underneath her, he gripped her ass and lifted her body to his mouth.
That first taste on his tongue gave him new life.
Sawyer forgot all about her pleasure and selfishly concentrated on his as he explored the exquisite world between her legs. Her slick, tender flesh tasted even better than he remembered. He buried his face between her thighs, closing his mouth over her center and sucking hard. He flicked his tongue back and forth over the tight bud at her cleft, branding it as his.
He felt Paxton’s thighs quivering around his head moments before her back bowed and her scream tore through the room.
With a promise to himself that he would return to tasting the deliciousness between her legs, Sawyer stood and quickly got rid of his clothes. He couldn’t wait any longer.
Covering himself with the condom he’d taken earlier from his bedroom, Sawyer fitted himself between her thighs and entered her with one long, deep thrust. Pleasure, pure and explosive, burst throughout his being as he found heaven. Nothing in this world had ever come close to the way it felt when Paxton gripped his body. It was as if she was made exclusively for him.
With a desperation that had his limbs shaking, Sawyer gripped her hips and pumped in and out, quickly becoming addicted to the way her inner muscles clutched him as he slid deeper, then retreated. The sensation of being engulfed in her incredible heat was like a drug, flooding his brain with the most erotic pleasure he had ever experienced.
“You feel...so good,” Paxton panted.
“You feel good,” Sawyer said. “You taste good.” He dipped his head and thrust his tongue into her mouth, sweeping around for a quick taste. “And your body looks amazing.” He trailed his lips along her collarbone and then down her chest, pressing wet kisses to the shallow valley between her breasts. He pleasured her with his mouth, rolling his tongue around her taut peaked nipple, tugging it inside and sucking hard.
She squeezed her muscles, and Sawyer lost it. Clutching her ass, he pulled her to him and slammed into her body, over and over and over, his uncontrollable desire overriding everything else.
He felt Paxton explode as she cried out; the feel of her climaxing around him sent him over the edge. With one final thrust, he came, his body jerking, his entire being shuddering in an ecstasy that was so intoxicating Sawyer never wanted it to end.
* * *
Paxton burrowed herself more securely against Sawyer’s naked chest, seeking his warmth now that the chill from outside was starting to seep in.
“You may want to check the settings on your central air unit,” she told him. “I don’t think you adjusted for tonight’s cold front. It’s freezing in here.”
“You cold?” Sawyer wrapped his arm around her middle. “I have a better way of heating you up,” he said as he buried his face against her neck.
Paxton squirmed, pretending she was trying to get away, when in reality she wasn’t trying to do anything of the sort. She’d never felt more content than she did lying there wrapped in Sawyer’s arms. It was as if he couldn’t get enough of touching her. His fingers teased her bare shoulders, the nape of her neck, her collarbone. It was the closest she’d ever come to experiencing pure bliss.
They remained that way for long moments, resting comfortably together on the chaise underneath the cashmere throw Sawyer had taken from a hallway linen closet. But then Sawyer’s voice broke into the silence.
“You have to tell me why, Pax,” he said softly.
She knew this was coming, but she was no more ready to explain than she was ready to leave his arms.
But Paxton knew she owed him an explanation. Deciding to finally own up to what she’d done, she twisted around in his arms and faced him.
“Why did you leave the way you did?” Sawyer asked.
“It’s simple,” she said. “I felt guilty.”
His head reared back. “That’s definitely not what I was expecting. Why in the world would you have felt guilty?” His body stiffened. “Were you dating someone at the time? Did you use me to cheat on your boyfriend?”
“No.” She shook her head. “I didn’t have a boyfriend. But I did use you,” she continued. Sawyer’s eyes were filled with confusion. Paxton placed her hand on his chest. “That night, when you came into the bar, I could tell how much you were hurting. I wanted to help alleviate some of that pain.”
“Which you most certainly did,” he said.
“Except once we left the bar, your hurt and pain became second to me living out my fantasy. I’ve wanted you for so long, Sawyer, and all I could think about was finally having you for myself. I capitalized on your suffering. I knew you were drunk and vulnerable, and I used it to my advantage to get what I wanted.”
Paxton braced herself for the backlash. Instead, she felt his chest start to rumble seconds before a roaring laugh poured forth from his mouth. She peered up at him.
“What’s so funny?”
“You,” Sawyer said. “You are so funny and so incredibly sweet. But you’re clueless as hell, Pax. At least when it comes to this.”
He trailed his fingers along her jawline in a gentle caress. “Is that really the reason you left?” he asked. “Because you felt guilty for using me?”
“Think about it, Sawyer. What if our roles were reversed, and you’d slept with me while I was hurting over my sick mother?”
“Pax, you didn’t take advantage of me that night,” he said. “You gave me exactly what I needed, and I don’t just mean sex with the girl who’d starred in every one of my teenage wet dreams. You gave me a chance to escape the realities of that day. I went to Harlon’s hoping to drink away my troubles. But the alcohol didn’t do anything compared to what you did for me.”
He tenderly brushed his hand across her cheek. “Never feel guilty for that night, Paxton. That night ranks up there as one of the best nights of my life.” He nudged behind her ear. “In case you were wondering, tonight is running a close second.”
/> She smiled up at him, her heart nearly bursting with gratitude over the way he’d so selflessly assuaged the guilt she’d carried these past three years.
“You know,” Sawyer began. “There is something you can do to send this night right to the top of the best night ever list.”
Paxton couldn’t contain her laugh as he suggestively waggled his brows. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulled his head down and kissed him with everything she had.
Chapter 9
As she poured cranberry juice into a second short tumbler of vodka and ice, Paxton tried to fight the smile gradually stretching across her face. She wasn’t known as a smiler, so she knew her constant grinning already seemed conspicuous to the regulars at the bar. But to have this smile on her face while the LSU Tigers were down by three touchdowns in the first quarter?
Yes, she definitely stood out in this crowd of sorry faces.
She would just have to stand out, because this smile was not going away, not with the naughty montage of the past twenty-four hours playing in her head. She paused as an involuntary tremor cascaded through her body. She’d experienced those more times than she could count today.
Paxton set the vodka cranberries in front of Reed Jackson and the woman he had brought in with him tonight. She was the third different woman in his past three visits to the bar.
“I hope you two are having a good time tonight,” Paxton said. “Reed, I’m not sure how you keep all these—” Reed’s eyes went wide “—drink orders in line,” she finished.
She turned to his date. “Most of the folks here stick to beer, but Reed puts my bartending skills to the test. He loves to try different things. Don’t you, Reed?”
Paxton winked at him and left him at the bar with his eyes still wide.
She was in much too good of a mood to ruin Reed’s fun. Multiple orgasms tended to put her in a good mood. She should make a point of having them more often.
The bar patrons kept her busy, with everyone wanting to drink their sorrows away after the disappointing start to the game. Paxton figured she would have to call in some designated driver reinforcements to make sure everyone got home safely tonight.
Stay with Me Forever Page 14
