Dangerous Lies: Sawyer and Amethyst (An Emerald Falls Romance, Book Two)

by Christine Kersey

  “Hmm. It sounds to me like he’s interested though.”

  “I hope so, because I’m definitely interested in him.”

  “When will I get to meet this hot neighbor of yours?”

  Amethyst smiled. “Soon, I hope.”

  “Does he have a brother?”

  This time she laughed. “Yes, as a matter of fact, he does.”

  “Is he single?” The hope in Chloe’s voice was strong.

  “I don’t know. I’m sorry, Chloe. He only told me that he has a younger brother.”

  “With my luck, he’s still in high school or something.”

  “Maybe. I’ll find out for you the next time I see him.”

  “Thank you.”

  “It would be fun to go on a double date.”

  “Yeah, it would.”

  They talked about other things for a while, and after they hung up Amethyst was finally able to concentrate on the book she’d been reading.

  The next morning Amethyst decided to put out a few Halloween decorations—Halloween would arrive in just over a week and she knew neighborhood children would knock on her door. She stepped onto her front porch, and as if a string was attached to her head, she looked toward Justin’s house. All was quiet.

  Focus on your task.

  With a smile, she shook her head, then placed the scarecrow on her porch before going back inside and putting up the few other Halloween decorations she had. When she was done, she moved into her studio and picked up the jewelry she was working on for Justin’s mother. She hoped she would like it.

  Then she began to wonder about the woman who had raised Justin. Was she friendly? Was she someone Amethyst would ever meet?

  With a sigh, she told herself to quit thinking about Justin in those terms and to focus on the task at hand.

  Sawyer stretched and looked at the clock. He’d slept longer than he’d planned, but then he realized it didn’t matter. He had nowhere to go and no one to see, so what difference did it make? It was a Sunday morning. He should enjoy not having anything specific he had to do.

  Then his thoughts went to Amethyst.

  What was she up to today? With a smile of anticipation, he decided to find out.

  After a quick shower and breakfast—though he didn’t eat too much in case she’d made something tasty for breakfast that she might want to share—Sawyer walked out his front door and made his way next door.

  When her doorbell rang, Amethyst’s hopes shot up. Excited at the possibility that it was Justin, she opened the door, and when she found him standing on her porch, her smile widened.

  “Good morning,” he said with a smile of his own.

  Amethyst took in his jeans and snug-fitting t-shirt on his athletic body, the perfect stubble on his chin and his gray eyes, and felt her attraction to him grow.

  “Hello,” she said, then she pulled the door open wider. “Come on in.”

  “I like your scarecrow,” he said with a sweep of his hand toward the Halloween decoration on her porch.

  She laughed. “Thanks. I decided it was time for me to put him out.”

  Justin stepped into her living room. “I hope I’m not interrupting anything.”

  Giving him a lift of her eyebrows, she said, “I’ve been working on your mom’s jewelry, but I’m ready for a break.”

  He seemed to hesitate. “Can I take a peek?”

  Though tempted to let him, Amethyst had already told him he’d have to wait, and she wanted to stick to that. “Soon, Justin. Soon.”

  Sawyer kept his smile plastered to his face as she used his alias. “Okay. I understand.”

  “Can I get you anything?” she asked. “I made some muffins earlier.”

  Pushing aside his guilt for his deceptions, he focused on Amethyst, then a self-conscious smile curved his lips. “Would you think less of me if I told you I was hoping you’d baked something this morning?”

  She laughed. “No. Not at all.” She gestured toward the kitchen. “Come with me.”

  He followed her into her cozy kitchen and when she told him to sit at the table, he did. Moments later she placed a plate of muffins in front of him.

  “You’re something else, Amethyst, do you know that?” Someone he could really get used to having in his life. And not just for the food.

  A soft blush warmed her cheeks. “Thank you.” She kind of liked him too. She sat across from him and took a muffin, nibbling on it.

  “What do you have going on today?” Justin asked. “Besides working on my mom’s jewelry, that is.”

  Her eyebrows rose. “Why? Are you asking me out?” She would love it if he did.

  “Maybe.”

  “Then I don’t really have anything going on today that I can’t put off until tomorrow.”

  He chuckled. “Sometimes procrastination is a good thing.”

  “Right.”

  “I don’t know much about Emerald Falls. What’s there to do around here?”

  Amethyst thought about it for a moment. “That depends on what you like to do. We can go into the next town and go miniature golfing, or we can go to the park right here in Emerald Falls.” She smiled. “Or we could drive up into the mountains and go on a hike.”

  He took a bite of muffin, then swallowed. “Do you like to play frisbee?”

  “I haven’t played in a while, but sure, that would be fun.”

  “Okay. Then why don’t we start by going to the park?”

  Start? Amethyst smiled in anticipation of spending time with Justin. “Sounds like a plan.”

  Chapter 13

  They took Sawyer’s car, and as he drove them to the park, his gaze shifted to the people in the area. It would be fine. There was hardly anyone around just then. Besides, why would Tyler look for him in Emerald Falls? It was barely a dot on the map. Paul had said Tyler hadn’t approached him again, so chances were good that Tyler wouldn’t know where to look for him.

  “I love this time of year,” Amethyst said as she gazed out the passenger window.

  Sawyer glanced her way. “What about it do you love?”

  She turned to him and smiled, the wattage of her smile giving his heart a little jolt. “Well, the heat of summer is over, but the chill of winter has yet to arrive. Plus the leaves are so pretty with their oranges and golds. And the sound of the breeze through the trees fills me with peace.”

  Seeing the sparkle in her eyes as she spoke, Sawyer felt even more drawn to her, and on impulse he placed his hand over hers.

  Amethyst softly gasped at his touch. Unexpected but welcome, the feel of his warm hand over hers sent a burst of energy cascading through her. And when he glanced at her as he drove, a smile on his face, she found herself wanting more. Like maybe a kiss? Her lips curved in a smile of excitement, and as she imagined how it would feel to have his mouth on hers, her pulse began to race.

  Whew! She had to slow down. This was only their second date. Unless she counted the time she’d brought the coffee cake over. Or the time Justin had come over after the barbecue had ended. She smiled softly to herself. So maybe this was actually their fourth date?

  “What are you thinking about?” he asked as he kept his hand on hers.

  She quietly chuckled. “I’m trying to figure out if this is our second date or our fourth.”

  He smiled. “Hmm.” He looked out the front window for a moment before glancing back at her. “Let’s call it our fourth date.” Which meant it would be perfectly fine for him to kiss her today.

  “Sounds good to me.”

  He let his gaze slide over to her again.

  “Here we are,” she said, pointing to the park.

  Sawyer pulled into the nearly empty parking lot, angled into a space, and shut off the engine. He grabbed the frisbee from the back seat. “Good thing you had this in your garage,” he said. Because his was in his apartment in LA.

  “It was a bit dusty, but it should still work.”

  He laughed, then he climbed out of his car and came around to her side
.

  “Thank you,” she said as he took her hand to help her out.

  Once she was out, he kept hold of her hand, making it clear that he wanted to be near her.

  Why did he want to make that clear? Wasn’t that foolish?

  Pushing aside his doubts, he said, “That looks like a good spot.” He lifted the hand that held the frisbee and gestured to a spot in the near distance.

  They walked together to the place he’d pointed to, then he lifted her hand to his lips and gently kissed the smooth skin on the back before releasing her hand and backing away.

  Warmth rushed up Amethyst’s arm, straight to her heart. She’d never had such a powerful reaction from a kiss to her hand. Then again, she’d never had her hand kissed, so she really didn’t have anything to compare it to.

  With a silly smile on her face, she watched Justin walk backwards, his eyes never leaving hers.

  Wow. He was kind of awesome.

  Pleased at the way her day was going, she positioned her hands in front of her body and called, “I’m ready when you are.”

  Justin curled his wrist, then tossed the frisbee. Amethyst watched it spinning toward her, and when it reached her, she caught it easily.

  “Nice!” Justin called out.

  Proud of her skill, she threw it to him and he caught it. They threw it back and forth for a while.

  Sawyer hadn’t enjoyed himself so much in a long time. Not since before he’d started working for Tyler.

  Holding back a frown, he caught the frisbee, then walked toward Amethyst.

  “What’s up?” she asked as he approached her.

  He couldn’t take his eyes off of her and decided it was time. Smiling broadly, he stopped a few inches from her. “You know,” he said, his voice soft and low, “I don’t think I can stand to look at you any longer without doing this.” Then he slid a finger down her cheek before curling his hand behind her neck.

  Amethyst was too surprised to react, although her body had a different response. When Justin’s finger traced the curve of her jaw, her eyelids fluttered closed, and when she felt his hand cup her neck, her lips parted in anticipation. But when his mouth came down on hers and his other hand encircled her waist and drew her against him, her arms slid around his neck and she accepted his kiss eagerly.

  Nearly breathless, Amethyst sank against him and let herself just feel.

  Sawyer could tell that Amethyst was enjoying their kiss as much as he was. Thrilled to have something positive happen for a change, he tucked her more tightly against him and promised himself he wouldn’t let anything bad happen to her because of him.

  His rational mind immediately contradicted him. He shouldn’t kid himself. He had no control over his own safety, let alone someone else’s. If he really cared about her, he would back off. Right now.

  So powerful was that thought that he released her at once. Gazing at her with a mix of fear and desire, Sawyer didn’t know what to do.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked, obviously sensing a change.

  He forced a smile. “Nothing. I just, uh, wondered if you were hungry.”

  What was going on? Amethyst didn’t buy that Justin had suddenly become concerned for her dietary needs—he’d released her too abruptly. “No. I’m fine.”

  He seemed suddenly anxious and on edge.

  “Something’s going on, Justin. Tell me.”

  Sawyer’s eyebrows bunched, but he forced himself to relax. There was no way he could tell her the truth.

  The less she knew, the better. Tomorrow he would talk to the DEA and get some guidance.

  “I, uh,” he began. “I just remembered that I have some work that I need to get done before a meeting I have tomorrow.” Which was kind of true. It was just a meeting that no one knew about but him. And there really wasn’t anything he needed to do to prepare.

  “Okay.”

  Disappointment was clear on her face. What was she thinking?

  Amethyst tried not to frown. Justin hadn’t been ready for that kiss. Clearly. He probably just came out of a relationship and Amethyst was the rebound girl.

  Suppressing a sigh, she smiled. “I have things I can do too, so I guess we should head back.”

  “I’m really sorry, Amethyst.” Creases lined his forehead and worry etched his eyes.

  Placing her hand on his arm, she murmured. “It’s okay, Justin.”

  Though he appreciated her empathy, Sawyer knew nothing was okay. Still, he couldn’t stop himself from taking her hand as they walked back to his car.

  “You’re right, Gabby,” Amethyst said that afternoon as she sat in her friend’s backyard, enjoying the beauty of the space and the pleasant fall breeze. She’d told her about her date that morning and Gabby had advised her not to give up just yet.

  “If I’d given up on Travis,” Gabby said, “I’d still be regretting it.”

  “He was just acting so strange and he wouldn’t tell me what was going on.”

  “Maybe he’s worried about his meeting tomorrow.”

  Amethyst thought about that for a minute. “Maybe. Or maybe I’m right and he’s just coming out of a painful break-up.”

  “That could be.” Gabby smiled as her puppy bounded over to her. After giving him a scratch, she looked at Amethyst. “There’s only one way to find out, you know.”

  Nodding, Amethyst frowned. “I know. But if he hasn’t brought it up, I don’t really want to.”

  “If you want answers, you’re going to have to ask questions.”

  With a nod of acceptance, Amethyst said, “You’re right. I’ll talk to him about it the next time I see him.”

  But secretly, she doubted he would tell her.

  Chapter 14

  Sawyer hung up the phone. As he’d promised himself, he’d called the Los Angeles division of the DEA, although he’d put it off until the afternoon. Frowning, he thought about the conversation he’d had with the agent he’d talked to—Special Agent Yardley. It had gone okay, although not exactly as he had hoped it would.

  In his mind, he’d pictured the DEA swooping in to save him, solving all of his problems. Instead, Yardley had asked all kinds of questions about Tyler and his drug operation, but he hadn’t offered to protect Sawyer, pointing out that he had already left the danger zone. When Sawyer had told Yardley that he had some evidence of Tyler’s doings, Yardley had asked for Sawyer to get it to him asap, but hadn’t given him any hint of what would be coming next.

  Sawyer had agreed to ship the flash drive to Agent Yardley right away, and after he’d hung up, he’d felt a slight uptick in hope that his problems would eventually come to an end, although he didn’t feel any safer.

  Still, he was glad he’d taken the step of talking to the DEA. If Tyler was arrested and his operation was shut down, he could go back to living his life in LA.

  Then an image of Amethyst filled his mind, and he suddenly wasn’t so eager to head south.

  With her feet up on her chaise lounge, Amethyst surveyed her backyard oasis. Colorful flowers lined the fence, lush green grass carpeted the yard, and the branches on the large tree in the center swayed in the late October breeze. With a sense of contentment, she watched fallen leaves lift slightly from the ground before resettling in different places.

  Closing her eyes, Amethyst listened to the occasional chirp of a bird and let the fresh autumn air fill her senses.

  It was mid-afternoon on a Monday, and after working hard all day, she was taking a well-deserved break. She’d completed the jewelry set for Justin’s mother and was excited to show it to him. He was probably busy with work, so she would wait until later to go to his house and present it to him.

  Smiling in anticipation, Amethyst focused on the smells and sounds around her.

  A few minutes later she heard the distinctive sound of a shovel hitting dirt, then scooping it out. And it sounded like it was coming from next door—from Justin’s house.

  Curious what he was doing, and glad to have an excuse to talk to him, Amethys
t went to the fence that separated their yards and peered through the slats. Justin was digging in a spot on the far side of the yard, but Amethyst couldn’t see any plants nearby. It was the same area she had seen him digging nearly two weeks before.

  Wrinkling her brow in puzzlement, she watched as he stopped digging then bent to pick something up. Not wanting him to know she was watching, she turned to go back to her patio but tripped over a hose she’d left out.

  “Ouch,” she called out as she fell to the ground. Then, with a glance toward the fence—although she couldn’t see anything from where she lay—she pushed herself up and hurried back to the chaise lounge, picking up the book she’d set down earlier.

  Sawyer set the small metal box beside the pile of dirt he’d made, but when he heard the sound of someone crying out, his head jerked in the direction of Amethyst’s house.

  Was that her?

  Concerned that she’d gotten hurt, but also focused on finishing his task of getting the flash drive that he’d buried in his backyard, Sawyer was torn about what to do. Straining his ears for any other sounds, he quickly opened the box, took out the plastic bag that held the flash drive, shoved it in his pocket, then filled in the hole before carrying the metal box to the patio where he set it on the ground near the sliding glass door.

  Next, he walked to the fence that stood between his house and Amethyst’s and looked between the slats. He saw her sitting on her chaise lounge, reading a book. Why had she cried out?

  Using the horizontal board along the bottom of the fence for leverage, he hoisted himself so that he could look over the top of the fence.

  “Hello, neighbor,” he said with a smile.

  Amethyst’s head lifted, and when she saw him, a wide smile curved her mouth. “Hello there.”

  Pleased by her reaction at seeing him, he knew he had to spend time with her.