My eyebrows met my hairline. “Well, if you really want to.”
I was already fighting semi-wood skimming over the cartoon images, but now that she mentioned she had already done a few of these, I was nearing straight up wood. Right there in the middle of the mall.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
EVA
After smoothies, and some serious sex talk that revved up my libido, we headed to Sawyer’s car. Stepping outside into the night air, I instantly zipped my jacket all the way and felt my heated cheeks cool. It was absolutely freezing out.
“Crap, it’s cold out here,” I muttered.
“I know, and it’s going to take a while before the heat in my car works.” Sawyer placed a hand against the small of my back. Even through the puffy layers of my coat, I could feel the heat of his touch. “I’m going to have to get that thing fixed soon.”
Walking through the parking lot, I caught what was probably the only patch of ice in the entire place, and nearly busted my ass. Sawyer caught me, his grip tight on my arms.
“Got you.” He chuckled.
“Oh my God, are we going to be able to make it home okay?” I asked.
Real concern flared through me as I wondered if the roads had been affected. I hated ice and snow.
“We should be able to,” he assured me.
As soon as the words left his lips, snow began to fall from the sky.
“I’m glad we’re leaving now,” I said.
“Me too. I didn’t think this was supposed to roll in until tomorrow sometime. Guess the weatherman was wrong.” He unlocked his car and opened the driver side door.
Situating myself in the passenger seat, I tucked my hands beneath my thighs to keep them warm. My teeth chattered as Sawyer cranked the engine. Air blasted through the vents, but it felt more like air conditioning than heat. Sawyer reached for the knob and turned it down for the time being, and then he reached out for my hands.
He cupped them between his, and blew on them, just as he’d done the time before. As soon as the car warmed enough, Sawyer dropped my hands so he could shift into drive. Pulling out of the parking lot and onto the highway, we slipped briefly on a patch of black ice. My stomach clenched, and I prayed we’d make it home safely.
Once we made it halfway to my place, the snow was coming down hard. It looked as though we were in a 3D movie where snow was barreling toward us, but never touched us. I didn’t like it. Reaching over, I turned the radio down low, and sat up straighter in my seat. Anxiety prickled along my spin, and I gritted my teeth.
“I have no clue how you can see the road,” I muttered.
Sawyer laughed. “It’s not that bad out.”
“Yes, it is,” I insisted.
“It’s fine. I’ve driven in worse conditions than this before.”
“Like?” The car slipped a little as we rounded a corner, and my entire body grew tense.
“Last year, remember when we had that crazy arctic blast that whipped through and gave us like six inches of snow?”
“Yeah. I was trapped in my apartment for a week.”
“I worked at Harrison’s back then as a night shift stocker. I had to help unload a delivery on the second night of that storm. I nearly went into a damn ditch seven times trying to get home that night.” He merged lanes to get out from behind a car driving as slow as I would be. “It sucked, but I made it.”
“I never drive in this type of weather.” I shook my head.
Silence filled the car as we continued along the highway in the downward blizzard of snow. Sawyer’s car skidded on ice once more as we crossed over a bridge, and I dug my fingernails in the palm of my hands.
“Where are all the freaking salt trucks when you need them?” I asked.
Sawyer let out a small chuckle. It echoed through the quiet of the car. “They’ll be out soon, I’m sure. This came from nowhere.”
Nodding, I allowed the same silence from before to squeeze between us again. This time I welcomed it. Quiet was most likely what Sawyer needed in order to get us safely to my place.
Once Sawyer turned into the parking lot of my complex, I finally felt my muscles loosen. Glancing out the windshield at the whiteout falling from the sky without mercy, I noticed nearly everything within my view was already covered in a layer of the powder white snow.
“Will you be able to make it home okay?” I unbuckled once he parked, and shifted in my seat to stare at him.
“If I say no, is there going to be an offer to spend the night with you?” He grinned.
“Yes.” I didn’t hesitate in my answer.
It was snowing like crazy. The roads were sure to get worse. The distance—no matter how short or long it might be—between his place and mine didn’t seem to matter in this weather.
“I’m just messing with you. I’ll be fine.” Leaning in, he licked his lips. “But, I will remind you that I never did get the kiss I won.”
A flush of heat swept through me at his words. In all the snow commotion, I’d forgotten about the kiss he had won. Bending his way, I leaned across the center console and pressed my lips to his. Sawyer’s lips worked over mine as he took complete charge of the kiss. His hand moved from the steering wheel to cup my face, and I felt warmth swell in my stomach and explode through my lower regions from the simple move.
Sawyer’s tongue slipped along my bottom lip, and I opened my mouth a little wider. Caressing my tongue against his, I slowed the pace of the kiss a little, and ran my fingers through his dark hair. My breathing quickened as his hand slid along my jawline and down the side of my neck. If he dipped toward my collarbone or lower, I was going to pant into his mouth like an idiot. Hell, maybe I’d drag him into my apartment and have my way with him throughout the snowstorm.
A noise forced our lips apart. Freezing rain had mixed in with the snow. Yay…said no one ever.
“Looks like I really should be heading home now.” Sawyer pecked my lips once more, before he pulled away completely and righted himself in his seat.
“Are you sure you don’t want to stay?” I offered again. My reasons behind offering this time weren’t all weather related. Instead, they had more to do with the sensations he’d stirred to life within me with that kiss. “You’re more than welcome to.”
I blinked, waiting for him to give me an answer, while hoping I didn’t look desperate as hell.
Sawyer seemed to think for a minute. “I mean, I can make it to my place,” he said. His eyes locked on mine. “The question is though, are you sure you want me to stay with you tonight? It’s not too soon?”
I knew what he was hinting at. I knew the types of thoughts that had lingered in his mind after our kiss, because they still lingered in mine as well. My lips twisted into a smile I couldn’t keep away, no matter how hard I tried. Even though I was sure he only asked because he felt it was the gentlemanly thing to do, I still couldn’t keep myself from messing with him a little.
I arched a brow, and continued to hold his stare. “Too soon for what exactly?”
“For you to cross some more of those Kama Sutra moves off your list,” he said point blank.
I laughed. “Feeling confident, aren’t we?”
“No.” He shook his head and smiled. “Just trying to think of ways to keep us warm during this blizzard.”
My attention shifted to the snow coming down outside his car. Fat, white flakes were falling so fast to the ground that it was hard to see the front of my apartment complex anymore. The pounding of ice against the windshield increased, and any thought of me wanting him to stay the night for sexual reasons flew from my mind. He needed to stay because this storm looked serious. I wouldn’t even send my worst enemy out in this shit.
“Yeah, I don’t care if we use some of those moves or not, you’re not going back out in this. Your car doesn’t have four-wheel drive, and it’s getting bad out,” I said.
Crazed thoughts spun through my mind in rapid succession. I wondered if I had enough food to wait this thing out. There
was no way I would attempt to drive to the store in these conditions, four-wheel drive or not.
Sawyer cut his car off, and shifted in his seat to look at me. A serious expression etched its way into the contours of his face. “You sure you don’t mind? I can attempt it, if you’re not comfortable. My place isn’t too far from here. It’s only about twenty minutes or so.”
“No, I don’t mind. Come on.” I opened the passenger door, and climbed out.
The wind was frigid against my exposed skin. A flurry of snowflakes flew past me in a diagonal motion as I slammed the car door shut, and started toward the breezeway of the apartment complex. The sound of Sawyer doing the same behind me filled my ears. He was beside me in a second with his head down and his hands crammed into the pockets of his coat.
“Yeah, there’s no way you’d be able to see anything while driving in this garbage,” I said, barely able to see where I was walking through the downpour of snow.
“I think you’re right.” He laughed. “Thanks for letting me stay. I should have made us leave earlier so we could have beaten this entirely.”
“Don’t worry about it.” I started up the stairs to my apartment, praying there would be no ice to slip on. “It’s not a big deal. I mean, who could have predicted this? The weatherman didn’t even get it right.”
“True.”
A whistling wind made its way through the breezeway we stood under. Shivering, I searched through my purse for my keys. My hands were already ice cold and solid red. Another whipping wind came through, this time bringing with it snow and freezing rain. It pelted against the side of my face and across the tops of my hands as I fumbled with frozen fingers to unlock the damn door. Sawyer’s hand was there, steadying mine, helping to push the key in correctly, and then unlocking it swiftly.
“Thanks,” I breathed. “I’m frozen already.”
“I know. Me too.” He pushed the door open, and we stepped inside into the blissful warmth.
Slipping off my shoes at the door, I tugged off my coat next. I flipped on a light, and let out a huge breath of air as it illuminated my living room. Thank God, I still had power. I spun to face Sawyer and voice my relief; he was still standing in the same spot. His shoes were off and his jacket was now draped over his arm. He stared at me with a boyish look of awkwardness splashed across his face.
“What’s wrong?” I asked with a teasing smile. “Not so confident about your moves now that we’re inside?”
“No, just not wanting you to change your mind about inviting me to stay. I’d prefer if you didn’t send me packing back into that mess out there.” The hint of a smile spread onto his face as he did a little shoulder shrug thing I found to be adorable.
“I wouldn’t do that,” I insisted. “Not to you.”
Walking toward him, I took his coat and hung it on the wall hook beside mine. “Make yourself at home. I think I have some hot chocolate, if you want some.”
Heading toward my tiny kitchen to hunt for two packets, I prayed I actually had some shoved in the back of a cabinet someplace. While searching, I also sifted through my cabinets to make sure I had plenty to eat while I was trapped during this blizzard from hell. Apparently, I was going to have to live off Ramen noodles, tomato soup, chocolate, and Wheat Thins. Could be worse.
“All right, two hot chocolates coming up.” I pulled two packets from the box I’d found, and set them on the counter.
“Can I help?” Sawyer asked. He was directly behind me. I hadn’t even heard him move from the front door.
“It’s not rocket science. I think I can handle it.” I smiled.
Pulling two mugs from in a cabinet, I began filling them with water.
“You don’t use milk?”
My nose crinkled at the thought. “Milk? Warm milk? Yuck, no way.”
“Yuck?” Sawyer scoffed. “Milk is the only way to do it. It’s the best. I mean, who wants to drink watered-down hot chocolate?”
“Me,” I said, continuing to fill the mug in my hands. “If you want to make yours with milk have at it. I’m sure you know where it’s kept.”
“Have you ever had it with milk before?”
“No. It seems gross.”
“Just try it. Once. I’m sure you’ll be hooked,” he insisted, reaching around me for his mug. Sparks ignited in the few inches of space between us when he did so, and I felt every cell in my entire right side come to life. “It’s thicker and creamier than using water.”
My heart palpitated in my throat as I continued to take note of his nearness. I dumped my mug of water into the sink, and handed it to him.
“Fine, make me a believer,” I said, thankful my voice sounded normal instead of reflecting the crazed sensations swirling through me from his sudden nearness.
Sawyer took the mug from my fingers as the ghost of a smile toyed with the corners of his yummy mouth. Another tailspin of sensations made a certain area of mine throb to life with desire as they surged through me.
Yes, love gods, Soldier Boy had awoken my libido, and there was going to be no stopping the hungry little monster if he even so much as kissed me again.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
SAWYER
After I made hot chocolate using milk instead of water, Eva and I sat on her couch to watch TV. The first thing she did was turn on the news, claiming she only wanted to know what the weather was planning to do. I noticed something else though, something buried beneath the surface—fear. I wasn’t sure what exactly she was so scared of, but I knew that emotion when I saw it.
“Oh my God, those poor people,” she said. We were watching a live report showing hundreds of cars bumper to bumper on the highways unable to move more than a few inches at a time due to the treacherous weather conditions. “It is a good thing we left the mall when we did, otherwise that could have been us.”
She was right. One of the highways they were showing was the exact one we’d taken to get to and from Carver. Leaning forward on my knees, I stared at the screen, unbelieving the power of this snowstorm. My cell rang from inside my coat pocket and I moved to answer it. My parents’ number lit the screen.
“Hello?” I said.
“Hey, honey, I just wanted to call and make sure you weren’t stuck somewhere out in this storm,” my mom said. Her voice sounded small and nervous.
“No, I’m fine.” I turned to face Eva. She’d been staring at my back, but the second I’d turned around, her eyes snapped back to the TV.
“Good.” Relief flooded her voice. “This is looking pretty bad. Have you seen the news?”
“Yeah, I’m actually watching it right now.” I walked to where I had been sitting on the couch, and flopped back down. “It’s looking pretty rough.”
“I don’t think those people are going to be able to make it where they’re trying to go. The weatherman said we’re supposed to get about six inches tonight,” she said.
“Well, I hope not.”
“Me too,” Mom said. “Well, I’m going to continue on with my calls, honey. I just wanted to make sure you were all right.”
“Thanks, I’m fine.”
“Love you, Sawyer.”
“Love you too, Mom.” I hung up.
“Aw, that was sweet,” Eva said. She took another sip of her hot cocoa, her ocean-colored eyes fixated on me.
“Thanks. That was my mom checking to make sure I was somewhere safe.”
The reporter came back on again, this time to talk about how the local DOT had been sent to the coast to help prepare them for the brunt of the storm. They switched to the meteorologist, who then talked about how the storm had taken a turn they hadn’t expected, and slammed into the western part of the state instead of the coast as they had predicted. While images of the coast still appeared to be rough looking, the area surrounding us seemed to be taking the brunt of the storm.
“I can’t believe this,” Eva said once they switched back to a shot of the highways and the wrecks that had already occurred. One was a seven-car accident on a s
tretch of highway we’d been on almost an hour ago. “I should call everyone, and make sure they’re all right.”
She stood and walked to retrieve her cell. I continued to sip my hot cocoa while watching the news as she made her way through her seemingly short list. Never once did she utter the words I love you like I had with my mother. I found that to be odd, but then thought she might not have called her parents. Those would be the first people I would call, but it was possible Eva had different priorities when it came to that category.
The lights flickered and Eva was beside me on the couch in seconds. The fleece blanket she’d been covering up with before was now wrapped around her tightly.
“You okay?” I asked.
“Yeah, I just don’t want the power to go out.”
Surely, she wasn’t afraid of the damn dark. Right?
“I don’t think it will,” I assured her. “Wanna watch a movie or something?”
Maybe that would get her mind off the storm, and calm her down. She seemed to be winding up tighter and tighter by the second.
“Sure, there’s Netflix. You can find something, if you want,” she said without moving.
“Okay, cool.” I picked up the remote, and searched for something funny to ease her mind.
Finally settling on Identity Thief, I set the remote down and leaned back. We only made it halfway through before my cell went off again. It wasn’t my mom this time; it was my commanding officer. Fuck. That meant I was going to be shipping out somewhere. Soon.
“Hello, sir,” I answered.
“Keeton, I’m sure you’ve been watching the news or at the very least have looked out a window in the last few hours.” His voice boomed through the speaker on my cell.
“Yes, sir, I have.”
Eva became rigid beside me. Her eyes were wide and concerned as she paused the movie.
“We’ve been called in for aid. Be prepared to meet at the armory at o seven hundred hours.”
“Yes, sir. Thank you, sir.”
“Get some rest. You’re going to need it.” He hung up without another word.
Forget You Page 10
