by A. M. Myers
“How is it looking in here?” he asks and I glance over my shoulder as he walks into the room and sets the bags down. He is so close that the scent of his cologne envelops me and I turn back to the room as I close my eyes and take a deep breath. God, he smells good. It is subtle but an incredibly masculine scent that makes me think of things I should not be thinking right now when my life is such a damn mess.
“Not great.”
“I’ll take the couch.” He steps up next to me and his arm brushes my shoulder. Sucking in a breath, I peek over at him as my belly does a little flip.
“It’s way too small for you.”
Meeting my gaze, he smiles - this cocky but still kind smile that does all sorts of crazy things to my insides.
“I’ll make it work.”
I nod, unable to break eye contact with him. My heart thunders in my ear and my skin tingles as I turn toward him, once again my body moving without permission. His brows knit together and his lips part as he faces me, his gaze dropping to my lips before falling further to the curve of my neck.
“We…uh,” he says, his voice deeper and full of gravel. “We should get some sleep. I was planning on getting an early start tomorrow.”
Releasing a breath, I nod. “Right.”
He takes a step back and looks at the floor, killing the moment and I suck in a breath as a blush creeps up my cheeks. I turn to my suitcase and grab the handle before turning back to him and pointing to the bathroom.
“I’m just going to go change.”
“Yeah, okay… me, too.”
We stare at each other for a second before I force myself to walk away from him and roll my suitcase into the room. As soon as the door is closed and locked, I brace my hands on the edge of the sink and glance up at my reflection. For a week, the girl looking back at me has been a stranger and even though that’s still true, she looks lighter. There’s no confusion in her eyes or stress on her face because away from Gavin, I have the freedom to take my time figuring out who I am now - memories or not. I flash myself a smile as I push off the counter and open my suitcase. My pajamas are sitting on top - a pair of soft cotton shorts I’ve had since college and a white tank top. Biting my lip, I peek over my shoulder at the door and consider finding something else to sleep in. When I packed this morning, I had intended on being alone or with Mercedes when I wore this and the shorts are, admittedly, on the little side but before I can overthink it too much, I strip off my clothes and slip into my pjs before throwing my dark hair up into a messy bun.
Turning back to the mirror, I press my hands to my belly and rise up on my tiptoes to check the length of the shorts. They hit me at the top of the thigh but as I spin to check the back, I’m happy to see that none of my ass is hanging out. I turn back to face the mirror with a shrug and ruffle the bun on top of my head until it looks cute. As I’m inspecting myself again, I stop and shake my head. Crap. Why do I even care if I look cute for this guy? I’m certain that my attraction for him is nothing more than a week full of confusion and heartache urging me to seek out something uncomplicated because that is what I need right now. Sighing, I close up my suitcase and turn toward the door.
“Are you decent?” I call out and his light, husky laugh sends a rush of warmth sweeping through my body.
“Yeah, darlin’. I’m decent.”
I step out of the bathroom and he looks up from where he’s sprawled out on the couch in a pair of mesh shorts and a wife beater. More tattoos decorate his tan skin and his large muscles bunch and flex as he moves. His gaze immediately drops to the bronzed skin of my thigh and his lips part as one brow shoots toward his hairline. I can feel his eyes as he slowly drags them back up to my face and when we connect, the look he flashes me makes me feel like I’m on fire. I’ve never felt sexier than I do right now in some of the oldest, rattiest clothing I found in my closet.
Okay…
So, maybe there is something more to this than I thought.
“Uh… so I was, uh, thinking we should try to get out of here around seven and that should get us back to Baton Rouge around eight or nine.”
I nod. “Sure.”
“‘kay.” He nods and our eyes meet across the room. My heart is pounding so damn hard that I’m certain he can hear it on his side of the room and when his gaze falls to my chest, I suck in a breath. God, I can’t even imagine how good it would feel to kiss him but I sure as hell want to find out. No. What am I thinking? This is the last thing I need right now.
“Goodnight, I guess,” he says, cutting off my thoughts and my head jerks in agreement as I turn toward the bed and pull back the covers. When I was in middle school, I had this huge crush on this boy named Johnny but every time I tried to talk to him, I ended up tripping or mumbling or stuttering. Basically, I was a mess and there is something about Sawyer that makes me feel the exact same way. Maybe it is just because of everything I’ve been through recently or maybe it’s more. Honestly, I don’t know but I’m not going to figure it out tonight, that’s for damn sure.
As I climb under the covers, I peek across the room. His back is facing me now and I wince at the position Sawyer is curled up in as he tries to fit his large frame on the miniature couch. Sighing, I glance to the other side of the bed before turning back to him.
“Sawyer?”
He glances over his shoulder at me.
“You look miserable over there.”
Scoffing, he turns to face me. “You saying that just to rub it in how much this is going to suck for me.”
“No.” I giggle, shaking my head and he cracks a hint of a smile. “Come sleep on the other side of the bed.”
“Are you sure?”
I nod. “You stay on your side and I’ll stay on mine. We’re both adults. I think we can handle it.”
“Only if you’re sure…”
“I am,” I answer and he releases a breath as he tries to roll off the couch but ends up falling to the floor with a loud thunk and a grunt.
“Thank fucking God.”
I laugh as I watch him lumber to his feet and round the bed. As he climbs under the covers, I turn away from him and curl up on my side. He flips the lights by the bed off and when he’s settled, I look up at the ceiling and mentally try to tell the butterflies in my stomach to shut the hell up.
“Goodnight, Juliette,” he whispers and my heart skips a beat.
“Goodnight, Sawyer.”
Chapter Nine
Juliette
A horn blares through the room, piercing the morning stillness and jerking me from the first night of restful sleep I’ve had since waking up in the hospital a week ago. My mind screams in protest, trying desperately to pull me back into peaceful dreams and I’m just so damn warm and cozy that I might give in. Humming at the comfort surrounding me, I snuggle into my pillow and throw my arm over my ear to block out the noise but it’s persistent, demanding I heed its call.
“No,” I moan, trying to fall so far into the bed that I disappear. “Make it stop.”
Something between a groan and a hum greets me in return and my pillow, or what I thought was my pillow, moves underneath me. I jerk up in bed, blinking to clear the sleep from my eyes as I glance down at the bed. Sawyer cracks his eyes open and our gazes meet. My lips part as I suck in a breath, the situation crashing down on me as a blush creeps up my cheeks.
Oh my God…
“So much for you staying on your side of the bed, darlin’,” he quips as a sly grin stretches across his face and he reaches over to the nightstand to grab his phone and turn off his alarm. Silence descends on the room and I groan again as I drop my face into my hands. I’m going to die of embarrassment. His soft chuckle pierces through my imminent demise and I move my fingers to peek out at him. My cheek is still warm from where it was pressed against his chest and my fingertip traces over the indentations left from his shirt.
“I’m sorry,” I squeak and he laughs again. The sound is rich and warm. It’s the kind of laugh that immediately puts you a
t ease and makes you yearn for more, the kind of laugh that will have me doing all sorts of stupid things just to hear it again. With a sigh, I drop my hands into my lap and stare at him, unable to look away as he throws one hand behind his head and lays the other over his taut stomach. Even through his wife beater, I can see the definition of his muscles and my mouth waters.
“Hell, I’m not,” he replies, looking up at me with a shit eating grin. “Been a long time since I woke up with a gorgeous woman in my arms so I’m certainly not going to complain.”
My lips part as I suck in a breath. “You think I’m gorgeous?”
“I do have two functioning eyes and twenty-twenty vision so…yeah.”
“Oh,” I whisper as I drop my gaze to the comforter. My heart races out of control in my chest and my cheeks burn. If it really was five years ago and a man like Sawyer told me I was gorgeous, I would have flirted with him without a second thought but now… I have no idea what to do or who to be.
“What? No compliments for me?” he asks, moving the hand on his stomach to cover his heart. “I’m hurt. Is it my hair? Does it look like shit in the mornings?”
He ruffles a hand through his hair before trying to comb it all over to one side and I laugh despite the butterflies trying to escape from my belly. Pushing it all down, I summon a little piece of that girl I was five years ago and give him a little shove before turning to swing my legs over the edge of the bed.
“You’re all right, I suppose,” I fire back, peeking back at him as I fight a smile. “But I need to go get ready.”
He laughs. “Yeah, all right. I’ll load up the truck while you’re getting ready and we’ll hit that diner before we take off.”
I nod and push off the bed before grabbing my bag and slipping into the bathroom. When the door is locked, I turn to the mirror and stare at my reflection again as my heart rate slows to a normal level and my cheeks go back to their usual tan color. Good Lord, what is going on with me? I’ve never felt anything like this in my life and I can’t decide what is real and what is just a result of this crazy situation I’m in.
“Be rational, Jules,” I whisper to myself as I shake my head. I met the man a total of seven hours ago and most of that time was spent asleep so there is absolutely no way in hell that I actually feel anything for him. Do I think he’s cute? Hot, even? Absolutely and I do think he is kind for agreeing to this plan in the first place but that’s it. Except I don’t know if that’s true…
There is this nagging feeling that I’m finding harder and harder to ignore telling me that this time is different. But then again, I can’t remember the past five years of my life so what the hell do I know? Sighing, I drop my head for a second before meeting my gaze again. I can’t keep doing this. If this whole thing is going to work, if I’m going to get the answers I so desperately need, I have to follow my heart and just do what feels right. Even if that means flirting with a man I just met. I can’t fight it anymore and I have faith that someone out there has a plan for me, that all of this is happening for a reason.
Confident in my conclusion, I nod to my reflection and turn to my bag before opening it and pulling out a pair of dark jeans and a casual t-shirt. It’s cute but perfect for sitting in a truck all day long as we make the drive back to Baton Rouge. Once I’m dressed, I fix my hair into a cute messy bun and throw on some mascara and lip gloss. Satisfied with my look, I pack everything back into my bag before stepping out into the room again. Sawyer is sitting on the edge of the bed, looking at his phone and he glances up.
“Ready to go?”
My stomach growls as if on cue and I laugh as I nod. “I think that’s a yes.”
“Let me take your bag,” he says, reaching for the duffle in my hand and I pass it to him. As we head for the door, I feel his hand at the base of my spine, gently guiding me out of the room and for some reason, it makes me feel so safe. He’s literally got my back and I feel like nothing bad will happen to me as long as he’s around. Well, hell… I guess Mercedes might have been onto something when she called the club. When we get to the truck, he opens my door for me and I flash him a smile as I climb inside.
“I’m just going to do one last sweep of the room, okay?” he asks and I nod. He sets my bag in the back of the truck before heading back into the room. I dig my phone out of my purse and consider calling Mercedes while I sit in the truck but decide to wait until we’re about to leave. Surely Gavin has found my note by now and I don’t want to risk him finding a way to track me down before I even make it out of the city. What would I even say to him if he did track me down? It’s not like I can go back to that apartment and pretend to be his fiancée with no memories. Thoughts of him finding the note and the ring on the kitchen counter this morning fill my mind and my teeth sink into my lip as I wonder how he took it. Was he angry? Did he understand why I need to do this? I’m sure that either way he is hurting but I just hope he will be able to see my logic and look at this situation from my perspective. The door to the truck opens and I jump as it jerks me out of my thoughts. Sawyer’s brow arches as he slides behind the wheel.
“You okay?”
I nod. “Yeah.”
He studies me for a second before nodding in agreement and starting the truck. The engine rumbles to life, sending vibrations from my feet all the way to my chest and I sigh as I lean my head back against the seat as he pulls out of the parking lot. The sun is just starting to peek up over the ocean, casting hues of pink and purple across the sky as we drive down the street in our quest to consume the best pancakes in the county. Sawyer pulls the truck into the parking lot and I scan the area. There are a few cars in the lot but it’s empty for the most part which isn’t surprising since it’s barely six thirty. I press the back of my hand to my lips as I yawn and Sawyer chuckles.
“Not a morning person?” he asks as he pulls into a parking spot and I shake my head.
“Nope. Night owl. You seem…perky, though.”
He barks out a laugh that makes my heart flutter. “Perky? You know… I don’t know that anyone’s ever used that word to describe me.”
“Do they not have eyes? Or are they also unusually perky morning people?”
“Neither,” he answers, his smile falling away as he drops his gaze into his lap and shakes his head. I scowl, studying him as I lean forward and place my hand on his arm.
“You okay?”
He meets my gaze. “Yeah… It’s just… if I told you what I was thinking right now, you’d think I was crazy.”
“You might be surprised,” I mutter under my breath. I’m certain that, right now, my story is all kinds of insane and would beat whatever he is holding back but I’m not about to tell him that.
“Yeah? Wanna tell me about it over pancakes?”
I suck in a breath as I sink back into my seat. Shit. He wasn’t supposed to hear that and damn if the way he’s looking at me right now isn’t making me want to spill all my secrets. I shrug as I turn away from him and open the door.
“Maybe.”
I hop out of the truck without waiting for him and as I walk to the front, I hear his door open and close behind me. Glancing up, I watch him as he closes the distance between us and just as I’m turning to go into the diner, he grabs my elbow. His touch is so gentle but it sets me ablaze and I take a deep breath as I turn back to him.
“If you’re in some kind of trouble,” he whispers, his eyes are begging me to let him in. “You can trust me. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
I study him for a second before nodding. “Let’s go eat. I’m starving.”
He nods and as we walk into the diner, he places his hand at the small of my back again just like he did at the hotel. It’s insane how safe one simple little gesture can make me feel or how easy it is to be around Sawyer especially when I was with Gavin for a week and never felt at home. What does it mean though?
Hell, maybe it’s nothing - one of life’s great mysteries as my mom used to say. Maybe I'm searching so hard for ans
wers about everything in my life right now that I'm looking into this too much and overthinking everything. More than ever, I wish I could remember the last five years. If I knew who I am, or who I was, then all of this wouldn't be so hard. Or maybe it would. I don't know.
“Good mornin’, you two,” a cheery older waitress says as we stop in front of the counter. She reaches for the menus. “Anyone else joining you for breakfast?”
I shake my head.
“No, just us,” Sawyer says and she flashes us a grin. The heat of his hand seeps through my clothes and warms my skin. My body begs me to lean back into him but I manage to stop myself as she pulls two menus out of the cubby and motions for us to follow her. Sawyer’s hand moves, slipping around to my waist and he pulls me into his side. I suck in a breath and his grip tightens. She leads us to a little booth in the back corner of the diner and smiles as she sets our menus down and moves out of our way so we can sit down. The table is just big enough for the two of us and as Sawyer sits across from me and lays his arms on the top, his hand skates dangerously close to mine.
“Can I start y’all off with something to drink?”
I smile up at her. “Coffee, please. Lots of cream and lots of sugar.”
“You got it, sweetie,” she answers before turning to Sawyer.
“Coffee, black.”
She nods and slips her notepad back into the pocket of her apron. “I’ll give you two a minute to look over the menu.”
“Thank you.”
She flashes me a kind smile before walking away and I sigh as I pick up my menu and open it. There is a giant block smack in the middle of the menu talking all about their pancakes and the various toppings you can get. My stomach growls as I read over the options before deciding on something. When I close my menu and set it down on the table, I glance up and meet Sawyer’s eyes. It’s like the rest of the room melts away and it is just he and I here, lost in whatever the hell this is and even though I can’t identify what this is, it feels damn good.
