by A. M. Myers
“Sawyer,” she whispers, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath like she’s washing all the pain away. I can’t take my eyes off her.
“My angel…”
Opening her eyes, she smiles. “I love it when you call me that.”
“It’s what you are. Before I met you, I was beginning to think I was going to spend the rest of my life alone… and I thought it was what I deserved.”
“Why?” she asks, her brows knitted together in concern. I sigh.
“I already told you about Molly,” I answer and she nods. “But there was someone else before her…”
“Someone you loved?”
I shake my head, pain piercing through me as memories flood my mind. “Not like that. Her name was Lydia and I met her when we were six. She was my best friend and we never went anywhere without each other.”
“I get the sense that this story doesn’t have a happy ending.”
“It doesn’t,” I whisper, fighting through waves of pain and guilt. “We were juniors in high school when she met Tony, this guy that worked at the coffee shop by our school. He was a little bit older than us and had a bit of an edge that only made Lydia like him more and no one could tell her anything about him.”
She sucks in a breath.
“Anyway, they started dating and things seemed okay at first and then I noticed that Lydia was wearing long sleeved t-shirts in the middle of the summer and if I startled her or touched her when she wasn’t expecting it, she’d jump sky high.”
“Oh, Sawyer,” she whispers and my eyes burn with unshed tears as I shake my head. I hate telling this fucking story - it wrecks me every time - but she needs to hear it.
“I tried talking to her and I told her over and over again how she could tell me anything and I’d always be there for her but she wouldn’t open up to me. One day in art class, we were making stuff out of clay so she had to push her sleeves up and that’s when I saw the handprint around her wrist. She finally broke down and told me that he had been beating her for months.”
Juliette lays her head on my shoulder and I shudder as I wrap my arms around her back, holding her close as I continue.
“After talking for a long time, I finally convinced her that she had to end things and I sat next to her as she called him and told him they were done. He was pissed and he swore that he was going to make her pay. She started to panic but I told her I’d keep her safe and I went into full on protective mode. I walked her to and from school everyday, I sat outside her house until after her parents got home from work, and she stayed over at my house when she couldn’t take anymore and needed to disappear.”
“This is why you work with the Devils?” she asks and I nod. “Is Lydia okay?”
“No, she’s not.” My voice cracks and I clear my throat as I pull Juliette in tighter. “I had a dentist appointment one morning and I wasn’t able to walk with Lydia to school but she promised me she was getting a ride from her mom so I thought everything would be okay… When I got to school, I couldn’t find her anywhere and she wasn’t answering her phone… I called her parents and her mom said that Lydia walked to school by herself that morning.”
She sits up and meets my eyes. “They didn’t know?”
“No,” I answer, shaking my head. “She didn’t want them to know and she was my best friend so I kept her secret… and then they found her body in the woods by her house the next day.”
“Oh, baby,” she breathes, pressing her hand to my cheek as my chest aches and my stomach rolls.
“She’d been beaten to death and it was all my fault.” I close my eyes as a tear slips down my cheek and she wipes it away as she cuddles back into me.
“No, it wasn’t your fault. You were just a kid…”
I shake my head. “I should have done more. I should have done better… she was counting on me to keep her safe and I couldn’t do that.”
“Sawyer,” she whispers, sitting up and forcing me to open my eyes and look up at her. “I love your sweet, tender heart and your fierce protectiveness but some things are just out of your control. You did everything you could and then Lydia made the decision to walk to school knowing she was in danger. That was her choice and you can’t carry it around on your back like it’s yours. I can see the way it eats away at you…”
Shaking my head, I slip my hand into her hair and push her down until her lips meet mine. I can’t listen to her tell me it wasn’t my fault anymore when I know damn well it was but maybe, with her help and her love, I can finally put it in my past. Her body melts into mine as she grips my shoulders, kissing me back with just as much need. I grip a chunk of her hair and push her down onto my lap as I thrust up and she gasps.
“I need you, angel,” I murmur and she nods, raking her teeth down my neck. My cock jumps and desire floods my body as I dig my fingers into her skin. Groaning, I grab her ass and stand up with her in my arms before turning and carrying her into the bedroom. I sit on the edge of the bed and she moans as she rocks her hips against me. I release a breath. “Baby…”
“Yes, Sawyer?” she whispers into my ear and I shiver as she does it again. Fuck. It feels so damn good and all I want to do is disappear into the sheets with her and never come out again. All my pain, all my guilt, all my fear - it’s all gone the moment she touches me and it hits me out of nowhere that I’ll never be able to get enough of her. There will never come a point in my life where I will feel like I’ve had my fill of the gorgeous, amazing woman in my arms.
Holy shit…
I’m going to marry this girl.
And unlike the last time I thought about forever with someone, I don’t feel nervous, only excited to start building a life with my angel.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Juliette
“Sawyer,” I breathe as he drags the bitten end of the strawberry over my skin, starting at my hip and ending on my chest. As soon as he’s done, his tongue follows. Goose bumps race across my flesh and a shiver works its way down my spine. “Is this the only reason you wanted to order room service?”
His chest rumbles with laughter. “It’s one of them.”
“Do I get a turn?”
“Maybe later,” he answers with a shrug as he sucks my tit into his mouth and my hips shoot off the bed. As he flicks his tongue over my nipple and grips my hips, he nudges my legs open and slips in between them. Reaching across the bed, he grabs a spoon and scoops the whipped cream off of the waffles before turning back to me with a grin. I shake my head.
“Oh, no. That stuff is sticky.”
He nods as he lowers the spoon to my belly. “Mmhmm.”
“Did you hear me?”
“Yeah,” he answers, swirling the spoon across my skin and spreading the cream around. “You said I have to lick this off of you, then I have to take you in the shower and clean you up.”
I snort. “Sounds terrible for you.”
“It really does,” he murmurs as he leans down and drags his tongue across my belly. I suck in a breath as my eyes roll back in my head.
“At what point in there do I get an orgasm?”
He shrugs as he continues licking the cream off of my skin. “Maybe after the shower.”
“You’re so mean to me,” I whine and he laughs as he moves up my body and flashes me a wicked smile.
“I know.”
He presses his lips to mine as I lift my hips off the bed and his deep groan settles between my legs, making me ache for more as his tongue traces the seam of my lips. My lips part and the taste of strawberries, cream, and Sawyer swarm my tastebuds and I moan. He pulls away from my lips, breathing heavily as he slips his hand between my legs and my body tenses in anticipation.
“What about now?” he asks, as his fingers brush over the sensitive nub before disappearing again. I nod and lift my hips but he pulls his hand away. He laughs. “I’ll make you a deal…”
“What?”
“I’m going to ask you a question and if I like your answer, I’ll give you what you
want. Sound fun?”
I frown up at him. “I don’t know.”
“First question,” he says with a grin. “Do you love me?”
“Yes.”
“Very good.” His grin widens and my eyes roll back as he rubs his fingers over my clit in little circles. “Now, if you keep giving me answers I like, I won’t stop.”
I nod, only able to focus on his words for a second. “Okay.”
“Are you mine?”
I smile. “Yes.”
He hums his approval and bends down to flick his tongue over my nipple. I gasp, threading my fingers through his hair as he increases the pressure of his fingers.
“Do you ever want to be without me?” he asks, his breath warming my skin and I shudder as I shake my head.
“No.”
Two fingers slip inside me while his thumb presses against my clit and I gasp, squeezing my eyes shut and clinging to him as an orgasm builds inside me.
“Will you move in with me?”
My eyes snap open. “What?”
Pulling away, his fingers slip out of me and my body screams for release as I stare up at him and try to wrap my mind around what he just asked me. He frames my shoulders between his arms and leans down to press his lips to mine.
“Move in with me.”
It’s more of a demand than a question and I tilt my head to the side as I study him. “We haven’t known each other for that long…”
“So? I want you in my life, every single day and besides, tell me it makes sense for you to sign a lease or buy an apartment when you’re just going to be living with me in a month or three or whatever is an acceptable timeline for the world.”
I purse my lips. “I suppose you have a point.”
“I do have a point,” he agrees, his smile bright as he sits back and drags his fingers down my thigh. “Now, tell me you’ll move in with me.”
“You’re very demanding.”
“I know.” He nods and I sigh as I study him for a moment before giving in.
“Okay. I’ll move in with you.”
His eyes light up as he leans over me again and slips his hand between my thighs, teasing my clit for a second before driving two fingers into me and pressing his thumb to my clit.
“Sawyer,” I cry out as my body comes alive with pleasure and I whine, begging whatever God can hear me that he doesn’t stop again.
“You want to come, baby?”
I nod. “Yes… please!”
He groans and shoves his hand behind my neck, gripping it as he begins fucking me with his fingers, hard and fast. Pressure builds in my belly, begging for release as I writhe beneath him, unable to control myself. He curls his fingers, hitting my g-spot and I cry out.
“Shh,” he whispers, a proud grin on his face as he slams his lips to mine and mimics the motion of his fingers with his tongue. He curls his fingers again and my body explodes, my internal muscles clamping down on his fingers as waves of pleasure rack my body and I scream into his kiss. As he pulls away from my lips, he releases my neck and slowly massages my core as shudders, almost like the aftershocks of an earthquake, tear through my body.
“Oh… my… God,” I whisper, shaking my head back and forth with my eyes closed. He laughs.
“Fuck. Watching you come apart for me is almost better than getting off myself… almost!”
Sighing, I open my eyes, still shaking my head. “I have never felt anything like that.”
“That you can remember.”
“No,” I shoot back. “If I had experienced anything like that before, I would remember it.”
He smiles and lays down beside me, dragging his fingertips lightly across my stomach. I’m relieved to see that my lack of memories isn’t bothering him anymore and that it’s something we can joke about.
“Are you worried about the stuff you don’t remember?” he asks, avoiding my gaze as I stare down at him and I sigh.
“No. When I came to Baton Rouge, I knew I needed to focus more on the life I was building and not the one I left behind.”
“I’m still worried about your fiancé.”
I sigh. “Ex-fiance and don’t be too hard on him.”
“Why not?”
“Can you imagine if one morning you woke up and I didn’t remember who you were, then I left you to start a new life somewhere else with another man? He’s already been through hell.”
He pulls me closer and brushes his thumb over my cheek. “And what if he’s the one trying to hurt you?”
“I don’t see it,” I answer, shaking my head. “Besides, it’s still possible that no one is actually trying to hurt me.”
“You were shot at… and run off the road!”
“Those could both still be coincidences. Car accidents happen all the time and it’s possible someone was trespassing on your property and just target shooting or hunting. Besides, don’t you think if someone wanted to kill me out in the woods, they wouldn’t have missed?”
His brow knits together. “I didn’t say they had good aim.”
“I love how protective you are, baby,” I tell him, pressing my hand to his cheek and he meets my eyes. “I just don’t want you to be so busy looking for the danger that you miss the rest of your life… the rest of our lives.”
Emotions flick through his eyes as he stares down at me and I can see him thinking it through before he leans down and seals his lips over mine. His kiss is tender this time and I can feel every ounce of love he feels for me being poured into his touch. It’s so potent, so pure that tears sting my eyes. He pulls away and a soft smile stretches across his face.
“You ready for that shower now?”
I nod and he jumps out of bed, laughing as he scoops me up despite my squeals of protest. As we turn toward the bathroom, someone knocks on the door and he looks down at me with a scowl. I shrug and he sets me on my feet before kissing my forehead and grabbing his jeans from the floor.
“Stay here,” he orders as he pulls them on and I nod as I grab my robe off of the chair and slip into it, tying it off at the waist. Sawyer runs his hand through his hair as he walks into the living room, leaving the door to the bedroom wide open so I can see everything. As I sit on the edge of the bed, I scan through all the options as whoever it is starts pounding on the door. If it was hotel staff, they certainly wouldn’t knock like that and Mercedes would have called before coming over. The only other option that makes any sense is Gavin but he wouldn’t come here, would he? Not after I made my feelings perfectly clear yesterday.
He opens the door and starts talking to someone but they’re too far away for me to hear so I stand up and sneak into the living room.
“I’m sorry to do this, Moose, but I’ve got to bring you down for questioning,” someone says and a feeling of protectiveness wells up inside me. I march to the door and yank it open further so I can see who is on the other side.
“Who are you?”
The man on the other side of the door turns to me with wide eyes. “Detective Rodriguez. Who…”
“Why are you here?” I ask, my heart racing as I try to think of a reason why he would need to take Sawyer down to the station for questioning. Whatever it is, it doesn’t matter. He didn’t do anything wrong and I will hire the very best attorney money can buy to fight whatever charges they want to throw at him. The detective glances over at Sawyer.
“As I was just telling him, there’s been a report filed against him and I need to ask him some questions.”
I nod. “Is he under arrest?”
“Not at this time.”
“Then you can ask your questions here,” I tell him, stepping back so he can come into the room. He glances over at Sawyer, who just shrugs and turns to grab his shirt off the floor where it ended up when I threw it last night. As he slips it over his head and sits down on the couch, I sit next to him and carefully watch Detective Rodriguez as he sits in a chair across from us. When he looks up at us, I give him an expectant look.
“Right,” he
sighs. “Do you know a Tawny Mullan?”
Sawyer rolls his eyes. “You know I do, Diego. Just tell me what the hell is going on.”
“Wait. You two know each other?” I ask and Sawyer nods as he wraps his arm around my shoulders and pulls me closer.
“Rodriguez helps the club from time to time and we help him when we can.”
“Look,” Rodriguez says, scrubbing his hand over his face. “The department knows I’m friends with you guys so when this hit my desk, my captain said it has to be official.”
Sawyer releases a breath and nods. “Okay. Yes, I know Tawny Mullan. We dated for a few months.”
“And when did things end?”
“A little over two weeks ago.”
He nods, writing some things down in a mini notebook. “When was the last time you saw Miss Mullan?”
“When she showed up at the club three days ago,” he says. Rodriguez writes some more things down, nodding the whole time.
“You haven’t seen or heard from her since then?”
He shakes his head. “No.”
“Do you have an alibi for last night?”
“Um, yeah,” I snap. “He does.”
Rodriguez looks up and meets my eyes. “He was with you all night?”
“He got here around six and he never left.”
“Can anyone else confirm this?” he asks and Sawyer’s muscles tense up.
“What the fuck, dude?”
I nod. “Yes, I’m certain this hotel has cameras. You could also ask whoever brought our food up last night and this morning… oh, and the bartender downstairs.”
“Okay,” he breathes as he finishes jotting down notes and slips his notebook back into his suit jacket.
“You want to tell me what the fuck is going on now?” Sawyer growls and I lay my hand on his leg to calm him. I’ve never met this bitch but there’s something about her that gets Sawyer’s hackles up and that’s enough for me. Plus, she clearly can’t take a hint where my man is concerned… not that I can blame her.
“Tawny came into the station this morning to report an assault. She’s got a pretty nasty black eye and she says you did it.”
