“He got into the wrong crowd and started doing things he shouldn’t. Stealing, fighting… drugs. Long story short, drugs placed him in a situation he shouldn’t have been in and that was it.”
My gut tells me there is so much more to this story that she isn’t telling me, but it’s not my business to push any further. She was brave enough to share that much, and that’s all I can ask for.
“Jesus, Sawyer, I’m so sorry.”
“It’s okay. I miss him so much every single day, but I have to live life for him now. That’s what I’m doing.” She holds her head high as she talks about him. It’s like she has to force herself though because I can see in her eyes how sad she really is.
“That’s very admirable.”
“Don’t let it fool you. I’m broken because of it and I have my bad days.”
“Like the day I saw you in your car after running at the track?” I say before thinking it through.
Her eyes lock on mine, and she nods. “Yes.”
“I swear I wasn’t spying on you or staring. I just looked over and there you were.”
“It’s okay. I didn’t expect to cry. It hits me sometimes out of nowhere and over the silliest things, as you know after what happened at school.”
“I wanted to come over and make sure you were okay that day, but it didn’t feel like the time.”
“I had just talked to my mom and that really brings it out sometimes,” she sighs. “I don’t like people seeing me cry. It makes me feel anything but strong.”
I slide my hand up her leg to where her hands are resting in her lap, wrapped around her nearly empty glass and take it from her, placing it on the coaster next to mine.
There is something about this woman pulling me in slowly, more and more every day, and I don’t want to fight it. Not even a little.
“You’re a very strong, capable woman. You shouldn’t be hiding in your car or in your classroom to cry all alone. Own what hurts you and know that crying doesn’t make you weak. It makes you human.”
She opens her hand and our fingers slide together, link, and fold into one another. I bring our joined hands up to my mouth and place a kiss to her middle knuckle.
“I like you a lot,” she says in a near whisper. “It’s scary, actually. I never expected to like you so fast.”
“What a coincidence,” I say, as I slide my free hand under her knee and tug her to sit sideways across my lap. “I like you a lot too.”
With roaming hands, never slipping underneath the barrier of our clothes, we kiss right here on her sofa in a mix of lips, tongues, teeth, soft breaths, and moans for the remainder of the evening until we both fall asleep curled together in the crook of the plush cushions.
It’s sensual without sex.
It’s intimate without losing our clothes.
It’s simply… perfect.
***
The sun slices through the window and over my face, pulling me from one of the most restful sleeps I’ve had in a while. I can still feel the weight of a sleeping Sawyer draped half on top of me, and I wouldn’t change that for the world.
I blink a couple times, trying to find my bearings, when I feel eyes on me. I tilt my gaze to the back of the sofa to find a very large, black and gray cat sitting there, staring down at me like I am public enemy number one.
“Umm, hi,” I say, and I swear this cat’s eyes get even smaller in a pure “I’m watching you, pal” gaze.
Sawyer inhales deeply and moves just a bit before I hear her quite voice, “What’s wrong?”
I whisper, “I think your cat is going to murder me.”
She sits up on her elbow and stares the cat down, “Oh my God, Herbert, get out of here.”
She waves him away and he just meows in response, still standing his ground.
“Herbert?”
“This is my cat, Herbert. He’s a bit of an asshole. He was hiding last night, apparently.”
“Herbert,” I say again, reaching up to pet him, but he dodges my touch and meows again.
“He isn’t exactly a people person, and he’s probably hungry.” She laughs as she pushes to sit up completely. “He’s been this way since day one. I got him from a rescue a few years ago, and he’s always after food.”
“Ah. He thinks I’m halting the progress of his breakfast.” I shift a bit, bringing my arm under my head to rest back against it.
“And as a fellow food motivated individual, I can understand the annoyance he has,” she giggles.
“What are your plans today?” I ask her, sliding my hand up and down her back.
“I’m supposed to be having dinner with Olivia tonight. She wants to do one of those wine and painting things and grab Chinese food before.”
“If she gets you for dinner, can I take you to breakfast?”
“I think I’d like that a lot.”
I cup the side of her face and press a gentle kiss to her lips, which is quickly halted by Herbert’s very loud and overly aggressive meow.
Sawyer pulls away with a huff, “Good God, Herb, I’m going, I’m going.”
She climbs from the couch and stretches, giving me quite the view of the curves of her body. She is goddamned perfect, all curves and softness, and beautiful skin. There isn’t a stitch of makeup on her face and her hair is a bit messy, but she could put any other woman to shame just as she is right now.
She catches me staring and a pink blush washes up her chest to her cheeks.
“What?” she asks.
“Just staring,” I say proudly. “And I’m wondering if you have plans two weekends from now?”
Chapter 11
Sawyer
“Wait, so you’re going away with him for a weekend?” Olivia asks with forkful of salad paused halfway to her mouth.
We are sitting in the teacher’s lounge together during the lunch period, thankful for a
