Chapter 18 Sawyer
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Sawyer
The house fades into silence around us. The laughter from the dining room becomes distant, muffled by the pounding of my own pulse in my ears. All I can feel is the heat building between us, thick and charged.
Every breath she takes is calling to me, pulling me closer.
She’s standing there, close enough to touch but just out of reach. Her eyes are wide, lips parted, waiting for something. For me to make the first move.
I’ve never been good at holding back, especially not when she’s this close, this tempting.
I step forward, just a little, enough to make her heart race, enough to close that final gap. Her gaze flicks downward, and I see the way her body reacts before she can hide it. Shifting slightly toward me, the soft sway of her hips undeniable.
Her body wants this. I can feel it in my bones.
My hand grazes her arm, just a whisper of a touch, but it’s enough to make her inhale sharply, to make her pulse quicken. Her reaction sends a thrill through me.
She wants it. She wants me.
Without waiting for any more signs, I close the space between us. My hands find her waist, pulling her against me.
She gasps, feeling the heat of my body pressed so close to hers, and I can’t stop the low growl that escapes my chest. Her breath catches again, and that’s when I know.
This isn’t just desire. This is deeper.
“Dakota.” I see her eyes flick to my lips before I lean in, whispering against her ear. “I’ve wanted this for so long. Wanted you.”
Her body shivers at the words. And I’m done waiting.
I kiss her. When her hands slide up my chest, her fingers scraping over my skin, I lose all control. The kiss becomes more urgent, hungry.
I grip her tighter, my hands cupping the back of her head, and she moans, soft and needy.
Her mouth parts under mine, and I take advantage, slipping my tongue inside, tasting her, claiming her. She’s just as eager, her hands working at the button of my jeans, the action frantic, desperate.
I pull away for just a second, our breaths mingling.
“Take them off,” she whispers. “Now.”
The command hits me as a shockwave, and I don’t hesitate. I rip my jeans down my legs, kicking them off as fast as I can, the urgency between us nearly suffocating.
She pulls me back to her, her hands roaming over my bare skin. I can’t breathe. I need her… now.
I push her against the wall, hard. The sudden pressure makes her gasp, and I like it. She’s mine right now. Completely mine.
“Is this what you wanted, Dakota?” I ask, rough, demanding. “To be fucked against the wall like this?”
She moans, nodding. “Yes. Please.”
And that’s all the permission I need.
I grab her wrists, pinning them above her head with one hand as I use the other to yank her dress up, baring her to me. My fingers trail up her thigh, teasing, feeling the heat of her skin, until I reach the edge of her panties.
I slip them down, not gently, but with a rawness that makes her gasp.
“You’re so fucking beautiful,” I growl, my hand sliding between her legs, feeling the wetness already waiting for me.
She shudders at the contact.
I drag my thumb over her, circling her sensitive clit, teasing her just enough to make her squirm, but not enough to give her what she really needs. She bites her lip, her body curving into mine, desperate for more.
“Please,” she begs, shakily. “I need you.”
“Tell me what you want,” I murmur against her ear. “Tell me how you want it.”
Her breath hitches, her hips bucking against my hand. “I want you inside me. Now.”
I don’t need to be told twice.
I pull her panties off completely, tossing them aside, and position myself at her entrance. She’s dripping with need, and the way she looks at me, ready to explode, makes my control slip further.
With one hard thrust, I push inside her, her body clenching around me as I fill her completely. She gasps, a low, needy sound that drives me wild.
I don’t hold back. I take her hard, pressing her into the wall, my hands gripping her hips as I drive into her again and again, loving the way she’s falling apart, the way her body responds to every thrust.
Her moans fill the room, frantic, desperate, and I can’t stop myself. I reach down, caressing her clit, rubbing in time with each thrust, sending her spiraling even faster toward the edge.
She’s close. Her body tightens around me, her breath quickens.
“Come for me, Dakota,” I growl, the words a command. “Come all over my cock.”
Her eyes snap shut, her body jerking in pleasure as she finally breaks, her orgasm ripping through her in waves.
The way she tightens around me pushes me over the edge, and with one final thrust, I’m coming inside her, every part of me exploding in release.
I hold her against the wall as we both try to catch our breath, her body still trembling in my arms, never wanting to let her go…
I wake up with a gasp, my chest heaving, a sheen of sweat clinging to my skin. The sheets are tangled around me, a mess of twisted fabric that feels as suffocating as the dream that just shattered my peace.
It takes a second for my mind to catch up with my body. The room is dim, the early morning light filtering through the blinds, casting shadows across the floor.
But all I can feel is the heat of what just happened.
That kiss. That touch. That hunger.
I blink into the stillness of the room, my breath coming in sharp, uneven bursts, and try to calm myself.
I glance over at the empty space beside me, but the image of her lingers like a heavy fog in my mind.
What the hell just happened?
I drag a hand through my damp hair, pushing back the frustration, the confusion. That felt too real. Too good.
I exhale slowly, my mind still spinning, trying to piece everything together. My body is telling me something different than my thoughts.
My muscles ache like I’ve been running for miles, and my mouth is dry, tasting her like she’s still here, still with me.
Every time I close my eyes, I see her. Dakota. That look she gave me. Open, hungry. She wants me.
But it’s a damn mess. Clint might want her, Reid definitely wants her, and hell, I can’t even figure out where I stand in all this. And then there’s the fact that she’s not sticking around.
I should forget it. Forget her. But I can’t. The ache is there, a constant pull in my chest.
I can’t like her. Not when things are already complicated.
With a frustrated sigh, I pull on my boots and grab a shirt off the chair. I force myself to focus, trying to block out the thoughts of her. It won’t be easy, but I’ve got work to do.
The ranch won’t fix itself.
I head out the door, trying to shake the feeling that I’m moving through molasses, every step heavier than the last. The sun’s barely risen, and the whole world is holding its breath.
But then I hear the shouts, and Reid cuts through the calm.
“Sawyer! We need you, now!”
I’m moving before I even realize it, heading toward the sound of his voice. Reid’s rushing toward me, face pale with panic.
“The livestock’s loose. They’re all over the place,” he says, barely catching his breath. “We need every hand on deck. I’ve got some guys on it, but it’s bad, Sawyer.”
I feel my stomach drop. That isn’t a normal mishap.
Someone’s fucking with us.
Still.
I’m really starting to think Clint is right to worry.
I swallow down the knot in my throat. “How the hell did this happen?”
“I don’t know,” Reid says tightly. “But we need help right now. They’re already scattered, and it’s only getting worse. We gotta fix this fast, or we’re gonna lose ’em.”
I don’t need to be told twice. My mind clicks into place as I make my way past the barn, muscles already shifting into work mode. I can feel the sweat on the back of my neck, but it’s not from the heat. This is too much.
We don’t stop moving. Not until we reach the paddock.
When I see it, I know right away this isn’t just some freak accident. The cattle are running wild, scattered in every direction, clearly startled by something.
Fuck.
Reid’s already rounding up the other hands, his face tight with worry, but it doesn’t take a genius to know this is bigger than a few cows breaking out.
This could cost us. And that’s the last thing we need.
I walk over to the broken fence, the destruction more than I expected. The wood is splintered, the posts cracked.
My gut clenches.
As I move to help, all I can think about is Dakota again. The way she looked at me, the way we… connected.
But I can’t afford to think about her now. Not when everything’s hanging by a thread.
Not when someone’s trying to tear us apart.