CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN #2
“James.” Sarah’s tone is gentle and suspiciously sweet. That tone can mean anything, from I found a puppy to I might’ve accidentally started a small fire in the kitchen.
“Oh no. That tone means you’re up to something, and I’m guessing it doesn’t involve getting back in bed with me.”
She chuckles. “You never seem to want to leave that bed.”
“Can you blame me?” I say, running my fingers over her hips as our bodies brush together in the water.
“If we keep going like this, I might break science. I don’t think even the pill or a condom could stop me from getting pregnant,” she says, tracing her fingers along my shoulders.
I tighten my hold on her waist. “You say the word, and I’ll make that happen.”
She flashes that huge-ass smile, and I already know she’s up to no good. Before I can figure out what she’s plotting, she looks over her shoulder at Michael, who’s sitting on the edge of the dock with a beer in hand, completely oblivious to us.
“Hey, big brother!”
Michael’s head snaps up, locking eyes with her, his beer halfway to his lips.
“James said he wants to put a baby in me,” she announces, loud and proud.
Oh crap.
Michael’s eyebrows knit together into one angry line. “HE WHAT?”
Sarah’s grin stretches even wider. Meanwhile, Michael’s death glare zeros in on me. I swear, my whole life flashes before my eyes.
“What he wants is a punch in his fucking face,” Michael warns.
I press my lips together, turning my glare on Sarah. She set me up, and I walked right into it.
“You’re gonna pay for that, little danger.”
“Does it involve tying me up on the bed?”
“Fuck yes!”
She giggles, totally pleased with herself.
“So, as I was saying,” she starts again, “Ryan and Lorelai are heading to a town tomorrow to look for tattoo equipment, and I really wanna go with them. They said I could, if you’re okay with it. Can I?”
She gives me the most innocent face I’ve ever seen. She knows damn well what she’s asking.
“Sarah… why do you love torturing me so much?” I ask, pressing my forehead to hers.
She giggles again. “Because my reward is my boyfriend making me see stars even on cloudy nights.”
I bite my bottom lip. She’s talking about the night when a fight somehow turned into sex in the lake.
The whole thing flashes through my mind—her breathless moans, her nails digging into the dock, the water rocking around us as I pushed her over the edge again and again. We didn’t leave until the sun started climbing over the hill behind the house, painting the lake in golden light.
Fuck, I’ll never forget.
We didn’t talk about it after. That night, we slept together without a condom. Just that night. She’s on the pill, so it should’ve been safe. But we both knew what it would mean if that old thing didn’t work like it was supposed to.
And yeah… it’s scary. But it’s also kind of beautiful. I never thought I’d have a family again after losing mine. But Sarah wanting one with me? That’s the best gift she could ever give.
My heart’s not even done racing when she hits me with the one thing I can’t resist.
“Please, James,” she says, drawing my name out, “I promise to be a very good girl from now on.”
Lorelai laughs so hard she almost chokes, and I catch Ryan trying to hide a laugh against her neck. Ryan’s got Lorelai in his arms, her fingers playing with his hair while they float close by in the lake, definitely listening to every word.
“You told me you’ve been to that little town before, remember?
When you and Ryan picked up the movie projector,” she says.
“You said the place was empty. No one lives there, no eyes on it. No marks, no threat. And even if someone’s there, they’re not gonna link me to you if I’m with them.
” She pauses, swallowing hard. “You said we can’t be together on the road, and that…
” She shakes her head. “…that scares me, James. I don’t want to be apart from you.
But just like I’m okay here with Lorelai and Ryan when you’re out with Michael, I’ll be safe with them in that town too. You know I will.”
I sigh.
“I don’t know, Sarah. And it’s not just my call. Yeah, I decided to keep you here, but Michael backed me. He doesn’t want you leaving the lake house either.”
“But you can talk to him. Please, James? He’ll listen to you.”
Michael hasn’t stopped glaring at me since the baby line. At this point, I’m expecting a punch every time I turn around. And now she wants me to talk him into letting her sneak off to that town? I’m a dead man.
She starts trailing kisses along my chin, and I swear I’m done for. I love when she does that, even though I know it’s because she wants something I shouldn’t agree to.
The water suddenly feels ten degrees hotter, and my body isn’t far behind. The pressure building in my jeans is proof enough. Hell, I’m two seconds away from sending everyone inside so I can make her scream my name in this lake all over again.
I grit my teeth, forcing myself to keep it together.
“Admit it,” I say, trying to keep my cool. “You just want to go so you can look for some chocolate, don’t you?”
She lets out a deep breath. “God, yes! I really need it, James. It’s been forever.”
“Yeah, I know how your mind works.”
“Well, it’s not exactly rocket science.”
I cock an eyebrow at her. “And how do you even know that expression? We haven’t had rockets for over twenty years.”
It’s true. No rockets. No advanced tech. Nothing but scraps of what the old world left behind.
She lifts her chin, all sass. “I read.”
I chuckle, shaking my head.
“Still, even if I say yes, there’s no way in hell Michael’s letting you go to that little town. I’m sorry. That thing with Axel in the parking lot really messed with him. Nothing I say’s gonna change his mind.”
Michael’s always been protective, but after their last fight—when she admitted she couldn’t kill, not even to save herself—he got worse.
He didn’t say anything to me, but I see it in the way he watches the woods, how he keeps tabs on her like he’s waiting for something bad to happen.
And every time he looks at her, I can see the weight of his dad’s last words in his eyes.
That’s why he didn’t even hesitate when I said we should stay at the lake house.
Her smile fades, and her gaze drops like I just took her favorite book away. I take her chin in my hand, lift her face, and brush my thumb over her lips. And I know I’d do just about anything for her. No joke, if she wanted the moon, I’d be up there trying to figure out how to grab it.
“But…” I say, my voice dropping as I watch her eyes light up. “I can take Michael hunting while you’re in the town. He won’t even know you’re gone.”
I shouldn’t be saying this. I know how risky it is, but I can’t say no to her.
I watch as a smile spreads across her face, wide enough to steal the air right outta my lungs.
“Only problem is if we get back from hunting before you do, and Michael gets suspicious.”
She taps her bottom lip, wearing that thoughtful look she always gets when she’s plotting something.
“Just tell him I’m on the roof. He won’t bother to check.”
I laugh, tucking a wet braid behind her ear. “What is it with you and roofs?”
For as long as I’ve known her, the roof has been her favorite place. Back at the ranch, she’d spend hours up there, reading, stargazing, snacking on all the chocolate she could get her hands on.
“I like seeing the world from a different perspective. Maybe it’s because I’m not exactly tall.”
“I wouldn’t change a thing. You fit perfectly in my arms.”
She smiles.
“So, I can really go to the town?”
“Fine,” I say as my hands slide along her back. “But don’t ask me anything else, or I’ll actually get you pregnant tonight and give your brother a reason to finally kill me.”