22. Sawyer
SAWYER
“ I feel like everyone has done you a massive disservice when it comes to this whole beekeeping thing,” Hallie says as we walk across the yard toward my hive.
“What?”
“You have nothing that says you love bees.”
Waving my hand in the direction of the hive, I stare at her. “I have a hive; isn’t that enough?”
“No shirts that say kiss the beekeeper or mugs that say just bee yourself. Seriously, it’s alarming what a missed opportunity this is.”
“Do I look like a guy who needs to cover my house in bee paraphernalia?”
“I mean…”
I snort and shake my head. “Don’t get any ideas.”
“Too late.” She grins, and I can only imagine what she’s plotting in that pretty head of hers.
“The bees are a hobby. I didn’t go looking for them. Hell, I didn’t even want them,”—I laugh softly—“but I learned to like and appreciate them.”
“And now?”
“Now I like having them. They force me to slow down, to be intentional for my safety and theirs. I get newsletters now and read online forums.” Grinning, I add, “Honestly, it’s a miracle I haven’t started my own collection of bee knickknacks.”
“That’s really amazing,” she says, lacing her fingers with mine.
“And I understand needing to slow down. Sometimes it’s not possible in the emergency room—things happen so quickly and we have to make decisions right then.
But when I can, I try to treat the person and not just the patient.
A lot of times, patience goes a long way. ”
“It’s one of the things I love about you,” I tell her, threading my fingers in her hair and slanting my mouth over hers.
“What’s that?”
“You’re competent. Sexy. And you never fail to light up every damn room you walk into.”
“Who knew you were such a sweet talker?” she teases, rubbing her nose against mine.
“It’s the honey.”
“And besides licking it off my naked body, what else do you do with it?” Her eyes are bright and full of mischief, her lips curling up into a devilish smirk as my cock hardens at the thought.
“All I can think about right now is licking you.”
“Focus.” Hallie laughs, swatting at my chest, the innocent contact doing nothing to calm me down.
“Bit hard for that.”
“Oh, come on…”
“Fine. I like being able to use their honey in the food I prepare. I sell and give away jars of it, keep my mama’s pantry stocked. Sometimes the forums have recipes to try along with medicinal uses for raw honey.”
“Have I mentioned how sexy you’re gonna look in your trust me I’m a beekeeper boxers?”
“That’s not a thing.”
“Oh, it certainly is.” She giggles, pulling me back toward the house.
“Thought you wanted to get a closer look at the bees?”
“I did and we will, but right now I need you inside.”
“Why?” I taunt her even as I let her pull me across the yard.
“Because you started talking about licking and being hard and now I think I want to taste a little of that honey off you.”
Stepping into me, she palms my cock through my shorts, and I can’t help but grunt. “It’s the thought of the bee-themed boxers that pushed you over the edge, isn’t it?”
“You have no idea.”
“Can’t say I hate your enthusiasm.”
With a laugh, she throws open the door and ushers me in. “You haven’t seen anything yet.”