4. Beckett #2
“Absolutely the fuck not,” I growled, making her laugh. Her dimples came out when she smiled. Something I hadn’t noticed before. “I just need you to slow down for a minute. We’ve got all the time in the world.”
That was a lie. We didn’t even have twenty-four hours, but saying that out loud would be an immediate mood killer, and I wasn’t ready for this to be over yet. Hell, getting stuck up here had started to sound good because it meant we’d have more time.
Sawyer looked like she wanted to correct me, but I lifted my hips and brought her back to the moment. “Stay with me here, sugar. Don’t go getting lost in that pretty head of yours.”
“That’s the second time you’ve called me that, you know.”
One of my hands greedily traveled up the length of her body, appreciating the way she went pliant beneath my touch.
I gripped her chin, pulling her in for a languid kiss.
“I have a bit of a sweet tooth.” I stole another kiss, letting my tongue skim across her bottom lip. “I just can’t get enough of you.”
She melted under my words just like I knew she would. Her gaze softened as heat rushed to her cheeks. “You sure are a smooth talker.”
“Is that so wrong?”
“Probably,” she said, pausing as her eyes swept over my face. “Guys like you come in all the time, trying to talk their way into something they can’t have.”
Fuck. Is that what she still thought of me? That I was just some callous asshole looking to get laid? Maybe, on some level, that may have been how we started out, but I hoped that the past few hours might’ve been enough to convince her otherwise.
Even with the fact that my dick felt like it was about to bust past my zipper at any given moment, I didn’t want her to feel like she owed me anything other than a goodnight when we separated ways.
“Sawyer—” I began, but she shook her head, quieting me.
“But something tells me there’s more to you than meets the eye. I just don’t know what it is yet.”
“To be clear, this doesn’t have to be anything other than this right here,” I said, pulling her tighter against me.
“There are no expectations when we reach the bottom of this godforsaken ride.” She laughed, and the sound was so damn pretty.
It soothed away some of my anxieties. “You’re in control here, sugar. You call the shots.”
Sawyer nodded and kissed me again with fervor. My fingers slipped through her auburn hair, tipping her head back so my lips could travel down the column of her neck. I paused at the dip of her collarbone, letting my tongue trail along the divot there.
“Oh my god,” she whimpered, tightening her grip on the back of my neck.
“See? I was right.” I asked, doing it again. She shuddered in my hold. “Just like sugar.”
“More like sweat and funnel cake grease,” she mumbled, laughing.
I nipped at her skin. It was clear she was self-conscious about something—whether it was her body or the fact we’d been stomping around in the Tennessee heat, but I didn’t give a shit.
“Can’t you just sit there and take a compliment?
Or do I need to do this again to keep that pretty little mind occupied? ”
This time, I kept my eyes on her as my head dipped again, continuing my perusal from her collarbone to the center of her chest. My hand drifted from her hip to her thigh, lifting the fabric of her dress to slip beneath it.
Her breathing hitched, and I paused to make sure she was comfortable with the change.
She dipped her chin, and I kept going until I felt the cotton fabric of her panties.
I let my fingers gently trail over the elastic band along her hip, trying like hell to behave myself.
Waiting, playing the long game, had never been my forte.
I was the kind of man who preferred instant gratification rather than a delayed reward, but Sawyer was different. I didn’t know how or why, but she was.
“Please,” Sawyer asked, tilting her head back as I continued placing open-mouthed kisses across her chest. I could tell she was enjoying herself by the jerky movement of her hips as she ground down against my length. Her skin was flushed, and not from the southern climate.
“Please, what?” I breathed. “Please stop? Please keep going? Please—”
“Touch me,” she whispered. “I need you to—oh, god.”
Her words cut off with a muffled cry as I dipped beneath the fabric of her panties.
Moisture slicked my fingertips as I dragged them along her seam.
Fucking hell. She was soaked, and I’d barely touched her.
It made me wonder what it would be like to have her spread out for me.
How, if her body came alive at such a simple touch, she would react beneath the weight of my full attention.
I’d barely grazed her clit when the ferris wheel began moving again.
Sawyer’s eyes popped open as she realized our ride was coming to an end.
There wasn’t enough time to make her come before we made it to the bottom, even with the few stops between us, but I didn’t move, didn’t withdraw my hand or push her away.
I just waited patiently for her to tell me what she wanted.
It took everything I had not to beg her for more. To tell her I wasn’t ready for this night to be over, but I refused to do or say anything that might pressure her into something she didn’t want or wasn’t ready for.
Much to my dismay, Sawyer smiled weakly and righted herself, settling next to me. I did the same, trying like hell to hide the fact that pre-cum soaked through my boxer briefs, and there was a small wet spot on my jeans that could’ve been from either of us.
We sat quietly, waiting for our turn to exit.
The fact that Sawyer didn’t look at me, choosing to keep her eyes trained literally anywhere else, had a pit forming at the bottom of my stomach.
Had I done something wrong? Made her feel pressured?
Or was she disappointed in the fact that I hadn’t moved fast enough and now we were thrust back into the real world rather than the cozy bubble we’d been in at the top of the ride?
The attendant didn’t smile as he unlatched the door for me to exit. I went first, holding my hand out for Sawyer to take as she stood on shaking legs. Her hand trembled as it landed in mine. I gave it a soft squeeze, guiding her off the platform and into the sea of people.
The fair wasn’t nearly as crowded as it was earlier.
Families wrangled their children—crying about not wanting to leave and sobbing over stuffed animals they’d wanted.
Couples lazily meandered hand-in-hand, some could barely keep their hands off the other as they went, nearly collapsing into their darkened cars without coming up for air.
“Well, you were right,” I said, tipping the corner of my lips up. “We didn’t die.”
Sawyer's smile was tentative, but not forced. “I told you we’d be fine.”
“Thanks to your distraction, I hardly remembered we were dangling in the air on a ride that looks like it hasn’t been inspected since the 80’s.” I shoved my hands as deep into my pockets as they could go in an effort not to reach for her.
Crimson stained her cheeks. “You’re being dramatic.”
“Am I?” I asked, quirking a brow. “I’m sure we can ask this fine gentleman, and he’ll be absolutely, one hundred percent honest.” I tried to walk past her, but she stopped me with a hand on my chest and a nervous giggle.
“Don’t you dare ruin the ferris wheel for me,” she chided. “I’ve loved this thing since I was a kid.”
“Alright, alright. I guess we’ll never know the truth.” I put my hands up in surrender. “But I think we both know I’m right.”
Sawyer and I had gotten so lost in one another that we both jumped as a voice boomed out over a static-filled speaker. “Thank you for visiting the Pinecrest County Fair! The grounds are closing in fifteen minutes. Please dispose of your trash responsibly and make your way to the exit.”
My keys felt heavier in my pocket than they had moments ago.
We were running out of time. If I didn’t do something now, I’d never get the chance.
But was it the right thing to do? The last thing I wanted was for her to feel pressured into anything, but how had we gone from so hot and heavy one moment to cold as ice another?
When she didn’t speak, I decided it was best to cut my losses.
After all, I still had a good time. I was actually surprised by how much fun it had been.
Though I felt like it had more to do with the company I kept versus the actual fair.
Something told me Sawyer had a way of making even the most mundane things exciting.