15. Beckett #3
Okay, so I had no idea if I was going to see her again, but I wanted to. I even considered using them as a bargaining chip for her contact information, but blackmailing someone into a relationship by threatening not to return their panties didn’t seem like the way to go.
I was never going to beat the kidnapping allegations as it was, so I decided to keep that information to myself.
There was so much more Sawyer wanted to say. Her mouth twitched, fingers burrowed between the bundle of clothing in her hands as she shifted on her feet. Instead, she seemed to have thought better about it. “Do you have a pair of shorts I can borrow so I’m not parading around in my underwear?”
That was a sight I’d love nothing more than to see, but I didn’t want to upset the fragile peace we reached.
Wordlessly, I walked over, snatched a pair of shorts from the dresser, and handed them to her.
“They’ve got a drawstring, so you should be able to tighten them up.
If that doesn’t work, feel free to grab a pair of my boxers. Top drawer on the left.”
Some jealous, territorial part of me preened at the thought of her wearing my clothes again.
Maybe everything was happening all too fast, but the leisurely cruise option had already set sail, and we were left with nothing more than a speedboat headed out into choppy waters.
All we could do now was see where our adventure was headed.
With a huff, she padded toward the bathroom to turn on the shower.
I waited until I heard the door click shut before scrubbing my hands over my face.
It was my first moment alone since Sawyer had blurted out the news, and I could feel the panic threatening to take hold now that she was gone.
What the fuck was happening? Two hours ago, I felt like a completely different person.
One who’d been hopeful about a dinner date with the woman he hadn’t been able to stop thinking about for the past six months.
Now, I was standing in my bedroom wearing a vomit-stained shirt while that same woman took a shower only a few feet away.
Oh, and she was pregnant with my child.
I didn’t have time to think about that when I still needed to change clothes and prepare dinner.
I made quick work of my shirt, throwing it into a pile that was immediately going into the laundry.
Come to think of it, I should’ve asked Sawyer before she got into the shower if I could wash hers as well.
I turned and took one long, lingering look at the door before I found myself standing in front of it. I heard the sound of running water and Sawyer’s soft hum of contentment. My forehead came to rest against the wood as I bunched my fists at my side.
I should not, under any circumstances, knock on the door.
I should wait until Sawyer got done and then collected her clothes.
I didn’t need to make sure she was finding everything okay. She was a grown-ass woman.
And yet…
And yet, I found myself raising my fist and rapping my knuckles gently against the door. Sawyer’s gasp took me by surprise. I muffled my laugh as she let out a hesitant, “Yes?”
“I was going to wash my clothes,” I said, forcing air in through my nose.
I could smell my shampoo and body wash. It was torture for so many reasons to know she was just on the other side of this door, and there was nothing I could do.
It wasn’t even strictly for sexual reasons.
I genuinely wanted to take care of her. “Did you want me to grab yours?”
There was a moment of silence long enough for me to wonder if I’d made a monumental mistake, and then I heard it. The softest yes that nearly had me falling to my knees in relief.
“I’m coming in,” I called, twisting the doorknob and prying it open just enough to fit through.
My plan was simple enough. Go in, grab the clothes, keep my head down, and get the hell out of dodge before I embarrassed myself. That all went to shit the moment movement caught my attention out of the corner of my eye.
The shower stall was made from frosted glass, and with the steam from the water filling the small space, I wasn’t able to see anything other than her silhouette from where I stood.
That was all it took for me to stand there, gaping like a goddamn idiot.
Sawyer was soft lines and blurred edges, but I remembered them well. How pliant her body was beneath my touch. How creamy her skin looked against the dark cotton sheets beneath the moonlight. All of it had been burned into my memory, and now she was here. Feet away. Naked.
And, for the first time tonight, I saw the faint outline of her swollen belly. A belly that had my child growing inside.
“You got everything?” she asked.
While I may not have been able to see much, her view was a bit clearer than mine. I swore there was a hint of amusement in her tone. She’d undoubtedly caught me fantasizing about everything I shouldn’t be.
“Y-Yeah, all good,” I stammered, bending forward to collect her things. “I’ll be downstairs when you’re finished.”
The peal of her laughter followed me as I left, leaving me feeling slightly less embarrassed and all the more happy for it.