Chapter Fifteen
Sarah gazed up at the ceiling, a dizzying smile on her face. She could still feel the pleasure tingling through every inch of her body as she lay beneath the covers in Lawson’s bed.
That had been…whoa. So much better than her fantasies of them together.
Her head was still spinning from their intense connection—it was more than she could ever have expected.
They had been dancing around their feelings for each other for so long, she had been starting to think it would never happen.
From the moment their lips had touched, she felt herself give in to him, her body accepting this closeness for the first time. No, more than accepting it, she needed it, craved it from some place deep inside her.
He glanced over at her as he buttoned up his shirt, flashing her a sexy grin.
“You good?” he asked her.
“Better than good,” she replied with a sigh, flipping over to face him. “You sure you can’t stay a little longer?”
“I would love to, trust me,” he admitted, pulling a face, and planted himself down on the bed next to her. He took her hand and drew it to his lips, placing a kiss against it softly. If she hadn’t already been lying down, she would have swooned on the spot.
“But I have to go into town and talk to the sheriff about what we’re going to do next with those assholes he’s got in jail.” He sighed, running a hand through his hair.
She propped herself up in the bed and shrugged.
“How about I come with you?” she suggested.
“I have some groceries to pick up in town and Hannah asked me to grab a few items for the kitchen, too. I was going to ask one of the guys to go with me, but I’d much rather go with you. If I wouldn’t be in the way, that is?”
He paused for a moment, then smiled and nodded. “You know what, I’d love that,” he replied.
“I’ll get dressed,” she said coyly, flashing him a playful little grin. As much as she knew she would have enjoyed lounging around naked with him, they had stuff to take care of, and she wasn’t going to be the one to hold him up.
“While you’re doing that, I’m going to call Xavier really quick and tell him we’re running to town and that I’ll fill them in on everything when we get back.” He gave her a quick kiss on the forehead, then stepped in the hall to make the call.
When she was dressed, they walked down to his truck.
He looped his little finger around hers, holding on gently, like he was making sure she didn’t drift away.
She could hardly keep the grin off her face.
She knew the other women would have a ton of questions for her if they saw the two of them together, but honestly, right now, she was finding it hard to mind much.
Maybe she wanted people to see them like this, just to make sure it was real.
He offered her a hand to help her into the truck, and she rolled down the window as they pulled away.
It was another beautiful day, and the sunshine filled the cab.
Sarah snuck a look at him out of the corner of her eye, and felt her chest flutter slightly again.
It felt so damn good to be with him like this.
“It’s gorgeous today,” she remarked, holding her hand out of the window and swimming it through the cool air.
“It really is,” he replied, his eyes lingering on her for a second longer than necessary.
She laughed, her cheeks flushing slightly.
It was like he could hardly keep his eyes on the road, the sight of her too exciting to deny.
As he drove, he reached over to rest a hand on the inside of her thigh.
His touch was strong and grounding, and she couldn’t stop stealing glances at his hand.
It was so new, but at the same time, his presence was so familiar, as though this was where the two of them had always belonged.
For a moment, even though she knew it wasn’t going to last long, she felt as though the weight of everything that was going on around them was lifting from her mind and she could finally relax.
Of course, she knew it wasn’t that easy, but she was happy, and with Lawson, and she just wanted to take a moment to enjoy it.
He pulled the truck to a halt in the town square, and he offered her a hand to help her out. He dropped a kiss on her cheek before he looked over toward the jail.
“You going to be alright?” he asked her, concerned.
“I’m just going to the store.” She laughed. “I’m going to be fine.”
“You better be,” he warned her playfully, and she kissed him again. She couldn’t get enough of him right now. “I’ll see you in a bit.”
She watched him walk toward the station, then turned and headed in the direction of the store.
As she made her way across the street, her attention was drawn to the bar she and her friends had been to last night.
She paused when she reached the sidewalk.
Maybe she could just pop in for a minute and ask about those guys from last night?
See if they were regulars or passing through. Help put her mind at ease.
Even though there was a Closed sign in the window, she knocked on the door, and a moment later, an older woman’s face appeared through the glass before she opened the door to greet her.
“Everything alright?” she asked.
“Sorry to bother you,” Sarah blurted out. “I just… I wanted to ask you about a couple of guys who were in here last night?”
“The ones who ordered those drinks for you and your friends, you mean?” she asked, nodding knowingly.
“You’ve got a good memory. Yeah, those guys,” Sarah replied. “Have you seen them around before?”
“I have,” she responded. “They pass through here on their way to work a few times a year. Not exactly the most clean-cut guys you’ll ever meet, but they’re harmless enough.”
“Right,” Sarah said, breathing a sigh of relief. “Sorry to bother you. Thanks.”
“Sure,” the woman replied, and she closed the door again and set about taking care of whatever she had been doing before Sarah had interrupted her.
Sarah closed her eyes for a moment and inhaled deeply. See? There was nothing for her to worry about—those guys had just been trying their luck, hitting up her and her friends in the hopes they might turn out to be single. She didn’t have to read anything else into it.
She hooked her bag over her shoulder and headed off toward the store, feeling a little lighter.
She knew that last night had just been her fear and anxiety getting the better of her, and she was a little embarrassed about it.
Even though Lawson had told her there was no problem with her playing it safe, she couldn’t help but wonder if he was secretly rolling his eyes at her behind her back.
No, he would never have done that, and she knew it. He just wasn’t that kind of guy. What you saw was what you got with him. It was one of the reasons she liked him so much.
“Sarah?”
She startled, then grinned when she saw Lawson coming toward her, then cocked her head, a little confused.
“I thought you were interviewing those guys today?”
“I was supposed to, but Sheriff Willis is out right now. I guess I should have called first,” he replied. “You need a hand with that grocery shopping?”
“Oh, I could always use a big strong man to help carry the bags.” She laughed, handing him the reusable ones she had brought with her. “Here, you take these.”
They walked to the grocery store, and she hummed along to the tinny music playing over the speakers as they picked out dinner together.
It felt almost surreal, doing something as mundane as this with him, but in a good way.
She’d love to repeat it as often as she got the chance.
Maybe that was a little selfish, but hell, who could blame her? She loved having him all to herself.
As they checked out, she felt eyes on her and looked over to see Lawson watching her.
She glanced up at him with a smile and he winked back, causing her to blush.
They made small talk while the cashier continued to ring up their groceries and it felt like the most natural thing in the world.
They seemed to share an easy rhythm between them and Sarah had to reach out and touch his hand just to make sure she wasn’t dreaming.
He squeezed her hand back, and then they gathered the bags and headed back to the truck to load them up.
“I think this is going to be enough to keep us going all summer.” He laughed.
She shrugged. “Hey, not all of it is for me. Plus, I like to think ahead,” she replied as they climbed back into the truck. But, before they could drive off, Lawson got a text on his phone. He looked down at it and grimaced slightly.
“What is it?” she asked.
“The sheriff,” he replied. “He says I should head over there now. They’re ready for me.” He glanced over at her. “You want me to drive you back up to the lodge?” he asked. “I can come back down afterward, it’s no trouble…”
“Don’t be silly,” she answered, shaking her head. “You don’t need to go all the way up there and back again. You’ll spend two hours just driving. It’s daytime and I’m perfectly capable of driving myself. How long do you think you’ll be?”
“A few hours, at least.”
“Text me when you’re done,” she suggested. “And I’ll come pick you up.”
“You don’t have to—”
“I know I don’t,” she replied softly, reaching over to touch his arm lightly. “I want to, Lawson. I want to help.”
“Okay, well, if you’re sure,” he said as he handed Sarah his keys.
“I’ll go up and drop off the groceries and check in with everyone, then I’ll come back down and grab myself a coffee while I wait,” she suggested. “I don’t have any appointments today and I could use the change of scenery.”
“You going to be alright on your own?”
“Of course, I will,” she replied. “I might have been a little out of sorts last night, but I can handle myself. You don’t have to worry about me.”
A weight seemed to ease from his shoulders when she said that, and she was so glad to see him give in and stop worrying about her for a change.
It wasn’t that she hadn’t given him reason to be concerned over these last few weeks, but the last thing she wanted was for him to neglect other things he needed to focus on to hover around her.
There was only one main road up the mountain to the lodge and she knew it like the back of her hand.
Plus, it was the middle of the day, so she knew there’d be no trouble on the road right now.
The men Lawson and the others were after, including the two locked up at the police station, skulked around in the dark of night.
No way would they try something in daylight, on a well-traveled road where anyone could drive by and see.
Those kind of men preferred the shadows to keep them safe.
Sarah sat and watched as Lawson crossed the street to the police station.
He turned to wave at her before he went inside, and she waved back and then put the truck in gear and pulled out on to the road.
A truck full of groceries, a sky full of sunshine and a sweet man waiting for her to come pick him up. Did it get any better than that?