I kept the towel wrapped tightly around me right up until the moment I stepped into the steaming hot tub.
Sawyer was already in it, sexy and shirtless, his muscled arms draped across the edge of the hot tub, hooded eyes watching my every move.
And I swear he looked like he was drinking me up when the towel dropped, revealing my bathing suit and everything inside it. I quickly sank into the steaming water, too shy to let him examine my body. Even though I knew his eyes had been trained on my breasts for half the night. Remind me to wear tight fuzzy sweaters and low-cut tank tops more often if this is the kind of response I was going to get from the crush of my life.
He cut the couple’s cake in half and handed me a plate, holding it high above the bubbles. “I’m sorry I hit that guy. That was probably an extreme response.”
If he knew the amount of times I’d heard a wisecrack like that out of some redneck who didn’t know better, he’d have to beat up half the county.
But it had felt nice having a protector at my side.
“I think that guy will be fine. It’s not like you knocked him out cold.”
Sawyer laughed at that and took a bite of his cake. “So that’s the standard? I can beat up any guy to defend your honor, as long as he remains conscious?”
Grinning back at him, I quipped, “Semi-conscious will do. Really, though, it was sweet of you. Completely unnecessary… but sweet.”
“Kind of like this cake,” he groaned as he took another bite.
His dog, Josie, had come out to join us, circling around on the snow-covered deck until she found her preferred spot, then settled in for the night.
“When did you get her?” I’d never known him to have a pet before.
Sawyer’s brown eyes flickered with emotion. He’d been showing all sorts of feelings tonight. “Life got quiet after Matt left. Josie helped fill in the hole he left behind.”
I cocked my head at him. “I didn’t know you felt left behind, too. Matt’s probably just going through a thing, but he pretty much disappeared on us also. He comes by every few months and calls every now and then, but my parents are pretty devastated. It’s not that they’re upset he moved off Red Oak Mountain. But he’s not doing a good job of keeping in touch.”
He furrowed his brow. “I thought it was just me.”
“Nope. He froze us out too. I keep telling my parents it’s because he’s so in love with Vicky. He’ll come back around when he gets done with this lovestruck phase. He’s probably too busy in bed to think about picking up a phone and calling us.”
Sawyer nodded as though I’d clarified something for him. “And then I stopped coming over for dinner, too.”
“Yup. Like a two-for-one blow.Nothingwould make them happier than seeing you roll up into their front yard.”
Sawyer got a boyish smile on his face. The man looked vulnerable for a second. “I miss them so much. I don’t really have a relationship with my dad, so your parents have meant everything to me. I just didn’t want to butt in if I wasn’t wanted.”
I tapped him lightly with my foot under the water. “You’re wanted. My dad’s been trying to figure out what he did to drive you two away.”
“Really?”
I nodded.
He looked like he was tickled pink about that, and I was happy that I could help bring him back around.
My mom was going to flip out when she saw me dragging his butt home on Sunday.
I took my first bite of the cake, and then I was moaning, delighted by the explosion of flavors dancing across my tongue. “Holy shit, this is good!”
“Yup,” he said as the last bite on his plate slipped between his lips.
My body woke up as I watched him savor his last bite.
Sawyer was a sexy man, but watching him eat something tasty ratcheted up his sex appeal even higher. He licked his lips while I imagined his tongue licking something else.
He wants to cuddle with me.
I knew that meant there was at least a fifty percent chance I ended up fucking the man of my dreams tonight.
