Sawyer grabbed her hand and squeezed. “Please don’t misunderstand. I made the first move. I know that. And I’m not upset that I did.”Her grin was sheepish as she added, “I’ve kinda wanted to do that since apple picking.”
“Yeah?” That lifted some of the weight off Jenna.
“Hundred percent.” She sighed. “I like you, Jenna.” She waved a finger between them. “And I don’t know what this is, but if it’s something important, I don’t want to rush it.”
That was fair. It was. And as her body settled, as the rushing of her blood slowed back down to almost normal, she accepted it.If it’s something important…She let those words sink in a bit, using them to keep her warm.
They got up from the couch, straightening shirts and hair and grinning at each other like a couple of young kids who just did something they weren’t supposed to. At the front door, Jenna stopped with her hand on the knob.
“Thanks again for getting Arnie home safely to me.”
Sawyer’s smile was tender. “Any time. I’m so glad I saw him.”
Jenna reached up and grasped Sawyer’s chin, pushed up onto her toes, and kissed her softly. Mouths lingered, and Jenna knew it wouldn’t take much to get things going again, to wind them up. And she thought about it, seriously considered it.
“You don’t know how badly I want to take you up to my room right now,” she whispered, surprised when the words came out of her mouth.
“Oh, I think I do,” Sawyer whispered back. She kissed her one more time, then opened the door herself. “Which is why I need to go.” She moved her lips from Jenna’s mouth to her forehead, pressed a kiss to her skin, and stepped out onto the porch. “Good night, Jenna.”
“ ’Night, Sawyer. Be careful on your long commute.”
“That one never gets old,” Sawyer said, and then she took the six steps that connected her space and Jenna’s and pushed through her own front door. One more smile, a small wave, and she stepped inside.
The door clicked shut, and Jenna stood there for another moment, letting the crisp fall air cool her heated skin.
She had not expected this evening. Obviously, she hadn’t expected to lose Arnold for a time, but she hadn’t expected to end up in a make-out session on her couch with Sawyer Hall. Far from it. She grabbed her phone and typed a message onto the group thread with Dakota and Veronica, ’cause she needed her girls right now.
Just had a serious make-out session on my couch. Need to analyze.
No more than thirty seconds passed before a string of wide-eyed emoji came from Dakota, followed by a gif of two people jumping up and down in celebration from Ronni.
Deets, Dakota typed.
Asap, came Ronni’s text right after.
Chapter Twelve
Halloween in upstate New York was always a crap shoot as far as the weather went. When Sawyer thought back to her childhood and trick-or-treating, her attire ran the gamut. There had been years where she’d had a heavy winter coat on under her costume. There had been years where she’d sweat in her mask, and years where her mother had insisted she carry an umbrella (totally cringe, but her mom didn’t care… “It’s better than catching pneumonia,” she could still hear her warn). And there had been years in between.
This was going to be an in-between year. She thought that as she packed up her bag in her office and got ready to head home. The morning had started out damp with a bit of drizzle, but the temperature stayed in the fifties all day and things had dried up.
Admittedly, she’d failed in the decorations department as far as the house went. She’d noticed over the past couple of weeks how Jenna had added something new to the porch every couple of days, the fall decorations seeming to multiply all on their own. Another pumpkin here, some corn stalks there. Today, as she pulled into the driveway, she noticed that Jenna’s decorations seemed to bleed onto her side of the porch. Suddenly, there was a little table with a smiling jack-o’-lantern sitting next to her door, and orange twinkle lights were weaved into the porch railing, not only on Jenna’s side but up over the top of the entryway above the steps and back down along Sawyer’s side. Her grin grew as she approached the steps and Jenna’s door opened and a gorgeous, sexy witch stepped out.
“Oh, hey,” Jenna said, her smile wide. Radiant. “You’re home.”
“Thank God.” Sawyer climbed the steps. “You look…” She shook her head, unable to keep the grin off her face.
“Scary? Accurately witchy? Hilarious?” Jenna popped the top off her own jack-o’-lantern and used a long-handled lighter to ignite the candle inside.
“Incredibly sexy,” Sawyer said simply. Honestly. And with great satisfaction when she noticed the two blossoms of pink that formed on Jenna’s cheeks, along with a soft smile.
Jenna swallowed, and Sawyer was pretty sure she could see a slight tremor in the little flame she held. She lit the candle, then turned to Sawyer, one eyebrow arched. “Are you flirting with me?”
“Just stating the facts, ma’am.” Sawyer kept grinning. She couldn’t help it. Then she let her eyes roam over Jenna’s body. She wasn’t dressed as a traditional witch. No long black robes or pointy hat. Instead, she wore high black boots with a heel that put her almost eye-to-eye with Sawyer, a black cape over a skintight black body suit, dark eyeliner, and black gloves. She looked confident and powerful, and yes, goddamn sexy. Sawyer lifted one shoulder. “Calling ’em like I see ’em.”
Jenna waved her makeshift wand. “I accept that answer.” Then she smiled and whispered, “Thanks.”
“Welcome.”
