With a desperation that had his limbs shaking, Sawyer gripped her hips and pumped in and out, quickly becoming addicted to the way her inner muscles clutched him as he slid deeper, then retreated. The sensation of being engulfed in her incredible heat was like a drug, flooding his brain with the most erotic pleasure he had ever experienced.
“You feel…so good,” Paxton panted.
“You feel good,” Sawyer said. “You taste good.” He dipped his head and thrust his tongue into her mouth. “And your body looks amazing.” He trailed his lips along her collarbone and then down her chest, pressing wet kisses to the shallow valley between her breasts. He pleasured her with his mouth, rolling his tongue around her taut, peaked nipple, tugging it inside and sucking hard.
She squeezed her muscles, and Sawyer lost it. Clutching her ass, he pulled her to him and slammed into her, over and over and over, his uncontrollable desire overriding everything else.
He felt Paxton explode as she cried out; the feel of her climaxing around him sent him over the edge. With one final thrust, he came, his entire being shuddering in an ecstasy that was so intoxicating, Sawyer never wanted it to end.
Paxton burrowed herself more securely into Sawyer’s naked chest, seeking his warmth now that the chill from outside was starting to seep in.
“You may want to check the settings on your central air unit,” she told him. “I don’t think you adjusted for tonight’s cold front. It’s freezing in here.”
“You cold?” Sawyer wrapped his arm around her middle. “I have a better way of heating you up,” he said as he buried his face in her neck.
Paxton squirmed, pretending she was trying to get away, when in reality she wasn’t trying to do anything of the sort. She’d never felt more content than she did lying there wrapped in Sawyer’s arms. It was as if he couldn’t get enough of touching her. His fingers teased her bare shoulders, the nape of her neck, her collarbone. It was the closest she’d ever come to experiencing pure bliss.
They remained that way for long moments, resting comfortably together on the chaise underneath the cashmere throw Sawyer had taken from a hallway linen closet. But then his voice broke into the silence.
“You have to tell me why, Pax,” he said softly.
She’d known this was coming, but she was no readier to explain than she was ready to leave his arms.
But Paxton knew she owed him an explanation. Deciding to finally own up to what she’d done, she twisted around in his arms and faced him.
“Why did you leave the way you did?” he asked.
“It’s simple,” she said. “I felt guilty.”
His head reared back. “That’s definitely not what I was expecting. Why in the world would you have felt guilty?” He stiffened. “Were you dating someone at the time? Did you use me to cheat on your boyfriend?”
“No.” She shook her head. “I didn’t have a boyfriend. But I did use you,” she continued. Sawyer’s eyes were filled with confusion. Paxton placed her hand on his chest. “That night, when you came into the bar, I could tell how much you were hurting. I wanted to help alleviate some of that pain.”
“Which you most certainly did,” he said.
“Except once we left the bar, your hurt and pain became second to me living out my fantasy. I’d wanted you for so long, and all I could think about was finally having you for myself. I capitalized on your suffering. I knew you were drunk and vulnerable, and I used it to my advantage to get what I wanted.”
Paxton braced herself for the backlash. Instead, she felt his chest start to rumble seconds before a roaring laugh poured forth from his mouth. She peered up at him.
“What’s so funny?”
“You,” Sawyer said. “You are so funny and so incredibly sweet. But you’re clueless as hell. At least when it comes to this.” He trailed his fingers along her jawline in a gentle caress. “Is that really the reason you left? Because you felt guilty for using me?”
“Think about it. What if our roles were reversed, and you’d slept with me while I was hurting over my sick mother?”
“You didn’t take advantage of me that night,” he said. “You gave me exactly what I needed, and I don’t just mean sex with the girl who’d starred in every one of my teenage wet dreams. You gave me a chance to escape the realities of that day. I went to Harlon’s hoping to drink away my troubles. But the alcohol didn’t do anything compared to what you did for me.” He tenderly brushed his hand across her cheek. “Never feel guilty for that night. It ranks up there as one of the best nights of my life.” He nuzzled behind her ear. “In case you were wondering, tonight is running a close second.”
She smiled at him, her heart nearly bursting with gratitude over the way he’d so selflessly assuaged the guilt she’d carried these past three years.
“You know,” Sawyer said, “there is something you can do to send this night right to the top of the Best Night Ever list.”
Paxton couldn’t contain her laugh as he suggestively waggled his brows. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulled his head down, and kissed him with everything she had.
Chapter 9
As she pouredcranberry juice into a second short tumbler of vodka and ice, Paxton tried to fight the smile gradually stretching across her face. She wasn’t known as a smiler, so she knew her constant grinning was already conspicuous to the regulars at the bar. But to have this smile on her face while the LSU Tigers were down by three touchdowns in the first quarter?
Yes, she definitely stood out in this crowd of sorry faces.
