Her answer comes through quickly, which is a surprise.
WILLOW: Fuck yes girlfriend. Text me if you need a ride tomorrow.
That makes me frown; I would have put good money on her spending the night with one of the other two.
TORI: You okay? Going home alone?
WILLOW: Yeah. Got a call from management, we’ve got some surprising news about one of the veterans that I need to deal with.
TORI: Oh no. Is it Maverick?
Willow’s work in the media department for her uncle’s major league baseball team is constantly being made more difficult by Maverick King. The man is a loose cannon, so much so that Willow’s told me he’s close to being cut from the team if he doesn’t clean up his act.
WILLOW: Shockingly enough, no it’s not him this time. Don’t worry about me, everything will be fine. The call just kind of killed my mood. Don’t let it ruin yours. Love you, go get all the orgasms!!!
The ding of the elevator indicating we’ve come to a stop draws my head up from my phone screen. Sawyer steps out, holding the door open as he extends one hand toward me. “Everything good?”
I take his proffered hand and step into the hall. “Yes.”
Sawyer comes to a stop, sensing my hesitation even if he doesn’t know where it’s coming from. “We don’t have to do this, Tori. I’ll take you downstairs and call you a cab if that’s what you want. You’re in charge.”
The quiet, calm way he says that, as if it would be no imposition whatsoever for me to back out on our plans for the night, settles over me.
“Willow knows who you are in case you turn out to be a psycho murderer instead of a firefighting hero.” His nod of acknowledgment and respect isn’t exactly what I expected as a response, and the writer in me is brimming with curiosity. I’ve heard stories from Willow about guys that get insulted when she does something similar. Granted, that’s always a full stop red flag that ends the evening, so maybe Sawyer’s smarter than most guys. “That doesn’t upset you? That I feel like I need a safety plan?”
He shakes his head slowly. “Hell, no. I have a younger sister and three future sisters-in-law. Women shouldn’tneedto be so concerned with their safety around men, but the god-awful truth is that youdohave to be. I’m not upset you needed to text your friend information about me. If that’s what it takes for you to feel safe around me, then I’m all for it. I’m just sorry it’s necessary in the first place.”
I close the small distance between us and throw myself into another kiss. This man, this stranger. This perfectly handsome, humble, considerate, funny stranger is already making my head spin.
And we haven’t even taken our clothes off yet.
Chapter three
Sawyer
She tastes like heaven, further cementing my belief that she’s a fucking angel. Her body fits against mine so well it should be a sin, so maybe she’s a fallen angel? I don’t care. She’s mine, if only for tonight.
I knew exactly what she was doing the second she asked for my last name and a part of me was relieved to know she had the sense to do that. I’ve spent enough time worrying about my baby sister Kat back when she was dating to know how hard it can be for women these days.
Somehow, Tori and I make it to my hotel room. It takes a stupid amount of effort to let go of her so I can open the hotel room door. And even more to fight back the urge to spin Tori around and pin her against it the second it swings shut. But I can tell she’s going to want a softer touch, at least at first.
You could say it’s my superpower — knowing exactly what a woman needs and wants without them saying a word.
Which is why I lean my back against the closed door and let her wander around the room, her delicate fingers trailing over the messy bedclothes. Shit, when did fingers start turning me on? She glances back at me over her shoulder, and all I want to do is sink my teeth into the creamy skin of her neck.
“Why are you so far away?” There’s a heady mix of lust and excitement in her words, but I can still detect an undercurrent of nerves. Moving slowly, I push off from the wall, shrugging out of my jacket to drape it over a chair before I start untying my tie.
“Because I need a little space from your addictive self so I can make a few things clear.” I pull my tie off, my eyes never leaving hers as I give her my typical pre-hookup speech. “First of all, you’re in control. We do whatever you want, nothing more. I can promise you pleasure like you’ve never experienced, but only if you want that. This can stop at any time. Second, protection. I get regular physicals and know I’m clean, but I wrap up — always. No matter what. Third, this is just for tonight.” For once in my life, those words stick in my throat, as if my body doesn’t really want me to say them. But I do anyway. “I’m not a relationship guy, so if that’s what you want, then we shouldn’t go any further. I’m the guy who will fuck you so well you’ll be seeing stars and remembering my body for days to come, but I’m not the guy you take home to Mom and Dad.”
She’s turned to face me by now, and there’s an unreadable play of emotions across her face. The predominant one I do recognize is relief. “That’s good. Because I don’t need to take a guy home. I need a guy to make me forget.”
I don’t get the chance to ask her what she wants to forget before she’s unzipping her dress, and the black fabric is pooling on the floor, leaving her in a matching set of black lace.
My hand rubs over my face as the panty-dropping grin comes into play. “Oh, you’re definitely a fallen angel, aren’t you?”
Her answering smile shows no more hesitation or nerves.Good. I peel off my shirt, letting it fall to the floor as well, leaving me in nothing but my dress pants and shoes. I close the distance between us, but instead of yanking her up into my arms, I take it slow. Letting one hand drift down her cheek, I glide it over her shoulder, along her collarbone, down the center of her chest to her belly button, then over to her hips.
“You have an outie,” I whisper, her brow furrowing before morphing into a slight wince. Pink dances across her cheeks until I take her hand and place it over my own stomach. “Same as me.”
