“Here you go,” I say, handing Saylor a beer and taking a seat next to her on the couch.
“How was your day?” she asks.
“Slow. I kept watching the clock, waiting to leave. I was excited to get to spend some time with you,” I tell her honestly. “Yours? Aside from kicking ass in Rummy.”
“I cleaned, did some laundry, oh, and I made some cookies. I gave your gramps and Jerry a bag. Jake and Molly too.”
“Did you save any for us?”
“If you eat all of your dinner, I might be able to come up with dessert,” she says, talking about the cookies I’m sure, but my dirty mind takes me to images altogether different. Saylor, me, her bed, and some cookie dough, maybe some icing? I adjust my position to make room for my thickening cock. I should be used to the discomfort by now. Every time I’m in her presence it happens.
“I’d love to eat your cookies,” I say, winking at her. Her face turns a light shade of pink, which confirms she read through the lines. She rolls those baby blues at me. I fight the urge to lean in and steal a kiss. Don’t get me wrong, I plan on stealing more than one tonight, if she’ll let me, but I also want to spend time with her. I’m not risking getting thrown out on my ass just yet.
We make small talk through dinner; she tells me about how busy the bar has been and how she dodged Pete and his baby mama at the grocery store without me. This time she was able to skip out without being seen. I hate that she feels like she has to hide in her own hometown. “Guy need his ass kicked,” I say.
She chuckles. “Nah, he can’t hang. Trust me.”
“He did you a favor, Say. You know that, right? You’re so much better than what he was willing to give you.”
She shrugs, and I know she doesn’t believe me. “I dodged a bullet because he never would have been faithful. That goes against what I’ve always wanted.”
“No one plans to fall for someone who’s going to cheat on them.”
“No,” she agrees. “I just… I’ve always wanted a family, you know. I had Elaine, but I’ve always wanted big dinners and birthdays and every holiday in between. I want to be a mom one day. But I want my baby’s dad to be there, to be present and involved. I want our family to be important, and looking back now, I know that never would have happened with Pete. I let myself get too close to someone who wasn’t right for me.”
“He tricked you.”
“Not really. I mean, he wasn’t the most affectionate or attentive, but I went along with it. I never spoke up and told him I wanted more. Honestly—” She pauses, taking a drink of her beer, our plates long since forgotten on the coffee table. “—with my background, I know I’m the least appealing. Who wants to be with someone who has no one? I have nothing to offer, no family gatherings, no grandparents for our kids, just me, and I never thought that was enough. So when Pete showed interest, he was a nice guy, self-absorbed, but nice, and I went with it.”
Reaching over, I lace her fingers through mine. “You have you, Saylor. You’re more than enough, and if the bastard who steals your heart doesn’t see that, he’s not worthy of you.” I see you and you’re enough, is what I really want to say.
“So, have you heard anything? About the divorce I mean?” she asks, changing the subject.
“Gramps said last night he talked to Frank, the family attorney, and he should have the papers soon.”
“What were we thinking?” she asks, leaning her head back on the couch.
“I don’t know about you, but I was thinking that there was a beautiful woman standing beside me, and when our new friends suggested we get married, she was on board.” I pause and finish off my beer, setting the bottle on the table. Her eyes are still closed, so I forge ahead. “You have so much to offer, Saylor. You’re smart, witty, and loyal. You have the biggest heart of anyone I know. You’ve lived through things I don’t want to think about or even try to imagine, yet here you are putting one foot in front of the other. You’re a fighter. A beautiful, sexy, kindhearted fighter, and I was thinking that I’d be one lucky son of a bitch to call you mine.” I mimic her and rest my head against the back of the couch, only I don’t close my eyes; I keep them trained on her.
Slowly, she opens them and finds me staring at her. Tentatively, she places her hand on my cheek. “I was thinking that for one brief moment in time, I would have a family. That I would be tied to this amazing, confident, sexy man with whiskey-colored eyes. I was thinking that being a part of the Baxter clan sounds better than anything I’ve ever heard. I wanted to be yours,” she whispers.
“Come here,” I say, my voice gruff. Sitting up, she turns to face me. “Closer, baby.” She moves closer, and I pat my lap. I expect her to argue, but she surprises me when she crawls closer, straddling my lap. My hands immediately go to her hips, anchoring her to me.
She runs her fingers through my hair, something I’ve noticed she likes to do when I am deep inside of her. “Your hair is so soft,” she says quietly.
My hands glide up and down her back until one finds it way under her hair, gripping the back of her neck. Gently, I pull her closer, our mouths now just a breath apart. I hesitate, waiting for her to shut me down, to shut me out. She doesn’t. Closing the distance, I press my mouth to hers. I take my time savoring her, slowly gliding my tongue with hers.
“Rhett.” My name falls from her lips. Longing tears through me.
“Tell me what you want, Say.”
“This. You. More.”
My answer is to hold her tighter, not able to get her close enough. No matter how close she is, I want her closer. My hand that’s holding her neck trails down her back and under her sweater. I make quick work of unfastening her bra, never breaking our kiss. Snaking my hand to her front, I slide it under the cup of her bra and find her tight nipples. My mouth waters as I remember the taste of them on my tongue.
“That,” she says, lifting the hem of her sweater and pulling it over her head.
I glide the straps of her bra off her shoulders and down her arms, tossing it behind me, not caring where it lands. “Perfect,” I say before my lips latch on to her pert, perfect breast, rolling the other between my fingertips. Her head tilts back, and she moans.
“More,” she breathes.
Sliding a hand between her legs, her thin yoga pants, or whatever they are, do nothing to hide her warmth. Needing to feel her heat, I slip my hand under the waistband and don’t stop until I find her soaking wet. Gently, I run my thumb over her clit, causing her to rock her hips.
“Y-you’re good at that,” she says.
I chuckle. “It’s all you, Short Stack. You’re on fire.” As I kiss her neck, she rocks again, a slow glide of her hips. Her face is flushed, her breasts bouncing. I memorize her every feature. I never want to forget her like this. “Take what you need, Saylor,” I say, increasing the pressure on her clit with my thumb.
“Oh,” she breathes.
“Tell me what you need,” I whisper against her lips. She doesn’t answer because her orgasm tears through her. She grunts with her release, as if she’s unable to form words. I bite back a smile. I feel pretty damn smug I got her there. Gave her that. She slumps against me and buries her head in my neck. Dropping a kiss to her bare shoulder, I wrap my arms around her and hold her tight, still needing her closer.
Her phone rings, causing her to jump. Refusing to let her go, I stand, and she squeals, wrapping her legs around my waist and her arms around my neck. “Rhett.” She laughs, and I love the sound.
“Not ready to let you go,” I say, walking to the small kitchen table and handing her her phone. As soon as she puts it to her ear to say hello, I begin kissing down her neck. I saw that it was Jake calling when I handed it to her. I’m not worried about him knowing I’m taking care of her.
“Really?” she asks, tilting her head to the side, giving me full access. “Uh-huh.”
“What’s he want, baby?” I whisper in her ear. Goose bumps break out across her skin.
“Thanks, Jake,” she says and hangs up. “H-he said that the roads are getting bad. It’s pretty icy out.” She buries her hands in my hair.
Fuck. I don’t want to leave her. Slowly, I pull back and look at her. “Tell me what you want, Saylor. I can go, or I can—” She interrupts me.
“Stay,” she says so softly I barely hear her.
“Again,” I say, needing to make sure that’s what she wants.
“Stay. Stay here with me.”
I kiss her hard. “It’s time for bed,” I say, heading toward the door that I assume is her bedroom. She giggles, holding on tight. Once we’re in her room, I set her down on the bed. Placing my finger under her chin, I lift her face to look at me. “I don’t have any expectations—well, I have one. You in my arms all night, preferably naked.” She smiles, causing my heart to trip over in my chest. I place my hand there to ward off the rapid beat. “I want that, but I’ll take the couch. I just want to spend time with you.”
“You can sleep here,” she says, patting the bed next to her.
I lean down and kiss her. “That’s good enough for me. I’m going to go lock up. I’ll be right back.” One more chaste kiss and I head back to the living room to lock the door and turn off the lights. I grab my phone and call Gramps. “Hey,” I say when he answers.
“Rhett? You okay?”
“Yeah, the roads are bad, so I’m just going to stay here tonight.”
“Where is here?” he asks, sounding annoyed.
“With Saylor.” I cringe, prepared for his “have you not learned your lesson” speech, but it never comes.
“Good, she shouldn’t be alone if the weather is bad.”
“Jake is next door,” I remind him, even though I agree it should be me who comes to her rescue should she need it.
“Stay in and be safe,” he says, ignoring my statement. “Bye.” He hangs up.
I’m done trying to decipher his mood swings, and right now, my wife is waiting for me.
When I get back to her room, she’s under the covers; they’re pulled up to her chest. I kick off my boots and grab the neck of my long-sleeve T-shirt and pull it over my head, dropping it to the floor. Grabbing my wallet, I set it on the nightstand along with both of our phones that I picked up. Unbuckling my jeans, I let them fall to the floor. I move to climb into bed, but she stops me.
“You forgot something,” she says, pointing to my boxer briefs.
I didn’t want to assume, so I left them on. Grabbing the sides, I slide them down my legs and kick them off. Saylor lifts the quilt and offers me a glimpse of her naked body. I stand still, my eyes roaming over every inch of her that I can see. “Perfect,” I grit out.
“It’s cold,” she says with a nervous laugh.
Not needing more of an invitation than that, I climb into bed. I pull her tight, as close as I can get her. I can feel the hurried beat of her heart against my chest. Then again, I don’t know if it’s her heart or mine that echoes in my chest. I’d like to think it’s ours, it’s what happens when we come together.
“I’ll keep you warm,” I promise her.
“How?” she asks softly.
I run my hand up and down her back. “Like this.”
“You’re going to put me to sleep.”
“I’ll be here when you wake up,” I assure her.
“What are we doing, Rhett? What is this?”
The room is dark, not even the shadows of the moon. “What do you want it to be?” I counter.
“Not fair,” she says, poking me in the side. “I asked you first.”
“I don’t know if you’re ready to hear what I have to say.”
“Honesty. No matter what it is, I want honesty.”
“I want you. I think about you all the time—what it feels like to wake up with you, to be inside of you. How much I like just being with you, at the bar, ice skating, eating pizza, it doesn’t matter.” I pause, letting that sink in. “I think there’s something between us, but we complicated it with getting married.”
“You’re still wearing your ring.”
“So are you,” I counter.
“I don’t know why,” she admits.
“I know we’re married, not in the sense of being in love, but on paper, and I promised you regardless of the level of commitment that I would honor that. Wearing the ring is a reminder of my promise to you. It also helps to keep other woman at bay.”
“I’m sure you’re ready for the divorce to be final, huh? Get back to your harem? I see the way the ladies swarm to you when you’re at the Corner Pocket.”
“They do. But have you seen me leave or even engage any of them?”
She’s quiet for a while. I’m sure she’s thinking back. “No,” she whispers.
“You’re all I think about.”
“We’re married,” she says, like she can’t believe it.
“We are. It’s making whatever this is happening between us complicated. Regardless of the marriage, I want to see where this goes.”
“You don’t live here.”
I can hear the hesitation in her voice. “Not yet, but I will. Gramps isn’t getting any younger, and growing up, I always wanted to take over running the distillery. He would take me to work with him when I stayed here in the summers and show me the ropes. Said I would be in charge one day. I went to college and stopped visiting except for holidays, and those were just a day or two. I went to work for my parents after graduation and never looked back.”
“He misses you.”
“I know. I’ve missed him too. Dad asked me the other day if I was going to stay. At that time, I didn’t know for sure.”
“Now you do?”
I pull her a little closer. “Seems I have more than just Gramps and the distillery in this small town.”
“When Elaine died, Pete convinced me to sell her house. We were already living here. A few weeks later, after I signed the papers, he admitted Tabitha was pregnant. I could have gone back to Cincinnati, but Tara, my closest friend was pretty wrapped up in her fiancé. Turns out she moved to Oregon a few weeks later. She’s actually not talking to me because I wouldn’t move there with her. She said some hurtful things. Anyway, I liked this town. Jake and Molly have been amazing.”
“This is your home now.”
“Yeah, I guess it is. To be honest, I’m not real sure where I belong, if anywhere.”
“You’re right where you belong,” I say, kissing the top of her head.
“I don’t want you to make this decision based on us seeing where this goes, whatever it is between us.”
“I’m not, not entirely. I’ll admit the thought of not being able to see you whenever I want doesn’t sit well with me.”
“What does your gramps think?”
“I need to talk to him, see if me taking the reins permanently is something he’s okay with.”
She yawns. “I’m sure he’ll be excited.”
“I’m not so sure. He’s been cold since I’ve been here.”
“He’s protecting himself. He doesn’t want to get used to you and then you leave again.”
“Maybe you’re right.”
“Yeah,” she says, yawning again.
“Sleep, beautiful.” I kiss the top of her head.
“But you—” I cut her off.
“I’m right where I want to be. Get some rest.”
She doesn’t protest as exhaustion takes over. I continue to run my hand softly up and down her back, memorizing the feel of her skin beneath my fingertips. The past few months have been a whirlwind. I think about that first night that I met her. Never would I have imagined that this is where we would end up, but I wouldn’t change it for anything.