Page 28 of Won't Back Down
We moved through the house, toward the staircase that would take us up to the bedrooms. At the corner of the hall, I stopped, blinking as my vision grayed.
“Hey, you okay?” Sawyer’s arm came around my shoulders, the touch grounding me.
I shook my head as if that would somehow clear the mental image of feet I could still picture there. I didn’t want to bring up that this was where I’d found Granddaddy. No doubt I was having a bit of a trauma response. It would fade in time. “Yeah, I… had too much sugar and not enough substance, I guess.”
“A good night’s sleep will help.”
What were those like? I hadn’t had one in years.
Sawyer stuck close as we made our way upstairs to the primary bedroom.
I stepped inside the space, noting the way the wood trim gleamed in the setting sun that streamed in through the west-facing window. The room itself was massive, with heavy wood furniture that was saved from being staid by a coat of bright white paint my grandmother had insisted upon as a new bride. Some might have said such refinishing of antiques was a travesty, but I liked the more casual, lived-in look of the place.
“Is it gonna be weird sleeping in here? Wasn’t this your grandparents’ bedroom?”
“It was, but Granddaddy didn’t stay in this room after Grandma died. It hurt too much to be here without her. I still need to go through and pack up and donate their things to make room in the closets.”
He stood just inside the doorway, scanning the space. “Where do you want me?”
Over me. Under me. Inside me.
Heat moved into my cheeks as I imagined the myriad ways we could take each other in this room. In this house.
God, is the air conditioner broken?
Every inch of my skin felt as if it were on fire, urging me to strip down to nothing. To strip him down to nothing.
For a moment, I pictured myself walking over and nudging the duffel bag off his shoulder, then taking his hand and backing toward the big king-size bed that had fresh sheets I’d thought to put on last night. Not with this in mind, but…
Sawyer jerked his head back toward the hall. “I thought I saw a bedroom across the way.”
Right. Because he has no intention of sleeping with me.
And that was for the best, really. Because I didn’t share my bed for a reason. Even now, I was often plagued with nightmares, and I didn’t really want to give him more explanations about that.
Clearing my throat, I struggled to tamp down the lust. “Yeah, it’s one of the guest rooms.”
“Cool, I’m gonna go get unpacked.”
“I’m gonna go have a bath.” At least in the privacy of a locked bathroom, I could do something about this need thrumming through me.
If I hoped that would make him picture me naked and ask to join me, I was sorely disappointed.
He just smiled an almost brotherly sort of smile. “You deserve a good long soak. Enjoy.” He turned toward the hall and started to walk away.
“Sawyer?”
“Yeah?” The eyes he turned back to me were expectant.
Please stay. The words hovered on the tip of my tongue, a desire driven by so many reasons. But what came out instead was, “Thank you for doing this.”
For long moments, he stared at me with stormy gray eyes. “I’d do anything for you, Wren. Sleep well.”
I stood there for a long time after he shut the door and walked away, clutching a hand over the heart that already felt a little bruised.
If you’ll do anything for me, can’t you find it in yourself to want me?
CHAPTER 14