As each person walked in, my stomach became a roiling pit of dread. I’d waited all afternoon, but not one snide comment or nasty look had been pointed in my direction.
In fact, quite the opposite had happened. Everyone had been unfailingly polite, but more, they’d been interested in me and my life. Several had given me off-handed compliments, admiring everything from my work ethic to my masses of dark hair, my jewelry.
Which brought me to now, alone for the first moment since Sawyer’s house had begun filling with people. I took the opportunity to check in with myself and figure out how I felt about being thrust into this crowd of Sawyer’s friends and family.
And what I came up with was—content. I felt content and happy and like I wasn’t the little girl with her nose pressed against the glass looking at what everyone else had but never me.
Sawyer had given me a gift beyond anything I could remember receiving before. He’d shared his family with me and made me feel a part of it. And the feeling was indescribable. Unlike anything I’d ever felt before.
Sort of like my feelings for Sawyer.
I scanned the room, searching for him with my gaze. I located him standing with a group of his cousins. Sawyer was shaking his head at whatever one of the men was saying, a small grin tipping up the corners of his lips.
And as I kept my eyes pinned to him, I swear, he sensed me. His head turned and his gaze landed on me in an instant. He tipped his head to the side and raised an eyebrow.
I offered him a soft smile, and I knew I must have worn the lovesick look. But for the first time in my life, I didn’t care if my true feelings showed on my face. Didn’t care if Sawyer could see the crazy kaleidoscope of feelings he set free inside of me.
One of his cousins said something and clapped a hand on Sawyer’s shoulder. Sawyer offered me one last grin before turning his attention back to his conversation.
But the warmth that had been unfurling in my chest from the second our eyes met didn’t dissipate when he looked away. It continued to grow. And a feeling I almost didn’t recognize sprouted up deep inside me.
Hope.
“I see Sawyer didn’t waste any time marking you. Men.” A woman I recognized dropped into the chair Sawyer’s mom vacated moments ago.
I drew my brows together, not quite sure what she meant. “Hey, Krista. I didn’t realize you were related to the Beckers.”
Krista Phelps had graduated high school the year before I did. I can’t say she’d never made snide comments about me or sent me nasty looks, but in her case, it didn’t make me special. Krista was tall, platinum blonde, gorgeous, the perfect set of tits, and predatory. I didn’t know if it was her looks or something in her genes, but she’d always had an overabundance of confidence. Confidence that made her feel superior to all of us mere mortals.
She waved her hand dismissively. “I’m not related to the Beckers. I came with Sawyer’s cousin.”
I nodded and pasted on a smile. It came as a shock to realize it was the first time all day I’d pulled out the smile I reserved for customers, broad but not quite genuine.
“So how did you manage to convince Sawyer to take you to bed?” she asked.
My brows shot up. “Excuse me?”
She smiled the smile of someone with a juicy story. Or maybe the smile of a serial killer. I had no frame of reference, but if I had to guess it was the second one.
“Your mother would die if she found out you’d finally managed to convince one of the Becker men to give you what she wanted all those years,” Krista said.
I froze in my spot and everything inside me turned cold and brittle. When I spoke, I could do no more than whisper. “What the fuck are you talking about, Krista?”
Krista rolled her eyes. “Come on. You know what your mother was after. God. Everyone in town knew what she was after. She couldn’t have made it any more obvious, could she?”
Confusion clouded my mind. “My mother had a thing for men. Not new news.”
If possible, Krista’s smile widened. “Right. Like you don’t know what she was really after. It’s like the biggest non-secret, secret in town.” She paused to look around, presumably to make sure nobody was in hearing distance. When she’d assured herself none of Sawyer’s guests were paying us any attention, her voice dipped to just above a whisper as she went on. “…everyone with two eyes can see the Beckers have more money than we could ever wish for. It’s why your mom put a little more effort into wooing one of the Becker seniors when they rolled into the bar. So my mom says.”
Somehow I managed to keep my jaw out of my lap. Her words played over and over again in my mind and it was like watching a series of dots connecting. Of course, now that she’d said it, the truth seemed obvious. I never saw the money angel. How stupid of me.
“She was dying to take a dip in the rich people’s pool.” Krista tossed her hair over her shoulder and widened her already big blue eyes. How could someone look so angelic while spewing venom? “So we’re all dying to know now how you managed to ensnare Sawyer.”
“Who and ensnare?” I whispered, still not completely clear on what she was telling me.
“Come on, sweetie. You aren’t exactly the hottest chick in town.” She shot a pointed look at my exposed collarbone. “But he seemed happy to mark you as claimed anyway with that little love bite there. I guess the rumblings down at the Rusty Nail with Birdie are true. You finally managed what your mom couldn’t. You hooked a Becker. Or, maybe what Birdie said is true. He took pity on you. Either way, what voodoo hoodoo magic did you pull over on him?”
My hand shot to the spot on my neck, covering it like I’d be able to protect something intensely private and personal from her prying eyes.
I caught sight of Sawyer over Krista’s shoulder. He was walking toward us, concern clear in the narrowing of his eyes and the tilt to his head.
“I don’t belong to anyone. And I’m sure as hell no charity case.” I bit out, contrary to feeling very much claimed by Sawyer. Not something I had to share with the likes of her for damn sure.
“Riiight. Well, that’s not what Mac said and you know he’s thick with Sawyer.” Krista’s laugh sounded more like disdain than humor. “You’re just another trophy on the wall. True, one your mom wanted, but as long as it’s in the family, right?”
I stood up just as Sawyer arrived at my side.
“Everything okay, sweetheart?”
I nodded, but couldn’t quite meet his eyes. I had to get out of here, to think and just breathe.
“Yep.” Somehow I managed to dredge up a smile. “I just need to use the powder room. Excuse me.”
With my excuse made, I fled. But I didn’t flee to the powder room. I ducked into the entryway, grabbing my jacket and purse from the coat closet there. I slipped out the front door as quietly as I could manage and counted my lucky stars none of Sawyer’s relatives seemed to be out and about.
Probably because they were all in his house right now. Waiting to welcome me into the fold.
That thought caused a powerful surge of energy to rush through me. I hurried down the porch, and after quickly assessing my options, hurried down the single-track road to the turn off to the main road. There was no use trying to hide myself by walking in the woods. The sound of a vehicle coming up behind me froze my legs.
Crap.
But when I turned, it wasn’t Sawyer pulling the compact car alongside me. It was Krista. And that smile was back. “Thought you might be heading out. Need a lift someplace?”
I wasn’t stupid. I’d lived with a manipulative mother for far too many years not to realize Krista’s tricks. Whatever her reason for initiating the conversation back there, she had her own agenda.
But that didn’t mean I couldn’t use her vile plan to my advantage.
“Can you give me a ride to my apartment?”
Surprise flared in her eyes. Guess she didn’t expect me to take her up on her offer. But she rallied quickly. “Hop in.”
I figured Krista
had done what she set out to do because the ride to my apartment was silent aside from me giving her a few directions.
When we pulled up in front of my building, I flashed her a great big, bright smile. I’d be damned if I’d let her think I was a second away from bursting into tears.
“Thanks for the ride.”
Her perfectly shaped eyebrows pulled together. “No problem.”
Judging by her perplexed expression, I’d manage to deprive her of seeing the results of her maneuvers. Score one for me.
I marched up the much-less-rickety stairs to my apartment and tried not to think about how Sawyer looked with his tight white T-shirt stretched across his chest as he repaired the steps.
God, was that just this morning?
Just the thought of him, of what we’d shared the last two days, made tears prickle behind my eyes, hot and stinging.
I squared my shoulders and slid my key into the lock. I couldn’t think about the time I’d spent with Sawyer. I should have known better. I did know better. That was the reason I’d started thinking about moving sooner when I heard the news he was coming home.
I knew Sawyer Becker had the power to destroy me. One way or another.
But after years of my life spent avoiding anything but the most casual relationships with the locals, feeling looked down upon, or worse, pitied by them, felt like a waking nightmare.
I marched over to the bed and slid my large, wheeled suitcase out from underneath. I also grabbed some folded boxes I had under there. I’d been dreaming and preparing for the day I got to leave for Syn City for a long time. I had my plans in place for quite some time now, ready to go at a moment’s notice.
Looked like that moment had come. If I had my way, I’d be putting Wild Ridge and the rugged mountain man who had somehow managed to break my heart in two short days behind me.
Time to put my plan into motion. Funny how the elation I’d expected to feel when this day came never hit me.
Chapter 12
Trinity
Half an hour into my frantic packing, a car door slammed outside followed quickly by heavy footsteps pounding up my stairs.
I froze like the prey of any large predator would do. I’d mostly convinced myself that Sawyer wouldn’t bother coming after me. That what happened between us was all some kind of game.
A fist hammered on my door. “Trinity, you have about two seconds to open this door before I bust it down.”
He sounded more like the big, bad wolf than any man I’d ever heard.
My head dropped forward and my eyes squeezed shut. Guess I’d figured wrong.
“I mean it, Trinity Douglas.”
I picked my head up and a quick glance around the room reminded me the only way out was through the door currently being blocked by Sawyer. Might as well let him in.
I stepped over to the door and turned the lock on the knob and the deadbolt. Before I’d done more than twisted the knob, Sawyer pushed his way inside.
And suddenly my apartment was filled with one big, pissed-off beast. He paced down the length of the room and I swear I heard a growl escape him. For the first time, Sawyer seemed more animal than man.
I stood stock-still by the door, my hand still on the doorknob.
“For fuck’s sake, Trinity, I’m not going to hurt you. You can close the door.”
I glanced outside and saw the street around my apartment was empty. Not that too many of the locals would come to my rescue should I start screaming bloody murder. Let’s face it. I hadn’t done a lot of fostering of friendships over the last few years.
I shrugged and closed the door, taking my time in turning to face the angry man in my apartment.
When I finally did, I almost whirled back around and tried to escape. Sawyer’s eyes blazed through me like he could see my soul. His jaw clenched.
“What the fuck, Trinity? I spent the last half hour searching every corner of my house for you. Most of my relatives spent that time searching the woods around the house. If Dyson hadn’t gotten there and told us he passed you on the road, loaded into Krista Phelp’s car, we would all still be there looking for you. Because for some reason it never occurred to me that you left.” His voice rose from rumbling to something just below a roar as he spit the last two words at me.
It took every ounce of courage I possessed to respond to him. “I didn’t realize I had to disclose that information to you since you didn’t feel the need to explain things to me.”
He rubbed a hand over his short hair. “What didn’t I explain to you, Trinity? Because I think I made it pretty clear that you’re mine. If my telling you right out didn’t make it sink in, making you scream my name over and over again with my dick pounding into you should have done the trick. And the fact I introduced you to my entire family today as the woman I’m with should have clued you the fuck in.”
I shook my head and felt my own temper rising. He wasn’t going to stand there and act like the wounded party here. “Maybe it’s better this way. Just go before any more damage can be done, alright.”
“What are you talking about?”
“How about the fact the entire town is talking about you taking pity on me? I’m no charity case, Sawyer. How about that?”
His face cleared and his eyes narrowed. “What are you talking about?”
“Krista filled me in. She told me why my mother was so desperate to trap a Becker. She wanted the money and security that came with your name. Now everyone is talking behind my back how I’ve finally succeeded where she failed.” Pain shot through my chest.
“That you think of me as nothing more than a charity case and mentioned as much to your brothers. But really, that’s neither here nor there because I never asked for anything from you. And you know it.”
I could see the anger leave Sawyer as clearly as I could see the moon in the sky. His jaw relaxed, his shoulders lost their tightness, and the gold moved out of his eyes only to be replaced by a softness that made me want to beg him to see me in another light.
“Krista Phelps is a bitch, sweetheart. And she wormed her way under your skin because she is jealous I never paid her any attention at all. Now she’s trying to get Mac’s attention and will do anything to get what she wants.”
“Doesn’t mean she’s lying. At least not all the time. How can I stay in a town that thinks so little of me?” I rubbed a hand over my heart and my voice dropped to a whisper. “And I’m not running from you, Sawyer, I’m running from the ugly stain my mother left on me the day I was born.”
He moved toward me slowly, his posture reminding me of someone approaching a wounded, cornered animal. I had nowhere to run and it wasn’t like I could overpower him. I stared at him with wide eyes, wrapping my arms around my middle.
He took in my protective stance with a glance. “I would never hurt you.”
I shook my head. “There’s more than one way to hurt someone.”
He stepped closer and I sank my teeth into my bottom lip. My body began to react to his nearness. I could feel my heartbeat pick up its pace. Heat coiled in my belly. Every nerve ending went on high alert and goosebumps rose on my skin.
I started trembling in reaction to my conflicting desires. Part of me wanted nothing more than to turn tail and run. The other part of me was all for running, too—straight into Sawyer’s arms.
“Trinity, tell me what you think you mean to me. Isn’t that the only thing that matters here?”
“You say I’m yours. But that can mean a million things, Sawyer. I’m yours as in another conquest. Yours as in you can do to me anything you please. Yours as in you took my virginity as you think you own me now.”
He shook his head and a gentle smile touched his lips. “No, sweetheart, not in a million years would you only be a conquest on my bedpost. There’s no way I could ever think so little of you. When I say you are mine, I mean I’ve given you my heart and soul.”
I lifted a hand to rub the place he nipped me on the neck.
“And that l
ove bite is just that. A love bite. Krista must have been green with jealousy to make you feel anything other than loved after what we’ve shared. I meant what I said when I asked you to stay. It’s why I took you to my home. I wanted it to be our home. Where we have as many babies as possible.”
Every thought about town gossip, my mother and feeling betrayed by a place that should feel welcoming flew from my mind. “Kids?”
He chuckled. “I can’t wait to see you so round with my child I have to help you get in and out of bed.”
“Sawyer,” I snapped, “that is seriously not sexy.”
“It is to me.”
He tucked me into his strong arms, his heat enveloping me wholly.
“Oh, sweetheart, after being with my family how can you think they would be gossiping. This town loves you. You’ve just let a jaded situation with your mother color your vision. You have to stop looking through those glasses, baby. How can I erase whatever that bitch said from your mind?”
I gave a halfhearted shrug. “I don’t know anymore.”
“Come here, baby.”
He swung me into his arms and tucked his face into my neck.
I tentatively slid my hands up over his shoulders. After several long moments, Sawyer pulled his face from my neck, a big smile on his face.
Sawyer cradled me to his chest and moved us over to the floral-print club chair in the corner of what made up the living room of my studio apartment. He sank into it, settling me on his lap, his arms tight around me.
“Why did you run, Trinity? Why didn’t you come talk to me about everything?”
I stared into his eyes and searched for an answer, but all I could do was shrug.
“When we have a problem, I need you to come talk to me. Don’t jump to conclusions, don’t run away. Come talk to me.”
I wrinkled my nose. Sawyer’s words told me he knew we’d have problems to overcome in the future. Which meant that Sawyer thought we had a future.
My chest ached as hope caught it in a tight grip. “You want a relationship with me?”
706 Sugarbush Lane: Older Man, Younger Woman Small Town Romance Page 9