by K. C. Lynn
A current of heat sparks through my body as I think about Sawyer doin’ anything to me. I have a feeling that man would do more than just pleasure me. He would flip my world on its axis.
The thought is both terrifying and exhilarating.
Sawyer
“What’s wrong with you?” Jaxson asks, the sound of his drill muffling the question as he drives another screw into the drywall. “You’ve been acting weird all day.”
Cade and Cooper shoot me a look, clearly thinking the same thing.
Ever since Grace’s confession the other night, I’ve been in a mood. A violent one where I want to do some serious harm to the fuckers who hurt her and her mother.
Then there’s her devil comment. I’ve been conjuring up all sorts of terrible images of what that meant. On top of all that she’s meeting her useless father tonight, and I have a bad feeling it isn’t going to go well, not at all like she’s expecting. Which means she will be hurt once again and then I am going to have to hurt him.
The three of them stare at me, waiting for an answer.
Instead of telling them, I ask Jaxson a question of my own. “Did Julia ever tell you about how Grace’s mother died?”
“No, but I did try getting it out of her. She wouldn’t budge; says she won’t betray her trust.”
I understand where Julia is coming from, and if it were anyone else in this room with me I wouldn’t share this either but I trust no one else more than these guys in front of me.
“She was raped and murdered.”
“Holy shit,” he spews the heated curse, his shock and outrage mirroring my own.
Cade remains silent, his fist gripping the hammer so tight his knuckles turn white.
Cooper however, doesn’t seem the least bit surprised.
“You knew,” I say, calling him on it.
“Yeah. I knew even before the girls did. I looked into it when she first came to town. The details weren’t hard to find. It’s all over the fucking Internet as one of the most brutal murders the state of Florida has ever seen. I know, because I saw the case file.”
Dread flares in my gut at the thought of seeing pictures of the heinous murder. “Do you know who she lived with after?” I ask.
“Yeah, some uncle who lives in Virginia. Why?”
“Just wondering.” I’m not ready to share that piece of information just yet.
“What exactly are your intentions with her, Evans?” Jaxson asks, cutting back in.
Now if that isn’t the million-dollar question. “I don’t know, but I’m working on figuring it out,” I tell him, being honest.
“Whatever you decide, don’t fuck her around.”
Annoyance strikes inside of me, the warning unnecessary. “If my intention was to hurt her I’d have already fucked her and been done with it.”
He shrugs. “Fair enough. Just making sure we’re clear.”
I grunt, refusing to repeat myself.
“Did she tell you who her father is?” Cooper asks.
“No.”
I guess I should have asked. She did say he was a big deal.
“He’s the lieutenant governor.”
I stare back at him, not liking the sound of that. “So what are you saying, Coop? You telling me it’s not going to go well?”
“I don’t know him personally, but I spoke with Kayla about it last night. Grace thinks he doesn’t know about her mom. The guy has powerful resources, I’ll bet he not only knows but has probably always known where Grace is. He has a family of his own, kids that are close to her age. His reputation is a big deal to him, so if I had to guess… No, I don’t think tonight will play out the way she’s hoping it will.”
That’s pretty much what I’ve been thinking too, and it leaves me even more pissed off than before. The problem is, I don’t know how to stop it from happening.
Grace
My hands are cold and clammy, fingers linked tightly as I sit in the backseat of the expensive car, being chauffeured to the restaurant by a driver who is not all that friendly. From the moment the older, gray-haired man picked me up he hasn’t so much as even cracked a smile my way let alone speak to me. It has not helped my already jumbled nerves.
Kayla even tried to lighten the heavy moment of his arrival by cracking a joke. “You make sure you bring her back in one piece to us, Alfred, no secret visits to the bat cave, ya hear?” she said.
It made us all laugh, except him. I guess he didn’t find it as funny as the rest of us but I have a feeling he doesn’t find much humor in anything.
My cellphone chimes with a text, distracting me from my nervous thoughts. Pulling it from my purse, my heart leaps when I see it’s Sawyer.
Sexy Sawyer: Good luck tonight, Cupcake. I’ll be thinking about you. If you find yourself getting nervous just think about me naked, then you’ll be too turned on to feel anything else. ;)
Smiling, I shake my head.
Me: How am I supposed to picture you naked if I’ve never seen you without clothes on?
I’m starting to get a little better at this flirtin’ thing with him, which brings me pride since he’s the king of it.
Sexy Sawyer: Trust me, I’m hot. But you’re right; you won’t be able to picture it, because even your wildest imagination couldn’t dream up my perfection.
A quiet giggle escapes me, my anxious heart calming. He’s probably telling the truth; I’ll just bet he looks all sorts of delicious when he’s naked.
Me: I’m picturing you right now, dancing to “I’m Sexy and I Know It,” kissing each of your biceps. That calmed my nerves right down so I will continue to picture it. Have a good night, Sexy Sawyer, I will text you later.
Sexy Sawyer: Touché, my little Cupcake…touché. Text me the moment you get back.
I end it with a heart emoji then put my phone back in my purse. When I look back up, I realize we’re pulling up to the restaurant. The warmth Sawyer just instilled is replaced with anxiety once again, my thundering heart close to beating right out of my chest.
The driver turns the corner, parking in the back of the restaurant.
“Why are you parkin’ here?” I ask.
“Mr. Weston prefers his privacy.” He climbs out and comes around to open my door for me, not even bothering to look at me.
Sheesh, I wonder if he’s like this with everyone or just me.
I step out of the car and smooth my hands down the black satin dress Julia lent me, trying to calm my nerves as I think about how I should greet him.
Do I hug him or just shake his hand? Should I start off the conversation by telling him about Mama or wait until we’re further into dinner?
The back door swings open, displaying a man in a suit with an earpiece. His eyes shift back and forth, taking in our surroundings before landing on me. “Miss Morgan?”
I nod, too nervous to speak.
“This way, Mr. Weston is waiting.”
I follow him inside and he leads me toward a private room, making sure to keep me out of view. A bad feeling settles in my gut, mixing with my already jumbled nerves.
I enter the room, coming face-to-face with the man I’ve longed to meet my whole life—my father. Time stands still as we both take each other in. He’s dressed in a crisp gray business suit; his dark salt and pepper hair slicked back from his face revealing hazel eyes. We share very few resemblances.
“You sure do look like your mama,” he says in greeting.
I nod, a nervous smile stretching across my lips.
He gestures to the table. “Come, have a seat.”
I take the chair across from him and try not to let it sting that he doesn’t offer anything else, not even a handshake.
“I already took the liberty of ordering for us; our food should arrive shortly.”
I find it odd he would order for me since he has no idea what I like to eat.
Awkward silence fills the room as Grumpy Alfred stands by the door, watching us.
My father folds his hands in front of him
, looking at me expectantly. “So tell me, what can I do for you?”
“Do for me?” I ask, thinking I’m missin’ something.
“You contacted me with a letter, so I’m curious what it is that you want from me. What is it you’re looking to get from our meeting?”
I thought it was obvious.
My heart pinches in my chest, feelin’ hurt that he would even ask such a question. “Well, for starters, I wanted to meet you; I thought maybe we could at least get to know each other.”
He sits back in his chair, letting out a weary sigh. “Listen, Grace, I’m going to be upfront with you. I cared about your mother a lot but we came from two very different families, and I had expectations I had to follow due to my family’s political position. I now have a family of my own, and still have that same reputation I need to protect. If this”—he gestures with his hand between the two of us—“ever got out it would hurt the family I have now. Do you understand?”
Agony rips apart my chest as I realize how foolish I’ve been. I clench my teeth, fighting back my emotion.
Reaching into his suit jacket, he withdraws a folded piece of paper and hands it to me. “I want you to have this. Your mama refused to accept anything from me and that made me feel bad. Hopefully, this will help make up for some of the things I’ve missed throughout the years.”
I don’t accept whatever he’s offerin’, knowing nothing can make up for the pain he’s caused me.
Letting out a breath, he opens the check and lays it down in front of me.
My lips part on a subtle gasp when I see the amount of $50,000.
“I’m truly sorry about what happened to your mama. She was a good lady and didn’t deserve for that to happen.”
My eyes lift to his, shock striking me to my core. “Wait, you know what happened to her?”
He nods, regret darkening his expression.
It pushes me over the edge. “You knew this whole time and you never came for me?”
He shifts nervously and is about to open his ugly mouth, but I don’t give him the chance.
“Do you have any idea who I was sent to live with? What I had to endure because I had nowhere else to go? How could you just leave me with him? How could you not have come for me?” Every word that falls from my mouth drips with the heartache he has caused, a pain I will never forgive him for.
I don’t bother to wait for a response, there’s nothing he can say to make this right.
Standing, I pick up the check, ripping it into pieces then throw it at him. “The best thing that ever happened to my mother was you walkin’ out on her, because she was way too good for your pretentious ass.”
I stalk to the door, my furious steps forcing Grumpy Alfred to jump out of my way.
Grabbing the door handle, I turn around, taking one last look at the pathetic excuse I always gave the liberty of calling my father. “Enjoy your family. I hope you teach your children more morals and values than what you have.” Those are the last words I speak to him before storming out of the restaurant.
Pain rips through my wounded heart, finishing whatever I had left of it. The tears I’ve been holding at bay spill down my cheeks with a vengeance as the horrible memories flood my mind. Every crack of the belt, burn from the pot, and cruel touch that came from his hands. All because I had no one who loved me.
Sawyer
My feet tear up the tile floor of Jaxson and Julia’s kitchen as I pace relentlessly. “Anything yet?” I ask.
“Nothing,” Kayla answers, sounding as concerned as I am.
All of us have been waiting for Grace’s text, but we’ve heard nothing. It’s been hours; she should be home by now.
“Screw it! I’m just going to go there. If she’s not home yet then I’ll wait for her.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea, Sawyer,” Julia speaks quietly. “What if she wants to be alone right now?”
“The last thing she should be is by herself!” My words come out harsher than I intended for them to.
“Watch your tone, Evans,” Jaxson warns.
Shaking my head, I decide to leave before I get into a fight with one of my best friends. “I’m going over there. I’ll text you guys later.” I storm out of the house before anyone else can tell me it’s not a good idea.
The entire drive over to Grace’s I worry about what I’m going to find. A part of me hopes she’s having a good time and that’s why she’s not home yet. But my gut tells me otherwise. It has all day.
I pull into her driveway less than ten minutes later and find her outside lights on. Climbing out of my truck, I round the corner and come to a dead stop, the sad sight before me stealing the air from my lungs.
A beautiful, broken girl sits on her front steps. She’s bent over at the waist, her head buried in her lap, shoulders shaking in grief. I briefly register the empty bottle of wine that sits next to her.
“Cupcake?” The words are choked past the restriction in my throat.
Her head snaps up, the black tears running down her cheeks from her makeup strikes me in the chest like a sledgehammer.
“What are ya doin’ here?” she asks.
“You never texted and I was worried.”
She gazes back at me, the sorrow pinching her face as painful as the beating of my heart.
I remain where I am, trying like hell to be patient and not push her.
She shrugs, her breath hitching as she tries to compose herself. “He doesn’t want me.” Her head drops back down, the most agonizing sobs ripping from her chest.
Unable to stay away a second longer, I walk over, pick her up, and bring her down on my lap. She wraps her arms around my neck, soaking my shoulder with her tears.
I didn’t even know it was possible for someone to cry this hard.
I remain silent, knowing no words will make it better. Instead I hold her close, letting her cry out what she needs to.
“He knew, Sawyer.”
I have to strain really hard to understand the words she’s trying to speak.
“He knew about my mama and he never came. He left me with him; this whole time I thought he never knew, because there was no way he wouldn’t come for me. No way he would leave me with that monster, but he knew…he knew the whole damn time.”
Her monster comment has my fury reaching a whole other level. Leaning back, I take her face between my hands, peering into her emotional eyes. “It’s his goddamn loss, Grace, not yours. You hear me? You don’t need him, you’ve made it this far without him and you will continue to.”
She rests her forehead against mine, her hot tears spilling onto my face. “All I want is to belong to someone. It’s not right, everyone should belong to somebody.” The last of her words fall into another sob, cracking my fucking heart right in half.
“You do belong to people, baby. You belong to me, Julia, and Kayla…you belong to all of us.”
She shakes her head. “It’s not the same thing. I love you guys but it’s not the same. Everyone should have some sort of family.”
“Sometimes, Grace, people are better off without their families. Look at Jaxson—”
“But he belongs to Julia, he still belongs to someone. The only person who ever loved me was cruelly taken from this earth.” Her tears fall faster as she speaks about her mother. “I miss her so much, Sawyer; some days the pain is so bad I wish my heart would stop beating.”
The impact of her words knocks the wind out of me, gripping my chest in a tight vise. “Don’t fucking say that,” I grind out. “Don’t ever say that again. Your friends need you. I need you. You will get through this, I’ll help you.”
She gazes back at me, her tortured eyes dropping to my mouth. It’s the only warning I get before her lips land on mine, the contact rocking me to my core and kicking my heart into overdrive.
The longing I’ve had for this girl for the past several months surfaces and explodes like fucking dynamite. I dominate her mouth the way I want her body, our tongues dueling in a fevere
d game of pitch and take.
Her fingers spear through my hair while mine coast up her smooth, bare legs, slipping under her dress. A growl shreds my throat, my hands kneading her lace-covered ass.
“Sawyer,” my name purges past her lips, her hot pussy burning me through my jeans as she grinds down on my stiff cock.
Amongst the sweet taste of her tongue, I also taste her tears, her agony, and…the wine. A war battles inside of me, right and wrong fighting for their place until I’m forced to make a decision I don’t want to make.
Groaning, I pull my mouth away from the best thing I’ve ever had the pleasure of kissing, and hate myself for it. I rest my head on her shoulder, not wanting to look at her. If I do I’ll lose the precious control I’m barely hanging on to.
“Cupcake,” I whisper, the regret in my voice mirroring the one in my chest.
“Oh god.” She scrambles off me in a blink of an eye, the loss of her warm body leaving me cold.
I grab hold of her hips, keeping her steady so she doesn’t fall on her face. “Whoa, baby, calm down.”
She slaps my hands away. “Please, don’t. I’m fine, really,” she chokes out, barreling up her front steps.
“Grace, what the hell?”
“Please just go; I need to be alone.”
“I don’t think you should be alone right now.”
“I’ll be fine, I promise. I’ve been through far worse than this. I just need time.”
Before I can argue further she hightails it into the house, leaving me to wonder what the hell just happened.
Grace
A distant pounding pulls me from my restless sleep, my swollen, gritty eyes burning as they flutter open.
“Grace, girl, open up,” Kayla bellows. “Don’t make me show you my ninja moves and break down this door.”
Groaning, I pull my self-pityin’ butt out of bed and go answer the door. As soon as I swing it open, I come face-to-face with my two best friends. They get a look at my red, puffy eyes and charge in, wrapping me in a hug.
“I’m so sorry, Grace,” Julia whispers, her soft voice reflecting the sadness I have in my heart.