Beauty and the Bayou

by Erin Nicholas

  She looked at him over her shoulder. “Need you, Sawyer,” she told him, her voice husky.

  He took the French braid he’d created in one hand as he leaned over, putting his mouth against her ear and running a hand up the back of her thigh to the wet heat between her legs. He slid a finger deep. “I thought I just gave you what you needed.”

  She gasped but shook her head. “I need more. I need you.”

  “What exactly do you need, Juliet?” he asked, tightening his grip on her hair and teasing her clit with his other hand.

  “Your…cock.”

  God that was hot. “You need me to fill you up? Stretch you out? Go deeper and harder?” he asked, emphasizing his words with thrusts of his fingers.

  “Yes. Oh, please.”

  “Foot up.” He waited until she’d moved to rest one of her feet on the rung at the bottom of the stool. It spread her wider and he slid another finger into her, relishing how wet she was and the way she pressed against him.

  “Play with your nipples,” he told her. He was just messing with her a little now, making it dirtier, ratcheting their need higher.

  She lifted a hand to squeeze and pinch. She apparently liked it a little rough. Noted.

  “Now reach back and stroke me.”

  She did, immediately, wrapping her hand around his cock and stroking up and down over the condom.

  “Now point me home,” he told her, moving his hand so that he was still circling her clit, but her pussy was empty, needing him.

  She gave a little moan but instantly positioned him at her entrance, even pressing back in encouragement, taking his tip between her folds.

  Heaven. Even that first half inch was freaking heaven.

  Sawyer pulled a sharp breath in through his nose and moved both hands to her hips. He was going to need to hold her steady for this.

  “Hold on, babe,” he told her gruffly.

  She grabbed the seat of the stool with both hands and he bent his knees, then slid home. Slow but sure. She was tight and hot and gripped him like she was never going to let him go.

  He saw her knuckles turn white as she gripped the seat. “Oh. Wow. Sawyer,” she said in little gasps.

  “You feel…fuck,” he said, not even having words. “You’re amazing, Juliet. Please tell me you’re good because I’ve gotta move.”

  “Please move,” she said, her voice tight, pressing back against him. “Please.”

  “Fuck yes.” He pulled out and thrust again. Her velvety heat was unbelievable. He’d never felt anything like it. “God, I never want to leave this spot.”

  She gave a husky laugh. “No one’s going to ask you to, I promise.”

  He pulled out slowly again, then pressed in, sliding deep. They both groaned. “The next time I take you from behind, it’s gonna be with a mirror though,” he told her. “I want to see your tits bouncing.”

  Her pussy clenched around him at that and he loved knowing that she loved the dirty talk. He wasn’t sure he’d be able to keep it in. Her body was every wet dream he’d ever had. He wanted to do all kinds of dirty stuff to her. He wanted to come on those tits. He wanted to fuck her in every room in his house, in every position. He wanted to worry about the windows being open and Cora hearing her screams of pleasure. He wanted to put nipple clamps on her. Her nipples were fucking made for that.

  Those thoughts, along with the needy sounds Juliet was making and the hot-as-hell glove of her pussy, made him thrust harder and when he did, she gave him a heartfelt yes that had him doing it again. And again. Deeper. Faster. Until he was fucking her hard and they were both climbing toward orgasms.

  He started to reach for her clit to be sure she was with him, but just as he brushed over the sweet spot, she clamped down hard and cried out his name, her head falling forward as her body shuddered with her climax. He gripped her hips and thrust for several strokes before he shouted, “Juliet!” and came, the orgasm ripping through him.

  Sawyer’s grip on her was possessive and hot and she almost didn’t want to disturb it. She loved the way he held her hard against his body, him still buried deep, as their breathing slowed and her skin started to cool slightly.

  Holy crap. She’d never had an orgasm like that. Like either of the ones Sawyer had given her. She had orgasms and that was great. Self-induced and even with partners. But what Sawyer Landry had just done to her body defied anything she’d ever felt before.

  That was a product, she knew, of their bonding over other things along with their chemistry. It was about the return of this flirtatious, fun-loving Sawyer that she’d thought was possibly just a myth and was delighted to find was not. It was also because she was further delighted to think that she was playing a part in him rediscovering this side.

  He related to her mom, maybe, but Sawyer had been missing out on some “bike rides,” too.

  Eventually he shifted behind her and she glanced over her shoulder. He met her eyes, and rubbed a hand, almost affectionately, over her ass as he slipped out of her. He was still big, even freshly spent, Juliet marveled.

  She wanted him again. That was unprecedented.

  “Damn, girl,” he said, his tone sincere, even with the half smile tugging up one corner of his mouth.

  “I have to say that I really approve of how y’all take care of splinters down here,” she said. Giving him a little fake accent. “Doesn’t hurt a bit.”

  He chuckled and caught her bandaged hand, turning her to face him.

  Of course he was completely unabashed about being naked and what they’d just done. That was exactly the way she would have expected Sawyer and all the Landrys, really, to approach sex. With enthusiasm and not a touch of shyness. They approached most things with enthusiasm and there wasn’t much shyness around here about anything.

  He lifted her finger to his mouth and gave it a kiss. “Well, now you know I’m your guy for any aches and pains you’ve got.”

  “Yeah,” she said, softly, feeling warmth bubble up in her chest. “But I already knew that.”

  Something flickered in his eyes. Something that looked like heat but also satisfaction and almost possessiveness.

  Sawyer had been taking care of her since the second they’d met. And she kept giving him reasons. He’d distracted her from that thinking with the hot kisses and his big hands and everything else, but when she’d slipped on the bottle and gotten the splinter, it had all come roaring up into her consciousness.

  Yes, Sawyer was protective. Yes, he’d be there to take care of things. And she liked when he did. Which was why her being here temporarily was a good thing. He didn’t need more people to worry about and protect. He didn’t deserve that. Just when he was getting over the loss of one person he hadn’t been able to protect and save, he didn’t need someone who was always going to need that.

  This was her reality. She was always going to be a little unsteady, always going to need to be overly prepared, always going to have to What-If every damned thing. If she stuck around, Sawyer was going to be catching her and picking her up and fixing things constantly.

  It made her a little sad thinking about that. But this man was wired to be the guy who never quit trying to save everyone and everything, and he lived in a place and had a lifestyle that would always physically challenge her.

  She would exhaust him emotionally because she’d never be completely fine. And while she was okay with that, she wasn’t sure Sawyer would be.

  They cleaned up and got dressed and Sawyer put all of the first aid supplies away all without speaking but as she started toward the door, he caught her wrist and pulled her around. He cupped her face and kissed her deeply.

  When he finally let her go, long seconds later, he ran his thumbs over her lips. “We’ll go work on the dock a little more, but I want you again later. And then again later after that.”

  She couldn’t do anything but nod. She wanted him again, too. She was only here for a few more days and she was going to take whatever she could get from this man.

/>   He kissed her hard and quick and then let her go. He bent and grabbed her safety vest from the floor and held it out. Juliet let him help her into it, buckling it for her and straightening it, before taking her hand.

  They got out to the building area just in time to see Chase boarding a boat with Leo and Ellie. They all waved with huge grins on their faces, and Juliet felt an overwhelming number of emotions looking at her brother with the Landry matriarch and patriarch.

  He was happy. He was relaxed and happy and feeling adventurous and, more than anything, accepted. The Landrys and all of their friends and acquaintances had not just welcomed her and Chase with open arms, they’d reached out and pulled them into those open arms. Chase was a friendly guy, he got along with people, he liked to have fun. But he was used to being on his turf, knowing his way around, feeling confident in what he was doing. Everything about the bayou was as new to him as it was to her. And he was reveling in it.

  Her heart swelled. She loved it here. It was stupid. This place was everything that was a challenge for her—physically demanding with risks to someone who had less than one hundred percent strength and coordination as well as a completely new culture with foods and customs and even music that was foreign to her. But she loved it. And she loved these people.

  Her gaze landed on the man who was now bending and stacking boards, muscles rippling, skin glistening, his big, hard body taking care of everything. Her body heated just watching him. They’d just had sex. Good sex. And she wanted him all over again.

  Juliet blew out a breath. It wasn’t about his muscles or the big hands or the other big parts of him…no, that wasn’t true. It was about one big part of him. His heart. Also, his big hurt and his big family and his big ability to see her and understand her and to want her and to want to take care of her.

  She almost groaned out loud.

  She was falling for him.

  That had definitely not been one of the What-Ifs for this trip.

  Was it a sign of being in love if a woman could turn you on while eating shrimp?

  Sawyer sat lounging in his chair, his arm draped over the back of Juliet’s, watching her as she ate and talked to her brother. Chase was telling Juliet about Leo’s old hunting cabin and how Ellie had taught him to clean fish two days ago. Juliet seemed to think the idea of Chase Dawson covered in fish guts was hilarious. Sawyer would concur. But Chase was grinning about the whole thing.

  Sawyer knew his grandmother. He was certain that she’d had some plan around the fish cleaning. It was more than teaching Chase a life skill—particularly one that the guy would in all likelihood never use. Sawyer was sure she’d told Chase some old stories and somehow worked in some advice as they’d done the cleaning. Sawyer wasn’t sure what metaphor she’d used, but he was certain Chase would remember it.

  The thing about Ellie’s life lessons and metaphors was the way they were delivered. Always in a unique way, and with a tone of voice that said I love you but I know you’re going to do some dumbass things.

  Sawyer loved that his grandparents had made Chase feel like an adopted grandson. It was clear that he was enjoying being a part of the Landry family and that it made Juliet feel good, too.

  “Hey, Sawyer?”

  He looked up to find Tori and Josh standing by the table. Josh had one hand on Tori’s lower back. The other was wrapped in white gauze up to his elbow.

  Sawyer felt his body tense, but then felt Juliet’s hand on his thigh. He took a deep breath. “Hey,” he said, casually. Or as casually as he could when his brother was clearly bandaged up for some reason.

  Josh gave him a wary look, like he didn’t totally trust that tone. “So we got a thing set up down there to trap Gus.”

  Tori took a deep breath. Josh glanced at her. “It’s just a cage that will lure him in and then shut behind him. Won’t hurt him at all. Then I’ll go get it in the morning and take it up to Leo’s. Tori will let him out in the new pen we put together with stuff for him climb on and the pool to swim in and stuff. Since she’s not the one collecting the cage, he won’t associate her with trapping him. He’ll think of her as his savior.”

  It was clear Josh was saying all of this for Tori’s benefit rather than for Sawyer’s.

  “Sounds good,” Sawyer said. It did. It wasn’t perfect, but if it kept Gus safe and made Tori feel better, then it was good.

  “Yeah, it will be fine,” Tori said, as if talking herself into it. “But—” She glanced at Josh. “We thought we should tell you that Josh accidentally stuck his hand in a fire ant mound.”

  Jesus. Of course he had. The little bastards were another common menace around here. Sawyer grimaced. Why the hell did they all live down here? There were more things that wanted to harm and kill them than in a lot of places in the country. They could all move to… Montana. There were bears and stuff there, but from what he understood, the bears really preferred to just be left alone.

  “You okay?” Sawyer asked his brother.

  Josh shrugged. “Think so. Been a while since I got stung. Forgot how much these fucking hurt. But Tori got them off of me quick and we put Ellie’s cream on it.”

  Sawyer actually felt himself smiling. Ellie and Cora had a cream, salve, elixir, or powder for everything. And most of it even worked. He looked at Tori. “You knew what to do about fire ants, farm girl?”

  She lifted an eyebrow. “We have fire ants in Iowa,” she said. “Josh warned me there might be some down there.”

  Sawyer nodded. That made sense. He wasn’t the only one around here who knew the dangers and knew how to handle them. He was just the one that wanted to keep everyone wrapped in bubble wrap and never near any of those dangers. Which would mean none of these people that he loved, who loved what they all did for a living and loved the bayou and the river otters and other things about it, would be living any kind of life. They’d be sitting inside doing…nothing.

  “Sounds like you guys handled it well,” he said.

  They both looked mildly surprised for a moment, but then they both smiled.

  “Well, I didn’t want to get too close or touch the cage or the plants around there much because I didn’t want Gus to smell me on everything. But that meant I was standing back, holding the lantern, and wasn’t right there, so it took a few seconds for me to get to Josh to get them rubbed off.”

  “It’s fine,” Josh assured her. “I’m okay.”

  She nodded, still looking a little upset. “It’s because of me that you got bit though,” she said. “I know I should relax about Gus and everything.”

  “No. You’re right to want to protect him. We’ll do whatever we have to.”

  If Josh and Tori were surprised that that answer came from Sawyer—and they clearly were, because they both stared at him—then Sawyer was even more surprised.

  However, the way Juliet squeezed his thigh told him that even if she was surprised, she was also proud of him.

  “And if Ellie’s cream doesn’t work quick, try cucumber slices on the bites,” Sawyer said.

  “Yeah?” Josh asked. “How do you know that?”

  Sawyer leaned in and lowered his voice. “Mom. But she never wants Ellie to know that she’s giving out information AEA.”

  “AEA?” Tori asked, clearly amused.

  “Against Ellie’s Advice,” Sawyer told her. “But the cucumbers work.”

  “Hey, Tori,” Josh said, pulling her close and kissing her temple. “Want to go home and apply cucumbers to my sore spots?”

  She blushed. “Sure. But you didn’t get bitten anywhere but your arm.”

  “No,” he agreed. Then gave her a slow grin full of mischief. “Not yet.”

  Tori’s cheeks turned pink but she nodded. “Good point.”

  Sawyer laughed. God, he loved the two of them together.

  Of course Tori cared if Josh was at risk for injury. He had to quit thinking that he was the only one aware of the risks and consequences. He had to trust that they all wanted to take care of each other as mu
ch as he wanted to take care of them. He also had to trust that if things went sideways, there were a whole bunch of people ready to help out.

  “See you guys later,” Josh said, turning Tori toward the door.

  “Let us know if you need anything,” Sawyer said.

  He felt Juliet squeeze his leg again and he realized he’d said us. As in him and her. Josh and Tori could come to them if they needed anything. If she hadn’t been sitting there with him, he wasn’t sure how he would have responded to Josh’s bandages. Maybe not badly. Fire ant bites were just a thing that happened down here. But would he have said something shitty about how Josh should have known better and why hadn’t he looked around and this is what happened when people messed around down there in the dark? Yeah, he would have. When Josh was down there in the dark because he was trying to make Tori happy and he was keeping her from being bitten by fire ants. When Tori was willing to go down there because she was trying to save Gus from animal control. When Maddie had gotten animal control involved accidentally because she’d been trying to save Josh from an overly flirtatious tourist.

  They were all looking out for one another and it was a mess of blunders, but it was their mess and they were trying to fix it and what he should have said was “I’ve got your back and just let me know what you need and I hope those fire ant bites don’t hurt too much.” That was the supportive, non-asshole thing to say. And because of Juliet, that was essentially what he’d said.

  That felt really fucking good.

  He needed her around for all of the things he needed to face that he’d been handling with a severe lack of finesse and appreciation for the amazing, imperfect, full of love and passion people that he had in his life.