Beauty and the Bayou

by Erin Nicholas

  She moved her hand and leaned in to kiss him quickly. “I love you, Sawyer.”

  He cupped the back of her head and pulled her in for a longer kiss. “I love you, too,” he said, when he let her go. “And I’m the one going down there.”

  Juliet got to her feet. “Don’t be stupid. You’re too heavy for me to pull back up and the dock is too high for you to pull yourself up. You can lower me down and pull me back up easily.”

  He got to his feet, too. “You’ve had a big day already.”

  “Yeah.”

  “You up for more?”

  “Doesn’t matter. This has to happen.”

  He shook his head, but it was as if in wonder rather than to negate what she’d said. “You think you don’t belong here? You dig deep when you need to and you don’t let a little dirty water set you back. That’s the bayou way.”

  Juliet gave him a smile. “Well, then, I guess I was wrong.”

  Emotion flickered in his eyes. “I’m not letting you go.”

  “I really hope you mean when you’re lowering me over the side of this dock and forever after.”

  He chuckled. “I mean all of it.”

  “Okay. Then let’s do this.”

  It wasn’t graceful and Juliet definitely needed another shower afterward, but they managed to rescue Gus and get him up to Tori.

  The second shower was a lot more fun than the first, though, because it was in Sawyer’s shower. With Sawyer. He was a very good…soaper.

  After the longest shower she’d ever taken in her life—and the most satisfying—she sat wrapped in a towel on his bathroom counter. Sawyer knelt in front of her and applied ointment and a bandage to the knee she’d scraped on the edge of the dock when he’d pulled her back up. He leaned in and pressed a kiss to the bandage, then looked up.

  “I’m moving to Alexandria.”

  Juliet blinked down at him. “What?”

  He nodded and stretched to his feet. “The bayou is…complicated. For both of us. I just want to be with you.” He braced his hands on the counter on either side of her hips. “I want you to feel safe and I want you to be happy.”

  Juliet lifted her hands to his face. “But I want to be badass,” she said. “And Cooper Trahan helped me see that. When I went out on those bike rides, that wasn’t really brave. I was never really scared of the bikes. Or of falling. I was scared of scaring my mother and scared of being left out of things. Getting on the bike wasn’t brave. The water, on the other hand, that I was afraid of and I’ve never faced that. But now I know that I still don’t like it and never will, but I can handle it if I have to.” She took a deep breath. “I also don’t really want to get bitten by a bat or a snake or a black widow. But if I do, there’s a big, sexy man who will apply his grandmother’s best friend’s cream and then kiss it all better.” She scooted to the edge of the counter and let her towel fall, wrapping her arms around his neck. “And I’ll tell you, there’s a little part of me that was wondering about how to fake a good snake bite once in a while just for that reason.”

  He pulled in a ragged breath and ran his hands down her sides, his gaze never leaving hers. “Okay, how about the Grand Canyon?”

  Juliet felt her eyes widen. “What about it?”

  “We should go.”

  “Sawyer, I—” Wow, she really wanted to go to the Grand Canyon. With him.

  “That’s something we can both do. No sharks. No life jackets required.”

  “I can’t climb up and down the Grand Canyon,” she said softly.

  “I think you can do more than you think you can. And I’ll carry you up and down however far I need to.”

  Her heart melted. He would. She knew that. Her eyes filled with tears and she nodded. “Yeah, let’s go. I’ll research a few things.”

  He grinned. “I know you will.” He scooped his hands under her butt and lifted her, naked, off the counter, the towel drifting to the floor. He carried her into the bedroom and laid her down under the mosquito netting. “Now, did you say that you might have a snake bite that needs some attention?”

  “I’m clear of snake bites,” she told him.

  “Oh.”

  She pulled him down beside her. “But I was reading up about Lyme disease. I was wondering if you know anything about checking someone for ticks?”

  His grin was fast and huge and definitely wolfish. “’Course I do. I’m a bayou boy, Ms. Dawson.”

  “That’s great news. You know me…take every precaution, be totally prepared.”

  He leaned in putting his mouth against hers. “I promise that you will never have an inch of your body that is not thoroughly examined on a daily basis.”

  “I feel safer already,” Juliet said, her voice breathless as his big hands started their inspection.

  Epilogue

  Two days later

  * * *

  “They know we’re watching them, right?” Tori asked.

  “Oh, they for sure know,” Maddie agreed with a grin.

  “What a bunch of idiots,” Kennedy muttered.

  Juliet was gathered with the three women at the window of the Boys of the Bayou office watching Josh, Owen, Sawyer, Mitch, and Bennett Baxter put the dock together.

  The three sections were finished and the pilings had been put in yesterday.

  Watching the big machinery rumble in and pound the thick metal stakes into the floor of the bayou had been fascinating. It was very much like a deck off the back of a house, but the poles holding everything up had to be driven through the mud and into the solid ground underneath the water. They also had to be constructed to withstand being constantly submerged. They had to be tall enough to stand up out of the water, of course, and solid enough to support the dock and several hundred pounds of weight from the human beings on top of it, not to mention the storms that blew into this part of the country.

  Juliet couldn’t help but feel a little thrill at watching the structure she’d built actually being put together out there. It was just as she’d imagined it. Not to mention the thrill of watching Sawyer lifting and pounding and flexing and yeah, being wet.

  The guys had to wade into the bayou to the pilings and then lift the sections of the dock into place, nailing and screwing to secure them.

  Sawyer was making her like water a lot more. But she was not skinny-dipping.

  “Oh my God, what the hell is he doing?” Kennedy asked, breaking into Juliet’s thoughts.

  The girls all leaned closer to the window.

  “Um, he’s taking his shirt off,” Maddie told her with a smirk.

  Juliet pulled her eyes away from Sawyer and realized that Bennett had just stripped his shirt off like the other guys had.

  “Why?” Kennedy asked crossly. Though her gaze was definitely glued on Bennett.

  “So his shirt doesn’t get wet?” Tori said, teasingly, looking at Kennedy.

  Juliet glanced over, too.

  “Oh,” Maddie said, staring out the window.

  Tori and Juliet spun to look. Bennett had just shucked out of his jeans as well, leaving him in only navy-blue boxers.

  Kennedy’s nose nearly hit the glass.

  “They’re going to let him get in the water?” Kennedy asked. “What the hell? That guy doesn’t know how to put a dock together.”

  “You mean, the ivy school educated attorney with a master’s degree in conservation and biodiversity can’t figure out that you put the flat wooden parts on top of the poles and then screw them into place?” Tori asked, this time not looking away from the scene outside.

  “The guy lifts briefcases for a living, not tools and docks and… stuff,” Kennedy’s voice trailed off as Bennett hoisted one of the dock sections up overhead and waded into the water. “Oh…um…wow.”

  “Same,” Tori said in agreement.

  “Damn,” was Maddie’s assessment.

  Juliet had been watching the guys, too, and felt the same way. Wow. Same. Damn. That all covered it.

  The girls watched withou
t speaking as the guys put the pieces of the dock together. At one point, they pulled stools up and settled in as if it was a sporting event. Kennedy literally grabbed popcorn from behind the counter after a little while and passed out cups to each girl. Maddie handed diet sodas around. They made small comments here and there, but for the most part they all seemed quite content just watching the whole scene.

  When the guys were done, they all emerged from the water like a small team of water warriors. Their shorts were soaked and clinging to their bodies, their torsos were glistening in the sun, their hair was slicked back, and they strode up the bank with huge, satisfied grins, clearly proud of themselves and feeling the testosterone flowing.

  It was like candy to the girls. They all got off their stools, got rid of their snacks, and watched their men stride across the side yard.

  At least Juliet assumed they were all coming toward the building. She really hadn’t looked away from Sawyer in about forty solid minutes.

  “Bennett looks damned good, too,” Maddie said.

  “With mud all over his ass and blood dripping down his arm?” Kennedy asked crossly, moving away from the window, scraping one of the stools across the floor behind her. “Sure. Super hot.” Then her voice dropped to a mutter, “Dumbass city boy. They never should have let him out there with them.” She moved behind the counter and pulled out the first aid kit, setting it on top with a thud.

  “Mud and blood?” Maddie asked, looking out the window again.

  “Well, your eyes were clearly on Owen,” Kennedy said. “Baxter fell three times, including slipping coming up the bank. Right in the mud. At some point he must have tried to put a nail through his hand or something because there’s blood everywhere.”

  Maddie frowned and leaned closer to the window. Juliet did, too. She definitely hadn’t seen Bennett fall and couldn’t see any blood from here.

  “He’s laughing right now. Seems fine,” Tori commented.

  “That’s because he thinks this is all a big game,” Kennedy said, pulling gauze and ointment and cotton pads from the first aid box. “He thinks coming down here and jacking around in the dirt and water is so fun. Just because he was a stuck-up snob growing up and did stupid shit like playing tennis and golf and now thinks he’s going to be all manly and tough by messing around on the bayou with real men. He doesn’t realize that he could get hurt out there. Or hurt someone else. The man needs to stick to file folders and briefcases. Stuff where he can’t make an ass of himself.”

  Juliet felt her eyes go round. Kennedy cared about people, of course, but she also figured most of the people she hung around knew what they were doing. She was definitely not the type to fuss about others. She was the type to figure that falling down was a great way to learn about walking carefully on the slippery banks of the bayou. But right then she sounded a lot like her big brother. Juliet looked over at Maddie and Tori. They were both fighting smiles as well.

  “Maybe he makes an ass of himself in his big fancy office building and conference rooms, too,” Kennedy continued, still setting first aid supplies out. As in, every single thing that was inside that box. Including an Ace wrap and a neck brace. She almost seemed to be talking to herself. “Who knows? Maybe he is just an idiot who doesn’t know what the fuck he’s doing ever. Maybe he’s always gotten by on his good looks and charm and money and doesn’t actually have one damned brain in his head.”

  “Anyone I know?”

  They all pivoted toward the door that led from the main deck on the north side of the building into the office.

  Bennett stood in the doorway. His eyes on Kennedy. Grinning.

  He’d pulled his jeans back on, but left them unbuttoned, and hadn’t added his shirt yet.

  Juliet was all about Sawyer, but as a heterosexual red-blooded woman, she had to admit that Bennett Baxter looked pretty damned good underneath those suits and ties he allegedly wore all the time.

  “You,” Kennedy told him, propping a hand on her hip and not looking a bit abashed at having been caught ranting about him. “You must not have one damned brain in your head. I’m surprised you didn’t tear a rotator cuff or fucking drown out there.”

  “All I heard was that you think I’m good-looking and charming.”

  “You should stick with legal briefs and whatever else you do all day.”

  He came further into the office and headed straight for her. Juliet suddenly had a feeling that he’d completely forgotten that she, Maddie, and Tori were even there.

  “You thinking about my briefs, Kennedy?” he asked, stopping in front of her.

  Kennedy reached for his hand and pulled him close, then twisted his hand so it was palm up and began cleaning the blood away. “I’m thinking about how I’m never gonna be able to walk on that dock out there without worrying about it collapsing because they let a city boy lawyer help build it. Did you even play with Legos growing up, or was it all just Monopoly?”

  Bennett chuckled, letting her clean his hand. “I did really like Monopoly.”

  As the blood disappeared, it was easy to see that the wound was really a cut up near his elbow and not nearly as bad as it had looked.

  “I’ll get you some Legos for your birthday,” Kennedy said, bending over his arm and applying ointment, then a bandage. “Maybe that will satisfy this manly craving of yours to play at building stuff and will keep everyone else safe.”

  “My manly cravings aren’t going to be satisfied by multicolored plastic, Kennedy,” Bennett said in a low voice.

  Even Juliet felt a little shiver of awareness at his tone. She glanced at the other two. Yeah, they’d noticed, too. Tori’s eyes were wide, and Maddie was looking wildly entertained.

  Kennedy looked up at Bennett as she pressed the bandage onto his cut—apparently very firmly judging by the little wince he gave—and said, “Funny, my cravings are handled just fine by colored plastic. Maybe you need to get the kind that vibrates.”

  Bennett gave her a slow smile. “I sincerely doubt there’s anything or anyone that fully handles you, Kennedy.”

  That was a very accurate statement from what Juliet had witnessed about the youngest Landry so far.

  Kennedy nodded. “You should remember that.”

  Bennett shrugged. “I love a challenge.”

  “Do ya? I saw you go under out there,” Kennedy said, letting go of his arm and inclining her head toward the window.

  “Yeah, a little deep in a couple spots.”

  She nodded. “You think you quickly got in over your head out there? Keep thinking of me as some challenging game that you like to mess with when you’re bored.”

  Bennett didn’t even blink. “And you keep thinking that you can intimidate me by pointing out that things down here get hot, wet, and dirty. In spite of my suits and briefs, those are three of my favorite things.” Then he reached up and lifted her chin with one finger, closing her mouth. “Don’t forget to send me those files I need by the end of tomorrow.” He turned and headed out of the office.

  Juliet, Tori, and Maddie all watched him go, then swung to look at Kennedy.

  “I hate him so much,” she whispered.

  That was so clearly not true it was laughable. Which was probably why Maddie and Tori laughed.

  Juliet just grinned. She hoped Bennett came back to the bayou soon.

  She had a feeling Kennedy did, too.

  And that was what she hated.

  Thank you for reading Beauty and the Bayou! I hope you loved Sawyer and Juliet’s story!

  * * *

  And don’t miss Kennedy and Bennett’s book, Crazy Rich Cajuns!

  A sexy, small town, opposites attract rom com!

  * * *

  He wears suits and ties. He'll one day inherit a fortune. He has a law degree. He shines his shoes, for God's sake. What is she doing attracted to a guy like him? But she is. She so is.

  * * *

  She drives air boats on the bayou, drinks and cusses, and gives city boys in suits a hard time just for f
un. Why can't he get her out of his mind? But he can't. He definitely can't.

  * * *

  A weekend trip to Savannah for a fancy-schmancy party with his highfalutin family is the surefire way to prove that they have nothing in common but intense chemistry. And to maybe scratch this I've-never-wanted-anyone-like-I-want-you itch once or twice. Or five times.

  * * *

  But it takes only about twenty-four hours for the bayou girl and the city boy to figure out that they don't really know much at all--about each other, or about themselves. And figuring all of this out is going to be downright crazy.

  * * *

  Grab it now!

  You can find it and all of Erin’s books at

  www.ErinNicholas.com

  About the Author

  Erin Nicholas is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over thirty sexy contemporary romances. Her stories have been described as toe-curling, enchanting, steamy and fun. She loves to write about reluctant heroes, imperfect heroines and happily ever afters. She lives in the Midwest with her husband who only wants to read the sex scenes in her books, her kids who will never read the sex scenes in her books, and family and friends who say they’re shocked by the sex scenes in her books (yeah, right!).

  Find her and all her books at

  www.ErinNicholas.com

  * * *

  And find her on Facebook, Goodreads, BookBub, and Instagram!

  More from Erin

  If you loved Beauty and the Bayou, don’t miss the rest of

  The Boys of the Bayou

  * * *

  My Best Friend’s Mardi Gras Wedding