One Last Chance: A Small-Town Romance (Oak Grove series Book 3)

by Nancy Stopper

  Her ability to bring Sawyer to his knees emboldened her now that she’d given herself over to him. She continued her path, her naked skin caressing his, each brush sending jolts through her, until she reached his boxer briefs.

  He tucked his hands behind his head, a smirk on his face. This man was just way too cocky for his own good. “Like what you see?”

  “Almost. I think I’ll like it better”—she tugged the briefs off in a single motion, his erection springing free and resting high on his belly— “once we get these boxers off.”

  He lay still but his smile grew as she eyed his cock. He deserved the same pleasure he’d given her. She began to wind her fingers around his erection, but he gripped her wrist. “You can’t. I’ll never last. I want to be inside you.”

  He reached into the nightstand and grabbed a condom. Once sheathed, he laid her sprawled over him, her breasts pillowing on his impressive chest. She wiggled her hips, sliding over his cock. She was finally going to make love with this man that had starred in her fantasies for far too long.

  He groaned and his tongue speared her mouth at the same moment he slid into her. He filled her body as the love behind the intimate act pierced her soul. Her heart expanded as her body welcomed him.

  “God, Rachel. You feel so good.” He lifted her and then lowered her. She rolled her hips and drove him deeper. And then she did it again. And again. Perspiration beaded on her lip. She focused on Sawyer, his eyes closed and his head thrown back. His head shined from sweat as he gripped her hips and thrust into her over and over. The tip of him stretched deep into her core, stroking that spot that drove her wild and shocking every inch of her body. She didn’t want to be in this alone. She had to make this good for him, too.

  They fell into a rhythm, giving and taking, the two of them in perfect harmony. Together, their mouths and bodies fused. He nudged his knees behind her back and pushed even further into her, each thrust sliding against her sensitive nerve endings. A moan built in her throat.

  Her inner muscles tingled and clenched him like a vice. Just as her orgasm built, he pinched her clit. Every part of her body screamed as the explosion of pleasure coursed through her body. He pulsed, the deep throbs filling her completely as he tumbled over with her.

  She collapsed on his sweaty body. His arms rested on her back as they both drew in ragged breaths. They lay skin to skin, still joined intimately.

  She loved him. She knew it as sure as anything else, but the words wouldn’t come. Now that they had made love, would he continue to shut her out? Would he lock his feelings away from her, or would he finally allow her into his heart, to share his pain and his sorrow in addition to his joy?

  Chapter Twenty

  THE ROOM GREW dark as Sawyer stroked Rachel’s hair splayed across his bare skin. Her chest rose and fell steadily as she slept. He’d had sex before, sure, but he’d never felt a deep bond to a woman like he had with Rachel.

  Shivers had coursed through his body when she brushed her fingers on his naked skin. Every touch, every look she threw him, dragged him deeper in love. When he slid into her willing heat, warmth spread through him and settled deep in his soul. Like he’d been waiting his entire life for that moment.

  He didn’t want to break the connection they had. He’d fought his feelings for a long time, but now that he’d given in and made love to her, she possessed his entire heart.

  When he shifted her to the mattress, she didn’t even wake. He lay beside her, his fingers whispering over her arm, cataloging the range of emotions swirling in his mind. His heart sang when she’d asked for what she wanted, the confidence he’d been longing to see finally showing through. He was powerless to resist her.

  His initial fear was that it was too soon. Even after several weeks, from time to time, a sadness would overcome her and she’d grow quiet, shutting herself in her room. Was their lovemaking her way of responding to the sexual tension from their workout session, or was it more? Hell, she’d spurred most of it on, but he’d certainly joined in.

  What in the hell was he supposed to do now?

  Her future was up in the air. She could leave Oak Grove, and him. Truth was, he’d follow her wherever she went for a chance to be with her.

  What would her brothers think? They’d entrusted her care to him, expected him to protect her, not sleep with her. She might act tough and stand up to her brothers, but their love and approval were important to her. If they had something to say, they’d better direct their words toward him. No way would he let them make her feel bad.

  Her mouth opened slightly as she breathed deeply in sleep. He could sneak in a kiss without waking her. Just one, to taste her clean, fresh flavor. Blood pooled in his groin. One kiss wouldn’t be enough, would never be enough for him.

  He brushed his finger down her cheek, and her eye twitched. He stroked again and her breathing changed. Her eyelids fluttered. Well, as long as she was awake...

  He leaned over, his mouth a breath away from hers. Before he could close the final inch, she smiled.

  “Couldn’t you sleep?” Her husky voice swept over him, and his cock sat up and took notice.

  “Not with this sexy woman naked in my bed, no way.”

  Her lips were pink and swollen from his kissing. She stretched her arms above her head, and the sheet fell, exposing her perky breasts. Breasts the perfect size for his hands and mouth.

  He licked his lips.

  She laughed and snatched the sheet up.

  The shadows in her eyes betrayed her true feelings, despite her laugh. Damn Shane for making her feel anything other than completely beautiful. He leaned closer. “You don’t have to hide from me. Ever.”

  A blush rose on her cheeks. His shy girl. She hadn’t been tentative a while ago, though, hovering over him as he drove into her. “You’re stunning, Rachel.”

  Her gaze softened and she released the sheet. Shane may have shattered her self-esteem, but in this bed, with him, she had finally allowed herself to feel as attractive as she was to him.

  Her stomach grumbled and they both laughed. “I guess we missed dinner, huh?”

  “You were asleep.”

  She flopped back on the bed. “You wore me out, mister. And now I think you need to feed me.”

  Her stomach growled again.

  He laughed and climbed out of bed. But that didn’t quell the concerns racing through his mind. Now that they had slept together, what would change between them? Could he protect her if he couldn’t remain detached, objective?

  Once they showered and dressed, they prepared a simple dinner and sat side-by-side at the table. His fears of a woman in his space had grown quiet since Rachel moved in. While they ate, they shared an easy conversation. But his fears still bubbled just below the surface. It was times like this when he stumbled over his words. Not today. He bit his tongue to keep from blurting out something that may fracture her fragile peace.

  His mind searched for another topic, and he landed on one that made him wince inside. Damn. Yet another day he’d failed to devise a strategy for the election. He’d set it aside for far too long, and he needed to know how Rachel felt. Could she face the endless campaigning he’d have to do to get elected? A major campaign activity was coming up soon. “So, the Labor Day picnic is this weekend.”

  She finished off a bite of salad. “Yeah.”

  He ate some of his pasta and swiped with his napkin. She couldn’t make this easy for him, could she? Did he really have to ask the question? Of course he did. She deserved to be respected, to be treated like his equal. He just sucked at the touchy-feely stuff. “I’d like you to go with me.”

  She waggled her eyebrows. “Are you telling me or asking me?”

  He nearly spit out his food. After what she’d been through, could he have been less sensitive? Man, he was a dope. “I’m sorry. You’re right. Would you like to go to the Labor Day picnic with me?”

  She fanned her face and laid her hand on her chest. “Oh, kind sir, I’d love to.”
>
  “I have to warn you, though, there’s going to be a lot of campaigning. I’d like nothing more than for us to spend the day together, but Leon’s running, too. I’d just let him have the job, but I don’t think I can work under him.”

  “If that’s what you gotta do…”

  “Is this okay? My running?”

  She slid more pasta between her lips. How could she make eating food so sexy? “Why wouldn’t it be?”

  “It’ll shove you in the spotlight. Maybe more than you’d like.” She’d be out in the open, in public, where Shane could be lurking. Sawyer would much rather they settle into a quiet life together, her going back to school and him working as a deputy. But this was about his future… and her future. Their future together.

  She extended her hand, palm up, curling her fingers around his. “I guess I should get used to events like this when I’m with you. I don’t mean I’m with you, I meant if I’m out… Oh, whatever. Just forget I said anything.” Pink crept up her cheeks and she lowered her head, but kept her hand around his.

  He laughed beneath his breath at her flustered state, which was partly his fault for being unable to express himself. She had doubts, and he could ease them, if only he could find the words. “As far as I’m concerned, you’re with me and I’m with you. We’re together.” Except she had some say in this, too. He would not become another overbearing, demanding influence in her life. “As long as being together is what you want.”

  “I think, if today proved anything, it proved that’s what I want. Although…”

  “What?”

  “My brothers will be there. Are you ready for the scowling and teasing? Joey alone would be reason enough to keep this our secret for a bit longer.”

  “That’s nothing. When they see how happy you make me—”

  “Do I make you happy? I mean, you might be happier with someone who didn’t bring along so much baggage.”

  Of course she made him happy. Didn’t she know that? He’d taken this chance, let her in after fighting his feelings. Now that he had, he was holding on tight. Everyone was going to know that they were together.

  And Rachel, most of all, deserved to know that she was loved and desired and that there was nowhere else he wanted to be. She deserved someone to prop her up and shower her with compliments. “You don’t have baggage. You have a past. We both do. Sometimes your past pops up, other times mine will. We’ll handle those challenges together. You make me happy. You’re the woman I’ve always wanted to be with.”

  Her mouth fell open.

  What had he said? This was why he usually kept his trap shut. “What?”

  “You always wanted to be with me?”

  He hadn’t meant to tell her exactly how long he’d wanted her. She wasn’t ready for that. But now that he’d said it… “Yes, for a very, very long time.”

  “How long?”

  “Long before you were old enough. Maybe when I was about seventeen.”

  “I thought you saw me as Joey’s pesky little sister.”

  “I did at first. Then you grew up, I got older, and you became more than Joey’s little sister, at least to me.”

  “All this time. While you were away in the army?”

  “Yep.” It had been a long time.

  “I’m not sure what to say.”

  “Listen, honey, I didn’t want to scare you away. Honestly, the words just slipped out. I forget sometimes no one else knows.”

  “No one else?”

  He shook his head.

  “You never told me.”

  “There was never a good time. You were too young when I left. Then my grandmother died. When I came home from Afghanistan, I wasn’t good company. It took me a while to straighten my head out and settle into my job. And by then…”

  “I was dating Shane.”

  If only he’d gotten his shit together before then. He and Rachel could have been together from day one. But the man who’d come home from Afghanistan hadn’t deserved a woman like Rachel. Kyle, Derek losing his legs, the horrors Sawyer witnessed over there—it had messed up his head big time, and he’d been right to wait. “Yeah.”

  “I wish I’d known.”

  “There’s no undoing the past. All we can do is move forward. And I want us to do that… together.”

  “Is this going to be awkward for me to stay here? I can find somewhere else. No one has seen Shane in a while, and I should probably find a place of my own, anyway.”

  Oh, crap. Not good. That’s not what he wanted. She couldn’t leave. If she left, she wouldn’t be here to smile at him and ask about his day when he walked in the door. To be the first face he sees when he wakes up each day. And he couldn’t protect her anywhere else like he could when she was by his side. As long as Shane was still out there, awaiting trial, the safest place for Rachel was here.

  So he told her the truth. “Don’t you dare. I like having you here.”

  She smiled and dug her fork into her pasta. “Good, because I like being here.”

  SAWYER COULDN’T HAVE asked for more perfect weather for the Labor Day picnic. Last year, rain had washed out most of the festivities. But today, with the sun shining in the clear blue sky, the town green would be packed full of people celebrating the end of summer. The sheriff always had a role in the Labor Day picnic, whether campaigning or mingling. If Sawyer didn’t owe his mentor so much for taking him under his wing as a teen and helping him screw his head on straight after he came home from Afghanistan, he’d drop out of the campaign and just focus on his budding relationship with Rachel. But he had to pay attention to the long term as well as his civic duty, considering what type of sheriff Leon Watkins would make. And Robert’s confidence in Sawyer’s chances went a long way toward quelling his concerns.

  Of course Watkins grumbled about preferential treatment. After the less than flattering words he’d said about Rachel and the insinuations he’d made about their relationship, Sawyer had no intentions of handing the election over to Leon.

  They’d barely arrived at the park when Sawyer was bombarded by well-wishing neighbors and friends. With Rachel by his side, Sawyer spent the first hour shaking hands and actually kissing a baby. Sometimes he kept his hand on Rachel’s back, while other times her hand was looped through his elbow.

  They’d been socializing for about ninety minutes when Watkins swaggered over to them. Sawyer tightened his grip on Rachel. If Leon said one wrong thing, Sawyer couldn’t be held responsible for his reaction.

  “Deputy Truman, how are you doing today?”

  “Fine, Deputy Watkins.” Sawyer could be cordial for the sake of the town.

  “And who is this pretty little lady at your side?”

  Leon damn well knew who Rachel was. Sawyer’s fingers itched to wipe the lecherous smirk off Leon’s face. If only Sawyer could steer Rachel away from the jerk. Instead, she squared her shoulders and reached out to shake his hand. “Rachel Bennett. Nice to meet you, Deputy Watkins.”

  “Bennett, huh?”

  Sawyer threw Leon a side-eyed glare. Watkins wasn’t fooling anyone. If he was out to upset Rachel, well, they were definitely going to have words.

  “You may know my brother Lucas. He’s a paramedic. Or Joey who owns J.J.’s Bar and Grill.” By dropping her brothers’ names, Rachel sent the message that prominent members of this town had her back… but none more than Sawyer.

  “I don’t think I’m acquainted with either of them.” Leon’s bravado wavered briefly, a chink in the man’s armor, before he plastered the fake smile on his face again.

  “Well…” Rachel gestured across the green where her two brothers stood beside Sarah and Brittany. “They’re right over there. I’m sure they’d like to meet one of our illustrious candidates for sheriff.”

  The deputy’s lips pursed. “That’s all right. Maybe another time. Nice to meet you, Ms. Bennett. Truman.”

  Leon slunk away.

  Sawyer pulled her into his arms and whispered into her ear. “I’m so sorry,
honey. That”—he gestured to the departing backside— “is my opponent.”

  “I’m glad you’re running. Having a sheriff like him might make me move away.”

  Well, they couldn’t have that. Rachel shouldn’t be subjected to Watkins’s scorn and insinuations just because Sawyer was running for sheriff. But she’d done a good job of standing up for herself. Maybe she didn’t need as much protecting as he assumed. Taking care of the people he loved had been drilled into him as a kid, then in the army, and now as a deputy sheriff. At the same time, Rachel was his equal. That didn’t mean he could shake off his protective instincts, but having her with him was a boost to his mood, even during the dreadful campaigning. “Then I better win, because I intend to do everything in my power to keep you here… by my side.”

  She threaded her fingers through his as another resident approached.

  “HOW’RE YOU HOLDING up?” he asked her after Mrs. Downey spent fifteen minutes explaining what the current sheriff did to keep the teens from trouncing her prize-winning bushes. She also added the sheriff and those nice boys on the fire engine came to help her from time to time because her husband was in a wheelchair. People like Mrs. Downey made his job worthwhile. But after shaking so many hands, his aching brain could use a moment far away from people and noise.

  When Rachel flashed her sweet smile at him, she had him searching for the nearest tree to drag her behind. “I’m doing fine. How about you?”

  He sighed. “I need a break.”

  “That can be arranged.” She waved off several well-meaning folks and hustled him to a bench, their back to the crowds gathering around the gazebo.

  He let out a huge breath. “Wow, that’s exhausting.”

  She handed him a water bottle from her huge purse. After drinking a big gulp, he pressed a wet kiss against her lips. She laughed as she wiped the water away.

  He leaned back, his arm draped on the back of the bench. “Thanks, babe. That hit the spot.”

  They rested for a few minutes in the peace and quiet, Rachel’s head on his shoulder, until Sawyer’s gut churned. His eyes snapped open.