She reared back. Sawyer’s eyes flew open.
No way. She couldn’t love him. Obviously, she loved him as a friend. But...more than that?
“Ri?” he asked, confusion on his face. “You okay?”
“Sorry.” She took a deep breath and did everything in her power to push that errant thought to the back of her mind. She would need to deal with it, but not now, not tonight. “Your hand hit a ticklish spot,” she lied.
He relaxed. Then he sprang from the bed. Before she could wonder why, she heard the crinkling of a condom wrapper. He was back in bed in a second, towering over her. His hands were on either side of her head as he gazed down at her. The expression in his hazel eyes was so intense, so serious. She ran a fingertip along his jaw.
He kissed her again, deeply, and gently spread her legs with his knee, positioning himself between them.
“Sawyer?” He met her gaze. “Now.”
Oh my. Her breath caught as he filled her.
Then he paused, peering down at her. “Are you okay?”
She nodded and sighed. “Oh yes.”
He pulled out, his eyes never leaving her face. Then he pushed back in, slowly. She breathed a sigh of contentment. Still, he continued to watch her, their gazes locked onto each other. It was the most erotic moment of her life. Never before had sex been like this.
He reached for her hands, clasping them in his much larger ones. Then he pulled them above her head, securing them into the mattress. They were in the middle of the bed. Her legs were wrapped around his hips tightly as they moved together.
They continued, their bodies moving faster until they were both gasping for breath. A feeling started deep and low in her belly, trickling to the surface in the most exquisite way. She felt as though she were seeing stars, growing brighter and brighter until they appeared to be exploding all around her. The only thing she could think to do in the moment was yell out his name as her body bucked against his.
He fused his mouth to hers as she succumbed to her release. It didn’t take long for his body to tense, and then he joined her on the other side.
Exhausted, she barely had the strength to wrap her arms around him as he collapsed on top of her. She was aware somewhere in the far recesses of her mind that his weight should be overbearing, but at the moment, she didn’t really care. She was warm and sated, and Riley knew she never wanted this moment to end.
They stayed that way, melded together in the center of the bed, for a long time. Limbs locked around each other, breathing finally slowing down. Most of the lights were still on in the room, which ordinarily would have made her feel self-conscious. But, tonight, there was nothing awkward about this scenario.
She turned her head toward the window. The snow was falling thickly outside the window.
Finally she let out a sound. It was something between a yawn and a purr. Amused, he went up on his elbows and grinned down at her.
“What was that?”
“Shh, I’m basking.”
“Sorry,” he whispered. “Bask away. But in the meantime, are you cold?”
She grabbed his arms and tugged, forcing him to fall onto her once again. “Not as long as you’re on top of me keeping me warm.”
He nuzzled her earlobe. As he did, she felt one of his hands move down to cup her breast.
“Hey, haven’t you had enough?” she said playfully.
He squeezed her breast and bit her ear. “Not even close, Hudson.”
Satisfaction rolled through her body. Not to mention, pleasure. Deep, impenetrable pleasure.
Like a queen being adored, she lay on the bed and allowed Sawyer to do as he pleased. He kissed and licked and fondled. All of it felt amazing. All of it had her sighing, gasping, moaning and writhing on the bed until her hands fisted in the sheets.
Riley knew what she wanted, but they’d only just finished the first time.
“Riley, look at me.”
She opened her eyes and took in the strain on Sawyer’s face.
“I need you. Again.”
“Already?” she asked on a strangled breath.
He nodded. “No one has ever turned me on the way you do.”
“I bet you say that to all the girls.”
She meant the comment to be light and funny, but Sawyer kept his solemn expression. His eyes were narrowed and lines had formed on his forehead. She knew that look. He got it when he was deadly serious about something.
“No other girls. You and only you.”
Her smiled faded. She wanted to weep at his sweet and tender words, but she didn’t have time. Sawyer had her in his arms and was entering her again, slowly, gently first, then faster, harder, and before she knew it, she was calling his name, her body shaking from pleasure.
* * *
Riley’s eyes felt heavy and she fought to open them. When she did, she was met by Sawyer’s lopsided smile.
She must have dozed off. She was now wrapped in the blankets with her head cradled on his chest and his arms around her.
“Hi,” he whispered.
“Did I fall asleep?”
“Mmm,” he murmured against her head as he kissed her hair. “I think you were tired.”
She glanced around the room. Their dinner sat untouched across the room. He’d turned the lights down, which illuminated the falling snow outside the windows.
“That’s beautiful,” she said.
“So are you.” He leaned down and placed a kiss against her lips.
Suddenly she felt shy. “Well, that’s something we haven’t done together before.”
“After that, I’m not really sure why we haven’t.” He shifted, taking her in as he did. “Ri, you okay?”
“Um...”
“Uh-oh, that’s not good.”
She sat up in bed, and as she did, the blankets fell away and she realized she didn’t have any clothes on. Quickly she tried to cover up.
She was glad the lights were turned low because, no doubt, her pale skin was bright red.
He clasped her hands in his. “Riley, be honest with me. You don’t...” He coughed. “You don’t regret this, do you?”
Her answer was fast and immediate. And the truth. “No. Absolutely not.” She leaned over and kissed him again.
“I can tell you how I feel,” he said with a wink.
“Oh, I bet I can guess. Men, only one thing on their minds.” She laughed.
“Our relationship is changing now. You know?”
Her earlier thought of love flitted around her mind, and once again she had to push it away. It was too soon for that. Wasn’t it? Besides, sex didn’t equal love. And anyway, who knew where this thing between them was going to go?
She didn’t want to do it, but her mind had other ideas. Thoughts of Connor and her time with him in New York had her stomach clenching and her palms sweating. She’d learned a valuable lesson from that experience. She had to protect herself and her heart.
Being with Sawyer had felt beyond amazing. But as much as she wanted to pursue the possibility of a real relationship with him, she needed to take it slow. She needed to protect herself.
His eyes held so much hope as he waited for her to answer his question. While she wanted nothing more than to throw her arms around him, she reminded herself what it had felt like to have her heart crushed by Connor.
“I think that right now... I’d really like to eat.”
Despite the disappointment that crossed his face, he recovered quickly and offered her a grin.
“I happen to know where you can get some food. It’s nearby and already paid for.”
“How convenient,” she quipped.
He rose from the bed and threw on a shirt and his boxers. He went into the bathroom, returned with one of the plush white robes and held it open for her. She allowed him to wrap her up in it.
Then his arms snaked around her middle and he drew her to him. He whispered in her ear.
“Tonight was amazing. But after everything you told me earlier about your ex, well, I understand that you may need time. I’ll give you whatever you need.”
She turned to face him. “Thank you,” she said.
Their mouths met and they stayed together for a long time as the snow continued to fall outside and she continued to fall harder for her best friend.
Chapter Eleven
Cocooned in Sawyer’s strong arms, Riley slept like a rock. She woke feeling more content than she had in years.
Before she opened her eyes and let the morning in, she took a moment to consider the man beside her.
She had to admit that she’d thought of being with him before. He was gorgeous, sweet, silly, funny. Over the years, when she thought about her ideal man, it was always someone who she could laugh with. Someone who was sensitive and romantic. Someone who valued family and appreciated community.
Holy cow. She’d pictured Sawyer.
The reality of being with him so far exceeded her expectations that she could barely keep her stomach from fluttering. The way he kissed her and lavished so much attention on her... It was overwhelming.
The very real and scary thought that had filtered into her head last night came roaring back in the light of day. Love. Something Riley didn’t even know how to deal with—or want to deal with, really. She pushed that scary four-letter word from her mind and decided she would contemplate what it meant later. Much later.
After an early morning spent in bed with Sawyer and a mound of blueberry pancakes, they enjoyed a dessert of something that was even sweeter than the blueberries. Then Riley took a long, decadent shower in the spa-like bathroom. She could get used to being pampered like this.
Sawyer kissed her goodbye and headed off to his meetings. She browsed through the on-site program and picked a couple of sessions for herself.
The information was really interesting and probably useful to her career. She noticed, though, that when one of the speakers began talking about longevity in publishing Riley started to feel uncomfortable.
Wasn’t that strange?
She’d always assumed she would stay at the Bugle until retirement—unless she moved to another city. But after her time in New York, she knew that Bayside was where she wanted to live.
For the first time since she’d started at the newspaper, Riley actually took a moment to consider the possibility of a different job. Maybe it was the first time she’d allowed herself to admit it.
Strangely, it had nothing to do with Sawyer, either. Obviously, taking their relationship to a new level changed things. But maybe a new job, a new career, would help her claw her way out of this life slump. Elle was getting married and Carissa was having a baby. Perhaps it was time for Riley to make a leap into something new and unknown, as well.
“Someone looks deep in thought.”
Sawyer’s deep voice pulled her out of her musings. She shook her head and offered a bright smile.
“Hey, you.” She tapped him on the chest and tilted her head. “All done for the day?”
“Yep.” He laid a finger to her forehead. “What caused this line to form just now?”
“I was just thinking.”
“About what?”
“About...work, I guess.”
At the urge to break eye contact with him, she glanced around the lobby of the hotel, which was bustling with energy. A line formed near the elevators as badge-wearing conference attendees were exiting the meeting space to return to their rooms. On the other end of the large space, she could see the hostess of the on-site restaurant rushing to seat the influx of lunchtime patrons.
“New story idea?” he asked.
Not even close. But how to say that to Sawyer?
“Something like that,” she lied. “Anyway, are you hungry?”
“Nah. I had a snack during my last session. I was going to see if I could tempt you into doing something with me.”
She felt her cheeks warm as an excited sensation began low in her belly. She wiggled her eyebrows. “Oh, I think you can tempt me to do something with you.”
He offered her a wicked grin. “Mind out of the gutter, Hudson. That’s not what I was thinking.”
Damn. “Yeah, me neither,” she said smoothly. “In fact, I was hoping we could go to one of these super-fascinating lectures together.”
“What a great idea,” he said in response to her sarcasm. “Sadly, there are no more lectures today.”
She snapped her fingers. “Darn.”
“Since we don’t have to be at dinner until seven, I thought we could try skiing.”
Riley used to love skiing, but she hadn’t been in three years. It had been even longer for Sawyer.
After they were geared up and had their lift tickets, they made their way to the ski lift and rode up to the top of the mountain.
Over the next couple of hours, one thing became obvious. They were both pretty horrible skiers.
After falling more times than was humanly possible, they returned to their room and changed for dinner. Unfortunately, there would be no repeats of last night’s feast of chocolate cake and cold salmon since they were dining in the hotel’s ballroom with the other conference attendees.
Riley washed down her overcooked chicken with a sip of bad wine. At least the people seated at their table were interesting and conversation flowed.
Still, it was kind of hard to concentrate when Sawyer kept sliding heated glances her way.
A few hours later, they were lazing in bed with a bottle of wine that they’d ordered from room service.
“I don’t want to go back home.” Even she could hear the wistfulness in her voice.
The last few days had offered her a much-needed respite from life. Returning to Bayside would mean dealing with her best friends’ anger and fixing that situation. It would mean returning to work, to a job that she was no longer sure she completely wanted. A job that used to be fun and interesting. And a great hiding place.
Not to mention, when she’d left a couple days ago, she hadn’t been sleeping with her boss.
“No?”
She shook her head. “Not so much. Reality lives in Bayside.”
“Speaking of Bayside, what happens at home? How do you want to handle this?”
She didn’t need him to define this. He was asking about their very new relationship, so she took a moment. “I don’t think we should tell anyone.” At his disappointed expression—and how cute was that—she added, “Yet.”
He didn’t seem completely appeased by her answer.
“There’s the Bayside Blogger to consider.”
“If you’re worried about appearing in her column, I have an in with her,” he said.
“That’s just it. If we were anyone else, we would be in her column. If someone sees us together, like this,” she said, and gestured between them.
He raised an eyebrow at their state of undress.
“Well, not exactly like this. I hope no one sees the two of us naked. But, if they see us doing anything couple-y, they might tip the blogger off. Then what am I supposed to do?”
He shrugged. “Write about us.”
His answer surprised her. “And you would be okay with that?”
“Yes,” he answered with zero hesitation. “I want to be with you.”
Her palms began to sweat. “What about work? You’re my boss, Sawyer.”
“You could get a new job.”
He was joking, but she couldn’t let it go. “A new job? Where exactly? To the other newspaper in town? There’s not a lot of options in Bayside.”
Sawyer collapsed back against the pillows, too. “I know it.”
“If I didn’t work at the Bugle, where would I work?” Was she aski
ng Sawyer or herself?
Something crossed his face, but Riley couldn’t explain it. It was as if a dark shadow fell over them. Even though Sawyer shrugged it off and turned the conversation to discussing a book they were both reading, Riley couldn’t shake the feeling that something was very wrong.
The next morning she still sensed something was off, but then they got busy packing up their things. They attended the closing seminar of the conference and checked out of their room.
Before they could exit the hotel, they took some time to say goodbye to fellow attendees. Sawyer was talking to a man who looked awfully familiar to her. Riley ventured over to them.
“Riley Hudson,” the man said. “I heard you were here.”
“Ri, do you remember Jack Rodger? We used to work together.”
Realization hit her. “At the Post. Right. It’s been a long time. How are you?”
“No complaints. Unlike this guy.” Jack jabbed Sawyer in the stomach.
That was strange. Sawyer had complaints? About what, she wondered. She glanced at Sawyer, but he avoided her stare.
“What did you think of the conference?” Jack asked, causing her to rip her eyes from Sawyer.
“I enjoyed it a lot more than I had anticipated. I went to this really fascinating lecture on how to boost circulation with different social media events, like contests.”
“Uh-oh,” Sawyer said. “Does this mean you’re going to force me to do that ‘take a selfie with the editor’ contest again?” Pain etched across his face.
“Oh, shut up. You loved that.”
Jack laughed. “Yep, same Riley I remember.”
They played catch-up for a few more minutes before checking their weather apps and deciding it was time to head out.
Jack reached out and shook her hand. “Great to see you again, Riley.”
“You, too.” Riley began putting her coat and gloves on.
Jack turned to Sawyer and offered him a hearty slap on the back. “Don’t worry about the Bugle. Everything’s gonna be fine.”
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