A Touch of Heaven

by Samantha Chase

  Max reached out and put a reassuring hand on his son’s shoulder. “Whatever it is that you want, Sawyer. You are extremely talented and I think that if this show were to end tomorrow you would move on to bigger and better things.” He stopped and considered his next words. “Maybe with a different schedule you might even consider finding someone and getting married and settling down. I don’t want you to spend your whole life alone like I did because I was too afraid to put the time into a relationship.”

  Sawyer desperately wanted to share with his father about the turn in his relationship with Regan but he would need to discuss that with her first. Between all of the suddenly secret relationships, the show, the renovations and Devin’s threat, he wasn’t sure which topic would upset Regan the least.

  And if there was one thing that Sawyer wanted more than anything, it was to make sure that Regan was happy.

  ****

  Later that night, Sawyer sat across from Regan while she prepared dinner for them. “How can that be a quick sauce when you’re starting from scratch?” he asked. “A quick sauce would be opening a jar.”

  Regan rolled her eyes. “Let me tell you something, the day you find jarred sauce in my pantry, just shoot me because clearly I’ll have lost the will to live.”

  One of the many things Sawyer was learning about her was that she never took the easy way to anything. Tonight’s dinner was just another example. She didn’t use processed foods, she made almost everything from scratch and where her business was concerned, she took on most of the responsibilities there, as well. Hell, she didn’t let him do anything for her and it was starting to wear on him.

  “How about tomorrow night I take you out?” he suggested lightly, taking a pull from the chilled bottle of beer she had waiting for him when he arrived.

  “Why?” she asked, chopping tomatoes and adding them to the saucepan that was already simmering with fresh garlic and olive oil.

  “Because I want to,” he said simply. “I’d like to take you out on a date.”

  Regan put down the knife and stared at him. “A date?” She made it sound like it was a foreign concept. “Why?”

  He stood and walked around the counter into her tiny kitchen. When he was right in front of her, Sawyer placed both hands on her hips and pulled her in close and kissed her. “Because you’re an old fashioned girl and I’ve been less than old fashioned with you.” His gaze was intense as it held hers. “And for that I am sorry.”

  Something inside of Regan softened along with her heart as she not only saw but heard the sincerity in Sawyer’s words. How was this possible? It had only been a matter of weeks and yet she couldn’t seem to stop herself from falling hard and fast for him. It was completely out of her comfort zone and totally out of character for her and yet, standing here and looking in his eyes, nothing had ever felt more right.

  “It’s not necessary, you know,” she said shyly.

  Sawyer reached out and placed a finger under her chin and had her looking back at him. “To me it is. I should have started by asking you out on a proper date rather than daring you to come to my hotel.”

  Regan smiled. “I didn’t mind.”

  And in that instant, Sawyer knew that she was telling the truth. That as much as she was old fashioned, she felt for him exactly what he felt for her and that it didn’t matter how they started, it just mattered that they did. He glanced over at the stove. “I think we need to take a look at that before it gets ruined. It smells fantastic.”

  Without leaving the circle of his arms, Regan reached out and turned off the stove and moved the pan from the burner before facing him again. “It will keep.” Lifting up on tip-toes, she snaked her arms around his neck and kissed him, letting him know without words just how much he meant to her and how dinner wasn’t what she wanted right now.

  Sawyer smiled against her lips and rocked his body into hers and then felt her returning smile as she felt his arousal. “This won’t.” Regan shrieked as he lifted her up and carried her from the kitchen toward the bedroom. “We’ll discuss date plans later,” he promised as he kicked the bedroom door closed.

  ****

  Sated and exhausted, Sawyer finally felt like he was able to breathe again and kissed the top of Regan’s head. She was sprawled out on top of him and if it were possible, they’d stay like this forever. He loved the feel of her, the way her hair always smelled like something tropical and how her heart felt beating next to his.

  He was in deep.

  Slowly, Regan disentangled herself from him and found a comfortable position beside him. “Forget the sauce on the stove; lets order pizza,” she said sleepily.

  “Food? You’re thinking of food right now?” he teased.

  “What can I say…you exhausted me and now I need food but don’t have the energy to actually cook.”

  “Then pizza it is,” he said and went to reach for his phone. An alert sounded to let him know that he had a text message. Regan lifted her head in time to see Devin’s name on the screen.

  “Is everything okay?” she asked, stretching beside him.

  It was now or never. “Devin is a little…peeved shall we say that you’re not at the house more and making a scene. He was hoping for some big drama.”

  She pulled back and looked at him. “Why? What’s the big deal?”

  Sawyer really didn’t want to pull at this thread right now; things were so perfect, so peaceful and the thought of bringing up a sensitive subject was not how he hoped to cap off the night. The look on Regan’s face, however, told him that she wasn’t going to let it go. “From the get-go, the network was excited about the fact that they had a storyline behind the renovation.”

  “What do you mean by a storyline?”

  “They liked the fact that you and your mother were not in agreement over the house and they wanted to use that angle to boost ratings on the episode.” There. He’d said it.

  “So…what were they expecting? That I would have chained myself to the fireplace so that you wouldn’t knock it down or maybe lock myself in the bathroom in protest? Or maybe that I’d just be a screaming lunatic?” Each word was said calmly and evenly but inside Regan’s heart was beating a mile a minute.

  “Something like that.” Sawyer reached out and stroked a hand down her cheek. “I told them from the very beginning that I wasn’t doing that; I didn’t want to go that route and I have done everything I could to keep it from happening.”

  “Then what’s the problem? Why are they still so intent on doing it?”

  “Because they say that the show has gotten boring and predictable; that my designs aren’t enough to hold the audience’s attention.”

  “Oh, Sawyer,” she said sympathetically. “They’re wrong! What you do, what you create, is magnificent! You know that I was against this from the beginning but now, seeing what you’ve done with the place? It’s blown me away. You’ve taken my every wish for the house and brought it to life. I never thought that the house could look like that and yet in just a few short weeks you’ve created a transformation that is beyond my comprehension!” She sat up and pulled the sheet up to cover her breasts and then smiled at his boyish pout.

  “I’m trying to be serious here,” she admonished. “You have an incredible gift, Sawyer. If you never did another episode of The Bennett Project there would still be people lined up for miles wanting you to do what you do in their houses! Don’t let Devin or the network let you believe that you’re not enough; the fans watch that show because of you, not because of some conjured up drama.”

  Oh how he loved that she was passionate about this. He didn’t want to tell her of the ultimatum; he didn’t want her to be hurt. “Dad and I both haven’t been thrilled with the show lately but I have a contract that I have to fulfill and they’re really breathing down my neck about this.”

  Regan stared at him and Sawyer had no idea what she was thinking. With a nod of her head she leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. “So what do I need to do? Come to th
e house and bitch about paint colors? Point out something that you’ve done and how it’s not what I wanted and then tell Mom she’s made a mistake?”

  “I don’t want you to have to do any of that, Regan. You shouldn’t have to…”

  “Shh…” she placed a finger over his lips to stop his words. “You’re not asking me to do anything. If my showing up a couple of times to gripe will keep the network off your back then I’ll do it. Mom and I can come up with a doozy of a fight scene if that’s what you want.”

  Sawyer shook his head in disbelief. “You’re amazing, you know that?”

  “Me? What did I do?”

  Leaning in he kissed her with everything that he had and maneuvered Regan so that she was fully beneath him. “Everything,” he said as he aligned their bodies and entered her. Their lovemaking was normally wild and full of passion. For now, for what she was willing to do for him, he wanted to show her tenderness.

  There were no words for what Regan felt at that moment. Sawyer’s body gently rocked into hers and the laziness of it did nothing to diminish the feeling behind it. She ran her hands up and down Sawyer’s back, loving the play of muscles that she felt. He was magnificent; every inch of him was incredible to her and as they simply moved together, staring into each other’s eyes, Regan knew she was in over her head.

  And she wouldn’t dare change a thing.

  Sunlight began to fade and shadows crossed the room and still he loved her. Regan lost track of time, the only thing she could do was feel. Every time she thought that he’d let her jump off the peak, he’d start again. She was almost sobbing with the sensations and yet she didn’t dare speak; their breathing, the rustling of the sheets were the only sounds in the room and it was perfect.

  When finally Sawyer had given her all that he had, when he felt like it would be impossible to go any further, he allowed them both to have their release as he looked at her and whispered, “You’re everything.”

  Chapter Seven

  Sawyer wasn’t sure what he expected but the sight of Regan storming around the house was almost comical. She would touch a wall or test a cabinet door and look at him and say, “Really?” Sarcasm was dripping from her tone and he had to do his best to not laugh.

  “Is there a problem?” he asked.

  “Well, it’s just that when you said renovation I thought that you’d actually be doing something. I mean, I could have painted the cabinets. Hell, I think that monkeys can be trained to do that. Why aren’t you replacing them?”

  He had hoped that she would have chosen to gripe at her mother; they had more practice. Sawyer wasn’t sure how to fake argue with her. He stared at her defiant stance; arms folded over her chest and one dark brow arched at him with annoyance. “Well, you see, Regan,” he began.

  “It’s Ms. Amerson,” she corrected tartly.

  Sawyer had to turn away and clear his throat so that he didn’t outright laugh at her tone. When he composed himself he began, in his best contractor voice, to explain the logic behind their project and how they always rehabbed what they had to save time, costs and labor.

  “Seems to me like it’s a cheap way to go,” she said simply and walked away.

  Sawyer watched her go and figured it was a good stopping point for today. Devin was grinning from ear to ear as Regan stormed from the house and Sawyer had to fight the need to go after her and make sure she was all right.

  “Now that was what I was looking for,” Devin said as he stepped forward. “Was that so difficult?”

  Sawyer glared at him. “It wasn’t a matter of difficulty, Devin; this just isn’t what we do. I don’t argue with homeowners and I don’t like to make a mockery of their lives.”

  “Well it’s time that you got on board the reality TV train because this is what people want to see.” He turned and dismissed the crew before turning back to Sawyer. “Tell her to turn up her bitch factor tomorrow. I’d like to see her unleash on her mom next.”

  And then he was walking out the door and Sawyer had to do everything in his power to keep from throwing something heavy at him.

  What had he gotten himself into?

  Within fifteen minutes the house was fairly quiet; there were just a few members of his crew scattered around working on finishing up their projects for the day. Stepping outside, Sawyer reached for his phone and dialed Regan’s number. As soon as he heard her voice and that it didn’t hold any of the animosity that it had earlier, Sawyer felt himself relax.

  “Are you okay?” he asked. “I know that you didn’t want to be a part of this. I swear I’ll do what I can to move things along so that maybe we can get done ahead of schedule.”

  He expected her to agree with him or to maybe complain about the whole thing. What he didn’t expect was her laughter. “I have to admit, I really wanted to just ignore the whole process but that was a little fun.”

  “Fun? You thought that was fun?”

  “Hell yes! The look on your face when I said that it was the cheap way to go was priceless!”

  He grimaced at her mirth. “I still don’t see what’s so funny.”

  “Oh, lighten up, Sawyer. I went and did what the network wanted; end of story.”

  “Well…”

  “What? What’s the matter?”

  “I think we’ve only managed to poke the bear.”

  “Meaning what?”

  “Devin loved what you did today but he wants more.”

  Silence.

  “Regan? Are you still there?”

  “How much more?”

  “He loved how you got in my face, now he wants the mother/daughter fight.”

  Regan considered his words. “I really hoped that it wouldn’t have to go to that.”

  “Me either; God, Regan, I’m so sorry. I’ll tell him no, that you’re not coming back. He’ll be pissed but…”

  “I didn’t say that I wouldn’t do it,” she corrected. “I was just hoping to be done with it by now. Contrary to popular belief, I do still have a business to run and I have better things to do than spend my time making a spectacle of myself for the camera.”

  The words were said lightly but Sawyer knew that it was the truth. She did have other things to do that were more important than his show and the renovations. “I’ll handle it, Regan. Don’t worry about it.”

  “I’ll be there tomorrow,” she said. “But after that I’ve got to get back to work.”

  Sawyer dropped his chin to his chest. “I don’t deserve you,” he said quietly and smiled when she chuckled.

  “Yeah, but you dared me and now you’re stuck with me.”

  He still felt as if he had come out with the better end of the deal.

  ****

  “Oh, this could be fun,” Caroline said the next morning as she sipped her coffee sitting across from Regan in their office.

  “I don’t know if we’ll be able to do this with a straight face.”

  Caroline shrugged. “There’s always that possibility. We’ve never been able to have a really down and dirty fight without one of us breaking out in laughter. What does that say about us?”

  “That we love each other and that we know that most arguments are about stupid things.”

  “Maybe…” she shrugged. “So, before we decide on what we’re going to fake fight about, should we get the real fight out of the way?”

  Regan’s brows furrowed. “What are you talking about?”

  “Me and Max. You walking in on us. Any of this ringing a bell?”

  Oh…that. “Are we going to fight about it?” Regan asked while silently praying that the situation would just go away.

  “Well, I don’t know if we have to fight about it, per se, but I think that we do need to at least talk about it.”

  “Why? What is there to talk about? Max is a great guy, the two of you hit it off and now you’re…” doing it! “Dating.”

  The look of disbelief and a hint of disappointment said it all. It wasn’t going away. “Regan, you and I have always been a
team. We talk about everything. You can’t sit here and tell me that you’re fine with what you walked in on. I know you too well. Just say what’s on your mind and get it over with.”

  “Honestly, Mom, there is nothing on my mind where that’s concerned. I’ve blocked it out.”

  “That’s not healthy. So you walked in on me and Max while we were making love. You saw us both sweaty and naked! He’s got a fine ass though, doesn’t he?”

  “Mom!” Regan threw her hands up over her ears. “This is so not the conversation that I want to have!”

  “Why not? We’re both women! I may not be a genius, sweetheart, but I know that you’ve had sex. Why can’t we both talk about our sex lives? Which reminds me, you haven’t been out on a date in a while. Everything okay? Don’t you miss the sex?”

  “Oh. My. God. You did not just ask me that!”

  “Yes I did! Gosh, I had forgotten how wonderful sex was! It had been years since I’d had any and now, let me tell you, any opportunity Max and I have to be alone, I just…”

  “LA-LA-LA-LA-LA,” Regan said loudly, hands back over her ears. “I’m not listening, I’m not listening!”

  “Oh, for crying out loud.” Caroline stood and walked over to her daughter and pulled her hands away from her ears. “Cut that out. I am trying to have a serious conversation with you!”

  “Don’t you have a friend that you can talk about this with? Someone who isn’t…I don’t know…me?”

  “All of my friends are married and have been for most of their lives. Sex is pretty much over for them. I’m just discovering it again. I need to talk to someone about it.”

  “Why? Why would you need to talk about…it?”

  Caroline sighed. “Your father was the only man I had ever slept with,” she began and reached over and smacked Regan on the head when she started to put her fingers back in her ears. “I’m not a young woman anymore; my body isn’t what it used to be. I guess I’m a little insecure.”