Leather and Lace

by Jessie Evans

  Mia’s eyes widened. “What? But I thought he was buried—”

  “I had the coffin exhumed yesterday,” Gram said, cutting her off. “It’s empty, and the detectives are certain the body Sawyer found is Rupert’s. There was damage to the right shin bone consistent with a break Rupert experienced when he was a boy, and the DNA profile is consistent with his ancestry. It uh…” Gram swallowed, before continuing in a softer voice. “It looks like he was stabbed before being pushed into the cavern, and died of a combination of damage to his lungs and head trauma from the fall.”

  Mia blinked, too shocked by discovering her great-great-etcetera grandfather had been murdered to get to the obvious question too quickly. Before she could ask Gram who might have done it, Emily was already giving her an answer.

  “They suspect Amelia might have been responsible.” Gram bent down, retrieving her picnic basket. “She was shorter, like me. The angle of the entry wound shows that he was stabbed by someone smaller than he was. And since Amelia told everyone he died in his sleep, buried an empty casket, and was the person responsible for having the jailhouse built over the cavern…”

  “To keep anyone from finding the body.” Mia fell in beside Gram as she started down the street toward the live oak trees near the spring. “If that’s true, then…”

  “Then there is no Sherman family curse,” Gram said with a sigh. “And Amelia was as big a liar as your old gram. Though from what I’ve read about Rupert, she had a much better reason to get rid of her husband. At least Frank never beat me, or forced me to become his mistress when I was only sixteen years old, or promised to cut off the tip of my nose the next time I embarrassed him in public.”

  Mia stopped dead in the middle of the street, a chill shivering up her spine despite the early morning heat. “Please don’t tell me you killed granddaddy, Emily, or I am going to lose it.”

  Gram’s jaw dropped as she reached over to slap Mia’s arm. “Of course not! Jesus, Mia!”

  Mia shrugged as she let out a relieved breath. “Well, shit, Gram. I mean… Seriously, I’m glad, but the way that story was going, can you blame me?”

  Gram pressed her lips together and lifted her nose in the air. “Your granddaddy is quite alive and well. Living in Argentina last time I heard, on some commune for embarrassingly old swingers.”

  Mia’s brows shot up. “He’s alive? You… You faked his freaking death? Are you kidding me?”

  Gram’s mouth turned down hard at the edges. “It wasn’t like that. We agreed on our wedding night that it wasn’t working. We’d been forced into marriage when my daddy found out I was pregnant and…neither of us really wanted it by then. We agreed that Frank should just disappear, and I should say he passed. That way his child and I would be spared the shame of everyone in town knowing we’d been abandoned by a man who cared more about sleeping his way through the single women on the planet than doing right by his family. Frank didn’t have any people here, and my daddy and I kept the funeral quiet, so…”

  “I can’t believe this.” Mia paced a few steps away, only to turn and pace back again. “All this time, all those years when you were telling me the stories about the curse, and you knew the whole time that you’d been married and nothing had happened!”

  “Something happened,” Emily said, a defensive note creeping into her tone. “A man I’d fallen in love with when I was too young to know better betrayed me, and did his part to ruin the rest of my life. I didn’t want that for you, Mia. I mean, just look at poor Tulsi.”

  “Tulsi is doing just fine,” Mia said, temper flaring. She wasn’t sure what to think or feel about Gram’s latest bombshell, but she was sick of Emily acting like single motherhood was a death sentence. “Tulsi’s business is thriving, her daughter is lovely, and they’re both happy as pigs in shit.”

  “And they both had to move back in with Tulsi’s parents because Tulsi couldn’t afford her own place,” Gram countered. “And Tulsi has to beg favors to cover childcare costs, and hasn’t dated anyone in years, even though I know she must be lonely. I can see it in her face, the same way I saw it in the mirror when I was her age, and raising your daddy all alone.”

  Mia’s protest that she was happy to help Tulsi with childcare died on her lips. Because Tulsi was lonely, and she had given up a lot of freedom other people in their early twenties took for granted to do what was right by Clem.

  “But that doesn’t mean it was okay to lie, Gram,” Mia said as gently as she could. “I guess you probably think I’m an idiot, but I really believed in the curse. Hell, I was thinking about it this morning.” Mia rolled her eyes skyward. “God, I feel like the biggest idiot in the world.”

  “I’m sorry.” Gram hung her head, and her shoulders sagged as if the picnic basket weighed a hundred pounds. “I realized you were taking it too seriously after you came back last year, but by then I didn’t know how to tell the truth. I didn’t want you to hate me. You’re my favorite granddaughter, you know.”

  “I’m you’re only granddaughter.” Mia sighed, reaching down to take the picnic basket from her gram and setting it on the ground before claiming one of the older woman’s slim, soft hands. “I could never hate you. But this…I’m shocked, Gram, I really am. I mean, does Daddy even know?”

  Emily’s eyes snapped up to hers. “No, and he can’t, Mia. It would break his heart. His daddy never even tried to see him. Not one single time. The only reason I told you is because I want you to be happy. I want you to marry that boy, and have the kind of love a sweet girl like you deserves.”

  Marry that boy.

  She could marry Sawyer. There was nothing standing in their way. The realization was enough to banish the last of her anger, and a moment later she was hugging her gram so tight she lifted the other woman off the ground.

  “Thank you so much!” Mia kissed Gram on the cheek before setting her back on her feet.

  “I’m forgiven?” Gram smiled as she adjusted the still perfectly tidy collar of her polo shirt. “I have to admit this is going a lot more smoothly than I thought it would. I expected you’d be mad at me for at least a week or two.”

  “I don’t do grudges,” Mia said, picking up the picnic basket and backing away, grinning so hard her cheeks started to hurt. “Especially not when I just got great news. Amazing news! I’m sorry, but I have to go see Sawyer. Right now.”

  “But what about our picnic breakfast?” Gram asked. “I made homemade cinnamon rolls.”

  “I know, and they’re coming home with me.” Mia turned to go, throwing her parting shot over her shoulder. “Consider it your penance, sugar britches.”

  “Well, you two enjoy them,” Gram called after her. “But don’t break my plate and I want my good thermos back, Amelia Louise. I’m attached to that thermos.”

  Mia waved an arm to let Gram know she’d heard, but she didn’t turn around or slow her steps. Now that she knew she and Sawyer were free to be together, without any darkness hovering over their heads, she couldn’t wait to tell him. She couldn’t wait to jump into his arms, kiss him senseless, and tell him to put a ring on it.

  Or maybe she would put a ring on him…

  The thought appealed to her romantic side, the romantic side she would never have to rein in now that the Sherman family curse had turned out to be nothing but smoke and mirrors.

  The thought made her smile even harder as she rolled down all her windows and let the wind whip through her hair, carrying her whoop of celebration out across the desert.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  Sawyer found the note from Mia on the coffee pot and set his morning coffee on to brew. He got dressed and went down to the corner to grab a copy of the morning paper, and stopped to talk to Tulsi and Clementine, who were zipping into Brew You for a coffee and hot chocolate on their way to church. After saying goodbye to Tulsi, he took his time getting back to the apartment—not looking forward to a morning with no Mia in it—but when he reached Lavender and Lace, he found the door to the shop wide open. />
  His heart leapt into his throat and his fingers clenched around the paper in his hand, but Sawyer reminded himself that there was nothing to be afraid of. Paul was dead and the chances that someone had broken into the town lingerie shop on a Sunday were slim to none. He must have simply forgotten to pull the door tight behind him.

  Still, he should do a sweep of the shop and make sure nothing was missing.

  He started up the steps, only to stop dead when he saw the red thong hanging from a string tied to the cowbell above the door. A note was pinned to one side of the lacy fabric.

  Red roses symbolize passion, and I’m certainly hot for you. I’ve got a surprise I can’t wait to share, and a little gift for you, too. (Look for your next clue by the cash register. And yes, I know these are panties, not roses. Just go with it, big guy.)

  With a grin, Sawyer stepped inside, closing the door behind him before crossing to the cash register and finding a pair of yellow underwear puddled on top of the number keys, another note balanced on top. He had no idea when Mia had had time to write these notes, but he’d already decided he was going to have to keep them.

  Yellow is for friendship. I hope that’s not a shock. I love sharing a day with you, as much as I enjoy your cock. (If you are not alone for some strange reason, DO NOT go any further with this scavenger hunt. If you are alone, proceed into the back room.)

  Sawyer’s grin stretched wider, hoping the last part of the note meant he was going to find Mia at the end of this scavenger hunt, and that she would be wearing nothing but a pair of lace panties and a smile.

  He stepped into the back room and on the other side of the curtain ran into another pair of panties hanging from the top of the door. These were white and made of transparent lace, like the ones Mia had been wearing the first time they’d been together. Just imagining how sexy Mia had looked lying in the moonlight in those panties was enough to make his cock thicken inside his jeans, and make him even more eager to reach his prize.

  White is for new beginnings and hope, big and bold. It’s also the color you wear when you promise to have and to hold… (Come peek into Clem’s blanket fort for a big surprise.)

  Sawyer crossed his fingers as he moved toward the blanket fort. But when he drew back the lime green and pink paisley sheet covering the entrance, instead of Mia in a pair of sexy panties, he found her sitting cross-legged in a plain white tee shirt and a pair of jeans, holding one of those lollipop rings he remembered from Halloween when he was a kid.

  “Don’t be disappointed,” she said, holding up the ring. “I promise to get you something sparkly soon. I knew it would be impossible to find an engagement ring in Lonesome Point on a Sunday morning so I didn’t even try.”

  Sawyer’s heart stuttered in his chest. “Did you just say what I think you said?”

  Mia shifted, coming up onto one knee, a nervous smile on her face that made Sawyer want to kiss her senseless. But he restrained himself, knowing he wanted to hear what she had to say even more.

  “Sawyer Kane, I love you,” she said. “And I just found out there is no such thing as the Sherman family curse. In light of this discovery, will you do me the extreme honor of being my husband, best friend, and sex slave for as long as we both shall live?”

  “I do,” Sawyer promised, sitting down next to Mia, letting the sheet slide closed behind him as he pulled her into his arms. “I do, and I can, and I will.”

  Mia laughed as she wrapped her arms around his neck. “I thought you might, but I was still a little nervous. I’ve never proposed to anyone before.”

  “And you never will again.” Sawyer let his hand slide up the back of her tee shirt, caressing her warm skin. “Now let’s get started on that sex slave part. I want to see you in that filmy pair of panties hanging from the door.”

  “How about these?” Mia’s eyes darkened as she reached for the top button of her jeans and pulled the fabric apart, revealing a scrap of orange satin in an electric shade that made Sawyer’s pulse spike and his jeans grow decidedly uncomfortable. “Orange symbolizes desire, and I desire to have your hands all over me.”

  “How about my mouth between your legs?” Sawyer said as he pushed her back onto the fort’s pillows. “After I rip those panties off with my teeth?”

  Mia’s breath shuddered out as he made quick work of her jeans, ripping them down her legs and tossing them to one side. “Oh, yes, please. That sounds—”

  Her words ended in a gasp as Sawyer dropped his head, kissing her through the whisper thin fabric before opening his mouth and gently biting down on her mound. He could already smell the sweet tang of her arousal, and couldn’t wait to get his tongue buried in her heat. He disposed of the panties, barely resisting the urge to make good on his threat to rip them off, and set to work making love to Mia, the woman who would be his wife, the only woman he ever wanted to tease and taste and wake up next to every morning and laugh with every day.

  There was more than one couple’s average share of joy in their future, he could feel it in his bones, in his cock, as he sank into Mia’s heat and she wrapped her arms and legs around him, in his heart as he thrust in and out of the woman he loved, taking as much pleasure from giving her pleasure as from claiming it for himself. And when she came—calling out his name, telling him that she loved him forever, the way he had hoped she would—he let himself get swept away right along with her.

  Mia had been knocking him off his feet since the moment he met her, and he hoped she kept right on doing it, from now, until the day death did them part.

  “I always thought I’d be the one to propose,” Sawyer said later, still catching his breath as Mia snuggled against him, her head on his chest. “But I like it this way. And I love my ring.” He picked the discarded ring off the sheets and popped the slightly linty red candy into his mouth.

  Mia laughed.

  “Tasty,” Sawyer added, his voice muffled by the lollipop.

  “Only the best for you, baby,” Mia said, propping up on one arm to meet his eyes. “You stick with me; I’ll introduce you to all the good stuff.”

  “I’ve already got all the good stuff,” Sawyer said, with an affectionate pat on her bare bottom.

  She grinned. “I can’t believe this is real. I can’t believe I don’t have to worry anymore, not even a little bit, not even with the silly, twelve-year-old part of my brain.”

  “Tell me everything. How did this miracle go down?” Sawyer asked, finishing off his ring as Mia told him the stories about Amelia and Emily.

  They were interesting stories, and Sawyer was relieved Mia could finally stop worrying about that stupid curse, but he only managed to listen with half an ear. He was too busy staring up at the gorgeous redhead with the flushed cheeks and the smile that sparkled just for him to concentrate completely on anything except how damned lucky he was to have found her.

  “You know what else I can’t believe,” Mia said after she’d finished her story, leaning in to touch her nose to his before she added in a whisper, “That you’re mine.”

  “Until I’m old and crusty and bald by nature, not design.”

  Mia grinned against his lips. “Sounds like a dream come true.”

  And as Sawyer kissed her, his body responding to her touch, her taste, like he hadn’t just come ten minutes ago, he silently agreed that it did.

  ***

  The End

  If you enjoyed this novel, please take a moment to rate or review. It's a great, free way to support independent authors, and very appreciated. Or keep reading for a sample chapter of SADDLES AND SIN, Lonesome Point Book Two.

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  More sexy, contemporary romances by Jessie Evans:

  Lonesome Point, Texas Series

  LEATHER AND LACE (Book One)

  SADDLES AND SIN (Book Two) September 2014

  DIAMONDS A
ND DUST (Book Three) October 2014

  GLITTER AND GRIT (Book Four) November 2014

  Always a Bridesmaid Series

  BETTING ON YOU (Book One)

  KEEPING YOU (Book Two)

  WILD FOR YOU (Book Three)

  CATCHING YOU (Four-Short Story)

  TAKING YOU (Five-Novella/Short Novel)

  Fire and Icing Series

  MELT WITH YOU (Book One)

  HOT FOR YOU (Book Two)

  SWEET TO YOU (Book Three)

  PERFECT FOR YOU (Four-Short Story)

  SAVING YOU (Five-Novella/Short Novel)

  Cupid Island Novellas (Short Novels)

  AUDITIONING YOU (Cupid Island Two)

  A Cupid Island Christmas Anthology by Jessie Evans, Lila Ashe, and Ruby Laska

  DARING YOU (Cupid Island Weddings)

  Edgy, New Adult Reads

  ONE WILD NIGHT-Wild Rush prequel

  THIS WICKED RUSH-Wild Rush Book One

  ONE PERFECT LOVE- Wild Rush Book Two

  THIS SWEET ESCAPE-Wild Rush Book Three (Danny and Sam’s story)-October 2014

  About the Author

  New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, Jessie Evans, gave up a career as an international woman of mystery to write the sexy, contemporary Southern romances she loves to read.

  She's married to the man of her dreams, and together they're raising a few adorable, mischievous children in a cottage in the jungle. She grew up in rural Arkansas, spending summers running wild, being chewed by chiggers, and now appreciates her home in a chigger-free part of the world even more.

  When she's not writing, Jessie enjoys playing her dulcimer (badly), sewing the worlds ugliest quilts to give to her friends, going for bike rides with her house full of boys, and drifting in and out on the waves, feeling thankful for sun, surf, and lovely people to share them with.