To See You Smile: A Heartwood Novella

by Brea Viragh

  “This is crazy.” His voice was a rasp of sound. “Don’t you think it’s crazy?”

  Lorelei fell into his arms, the softness of her breasts pressed against his t-shirt. She expected softness from him. Sweetness and a touch of hesitancy. When Sawyer dropped his lips to hers, there was nothing sweet about the kiss. Certainly nothing hesitant. He dove forward and thrust his tongue between her lips. There was heat and life there. Everything she’d been needing and more.

  Sawyer took control, his fingers looping behind her neck and holding her in place. He proceeded to trace a line along her cheek with his nose, kiss his way down her body. The brush of his scruffy beard along her skin sent delicious tingles down her spine.

  And wow, was his tongue brilliant. Who would have guessed his nasty mouth, so willing to spew insults and push people away, hid a wealth of talent? Lorelei certainly hadn’t.

  “What are you doing to me?” she murmured, leaning into the contact.

  Sawyer silenced her with another searing kiss before moving lower. Pushing her shirt to the side, he licked between her breasts, his palm rising to cup the right orb. She squirmed, trying to move closer and have his entire body press into hers. Have him feel the immense pleasure he was giving her breasts.

  Yippee for button-down shirts.

  This was not the way she was used to doing things. Giving up control. In life and in the bedroom, Lorelei took charge. By giving Sawyer the reins, she gave a part of her life over to him.

  He pushed her down onto the bed with a growl. Another low groan escaped when he covered her torso with his own, his deep voice washing over her and soothing any frazzled nerves.

  “I want to touch you.” Reaching down, she grabbed the waistband of his pants and slowly lowered the zipper.

  Sawyer offered no complaints when she pushed aside the jeans and dove her hand through the opening. He was hot and ready for whatever she threw his way. Blood pumped beneath her grip when she stroked him, fingers moving along the solid length of his erection. It stood hard as a rock, vibrating beneath her fingertips. She spared a glance down at the purple-headed tip peeking above the line of his underwear. It gave her a heady sense of accomplishment, of power, to know he was so responsive to her.

  Each caress sent a spasm through his body. Sawyer groaned when Lorelei gently raked her fingernails below the head of his penis. Teeth clenched, he stared down at her, and she saw the question in his eyes. He wondered at his own reaction. The fragile and tentative calm they’d established before was now heating to a boil.

  He bent to nip at her lips when she began to stroke rhythmically, wrapping her thumb and index finger around the base and squeezing.

  “Lorelei,” he groaned, the hoarseness of his voice better than the best aphrodisiac. “Don’t. I’ll—”

  “Not yet.”

  She kept him from the brink of orgasm. The urgent thrusting of his hips seduced her. That talented tongue trailed along the edge of her collar bone. A rush of heat flooded her lady parts and the sting of ecstasy spread from there. Out from the epicenter to the farthest reaches of her body.

  “You have more talent in your pinkie finger than most other wo—”

  “Sawyer?”

  “What?”

  “Please don’t finish that sentence.”

  It had been a long time since she’d actively wanted to pleasure a man. Her control usually extended to I’ll-get-myself-off-then-hop-on-and-be-done. Today, with this man, she wanted to go further.

  Lorelei slipped from his arms and wiggled lower, maneuvering her body to position her mouth just below his erection. Sawyer shifted to accommodate her when she turned his hips, pushing his pants lower and taking hold of him. Sucking him between her lips.

  She heard his intake of breath. Then several seconds of silence before she flicked him with her fingers.

  “Holy…glurg.” Whatever Sawyer said couldn’t be mistaken for words. Lorelei took that as a sign of a job well done and drew him deeper. Humming against the press of his erection.

  Several seconds later he gripped her arms and jerked her up, locking her against his chest.

  “The things you do to me,” he murmured. “How did I let it get this far.”

  His pants were now shoved around his ankles, so he kicked out of them and buried his face in the crook of her neck. Gently, he lowered her down until her back found the mattress. He placed tiny heated kisses along her neck as she kicked off her shoes. Pressing into her, Sawyer immediately got to work on her jeans, unbuttoning them and stripping them off swiftly.

  It turned out his tongue was not the only talented part of Sawyer’s anatomy. His fingers were doing a bang-up job as well. Her shirt was off her shoulders in record time, the bra right behind it and breasts freed. The clothes formed a pile on the floor and she lay bare.

  His tongue lowered to circle her navel, working lower and lower until he stopped just above her pubis.

  “You’re so beautiful,” he groaned, shifting beside her to prop his head on his hand. His free hand stroked her hip and painted circles of fire along her skin. “How did we get here?”

  Cool air filtered in through the open window, hitting her nipples and hardening them into peaks. Sawyer took note and immediately replaced the chill with his heat, head dipping to lick, suck, savor. Lorelei cried out as his tongue circled the straining buds and coaxed them into becoming even harder. He sucked powerfully, teeth nipping, and delicious arousal spiked through her.

  She didn’t know, she mused, not really. Had no clue how they got here. How Sawyer went from an annoying nuisance to a possible contender for boyfriend. A contender for her future. Someone who held her happiness in his hands.

  He gave both breasts the same amount of attention, and she wrapped her arms around his shoulders, writhing when the sensations became too much to handle. Desire simmered in her blood. Hunger shot through her and spiraled lower, causing muscles to contract and release.

  His intensity shifted as his lips softly grazed her nipples, sending a jolt of pure pleasure down to her core. Lorelei let her head drop back, eyes closed, too heavy to keep open.

  Sawyer must have had lessons on sensuality. After licking his way to her ear, he then circled her lobe and explored, and ribbons of melted ecstasy spread through her. Two fingers moved lower to probe against the apex between her legs, which had suddenly turned to mush.

  A few more well-placed touches and he would send her over the edge.

  “What the hell are we doing?” Sawyer asked on an exhale.

  Lorelei shot him a smile designed to make his knees quiver. “Something wonderful.”

  “This is insane. You know that, right? Insane.”

  Hands went to her hips. “Why? Because it’s me? Because I want your dick inside of me?”

  “Lorelei!”

  “What?” she asked innocently.

  God, he was cute when he was flustered. She put both hands on his chest and pushed him down on the bed. His body was deliciously large beneath hers. He kissed between her breasts when she lowered, his thumbs stroking her nipples and each stroke spearing through her.

  She’d had sex before. Obviously. She had a daughter to prove it. Plenty of sex with a handful of different men, chosen for different reasons and with none of whom she’d felt the pull. The tug in her gut that said it was right. She’d felt something similar, once. With Tommy. It was hard to admit she’d made a mistake where he was concerned. Harder to know there had never been a time in her life where she’d honest to goodness shared a connection this intense with a man.

  How the hell could Sawyer come this close?

  He brought her palm to his mouth. “Nothing. I can’t believe you’re here. On top of me.”

  “I’ve got news for you, buddy. I plan to stay on top of you for a while.”

  “What about me?”

  “What about you?”

  Sawyer circled the tips of her fingers with his tongue and she sucked in a breath. “I want my turn on top.”

  �
��I’m sure we can work something out.” She leaned forward, running her teeth around the flat circle of his nipple and teasing it into a hard nub. His hands moved to her waist, squeezing. Sawyer didn’t appear to be the type of man who shied at the thought of a woman taking control. She wouldn’t have thought it of him. He was so present in their normal interactions, so dominant. To see his muscles quivering beneath her hands…it was power. It was arousal. It was everything.

  She settled deeper on his lap, feeling his impressive erection beneath his boxers. His fingers tickled their way down her chest to her navel and lower.

  “Oh God,” she said on a breath. “Maybe you’re right.”

  “Hmm?” Sawyer leaned forward to place a kiss between her breasts.

  “Maybe this is insane.”

  “In the best way.”

  When Sawyer worked with his wind chimes, he was behind the scenes. He dove into his work and hid. Refused to be a part of society beyond the products he sold. Became something of a hermit, a recluse. Tonight, with her, Lorelei saw a different side of him. Drawn out of his prickly shell and exposed for her perusal. She liked what she saw and wanted more.

  “My turn.”

  He took advantage of her foggy brain, shifting her until she plopped down on her back. Sawyer was on his knees and covering her before she had a chance to retaliate.

  “Wha—” Her sentence terminated prematurely when Sawyer bent to place his mouth on her core. She bucked.

  He laughed against her skin. “Try not to tense.”

  “I’m not tense. I’m fine. I’m relaxed.” Her fingers dug into the sheets and her breath caught in her throat when he circled her clit. “Oh…holy…night!”

  He had no idea what he did to her. How could he? When her insides swelled and pulsated closer to the little death. The edge of pleasure.

  It didn’t take much for the final push. A tightening of his hand on her thigh, a flick of his tongue, and a hot breath against her skin. Lorelei didn’t just fall—she plummeted into her orgasm. This wasn’t satisfaction. It was a tropical storm’s worth of nerve ending explosion.

  “Oh no, you’re not done yet.”

  Sawyer moved up her body, stretching his torso along hers and pushing her wrists above her head. He used his other arm to shove his boxers down to his ankles, then kicked them off. His cock aligned with the notch between her legs.

  “What are you going to do to me?” Lorelei bit her lip, still feeling her extremities tingling.

  Instead of answering, Sawyer kissed her. There was emotion in the kiss, every emotion she could put a name to and some she didn’t understand. A kiss saying everything he couldn’t voice.

  Her hand slid along his back to squeeze his rear when he reached to the bedside table and withdrew a condom from a drawer.

  “You told me there would be no sex,” she put in on an exhale. “Scout’s honor.”

  “I was never in the Scouts.” He fitted the condom and shifted his crotch to rub his erection against her core. “And you’re stalling.”

  Anticipation throbbed along her ribcage until she couldn’t take it anymore. She needed him inside of her. Yesterday. Her knees spread, and Sawyer entered her in a single thrust. The fullness stole the air from her lungs and she gasped.

  One thrust was all it took to have her wanting to sing to the rafters. Sawyer pulled out for a moment before embedding himself farther inside of her. His mouth trailed kisses to her ear and he plunged again and again.

  Her fingernails clawed along his spine. Urging him. Faster. Harder. Deeper. Reveling in the pleasure.

  Had sex always been this good? Not for her. How had she never realized how it could be, how much better it could be, until now?

  “Lorelei,” he whispered into her ear. He crushed her close to his chest.

  She relished the feel of him, breathing labored and chest shuddering. It was a small matter to lock her legs behind his hips and use his own momentum to roll over, taking him with her until she was on top again. She buried her head in the crook of his neck and worked her hips.

  Knees lifted, she sank down, reaching to grab his hands and place them on her hips.

  “Faster,” she demanded, guiding his movements.

  It had been so long since she’d felt in control. Having a kid hadn’t changed her feelings of feeling like fate slipped through her hands. If anything, it worsened her need and pushed her even further from attaining it. Lorelei had been unable to stop Tommy from leaving her. To stop her life from taking a strange left turn into unknown territory.

  Somehow, Sawyer was different. He gave her the control she desired without any counters or comebacks. She bit the soft skin of his neck and pushed her hips in rough circles, pushed him deeper inside. Every nerve ending sparked, electrified. A few more strokes and they’d both end up falling.

  His body tightened like a piano wire, muscles tensed, and he cried out, driving into her while his release crashed.

  CHAPTER NINE

  Sawyer walked around on cloud nine. Well, floated. He didn’t have the energy to walk right now. Probably not for the next thirty minutes. He’d never been on cloud nine in his life, and if he weren’t feeling giddy he would have told anyone—and sworn by it—that such a state of euphoria didn’t exist. He would have sworn it up until three hours ago, if one was counting. Three hours, two orgasms, and one gorgeous woman still pressed against his side.

  Real life could wait for a few more hours. Poised to strike, his mind conjured up a million no-win scenarios between him and Lorelei. This was a situation without a clear end goal. This was a situation where he’d set himself up for pain and humiliation. This was a situation without a victor. He pushed those thoughts aside, kissed the top of her hair, and ignored tomorrow.

  A low groan hummed in his throat. He ran his fingertips along the sides of her arms until he felt her shiver.

  Snuggling closer, her head resting against his chest, she whispered, “Tell me something, Sawyer.”

  “Hmm?” He bent down to draw in the scent of her. To memorize the jasmine and slight hint of wild orange. Maybe he’d be able to recall the potent duo later, when he was alone. When she left.

  “How does a simple guy like you learn how to please a woman so well?”

  “I’m naturally talented.” His hand squeezed her shoulder once before releasing. “Gifted, you might say.”

  “Oh, sure. Just one of your many gifts.”

  “And the only one I can’t freely share with the world. Pity.”

  Lorelei shifted closer. “I’m sure you could share. If you felt inclined.”

  “I don’t like people enough to share that one.”

  “Women, you mean.”

  He paused only a second before answering. “No, you’re right. I don’t like women. They’re intrusive and messy. I like you, though. Somehow.”

  “Aw, Sawyer. If you keep sweet-talking me like that I might actually end up making you breakfast.”

  “Eggs over easy?”

  Her fingers trailed along his chest hair and he could have sworn he felt a smile against his skin. “With a side of bacon.”

  “I’m surprised you eat bacon.”

  “And I’m surprised I could make you come just by biting your nipples.”

  His hand slapped lightly across her mouth. “Don’t say such things out loud. If my secret got out I’d be forced to kill you. Then I’d never get my breakfast.”

  She relaxed against him. “I’ll keep it to myself.”

  Moments ticked by and he listened to the sound of her breathing. Slow, even inhales and exhales. A man could become used to that kind of music, Sawyer mused. The music made from the sweet sighs and moans of a sleepy woman.

  At once a wave of guilt darkened his mood. He shouldn’t have brought Lorelei into this crazy scheme of his. It wasn’t right, and it wasn’t fair to impact her life for his gain. Especially when she’d been nothing but accommodating. Ready to adapt and bend over backward for him with only half a dozen words of caution
. It could have been more. It should have been more. She’d been there when he needed a kick in the ass.

  And here they were, in bed. Right where he’d lied and told his brother they already had been for years. Despite the guilt, Sawyer tugged Lorelei closer. Knowing he didn’t deserve her.

  “Hey,” he murmured.

  “Mmm?”

  “I’m sorry I dragged you into this.”

  She chuckled sleepily. “Into what? Bed? I believe I dragged you here. Unless that last romp fogged your brain.”

  “No, I mean into the mess with my brother.” It wasn’t like him to pour out his feelings. Sawyer was not the type of man to wear anything on his sleeve, let alone a bleeding heart. Yet there they were, with cold moonlight pouring in through the window, shadows dancing across the carpet as the wind pushed tree limbs through the night, and he found that once the words started…they didn’t want to stop.

  “I set myself up to be rejected,” he continued. “I brought you down with me, and gave myself an excuse to be mad. Maverick only has a couple more days left in town and is showing no signs of giving in. Which means this last month was a complete waste of time. And I’m…”

  “You’re what?” she prompted.

  “I’m sorry if I hurt you in any way.”

  Lorelei paused. The motion of her fingers on his chest stilled. “I’ll accept your apology, for having to put up with you for this long.”

  “Putting up with you hasn’t been a pleasure cruise, you know. You’re fussy and demanding and you turn my house upside down.” Sawyer let out a breath of relief, which for some reason he’d been holding.

  “Your house can do with a little topsy-turvy. Why don’t you thank me instead of complaining?” She lifted her head long enough to kiss his chin. “I can think of a few ways…”

  “I always complain. Although I’ll do my best to thank you over and over. In more ways than one. Just give me another half hour and I’ll be ready to thank you again.”