by M J Andrews
Lexi moved to stand up and staggered briefly before righting herself. Her vision was fine, but she conceded that she shouldn’t be driving right now. Next thing she heard was sirens and the flash of annoying lights as a patrol car pulled aside her car. Out came a man more annoying than the damn lights. Why did he always show up when she was at her weakest?
“I’m fine Sawyer!” she shouted, as he prowled toward her.
“You’re not fine, Lexi. You’re bleeding for Christ’s sake!” he said before he put his hand to her face. She hissed as he touched her cut and she swatted his man hands from her face.
“I have a first aid kit. Stay here,” he ordered.
“Aye aye, Captain!” she said sarcastically, giving him a clumsy salute. Her mother was next to her talking to her father on the phone.
“Did you catch the person in the car?” Sawyer asked when he returned with the first aid kit, laid it on the hood of her car, and dug out some wipes.
“No, I’m sure it was my fault. I should have been more cautious,” she admitted.
He used an antiseptic wipe to clean up her wound. His touch was gentle, which was unexpected given the size of his man hands. He looked in her eyes as she winced when the alcohol touched her cut.
“So, am I going to live?” she asked.
He grinned, “You won’t need stitches, but we need to talk Lexi.”
“No offence Sheriff, but we don’t do talking very well,” she countered, as he applied a bandage to the cut on her head.
“We didn’t always have such a hard time talking, Lex,” he said, putting away the first aid kit. Lexi heard the sadness in his voice when he said that.
“What the heck is going on?” Finn announced himself from the sidewalk. He immediately walked towards Lexi with a concerned look shadowing his face.
“It’s nothing Finn,” she assured.
“It is something Lex. You’re bleeding for Christ’s sake,” he challenged. For the love of God, did the McGuires share the same brain?
“It was just a minor incident, but the Sheriff here, has been very attentive,” she said.
Finn wasted no time pulling Lexi into a hug. She and Finn had always been close, but what she didn’t realize was how much she missed his friendship. Sawyer stood back and observed the interaction. She almost thought that he was jealous, at least the vein that pulsed on his forehead said he was bothered.
“You okay to drive?” Finn asked, bringing his hands to cup the sides of her face.
“I’m going to give her a ride. We need to talk anyway,” Sawyer interrupted.
Finn nodded and turned to Lexi’s mother, who’d finished speaking with her father. Finn was always a gentleman, so it was no surprise when he offered to give Lexi’s mother a ride home. Jessica declined but kissed him on the cheek to thank him before she asked Lexi for her keys.
“I’ll see you around Lex,” he leaned down and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Sawyer, I’ll see ya later?” he questioned.
Sawyer nodded and turned back to Lexi. As Finn walked away her mother leaned in to hug her before she left in Lexi’s car.
“You sure you’re going to be okay, Peanut?”
“Yes Ma, I’ll be just fine,” she smiled, hoping it was reassuring.
As her mother pulled back and made her way to the driver’s side door, she turned to Lexi.
“I always liked that boy,” she nodded her head in the direction Finn had gone. “Maybe you should consider exploring whether there is more than friendship there. You aren’t getting any younger sweetie, and I’d like some grandbabies to fuss over,” she teased. "Oh! Is he the one who sent the lovely flowers this morning?”
“No…” Lexi said flatly.
Jessica shook her head, “Its a shame you gave them to old Miss Harrington. Maybe you should be open to the possibilities, dear. I want some grandbabies to spoil.”
Lexi scoffed, “Trust me, Ma, I don’t think Jack will have trouble spreading his seed in good time.” It was fun tormenting her mother. Her delicate sensibilities made her an easy target. Lexi picked up the remnants of her purse and Sawyer opened the squad car door for her. Once inside the silence was tense.
“So you said we needed to talk,” she prompted.
“You gave away the flowers?” he questioned.
“Seriously… that’s what you want to talk about?” she huffed crossing her arms in agitation.
“No, it isn’t. But I don’t know how to tell you what I need to tell you,” he hesitated.
“Oh for the love of God, just spit it out. We are beyond being politically correct,”
“Raymond Brant escaped police custody last week and an FBI agent visited me this morning. He’s concerned that Brant may try to harm you. Because of that, I’ll be assigning someone to you until he’s caught,” he explained.
Well, shit.
Chapter 11
Sawyer
Lexi went stone cold at the mention of Brant’s name. He was with Baxter when Jessica called. He heard part of the conversation and immediately went to find them. It was too big of a coincidence that Lexi would be involved in an incident the same day the FBI showed up to advise him of a threat. He didn’t like it.
“Lexi, I need you to say something,” he said.
“I can take care of myself, Sawyer,” she gritted back.
For the love of all things good and great in the world…
“Lexi, you’re getting protection whether you like it or not. If I need to I will personally sow me and you together, but you’re not leaving my sight until this guy is caught,” his voice was rough and commanding. If he used that tone with his Deputies, they would jump. Lexi just rolled her eyes, huffed and stared out the window.
They drove the rest of the way to Jenkin’s Ranch in silence. He knew the conversation with Lexi would be difficult, he just never thought she would be stubborn enough to risk her life because she hated him. He would be the one to guard her, even if she hated the idea. He’d convinced her family that it was best. He planned to have security for Jack and the Scotts until the SOB was caught.
Lexi got out of the car and slammed the door. She was pissed, but he’d rather she be pissed than hurt. He followed her into the main house, where he knew there was about to be an exchange of words.
“Lexi, you need to trust me here,” he said.
She turned around as she stood at the bottom of the stairs. She looked beautiful despite the gash on her head. Every time he saw her, it was as though she grew more and more attractive.
“I don’t need a fucking babysitter, Sawyer!” she yelled. Her cheeks flushed and her hands moved dramatically in the air. She always was a hand talker. You always knew when she was pissed or excited about something.
“You do and I’m that babysitter! My job is to protect everyone in this county and that includes you!” he replied.
She crossed her arms over her delicious chest and he saw her grind her teeth from the doorway. She wasn’t happy about the situation and who could blame her. He knew about their history and he knew she hated him. But he hoped that she could at least trust that he would do his job and protect her.
“Can’t someone else do it?” she questioned.
Someone else? Why did she want someone else? He was the bloody Sheriff and the best person to keep her safe. He took a step forward.
“Is that a problem, Ms Scott?” he asked, clearly insulted that she didn’t trust him to be responsible for her safety.
Lexi’s mouth turned into a frown and her eyes shifted to everywhere except him. The pulse in her neck kicked up a couple of beats and he wondered if he made her nervous or if she was just pissed off.
“Yeah it’s a problem,” she said.
He took another step forward, but she didn’t budge. Her sweet scent invaded his space as his breath sped up the closer he moved towards her. She always caused his body to react and she looked stunning when she was pissed at him. Life engulfed her face as her cheeks glowed and her eyes gleamed with fire.
“Why is it a problem Lexi?” he moved closer to her. He couldn’t explain the draw he felt towards her and he sensed that she didn’t want him around her because he would break through the walls she’d built to keep him out. And he wanted to demolish those damn walls. Walls he knew that he helped build because he was a stupid dick ten years ago.
“Because, it’s you,” she admitted.
He raised his hand to her nape and caressed her jaw with his thumb. She didn’t flinch or move away, and he just needed to touch her.
“I’m the best one to protect you, Lexi. I care what happens to you and I would never let anything hurt you,” he whispered as they moved closer together. They were a magnetic force that despite their best efforts, they continued to pull towards each other.
When they were a breath apart, Lexi’s shoulders sagged and her eyelids fluttered closed. She moved into his touch before she muttered a curse under her breath. She stepped up and brushed her soft perfect lips against his. She pulled back tentatively as if second-guessing her decision and stared at Sawyer.
“I-I’m so sorry. I don’t know why… I shouldn’t have…”
That was as far as she got before he dragged her into him and caught her lips with his. The electricity between them lit the fire that had burned fierce ten years ago. She melted into his arms with a sigh and his hand floated to her waist and tugged her closer to his body. He could feel the soft swipe of her breasts against his chest and the delicate curve of her back. She was never a super skinny woman, and he loved every inch of her curves. He wanted to kiss and appreciate every luscious inch of her body.
He tilted her head back to deepen the kiss and swiped his tongue over her bottom lip. She returned with a nip to his bottom lip before their tongue swam together in an intoxicating and hot kiss. He turned her so that her back was against the nearest wall and he continued to ravage her mouth. Her hands flew to his hips and she yanked him closer by slipping her fingers into his belt loops. He pushes his erection up against her, which caused a sexy moan to escape her lips.
He moved his kisses from her lips to worship the sweet taste of her skin. He suckled her nape, collar bone and returned to her ear lobe where he nibbled before he returned to her mouth. Their bodies ground against each other causing a throbbing sensation in his pants. He’d never been this turned on from a kiss with anyone else. He felt her dampness as her core rubbed against his erection.
His body remembered hers and she was always so responsive to his touch. The sound of a car coming up the drive startled them out of their impromptu make-out session with teenage dry humping. Lexi jumped back and put distance between them.
“That was a mistake,” she mumbled before she ran upstairs and out of sight.
The best mistake he’d made lately. He took a minute to calm himself down and adjust his dick before whoever had arrived entered the house. He moved into the kitchen and turned on the coffee pot. He suspected the argument with Lexi about her protective detail was only starting and there would be more cussing and fighting in the future.
“Hey man,” Jack said, as he entered the kitchen. He shook Jack’s hand and pulled out two coffee mugs for them.
Jack had only been a kid when Lexi’s accident happened, but Sawyer had made him promise back then not to upset Lexi by telling her that he was checking in on her. He didn’t understand at the time, but since then Sawyer and Jack had become friends. Jack had stayed in Silverton and had no ambitions to seek the riches of the big city like Lexi had done.
They sat at the small breakfast nook while they waited for the coffee to be ready. Sawyer huffed and rubbed his brow. He was convinced that he would need Botox before this was over. Lexi seemed to cause a perpetual crease in his forehead.
“So, you and sis getting along as normal I see,” Jack chuckled as he sat across from Sawyer.
“Jack, man, she’s like a bull in a China shop. I don’t even have to say anything and she’s pissed off,” Sawyer said as he leaned back in his chair. A smug smile crossed Jack’s face as he got up to get the coffee.
“You’ll get used to it,” he shrugged. “She doesn’t like being told what to do. The more you try and push her the farther away she’s going to run,” he commented.
“Have you talked to your folks about what’s been happening?” Sawyer asked. Jack nodded, but Sawyer wanted to make sure he knew how serious the threat to Lexi was.
“She hates the fact that I’m going to be protecting her. I’m the best person to do that and your parents agreed. I would sooner take a bullet than ever let anything hurt Lexi,” Sawyer admitted.
Jack sipped his coffee and smiled before he responded, “You’ve been in love with my sister for as long as I can remember, McGuire. Unfortunately, the man you are now is paying for the crime he did to her heart when you were a stupid jackass.”
Sawyer twisted his neck back and forth trying to release some tension in his shoulders. He knew Jack was right, but he had no idea how to go about making amends with Lexi. What he did was disgusting and he wished he could go back in time and fix it. But he couldn’t.
“I don’t even know where to start. I’ve tried, you know that. Every time she has returned to visit, I’ve tried. After a while, I guess I just gave up,” he said.
Jack clapped him on the shoulder, “If you want what is best for Lexi, you need to tell her the truth about what happened after you were an eighteen-year-old jackass.”
They sat together and chatted about Brant and how the Sheriff’s department would be working to make sure everyone was safe from any possible threat. And then Lexi appeared and his mouth when dry. The sight standing before him was a threat to his sanity and resolve.
Chapter 12
Lexi
She must have hit her head harder than she originally thought. That was the only explanation for why she would be voluntarily sucking face with Sawyer at the bottom of her stairwell. What the fuck was she thinking? She had a lot of feelings about Sawyer and it confused the shit out of her. She tackled some of the most complex criminal cases but couldn’t manage to sort through her emotional baggage and feelings towards the guy who took her virginity.
Fuck, it had been a rough day. Lexi knew Sawyer would keep to his word about ensuring that she didn’t leave his sight until whatever potential threat he thought there was disappeared. She heard muffled voices through the door of the bathroom and determined that Sawyer was on the phone and was out on the front porch.
As quiet as possible she snuck down to the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of wine and a glass to bring upstairs with her. When she made it to the bathroom without another awkward encounter with the swoon-worthy cowboy Sheriff, she breathes a sigh of relieve. She locked the bathroom door and undressed as the water filled the soaker tub. She poured herself a generous glass of the 1993 Merlo and slipped into the warm water.
She did her best thinking in the bath and right now, she needed to do some thinking. Brant was out and Sawyer had reason to believe that he would target her. She thought that he was being paranoid about the incident with the car, but it was hard to convince him of something else once he’d made up his mind. She knew what she needed and she knew just the ladies to help her.
She reached over and grabbed her phone. She quickly sent a group message to Aubrey, Jordan and Daisy.
Lexi: I need a night out
Daisy: I know what that means!
Aubrey: I’m putting on my square-dancing boots. I haven’t tested them out yet!
Jordan: I’ll drop the kids off to Remi and Sawyer and we can meet up at the bar?
Lexi: Sawyer is here. Thus the reason I need a night out.
Daisy: I’m glad I ordered the fancy tequila from the vendor.
Aubrey: You sure a night is going to cut it? If I know Sawyer, you probably need a couple of weeks on a beach surrounded by beautifully bronzed cabana boys.
Jordan: Say no more. Meet you in an hour.
Lexi didn’t have many friends back in New York and typically she fo
und any kind of relationship difficult to maintain with her job. But she was in Silverton and if there was one thing the McGuires could do and do well, it was partying.
Lexi took her time getting out of the shower, she wrapped herself in a towel that still smelt like Nana before she made her way downstairs. She knew Sawyer would have to be made aware of her night out. Her hair was still wet and dangled down her shoulders and beads of water still dripped down her arms. She found Sawyer in the kitchen, talking to Jack. His gaze took in her lack of clothing and darkness settled in his eyes.
“Jesus Christ, can you put some clothes on before you go strolling through the house?” Jack hollered.