by M J Andrews
“Well, answer the call and if it’s not urgent, you can join me in the shower,” she winked and scurried into the bathroom. Sawyer heard the water run as he picked up his cell phone.
“This better be good Parker,” he said, his tone dripped in irritation.
“W-Well sir, I think it’s important,” Parker replied.
“Well, go on with it,” he commanded.
Parker cleared his throat, a sure sign that he was nervous. Parker was a good deputy and he was straight-laced, but sometimes he tried Sawyer’s patience.
“Sir, a body has been found outside of City Hall.”
With that, Sawyer sat up in bed and twisted his legs out of the bed. He padded his way to the bathroom while speaking with Parker.
“I’m on my way. Make sure the Coroner and the Deputies secure the scene. Do we have an ID yet?” He asked. Sawyer had only tackled one other murder investigation just after Aubrey came onto the scene and her ex hired a psycho to kill her. He ended up dead by her ex and Aubrey nearly lost her life in the process.
He was getting ahead of himself. He wasn’t even sure it was a murder. For all, he knew old missus Harper could have dropped dead of natural caused.
“Not yet sure,” Parker said.
“I’ll be there in twenty,” Sawyer said, but then he turned to see Lexi in the shower and his body said twenty wouldn’t be long enough. “Make that thirty,” he said before he hung up with Parker.
Sawyer joined Lexi in the tiled walk-in shower. Water ran over her back as she lifted her face towards the rain shower head. He walked in behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her in to kiss her nape. She stretched her neck to the side and leaned into his body.
“What was that about?” she asked, her eyes closed as he moved down her shoulder.
“I have to go to the office in thirty minutes,” he murmured against her skin.
“Oh, is it take your girlfriend to work day then?” she chuckled.
Girlfriend. Is that what she was now? He liked the sound of her being that to him. He wanted that, but they hadn’t talked about what last night meant for them. Hell, he hadn’t taken her on a proper date. Maybe with their long history, they’d skip past those awkward moments.
Sawyer’s head lifted and he twirled her around to face him. Her arms instantly went to his shoulders and her hands intertwined behind his neck.
“Girlfriend?” he questioned raising one eyebrow inquisitively. Her eyes grew wide and he knew at that moment that she realized the slip of the tongue.
“Ah… Oh… Well, we haven’t talked about what we are to each other after last night,” she replied and he could see the insecurities on her face. She was unable to look him in the eye and her body tensed in his arms. Did she not know the impact she had on him? Or his feelings towards her after last night?
Sawyer gentled pushed her up against the tile wall. He grabbed her thighs and she gripped his hips securely. She moaned when her core came in contact with his arousal. He stole her lips in a passionate sensual kiss before he pulled back to look at her.
“Baby, I don’t care what we call this as long as I get to do it every day,” he growled, as she ground her hips against him.
“Mmmm, so we’re dating, yeah?” She said sliding her lower lip between her teeth. He couldn’t take it anymore and he shifted to slip deep inside her core. With a moan, she threw her head back in ecstasy.
“Yes, we’re dating each other and only each other,” he said, as he moved slowly inside her. She was wet and ready for him. He gripped her ass and pulled his cock out slowly before plunging it back into her tight heat.
“Fuck yes,” she groaned.
He took his time pumping deep into her without caution. Every slide and pulse sent shivers of pleasure through his body. It was as though she was made for him. They fit together perfectly and the feelings he had when he made love to Lexi was different from any other experience. Sure, he’d fucked his fair share of ladies. But he’d never made love. He made love to Lexi and he wanted to do it as much as possible for the remainder of his lifetime.
Her gripped tighten on his hair and she yanked him to her before she demanded his lips. He savoured the taste of her and the feel of her tongue against his. She met his passion with eager sensuality.
“I need more Sawyer,” she demanded in between kisses. He moved one hand in between their pounding bodies as he sought out the sensitive bud that he knew would send her over the edge. He rubbed her core without abandon and she screamed his name, her head tossed back in pure bliss as her pussy clenched around his hard cock.
“That’s it, baby. Come for me…” he huffed, as he pulled out and thrust back in deep over and over again. Her body started to tremble with her orgasm and he pushed his forehead against the wall over her shoulder as he held on for her to come around him.
He felt the rush of heat build in his core and the tightness of his cock inside her throbbed with the need to release. Lexi’s body continued to spasm as his pleasure met hers.
“Oh, God…I need you to come in me Sheriff,” she whimpered.
The huskiness of her voice and the sex in her eyes were his undoing. His orgasm erupted inside her clenched and tight core. She arched into his thrusts as he rode out his pleasure. Once they’d both returned to solid ground, he hesitantly moved out of her, pressing a soft kiss to her lips as he did.
“We should shower like that every day,” she smirked.
“Don’t tempt me, woman,” he retorted. She chuckled and her smile brightened the entire world in Sawyer’s eyes. They both showered and prepared for their day.
Sawyer was in the kitchen pouring them some coffee in to-go cups when she came downstairs. He handed her the coffee.
“Black?” She asked.
“Of course. I know what you like,” he winked before pressing a kiss to her temple. “We need to get going. I’m going to drop you off with Finn and Remi while I take care of some work. I shouldn’t be more than a couple of hours.”
“Okay. It will be great to see Miss Martha and to properly catch up with Finn,” she agreed while sipping her coffee and slipping on some tennis shoes. Her cowgirl cutoff jeans emphasized her long beautiful legs and her white tank top starred in a variety of his favourite fantasies. It was hard to think about anything else.
They jumped in the truck and made their way to the McGuire’s ranch. Remi and the others would ensure that Lexi was safe while she was there. Finn’s training put him at ease and Remi was just looking for people to beat when he has a reason.
“I’m just saying that if you have some obsession with Dolly Parton, that I wouldn’t judge you,” Lexi joked, as she stepped out of the truck and towards the farmhouse.
“Ain’t nothing wrong with a bit of Dolly Parton, but that’s not why her name is Jolene,” he countered. Remi had often said that Jolene was a stupid name for his truck and sometimes he continued to use the name just to piss him off.
“Okay, so what’s the reason?” she probed while ascending the farmhouse stairs.
Sawyer grabbed her around the waist and took her lips in a chaste kiss before he pulled back the screen door.
“A man needs to have some secrets darling. And if I told you, I’d have to kill you. So really it’s for your protection…” he joked.
“Well, I’ll be! If it isn’t Lexi Scott!” Miss Martha ploughed towards Lexi and wrapped her arms around her in a tight embrace. Lexi returned the gesture. Lexi spent a lot of time around the ranch when they were growing up. She spent most of her summers with her Nana on the adjacent farm and her Nana and Miss Martha were the best of friends.
“Hello, Miss Martha. I’m so glad to see you,” Lexi acknowledged. Miss Martha went in for another hug as she expressed her sympathies for Lexi’s Nana.
Sawyer stood behind Lexi and watched the exchange. Normally Miss Martha dotted on him when he returned to the ranch.
“Hey… I thought I was your favourite!” he pouted sarcastically. Miss Martha finally
pulled away from Lexi long enough to pat him on the cheek affectionately.
“Oh sweetheart, you know I don’t have favourite,” she announced before leaning in to whisper, “But if I did, it’d probably be the dog.”
They chuckled together before moving into the kitchen where the entire McGuire Clan had come together for breakfast.
“Hey y’all,” Sawyer said with a round of head nods and waves in his and Lexi’s direction. A very hungover Aubrey stumbled her way downstairs and sat at the kitchen island. Her complexion was pale and she looked like an extra on the Walking Dead.
“Looks like someone should’ve laid off the vodka last night, huh?” Sawyer teased. He saw Remi smirk from the corner of his eye.
“Now, now brother, it’s not like you haven’t been hungover before…” Remi countered as he placed a full breakfast in front of Aubrey. She took one look at the food and ran for the bathroom to hurl. Sawyer threw his head back and laughed.
“Oh God, Remi you were right. It is a hell of a lot more fun when it’s not you.”
Miss Martha slapped Remi on the chest, “Boy, that is your wife. In sickness and in health until death do you part, remember?” She argued.
“Death might be coming sooner rather than later,” Aubrey bellowed before they all erupted in laughter.
“Remi I need Lexi to stay here for the day. I got a call. Think you guys can handle her?” Sawyer asked. Lexi had already taken a seat next to Emma at the table and she was showing Lexi her Peppa Pig colouring book.
“Yeah shouldn’t be any trouble. Everything alright?” Remi questioned.
“Yeah, everything is fine. I just don’t want to traumatize her with a potential crime scene,” he replied.
Remi nodded and with his promise not to lose sight of Lexi at all while she was there, Sawyer made his way to the dining room.
“Alright, y’all. I need to go. Duty calls,” he announced. “You good here, Lex?”
She nodded, “Of course. Me and Emma are becoming fast friends.” Emma’s smile grew a thousand times.
“Okay, I’ll see you later,” he said before he leaned down and pressed a kiss to her lips.
“Ewwwww. Why does everyone do that?” Emma squealed causing a grin to spread across Lexi’s face.
“Bobby Johnson kissed me on the playground once and it was gross,” Emma continued.
“And when was this?” Remi asked as he entered the dining room.
“A while ago. But it never happened again. I think he learned his lesson,” she explained. Remi crossed his arms and stared at the pint-sized little lady.
“What did you do to him?” he prompted.
Emma’s head dropped in shame. “Emma…” Remi offered. Emma threw her hands up before admitting defeat.
“I made him eat dirt. But in fairness, he tried to kiss me first,” she confessed.
Remi smiled at the little girl. She was going to be trouble when she got older, but they were all glad to see her defending herself in those scenarios.
“And that’s my cue to leave,” Sawyer chuckled before pressing another kiss on Lexi’s lips. God, she tasted amazing. He was insatiable with her and he didn’t believe he would ever have his fill of her.
He jumped in his truck and made his way to city hall. He pulled up and noticed the crime scene investigators on the scene and Parker waved him over.
“Sir,” he addressed.
“This doesn’t appear to be a natural death.”
Sawyer quickly moved towards the body that was covered with a white sheet while the Coroner completed their assessment and the techs took photos and evidence. With gloves on, he removed the sheet to see a familiar face staring back at him. Even more alarming was the bloody note that had been sewn into the skin on her collar bone.
I’ve saved a special present for you, Lexi.
Every week that I don’t get to see you, I’ll kill another girl in this town.
Their blood is on your hands.
All I want… is you.
Make # 13 my last. - B
“Fuck” Sawyer cursed.
How the fuck was he going to tell Lexi about this. Brant couldn’t have picked a better victim to get to her. Sawyer knew that if Lexi was given the option to meet with Brant to save the lives of other women that she would do it in a second. He wouldn’t let her do that. With Brant in Silverton, Sawyer knew it was time to call in the big guys. They simply didn’t have the resources to handle the kind of crazy Brant was serving up.
He’d call the FBI. But first, he had to figure out what he was going to tell the victim’s family. The notification was one of the hardest parts of his job. Seeing the beautiful blue eyes staring back at him told him that he was out of his league here. It was his responsibility to protect Silverton and to protect her.
He sighed as he lifted the sheet back over her face, “It’s Valerie Harper,” he declared before he stood and made the call he didn’t want to make.
Chapter 18
Lexi
“Go fish!” Emma squealed from her side of the coffee table. The little darling held her cards tight to her chest as she bellowed. She enjoyed saying “go fish” more than playing the actual game.
“You know, I should take you to Vegas with me so we could win some big money,” Lexi joked.
So far the child had kicked her ass in every board and card game they thought of. Emma was without a doubt a charismatic and charming youngster. She was bright and confident, although there’d been times where Lexi saw her insecurities and the impact her childhood trauma had on her.
“Can I ask you a question, Miss Lexi?” Emma queried. She added curious to the growing list of characteristics for the child. If Lexi had a nickel for every time Emma asked “why?” she would never have to work ever again.
“Sure,” Lexi shrugged. She could handle a question from the little bruiser.
Emma tilted her head to the side, kind of like a cute puppy when it heard a high pitch sound.
“Why do you have a scar on your face?”
Lexi’s blood ran cold. She never grew comfortable with people asking that question. She always felt as though they were judging her based on the scar. But kids, they were different. They weren’t born judgmental creatures. They don’t arrive in the world with an inherited set of values and teachings. Children were taught how to hate and how to judge. And Emma, well she was just curious. Jordan was doing a wonderful job caring for Emma and her brother and she knew that the McGuire’s fostered a positive environment for them. So, answering Emma’s question wasn’t as difficult as it could’ve been.
Lexi folded her cards down on the table before she looked at the little doll who sat across from her. Her face was so small and innocent and Lexi saw in her eyes that she meant to not harm. That was what ultimately decided for her that she would be honest with Emma about her trauma.
“Well, when I was in high school I had an accident,” she said.
“What kind of accident?”
“I was hit by a car,” she replied.
Emma squinted before she replied, “But, didn’t you look before you crossed the street? Jordan always says that we need to do that to we don’t get hurt.”
Lexi smiled, “Jordan is very correct. You should always look before you cross the street and always have an adult with you,” she agreed. “But unfortunately, the accident wasn’t my fault. You see, the person driving the car that hit me had done something bad and against the law.”
“They did?” Emma gasped and her blue eyes widened with concern.
“They did. You see, people aren’t allowed to drink beer or wine and then drive their cars. But this person had and because of that she or he shouldn’t have driven. I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time,” Lexi tried to reassure her. It was a challenge, to be honest with the girl in a way that was easily understood by her little mind.
“Did Uncle Sawyer find them and put them in jail for being bad?” Emma asked.
Lexi hadn’t heard anyone enter the ho
use through the front door until she heard a voice from behind her.
“No, Uncle Sawyer was only a boy then too,” Sawyer said, as he walked toward them and sat next to Lexi on the couch. “But because of what happened to Lexi, Uncle Sawyer promised himself that he would never let anyone he cared about get hurt like that again.”
“So, that’s why you put the bad guys in time out?” Emma asked. Sawyer’s smile brightened the room as he gestured for Emma to go to him. She didn’t flinch and rushed into his arms. He hugged her before settling her on his lap and pressing a kiss to her temple.
“Yeah munchkin, that’s why I became a cop. And why I was a soldier,” he said, as he turned his gaze toward Lexi.