Sawyer Walker

Of all the people I would’ve expected to see at the hospital, I had not planned on seeing Kennedy.

Fortunately, I managed to hide my surprise because I overheard my mother thanking her for bringing the twins, and Kennedy’s back had been to me when I joined them in the waiting room. And yes, I had purposely put my hand on her when I approached, and again just now when she pulled away as though I’d hit her with an electrical current. Then again, maybe she had felt the same jolt I had when my skin met hers, I didn’t know.

I wouldn’t get to find out either because I knew her. She was not going to let on that I affected her in any way.

“So you were at home, huh?” The incredulity in her tone was thick enough that I was surprised I didn’t see it dripping from her lips.

“Yep.”

She rolled her eyes. “Right.”

“I was at home. You can ask my dog,” I said, keeping my tone soft enough that the others passing by in the hallway didn’t hear me.

“So, what? You just left Greyson to fend for himself?”

“Greyson’s a big boy,” I countered. “Not to mention, what does it matter to you, Kennedy?” My frustration was beginning to shine through, and I felt like a shithead for taking it out on her, but the fact of the matter was, she wouldn’t take anything I said at face value.

Clearly she didn’t trust me. And that bothered me. More than I wanted to admit.

“It doesn’t matter to me,” she bit out a little too loudly.

Her eyes darted around us, probably checking to see just who’d seen her prim exterior slip.

“Could’ve fooled me,” I argued unnecessarily. I knew this wasn’t going to go anywhere, but the fact that she was there, talking to me… Well, I had learned that when it came to Kennedy, sometimes I would take what I could get, even if I knew it was hazardous to my health.

“I really do need to get home. I’ve gotta be at work early.” She didn’t wait for me to respond before she started walking.

I followed her, unable to convince my feet that they needed to be moving in the opposite direction. Without saying a word, I continued after her until she approached her car. Just as she was about to open the door, I put my hand on the glass, halting her.

“Sawyer,” Kennedy said in warning.

Yeah, well, I should’ve alerted her that I was long past listening to any warnings she had for me. My frustration level had hit an all-time high and I knew that my night wasn’t going to end anytime in the near future. Once she got in her car and pulled out of the parking lot, I’d be left to watch my brothers try to entertain themselves, and as much as I was looking forward to that—which I absolutely wasn’t—I was looking forward to this more.

Placing my hand on her shoulder, I gently urged her to turn and face me. Surprisingly, she didn’t fight me.

We were less than a foot apart and I closed that gap without thinking. “For the record, I was at home. That’s the honest-to-God truth.”

“So you didn’t go to the resort?” she asked, her voice low, her eyes locked with mine.

“I went to the resort, but I didn’t stay.”

It wouldn’t make sense to lie to her.

“Why would you? It’s not like you’re the overnight kinda guy, are you?”

Rather than defend myself, I did something I’d dreamed about doing since the day I saw that she was back in Coyote Ridge.

I kissed her.

With my palm cupping her face, I leaned in slowly, brushing my lips against hers briefly. My brain screamed for me to stop, and I knew I should probably move my hand to protect my junk because any minute now, Kennedy’s knee was going to get quite intimate with it, but I just couldn’t help myself.

When she didn’t push me away or knee me in the balls, I pressed my lips against hers more firmly. And when she sighed against my mouth, I inhaled her breath before delving my tongue between her lips. My other hand joined the first, holding her head, tilting it ever so slightly so I could deepen the kiss. She tasted so fucking sweet. Sweeter than I’d even imagined, and holy fuck had I imagined. So many times.

At first, her lips were firm and she just stood there, allowing me to do all the work, but then her hands slid beneath my jacket, her fingernails raking up my back as her tongue met mine.

My brain splintered, the overwhelming intensity of her kiss nearly knocked me off my feet. It took everything in me to remain upright while I devoured her, tasting, searching, teasing.

Holy fuck, she tasted good.

Sliding my hands beneath her hair, I palmed her head, holding Kennedy to me. All the wicked things I wanted to do to this woman came to the forefront of my brain, making me hard as fucking steel and as eager as a teenage boy. She was kissing me back, no longer hanging on to that barrier of control she was known to keep wrapped around her like a shield of armor.

When air became a necessary resource, I pulled back, staring down into her wide gray eyes. I couldn’t find my voice, unsure what I was supposed to say to her now. It wouldn’t be in my best interest to remind her that she should’ve been pulling away and running as fast as she could.

After all, that was exactly what she’d done for the last year, once I’d ramped up my attempt to pursue her.

“What was that?” Kennedy asked, her voice a breathless whisper.

“Hopefully, it was the first of many kisses to come,” I mumbled softly. I didn’t want to scare her. She was like a timid animal, just waiting for me to lunge so she could cower away from me. But with my hands still fisted in her hair, she wasn’t going anywhere.

“Why?” she asked dubiously.

“Why what?”

“Why’d you kiss me?”

“Because I’ve wanted to for years.” Since that first day I saw her in the grocery store after she’d returned home from college.

“Kennedy?” Approaching the woman from the side, I was trying to figure out whether or not my brain was playing tricks on me.

“Yes?” she asked primly, turning to face me.

I noticed the anger that flashed in her pretty eyes, but she quickly masked it.

“I … uh…” Shit, I had no idea what I wanted to say to this woman. As it was, I couldn’t stop staring, mentally noting every single difference from the last time I’d seen her at our high school graduation.

This woman, whom I was still trying to tie back to that girl from high school, wasn’t wearing her hair in a tight ponytail or a bun on the top of her head, nor was she wearing thick black glasses or carrying an armful of books.

No, this woman, with her long, wavy auburn hair, was nothing like that girl. She was…

Holy fuck, she was hot.

“Did you need somethin’?” she asked sweetly.

I noticed immediately that she was pretending not to recognize me. Damn, did she hate me that much? It’d been what? At least eight years since the last time I saw her?

Yep, that was the last time. On the day we graduated from high school, before she went off to college.

“Are you back in Coyote Ridge for good?” I asked, not wanting her to walk away just yet. I could sense she was ready to flee, so I pretended not to notice.

“I am,” she said quickly, glancing around us.

Nope, no one there to save her if that was what she was looking for. Nothing more than the produce section to keep her attention, which she somehow managed to feign a significant amount of interest in.

“What did—” I didn’t get my question out before she interrupted me.

“Look, I really don’t have time to chat,” she said simply. “I’ve got things to do.”

“Yeah, okay,” I said, trying not to sound disappointed.

There were just so many things I wanted to say to her, starting with an apology for the way I’d treated her in high school. But she didn’t allow me the opportunity to get the words out before she turned and walked away.

I watched her go, admiring her jean-clad ass. Yeah, it was safe to say, Kennedy Endsley had gone from ugly duckling to beautiful swan and now she was back home for good.

Which meant I now had a new game plan. One that involved getting to know her a little better.

That was eight long years ago. Yet it still seemed like yesterday.

I pulled myself from the memory, remembering that I was standing there with Kennedy, still touching her, still feeling the warmth of her body against mine.

“I really should be going,” she told me, her breath fanning my face.

“I know.” I should’ve been stepping away from her, but I found the task nearly impossible. I was touching her and this time it was more than just a friendly dance or an unintentional brush of our arms against one another. Even though she would probably fight me tooth and nail from this moment forward, Kennedy couldn’t deny the fact that she’d kissed me back.

And it was fucking awesome.

“Go out with me.” I tried to keep it from being a request. Giving Kennedy the choice was a surefire way to get a “hell no” thrown back in my face.

I didn’t want her to say no again.

“Sawyer—”

I put my finger to her lips, quieting her. “Before you answer me, you should know one thing. No, make that two things.”

“What’s that?” she asked when I removed my hand.

“First, I did go to the resort tonight, but I didn’t stay. And the reason I didn’t was because I didn’t want to stay. I’m not interested in … other women, Kennedy.”

Her eyes widened, but she didn’t respond. I took that as a good sign, hoping she understood what I was telling her.

“And second, if you say no, I’m just gonna ask you again. A lot. I mean, seriously. A lot. I’m gonna come to your work every day and ask you to go out with me until I finally manage to break down those walls.”

Her lips tilted up slightly in an almost-there smile. “I’ll just have to embarrass you every time, too.”

“Embarrass me how?” I asked just to make conversation. I wasn’t actually worried about this woman embarrassing me. I did enough to embarrass myself—most of it on purpose.

“Every time you come to my work to ask me out, I’m just gonna tell you the same thing I’m gonna tell you now. I’m not lookin’ for a romp in the hay, Sawyer. I’m not that girl. And I’ve promised myself that I would never be anyone’s flavor of the week. Not even yours.”

“I’m not lookin’ for a flavor,” I stated defensively. I hated that terminology. Who the hell had come up with that shit anyway?

“And I’m not lookin’ for a relationship,” she countered.

“Go out with me,” I repeated, this time not interrupting so I could hear her official answer.

“Can’t do it.” Kennedy reached behind her for her door handle. “Not today, not tomorrow. Not ever.”

“Why?”

She studied me for a moment before she said the few words that damn near cut me to the quick. “Because I don’t trust you.”

I kept my jaw hinged shut, not wanting to show her the surprise that rocked me. Granted, I’d sensed that she didn’t trust me, but to hear her say it… Yeah, that wasn’t exactly what I wanted to hear. However, now that the words were out there, I wanted her to explain herself.

“You don’t trust me? What have I done to make you not trust me?”

“Remember high school?” she replied quickly, her voice low.

Not that it should’ve been news to me, but for some reason, I just couldn’t understand how she was holding on to something from that long ago. But I knew when to stop pushing, so I released her and took a step back, allowing her to get into her car.

Before she shut the door, I called her name. When she looked up at me, I smirked. “I’ll be by your office tomorrow.”

“Don’t waste your time,” Kennedy said with a gleam in her eye.

“Oh, honey, I assure you, it won’t be a waste of my time. The question is, how much time are you gonna waste before you finally give in?”

“I’ll never give in,” she answered definitively.

“See, that’s where you’re wrong. You’ll eventually give in.”

“Good night, Sawyer.”

“Good night, Kennedy.”

I took another step back and watched as she backed out of the parking space.

It seemed that every time we interacted, I was left feeling a little off-kilter. This time was no different, only now I felt as though I had something to work toward. If Kennedy didn’t trust me, then it was time I proved to her that she should.

She might think she could resist me, but the truth was, I had never really had to turn on the charm to get a woman.

There was always a first time for everything.