“What do you have on her, boss?”
He laughs. “A photo of her doing blow off of some chick’s thigh.”
“Can she be prosecuted for a photo?” I ask and he laughs again as he shrugs.
“Dunno but she doesn’t know that.” He turns back to me and claps my shoulder. “Keep an eye out for her, you hear? She’s trouble.”
I nod, watching her car as it disappears down the street and he turns back toward the clubhouse before spinning around again.
“Oh… congrats on your girl, by the way. But I thought it wasn’t like that? Isn’t that what you said when I called you on your trip?”
I laugh and give him a little shove. “Yeah, go ahead. Rub it in. I was wrong and you were right.”
“Naw, I’m happy for you, Moose. Really.”
“Thanks, boss.”
He nods. “Go ahead and get out of here. We’ve got this handled from here.”
Shit.
You don’t have to tell me twice.
I slap his shoulder and turn back to my bike, more than ready to get back to my girl… even if she doesn’t know that she is my girl yet. On second thought, I better use this time to prepare something that will really blow her away. I won’t consider this night a success unless I walk away with her heart.
Chapter Seventeen
Juliette
My heart hammers against my rib cage as I step into the living room in my simple, white, fit and flair dress that hits me right at the knee and makes me feel like a glowing goddess. Sawyer’s broad back greets me as he runs a hand through his hair and I clear my throat. Spinning around, his eyes widen and his jaw drops. His gaze rakes down my body but I’m too consumed with oogling the fine man in front of me to pay attention to that. He looks so goddamn handsome in his black suit pants and the white button up shirt he decided on for the evening. The first two buttons of the shirt are unbuttoned, giving just a tease of his massive chest and his sleeves are rolled up to his elbows, playing peek-a-boo with his tattoos.
“Sawyer,” I breathe, taking a step toward him and laying my hand on his chest as he wraps me up in his arms.
“You are so fucking gorgeous, baby.” As he meets my gaze, I melt at the tender look in his eyes. He lifts his hand and drags his knuckles down my cheek like he can’t quite believe I’m real and my heart aches with something I can’t find a name for. “My angel.”
Closing my eyes, I suck in a breath and try to get a handle on my emotions but it’s useless when he leans forward and presses a kiss to my forehead.
“You’re ruining me.”
His lips stretch into a grin against my skin. “Good.”
“You look so handsome,” I tell him as I open my eyes and lean back to meet his gaze. He smiles, a slight blush staining his cheeks that I find so endearing and I lean in to steal a quick kiss. When I pull away, he groans and tightens his grip, pulling me closer as he goes in for another one.
“Do we have reservations?” I ask as I lift and turn my head to the side so his lips connect with my neck and a shiver runs down my spine.
“Nope.”
He kisses my neck again and I suck in a ragged breath. “Fuck.”
“Jesus Christ, woman. You keep talking like that and we won’t be leaving the house at all.”
“Okay,” I whisper as I catch a hint of his cologne. Warmth floods my body and I arch my back, rubbing myself against him. Groaning, he tightens his grip again before releasing it.
“Shit. You have no idea how much I wish I could throw you over my shoulder right now but we have plans.”
I nod, leaning into him and pressing a kiss next to his ear. “Later.”
“Fuck,” he growls as he steps away from me and takes a deep breath. His gaze traces the contours of my body before he meets my eyes and flashes me the kind of grin that could melt the panties right off a nun. “You’re going to be the death of me.”
“What a way to go,” I answer with a shiver and his smile grows as he holds his hand out to me. I take it, lacing our fingers together and letting him pull me to his side.
“You ready to go?”
I run my finger along the edge of my bottom lip and turn to him. “How’s my lipstick?”
“Perfect,” he answers as he reaches up and drags his thumb under my lip. I grab it before he can pull it away and scoff at the red smear of product on his skin.
“How is it perfect if you had to wipe some off?”
“Baby,” he mutters, shaking his head like I’m ridiculous. “You could color that shit all over your face like an excited three-year-old and you’d still be perfect.”
“Thanks. I have a cavity now from that line,” I quip and he throws his head back in laughter as I fight back a smile. I love hearing him laugh like that. Each time he does, I get the odd feeling that it doesn’t happen often and I should cherish it but when he’s around me, I feel like we’re always laughing.
“Come on, smart ass,” he says, releasing my hand to place his at the small of my back. “Dinner is waiting.”
I peek back at him as we walk to the front door. “Where are we going?”
“It’s a surprise.”
I purse my lips as I watch him lock the door before he’s back at my side, guiding me with a gentle hand on my back to the truck. He opens my door and holds his hand out to help me climb inside before shutting it and walking around to his side.
“If I ever meet your mama, make sure I don’t forget to compliment her on your excellent manners,” I say as he climbs behind the wheel and he laughs.
“Oh, don’t worry. I won’t let you forget.”
My heart flutters in my chest as Sawyer glances across the cab of the truck and smiles, holding his hand out to me. I take it and he pulls me closer before lacing his fingers with mine and I can’t wipe the damn smile off my face. He backs the truck out of the driveway and I settle into his side, content in a way that I can’t remember ever feeling before and as I peek up at him, I desperately want to tell him the truth about my past.
What will he think?
What will he do?
Fear swarms through me and I push it back down as I take a deep breath. I’m not going to tell him tonight. I can’t. But soon I will spill all my secrets to him and hope to God that he can accept them.
“We’re here,” he says as he pulls into a parking spot a couple blocks down from the house and I scowl at him before turning to the scene in front of us and gasping.
“Sawyer.”
We’re at the little park where he apologized to me yesterday but all the benches have been taken out and a round table sits right in front of the fountain. Twinkle lights are strung through the trees and across the garden, bathing everything in a golden light.
“I can’t believe you did this,” I whisper, glancing over at him. “It’s incredible.”
He blushes. “I’m glad you like it. At first, I planned to take you to the nicest restaurant in town but then I remembered our impromptu picnic on the road. I thought we’d recreate it and make it an official date.”
“I love it. Honestly, it’s perfect.”
Grinning, he opens his door and gets out before turning back to me and holding his hand out. I take it and let him pull me to the edge of the seat. He wraps his hands around my hips and effortlessly lifts me out of the truck before setting me down at his feet and slipping my hand through the crook of his arm. As he leads me up to the table, I notice more details and realize just how much time he spent putting this together. There are little orb lights stuck into the ground amongst the flowers and candles lined up along the outer ring of the fountain as soft music plays from a speaker set up behind the fountain. A man steps forward out of the trees and sets a cooler down at his feet. Sawyer nods in approval and without a word, he walks out to the street and jumps on a bike.