Page 72 of Sawyer

“I was tired and a little emotional.” Ava’s eyes are on mine. They glitter with amusement. “So Sawyer gave me a?—”

“Hug.” Oh, God, now I’m really gonna laugh. My sides hurt from holding it back.

Ava runs her tongue along her bottom lip. “I really needed a hug, yes.”

“Hugs.” Duke leans against the doorframe. He looks at the pillow on my lap, then at the hat Ava knocked onto the floor. “Right. Who doesn’t love those?”

“I should get going,” Ava says, rising off the sofa. “I have a mountain of work to get through.”

I give Duke a death stare as I stand, pulling my shirttail out of my jeans. That should cover my, er, problem. “Why are you here?”

My brother lifts a shoulder. “We thought you were dead. Did you not see anyone’s calls or texts?”

“Um. No.” I reach back to ruffle the hair at my nape. My skin is still alive with the memory of Ava’s touch. “I must’ve left my phone in the car.”

Duke’s eyes bulge. “You really are dead.”

“My brain is, yeah.”

“Does Sawyer not forget things sometimes like a normal human being?” Ava asks.

“Mr. Overachiever Father of the Year?” My brother shakes his head. “Never. Like, never ever.”

Ava looks at me. Despite her attempts to tame her long, blonde hair, it’s still a mess, the strands at her crown sticking up every which way. Her lips are a little swollen. Cheeks still pink.

She’s an animal, shameless and wide awake, and I love it.

My mind already races with thoughts on how I can see her again. Do I propose another playdate with the girls? Start slow? Then maybe ask her out on a date? Or do I just go in for the kill right away, tell her I wanna take her to dinner and then fuck her as many times as she’ll let me?

“I take that as a compliment, Sawyer,” she says. “My hugs are so good that I make you forget things.”

Duke shakes his head. “Hugs, man. When they’re good, they wreck you in the best way.”

“Please stop saying the wordhug,” I snap. “Duke, you wait here. I’m gonna walk Ava out.”

Duke touches the brim of his hat. “Ma’am. Hope to see you around here more often.”

Ava grins as she passes by him. “You were wrong about your brother, you know.”

“Oh yeah?”

“He is a killer.” Her eyes flick to meet mine. “Just not the kind I thought.”

“Interesting. I’m all ears.”

She looks at me, her gaze teasing. “Killer barista. Guy makes a mean cup of coffee. I’m still buzzing.”

Duke lets out a bark of laughter. “I like you, Ava.”

“See ya, Duke.”

I make sure the door is closed behind us after Ava and I step out onto the front porch.

Tucking my hands into the front pockets of my jeans, I rock back on my heels. “Sorry about him. Boundaries aren’t really a thing in my family.”

“I can see that.” Her eyes look translucent in the mid-morning light, a striking shade of hazel-green that makes the pink in her cheeks really pop. “I can also see you being everyone’s safety net, so of course they barge into your house without asking because they know you’ll be there to rescue them.”

I squint, trying to ignore the mushiness in my chest. Ava is smart. Direct. Weird that I find her honesty a turn-on?

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