Page 22 of Forever After Never

When reality rushed back in, his smell was the first thing I noticed. The leather, spice, and warmth of his body hit me in waves. I made a mental note to tell Alice that I was right. Sawyer is themostintense man I have ever met. Pulling away from me, his eyes burned into mine.

“Baby, you’re right. You do deserve better, and I can be whatever you want me to be. Or at least I can try. I have a lot of explaining to do.” Then rage fills his eyes. “Please know this, Autumn. If another man in this world laid a finger on you, I would hunt them to the ends of this earth. I am so, so sorry that I was not there when you needed a protector. Nobody, and I meannobody,touches what is mine - and you - are fuckingmine.”

He presses his forehead to mine, and I squeeze my thighs together again, forcing away the ache.

I, Autumn Bethany Andrews, am done for.

“Please come for dinner. I want to cook for you,” I can’t get the words out fast enough, worried that if I didn’t ask him now then I never would.

“Sugar, I’ll come wherever you want me to.” He winks at me, his eyes sparkling.

Me: Soooooo. I saw Sawyer today. I am doomed. He kissed me with the fire of a thousand suns.

Alice: Yessss.

Me: He called me baby.

Alice: Oh damn.

Me: Twice.

Alice: Oh damnnnnn.

Me: He turned his hat backward before he kissed me.

Me: Oh, and he's coming for dinner tonight.

Alice: Wait until he calls you a good girl.

Me: *water emoji* *drooling emoji*

I am so nervous. The anticipation of seeing Sawyer tonight is too much to handle. As much as I feel safe with him, I am still completely aware of how little I know him, so Jed is staying here tonight. Jed seems to love Sawyer, but any funny business, and he’d castrate him with his teeth.

I love to cook, which settles my nerves, so I’ve decided to make pizza from scratch. It takes a long enough time for my mind to be occupied, so I am not thinking about how sick I feel. Why am I so nervous?

With the pizza bases ready to go, I go to get myself ready for the weirdest date of my life.

I decided to wear a matching underwear set this evening—a simple, plain black bra, and thong. Gazing into the mirror, I admire my form. The underwear set is basic, but it makes me feel good. The thong frames my ass perfectly. I’d love to think I’m going to get lucky tonight, but given how the rest of our interactions have gone, anything could happen, so I decide to play it safe with comfortandstyle. I have a simple pair of jean shorts that are short enough to show off my thighs and a low-cut black distressed tee.

Considering that I want to look like I’ve made almost no effort, it’s taken me two hours to get myself ready with the most casual outfit and makeup. I’d never lethimknow that, of course. I shimmy into the shorts and swipe a red lip stain across my lips. The doorbell rings, and my stomach somersaults inside of me. Trying not to run down the stairs because I don’t want to look asif I am falling over myself to get to him. I rush to the door. The attraction I feel towards this man is uncontrollable. I swing the door open, and I’m immediately hit with heady lust.

“Hey, Sugar.” A big grin spreads across his perfect, plump lips as I answer the door.

“Why didn’t you check the peephole?” He props himself against the door frame, raising an eyebrow at me.

“I did!”I lie.

“You wouldn’t be lying to me, would you?”

“Who, me? Never!” I grin, and I’m painfully aware of how his eyes move down my body, not missing a single inch of me. His Adam’s apple bobs as he swallows, and my mouth goes dry. He is wearing a white tee, an open blue check shirt over the top, black jeans and a pair of vans, and another trucker hat. It’s already on backward this time, and I know he was waiting for me. The backward hat is my kryptonite. Before I know it, I launch my arms around his neck, pull him down towards me, and press a kiss to his lips. Putting his hands on my waist, Sawyer pulls me closer to his body and kisses me back. A small moan escapes my lips as my soft body collides with his chiselled one. I can’t believe how much I want this man.

“I don’t know about you, but I am surprisingly hungry, Autumn. Maybe you could stop manhandling me so we can eat.” He smirks at me, and a low rumble escapes him in the form of a laugh, and I feel my cheeks burning like a lovesick teenager. I bit my bottom lip and drop my gaze to the floor. Embarrassed by my involuntary reaction to him.

“I’m sorry! I couldn’t resist the hat, Mr. Green.” I shrug and giggle as I stand aside and let him into my house. He kicks his shoes off in the hallway, and on cue, Jed is there to greet Sawyer as though he’s known him forever.

We are sitting across from each other at the dining table, eating pizza and drinking rum. I dare not sit close to him because I won’t be able to keep my hands to myself. Every time we are near, I feel electricity coursing through my veins. Although I feel like I know Sawyer, I know nothing about him at all. Deciding to strike up a ‘get-to-know-you’ conversation, I ask,

“Soooo-” I draw out the word “-I am going to ask you a series of questions, and you get to do the same. We know nothing about each other, and I want to get to know the man who has been following me. I think that’s fair. Don’t you?” I flash him a winning smile and slide another slice of pizza from the tray, and my eyes fixed on his.

---