Page 16 of Infatuated as They Come
We hopped back into Sawyer’s truck and got started on the journey back home. The drive would take us a good while, and part of me wished that the roads would magically become longer so we’d get to have more time together. I could hear the engine turning on and my eyes shut at the noise, and then there was Sawyer’s hand on my thigh, his thumb rubbing at my skin in the slowest, softest of circles.
Just this. This was enough. This was all I could ever need.
Chapter 4
Sawyer
The only good thing about being poor was how easy it was to pack. The trailer was close to empty, but there hadn’t been a lot inside of it to begin with, so me and Brodie had managed to get that done in just a few days. We got rid of the stuff that wasn’t really essential, like the TV and the dining table and chairs. In a couple days, we’d be saying goodbye to the fridge and our beds—a couple who lived a few trailers down already placed dibs on the fridge. From it all, we had managed to make a few good hundred bucks that Brodie could use for gas money since he’d be taking my truck to college.
“Where on earth is your cousin?” Holly asked, throwing herself against my bed, her long locks spilling against my pillows. “I’m going to be so busy with my mom the next couple days. How will I say goodbye to him?”
“He’s gallivanting around town somewhere,” I said.
“I’m really gonna miss him. I’m really gonna miss your room too.”
I watched her face closely, taking in the bluebell in her hair and the little bunch of them she had in her hand, pressing them to her nose. I had loved every second of our day in Granbury. Just watching her, being with her. I wished all my days could be like that.
Holly caught me staring at her, and the little smile she sent my way made my heart skip a beat. “I’m gonna miss sneaking into yours. Had some good times, huh?” I asked, moving so that I was standing by the foot of the bed.
“Who knew you were so good at climbing trees?” A pretty shade of pinkwas on her cheeks. “But seriously, it’s so weird seeing your place empty. Is there anything else you need to sort out?”
“Just a couple things, but nothing you gotta worry about,” I said, eyeing my mostly empty room. In a few days, it wouldn’t be mine anymore. Earl—the guy who owned the trailer park—wouldn’t have trouble moving someone else in. “You done packing your whole wardrobe, princess?”
“I am not taking my whole wardrobe, thank you very much.”
“I saw those suitcases in your room the other day.”
“Those are my winter clothes. It’s gonna be really cold in New York.” She pouted up at me. “Annie got me some really warm socks for my birthday. Thank God.”
“You sure you’re gonna be able to handle it?”
“Well, I have you to keep me warm, right?”
“Yeah, you have me.” My hand reached out, one finger on her chin while my thumb ghosted along her bottom lip. Her soft skin felt smooth and soft as I moved in closer, dying to feel her lips up against mine.
She was all I wanted. Well and fucking truly, and I still couldn’t believe that I had her. Right there. In front of me. With not a single care in the world as to where she was. She had never cared. Had never been concerned about how my room was a quarter of the size of her closet. That my mattress she was sitting on had more than a few uncomfortable springs that always dug into your back. That I didn’t have her fancy silk bed sheets or her soft, cushiony pillows—but she seemed to love lying on mine, always snuggling them close to her and making them smell exactly like her. It made falling asleep on my uncomfortable bed a much more pleasant experience.
Humming, my eyes flickered down to her lips. Soft and pink and pouty. I needed her, needed to kiss her, but I heard a banging noise that was coming from outside. Then footsteps. Someone was opening the door.
I looked over my shoulder, still holding Holly’s chin. “Brodie? That you?” I called out, but I didn’t hear his voice. Just those footsteps getting louder.
It all happened in a millisecond. Head turning, I saw my dad standing there in the doorway, eyebrows raised and a glint of amusement in his eyes. My hand landed on Holly’s, pulling her off the bed and making sure shewas behind me.
“Sawyer?” she said, a tiny bit of panic in her voice.
“It’s been a while, huh?” Dad asked with a laugh.
The words didn’t come out all slow and slurred, which at least meant he wasn’t drunk. The odds of him losing his shit and getting violent was still a possibility, though. I was my dad’s favorite person to beat up, but before that it had been my mom, so he wasn’t above putting his hands on a woman. That meant I had to get Holly out of there.
“Why’s all my shit gone? You better not have touched my room. Where the hell is everything?” he snapped. Anger had risen up in him fast as he moved out of the doorway, boots heavy on the carpet.
“Holly, get in the truck,” I said, keeping my voice steady as I pulled her towards the door. The sound of drawers being opened and slammed shut hit my ears. He was busy rummaging through stuff in his room as I pushed my car keys into Holly’s hand. Turning to her, I was met with her wide eyes, her fingers grasping at the little bouquet of bluebells tightly.
“Is that…?”
“Yeah,” was all I said. “Get in the truck.”
“But—”
