Page 24 of Sheltering Lawson
Sam nodded. “I hear you’re doing his books.” At the surprise on Lawson’s face, Sam smiled. “Small town.”
“Yes, I’m good with numbers, and I simply love it.”
It was clear she was being reluctant to answer. “Did you go to school for accounting?”
Looking down, Lawson took a bite. Her voice was quiet when she said, “I did.”
“Oh,” Sky said, “Where did you go to school?”
Lawson fidgeted. “Oh, that’s such boring information. How goes the wedding preparations?”
Lawson’s attempt at deflecting the conversation away from her and back at the two women worked like a charm. It was obvious to me that women loved talking about wedding planning. I just kept my mouth closed and let the conversation between them flow over me. Lawson was sitting close, her thigh pressed to mine as she skillfully pumped them for information. The more they were talking about themselves, the less attention was focused on her and her past.
I couldn’t really blame her. If her past was as rocky as I guessed it was, it stood to reason that she didn’t want to talk about it in detail. It was the same with me and my tours of duty. War stories didn’t seem to have a place in idyllic Suttontowne. The blood, fear, and desperation a world away.
“Let me ask you this question, Ethan, since you’re a man,” Sky said.
“Is that all there is to recommend me?”
“In this instance, yes.”
“All right, shoot, sugar.”
“Would you feel as if your manhood was in question if after your wedding you were to ride to the reception in a horse-drawn carriage?”
I set down my fork and met Sky’s eyes. “If I was lucky enough to snag the woman of my dreams, I would ride in a garbage truck to please her. So, no, I wouldn’t feel emasculated if I had to ride in a frilly vehicle as long as I was seated next to my beautiful wife, anticipating life with her. I’d be thinking more along the lines of grabbing the reins and getting us to the wedding night, getting her alone so that I could show her how much I loved her. Jake will feel the same way.”
“He’s a big pushover,” Sam said nudging Sky with a soft look towards me and a breathless little laugh. “Ask him. He’ll probably be just fine with it.”
I glanced at Lawson, and she was looking at me with this…dazed and bruised look in her eyes. A thick feeling making my heart turn over, I couldn’t look away, caught up in this sensual vortex between us. It was all I could do not to reach out and touch her as her eyes warmed me intimately, something intangible and honeyed passing between us. For a moment, my breath held as that sweetness seemed to spiral into something more intense, something beyond either of our control, making my pulse run.
She was addictive, kissing her a much more physical act than this…feeling of temptation for things I only allowed myself to think about in private so I wouldn’t get a hard-on, curiosity at how good it would feel to be inside her, pumping hard, having her, and anticipation of her skin, her mouth, and other parts of her anatomy I wanted to lick, taste and suck that made everything in me tighten up.
Before I realized it, our lips were so close to each other, as if there was a magnetic pull towards her, as if we shared the same body and needed to fuse it back together.
Someone cleared their throat, and Lawson blinked, then blinked again and pulled back. She gave the women staring at us a winsome smile. “It’s very romantic,” she whispered and I was sure she was talking about what I had said instead of the horse-drawn carriage.
“It is,” Sky said, her gaze going between us. “I’ll ask Jake.” Her words came out on a little puff of air. I wondered if they had been affected by our interaction, too.
“That leaves only one detail left,” Sam said as she got up and dropped her empty plate into the trash. “The cake.”
“Brax has made wedding cakes in the past,” I offered.
“What?” Lawson said. “After tasting your cooking and hearing about your skill at baking, why don’t you make the cake, Sam?”
She looked startled for a moment, then smiled. “By God, she’s right, Sky. I can make your cake. What do you think?”
“I would absolutely love that!” She clapped her hands. “Are you sure?”
“I am. I’ve got to get back to the booth, but we can talk about it.”
“Me, too,” Sky said, clearing away her own trash. “Stop by my booth before you go back to yours, Lawson. I have something for you.”
“All right” she said as the two women walked away chatting enthusiastically.
“Don’t tell me you have to get back yet,” I said. “It’s only been half an hour.”
“I should. I feel guilty leaving Martha with a really busy booth.”
