Page 18 of The Cannon
“Birdie, give the boy your pie recipe,” Grandpa says. “It stays sweet on your lips like a woman’s kiss.”
Then Sawyer looks at me.Oh God! Stop it!Well, maybe just a beat longer.
A text message on my cell breaks the spell.
Olivia Castro hospitalized.
“I’ve got to take this. Excuse me,” I say getting up from the table.
As I move into the kitchen, I hear Sawyer asking which way to the bathroom. Grabbing my purse off the club chair I start digging for my keys. Then I turn.
Sawyer. He comes up behind me. Strong hands lift to my face. There’s no asking permission. I’m not at all mad at that.
Soft full lips lightly touch mine. Hands find skin. A current races between us. Then, unable to resist any longer, I give in to the kiss. The room falls away. He cups the back of my head in his hand. Our tongues find each other, and I feel him take a fistful of my hair. His gentleness contradicting the passion it stirs.
More. More. Take it all.
We part, and he looks at me like he’s seeing my soul. Never felt this before.
“That kiss is either going to kill me or set me free,” he whispers.
Chapter 5
Sawyer
The front door closes behind Bristol. I’m left standing in the kitchen with a hard on and lingering memories of tender lips. Hers against mine. What now?
The Swifts watched me walk right past the door to the bathroom when I followed Bristol. They must have noticed I didn’t go inside. A bathroom visit now should buy me time to get this thing to go down.
Eyeing my jacket over the chair, I grab it and position it in front of The Cannon and make a dash for the bathroom.Don’t make eye contact!
I sweep into the small room and shut the door. Was it my imagination or were there absolutely no conversations going on in there? Crap. I know they were watching and listening.
A glance in the mirror turns into a long stare. Pink lipstick. It’s all over my mouth. Makes me smile at my own laughable image staring back. How do I get this off without leaving proof all over these nice towels? Fancy towels made for admiring, not using.
Shit. There’s nothing else here. Toilet paper? I give it a shot. Too flimsy, and it doesn’t remove the stain. An idea emerges. I start stripping my pants off. This is genius. Sitting on the toilet, I remove my shoes. The pants drop, I step out and peel off my boxer briefs.
Now I see what needs to be tamed. A half hard on. Okay. That’s better. The water’s turned on and I flush the toilet just so they all think I’m using the bathroom. I wet a corner of my jumbled briefs and work to remove the pink proof of our kissing session.
Works great. Inspired really.
As I redress, Bristol’s face is on my mind. Face, fingers, the way her body curved into mine. My dick takes a leap.Down boy.With one final glance in the mirror I see a man somehow changed. It’s a look both new and yet mysteriously recognizable. It’s fact. I’m different than when I arrived here today.
Walking back into the dining room, I’m greeted by friendly faces and the all-seeing eyes of the Swifts. What else can I do but try to hold back the wide grin that wants to escape? It just confirms what they’ve already figured out. Something happened in the kitchen between their Bristol and me.
“Did you kiss her?” Grandpa gets to the heart of things.
No one stops his question or remarks on its bluntness. I don’t mind. Let every one of them know I’m interested.
“We kissed each other.”
A sound rises from the table. One I wasn’t expecting. Laughter and applause.
Only Brick and Atticus refrain from joining the celebration. But their expressions tell me they’re not opposed. It releases any hold I had on my smile. Now it’s uncontainable.
“Don’t tell her we did that!” Charlotte says chuckling.
“Lord, no. We’d all be in trouble,” Lucinda adds. “And she’d redouble her efforts to avoid you.”
