Page 40 of Sweet Temptation (Men of Honor 2)
Oh-my-god. This is what Julia was talkin’ about, and now I understand. The sight before me has agony ripping through my already damaged heart, and tears pooling in my eyes. Big, ugly, horrendous scars mark Sawyer’s beautiful, muscular back. It looks as if someone took a knife to him, or a whip? I don’t know which and like Julia, I don’t want to. I don’t think I could handle knowing what exactly was used to harm him this way. Through my blurred vision I notice Sawyer watching me. So many emotions burn in his green eyes right now: pain, anger, guilt and maybe even some insecurity, which sharpens my agony to a whole new level.
“Sawyer,” I whisper shakily, my voice thick with tears. My tremblin’ hand lies across my aching heart, as if trying to hold my pain at bay. Without a second thought I move across the bed and bring myself against his warm, scarred back. Raising my hand, I trace the words that are tattooed in script across his shoulder blades, words that will forever be ingrained into my head whenever I think of him, ones that describe his character perfectly:
You will not break me, for I am unbreakable.I will live with integrity, fight with honor and die for what’s right.
After tracing the final word, through my blurry gaze, I can’t hold in my pain anymore. I wrap my arms around him from behind and sob against his back.
“Fuck!” Sawyer chokes out the curse and then quickly turns around. Grabbing my hips he lifts me on his lap so I’m straddling him. I wind my arms tightly around his neck.
“I’m so sorry someone hurt you,” I sob out, kissing the corner of his eye.
He runs his big warm hands up and down my back. I should be comforting him, but, of course, he is the one consoling me.
“Don’t cry for me, Cupcake. I know it’s not a pretty sight, but I survived, we all did.”
My heart not only broke for Sawyer, but for all of them. That some awful human beings could hurt these brave, honorable men just goes to show how cruel the world can be. I, as well, knew this first-hand. “There’s some real awful people out there, ain’t there, Sawyer?”
My forehead rests against his, and my tears fall onto his face. His green eyes that shine with pain, bore into mine, “Yeah, baby, there are some real nasty motherfuckers out there.”
Raising my hand, I cup his cheek then trace my fingers across his early morning stubble, our gazes staying locked on one another. When my hand reaches his hair I twine my fingers in his dark blonde, messy strands and I’m surprised at how soft it feels. Closing my eyes, I try to absorb everything about this moment in time, because in this moment I’ve never felt more connected to another human being, and I don’t think I ever will again. I softly drag my nose across his face and brush gentle kisses anywhere my lips come into contact with: his cheek, his forehead, the corner of his eye. His warm breath feathers over my face from our close proximity and a groan of longing escapes his mouth, causing my own desire to escalate. His big hands cup my ass, bringing the ache I have between my legs in contact with his hard cock. A whimper escapes my lips, and I knew that we were about to take our relationship one step further. But right before my lips descended to his, my doorbell rings, snapping me out of my desire with disappointment.
Sawyer tenses, “What-the-fuck?” The look on his face is so comical that I can’t stop from laughing.
He glares at me, “Baby, there’s nothing funny about this shit.”
“Actually your face is pretty funny right now.”
His lips twitch right before he slaps me on the ass. Oh… I’m not going to lie, that love tap spiked the ache between my legs.
He growls, “Oh fuck, do not look at me like that right now, Cupcake, or we won’t be answering that door.”
I clear my throat, feeling embarrassed how easily he can read me, “I wonder who it is?” I ask, climbing off, but before I can completely pull away Sawyer tightens his grip on my hips.
His fierce green eyes bore into mine, “We’re going to be picking this up soon, Grace.” I don’t say anything, because it wasn’t a question.
I knew it would only be a matter of time, I just didn’t know if I was ready. I’m scared; I can already feel myself losing my heart to Sawyer. I can only imagine what I am going to feel when I let him touch me.
He leans in to kiss my forehead and I close my eyes, basking in the intimacy of the simple act. “It’s probably Cade,” he murmurs, “I asked him to bring some stuff for me, either here or to the diner.”
I crawl off of him when the banging gets louder. “I’m coming!” he yells. “Fuck, now I understand how Jaxson feels,” he grumbles, throwing on his jeans, but not before I see that I was right… boxer briefs. Yum! He doesn’t put a shirt on, but I guess it doesn’t matter since it’s nothing Cade hasn’t seen before, especially if he bears the same scars. That thought has a lump forming in throat, and my heart feeling heavy again as I walk to the bathroom to shower and get ready.
Later that night I’m going through all my clothes, trying to figure out what to pack. I want to get a head start on it because, well… I’m really darn excited. Before Mama passed away I had never left Florida, and anything after her wasn’t a vacation by any means. I’m also excited to get a glimpse into Sawyer’s life, of where he came from and what made him who he is today: arrogant, sexy, strong, loyal and honorable. He’s one of the best men I have ever met, next to Mac, and everyday I’m more and more thankful to God for giving me the chance to meet him, to even be his friend.
