“Oh, yeah?” he prompted, frowning. “Why do you think that is?”
“Part of it, I think, is because of what I do. It’s hard to be on the other side of the desk, you know? And also, with everything else happening around here, it’s hard to know where to start,” she admitted. “Especially when there’s so much…other stuff going on now.”
She glanced up at him, a small smile on her face.
He cocked an eyebrow. “Other stuff?” he asked her.
She nodded. “Other stuff,” she repeated, as though daring him to ask her what.
“And what other stuff might that be?”
“Oh, well, that will be between my therapist and me,” she replied playfully.
“You planning on talking about me in therapy?” he asked her.
She flashed him an impish smile, her cheeks flushing slightly. “Wouldn’t you like to know,” she retorted, shifting so she was pressed against his side.
This was comfortable, in a way Lawson wasn’t sure he had felt in a long time. He decided then and there that he wasn’t second-guessing this attraction he had to Sarah. He wasn’t questioning if he was doing the wrong thing, for once in his damn life. He was just enjoying her company, the memory of their kiss and the new closeness it brought.
“I’d very much like to know,” he replied, turning to face her and putting aside his coffee cup. “But I’m not going to pry,” he murmured, reaching over to take her cup out of her hand, placing it next to his, then resting his hand on her cheek.
Sarah gazed up at him, leaning her head into his hand slightly, letting her eyes soften. She seemed to finally be able to relax after the chaos of what had happened the night before, and he was seriously glad for that. The last thing he wanted was forall of this to trigger more fear in her, to give her more trauma to deal with.
Slowly, he closed the distance between them, planting a soft kiss against her lips. She reached up to grasp his shoulder, her fingertips digging into his skin. God, she felt good. Even that kind of touch was enough to make the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. He pulled back, brushing his nose against hers, and rested his forehead against hers.
“I can’t wait until all of this stuff with Granger is behind us,” he told her softly. “So I can put all my attention where it matters. On you.”
She sank into him, letting a smile spread across her face. He loved seeing her like this, happy and relaxed, and just enjoying the moment with him. No matter what was going on outside his room, all he wanted right now was to lose himself to the feeling of the two of them together. Of her being in his arms and how perfect it felt.
“You have my attention right now,” she murmured to him, her eyebrows raising, her teeth resting on her bottom lip.
He knew at once what she was suggesting. It had taken them a long time to get to this place, to acknowledge the way they felt about each other. To be in a place where they could finally act on their feelings. And damn, he wanted nothing more than to enjoy the stolen moment that they had been given right then.
He leaned close again, but this time, when their lips touched, he deepened the kiss. She parted her lips, allowing him to get closer, and he wrapped his arms around her, breathing in her scent. He felt the desire stirring inside him, and the need that he had tried to hold down for so long was rising up to take control.
And, in the soft morning light pouring through the window behind them, he knew he was finally ready. They were both finally ready.
He sank down into the bed with her, grinning into the kiss.
Chapter Fifteen
Sarah gazed up at the ceiling, a dizzying smile on her face. She could still feel the pleasure tingling through every inch of her body as she lay beneath the covers in Lawson’s bed.
That had been…whoa.So much better than her fantasies of them together. Her head was still spinning from their intense connection—it was more than she could ever have expected. They had been dancing around their feelings for each other for so long, she had been starting to think it would never happen.
From the moment their lips had touched, she felt herself give in to him, her body accepting this closeness for the first time. No, more than accepting it, sheneededit, craved it from some place deep inside her.
He glanced over at her as he buttoned up his shirt, flashing her a sexy grin.
“You good?” he asked her.
“Better than good,” she replied with a sigh, flipping over to face him. “You sure you can’t stay a little longer?”
“I would love to, trust me,” he admitted, pulling a face, and planted himself down on the bed next to her. He took her hand and drew it to his lips, placing a kiss against it softly. If she hadn’t already been lying down, she would have swooned on the spot.
“But I have to go into town and talk to the sheriff about what we’re going to do next with those assholes he’s got in jail.” He sighed, running a hand through his hair.
She propped herself up in the bed and shrugged. “How about I come with you?” she suggested. “I have some groceries to pick up in town and Hannah asked me to grab a few items for the kitchen, too. I was going to ask one of the guys to go with me, but I’d much rather go with you. If I wouldn’t be in the way, that is?”
