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I tighten my arms around her. “There’s no need to be embarrassed. It’s only me. Do you want to talk about it?” I ask gently. She’s silent for a few minutes before sighing loudly and pulling out of my embrace. Her head is down, and she won’t look me in the eye. “Hallie, look at me.” When she doesn’t, I put my finger under her chin and gently lift her head. Her face is red and puffy from crying, and her makeup is streaked down her cheeks. Her eyes finally meet mine, and I give her a small smile of encouragement.
“I was back in Cedar Falls. He was chasing me through the woods.” Her voice catches, and she closes her eyes tightly as if shaking the memory away.
“It’s over. You’re not going back there.”
“If he comes for me…” she trails off, her voice catching.
“If he comes for you, he has to get through me.” She doesn’t look convinced, but I mean it. Assholes like Matthew Bryant who pick on innocent little girls don’t intimidate me.
“I’m sorry I fell asleep. I haven’t been sleeping well,” she says a few seconds later before taking a deep breath and wiping her tear-stained face with the back of her hand. She frowns and looks around. “Hang on. How did I get on your sofa?”
“I tried to wake you, but you were wiped out. I carried you up from the car.”
She groans and drops her head into her hands. “God, I’m sorry. My mom always said I sleep like the dead.”
“Will you stop apologizing? It’s fine, and you should have come and found me when you couldn’t sleep.” I didn’t want to make her feel worse and tell her I was awake most nights, listening to her sob through the wall.
“What good would that have done? If you’re going to save my ass, I need you well-rested.” Her voice is deadpan, but there’s a sad smile on her lips. She shakes her head. “God, I hate this. I hate this control he has over me and how pathetic it makes me.”
“It doesn’t make you pathetic, Hallie, and he has no control over you.”
She lets out a sarcastic laugh. “Sawyer, I can’t sleep, I can’t go to work. Hell, I can’t evenlivealone. I think that counts as him being in control.”
“He’s not in control right now. Let’s take the bike and head out for the day. Anywhere you want to go.” The conversation with Logan swirls in my head, but I push it down for now, selfishly not wanting to see the look on her face when I have to tell her. She sighs and drops her head in her hands.
“Okay. Why not? Let’s go escape for a while.” She looks up at me, her eyes filled with sadness. I’m desperate to see her smile again despite the news I have to tell her later.
“It’ll be fun. Come on.” I hold my hand out to her, and she takes it. I pull her to her feet. “The beach or somewhere else?” I ask.
“Definitely the beach. There’s something calming about the ocean, and I could do with that today.”
“The beach it is then.”
Once in the parking garage, I fire up the bike and climb on. I hand Hallie her helmet and watch as she puts it on, then climbs on behind me. Her hands snake around my waist, and she scoots closer. As much as I shouldn’t like the feel of her pressed against me, I do, and suddenly, my love for the bike takes on a whole new meaning when she’s riding with me.
I’m in trouble.
Big trouble.
ChapterFifteen
Hallie
We’ve been on the bike for about thirty minutes, and my heart races as I cling to Sawyer. It’s only the second time I’ve been on the back, and although I’m still nervous, I love it. When I’m riding with him, all my worries seem to disappear. It’s like no one and nothing can touch me. After being trapped in the apartment for the past week, being on the back of Sawyer’s bike is exactly what I need. Everything will still be the same when I get home later, but for now, I can forget everything for a few hours.
Turning my head, a sign for Hilton Head Island appears, and I figure that’s where we’re headed. Tightening my grip on Sawyer, I drop my head back, feeling invincible. My palms rest on his stomach, and one of his hands moves over mine. Electricity tingles up my arm as our fingers entwine, and I’m a little taken aback. He held my hand the last time I was on the bike, but he knew how nervous I was. This feels different somehow. More intimate.
I’ve tried not to read too much into how tactile he is with me. I’ve put it down to him trying to comfort me. There is no way a guy like Sawyer will be interested in me—he’s just doing his job. He could have anyone he wants. With all the shit going on, he’s more than likely feeling sorry for me rather than anything else. Still, his hand in mine feels good, and nervous excitement bubbles in my stomach as I can’t stop my mind from working overtime.
This past week is the longest I’ve ever spent with a guy. Despite my initial apprehension when we first met, Sawyer’s never once made me feel uncomfortable. In fact, I can’t believe how comfortable I feel when I’m around him. It’s like I’ve known him forever.
Feeling the bike beginning to slow, I look around, seeing Sawyer is pulling off the coastal road and parking. He turns off the engine, and we sit in silence for a couple of minutes, his hand still entwined with mine. I drop my head on his back and feeling him sigh, I untangle my hand from his, climbing off the back.
“Wow. This is beautiful,” I say, ignoring the moment I think we might have just had. We’ve parked in a graveled area next to a small marina. The water is full of elegant bobbing yachts and beautiful sailboats, and a red and white striped lighthouse is on the water’s edge. It looks like something from a picture postcard. “I wish I had my camera. This would make a great picture.”
“My phone takes a pretty mean picture.” He holds up his phone. “Let’s get a shot with the harbor and the lighthouse behind us.”
“Okay.” Moving to stand next to him, I leave a small gap and wait while he puts the camera in selfie mode.
