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Sawyer
The next morning, I wake up with my body tangled around Hallie’s. My arms are wrapped around her, and her head rests on my bare chest. I’ve no idea how we managed to gravitate toward each other when we fell asleep with what felt like an ocean between us. I’m not ashamed to say when I kissed her last night, I saw fireworks. I realize that sounds like a cliché, but it’s the truth. For a few minutes while I lost myself in her, everything was perfect. Until it wasn’t, and reality hit me like a smack in the face. Hallie isn’t someone I should be kissing, despite how much I want to. She’s a client. Someone I must protect and not someone to take advantage of.
She stirs in my arms, and I still, not wanting to wake her. My head might be up to speed with the fact I shouldn’t be holding her, but my heart hasn’t quite caught up. I stay with her lying in my arms for a few more minutes before forcing myself to move. Gently sliding my arms from under her, I guide her head to the pillow, covering her with the comforter. I swing my legs over the side of the bed and sit on the edge, dropping my head. I wish things could be different. They can’t, though.
“Is everything okay?” Hallie asks from behind me, her voice sleepy.
Looking over my shoulder, I force a smile. “Yep, all good.” I try not to notice her beautiful face, still soft with sleep. Strands of her long hair have escaped from her braid, and I lace my fingers together in an attempt not to reach out and brush them off her face.
“What time is it?” She sits up, and the comforter falls away from her. Her tank has ridden up, exposing her stomach, and my eyes fall to her tanned skin. She tugs the material down, and I snap out of my daze.
Shaking my head slightly, I pick up my phone from the nightstand. “It’s early,” I say quietly as I check the time. “We should get moving though, before the traffic gets heavy.” She stretches and pushes the comforter off her legs. She still hasn’t looked me in the eye, and I watch as she pads across the room and into the bathroom, closing the door behind her.
I hate myself for making things awkward.
If only I’d been strong enough not to kiss her.
I couldn’t deny the attraction between us.
It was always going to happen.
It had only been a matter of time but I knew it couldn’t happen again. I only hoped I could keep that promise to myself.
A few minutes later, Hallie comes out of the bathroom fully clothed, her hair braided down her back. Her tank is crumpled from sleeping, and I hope Brooke has some clothes stored away at the cabin for her to change into. I’m no expert when it comes to women’s dress sizes, but I’m pretty sure Hallie and Brooke are a similar size.
After using the bathroom, I dress quickly. When I come out, Hallie is sitting on the edge of the bed waiting for me. She holds out the bike key, and I take it, her eyes finally finding mine.
“Are you okay?” I ask as I reach for our helmets and hand Hallie hers.
She shrugs as she takes it from me. “I want this all to be over and for things to be how they used to be. I want my life back.” I want to take her in my arms, hold her, and tell her everything will be okay. I can’t do either, so I offer her a sad smile before gesturing to the door.
“Let’s go. Things will look better once we get to the cabin.” It’s bullshit, even to my ears, but the cabin is beautiful, and you can’t help but love it there. It’s the best I can do right now, and I think Hallie knows that. She offers me a small smile as I hold the motel room door open for her.
“How far do you think we are from the cabin?” she asks as we round the back of the motel, stopping in front of the bike.
“I think maybe an hour. Weather’s good, so it might be a little quicker, depending on the traffic.” She slides her helmet on, and I start the engine, waiting for her to climb on behind me. She sits farther back than normal, her hands resting on either side of my waist rather than looping around me like they usually do. I reach back, taking her hands in mine then pull her gently. She slides closer to me, and I wrap her hands around my stomach. She’s not holding onto me like she usually does because of what happened last night, and I hate it.
As soon as I’m on the interstate, my hand goes to Hallie’s, and our fingers entwine. I’m giving her mixed signals, but this is how we’ve always ridden, and it always will be. She doesn’t move her hand, so I keep mine where it is, occasionally squeezing it to check she’s okay.
The traffic is light, and less than an hour later, I’m pulling off the interstate. I’ve never taken my bike to the cabin before. It’s fairly remote, and the roads near it aren’t the best. I’ll have to take the rest of the journey slowly. The last thing we need is to hit some gravel and fall off the bike. I release Hallie’s hand when the bike’s back wheel slips. I hear her muffled scream through her helmet, and she grips tightly onto my T-shirt. Righting the bike, I pull over because I can feel her shaking behind me, and I remove my helmet.
“We’re okay,” I assure her as I turn around. “I should have told you the roads aren’t good.”
She climbs off the bike, pulling off her helmet. “Fuck! I thought we were going to fall off. Is it much further? Maybe I could walk from here?”
I chuckle and kick out the stand. “You can’t walk. It’s about another ten minutes, that’s all,” I tell her as I remove my helmet.
“I could totally walk that.”
“No walking. I’m not equipped to fight off bears.”
“Bears?” Her eyes widen, and she looks around.
“Occasionally, we see bears. It’s up to you. Bike or bears?” I’m trying not to laugh as I wait for her reply. There are bears in this area, but I’ve only ever seen one since my parents have owned the cabin. Even then, it was when my dad and I were out fishing one time, an hour or so from the cabin.
“I think I’ll stick to the bike.” She pulls her helmet back over her head and climbs on behind me. This time her arms immediately wrap around me, her grip a little tighter than normal. Pulling away, I hold the bike steady, wanting to make sure we get there in one piece.
Fifteen minutes later, I breathe a sigh of relief as we pull off the road, the dense trees we’ve been riding past open, and the cabin comes into view. I stop the bike and hear Hallie gasp. I downplayed the cabin when I told her about it, so I know what she’s looking at now isn’t at all what she was expecting.
