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Mia’s lips stretched into a delighted smile. She knew he could be blowing smoke up her ass, but the no-nonsense way he’d answered felt real. “Really? You swear?”
“I swear.” Sawyer leaned closer, wiping a few drops of moisture from her top lip. “I love your smile. It’s…uncomplicated.”
Mia’s brows drew together, but the rest of her face refused to cooperate with her frown. “Thanks. I guess.”
Sawyer winked. “It was a compliment. Trust me.”
“I’ll take your word for it.” Mia swept a finger across her lip, but it didn’t banish the memory of his touch. “Your turn, question number two.”
“I take my time before telling you about my past,” he said, holding her gaze, vulnerability in his eyes that made it clear this second question meant something to him. “Not because I want to hide from you, but because it’s not something I share with many people, even people I care about. Do you resent me for keeping a few secrets, or do you understand?”
Mia reached out, covering his hand with hers. The familiar electricity leapt between them, but this time there were softer emotions there, too. “I understand. It was like you said the other day, sometimes the past needs to stay in the past.”
He turned his hand over, until his palm kissed hers and his fingers curled around her hand. “Your turn.”
Mia left her hand in his, ignoring the curious look Ugly Ross shot her as he moved past them to join Bubba and their other friends at a table near the stage. It felt good to hold Sawyer’s hand, and this conversation was too interesting to come up for air just yet.
“What’s your dream for the future?” Mia asked. “The big, pie-in-the-sky dream, if there were no extenuating circumstances and nothing holding you back.”
Sawyer hesitated for a moment, and Mia could see him debating how honest he wanted to be.
“The whole truth,” she warned. “I’ll know if you’re fudging. I have a sixth sense about things like this.”
“All right.” Sawyer’s eyes dropped to their joined hands. “I’d liked to have a family someday, and be the kind of father I wish I’d had. The kind my kids can count on, no matter what.”
His answer made her chest ache. “That’s pretty sweet.”
Sawyer glanced back up, meeting her eyes. “But I won’t be settling down any time soon. I just got out of a bad relationship. I’m not looking forforeverright now, if you know what I mean.”
“Me too.” Mia laughed. “I mean, me either. My last relationship was bad, too, and I’m not looking for forever. I’m up for dating and having a good time, but no emotional heavy lifting.” She took a breath, her nerves finally giving way to excitement. “Would you be interested in something like that?”
Sawyer grinned. “I would be very interested in something like that. I’d also be interested in taking you to dinner tomorrow night after we finish our tour.”
“I have a better idea,” Mia said, shifting closer, relishing the clean, masculine scent of him. “Third Thursdays are live music nights at the farmer’s market. Bands come to play, vendors sell food and beer, and they set up a dance floor in the middle of the square. It’s a good time, even if you don’t dance.”
“Who says I don’t dance?” Sawyer asked, playing up the offense in his tone.
“I’m sorry,” Mia said, grinning up at him. “So are you saying you’d like to take that swagger of yours to the dance floor with me tomorrow night?”
“Sounds perfect,” he said, leaning in until she could feel his breath warm on her lips. “It’s a date.”
A date. The words sent a hint of anxiety flashing through her chest, but then Sawyer’s lips were on hers and he was kissing her with that gentle, insistent passion that made her body light up and stars flash behind her eyes and her anxiety faded away.
When Sawyer was this close, it was hard to think about anything except how much she wanted him even closer.
CHAPTEREIGHT
Nothing putsa damper on a perfect afternoon like the discovery of a dead body.
Sawyer cussed as he lifted the edge of the tattered shirt covering the skeleton’s chest. He shifted his flashlight back and forth, getting a better look at the body at the bottom of the cavern beneath the old jailhouse. The bones were old and the flesh had been eaten away by insects, but the blade wedged between two of the skeleton’s ribs made it pretty clear the man’s death hadn’t been an accident.
“You okay down there?” Bubba called down from fifty feet above, where he and Mia had helped set up a pulley system to lower Sawyer safely down into the cave.
Sawyer had intended to take a look around, and do a few sketches to send back to Felix so they could start brainstorming the best way to reinforce the foundation over the cavern. Now, his exploration was going to end with a call to the police.
“I’m good, but this guy isn’t,” Sawyer called up to the surface. “There’s a body down here.”
Mia’s head appeared at the edge of the hole in the floor a moment later, her curls wild around her face. “What?”
