The Hookup Hoax (13 page)

She might not be able to have that for herself, but she could damn well suck it up and make sure Sawyer got the cabin he so obviously loved. And being a part of his family, even temporarily, wasn’t so bad either.

Chapter Thirteen

Sawyer’s foot stung when it connected with the ball. Not only was he tired as all hell tonight, but his technique sucked too.

Aidan barely ducked out of the way before it zinged past his head. “Watch it. We’re on the same team, and it’s practice. Take it easy.”

“Sorry, man.” Sawyer shook his head and tried to walk off the pain throbbing in his foot. If he didn’t start paying more attention to his form, he would end up hurt and out of the next game. That couldn’t happen, not when they were up against W-Cubed. Those web design geeks kicked ass.

Sawyer wandered over to the bench where the girls sat on the sidelines, once again noting Olivia’s absence, and grabbed his water bottle. When she’d said she wanted to sit this practice out, he’d happily agreed. He’d needed a break from her, the constant reminder of what he couldn’t have, but he’d never thought he’d miss seeing her. It was almost as if part of him was absent.

The last few weeks had been long, grueling almost. Work had been tedious and frustrating until the night before when Olivia had come up with her great new ideas for the Marcus project. As he ran the length of the soccer field with the boys, he hoped it would help him sleep tonight. He hadn’t slept well or felt like himself since Olivia said no.

He’d gotten a taste of her sweet tongue dancing in his mouth, the caress of her hands on his body, the heat deep between her legs surrounding him in pure ecstasy. God damn it, he wanted more.

Torture was not part of their agreement, but that’s exactly what she was doing to him. His balls felt like a pair of grapes drying in the scorching desert sun. He needed a release…but not just any release. He only wanted Olivia. More than that, she saw who he really was and what he was missing in life, and, against his better judgment, he was starting to see it, too—he needed her. Not only in his bed, but in his life in general.

When she’d said no to more intimacy, she’d put up a wall between them, cutting him off from more than her body. It was a cold shower to his mind, too. Her distance made him anxious, uncomfortable, and irritable. And it annoyed him that he cared so much.

He took a long gulp of his water. The ball slammed against him, sending him to the ground. “Damn it. That hurt.” He clutched his side and coughed as he got to his feet.

“What the hell, Sawyer?” Brian smacked him on the shoulder. “Get your head out of your ass already. I’m not here to waste time.”

“Sorry. I didn’t see the ball coming.” He straightened his spine and stood tall, showing he wasn’t fazed by the hit, even if his kidney felt like it might be bleeding.

“You’ve been distracted all night.” Jason motioned toward the girls. “What, you can’t play unless your girl is here to show off for?”

“Why isn’t Olivia here?” Stacy asked. “I was looking forward to chatting with her again.”

“She had other things to do.”

“Trouble in paradise already?” Brian teased.

“We’re fine. Life is blissfully wonderful.”

The guys cheered and whistled, annoying him further. He should’ve kept his mouth shut.

“Now we know you’re lying,” Kennedy said. She winked, deviously. “If she’s cut you off, you know I’m always here for you.”

“That must be it. You always get messy on the field when you haven’t had any recently.” Chad nodded confidently. “It’s gotta be—what, a week, maybe two—given your level of distraction and lack of skill.”

“I’m not cut off. Things are great in the bedroom.”

Aidan shot him a murderous look that said it better all be part of the scam.

“Just in the bedroom? Now I know there’s something wrong.” Chad and Jason laughed.

“Enough. She’s still my little sister and I won’t listen to you jackasses talk about her like that,” Aidan said.

The guys took the hint and ran to the other end of the field to get back into practice with the rest of the team, while Aidan and Sawyer made their way slowly over to join them. Sawyer didn’t want to look at him. His friend was too perceptive to lie to.

“I’m sure I don’t need to ask this, but the guys aren’t right, are they? Your poor performance doesn’t have anything to do with my sister, does it?”

“They’re right.”

“Then you better start running because I
will
use you as a punching bag.”

“They’re right that I’ve been cut off. I mean it’s not like I can go to the bar with you when she’s supposed to be my girlfriend. So excuse me if I’m a little…pent up.”

There, that sounded convincing. Perfectly logical, too.

“So you’re not sleeping with my sister?” Aidan folded his arms across his chest, his stance wide.

“I’m not doing anything with her.”

Not anymore.
Thanks to her new, more rigid “no touching” policy. Knowing it was for the best didn’t quell his desire to be with her.

Aidan held his gaze and Sawyer prayed his voice had been convincing. If he had to answer any more questions about his relationship, he was bound to slip up.

“I won’t hesitate to protect my sister, especially from you. I won’t see her get hurt by some cocky playboy again.”

Annoyance put him on edge. What, he wasn’t good enough for Aidan’s precious little sister? “Last I checked, she was all grown up and could protect herself.”

“Don’t test my patience, Sawyer.”

“Ditto, Aidan.”

“I just got my sister back, dude. I can’t have her running off around the world again because you’re horny.”

“I don’t want her leaving again, either.”

“Then back off and keep up your end of the deal.” Aidan sprinted toward the team, leaving Sawyer practically growling.

He jogged after him while whispering to himself. “Don’t forget, big bro, the deal was between me and Olivia. If we want to screw around,
again
, there’s not a damn thing you can do about it.”

...

Olivia sipped her wine cooler and watched her brother work in the kitchen. She should get up from her stool at the counter and help, but really, how hard was spaghetti and garlic bread?

“Ready to move back in yet?” Aidan asked, stirring the pot of noodles boiling on the stove. “You’re always welcome on my couch if you’re ready to move on with your life for real and end this stupid game you’re playing with Sawyer.”

“And give up my comfy bed at his place? No way. Besides, this is my real life right now.”

“You really think this thing with Sawyer is the right way to get ahead?” Aidan tasted the sauce then added another pinch of oregano.

“Sterling Enterprises is a great company, and it will look awesome on my resume. Why wouldn’t I work for him?”

“Because you’re working for him and living with him. And by the looks of things, getting pretty cozy with him, too.” He raised his eyebrows, challenging her to contradict the statement.

She wouldn’t fall for his trap. Sawyer would never have told Aidan about what happened after the gala, so anything her brother thought he knew was only speculation. “What are you talking about? I’m not getting cozy with him. We’re friends, business associates, and roommates. That’s it.”

Aidan leaned on the counter, pinning her with his gaze. “Who are you trying to convince, me or yourself?”

She took another few sips of her drink, tying to buy herself a couple of seconds to think.

True, she had gotten pretty damn cozy with Sawyer the night of the gala, and while it had been awesome, it was also a mistake. She knew that.

True, she’d thought about going to bed with him again, but she was
not
going to.

True, she would never admit anything to Aidan, not only because he would kill Sawyer, but because verifying her “coziness” with him would also be admitting she’d had sex. That was not a conversation she was prepared to have with her brother, now or ever. Some things were much better left a mystery.

“There’s nothing going on between Sawyer and me. I swear.” She hopped off the stool and went to the stove. Maybe if she moved around, he’d forget what they were talking about and move on to another topic. Tasting the sauce, she groaned. Aidan wasn’t the world’s best chef, but he could make a mean sauce. “This is delicious. Can we eat now?”

Aidan fixed them each a plate of food and refilled their drinks. She missed their family-style dinners together. Sure, it wasn’t a big gathering like at Sawyer’s grandparents’ place, but it was still nice, and it was hers.

“Thanks for having me over. This is kind of nice. You and me, hanging out.”

“Any time, little sis. But next time you have to cook because this is basically the only meal I know how to make.”

“Don’t you ever cook dinner for girls?” she asked, then sucked a noodle through her lips.

“Yeah, sometimes.” He shrugged.

“Well, don’t you ever cook for the same girl more than once? You don’t always feed her spaghetti, do you? Don’t you need at least a few recipes in your cookbook?”

“One, I’m a guy. I don’t have a cookbook.” He smirked while she rolled her eyes. Typical. “And two, I’m a bachelor by choice. I don’t tend to need more than one recipe. They aren’t around long enough for me to cook for them twice.”

She smacked her brother on the arm. “Pig. Just love ‘em and dump ‘em, huh?”

“No. Dumping them would imply we were in a relationship to begin with, which we never are. I’m like Sawyer. I don’t do relationships.”

The reminder of Sawyer’s beliefs about marriage stung, but she pushed the feeling aside as much as she could. “And why not? Our parents didn’t die young and leave behind orphans.”

“No, ours got divorced out of the blue. Why would I ever sign up for that?”

She scoffed. “Lots of marriages last forever. That’s why they sell fortieth wedding anniversary cards at the drug store.”

“Who buys paper cards anymore? Send an e-card like a normal person. I mean, I know you were in all these weird countries for a long time, but get with the decade.”

“I’m perfectly normal.”

“Sure you are.” He laughed and dodged out of the way as she tried to smack him again. “I’m not against all marriage as a whole. I just know it’s not for me. When the likelihood of divorce is so high, why bother with all that legality when simply dating lets you split without the mess.”

“Not all marriages end in divorce.”

“But all divorces begin with a marriage.”

“You’re irritating.”

“And I’m right. Trust me, Sawyer feels the same. Getting involved with him is a sure fire way to end up hurt and alone.” He put his hand on hers and squeezed. “I don’t want to see that happen to you again.”

Olivia bit back a sudden prickle of tears. She knew Aidan was right about everything, but that didn’t take the sting out of the truth. Why did she keep getting involved with guys who couldn’t commit?

She forced every ounce of confidence she could muster into her voice. “Thanks for worrying about me, but you don’t need to. I’m good. For the first time in a long time, I’m on my way to where I want to be and nothing, not Sawyer or anyone else like him, is going to get in my way.”

If only she believed her words with as much conviction as she’d said them.

Chapter Fourteen

Sawyer swallowed the ball of anxiety rising in his throat. He always felt the same way coming to the cabin. His grandparents had done their best to give him a family life, and the cabin did feel like home more than anywhere else, but he couldn’t shake the undertone of sadness he still felt, even after all these years.

And yet, he still couldn’t imagine letting the cabin go to someone else. Aside from Gran and Gramps, no one would care about this place more than he did. No one would do a better job of honoring his parents’ memory.

“Ready?” he asked, as the car made its way around the last bend.

Olivia smiled. “I’m looking forward to seeing Gran again. I wish I had a grandmother like her.”

Sawyer remembered that she and Aidan had lost their grandparents early in life. He’d never even considered how she would feel about becoming close to his grandparents.
Has she been enjoying it, or suffering?
His heart sank. He’d have to make sure she enjoyed herself this weekend. It was her vacation, too.

“Besides, I’m ready for a break from the city. Bring on the open spaces, fresh air, and relaxation.”

“Prepping the cabin for summer is usually a fair amount of work, not that you have to do any of it. I can get the deck chairs cleaned up first thing so you can hang out and relax.”

“Or you could give me a list so I can help out, too. I can’t sit around all weekend while everyone else works.”

Of course she would insist on helping. She wasn’t the kind of girl to take it easy while others did all the hard work. Olivia was a girl who got stuff done, not someone who sat around all the time.

He pulled up in front of the cabin. “We’re here.”

Taking her hand in one of his, he grabbed their bags in the other, and they made their way inside. What was calm and peaceful outside was mildly chaotic inside. Even though the place had been updated for year-round use, there were still dozens of tasks that had to be completed, inside and out, every spring and fall. Even with the renovations, the cabin was old and the seasons were hard on the structure. Every year there were new things to fix, clean, and replace.

“Good, you’re finally here. We were starting to worry.” Gran kissed Sawyer on the cheek, while Olivia got a bear hug. A tiny squeak escaped her as Gran released her. “Oh, dear. Guess I don’t know my own strength.”

“You’re tougher than you look, that’s for sure,” she said.

“Damn right I am.” Gran looked around conspiratorially and dropped her voice to a whisper. “But don’t tell Gramps that. If he knew, he might make me start bringing in the grocery bags and taking out the trash.” With a laugh, she wandered into the kitchen, waving them toward the back of the cabin. “You’ll be in Sawyer’s old room.”

He groaned. Not good. It was the smallest bedroom, tucked into the very back corner of the cabin. It only had room for a full-sized bed, not a queen like the other rooms. The only redeeming quality was the second entrance to the deck. If the room got too stuffy, they could open the sliding door and get the breeze off the lake.

He led her to the room, already guessing her reaction. He closed the door behind him so they could have a moment in private.

“One bed. Again?”

“Every room only has one bed. At least it’s only for three nights. We’ve shared a bed before.”

“Yes, and we remember how well that worked out last time, don’t we?”

He held her gaze as his thoughts flittered back to the gala, taking Olivia to bed, holding her in his arms, kissing her, touching her, tasting her.

“Worked out pretty damn well in my opinion.” He smirked as she rolled her eyes. “I’ll stay on my side if you stay on yours.”

She sighed. “You better.”

…

Olivia sprayed the hose at the soapy layer of filth she’d scrubbed off the patio furniture. Sawyer and Gran had tried to tell her that she was a guest, and therefore should just grab a towel to cover one of the chairs until they got them cleaned, and relax for a while. She’d asked for a bucket and soap instead, insisting that if she was Sawyer’s girlfriend, then that made her almost family and they needed to stop treating her like she was breakable.

Tyler’s wife was the fragile pregnant one, not her. Olivia had more than enough energy to be useful, and eventually she’d convinced them she was only doing Sophia’s share of the work.

Now, a couple of hours later, she was rinsing off the last chair on the deck so that it would have time to dry in the sun before anyone wanted to use them tonight to watch the sunset. Not bad for an afternoon’s work.

She loved it here. The quiet, the fresh air, the family buzzing around, working on the house—all of it felt wonderful to be a part of. The idea that this might be her only long weekend at the cabin made her heart hurt.

“Where are you off to?” she asked Tyler as he came out of the cabin with a handful of cash and a purposeful stride.

“Gramps needs to borrow a power washer from the neighbor Ralph to clean the siding, so I’m running over to pick it up.”

“Want some company?” she asked. “I’m done here and I don’t have anything else on my to-do list yet.”

“Sure.”

She followed him off the deck and turned for the cars, only to have him head toward the lake. “Where are you going?”

“To the neighbor’s. They’re on the other side of the lake. This is the fastest way.” He hopped onto the boat moored to the pier and extended his hand to her, helping her step onto the moving surface.

As he untied the ropes, she settled herself into one of the seats and looked around. “Where are the life jackets?”

“We don’t need them. We won’t be out long. You’re not afraid of the water, are you?” He gunned the engine and the boat lurched forward.

A shriek escaped her as she clung to the sides of her chair. He let off the throttle for a moment and she fought to regain her composure. He looked at her and chuckled, then sent the boat shooting forward again. By the time they made it to the “neighbor’s” cottage, she felt as if she’d run a marathon in an August heat wave. When Tyler left to collect the power washer, she slumped in her chair and thought about what alternative mode of transportation she could take to get back to the cabin. Surely, there was a taxi service out here, or maybe she could just walk. It couldn’t be that far, right?

Olivia tried to remain calm. “He never told me boating was part of the deal. This was supposed to be a relaxing trip, that’s all. He never said anything about life-risking boating rides being part of the plan.”

“What was that?” Tyler asked, as he heaved the machine into the boat and secured it with a couple of bungee cords. “What plan? Were you guys supposed to do something in town today?”

“No. We didn’t have plans. I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said, still feeling completely off-kilter and absolutely unable to deal with Tyler or his questions. “Can you tell me how to get to the nearest road and I’ll flag down a taxi?”

He laughed. Hard. “You can’t be serious? No taxis here.”

“I’ll walk.”

“Don’t be silly. You just need to get a feel for the water, that’s all. I’ll take you on the scenic route and by the time we get back, you’ll be one with the lake.”

“I’m not sure I want to be one with the lake!” she yelled as the boat lurched forward.

If he heard her words, he gave no indication. This time, instead of heading directly back across the middle of the lake like they had before, he skirted around the perimeter, zigzagging.

“Slow down!” she yelled.

He grinned over his shoulder. “We aren’t even going fast yet.”

As they rounded a bend in the lake, another boat crossed their path, not nearly far enough ahead to be comforting. She screamed as they hit the wake of the other watercraft and she bounced in her seat. When the bouncing finally subsided, he turned the wheel hard, spinning the boat to the left and sending a huge splash of water shooting into the sky.

A minute later he cut the engine and was tying the boat to the pier.

Olivia had barely registered the boat had stopped moving when she heard yelling. Sawyer was on the pier, his fists balled into the front of Tyler’s shirt, pulling him off balance.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing running off with Olivia like that?”

“I didn’t run off with her. She asked to come with me.” Tyler pulled out of Sawyer’s grip.

“You should’ve told me you were taking her out on the boat!” Sawyer fisted his hands at his sides.

“And if I had you wouldn’t have let her come.”

He laughed, but it didn’t sound like it came from humor. It sounded like a man who was on the edge of losing control. “Damn right. And it seems perfectly reasonable, given how you came streaking into the dock with her screaming her head off!”

“How was I supposed to know you’d find a woman as afraid of the lake as you are? If she didn’t want to go for a ride, she shouldn’t have asked me to take her.”

“You should know better than to act like a punk on the water.”

“Sawyer, it’s okay,” she said, finally finding her voice.

In an instant, she was pulled onto the pier and into Sawyer’s arms. He kissed her, hard, on the mouth, and everything else around her disappeared. When he pulled back, he rested his forehead against hers, staring into her eyes with concern. It was as if she could see into the depths of his soul to his deepest, darkest pain.

“Are you hurt?” he whispered.

She shook her head and bit her lip, urging the tears she felt building to subside so he’d believe her. She wasn’t hurt, just shaken up by the whole experience and more than a little embarrassed at the scene she’d unintentionally caused.

“If anything had happened to you out there…” His voice broke and he cleared his throat, then he turned to face Tyler. “Never again. Do you hear me?”

Before he answered, Sawyer was leading her back to the house, his strong hand gripped around hers.

…

By the time he got Olivia alone again, she’d helped Gran fix a delicious dinner for everyone and was relaxing with a cup of hot tea on the deck, watching the sunset over the lake as if she hadn’t almost died on the water earlier.

“Dinner was delicious,” he said, joining her. Tension radiated through his shoulders as he rolled them, urging the muscles to relax. He’d spent the day fixing shingles that had come loose over the winter, cleaning up the yard, scrubbing a year’s worth of grime from the siding.

Oh, and reliving his parents’ accident. Nothing major.

“How are you doing?” he asked.

“Better than you, by the looks of it. What’s wrong with your back?”

“I’m used to sitting at a desk, not hammering shingles.” He shrugged then winced. Olivia watched as he attempted to rub the tension out of his shoulders. He finally gave up and sighed with defeat, unable to relieve his discomfort.

“Come here.” She motioned him over to sit between her legs, facing the lake. “Let me massage your shoulders.”

For a nanosecond he toyed with the idea of refusing, then peeled himself out of the chair to sit on the deck instead. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d had a shoulder rub and he wasn’t about to miss out on the opportunity now.

As her fingers pressed into his tight muscles, he groaned. Her hands on his body felt good, and not because of what they did for his tension. She hadn’t been close to him like this for so long. He missed having her near.

He wasn’t tired, but he suddenly couldn’t wait to climb into bed for the night.

Her fingers moved in slow circles, stretching out the tightness. With each press and release, he sank against her more, trying hard not to think about how he was currently between her legs. The last time he’d been between them had been incredible. He could imagine it would be even better the next time—not that she planned on giving him a next time. He’d have to see what he could do about that.

She stroked up the back of his neck and into his hair, then slowly made her way back down to his shoulders. Over and over again, she teased him with her touch. He longed to have her touch him other places with this same kind of attention and time commitment.

“God, that feels good, sugar,” he said with a sigh of deep pleasure. “Don’t stop.”

Her hands stilled, resting on his shoulders. “Sorry. My hands are sore.”

He mumbled his thanks and twisted slightly so he could rest his head on her thigh. Peering out over the water, he could think of nowhere else he’d rather be than with her in this moment.

He’d never really been a guy who enjoyed sitting around taking in the scenery at the cabin. He’d rather be out doing something—swimming, drinking, boating on the lake, or making a bonfire. But in his current position, he didn’t want to be anywhere else, with anyone else. He felt perfectly content exactly where he was—with Olivia.

When Gran suggested dessert a few short minutes later, he could’ve killed her. Olivia was the first to jump at the chance to get everyone a slice of pie and refill of their coffees. She seemed to love helping Gran in the kitchen. He’d heard them in there earlier, chatting and laughing, and it had stirred something up inside him, but he hadn’t figured out what it was yet, exactly.

After a large slice of apple pie and ice cream, she insisted on washing the dishes, and he took the opportunity to bring in more firewood from the stack out back. The weather was warm during the day, but the nights still dipped into the forties. Gran liked to warm the place up with a fire the last hour or two before everyone turned in for the night. He’d volunteered for duty that evening.

As he lit the fire, Olivia excused herself for bed. He didn’t try to stop her since he could see the dark shadows under her eyes already.

“No cuddling on the couch with the little lady tonight?” Tyler asked, flopping down in the armchair a little while later. “Isn’t that what people in love are supposed to do? Cuddle in front of the fireplace.”

Sawyer fisted his hands and relaxed them again before speaking. The last thing he needed was to deal with Tyler. He didn’t have the energy after the long day. “She’s still recovering from her boat ride with you.”