Chapter 4

Sawyer

Saturday 6.16 am

With an idea bolting me from sleep, my eyes pop open. Grey light greets me, the sounds of wind and rain surround me.

It takes me a few seconds to orientate myself, my heart rate is rapid until I place the storm, Marlene’s hair spilling over my shoulder, and her soft breathing beside me.

After too many hours hunched over Marlene’s laptop, my eyes gritty and sore, and my shoulders and neck ache.

It was nearly 2am when I finally crawled into bed. The second I did, Marlene snuggled up against me, her body warm and inviting.

I resist the temptation to wake her and get out of bed as carefully as I can. She moans but doesn’t wake as I go back to the laptop.

The battery is dwindling and with no way to recharge it, I need to check something out as quickly as I can.

I can’t access her website or her newsletter provider with no internet, but I’m pretty sure I saw she’d downloaded her mailing list not that long ago.

I scroll through her documents until I find her spreadsheets. It takes me 10% of battery to locate the list, and I have to wade through financial statements she’s gotten ready for her accountant, but I manage to find two lists.

One is from last year, one from six weeks ago when she shifted providers. I squint at the screen searching for the email address I want and mutter a curse as I don’t find it on the first list.

Eyes flicking between the battery icon and the list as I read as fast as I can, I open the other document, cross-checking until I find the email address her stalker used and match it to one on her list.

With a smile, I sit back, and stare at the idiot who signed up to her newsletter then thought it would be a good idea to start harassing her.

It’s a start and more than I had to go on last night. I roll my shoulders back, ready to get up when I hear Marlene yawning behind me.

She stands behind me and runs her fingers through my hair. “What are you looking at?”

Her fingers massage my scalp, making my skin rise. “Your newsletter subscribers.”

She leans down and brushes her tongue against my ear. “Oh, my PA handles all that. I just pay the bills.”

Her hands slide down my shoulders and chest. It’s hard to think with her hands caressing my skin. “Your PA is Liz? Is that right?”

She leans forward, hair trailing over my chest as she presses kisses to my skin. “Mmmhmm,” she murmurs.

Her fingers are working their way lower as she hovers over me, sucking my earlobe, making shivers run down to my already stiffening cock. “How long has she been your assistant?”

“A few years. She’s Kurt’s PA too.”

When I’m about to turn around and ask her more questions, she pulls back and stands in front of me. “You want some coffee? It’s freeze-dried but it’s drinkable.”

I can think of a dozen things I want more than coffee, but I could use the caffeine hit after a long night, so I nod.

I keep my eyes on her, trying to decide whether to take her back to bed or tell her what I found.

She makes the decision for me when she walks away and starts to make coffee on her tiny stove and looks over her shoulder. “Did you find anything?”

I leave the laptop open, adjusting the settings quickly so the battery doesn’t burn down even quicker and join her as she spoons instant coffee into a mug.

“I found a match to the email address. Whoever it is, they’re on your newsletter list. I can’t see whether they signed up via your website or somewhere else until I get internet, but it’s a good start.”

She turns, surprise written on her face. “Oh, wow, I guess I should have thought of that.”

I shrug. “You had good reason to not be looking. And it sounds like your PA takes care of the admin. I should probably talk to her too.”

She’s tinkering with the stove, hair still tousled from sleep, still wearing my shirt, and it’s difficult to stay in my chair.

My cock is hard just thinking about her, but I feel like I’m finally getting somewhere, and as much as I want to, I need to keep my hands off her while I try to think.

Somewhere in the middle of this mess, is the answer. And since she more than likely met this loony toon somewhere along the way, I need to dig deeper to find out where.

I read through a couple more emails this time from her PA and try to gauge the relationship.

Liz is professional, but where Marlene jokes, Liz keeps her tone uber-cool and controlled.

I’m scrolling back through messages when I stumble on some correspondence from Kurt.

I glance at Marlene, but she’s drinking her coffee and looks to be making something else so I sneak a look.

There’s nothing that contradicts her story that she and Kurt drifted apart. Kurt’s way too casual considering.

If they had a conversation about ending things, it’s wasn’t via email. But then, she’s too classy to do that.

I can imagine her jumping on a plane and turning up on his doorstep, just to make sure he knows how it is.

A smile twitches at my lips as I scroll through their cordial and almost cool exchange.

Kurt’s telling her she left some film, she’s saying he can send it to her, and then the emails peter off.

A month passes and they haven’t spoken. Not via email anyway.

I switch to the emails between her and Liz, close the laptop and accept the bowl of steaming oats with a guilty smile. “They’re flavored sachets I got in New Zealand. Great country for hiking. And I just have the single set, so we’ll have to share.”

My stomach grumbles as I dig the spoon into the bowl. Given what else we’ve shared this weekend, I have no qualms sharing utensils with her.

I eat half the oats while she sips the coffee, when half the bowl is left, I hand it back to her, and she exchanges the half-empty coffee cup. She nestles the bowl in her lap and starts to eat. “I can make more coffee, and more oats,” she says between mouthfuls.

But I’m not thinking about food. I’m thinking about the connection between Marlene, Kurt and the PA they still share.

I down the coffee and lean forwards. “Your PA, Liz, was she your assistant first or Kurt’s?”

Marlene finishes the bowl and licks the spoon as she eyes me. Watching her tongue lick where mine was a minute ago, causes way too many thoughts to spring up.

When she crosses her legs and I get a good view of her thigh, all the blood seems to rush to my cock.

“She was Kurt’s first. Then when we got together, she started doing my work too. It made sense. Well, it did make sense when we were together. Now, it’s just another thing that’s…”

I raise an eyebrow. “Complicated?”

She sighs and places the bowl on the floor and runs her tongue over her lip. “You still hungry?”

A low growl escapes. “Not really,” I manage.

She gives me a playful look. “Me either.”

I don’t hesitate, I grab her hands, and pull her towards me. I throw her over my shoulder, ignoring her squealed giggles and stalk to the bed.

***

Marlene

Saturday 8.12am

He throws me down and unzips his jeans as I shrug out of his shirt. My heart is hammering against my ribs as I struggle to still my breathing.

His cock is gloriously hard, so I get on my knees and take him in my mouth. I slide my tongue around his tip, licking him, teasing him as he groans.

I slide him in and out, staring up at him, relishing his taste, loving how turned on he is, and how wet I can feel myself getting.

With a grunt, he pulls back, so his cock slips from my mouth. “Lie down,” he commands.

When I collapse on my back, he climbs on the bed, lies beside me and props himself up on his elbow. He kisses me, using his tongue as he plays with my nipples and teases me with his mouth.

I reach up and wrap my hands around his neck, twisting my arm around his back so I can kiss him deeper.

His fingers slide down and I open my legs so he can feel what his touch is doing to me.

He groans as moisture meets his fingers. His kisses become more insistent, hungrier as he manipulates me until I’m exploding in his hand.

I’m gasping for his cock when he rolls on top of me, but he’s just getting started. His tongue is on my nipples as he plants kisses down my body.

When he gets to my navel and I know where he’s headed next, I start to tremble in anticipation.

He doesn’t disappoint; he positions himself between my legs so he can use his tongue.

His hands creep up to my nipples, and he rubs them as his tongue works in unison to bring me to an explosive climax.

I’m still shuddering and on a blissful high when his fingers work their way inside me.

My moans compete with the wind outside as he makes me come again. The second I’m done he’s on top of me, pressing his weight on top of mine, crushing me as he braces himself.

He starts to thrust slowly, his face contorted as pleasure overtakes him. His eyes are locked on mine, intense, intimate and demanding all at once.

He’s looking me in the eyes, holding me captive, making me want to say things I shouldn’t.

Things that complicate this connection we have. Things he won’t want.

Maybe I’m imagining it? Whatever this is, I need to quit overthinking and just enjoy how he feels inside me.

His voice joins mine in a symphony of primal pleasure. We’re in synch; bodies joined as he finishes and sends another wave of pleasure rushing through me.

Sawyer shifts his weight so he can kiss my neck. I feel the weight of his words before he whispers them in my ear. “There’s something you should know about me,” he says.

I hold my breath. A dozen worst-case scenarios are running through my head as he pushes a strand of hair behind my ear. “If you are married, I swear to God—”

He shakes his head and draws me closer. “It’s not that. I mean, I was married, once…”

Surprise makes my eyebrows rise. “What happened?”

He flinches, and I move my body closer to his and drape my arm over his shoulder. “Sorry. You don’t have to tell me.”

My heart starts to beat too fast as his expression clouds. I think he’s going to pull back, but instead, he’s opening up. “I’m not exactly easy to live with,” he says.

I snort and immediately regret it. “Well, neither am I.”

A smile tugs at his lips as he runs his hands through my tangled hair. “I doubt that.”

His expression is guarded, pain in his eyes, I’m not sure I’m ready to explore, so I roll on top of him. “So, how long were you planning on staying in Landers Island?”

His smile drops away as his arms encircle me. “Just till Monday. If I could stay longer, I would. But I have things at home I need to look after."

I sigh. “Let me guess; you can’t tell me what?”

He doesn’t answer, just looks about as conflicted as a man can look. I shouldn’t press him to reveal more of himself than he’s willing or able to.

He came here as a favor and I’ve added a complication he doesn’t need in his life.

It shouldn’t sting so much to know he'll be leaving, we made no promises, but it still does. “I’m sorry,” he says.

I try for a shrug but it’s difficult with his arms around me. “And then what? You go back to wherever you came from?”

He exhales slow and manages to look annoyed and sorry at the same time. “Yeah. Soon as I set up remote access and I divert all your email, and you can call Liz to let her know I’ll need to see her, I’ll have to head back.”

His brow scrunches into fine lines. “I wish it could be easier, but…”

He doesn’t need to finish. I know what he means. I know what he’s not saying. And I don't want to spend the rest of our time together dwelling on what happens when he leaves.

It was just a casual fling. Nothing serious. Two strangers brought together by weather and circumstance.

But, holy shit, do I wish he’d consider staying longer than the weekend.