"See you in a minute, sweet girl." Sawyer pressed a quick kiss to her lips, and before she had a chance to ask what was going on, he, Roach, and Brock were heading up to the stage.

"It's so fun to watch them." Jana came around to Sawyer's seat beside Sky. "You're gonna love this."

Harper and Jana clapped and whistled. Sky watched with interest as Sawyer, Roach, and Brock stood shoulder to shoulder, dwarfing everything around them. Powerful arms arched out from their sides, their thick legs rooting them in place like tree trunks, and Sawyer's warm gaze found Sky, making her stomach flutter.

"He's looking right at you," Jana whispered. "I've never seen him look at anyone like that."

Sky could barely register anything but that look. The crowd silenced as Roach brought the microphone closer to his mouth. He closed his eyes and began singing "Love Story" by Taylor Swift. He sang about being young and seeing a lover for the first time. His voice was perfectly pitched, his face a mask of longing. His eyes flew open as he sang of begging someone not to leave and sank to one knee in front of Brock, serenading him while Sawyer swayed to the nonexistent music.

"They're so serious," Sky whispered to Jana.

Jana giggled. "Their group started as a joke, but they had fun with it. They try really hard to be serious and do a good job, but by the end they have a hard time holding it together."

As Roach's voice faded to a whisper, Brock's rolled out, deep and melodic. He sang about wanting to be taken away and of a prince and a princess. There was so much emotion in his voice as Roach rose to his feet between Sawyer and Brock and their enormous bodies moved to the music of their voices. Everyone in the bar was mesmerized, including her.

Their voices silenced, and Sawyer stepped forward, his eyes still locked on Sky, as he sang about being tired of waiting around for a lover to appear. His eyes narrowed and his voice lowered as he sang about wanting to be saved-then dropped to his knees with a dramatic sweep of his hand and pretended to pull out a ring and hold it up to Roach. How they kept from laughing, Sky had no idea, because she, Harper, and Jana couldn't stifle theirs. She couldn't tear her eyes from Sawyer as he sang with the others. The pa.s.sion he put into the song rivaled the pa.s.sion she'd witnessed when he was training. The emotions in his voice spoke directly to her heart, and when their voices went soft again, eventually silencing altogether as the song came to an end, she finally exhaled. She hadn't even realized she was holding her breath.

Their broad shoulders rounded forward and they took a bow.

Sky and the crowd clapped as the burly boxers swatted one another on the back and Brock and Roach headed back to the table laughing.

"That was the greatest thing I've ever seen," Sky said, anxiously waiting for Sawyer, who was still up on the stage. He pointed right to her, and she pressed her hand to her chest and mouthed, Me? He nodded and motioned for her to come up to the stage.

"Go. Go." Jana gave her a gentle nudge.

Sawyer was moving toward her, one hand outstretched. She'd been onstage many times with theater groups, but somehow this felt different. She wasn't the one entertaining, and she had no idea what to expect as Sawyer took her hand, led her to the center of the stage, and began singing about how something had to change and how much he needed her. She felt the eyes of the crowd boring through her, but it wasn't the weight of their stares that had her rooted to the floor. It was Sawyer's husky voice and his penetrating gaze, as the words fell from his lips directly to her ears.

He circled her like a lion stalking its prey as he brushed his chest against her back, crooning about being unable to pinpoint exactly what he needed but knowing she was it. His voice vibrated through her until the song she recognized as One Direction's, "One Thing," fell away, too, and all she felt was the simmering heat of him as he moved around her to the silent beat, his breath whispering along her neck. Her pulse quickened, and she wanted to sing right back, to answer his needs, but she stood stock-still, held prisoner by the emotion in his gaze as he poured his heart into the song.

She startled and blushed a red streak when Roach and Brock ran up behind her and sang about getting out of his head. Then Sawyer reached for her hand and everything else fell away. There was only her and Sawyer and the intensely pa.s.sionate look in his eyes while he unabashedly professed that she was the one thing he needed. Sawyer's voice faded to silence and the crowd went crazy again, giving him a standing ovation.

Sawyer didn't seem to notice or care. He was totally focused on Sky as he drew her into his arms and spoke in a gravelly voice that slithered inside her and warmed her from the inside out. "I want to be your one thing, sweet girl."

She drew back to meet his gaze and said, "You're already so much more than my one thing."

Chapter Fifteen.

IT WAS AFTER midnight when they arrived back at Seaside. The community was dark, and as they walked around to the back door of Sky's cottage, the leaves above them swooshed in the breeze. After spending the evening sharing stories with Sky about the first time he sang and the first time he fought, the first time she was in a play and the feelings she went through when she went away to college, he felt closer to her than ever. Every time they were together he felt the earth shift beneath them, but seeing Sky laughing and joking with his friends made everything about their relationship feel bigger, more real.

They climbed the stairs to the landing and before reaching for her keys, Sky slipped her fingers into his back pockets and gazed up at him. All night he'd felt her eyes searching for answers-in his eyes, around the bar, from his friends. He wondered if she'd found the answers and if she felt as close to him as he felt to her.

He slid his hand beneath her hair, brushing over the baby-fine hairs on the back of her neck.

"You okay?" he asked.

"More than okay. I don't want the night to end," she said as she stepped closer.

He lowered his mouth to hers, hovering a breath away, reveling in the closeness, the electricity sizzling between them. Her breath slid over his lips, and when she pressed her hands against his a.s.s, pulling their bodies in tight, their lips grazed and her fingers tightened against him. Their mouths finally came together in a blistering-hot kiss that sucked him under. Every slick of their tongues, every press of her hips, sent shocks of l.u.s.t coursing through him. Sounds of pleasure slipped from her lips, driving him farther away from the edge of reason. His hands tangled in her hair, his mouth slid over her jaw and down her neck, and then he took her earlobe in his mouth. She moaned loud and l.u.s.tful into the night. Her hands traveled up his back, down his sides, clawing for purchase as she arched into him.

"You taste so good," he said against her neck before sealing his teeth over her silky skin and laving it with his tongue, earning another heady moan. "Sky..."

"Yes-" A heated whisper full of desire.

He knew he needed to respond, needed to let her know how he felt more whole than he ever had, how when he'd been singing to her, he'd meant every word he'd said, but he wasn't able to force another word from his lungs. Their mouths crashed together in another savage kiss. He couldn't resist pulling her roughly to him.

"Feel what you do to me."

"More," she challenged.

A groan rumbled through his chest as he lifted her to the railing, hiking her skirt up her thighs as he took her in another rough kiss. He felt himself losing control, handling her too roughly, kissing her too deeply.

"Oh G.o.d...Yes." She dug her nails into his skin, sending shocks of pain and pleasure rippling through him.

"Inside." He reached for her purse, and she fished for her keys with one hand, holding on to his shirt with the other so she didn't tumble off the railing. She withdrew the keys, and he lifted her down to the landing, unable to resist kissing her again, alighting more sparks between them. He forced himself to pull away long enough to unlock the door and push it open, then swept her in beside him. The sharpness of her breathing raked over him like a heady invitation. The silence of the cottage magnified the intensity of the heat pulsing between them. His hands found hers, lacing their fingers together as he lifted them beside her head, pressing his body to hers against the door. Thigh to thigh, chest to chest, he licked the sh.e.l.l of her ear and whispered, "I will never get enough of you."

He sucked her earlobe into his mouth, feeling her chest fill as she held her breath.

"I want to taste every inch of you," he whispered. "To feel your naked body against mine."

He moved her hands above the center of her head and gripped both wrists in one of his powerful hands. She blinked up at him, so open, so trusting, her eyes darkening with desire as she rocked her hips, pressing into him again. He sealed his lips over hers, taking her in another kiss, heat thrumming through him. He drew back with a tormented groan, needing to regain control, to slow himself down.

His head bowed between his shoulders, breathing fast and hard. Sky clamped her teeth over his nipple-hard-sending an excruciating mix of pain and pleasure searing through him. His head tipped back with a hiss, and he released her hands.

She gasped, eyes wide. "Did I hurt you?"

"Only in the very best way." He searched her eyes, needing answers to questions he didn't want to ask. But every ounce of his being was racing, burning, aching for her. Only for her. "Sky..."

She blinked up at him, looking innocent and seductive, making it even harder for him to figure her out.

"Sky, what you did to me...Do you like it rough?"

Her brows drew together and her lips pressed into a firm line. He feared he'd crossed a line, embarra.s.sed her, hurt her feelings. He gathered her in his arms and held her close.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked."

"I do," she whispered.

His eyes came open. "Do?"

"Like it like that."

He drew back and searched her eyes again. They were full of emotions, bigger than want, more powerful than rampant desire.

"I think," she said as his lips curved up.

"Oh, sweet girl. Don't say it because you think I like it. I only want to pleasure you-in every way possible."

He slicked his tongue over her lower lip, then sucked it between his teeth and gave her plump lip a gentle tug.

"That. I like that," she said. "I don't know exactly what I like. I haven't really explored beyond...well, beyond normal stuff."

He led her into the bedroom and unwound the scarf from her neck, setting it on the bedside table, then lifted her necklaces off, set them carefully beside it, and kissed her softly.

"We'll find out everything you like." He kissed her again, deeper, more intensely, and moved his lips over her jaw to the sensitive skin just below her earlobe, grazing it with his teeth, and she sucked in a jagged breath.

"And that. G.o.d, I like that."

"That's my girl. Tell me everything you like." He kissed her again, then lifted off her shirt and set it on a chair by the window. "You're so beautiful, Sky." She fumbled with the b.u.t.tons on his shirt, and he pressed his hand to hers.

"Let me." He quickly removed his shirt and toed off his shoes, then went back to undressing Sky, taking off her skirt, then her bra, pausing to love her b.r.e.a.s.t.s with his hands and mouth. And finally he slid her panties down her legs and set them on the chair, too.

She tugged at his pants, and he took those off, too, leaving them both naked in the dark bedroom. He pulled her against him, reveling in the feel of her soft curves, her heated skin sending currents of need through him. He laid her on the bed and followed her down. He wanted her so badly, needed to feel her heat wrapped around his hard length, but first he wanted-needed-to let his sweet girl explore. To give her the courage, and the safety, to delve into the darker part of herself and share it with him.

He sealed his lips over hers and laced their fingers together again, applying no pressure, giving her free range of movement. She slid her arms above her head and tightened her fingers around his. He searched her eyes to be certain he understood what she wanted.

Her lips curved up as she whispered, "I like this."

He pressed her hands into the mattress and felt her hips rise to meet his as their mouths came together in a hungrier kiss, a kiss that begged for more, a deeper connection. He drew back and searched her eyes again.

"More," she whispered, and pushed her hands together.

He gripped them both in one of his. "Okay?"

She nodded and arched against his hips again. He kissed her lips, then slid a hand along the underside of her arm, to the side of her breast. He lowered his mouth and circled her taut, rosy nipple with his tongue. Sky whimpered, arching against him.

"Too much?"

She shook her head. "So good. More."

He took her breast in his mouth, teasing and taunting her nipple with his tongue, then grazed his teeth over the tip. She arched against his mouth.

"G.o.d, that's good."

He laved her nipple with his tongue, caressing her breast as he kissed a path across her breastbone to love her other breast, brushing over the first nipple with his thumb.

"Sawyer," she pleaded.

He loved hearing her say his name and feeling her flesh heat up against him. He rolled one nipple between his finger and thumb and sucked the other into his mouth, loving, teasing, as she moaned and whimpered and rocked her hips against his eager length. He brought his mouth to hers again, kissing her hungrily and feeling the greediness of her response.

"More," she said, more demanding this time.

He shifted his hips over hers, settling between her legs, and released her hands.

"I liked that," she said with a hint of disappointment that did funny things to his stomach.

"I need to touch you, Sky. I need to feel you in my hands, against my mouth, wrapped around me."

"You could..." She shifted her eyes to the scarf lying on the bedside table.

"Have you ever been tied up before?"

She shook her head, her eyes trusting, wanting.

He touched her cheek. "Sweet girl, having you tied up, willing and wanting, is a fantasy come true, but not until I have your total and complete trust. Not until I know that you have no lingering doubts about us, about me, about boxing."

"But-"

He sealed his lips over hers, swallowing whatever she was going to say. It was hard enough denying something he knew they'd both enjoy, but the closer they became, the more he realized that he didn't want to leave any room for doubt, or regret. He didn't want her to wake up tomorrow worried about what they'd done.

He brought her hand to his mouth and kissed each finger, then laid it on her stomach and did the same with the other hand. Then he took them both in one of his and kissed her again.

"Okay?"

She nodded.

"G.o.d, you're incredible. Keep your hands there? No ties, just willpower. I have to taste you." He felt her shudder beneath him as he lowered his chest to hers and kissed her again, exploring the dips and curves of her mouth, feeling her body hum with antic.i.p.ation. He moved down her body, loving her b.r.e.a.s.t.s, teasing her as he nipped and kissed along her waist and hips. She reached for him and he pressed a hand over hers.

"Can you keep your hands there?"

She nodded, closed her eyes, and rested her head back. She looked so unguarded, like she was totally free. Freer than he'd ever seen her, and that realization sent his body moving against her again. She needed his touch as much as he needed to touch her. He'd seen it in her eyes the first night across the crowded bar. The longing hidden inside her, longing that he wasn't sure she even knew existed.

He ran his hands over her breast, barely brushing her skin, leaving a trail of goose b.u.mps in his wake. She bit her lower lip, pressed her hands into the soft curve of her belly, as his fingers trailed over her hips, to the tops of her thighs, and farther still, to the taut arches of her calves, then back up the front of her legs, to the juncture of her thighs. She was breathing harder, her b.r.e.a.s.t.s rising with each fast inhalation. He brought his mouth to her thigh, placing openmouthed kisses along first one, then the other, feeling antic.i.p.ation in the tightening of her muscles.

She spread her hands on her lower belly as he kissed around her damp curls, along the sensitive skin of her inner thigh, over her pubic bone, causing her to writhe and rock, begging for more. He spread his hands over her thighs, opening her legs wider. Her scent was intoxicating, drawing him in, but he wanted to eke out every bit of pleasure for Sky. He wanted her to come on his mouth, his hand, his body, until she could barely breathe, and then, when she was ready, really ready for all of him, he'd take them both over the edge.

He sealed his mouth over her inner thigh and brushed his thumb along her wet center. She moaned, digging her fingers into her stomach and arching up against his hand. He was careful, teasing, brushing so lightly he felt her dampen even more.

"More, Sawyer. Please." She spread her legs wider, and he dragged his tongue along her swollen s.e.x.

"Lord, you're sweet." Her taste was almost too much, too tempting for him to hold back. He used his fingers to pleasure her, teasing her wet, sensitive flesh, circling her c.l.i.t with his thumb, but her lure was too strong. She moved too sensually. Her noises were too alluring, too d.a.m.n s.e.xy for him to resist, and he sank his fingers into her.

"Ohyesyesyes." She arched her back, rocking her hips in time to his efforts.

He brought his mouth to her again, licking and teasing as he probed and stroked over the spot that made her whole body hot and her insides clamp down around his fingers.

"Oh G.o.d, Sawyer!" Her hips bucked off the mattress. He pressed her back down, holding her there as she rode out her climax, one mind-blowing pulse after another. She fisted her hands in the sheets, panting, digging her heels into the mattress as he drew out her pleasure, until he felt the last of her release ripple through her. She lowered her legs to the mattress, and he brought one hand up, squeezing her nipple as he loved her with his mouth again.

"Oh G.o.d! Yes!" She clenched her teeth as he squeezed harder. "OhmyG.o.d. Sawyer."

He was lost in her. In the feel of her hips bucking against his mouth as his tongue probed and taunted, his fingers stroked, and she succ.u.mbed to another intense release. He clutched her hips, holding her still as she came. A loud moan of pleasure escaped her lips as she pressed her hands into the mattress.