Stay with Me Forever (Bayou Dreams Book 6) Read online

  Once the demand waned, she turned her attention to restocking the bar before the next wave of drink orders came crashing through. Paxton stooped down and grabbed hold of the cardboard box she’d brought in from her car earlier.

  “Hey, hey, hey.” Donovan came up alongside her just as she set it on the shelf a few inches below the bar. “This is what I’m here for, hot mama.” He picked it up, his eyes eager. “Okay, where do you need it?”

  Paxton nodded at the bar. “Exactly where I just had it. And if you call me hot mama again, I’m knocking you over the head with a bottle of gin.” She pointed at him. “And do not wink.”

  “Next time you need to pick up a box, you call me.”

  And, yes, the little pain in her ass still winked at her. If he didn’t do such a great job helping them out...

  Belinda rapped her knuckles on the bar to get their attention. “Donovan, Jessie needs more chicken wings. Can you get a case from the freezer outside?”

  He nodded to Belinda, then looked back to Paxton. “Where’s my thank-you kiss for helping with the box?”

  “I’m instituting a sexual harassment policy,” she said.

  He grinned. “You know I love it when a woman plays hard to get, right?”

  Paxton pointed at the kitchen door. “Go!”

  Despite the dismal start to the game, the kitchen was hopping with orders for hot wings, loaded potato skins and fried pickles. Maybe the crowd was eating their feelings as well as drowning their sorrows in liquor.

  LSU began the second quarter with a quick touchdown followed by a fumble recovery in Alabama territory, and the mood around the bar instantly perked up. Of course, that meant more drinks were bought, this time to celebrate. She would definitely need to recruit more designated drivers.

  When an electrified tingle drizzled down her spine, Paxton didn’t even have to look toward the entrance to know who had just arrived. She looked, anyway. The drizzle turned into a torrential downpour of lust as she spotted Sawyer striding toward her with a smile so sexy it did things to her insides that should be illegal.

  He wedged himself between two occupied bar stools and leaned onto the bar.

  “Hello,” he greeted her, his voice low and sensual and infused with just enough barely veiled hunger to make Paxton’s body go liquid.

  “Hello,” she returned. “Can I get you a drink?”

  “What tastes good around here?” His eyes dropped to her waist. “Besides...you know.”

  Her entire body went up in flames.

  “Stop that,” she mouthed.

  “No,” he mouthed back, slowly shaking his head.

  Paxton leaned over the bar and put her lips to his ear. “Just because you saw me naked for the second time doesn’t mean you get to talk to me any way you want.”

  “Technically, it was the third time. You were foolish enough to put a shirt on for a while, remember?”

  Yes, she remembered that lapse in judgment. She put on his T-shirt to go to the kitchen for a glass of soda. He immediately stripped it from her body when she returned to his room and made love to her for the second time last night. They’d fallen asleep naked in each other’s arms, awakening with the sun and making love again this morning.

  And then again in the shower.

  Despite it being a Saturday morning, they’d gone to the law office to get a few hours of work done in preparation for Monday’s town hall meeting. The concentration it took to actually work once they got there was, by far, the greatest feat Paxton had achieved this year. Somehow they managed to get most of the agenda for the town hall meeting nailed down between a barrage of stolen kisses and one shoulder rub that got wildly out of hand. A shudder ran through her body at the memory.

  Activity at the bar picked up at halftime, so Paxton left Sawyer to his beer as she filled drink orders at lightning speed. Once the game started again and patrons turned their attention back to the televisions, she called for Belinda to take over bartending duties so she could have a breather.

  She walked around the bar to Sawyer, who hadn’t so much as turned his head to look at the game the entire time he’d been sitting there. Despite being Mr. Football, he made it more than clear with his actions that he was there to see her. The realization sent a heady sensation through her body.

  “Can I tear you away from your bar stool?” she asked.

  “You can tear me away from anything you please. You have my undivided attention.”

  His words should have made her feel empowered, but Paxton realized he held the same power over her. She couldn’t think of anything he could ask her to do right now that she wouldn’t gladly oblige. The most astonishing thing in all of this was the fact that those thoughts didn’t scare her senseless. She, who prided herself on always being in control, on being independent. She would willingly do whatever Sawyer asked of her.

  As she took him by the hand, she noticed Belinda looking at them as if she wanted to snatch Paxton away from him and put her protectively behind her back. Paxton looked at her with a raised brow, but her mother didn’t respond. She just continued to look at them in that strange, overly cautious way.

  Paxton guided Sawyer into the kitchen, where she picked up the load of scraps Jessie had placed on a tin dish for Heinz; then she led him out of the back door to the outside storage shed, which held a second deep freezer and the cleaning supplies.

  Using a metal rod tied to the door handle, Paxton rapped on the edge of the tin dish a couple of times, calling for Heinz. The oversize mutt crawled from his favorite spot underneath the bar and galloped over to them, his ears and jowls flopping.

  “Here you go, boy,” Paxton said, setting his food before him. She grabbed his empty water dish and filled it using the tap that ran from the bar.

  “Does your mom know you missed the dog more than you missed her while you were in Little Rock?”

  Paxton gave him the evil eye. “You’d better not say anything.”

  Sawyer’s shoulders shook with his laugh. “I may just have to use that for blackmail.”

  She tried to maintain her harsh look but couldn’t hold it together.

  “To be honest, Belinda probably already knows. Heinz has had my heart since I found him hurt on the side of Highway 421 about eight years ago. He was still a puppy.”

  “Why that name? It sounds like he was named after a banker or something.”

  “Actually, he’s named after the steak sauce.”

  Sawyer’s forehead wrinkled in confusion.

  “Heinz 57?” Paxton said. “As in fifty-seven varieties? He’s made up of so many different breeds that we can’t decide exactly what he is. He’s a mutt in the truest sense, but I love him.”

  “I’d say the feeling is mutual,” Sawyer said, gesturing to the way the dog schmoozed against her leg now that he was done with his dinner. “Of course, if you fed me Jessie’s cooking and rubbed me behind the ear, I’d do the same thing. Maybe we should try that later.”

  A wicked gleam shining in his eyes, Sawyer took a step toward her. He stopped when Heinz let out a low menacing growl.

  “Heel, boy,” Paxton called over her shoulder. She wrapped her arms around Sawyer’s neck and backed him up against the side of the shed.

  “I know this is asking for trouble,” she said as she kissed just below his jawline. The faint stubble from his five o’clock shadow caused all kinds of sensations to swirl throughout her bloodstream. “But I can’t seem to help it.”

  “Don’t you even try,” Sawyer said, reversing their positions and pinning her against the building. As his mouth zeroed in on her lips, his hands went straight for her ass, clutching it tightly in his palms.

  A moan crawled from Paxton’s throat as she undulated against the part of him swelling against her stomach.

  “This is crazy. This is crazy. Th
is is crazy,” she murmured over and over against his lips.

  “This is right,” Sawyer returned. “But if we don’t stop, your mom will probably find us together and beat me away with a frying pan.”

  Paxton chuckled at the image, but it also roused her curiosity. “I’m not sure why she’s so hostile toward you,” Paxton said. “Belinda is never like that.”

  He shrugged, his lips seeking out her neck. “She probably knows what we did last night and doesn’t want me corrupting you.”

  “It’s a bit too late for that,” Paxton said with a laugh.

  “As much as I love feeling up her daughter, I don’t want to feel her wrath.” He nudged along her collarbone, moistening the skin with his wet kisses. “I know it’s a drive, but do you want to come over to my place once the game is over? Please, don’t say anything but yes.”

  “Yes,” Paxton said, loving the desperation in his voice. It matched what she was feeling.

  Goodness, why did she fight this for so long?

  “I’ll see if Donovan can take over for me behind the bar. Then I’ll follow you in my car.”

  “You know,” he said, pulling her closer and trailing his tongue along the seam of her lips. “You could just pack up enough clothes for the week. You wouldn’t have to worry about that long commute. Hell, we could decide not to go into the office at all. Just work naked in bed all day.”

  The thought of that set Paxton’s body on fire, but she knew she couldn’t. Spending the night was one thing. Spending the week was something she would need more time to process before she agreed to do it.

  “I doubt any work would get done,” she said. “Maybe we should leave the naked fun to the weekend.”

  Sawyer growled his disapproval, then pulled her bottom lip between his teeth, biting gently before taking her lips in another long, decadent kiss that had her body humming with need.

  The unmistakable squeak of the bar’s back screen door put an end to their sexy party.

  “Pax?” Belinda called.

  Paxton and Sawyer broke apart like a couple of teenagers who had been caught necking. A flutter of excitement lifted her belly. She’d never had the experience of being caught with a boy back in high school.

  “Paxton?” Belinda said, walking over to them.

  “I was just on my way,” she said. She and Sawyer were both grinning at each other. “I’ll see you in a little while,” she said.

  He gave her another kiss, waved goodbye to her mom and headed for the parking lot.

  “How serious is this thing with Sawyer Robertson?” Belinda asked. “What’s really going on between you two?”

  Paxton looked at her with a raised brow. “You sure you want to know? We share a lot, but I’m not sure you want to hear about the really good sex I’m having. I usually save that kind of talk for Shayla.”

  The sight of her mother’s stern jaw made her feel as if she were a teenager again.

  “I told you already that you don’t have to worry about me,” Paxton said, pulling her mother in for a hug. “It’s adorable that you still do, but really, Mom, I can take care of myself.”

  Belinda frowned. “It sounds strange to hear you call me Mom,” she said. “Stick with Belinda. That I’m used to.” Her face became serious again. “Be careful, Pax. I don’t want you getting hurt.”

  “Sawyer won’t hurt me.” Paxton shook her head. “My heart is well guarded. You taught me how to do that.”

  “Well at least I was good for something,” her mother said.

  “If I had to list all the things you’re good for, we’d be here until next week. Now, let’s get back to work, so I can get out of here,” Paxton said, wrapping an arm around her shoulder and heading for the bar. She bumped Belinda with her hip. “I’ve got good sex waiting for me at the end of my shift.”

  Her mother slapped her on the arm. “Stop trying to make me jealous.”

  * * *

  Paxton pulled into the parking lot of the high school auditorium, the only place in town that was big enough to hold tonight’s town hall meeting. Her mouth fell open at the sight of all the cars already crowding the parking lot.

  “And here I thought I was early for once,” she muttered.

  She knew there would be some interest, but she never imagined a meeting about the mundane technical details of a flood protection system would suddenly be the hottest ticket in town.

  She spotted Sawyer standing in front of his open trunk. He waved her over and pointed to a spot two places down. By the time she reached his car, he had an armful of topography maps.

  “Hey there,” he said, closing the car’s trunk with his elbow.

  “Thanks for saving me a spot,” Paxton said. She reached over to help alleviate some of his burden, but he moved the maps out of her reach.

  “I’ve got this.” He looked over both shoulders, then gave her a swift but deep kiss. “But this is what I need.”

  Paxton’s brow peaked. “Stealing kisses in the school parking lot?”

  The devilish grin that slipped across his lips held so many naughty promises. “Don’t you remember I played baseball, too? Stealing bases was my specialty. But I much prefer stealing kisses, especially when it comes to yours.”

  Paxton leaned over and whispered in his ear, “For future reference, you don’t have to steal them.” Then, despite his protest, she slipped several of the cylindrical cartons from his hold and started for the brick building.

  “It looks like this is the place to be tonight,” Paxton called over her shoulder.

  “Interest is high,” Sawyer said. “News broke about the potential change in the flood zones. Everyone is concerned about what it may mean for insurance rates.”

  Paxton’s footsteps halted. She slowly turned to face him. “How did that get out?”

  Sawyer shrugged. “Small town. Someone may have heard us talking about it at the Jazzy Bean.”

  “Are people upset or just curious?”

  “Both,” Sawyer said.

  She pitched her head back and groaned. “I do not need this.”

  “It doesn’t matter what you’re doing, Pax. You’ll always have at least a few community members who will have a bone to pick with you.”

  “Sure, but I’m used to folks being upset over the inconvenience caused by the construction. You know, roads being closed around the site and things like that. I’m not used to dealing with hostility this early into a project.”

  “This is Gauthier. You don’t have to worry about the crowd turning hostile on you, but you are talking about people’s money,” Sawyer said. “They’re going to be concerned.”

  “Wait? Is Sawyer Robertson actually lecturing me about money?”

  “Don’t, Paxton,” he said in a warning tone.

  “I do believe I was the one who told you that people were not going to take too kindly to having to pay more in insurance, especially when so many of them were screwed by the insurance companies during the last flood.”

  “We both knew this would be an issue, just as we both know the new flood maps are necessary.” Sawyer looked her squarely in the eyes. “We’ve been over this, Pax.”

  “I know.” She blew out an irritated sigh. “Don’t worry—I’m not going to stray from the plan.”

  They were in this together. They’d devised a strategy for dealing with questions regarding the elevation maps.

  Whether or not they were getting the new flood maps was no longer the question; everyone—from the powers that be at Bolt-Myer to Sawyer’s superiors at the Army Corp of Engineers—agreed that this project could not go forward without the new maps. Their task tonight was to explain to the people of Gauthier just why they were needed and convince them that it was in the best interest of the town.

  Yeah, she was not looking forward to this.<
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  Paxton held the door open for Sawyer and followed him into the auditorium. If she was to give a rough estimate, she’d say there were at least a hundred people already filling the seats. The atmosphere suffusing the room held a tenseness that made the hair on the back of Paxton’s neck stand on end.

  She spotted Shayla, who was at a table that had been set up in the corner. Six carry-away cardboard cartons bearing the Jazzy Bean’s logo sat atop the table, along with a stack of paper coffee cups, cream, sugar packets and other coffee fixings.

  “Thanks for bringing this,” Paxton said, giving her a hug as she greeted her.

  Shayla hugged her back, then punched her in the arm.

  “Hey!” Paxton said, rubbing the spot where she’d taken the hit. “What was that for?”

  Shayla leaned in and whispered fiercely, “I didn’t get a postorgasm call.”

  “Do you ever call me postorgasm?” Paxton asked. Then she held up a hand. “Don’t answer that.”

  “Did you two do it or not?” Shayla asked.

  Paxton glanced over her shoulder. “Yes,” she finally said. Shayla started to squeal, but Paxton seared her with a look that said she’d better shut it up right now. She spotted Sawyer coming up to them. “I’ll tell you about it later.”

  “Hey, is Matt Gauthier here yet?” Sawyer asked. He looked at Shayla, whose smile was so wide Paxton didn’t know how her face didn’t split in half. Then he looked at her, one brow raised, his eyes lit with amusement.

  “Don’t worry,” Shayla said. “She didn’t kiss and tell. Yet. And, no, Matt isn’t here, but the meeting doesn’t start for another twenty minutes. He’ll be here on time. He always is.”

  “It’s okay if he’s running a little late,” Paxton said. “Mya is before him on the agenda, anyway. I’ve asked her to take the reins when it comes to running the meeting. Residents have come to trust Mya. She’ll put people at ease.”

  Shayla went back to smiling, and Paxton went back to wanting to knock her upside the head.

  As the room continued to fill, so did the anxiety cluttering Paxton’s chest. She didn’t want to think about how it would be received if they told the residents that they may have to spend several hundred dollars more a year in flood insurance. And that was on the low end. Some people—those in the most vulnerable areas, which were also some of the poorest areas—may have to pay upward of a thousand extra dollars a year if the revamped flood zones raised their levels too much.