The Fundamental Theory of Us (17 page)

Andrew kissed her lips, her cheek, and between each press of his lips, he asked, “Is this what you want?”

“Yes.” She sighed.

“Are you sure?”

She nodded. “I want this. I want
you
.”

“Thank God.” He let out a groan that made her stomach flutter.

Andrew pushed up and moved to the side, and for a moment, Sawyer thought he was getting up. He grabbed the foil packet from near the pillow and, lying on his side, tore the packet open and rolled the condom over himself. He moved above her again, the springy dark hairs on his chest rubbing over her breasts, his gaze fixed intently on hers.

Resting on his elbow, Andrew pressed his palm on her cheek. “I love you,” he whispered. “I can’t say it enough.”

Sawyer grinned, letting her thighs relax and she felt him there, sliding through her wetness. “I’m not going to stop you from saying it.”

He laughed and dropped a hand to her hip as his mouth found hers. At the same time, he thrust inside her slowly, no more than an inch, giving her a chance to stretch around him. The kiss grew more frantic. Muscles in his arms tensed and shook with each slow, shallow thrust, and then he went deep. Sharp, stinging pain shot down her legs. Tears burned her eyes and she froze.

“Sorry,” he whispered at her lips. “So sorry, Sawyer. That’s the first and last time I’ll ever hurt you.”

“It’s okay.” She raised a shaking hand to his jaw. “I’m okay.”

Andrew searched her eyes for a long while, keeping statue still inside her. The pain remained, though only slightly. Sawyer breathed deep, and the movement rocked her hips a little. A new sensation began building, like when he touched her, but different. She felt full and … good. Really good. Sawyer raised her hips against him—it was all the invitation Andrew needed.

He kissed her, his hips pulling back, just for a second, then he thrust forward and she moaned. She wrapped her legs around his waist, pulling him deeper with each thrust. His hands were everywhere, on her breasts, between their bodies, driving her insane. It was too much and not enough. His pace increased, each thrust hitting the sweet spot inside her. Sawyer threw her head back when his mouth latched on her nipple, and spasms rocked through her body. She came apart in his arms with stars behind her eyes.

“Sawyer,” he grunted her name as he pumped twice and followed her.

The room suddenly went silent, except for their breathing and the pounding of her heart in her ears. Time stilled, until he pulled out of her and kissed her, this kiss something so different, so sweet it stole her breath.

“Are you okay?”

Sawyer laughed at his thoughtfulness. “I’m perfect.
You’re
perfect.”

He moved onto his knees, blushing in the dark. “I’ll be right back.”

She watched him head for the bathroom and leave the door open. That one gesture reminded her why she had fallen in love with him. He was always there, and letting her know she was on his mind. When he returned, Andrew still wore nothing, and he had a warm, wet cloth. His brilliant blue gaze raked over her body as he cleaned her up. He dropped the cloth on the floor and got into bed with her. Before removing his prosthesis, he pressed his lips to hers and pulled the covers over her body.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

By lunchtime the next day, the doctors confirmed that Sawyer was a match. Right then and there, she donated her marrow, and shortly after, they left New York for Myrtle Beach.

Andrew picked up his truck from long-term parking. After that, he drove to his mom’s to get Rosie while Sawyer slept restlessly beside him. By the time they arrived in Boone, Sawyer looked beat, and Rosie was sick of sitting in the truck. He carried the luggage upstairs while Sawyer and Rosie lagged behind.

Upstairs in his apartment, Andrew put a freezer pizza in the oven and began unpacking his stuff. He left his door open so he’d hear when Sawyer and Rosie came up. He was just dropping his laundry in the hamper when Rosie ran into his bedroom, her tongue lolling. Sawyer stood in the hall in front of his room with a strange look on her face.

He straightened. “What’s wrong?”

“You have my bag.” She pointed to it on his bed.

“And?”

“And…” A few shades of red bloomed on her cheeks.

“I thought you could stay tonight. If you wanted.”

Rosie barked, like she understood them, and was all for the idea. Andrew definitely was.

“Do you want me to stay?”

“Hell yeah.”

Sawyer laughed, the sound butterflies and sunshine.

Andrew grinned and crooked a finger at her. “That’s my standard answer from now on, just so you know.”

She stepped into his room. He grabbed her by the waist, spun her, and dropped on the bed with Sawyer’s body on top of his. She let out another shriek of laughter. “What are you doing?”

“Just getting closer.”

She lifted her brown eyes to the ceiling, a smile the size of Texas on her lips. “Standard answer, huh?”

He pressed his lips to the stretch of skin under her collarbone. “Yup.”

“So if I ask you if you wanted to study, you’d say ‘hell yeah?’”

He kissed a path up her throat. “Yup.”

A little moan left her lips. “And how about spend a day in the mall?”

He flicked open the top button on her blouse. “Yup.” Another kiss, lower down. Another button undone.

Sawyer gasped as the tips of his fingers reached her bra. He slid the cups down and delved inside. Whatever she meant to ask him next came out as a throaty sigh. Andrew turned them, so Sawyer was on the mattress and he hovered above her.

“You’re so beautiful, Sawyer.”

Just like he knew she would, Sawyer blushed all over. He ducked his head and placed a kiss on the scars between her breasts. Sawyer drew a sharp breath, so he did it again, this time a little closer to the hard tip of her nipple. Her body rose up into his touch. God, she made him want to do things. Crazy things. To her. With her. The least crazy of the list being what she did to him at his mom’s place. Turnabout and all.

Andrew sucked her nipple into his mouth and cupped her other breast. Sawyer gasped and whispered, “Yes.” Taking that as encouragement, he licked and sucked and nibbled her nipple, massaging the other, then swapped. He kept up the slow torture, mimicking how he would taste her between her thighs.

Rosie chose that moment to jump up on the bed, ignoring all her training, and bathed Sawyer’s face with wet, sloppy dog kisses. Sawyer burst out laughing and tried rolling to the side, but Rosie kept on going.

“Rosie, down.”

The dog didn’t listen.

Andrew sighed and lay back on his bed. Despite his supposedly well-trained support dog cock-blocking him, he was happy. Much happier than he had been in a long time.

****

On the second Saturday in December, Andrew woke with a smile, something he hadn’t done since before the explosion.

He stopped thinking of it as an accident the last time he went to see Jennifer. With Sawyer. It was her idea, and when they showed up together, and Jennifer asked how much Sawyer knew about the accident, she corrected the therapist. “Explosion,” she had said, because accidents were unintentional, and Jennifer had agreed with her. Of course, they had gotten on great.

Rosie had been out of sorts since their return to Boone. After a couple days, she mostly returned to the way she was before Sawyer came into their lives. And Sawyer, well, it appeared that she had let go of the hurt and sadness. When she smiled, every cell in her body glowed. She was the sun, and he couldn’t stop staring.

“You should just move in with me,” he had said last night during a dinner of microwave macaroni and cheese.

Sawyer had laughed, the sound nervous. “I don’t think Rosie would like having the competition.”

Rosie had lifted her head from her bed, shot them a disinterested look, and then gone back to sleep.

“I think that means she loves the idea of you living here.”

“She would love the idea of a pile of smelly socks.”

“Oh, those are her favorite.” Andrew winked.

After that, the conversation had veered away and never returned to the topic of them living together. Maybe it was too soon. At nineteen, moving in with a guy probably wasn’t at the top of her “to-do” list. Other than running across the hall to grab some clothes, Sawyer spent every free minute in Andrew’s apartment. What was she waiting for?

His smile faded. Careful not to disturb Sawyer, still asleep beside him, Andrew grabbed the crutches by his night table and went to the bathroom. For a long time, he stared at his reflection in the mirror, wondering what he was doing. Yes, Sawyer loved him. Yes, they were fucking incredible together. Something held her back. She wouldn’t say what, even though he knew about her past. Did she not trust him? Or was she just branching out, finally exploring a side of her she had kept locked away for years? Was he a stepping stone? A practice run?

A soft knock at the door drew his attention away from his reflection and his mopey thoughts. Sawyer slipped inside and shut the door behind her, a spark in her eyes and a sly grin on her lips.

She stepped past him toward the shower and set a condom on the edge of the tub. Watching his reaction over her shoulder, she stripped off slowly, baring her skin inch by tantalizing inch, and when she stood with her back to him completely nude, she stepped into the shower.

When the water was running and steam billowed out from behind the shower curtains, she popped her head out and grinned. “You coming?”

A growl sounded in his throat. “Definitely.” Andrew eased down on the chair in the shower, already hard. Water slicked down Sawyer’s body. She positioned herself above his lap, rubbing her folds over the tip of his straining erection. He wouldn’t last much longer. As much as he wanted to spend time worshipping her body, Andrew needed to be inside her. Now.

He traced the curve of her breast with one hand while the other slid down to her core. Sawyer made a little sound of pleasure, her hips arching into his touch. So slick.

“You’re already wet for me.”

He slid a finger inside her channel, pumping gently, then added a second finger, and she clenched around him. Heat poured from her as she bucked on his hand. Andrew dragged his thumb over her clit and her body convulsed, nearly forcing his fingers from inside her. He did it again, pressing harder, pumping faster, until Sawyer cried out, her core pulsing with her orgasm.

Somehow, he managed to tear open the foil packet and slide the condom over himself. Holding Sawyer’s hips in a tight grip, he moved her over him, rocking up as much as he could, each movement spreading her wider, until he pushed inside. God, she felt incredible, and he wasn’t even fully sheathed.

Sawyer took over, lowering herself on him, taking him deeper in slow, teasing inches. Andrew palmed the back of her neck and pulled her in for a kiss, flicking his tongue against hers. As she responded, sinking down until he hit home, Sawyer gasped into his mouth, her body tense. Then she rocked on his lap, her core squeezing him, and Andrew shuddered, kissing her hard. A slow fire built at the base of his spine, moving higher. He slid a hand to where their bodies were joined and circled the little bundle of nerves until Sawyer shook in his arms and screamed his name.

He dragged her body close and pounded into her, grunting his release. At least his shower chair served a damn good purpose now.

****

One week before Christmas, he and Sawyer had plans to watch the dance school’s winter performance. Lola had a starring role, and Rachel snagged a bunch of tickets.

Logan and Taylor were coming, and Andrew’s art partner, Emory. She had been calling him non-stop until he made it clear that he and Sawyer were together. She moved to texts, and finally, last week, she stuck to talking to him in class or emailing him through the school’s student e-mails. Their project was coming along, but he couldn’t tell much about what it was supposed to be at this point.

Andrew finished ironing his shirt and hung it on a hanger in his closet, and then he worked on his pants. Just as he ironed the second crease, his phone rang.
Unknown caller
flashed on the screen. He set the iron down and answered cautiously.

“Hello?”

Heavy breathing.

He sighed and said, “Hello?”

The caller hung up.

Well, whatever. Probably a wrong number. Andrew tossed his phone on the bed and continued getting ready. His thoughts drifted to Sawyer, making him smile. They still hadn’t ironed out plans for Christmas break, but they had nine days left. Plenty of time to talk it over. Plus, he hoped she liked the sound of hanging out with his family more than hers, and if he wanted to, her dad could stay nearby. Maybe he’d bring Courtney and save them a trip to New York to see her.

Either way, Andrew wasn’t about to let Sawyer visit her family alone. If she wanted to split the time between his mom’s place and New York, then that’s what they’d do.

Rosie barked at the door a second before someone knocked. She paced the floor until Andrew strode to the door and glanced through the peephole. When he saw his friend, he grinned, and pulled the door open.

“Josh, hey.”

Josh shuffled his weight. “Sorry to barge in on you like this, but I had to go somewhere far away or I’d crush his little skull in.” He finished speaking and went straight past Andrew, headed for the fridge. From the door, he took two beers and carried them to the couch.

Andrew looked across the hall at Sawyer’s place, still silent. She went out to get her hair done with Rachel, and wasn’t due back for another hour. He shut the door and joined Josh on the couch, and declined the beer.

“What’s up?”

He finished downing the first beer, then Josh yanked the cap off the second bottle and tipped it to his lips. “I caught him at it again. Fucking bareback. And with another girl. I mean, how stupid can you be? He’s got two kids on the way, Andrew. Can’t he wrap it?”

Andrew opened his mouth to answer when his phone rang in the bedroom. “One sec.”

He jogged to his room and snatched the phone
.
Unknown caller
again. “Hello?”

Silence. A little static.

“This is getting old.”

Breathing this time.

Andrew hit End and set his phone to vibrate, then rejoined Josh, who finished his second beer and sat staring into space. The guy had enough on his plate without AJ’s constant hookups and neglect for the basic laws of life. Sex made babies. AJ should have figured that out by now. No wonder Josh wanted to knock some sense into him.

“Want me to have a word with him?” Andrew offered.

“I don’t think it would do any good.” Josh sighed, resting his head on the back of the couch. “I hate to do this to you man, but can I crash here tonight? If I go back there, there’s no telling what I’ll do to him.”

“Sure.” It put a kink in his plans with Sawyer under the sheets, though they had plenty of time for that.

He looked up, seeing Andrew’s button-down shirt and suit pants. “You’ve got plans.”

“Yeah, but you can hang out here. It’s no prob.”

“You sure? I don’t want to intrude.”

Andrew shook his head, giving his CO a stern look. “You’re not intruding, Josh. I promise. It’s just a school thing. Won’t take more than a couple hours.”

Placated for the time being, Josh dropped his head back and sighed. “Thanks, man.”

Josh stayed in the same spot, staring at the ceiling, while Andrew continued getting ready. When Sawyer came over, Andrew stared at her in the open doorway for eternity. Soft blonde waves moved away from her face in an old-fashioned Hollywood starlet style. A glittery barrette in the shape of a feather held her hair away from her neck. Her eyes matched the sparkles in her hair.

The dress made him suck in a breath and hold it. Deep red satin draped over her curves and fell to the floor, highlighting her smooth skin. A matching shawl hung over her arms, fastened at the swell of her breasts with a sparkly pin. If he stared there much longer, he’d have a problem in his pants. Andrew dropped his gaze to the floor. The toes of her black heels poked out from under the dress.

He took her hands. “You look…”

Sawyer’s answering laugh, jangly and nervous, made him look up. “Is that good or bad?”