Sawyer (Torey Hope: The Later Years #2) (22 page)

“Luke, we don’t have to do this tonight; I don’t want to hurt you.” Sawyer kissed the base of Luke’s neck and ran his tongue along his collarbone.

“No, it’s tight and full, but it doesn’t hurt; it just feels…unlike anything I’ve ever felt.” Luke slowly rock his ass against Sawyer’s fingers. “But, I want more. I want you.”

Sawyer continued his work until Luke gritted his teeth and rode out his release.

Several sweaty, breathless moments later, Sawyer took his place between Luke’s legs. Leaning in, he kissed the other man thoroughly, hoping to relax him enough that the next moment wouldn’t be painful.

“Stop stalling. I’m not going to break. I love you; I’ve loved you since the fishing trip I think. I need you.” Luke rose on his elbows and grabbed the back of Sawyer’s head; crushing their lips together, Luke guided Sawyer to the place where he wanted him the most.

“Relax for me, Luke.” Sawyer hadn’t been the top since before he met Luke, he knew this interaction had the chance to be over much quicker than he wanted it to be. Trying to go slowly, he pushed in gently and stilled when he met resistance. Withdrawing slightly, he meant to inch his way in, but Luke used his legs to press himself against Sawyer.

The searing pain took Luke’s breath, but opening his eyes to watch as Sawyer’s length invaded his body, Luke felt the pain subside as his body stretched around the throbbing flesh. Sawyer’s hands came down to hold Luke’s hips, his heated eyes watching as his length slid in and out of Luke’s body. Sawyer felt beads of sweat form on his head as he gritted against the tight heat. He felt the familiar tingle in his spine. Knowing he wasn’t going to last long, he reached out and grasped Luke’s rock solid length. Luke’s second orgasm slammed into him just as Sawyer’s barreled through him.

Disposing of the condom, Sawyer gathered Luke in his arms and held him. “You okay? Did it hurt too badly?”

“I’m perfect, Sawyer. That was perfect. I love you. Forever.” Luke turned in Sawyer’s arms and accepted a lingering kiss.

Proving he could give just as well as he could get, Luke kept Sawyer occupied in bed until neither of them could keep their eyes open. Pressing open mouthed kisses along Sawyer’s neck, Luke whispered into his ear, “We should get some sleep, we’ve got dinner reservations tomorrow.”

***********

Realizing he should have warned Kendrick to keep his mouth shut, Sawyer steeled himself for whatever was getting ready to leave his cousin’s mouth.

“Sawyer? Luke? It’s Taco Time. Are you two sure you’re at the right dinner? I didn’t realize you guys enjoyed tacos. Maybe you meant to come to next weekend’s dinner? I think we’re having coney dogs. You know, the nice long ones? Slap them in a
bun,
cover them in all kinds of tasty toppings and tear into them?” Kendrick howled with laughter as Sawyer shot him a look, but Luke just laughed. He’d never met someone like Kendrick before. The man could tease and laugh, but never made a person feel dirty or wrong.

Before the meal started, Sawyer watched curiously as Libby pulled Luke to the side. Not being able to help himself, Sawyer wandered over to where he could listen to what his mom was saying without being obtrusive.

“Luke, I’m so glad you came tonight, sweetie.” Libby pulled Luke into a motherly hug.

“Thank you for having me, Mrs. Morgan.” Luke was polite, but Sawyer overheard the nervousness in his voice. He wanted so badly to go save the day, but he didn’t expect his mom was going to put Luke in a bad spot, so he held back.

“Luke Hamilton, that is the only time I better ever hear you call me Mrs. Morgan.” She smiled mischievously and leaned in to whisper, “That makes me sound much too old and way too much like my mother-in-law.” She giggled and put a finger to her lips as Luke laughed quietly.

Grabbing Luke’s hands and looking him right in the eyes, Libby spoke sincerely. “You can call me Libby. I’d also be honored if you wanted to call me Mom, but that’s entirely up to you. I’ve not heard the entire story, and I don’t need to, but I know your mother was a beautiful woman inside and out, and she loved you very much. I’d never try to replace her. But, I want you to know I’m here for you as a mom or a friend at all times. I’m so very happy to see you and Sawyer so very much in love; you two are very good for each other. Even if things don’t work out between you and Sawyer, please know that I will
always
be here and willing to step into the mom or friend role if it’s ever needed.” Libby’s eyes shone with tears.

Luke let himself be drawn into another hug, and Sawyer almost lost it. At no time had he felt so much love and adoration for his mother and Luke. His heart broke because he knew Luke needed this acceptance and motherly love so badly, but his heart also swelled with pride because his mom was the perfect woman to show Luke the maternal love and care he’d been missing.

“Thanks so much, Libby. I miss my mom like crazy, but it means the world to me to know I’ve got Momma Morgan on my side and loving me.” Luke blushed as he used her new nickname.

“Oh!
Momma Morgan
, I love it! It’s perfect for the day I become a grandma.” Libby winked at Luke, but let him off the hook with just a kiss to the cheek.

“Thank you for fighting through the bad to get to the good. I know I’m biased, but I think Sawyer is totally worth it.” Libby patted Luke’s cheek.

“So totally worth it. Thank you for him, for raising him to be the man he is today, for being so open to who he is and who we are together. Thank you for welcoming me with open arms.” Luke leaned in to kiss Libby’s cheek.

Sawyer could stand it no longer, he had to join them.

“Hey, you two. It’s not nice to whisper and keep secrets.” He put his arm around Luke and pulled him close.

“Sawyer Nicholas, don’t even try to pretend you didn’t listen to that entire conversation. You always have been a bit too nosey for your own good.” Libby tweaked his nose and laughed as he tried to appear innocent.

“Fine, you got me. I heard it all.” Sawyer smiled sheepishly and pulled his mom into a hug. “Thank you for loving me. And thank you for loving Luke.”

Libby smiled at the two of them and walked away to finish preparing lunch.

Sawyer and Luke milled about with the others, laughing and talking. Before long, his grandma called everyone to the table.

Sawyer kept a close eye on Luke during the meal, but he seemed to have settled in nicely and truly appeared to be enjoying himself. Sawyer, on the other hand, was a nervous wreck. He’d called his mom and dad earlier and let them know what he was planning, then he’d popped into Decker’s room and filled him in that morning before he went to pick up Luke. Now he just had to get through dinner without puking, get Luke to the backyard, and pray he didn’t lose his nerve.

“Oh no, was that thunder? I didn’t think it was supposed to rain.” Libby’s voice was filled with concern and her eyes darted to Sawyer’s knowing his plan hinged on outside.

Without thinking his next move through, Sawyer quickly stood. Grabbing Luke’s hand, he pulled him up. “I need to show you something outside.”

When Luke look confused and paused with a taco halfway to his mouth, Sawyer sputtered, “I mean, please, I need to show you something outside before it rains.”

He pulled Luke through the kitchen and out the back door. Under a giant old oak tree, with thunder rolling around them, Sawyer faced Luke and grasped his hands.

“What’s going on with you? I’m the one who should be nervous, but you’re acting like a crazy person.” Luke’s eyes held true concern.

From the corner of his eye, Sawyer noticed his entire family spill out to stand on the wraparound porch. He knew they’d been filled in on what was coming next.

“Luke, from the first time I punched you in the nose, to the millions of times you told me we couldn’t be together, to our first kiss and everything in between, you’ve challenged me. You’ve taught me patience. You showed me what it means to be strong and resilient and courageous. I grew up surrounded by love. I longed to find that same love for myself, but I feared it would never happen. Until that night you stepped into the ring with me and my life has been better ever since.”

As huge fat drops of rain began to splat around them, they stayed fairly dry under the tree. Sawyer dropped to his knee and pulled a simple gold ring from his pocket. He watched as Luke’s eyes filled with tears.

“We won’t rush into things; we’ll take all the time we need. But, I need to know you’ll be by my side until we decide to make that final decision. I love you. I will spend the rest of my life loving you. We’ll look for matching rings further down the road, but for now, will you wear this ring to show the world you’re mine?” Sawyer turned hope-filled eyes up to Luke and waited on his answer. At the tearful nod of his head, Sawyer smiled broadly and slid the ring onto Luke’s shaking hand.

Reaching down and pulling Sawyer to his feet, Luke wrapped him in a warm embrace and kissed him thoroughly. “That was beautiful.
You
are beautiful. I love you so very much.” Their lips met tenderly as the heavens opened up and a deluge even the huge oak couldn’t protect them from poured down. Soaked to the bone, they broke apart when the sky lit up with lightning.

“Hey you two, you better get those rods in the house! We don’t want any lightning strikes!” Kendrick yelled to them over the pouring rain.

Laughing hysterically, they splashed through the rain, and joined their family on the porch.

Pulling him into a wet embrace, Sawyer spoke softly to Luke. “You did it, babe. Your mom and Lucas would be so proud of you.”

When Luke cocked his head in question, Sawyer cupped his hands around his cheeks. “Love. You let it in, you let it win. That’s all your mom ever wanted for you.”

Kissing him gently, Luke whispered, “Thank you for being worth the struggle and pain. I didn’t know I had it in me to fight for my happiness until I found you.”

“And we will spend the rest of our lives fighting for happiness, because what we’ve found is completely worth it.” Sawyer’s sincere words warmed Luke’s heart.

THE END

I started writing my first book (
For Nicky
) in October 2013; I had no clue if I could do it, and even less clue about what to do when I finished it. About halfway through that book, I realized that the mean, terrible sister, Audrey, had a story to tell; I started
Because of Beckett
as soon as I finished
For Nicky
.

I had no intention of continuing the Torey Hope Series. However, readers had fallen in love with the stories and they asked for more. I created a heartwarming
Christmas novella
to lead into the third full-length novel,
Loving Josie
.

One day, in the shower (where else do great ideas come from?), I realized that the younger generation of Torey Hope had some stories to tell. I ran the idea by readers, and they loved the prospect of continuing the Torey Hope Series. So, voila,
Torey Hope:
The Later Years
was born!

One of these days, I’ll let the other characters and stories out of my head and create some new books and series; until then, I continue to fall in love with the hearts of my Torey Hope characters in each and every story.

THANK YOU FOR READING! I hope you enjoyed; please take a moment to leave a review. If you’re reading on a file/device that doesn’t take you to a review option, you may click here to leave a review on Amazon.
bit.ly/SawyerAmazon1

A.D. Ellis

A.D. Ellis is the author of two contemporary romance series, A Torey Hope Novel Series and Torey Hope:
The Later Years
. Her 2014 debut novel,
For Nicky
, was voted #3 of the Top 50 Indie Books of 2014 by ReadFree.ly readers/voters. She is a member of the Romance Writers of America and the Indiana RWA.

A.D. was born and raised in a small farming town in southern Indiana. An avid reader from the time she learned to read, A.D. could often be found curled up somewhere with her nose in a book. Most of her friends and family were not such book enthusiasts, so she got used to dealing with snickers and joking comments about her constant reading habits.

A.D. always dreamed of being a teacher. Graduating from Indiana State University in 1999 and earning a Master’s Degree from Indiana Wesleyan in 2003, she met her goal of entering the world of education. A.D. has been teaching in the inner city of Indianapolis, Indiana for 16 years; most of her years of experience have been in 3
rd
, 4
th
, or 5
th
grade. A.D. loves teaching fractions, variables, probability, and graphing in Math. She loves almost all aspects of English Language Arts. Figurative language, theme, making predictions, drawing conclusions, inference, context clues, making writing come to life, A.D. loves it all! Her students don’t always share in that enthusiasm.

Ms. Ellis met her husband in college in 1996 and they married in June of 2000. She lives in a south side suburb of Indianapolis, Indiana with her husband, two school-aged children, and a hyperactive Yorkie named Snickers. When she’s not reading or writing with music blaring, she can be found shopping at thrift stores, reading to her children, and sweating at the gym.

A.D. began her writing journey in October 2013; she is grateful for the friends and support she’s found along the way.

Please connect with A.D. Ellis on Facebook.
www.facebook.com/adellisauthor

Find A.D.’s author page on Amazon
www.amazon.com/author/adellis