Chapter 25

CHAPTER 25

Sawyer

The next morning, I regretted telling Heath he had until Wednesday to return, because it meant I had to go by the resort to cover an early tour.

I wasn't ready to kick Ash out of my bed after the night he'd had. And maybe I didn't want to kick him out of my bed ever, for any reason.

It was too early for those kinds of thoughts, but I could ensure he didn't have to go anywhere right then.

"Hey," I murmured into his ear. "I gotta work. You wanna stay here and wait for me? I'll be back in two hours."

"Missing me already?" he mumbled, still half asleep, but with a smile teasing at the corners of his mouth.

"No." I pressed a kiss to the dimple barely visible through his beard. "It's your day off. You deserve to sleep in."

He snuggled into the pillow. "I do, don't I?"

"When I get back, we'll go grab breakfast or something."

"M'kay."

Ash was snoring quietly again before I'd made it out the door. I cast one last look back as I left, the sight of Ash hugging my pillow making my insides warm. How had I ever hated this guy? I shook my head in wonder at how much had changed.

I had my friend back—and without anger fueling me, I could finally see just how much I'd missed him.

I ran through the morning tour on autopilot, most of my thoughts filled with everything that happened last night. Not just the sex, but the friendship too. Ash had shown me a vulnerability that made some of my walls come down, too.

When I got back to my camper, Ash was sitting outside chatting with Shua and their mom.

"Hey, stranger," he said with a grin. "I was wondering if I dreamed that business about taking me to breakfast?"

My stomach growled at the reminder I hadn't eaten yet. "Nope. Let's go."

Shua turned to me with big eyes. "Maybe we could?—"

"Shua," their mom cut in. "We've got some chores at home. Come on."

Shua groaned. "I never get to do anything fun."

Their mother shot us a playful grin and a wink. Oh. I guess she was running interference. That was…nice? We were just going to hang out though. It wasn't like a date or anything.

Or was it?

I'd been aiming for two friends hanging out, but maybe I'd overshot that with the morning-after breakfast plans. That was boyfriend behavior, wasn't it?

"I could just make you breakfast in bed." Ash said once they were gone, wiggling his eyebrows playfully.

I should probably take him up on that. That would put us back in fuck-buddy territory, but…

But I didn't want only sex with him.

We were friends again. I wanted to find out what that really meant. How we fit together outside of the fucking around.

"It's your day off," I said. "Don't you want to take a break?"

He smiled tentatively. "I probably should."

"There you go," I said. "Besides, I'm craving some hoecakes from Tastes like Grandma."

"Tastes like what?" he asked with a laugh.

"You'll see."

We took the boat over to the marina, since that was closer to the town center, and walked from there. On the way to Tastes Like Grandma—a small breakfast diner with the best cornbread pancakes and biscuits and—well anything Grandma Rosie decided to make, honestly—we passed the Outdoor Market.

"Whoa, I didn't know this was here."

"Oh yeah? You haven't been properly introduced to Swallow Cove then. Have you visited town at all?"

"I went to Just The Sip." He perked up. "Can we grab a coffee there? I love the Mocha Me Moan, Daddy."

I snorted. "Didn't know you were looking for a daddy."

He grinned. "Just call me good boy when I'm on my knees, and we'll call it good."

"Deal," I said with a laugh. "But let's get food then coffee, okay? I've been up since five."

We cut through the market since it was on the way, and Ash marveled over the weird array of goods. Watching the way he lit up as he darted toward a table covered in crocheted roosters made my stomach flip.

"Look, Sawyer! Their cocks are so cute!"

He brandished it at me, and I batted his hand away. "Stop."

"What? Don't you like a co?—"

I slapped a hand over his mouth before he outed me to the whole town. "This isn't Shallow Beach," I muttered. "What you say here travels everywhere. "

Ash tugged my hand down. "‘Don't you like a cocky bastard?' I was going to say."

I really doubted he was going to say that. But casting another look at the crocheted rooster, I smirked. "It does remind me of you."

I glanced toward the vendor, a lady named Jean who was watching our exchange a little too closely.

"How much?" I asked.

"Forty bucks."

I winced. "Ten.

"I can't do that," she said.

Ash pulled out another ten. "Twenty?"

"Deal." She snatched the bills from our hands and shoved the cock—er, rooster—into my hand.

"You really know how to handle a cock," Ash said under his breath.

I wasn't worried anyone would hear as we walked away, but I still elbowed him in the ribs, making him jerk with a grunt.

"What? It was a compliment!"

A shit-eating grin spread across his face, and I didn't have a single urge to smack it off. But I did want to kiss it.

I tugged him around the side of the building beside us, pressed him to the wall, and kissed him hard. "Stop talking about cocks."

"Mm, but you like cocks, don't you?" he teased.

"Just yours."

That just made him smile more, and I kissed him again, nipping his bottom lip sharply. He hissed and plunged his tongue into my mouth with a sound of need.

I forced myself to pull away before we took this too far. We were hidden away here, but we were still in public.

And we were supposed to be hanging out as friends, not making out in an alleyway like a couple of horny tomcats.

"Breakfast," I said.

"You could just eat me," he said.

"I'm trying to—" I stopped short. "Let's just go, please?"

His brow furrowed. "What are you trying to do?"

"It's stupid. Nothing."

"Just tell me."

I sighed. "I don't know. I just kind of want to spend time with you without…" I waved a hand toward his crotch. "You know, like we used to."

"As friends, you mean?"

"Yeah." I hesitated. "Is that weird?"

"No, it's not weird." Ash grabbed the crocheted rooster from my hand. "This will be the only cock I touch, if that's how you want it."

"Well, let's not go crazy. I just wanna get breakfast and hang out awhile first."

He grinned. "Okay, lead the way."

We weaved through the Outdoor Market, and I made sure to give a wide berth to Pearl and Ruth Marie, who got a little too competitive in trying to sell their jams and canned fruits.

Pearl still called my name, and Ruth Marie waved frantically.

Ash chuckled as I waved back, but pulled him into a speed walk. "Hurry or we'll never make it through here."

"So, Swallow Cove is a total Mayberry, huh?"

"What?"

"Tiny town. Everyone knows your name? Gossip runs amok?"

"Oh yeah, for sure. We're not quite as wholesome as a TV sitcom, though."

"Still, it's kind of nice."

"Except for when I don't want everyone speculating about who I'm sleeping with."

He glanced sidelong at me. "You have that problem often?"

"Are you asking if I fuck around a lot?"

Ash ducked his head, color creeping up his neck. "No."

"Oh shit, you were," I crowed as we emerged from the market and headed down the block toward Tastes Like Grandma. "You worried about the competition?"

"Fuck off."

I chuckled. "Please, Ash. You got around way more than I ever did."

He cocked his head. "How do you figure?"

"All those party girls pawing all over you on the DreamBoats?"

Ash shrugged. "Doesn't mean I fucked them all."

"But some of them."

"Well, I'm human," he admitted.

Even though I knew he hooked up, hearing the words made my gut tighten.

"I'm not interested in party girls anymore," Ash said, giving me a searing look. "There's only one person I want."

My mouth went dry. "Yeah? Like, exclusively?"

Like dating? Like boyfriends? I couldn't bring myself to voice those questions.

"Why bother with anyone else when you're the one I want?" Ash answered.

Well, when he put it that way…

"Right," I said awkwardly. "Yeah. We're on the same page."

I grabbed the door to Rosie's, opening it and ushering him through before he could see the questions spinning through my head.

What are we doing?

Where is this going?

Is this just friends fucking or…something more?

Luckily, Rosie's tiny little diner captured his attention. "Wow, there's like four tables and you order at a window. You didn't tell me that."

"Is that a problem?"

"No," he said, sounding excited. "That means this place is going to be fucking awesome."

"Well, I already told you that."

Ash wasn't listening. He charged toward the counter, eyes raised to read the menu affixed to the wall above.

"Ooh, chocolate gravy," Ash said. "And a biscuit with molasses? Oh, but I gotta try the shrimp and grits. You know? Give me one of each. I have to try it all."

"You're my kind of customer," Grandma Rosie said with a wink. "What about you, Saw? You want your regular hoecakes and a side of bacon?"

Damn, I was predictable, wasn't I? Ash's enthusiasm had spotlighted how rarely I tried new things.

"Um, actually, give me the Crab Benedict, and just a side of hoecakes."

I couldn't totally abandon my original plan. I'd been craving the cornmeal pancakes.

"Look at you, changing things up."

I shrugged. "Trying new things can be fun sometimes…"

Her eyes twinkled. "It sure can."

We hung by the counter until a table opened up when Mimsy and Pipsy, the twins who ran the nearby gardening store, cleared their plates and headed out.

By then, Grandma Rosie had our food ready to go so I grabbed our plates and Ash carried two glasses of water. We'd skipped the coffee since we'd be hitting Just The Sip when we were done here.

Ash took a seat across from me, his knees nudging mine under the table. "This is cozy."

For some stupid reason, my face heated. "It's just breakfast."

Ash dug into his shrimp and grits, groaning in appreciation. "Hell yeah, Grandma knows how to cook."

"Of course she does," I said, offended. "Do you really think I'd take you somewhere that wasn't good? I know you've got discerning tastes."

"Mmm. I do, don't I?" He ran his foot up my calf, making it clear he didn't just mean good taste in food.

I reached under the table, catching his ankle and giving it a squeeze. "Maybe we both do."

He grinned. "Does that mean you'll let me try your hoecakes?"

"You've got three things to eat already," I exclaimed.

He laughed. "What can I say? I can never get enough."

I pushed my plate forward, and he cut a bite and sampled it, his eyes fluttering shut. He swiped his tongue over his lips with a sigh. "That's good, especially with the dark syrup."

"Yeah, everything here is great, but I can't ever seem to pass this up to try something else."

"Well now's your chance." Ash cut a bite of the biscuit with chocolate gravy. Instead of just handing it to me, he leaned forward. "Open up."

Heat flared through me, but I obeyed, powerless under his heavy gaze. He slipped the fork through my parted lips, and the rich flavor of the gravy burst on my tongue.

I ate it slowly, savoring the taste. "No wonder that's Fisher's favorite."

"It's better off my fork though," Ash said with a wink.

I chuckled, glancing toward the other tables. Everyone seemed to be immersed in their own conversations, so I didn't think we'd stirred up any gossip.

My feelings for Ash were conflicted enough without half the town asking me if we were boyfriends.

I didn't know what we were. What we could be. But I knew now that I wanted to find out.