Chapter 37

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

Sawyer quickly steered her toward the side of the building just as her stomach ejected its contents all over the alley.

“It’s all right.” He grasped her hair in a loose ponytail and rubbed her back in a soothing, circular motion. “You’ll feel better if you get it all out.”

She heaved several more times, her stomach clenching in knots. Shame swelled through her and hot tears sprang to her eyes, escaping before she could stop them. She swiped angrily at her cheeks and leaned against the brick wall, covering her face. Strong fingers circled her wrists and gently lowered her hands. She opened her eyes and peered up at Sawyer.

“Feel better?”

She dropped her gaze to the ground and nodded.

“Come on. I have water in the car.” Sawyer braced one arm against her back and bent down, placing the other behind her knees. He scooped her into his arms and she struggled weakly against him.

Sawyer unlocked the car and swung open the passenger door before settling her in the seat. He reached into the back and retrieved a bottle of water. Unscrewing the cap, he handed the bottle to her.

“Drink. You need to rehydrate.”

She took the proffered bottle and gulped greedily until half of it was gone. Brynlee took another small swig and swirled it around her mouth, then spit it onto the ground, carefully avoiding Sawyer’s shoes.

Sawyer stroked her knee, the gentle brush of his fingertips sending goosebumps scattering over her bare skin. “You’re lucky no one tried to take advantage of you.”

She bristled at the clear admonishment. “I was perfectly fine.”

“Obviously not, or I wouldn’t be here.” He glared at her.

“Whatever.” Brynlee crossed her arms over her chest. “Just call me an Uber and I’ll be out of your hair.”

Sawyer laughed without mirth. “Oh, hell no. You’re not leaving my sight.”

He reached across her and snapped the seat belt into place before slamming the door on her protests. Brynlee fumbled with the clasp and had just managed to get the seat belt to release as he slid into the driver’s seat and started the car. One hand on the wheel, the other hand deftly snatched the seatbelt out of her hands and clicked it back into place.

With a huff, Brynlee sulked back in the seat and stared out the window. Disgusted with herself and out of energy, she rested her head against the seat and closed her eyes, finally succumbing to the exhaustion pulling at her.

* * *

Light slowly invaded the darkness and she opened her eyes, blinking rapidly to dispel the last vestiges of sleep. Closing her eyes again, she turned onto her stomach and groaned into the pillow. Her head throbbed like someone had taken a tiny hammer to it and her mouth felt like it’d been stuffed with cotton.

Brynlee rolled over to her back, willing her head to stop pounding. She blinked up at the ceiling, watching the fan whirl lazily overhead. The motion was hypnotic and comforting, except… her room didn’t have a fan.

Propping herself up on an elbow, she gazed blearily around the room. Oh, God.

She flopped to her back and flung one arm over her eyes. She knew exactly where she was. The question was—why?

Fragments of memory came back—sitting at the bar, talking with the man next to her, dancing with Mel, Sawyer showing up, and… Getting sick in the parking lot.

How humiliating.

She sat up, pulling the comforter with her. Her jeans and top had been replaced with a man’s oversized shirt, and her cheeks heated. Fantastic. He’d not only watched her throw up, but he’d had to dress her like a toddler.

Sunlight filtered through a crack in the floor-length blackout curtains to her right, the panels parted just enough to keep the room partially bathed in darkness. Thank God for that. Her head throbbed just thinking of the bright light outside.

Suddenly a deep voice cut through the silence, and Sawyer strode through the doorway, a wide grin on his handsome face. “Hey, sleeping beauty.”

“Oh, God.” Brynlee dragged the comforter over her head.

Sawyer laughed out loud at Brynlee’s obvious dismay. “Good morning to you too.”

A moment later she felt his weight settle on the mattress next to his thighs. The comforter slowly slid down, exposing her to his view, and she peered up into his handsome face. “I hate you.”

Sawyer tried to bite back a smile, but failed. “Still so mean, even after everything we’ve been through.”

“Ugh.” She pushed to an elbow. “If you could just forget all of that, that would be great.”

“Sorry.” He shook his head. “No can do.”

Sawyer ran a finger along Brynlee’s cheek and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Honestly, though? You really worried me last night. What happened?”

She shivered, then sat up, propping her back against the headboard. “It’s weird. I was sitting at the bar when this guy came up and sat next to me.”

Sawyer lifted a brow at her and she rolled her eyes.

“Don’t start with me. He was nice, and we were just talking. It wasn’t like I was going to go home with him. Anyway, I had a glass of wine while Mel and I talked. That was the only thing I had last night, but it really knocked me on my butt. Mel and I talked for a while, danced a little bit…” She shrugged a shoulder. “Then you showed up.”

Sawyer stared at her. “Did you get up at all, leave your drink unattended?”

She glanced upward in thought for a moment before shaking her head. “No. I’d already finished it by the time we got up to dance.”

She glance up at him. “Wait. You think someone slipped something in my drink?”

He nodded grimly. “That’s exactly what I think. You were a mess. There’s no way one drink would’ve done that, even to someone as small as you.”

“But how…” She gave her head a little shake. “I should have realized.”

“I’m just glad I showed up when I did.”

“I’m not a child,” Brynlee snapped, feeling a sting of resentment. “I don’t need you to play the hero.”

Sawyer’s smile faltered. “I wasn’t trying to be a hero, Bryn. Shit could have gotten bad. Jesus, you’re lucky someone didn’t try to rape you.”

“I was there with Melanie. It wasn’t like I was going to go home with some random guy.” She glared up at him. “I can take care of myself.”

“Obviously,” he snapped.

“Whatever.” Brynlee snatched held covers to her chest with one hand. “Just leave so I can get dressed and get out of your hair.”

“Because I haven’t seen you naked before?”

She smiled, the gesture cold. “Well, you don’t have to worry about that again, either.”

Sawyer sighed and scrubbed his hands over his face. “Goddamn it. That’s not what I meant.”

Brynlee bit her tongue, and silence fell between them for several long seconds before Sawyer spoke up. “Listen. I’m sorry. I know I can be a dick sometimes, but… I do care about you. I just want you to be safe.”

Tears pricked Brynlee’s eyes and she turned her gaze toward the window so he wouldn’t see. One second they were fighting, the next he was telling her cared about her. Why was it always so damn complicated between them?

She could feel his gaze on her, but he didn’t push any more as he pushed from the bed and stood. “I need to get to the station. Can you lock up behind you when you leave?”

Brynlee gave a curt nod, her gaze focused on the backyard through the window to her right. He hesitated for a minute before turning and striding out of the bedroom, closing the for softly behind him.

The moment the door closed behind him, the breath whooshed from her lungs. Asshole. Who the hell did he think he was?

A surge of defiance rose within her as Brynlee threw back the covers and slid from the bed. He thought he could tell her what to do, how to live her life? Hell, no.

Brynlee paced the bedroom for a few minutes, mind churning furiously. When she thought enough time had passed, she crept toward the door, cracked it open and peeked out. The house was silent.

Slipping out of the bedroom, she padded softly toward the living room. Peeking outside, she checked the driveway to make sure he was gone. He was. Her smile started small then grew as she sashayed toward the kitchen.

She threw every cabinet door open wide, deciding to tackle the dishes first. The plates were stacked in a precise order, and the glasses were all aligned by size. Brynlee moved them around, placing the plates in the wrong spots and mixing up the glasses. She shuffled the cutlery in the drawers, swapping the forks and knives. It was small, subtle chaos, but enough to disrupt Sawyer’s carefully curated order.

Nothing remained unscathed. She opened the fridge, gleefully rearranging each shelf and drawer before moving on to the bathroom. Sawyer’s towels were always folded neatly, and just seeing the sharp corners made her lips curl with disdain. Brynlee shook them loose then re-folded them, rolling some into little cylinders, folding other in half, the rest into thirds, then stacked them haphazardly.

Feeling a surge of satisfaction, Brynlee she moved to the bedroom where she pulled every article of clothing out of the dresser, mixing socks with shirts, boxers with sweats. The clothes hanging in his closet were organized by color, and she happily mixed up the hangers until the once orderly rainbow was beyond recognition.

Last came the living room. Sawyer’s furniture was arranged in a half moon around the television. Brynlee shifted the sofa to the opposite wall, then dragged the chairs and tables into random places, facing them away from one another so there was no order to the room whatsoever.

Brynlee popped her hands on her hips and grinned as she surveyed her handiwork. He was going to have a fit. She couldn’t wait.

With everything in place, she took a final look around and headed for the door. She locked up, just as Sawyer had instructed, and left the house, feeling lighter than she had in days.