A Place to Rest Part 21

Her own body protested the statement with a renewed throb, but she ignored it in favor of the feel of Jori surrounding her fi ngers, of the back of her own hand grinding into her thigh.

"Not yet." Jori closed her teeth lightly on Sawyer's lower lip.

"Too late for slow. I was more than halfway there from touching you."

"Okay," Sawyer whispered, curling her fi ngertips and thrusting deeper. "You can have your way this time, but later- I'm going to taste you."

"Oh, G.o.d."

Jori pumped her hips faster, her rhythm becoming erratic.

Sawyer wrapped her other hand around Jori's neck and pulled her down to kiss her-hard, until with one fi nal thrust, Jori collapsed against her shoulder.

Sawyer kissed her again, this time softly caressing her bruised lips. When she drew away she studied Jori's heavily lidded eyes.

"You-I-you caught me off guard. I mean, you're usually so shy."

"Not with you." She tucked her head against Sawyer's breast and closed her eyes.

The warm sun slashing across the bed slowly coaxed Sawyer from sleep. She stretched, her muscles pulling pleasantly, and her head began to clear. The other side of the bed was empty, and she * 175 *

wondered how long she could avoid confronting what she and Jori had done the night before. She didn't want to risk disturbing the layer of satisfaction that lingered still.

"Oh, you're awake." Jori came in carrying a ceramic mug.

"I would have brought you some coffee if I'd known you were up."

"I'll get some in a bit."

"I was going to jump in the shower." Jori sat on the bed and the edges of her terry-cloth robe fell to either side of her knees.

Sawyer squinted at the alarm clock. "I guess I'll go up to the loft and get ready. We should leave in a couple of hours if we're going to be back in time for work." She wanted to pull Jori back into bed and avoid the real world a bit longer.

Stalling, she angled her upper body enough to slide her hand under the hem of Jori's robe.

"Erica is going to be so mad," Jori said.

Sawyer froze, her fi ngers barely touching the top of a smooth thigh. She rose on one elbow and gazed at Jori for a moment before lowering her head to kiss Jori's knee.

"That's what you're thinking about right now? My sister?"

Sawyer hooked one arm around Jori's leg and tugged her into bed. "Let's see if we can change that."

Jori barely had time to register the movement before she was fl at on her back beneath Sawyer with her robe open to reveal her cotton briefs and tank top.

"Hmm. I was hoping to fi nd you naked under there," Sawyer purred.

Jori laughed when Sawyer's hand found its way under her shirt. "That doesn't seem to be deterring you."

"Not much does when I want something."

"And, ah..." Jori nearly lost her train of thought when Sawyer's tongue brushed her earlobe. "Now that you've gotten what you wanted, do you still want it?"

Sawyer stopped and drew back, extricating the hand that she * 176 *

had just closed over Jori's breast. "Are you really trying to pick a fi ght with me right now?"

"No. Yes. Well, I don't know." When Sawyer moved to lie alongside her, Jori shoved a hand through her hair in frustration.

"Did we make a mistake?"

"Do you think it was a mistake?"

"I asked you fi rst." Jori hated how needy she felt. That wasn't her. She'd been on her own, alone, for essentially her whole life, and she was fi ne with the status quo. She didn't need to rely on someone else, especially not someone notorious for running at the fi rst sign of trouble or boredom. And Jori couldn't get Erica's warning about Sawyer out of her head. "I don't think you took me seriously the last time I said this, but I can't be involved with someone I work for."

Sawyer fl icked aside the edge of Jori's robe with her fi ngertips, lazily pushed up Jori's top, and laid her palm on Jori's stomach. "Well, I will admit, it is much easier to take you seriously in this position," she said sarcastically.

Jori fl ushed, suddenly aware of how ridiculous her objections to their being together must sound considering the night they'd just had. The intensity of that fi rst time hadn't yet faded when Sawyer had awakened her later to make good on her promise, stroking her to a maddeningly slow o.r.g.a.s.m with her tongue.

Despite the teasing, Sawyer's eyes were serious when she next spoke. "Okay. Tell me about it."

"I was involved with someone at the last restaurant where I worked. Actually, she was the manager and our breakup was pretty nasty. She made things very diffi cult for me, and when I still didn't quit, she let me go."

"Was it serious?"

Jori considered the question and opted for a straightforward answer. "In the beginning I might have thought we had a future.

But, no. As it turned out, losing the job hurt more than losing the girl."

* 177 *

"Jori, I'm not going to fi re you."

Jori covered Sawyer's hand to stop its progress along her hip. She wouldn't be able to continue to carry on her side of the conversation if Sawyer kept touching her. "It may sound silly to you, but working with Erica and Brady is more important to me than any job I've ever had. I've never felt more like I belonged somewhere."

Sawyer sighed, rolled onto her back, and folded her arms behind her head. We're quite the pair, aren't we? She's worried about her job, and I'm afraid I won't be able to be what she needs.

"I do understand. But things are different for me. Erica doesn't try to control you."

"She worries about you." Jori turned on her side and propped herself up on her elbow.

"She worries I'm s.c.r.e.w.i.n.g up my life. She's never believed in my decisions."

"Do you?"

"What?"

"Do you believe in your decisions? Enough to stand up for them?"

"I'll make a deal with you," Sawyer said, aware that she wasn't answering the questions. "No matter what happens between you and me, if things get uncomfortable for you at work, I will leave Drake's."

"I can't ask you to leave your family's business."

"You're not. I'm offering."

"They're your family."

"And they always will be, whether I work there or not."

When Jori turned away and started to sit up, Sawyer grabbed her arm. "Wait a minute. I know you think I can't take anything seriously. And maybe that's true most of the time. I don't want to make things diffi cult for you at work, but I enjoyed last night, a lot. And I'd like to do it again. Right now, in fact."

She kissed Jori's palm, and when she got no resistance she * 178 *

lightly bit, then sucked the end of one fi nger. Jori moaned and took Sawyer's mouth insistently. Jori's uncharacteristic aggression made her heart beat erratically.

"Jori," Sawyer said when Jori's mouth moved to her neck.

"Hmm?"

"I promise you'll always have a place at Drake's."

"Okay."

Jori seemed to easily accept the promise Sawyer hoped she could keep.

* 179 *

* 180 *

CHAPTER SIXTEEN.

Sawyer sat on a stool facing the dining room with her back resting against the edge of the bar. Brady perched next to her, his arm stretched behind her. The rest of the staff was gathered around the tables nearest them.

Jori was sitting next to Chuck, leaned back in a chair with her arms folded over her chest. Sawyer barely contained a wink and a wide smile as Jori's eyes met hers. It had been just over a week since they returned from the rafting trip, and, if possible, her desire for Jori increased daily. She enjoyed knowing that shy, reserved Jori so easily shed her inhibitions when they were alone.

Jori insisted they keep their relationship separate from work and had inst.i.tuted a strict no-touching rule while at the restaurant.

Sawyer did her best to respect it now that she knew Jori had been burned with a workplace romance. Usually they spent an entire shift fl irting in the form of mumbled comments and eye contact, until she thought she might have to drag Jori into her offi ce and lock the door. She had managed to convince her that the boundaries of Drake's did not include the upstairs apartment, so several times they had rushed up the back stairs in each other's arms after shift, and sometimes they actually made it as far as the bedroom.

Realizing she was staring at Jori, Sawyer forced her eyes to the notebook resting on her knee. "I need to make a few changes * 181 *

to next weekend's schedule." She fl ipped through several pages.

"Vesticom Enterprises wants to have a management brunch here on Friday. So I'm going to need some of you earlier than usual."

A couple of the servers volunteered right away and Sawyer made a note. Some of the college students always wanted as many hours as they could get, especially during the summer.

"Okay. I'll have a schedule up tomorrow morning. They want to see a menu by Wednesday, so Jori and Brady, please stick around for a few minutes. Everyone else is free to go."

When the others had left, Sawyer moved to the table where Brady and Jori sat. She scanned the ideas she'd jotted during her meeting with the Vesticom representative.

"Guys, I really want this to go well. We got good word of mouth from the mayor's benefi t, and I'd like to see us get more corporate attention. That's why I agreed to open early for this brunch even though they don't have enough people to reserve the entire dining room."

"Are we even making enough to cover the servers'

salaries?"

Sawyer had sensed Brady's skepticism from the moment she'd introduced the topic. "Barely," she reluctantly admitted.

"Does Erica know about this?"

"Erica's not here." It probably wasn't fair to leave Erica out of this decision, but in the face of Erica's continuing doubt about her abilities, Sawyer was beginning to feel like she had something to prove. And for perhaps the fi rst time, she actually wanted to prove it. She'd never cared much about excelling at any of her jobs. But she knew this brunch was a good move for Drake's and was proud of her part in pulling it together. "Think big picture, Brady. Sometimes we've got to take risks if we want the payoff.

Vesticom is big business."

"Sawyer, we're not caterers. We've got a solid reputation as a family restaurant."

"So we shouldn't aspire to more?"

* 182 *

Brady shrugged. "We are what we are. Do you plan on sticking around to back up all these aspirations after Erica returns?"

Sawyer opted for a safe answer. "Right now I'm not planning anything beyond this brunch. If we can increase our demand for private functions, we become more exclusive."

"I knew a day would come when I'd regret letting my big sister run this place," Brady mumbled, but Sawyer sensed the good-natured teasing behind his words.

"You may as well. You let your wife run your house. What's the difference?"

"Okay, smart a.s.s." He stood and headed for the kitchen. "I'll have a menu for you by this afternoon."

Jori hadn't moved. Now, her arms still crossed, she tilted her head. "Are you going to tell Erica?"

Sawyer pulled out the chair next to Jori and sat.

"Eventually."

"On Sat.u.r.day? When you can declare it a success in the same breath?"