Lawson by Crystal Daniels
Lawson
Before heading out the door, I make sure to grab the two coffees and the container of Mom's banana nut muffins from the counter. Climbing behind the wheel of my truck, I place the drinks in the cup holders and set the muffins on the passenger seat, then pull away from my home. I drive toward Graystone Inn. It's the same destination I've taken for the past two weeks to pick up Willow. I take her to work and, at the end of the day, I drive her back. Our conversations usually don't get any deeper than casual, but I find myself simply enjoying being in her presence.
My thoughts drift back to the last girls' night Willow, Genesis, and Caroline had, bringing a smile to my face. I chuckle to myself. All of them were a little more than tipsy, and liquor turns Willow into a bit of chatterbox—also a little feisty. The way her eyes flamed and her nostrils flared at the thought of me having a hot date somewhere waiting on me, sparked something deep inside of me—like an awakening of sorts. Willow was feeling the same way I had been feeling all night long. I saw how the men in Frankie's bar couldn't take their eyes off my woman. Their lustful glances made me want to bury my fist in their faces and rip their dicks off. Because I knew what they were thinking. I was having the same thoughts when I saw her wearing that sexy as fuck dress with a low neckline. It showed every heavenly curve of her body. I was already wound up tight, so when Willow threw sass my way about Tara, it made my cock harder for her. At that moment, I wanted nothing more than to throw her over my shoulder, take her to my bed and give her a good fucking.
I roll the window down, breathe in the fresh morning air, and clear my head.
I spot Willow, like always, looking out her hotel room window. The moment she sees my truck, her face disappears, and the door opens. Parking my vehicle, I climb out and walk around to the passenger side. "Morning, beautiful." I smile at Willow and open the truck door. She tucks a strand of hair behind her ears and blushes.
"Good morning, Lawson," Willow greets in a voice like honey. I move the container of muffins and momentarily set them on the dashboard. Willow tosses her handbag onto the floorboard. "Um…I don't think I can climb into your monster of a truck and maintain my modesty." She smooths her hands over the fabric of the baby blue skirt she's wearing, paired with a simple white tank top. Goddamn, she is gorgeous. "Lawson," Willow's sweet voice saying my name has my eyes snapping to her face. Without saying a word, I grip her waist and lift her off the ground. Her eyes widen with shock as I place her feet on the step rail. For a second, Willow looks like she is about to say something but stops herself. Instead, she carefully slides onto the passenger seat and manages to keep her curvy assets hidden. She clears her throat. "Thank you."
"Anytime." I smile and close the door.
Rounding the truck's rear, I spot Walter hoisting a bag of trash into the nearby garbage bin. "How's it going, Walter?" I say, grabbing his attention.
"Hey there, Lawson. Are you here to pick up that gal of yours?" He puts the lid on the can and walks my way.
"Something like that," I reply, and shake his outstretched hand.
"Something, huh?" Walter smooths his hand down over his Fu Manchu mustache. "Either she is, or she isn't your girl." He cocks his brow at me, and I grin. Walter hums. "That's what I thought. You see, I have a nose for knowing things, and I've been keeping my eye on you and Willow these past few weeks. No man watches after a woman the way you do without feeling something for them." I look back at my truck, where Willow waits for me, then back at Walter. "Be good to that girl and don't hurt her." He pauses briefly to look past my shoulder. "Be right there, sweetheart." Looking behind me, I see Mrs. Vera standing just inside the hotel's office door. She smiles warmly at me.
"Oh, hi, Lawson."
"How are you this morning, Mrs. Vera?" I wave.
"Oh, darlin', I can't complain too much. The good Lord graced me with another sunrise. How's your momma and them?"
"The family is good, thanks for asking."
Mr. Walter clears his throat. "Well, the wife has a honey-do-list I've been working on for over a week now, so I better hop to it." Before he walks away, Walter levels me with one of those firm, fatherly stares. The kind that lets you know they mean business. "I meant what I said before. Don't hurt her. I have a feeling she's seen enough pain to last two lifetimes." His words hit like they are meant to. "Tell your dad I look forward to kicking his tail in poker Saturday night. You have a good day now and drive safely." He clasps my shoulder then walks away.
Once behind the wheel, I start the engine. Reaching over, I lift the container sitting on the dashboard and hand it to Willow, who is already sipping on the coffee I made for her. "My mom made some of that banana bread you had at the fundraiser and loved so much."
Willow pulls them off the piece of paper taped to the lid and opens the folded letter my mom left for her. "She's giving me your grandmother's recipe for banana nut bread?" I smile but say nothing, pull away from the hotel, and head toward town. "Oh my God." I look over to see her take a bite. "Fresh vanilla bean and a hint of maple syrup. That's the secret to the best tasting banana muffins." Willow takes another bite, moaning. My cock jumps at the sounds of her enjoyment. "Where are my manners? Here," Willow leans over and offers some to me. I open my mouth and take a bite, catching the tip of her finger in my mouth while doing so. Her sharp intake of air does nothing to extinguish the burning I feel for her.
Willow quickly pulls her fingers away and sits back in her seat. For the remainder of the ride, we sit in silence, both stealing glances. Too soon, I pull up in front of GiGi's, then walk around and help Willow from the truck. Her body slides down mine as I set her feet to the ground. Her eyes lock with mine then fall to my lips. The vein in her neck pulses, showing the rapid beating of her heart. I wonder if Willow notices she's having the same effect on me. I swallow hard. Fuck, I want so badly to kiss her, but I don't. "Listen. Ransom is having a get-together at his place this weekend. I'll stop by Saturday and pick you up."
"I don't know…" Willow takes a step back and looks toward the store window, where the other women are caught staring at us but quickly disappear. Willow nibbles on the bottom of her lip then sighs. "Okay."
I grin and brush the loose hair from her face, tucking it behind her ear. "I'll be here after you get off work." A minute later, I park my truck across the street beside Gideon's car. Grabbing my coffee, I walk through the front door of Gray Wolf Corp, where both friends are sitting near the back, chowing down on their breakfast. "How's it going?" I grab an empty chair from nearby and sit it down beside Ransom, who has his head cocked, studying me. "What?"
"Nothing," he jests, then pops the last piece of an apple fritter into his mouth. "Alright." Ransom wheels his chair to the left, toward his desk. He grabs a sheet of paper from the fax machine, then rolls back near Gideon and me. "Carl from Liberty Bonds, a couple of towns over, sent this earlier. He's wondering if we could help him bring Leo McCoy in."
"Are you serious?" Gideon says gruffly.
I rub my eyes. Everyone and their momma know Leo McCoy. He is nothing but a troublemaking drunk. It doesn't help that he also partakes in illegal substances. McCoy lives in a rural area, isolated from civilization, living entirely off the grid, claiming modern-day technology like electricity is sending secret signals to extraterrestrials. It could be the alcohol and drugs talking, but I think he has a few screws loose. To top it off, he's meaner than a rattlesnake. "Why isn't Carl's son handling the case?" I ask.
"Brett was injured in a car accident last week and is still unable to work," Ransom explains. "You know as well as I do if Carl could, he'd run McCoy in himself."
My friend isn't wrong. Carl ran with the best in his day until his health took a turn a few years ago, significantly slowing him down. Now he relies on his son to do all the heavy work when one of their clients skips.
"What the hell has McCoy done to get himself in trouble now?" Gideon asks.
"Possession of a controlled substance, public intoxication, and assault."
"Who'd McCoy assault?" Gideon grunts.
"He pissed on the liquor store owner who refused to sell him alcohol."
"That's nasty." I scrunch my nose.
"McCoy is our only case for the day. If we take it." Ransom looks at his watch. "We head out now; we can be back by lunch."
Almost an hour later, we're rolling up on McCoy's property. No Trespassing signs are posted everywhere, even in the foil-covered windows of his rundown camper. It's hotter than hell outside. The summer temperatures intensify the stench of garbage and beer cans littering the dilapidated, makeshift porch built out of cinderblock and wooden pallets. Not trusting the structure, only one of us steps onto the porch and knocks. Gideon pounds the side of his fist against the door then steps back.
We wait a few seconds before the door swings open, revealing an unclothed McCoy, who sways. It's not even 10:00 am yet, and the asshole is drunk. He eyes us, then points his finger. "Get the fuck off my property before I unload buckshot on your asses," he slurs.
"Shoot us with what, Leo?" Gideon folds his arms across his chest, and McCoy looks around, realizing he has nothing to back up his threat.
Ransom sighs. "You know we aren't going anywhere. So, why don't you make this easy for everyone," Ransom tells him.
McCoy takes a staggering step forward, putting the three of us on guard. "Fuck you."
I knew McCoy wouldn't make this easy. He claps his hands together, hops on the balls of his feet, then grins. "You'll have to catch me first." McCoy takes off running. To where, I have no clue; there is no place for him to hide out here.
"Son of a bitch," Gideon growls as we watch him zigzag around the property, not knowing which direction he wants to run.
"Rock paper, scissors. Loser gets to bring him back," I say, knowing not one of us wants to manhandle a naked man.
A drunk McCoy laughs manically. "You're it, and you can kiss my ass." He turns around and bends over, flashing us his leather cheerio.
The three of us face each other. And like we have so many times in our lives, throw our fists out and see who wins or loses. Paper, rock, rock. Gideon grins, then takes a step back, leaving Ransom and me to battle it out. Rock, rock. Shit. We go again. Paper, scissors. "Fuck."
"Have fun." Gideon nods toward the naked asshole still running around the yard like a chicken with its head cut off.
"You assholes suck," I grumble.
Hours later,I'm out here at Ransom's home gathered around a fire pit with a beer in my hand, as the women laugh along while listening to the guys retell how I chased and tackled McCoy's wet, naked ass to the ground. The asshole darted around the property like the idiot that he is, taunting me. Then a brief summer downpour let loose from the heavens. "You should have seen it." Ransom laughs so hard he has to catch his breath. "Lawson tackled McCoy with so much force they slid a couple yards, covering them both in mud. McCoy was squealing like a stuck pig."
"Leo is going to be pissing sideways after that kick to the balls you gave him." Gideon shakes his head and downs his beer.
"After we hosed him down and found his drunk ass a pair of shorts, the fucker stood there and pissed on my boot—he fucking pissed on me." I try acting serious, but even I can't deny the humor in the situation. Besides, seeing Willow smiling and giggling at my misfortune makes it all worth it.
"I'd paid good money to have watched Lawson wrestle Leo McCoy," Caroline laughs.
"Who wants to take a dip in the pool?" Genesis sets her wine glass down and stands.
"Me." Caroline bounces from her seat.
"Come on, Willow." Genesis looks at her shy friend.
"No, that's okay. I don't have a bathing suit anyway."
"No problem. I'm sure I have one you can use." Genesis smiles at her, and Willow frowns. Genesis takes Willow by the hand and pulls her from her chair. She whispers something to her friend, and whatever she says makes Willow smile.
Willow's eyes dart to mine briefly before she follows her friends into the house.
I hear Gideon's throat clear. "So, you and Willow, huh?" I shrug and drink my beer. "Never thought I'd see the day Lawson Masterson and his bachelor ways would meet a woman strong enough to take him down." I get lost in the flickering flames of the fire and mull over my friend's words for a moment. "You going to lock her down?" Gideon asks.
"I'm taking my time with Willow. Something tells me she's not quite ready for things to go past the friend zone. My gut tells me she's hiding something, and that's why she's closed off." I pause for a second before finishing. "I'm not going to lie, Willow makes me want things I never wanted before," I don't hesitate in confessing.
"Well, all I can say is that I'm happy for you." Ransom raises his beer at me, then looks at Gideon. "One more to go."
Gideon shakes his head. "I'm too fucked up for love," he says, his tone cold. His mood instantly shifts from easy-going to dark as his thoughts take him elsewhere. Gideon reaches into his pocket and pulls out a pack of cigarettes. Bending down, he brings his face close to the flames of the fire we are standing around and lights up a smoke. Ransom and I share a look. Gideon struggles with demons. Out of all of us, his life was never easy. But it's his story to tell. Our job as friends is to be there for him and walk beside him when he needs help. Ransom and I don't say anything more on the subject. The three of us fall silent, listening to the wood crackle and burn.
"Jesus, how the fuck did I get so damn lucky?" I look from the fire to Ransom, whose attention is fixed on something behind me, and I turn around.
The pool is lit in a tranquil blue glow from the underwater lights, and the women wade into the water, dressed in their swimsuits. My eyes fix on Willow as she is the last one out of the back door. She shuffles to the edge of the pool, wearing a towel around her body.
"Come on, Willow. I swear there is nothing better than a late-night dip on a hot summer night." Caroline splashes water at Willow's feet.
I continue watching my woman. She takes a deep breath then lets the towel clutched to her chest drop. I swear to all that is holy, I forget how to breathe. My heart is thumping a thousand miles a minute as I drink in the sight of Willow in a black two-piece halter-top bikini, showing off the body I already knew she possesses. Only God himself can create a creature as perfect as her.
Willow turns her head, looking my way. I don't bother hiding the way my eyes scan her body, and she notices. Her cheeks are red with a blush when my attention goes back to her face. "Get your ass in here already!" Caroline shouts.
"Goddamn," Gideon grunts, and I face him. My skin flashes with heated jealousy because I know his comment is about Willow. He looks at me with a shit-eating grin. "Take it easy. No disrespect. I know she's taken."
Taking a step back, Willow closes her eyes and smiles. Then, instead of gracefully entering the pool, she cannonballs, bringing a grin to my face. "Damn right she's mine."