Page 79 of Say Yes to the Death

“That’s amazing. But you own Sanctum, don’t you? How do you have time to run the day-to-day?”

“I have a business manager, Jill. She handles all that stuff.” He glanced up at the sky and wiped something off his cheek. “I think we’re about to get rained on. If you’re up for it, I think we should have another class next week and start moving to physical defense.”

He gathered their empty bowls and tossed them in a nearby trash can.

“Oh, I am beyond ready to kick some ass,” Claire said, slinging her purse over her shoulder and detangling Rosie from the table.

“Let’s get you back to your car.”

Claire shielded her electronic devices in her purse, and they began to walk back, their pace more leisurely than a couple caught in the rain should be. A quarter mile from the Sanctum building, the rain turned from a minor shower to a downpour.

She dug through the purse with one hand as they ran. Where the hell was her travel umbrella? Pre-abduction Claire would have checked the forecast three times already today and been prepared for any kind of weather. Barney had taken so much from her. She wouldn’t stand for it. Just as soon as she got in the car and made sure the rain didn’t fry her phone.

Dozens of people ran off the streets into the safety of shops and vehicles.

They both ran, sprinting for shelter. It felt good to run. She was strong, she was fast, and she was capable.

Or at least she was until she tripped on a crack in the sidewalk and fell magnificently, landing on her hands and knees.

“Oh, God, ow. No, go on without me. You can still make it!” She swiped a hand across her forehead, where her hair was matted to her face. Of course she hadn’t thought to apply her waterproof mascara today. Another strike against the woefully unprepared, current-day Claire.

Sawyer ignored her pleas and scooped her up into his arms. His neck was slippery, and she fought to hold on. He gripped Rosie’s leash in his other hand and ran them under the awning of the Sanctum building.

“You can put me down.” Claire laughed, squirming slightly in his arms. His breaths were even and slow, not like the ragged ones that racked her lungs. She really needed to start running again. Stalkers be damned.

He set her down, and Claire limped over to a pillar to catch her breath. Her hands and knees stung where they had hit the pavement.

Sawyer’s shirt now clung to his impressive physique.

“Let me see your hands,” he asked, gently turning them palms-up. He stroked his thumbs over her palms in a confusingly tender gesture. Her heart beat anxiously in her chest.

Sawyer was the polar opposite of Luke. It wasn’t just that he was kind and respectful, or that he had saved her life. His eyes distinctly reminded her of her childhood cat’s, and they crinkled kindly around the edges. He was truthful, straightforward, and tender. He even complimented her work. She could tell in her bones that when it came to Sawyer, what you saw was what you got. What a refreshing change of pace.

“Are you hurt?” he asked, moving his hands from her wrists to her cheek.

“No,” she said, even as her palms stung. The heat from his hand warmed her.

They stood there for a moment. The rain beat a staccato rhythm on the awning. Why was this awkward? It shouldn’t be awkward. They were just two friends—acquaintances, really—with a scheduled appointment.

Sawyer swiped a thumb under her eye. “Mascara,” he explained, wiping it off on his jeans.

Her shoulders relaxed when he took a step back. “Forgot to go waterproof today. This storm came out of nowhere,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Right?” he said, scanning the street again. “That’s June for you.”

Great, now they were awkwardly small-talking. Why was it so hard to be friends with a member of the opposite sex?

Rosie chose that moment to rid her fur of excess water, shaking the entire length of her body.

Claire squealed and squeezed more water from her shirt. It spattered onto the ground. “I had better get her home,” she said, laughing nervously and gesturing to the dog. “She hates being wet.”

“No problem. So, see you same time next week?”

“Definitely.” Claire turned to go, but only got a step or two down the road when she turned back. “Sawyer?” She called from the downpour. There was no point in running. She was already soaked.

“Yeah?” He paused with one hand on the door.

“You’re coming to the field day thing this weekend, right?”

---