Page 26 of Searching Blind

The emotions swirling through her now were just as potent, if not more so. This was real. He was real, and so was their connection. And if his desperate grip on her was anything to go by, she wasn’t the only one who felt it.

The kiss deepened, taking on a life of its own as Sawyer’s fingers slid into her hair, cradling her head. Her body trembled in response as his lips moved languidly over hers, his tongue seeking hers with a gentle urgency that left no room for doubt about his feelings or intentions. It was a slow dance of desire and intimacy that sent waves of delicious heat pulsing through her body.

Finally pulling away, he rested his forehead against hers, breath mingling with hers in the early morning air. “I’ve wanted to do that for a long time.”

“Why didn’t you?”

He was quiet for a moment, a small frown furrowing his brow as he seemed to gather his thoughts. “Because you were in pain, Lucy. You were hurting and traumatized, and the last thing you needed was me complicating things. And...” He exhaled a soft, sad laugh, his fingers absently tracing circles on her back. “I thought you could do better than me. I don’t exactly have a lot to offer a woman like you.”

She sat back, pulling away enough to look into his face. His features were soft in the growing light, but there was a deep sadness in his pale blue eyes.

She reached up to cup his face in her hands. She wanted to tell him that he was wrong. She wanted to tell him that he was enough, more than enough for her. He was one of the strongest, kindest, most beautiful people she had ever known, and she didn’t want better. She wanted him.

But the words stuck in her throat. All she could manage was his name.

“Sawyer,” she said softly.

“Yeah?” His voice was a low rasp that sent shivers down her spine.

“I…”

“Lucy, it’s okay,” he interrupted before she could push out the confession. He brushed a thumb against her cheekbone in a comforting stroke. “We’ve got time.”

But they didn’t. Not with Mother Nature trying to kill them at every turn. And not with a killer among their ragtag group of survivors.

They could both die up here.

She should tell him how she felt and make sure he knew how special he was. She should kiss him again, kiss him like there was no tomorrow because there very well might not be.

She opened her mouth to speak, but a voice cut her off.

“Hey, Lucy? Sawyer?”

They broke apart abruptly and turned toward Grant. The guy stood in the open doorway of the tower, the lamplight from inside making his silhouette fuzzy. “Sorry to interrupt,” he said sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. “But I found something you’ll want to see.”

Lucy tamped down a surge of annoyance at the interruption. She had no right to be annoyed. She and Sawyer weren’t alone up here, and this wasn’t the ideal place for... whatever that was.

She got to her feet and grabbed the blanket that had slipped off her shoulders during the kiss. Funny, she hadn’t even felt the cool morning air until that moment.

Sawyer also stood slowly, his expression unreadable as he made his way toward Grant using the rail of the balcony as a guide. “What is it?”

Grant hesitated a beat, then held out a wallet.

Lucy took it and turned it over in her hands. It was thin, made to hold only a few cards. The soft leather was a pale peach color. Definitely feminine.

“What is it?” Sawyer asked again.

“A wallet.” She flipped it open and pulled out the first card she found. A credit card in the name of Amaya Thomas. “Wait. Is this Maya’s?”

Grant nodded and glanced over his shoulder, back inside the cabin. Everyone was sleeping except for Ethan, but the grumpy man was at the radio again, trying to get it to work, and not paying them any attention.

Still, Grant moved further out onto the balcony and swung the door shut behind him. “I found it in her backpack. I was looking to see if she had any contact numbers for emergencies… and I found that stuck inside the lining of the bag like she wanted to hide it.”

Lucy pulled out another card— a California driver’s license in the same name as the credit card. “Didn’t she tell us her last name was Thompson?”

“She did,” Sawyer confirmed.

“Her ID says her name is Amaya Thomas, not Maya Thompson. Why would she lie about that?”

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