Page 59 of Karma's Kiss

“I was about to leave.”

“No, no, take a seat. Where do you think you’re rushing off to?” He laughs.

I wave a hand down my sweaty tank top and biker shorts. “I need to finish my run.”

His eyes practically bug out of his head. “Run?!In this heat? No, I think you’re better off having another one of those.” He points to my empty beer then motions for Doc and raises four fingers. “Four more Coronas, Doc, and put ’em on Sawyer’s tab!” Hunter winks at Sawyer, but Sawyer doesn’t say a word. He’s standing just off to the side of our group, not looking at me.

David groans as he stands. “Make it three, boys. Wish I could stay, but I’m headed to Lindsey’s parents’ house. My wife’ll have my head if I’m late.”

Hunter doesn’t protest David’s departure like he does mine. “Scratch that! Three Coronas, Doc!”

“Quit your hollering and come order at the bar,” barks Doc. Clearly, he’s had enough.

I hide my smile as David pats my shoulder. “I’ll see you. If you change your mind, you’re welcome to join us for dinner.”

Then he walks off with Hunter, and Sawyer and I are left in tense silence. Though I’m tempted to stand and finish the second half of my run, I don’t want to concede this victory to him. If he feels awkward thenheshould be the one to leave. I’m perfectly able to sit at Doc’s and enjoy a Corona with Hunter. I like Hunter; he’s never banished me from his family’s vineyard.

I chance a quick peek in Sawyer’s direction and find he’s looking devastatingly handsome. What’s new? He’s wearing a black Starlight Vineyards t-shirt and jeans, and his brown hair is a little sweaty; he must have just come from work. He’s crossed his arms and his gaze is intently focused on the creek. It’s like I’m not even here.

Hunter comes slinking back with the beers, limes already squeezed into them. He sees Sawyer standing behind his chair and laughs. “Just going to hover there like an idiot?”

Sawyer shoots him a lethal glare then wrenches one of the bottles out of his hands and takes a seat in the chair farthest from mine. If he could sit on the other side of the deck and still talk to Hunter—and only Hunter—he would.

I look toward the creek and, almost instantaneously, I feel Sawyer’s gaze on me.

Ah.So that’s how it’s going to be. We’re playing some game here and I don’t like it. I don’t know the rules or the objective, but he’s twisting my stomach into a knot and I know this second beer is going to go down even faster than the first.

“Some weather we’re having, huh?” Hunter notes.

Neither of us replies.

“That Astros game was pretty crazy last night. Stayed up way too late watching it.”

We do nothing but lift our beers to our mouths.

“I had a dream last night that I was on a pirate ship and Denzel Washington was the captain.”

I’m helpless but to laugh.

“Denzel Washington?” I remark.

He leans forward, glad he got a reaction out of me. “Yes.Remember the TitansDenzel, but also he had the beard and hair of the guy inPirates of the Caribbean.” He shudders like the image doesn’t sit right with him. “Weird dream, man. What about y’all? You guys have any good dreams?”

He’s really scraping the bottom of the barrel here for conversation topics, so I’m surprised when Sawyer actually replies, “Madison was in my dream last night.”

Excuse me?I sit up straight, beer practically sputtering out of my mouth.

“Oh, really? Was she a pirate captain too?” Hunter jokes.

Sawyer’s brown eyes pierce mine.

“No.”

This one word is all he has to say about the matter. Infuriating.

“You’re not going to elaborate?” I ask, breaking the invisible wall and talking to him directly for the first time since he arrived.

He shrugs, unbothered and arrogant.

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