Page 96 of Restrictions

I won’t do that to myself.

41

VIVIENNE

“So, he didn’t take it well?”

I shake my head as we walk along the trail of the zoo. Both Sawyer and I holding onto one of Baz’s little hands.

I didn’t tell him much in the car on the way here. I don’t want Baz to hear, but I did give him fair warning that Asher knows this is a date.

“No. He’s angry, like you said he’d be.”

Although, I don’t understand why. He doesn’t want me that way. Is it just a macho male thing? He had me first and doesn't want his friend doing the same? How is Sawyer any different from me dating a stranger? Hell, if he can be friends with Sawyer, that must make him a good man. You would think he’d want that for me.

Sawyer looks worried as he uses his free hand to brush through his unruly, sandy blond hair. He’s insanely handsome, exactly what you would expect coming from the same background as Asher and I—tall and muscular, perfectly styled hair, sharp jawline, all accentuated by expensive jeans, polo, tennis shoes, and a gold watch on his wrist.

“I should have told him.”

Part of me feels guilty that I didn’t let him, but like I told Asher, I have no idea where this is going, and I didn’t want to upset him for no reason.

And even if I don’t think he has the right to be mad, I still had the same feeling Sawyer did.

“I think he’ll cool down.”

A sexy smirk plays on Sawyer’s lips as he turns his head to glance at me. “You know him better than that.”

Baz is lost in awe as he looks around at all the animals he wants to see, and I sigh. “I do.” I keep my voice low. “But he still doesn’t have any real reason to be mad.”

Sawyer laughs, but it’s not happy, more a quiet scoff. “Yeah. He does.”

I don’t want to come between them. I know Asher has a hard time trusting people, and for whatever reason, Sawyer gained that trust over the years.

We reach the tiger cage, and Baz loses his mind, giggling excitedly when he sees a large tiger pacing the cage. He gets closer, leaving Sawyer and me a few feet away.

I nearly gasp when I feel Sawyer’s much larger hand take my own, slipping his fingers through mine. “It’ll be okay though.”

I look down at our entangled hands and then up at his face, my tongue tracing and wetting my dry lips. “I don’t want to come between you two.”

He smiles, and it’s warm as his other hand tips my chin up to look into his eyes that seem so sincere, which is odd for Sawyer. “It’s too late for that.”

I feel a sick feeling in my gut. “Please don’t say that. You’ve been friends for a long time.”

He nods as his intense gaze washes over me. “We have, but still...” My eyes are focused on his lips as he talks. “I can’t stop thinking about what it would be like to kiss you.”

My breath catches in my throat, and I feel my heart race. I haven’t felt anything close to the way Asher makes me feel with anyone else—until this moment. “I think it would be nice.”

His lips curl into that smirk I'm used to with him. “Nice, hell.” He leans in only enough to brush his lips over mine briefly. “It would be fucking incredible.”

He pulls back as Baz jumps over to us, laughing and smiling and asking for Sawyer to pick him up so he can get a better view of the tigers,which of course he does. Because Sawyer and Baz are like two peas in a pod.

A lot like Baz and Asher.

My heart squeezes, and I can’t deny the pull I feel toward Sawyer. How my thighs clenched together when he was talking about kissing me.

We continue our day at the zoo and stay until closing. Baz is completely worn-out, and by the time I get him in his car seat and buckled in my own, I turn around and the kid is out.

I turn to Sawyer, who smiles back at him and then looks at me. “Guess that’s a good sign.”

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