Page 33 of Beauty and the Bayou

He moved in closer.“Turn around.”

She did, preparing herself for his touch.It’s just your hair.It’s a braid.This isn’t sexy.

Sawyer dragged the hair elastic from her ponytail and then combed his fingers through her hair.

Yeah, she’d so been lying to herself.This was very sexy.Sawyer started at the base of her skull and raked his fingers up through her hair, rubbing along her scalp, then pulling them through her hair, tugging slightly, and Juliet felt her nipples beading.

Wow.She crossed her arms over her chest and tried to focus on…anything else.

It was impossible, of course.All she could really think about was how big Sawyer’s fingers and hands were, how the roughness of his skin caught on her hair slightly, how confident he was even when braiding hair, how he’d come over in the first place because he was concerned.

It wasn’t just his hands, either.He was standing close, obviously, his huge body right behind her, emanating heat and bigness and hardness.No, hardness and bigness didn’t seem to be things that could be emanated, but dammit, Sawyer Landry did.

As he started braiding her hair, his fingers and the backs of his hands skimmed over her neck and upper back and she knew he noticed the goose bumps.He didn’t comment, but then, he didn’t really have to, did he?She was just grateful that she didn’t actually shiver.

It didn’t bother her that Sawyer might know she was attracted to him.It was more that something as simple as having him braid her hair made her horny was a little embarrassing.

It had been a while since she’d scratched this itch.Quite a while, actually.And it wasn’t her fault that nature made women react to the big, alpha protectors with the urge to strip naked.It was just science.Yes, she was attracted to men’s minds and hearts, too.Sure she was.At least until a particularly gruff and rugged one put his big, hot hands on her and made her not care if he knew anything about anything other than all the best places to put those hands.For an hour or so.Then she’d go back to caring about the other stuff.Probably.

She felt Sawyer loop the elastic ponytail holder around the end of the braid.

“There you go.”

His voice was so deep anyway, but she could have sworn it sounded a little huskier now.

Juliet tried to pull herself together and turned to face him with a great-thanks-for-the-help smile that would hopefully cover the fact that she was nearly panting.She reached back and felt the braid.It seemed perfect.

“Thanks.I appreciate it.”

He leaned in suddenly and Juliet sucked in a quick breath.But he was simply reaching past her to grab her hard hat.He put it on her head.But his fingertips trailed down the side of her face and down her neck before he stepped back.

Okay,thathadn’t been an accident.

She blew that air out.Holy.Crap.

“How do you know how to do that?”she asked.

“I don’t know if you’ll believe me.”

An ex-girlfriend.It had to be.“Bet I will.”

“Kennedy.”

Juliet frowned.“Really?”

“Really.And I can do a lot more than French braid.”He grinned at her surprised, confused look.“Ken was a beauty queen until she was thirteen.Was in tons of pageants.”

Juliet felt her eyes growing rounder.

“She competed regularly.It was a family affair, and Josh and I not only had to listen to her practicehourson the fiddle, but we learned to do hair and makeup.”

“Wow.”This family was…just wow.

He nodded.

“She fiddles?”

“She’s awesome.”

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