Page 20 of Inarticulate

“I’m trying to save you from the inevitable crash and burn that is my sister. We both know what she’s capable of.”

“I don’t believe this.” She shoved her hands in her jacket pockets and shook her head. “You’re treating me like a whore.”

“That’s not my intention.” His tone was unconvincing. “Whatever you do is your choice, Savvy. But whether you decide to leave or stay, you might want to think about re-buckling your pants so it doesn’t look like you’ve been fucking Keenan in the bushes.”

Blood drained from her face as he gave her one last knowing look and then strode away. The potency of humiliation made bile rise in her throat and she tugged the sides of her jacket together, hiding her lowered zipper from view. She’d never felt so cheap or worthless. Fury mingled, too.

She refused to take responsibility for what happened tonight. Yes, the past was her fault. She’d kissed a guy her much younger cousin had fallen for. She hadn’t even apologized. But surely there had to be a time limit on holding a grudge over mistakes made by children. They’d been in school, for God’s sake.

“I guess I’ll see you around, then,” she called after Dominic.

He paused, shot her an apologetic smile and then kept on walking.Fuck.This was humiliation at its finest. The unmistakable bite of rejection nipped at her heels.

She stormed to her car, her chin high, her shoulders straight. She yanked her car door open and sank into the driver’s seat. After all these years, Penny was still a little brat. Nothing had changed. Not even Savannah’s desire to kiss a man she knew her cousin was infatuated with. Which reminded her… She shoved a hand into her back pocket and grasped the piece of paper Keenan had placed there.

Meet me for dinner tomorrow at the Sated Palate. 8pm.

She stared at his messy scribble and couldn’t pinpoint why her heart rate increased. Her feelings for this man she barely knew were crazy. Delirious. Unhinged. She felt tingly for the first time in years, but now those sensations were becoming clouded by guilt.

She glanced through the driver’s window and found Keenan focused on her. The narrowed intensity of his gaze splashed her with a bucket of delight. She shuddered, from her shoulders to her toes, every inch of her skin restless because of those eyes that spoke of an unsettling future. He was fixated on her, not Penny at his side. He didn’t even spare her cousin a glance as his severity rocked Savannah’s foundations.

Come talk to me, she mouthed the words nonsensically.

Christ, what was she thinking? He wasn’t the typical, everyday man. He was someone far more intricate. Someone who couldn’t ease her discomfort with conversation.

She raised a hand, waved in farewell, and didn’t wait for his reply as she jammed the keys into the ignition and brought the engine to life.

Maybe Dominic was right. Removing herself from the Keenan equation might be the best option. All she had to do was convince the pulsing parts of her body there couldn’t be an encore tomorrow.

No matter how much body parts south of the equator protested at the thought.

Email

Date: 20thDecember

Subject: Do you remember the first night we met?

Savannah,

I’m not poetic or romantic. I’m barely civil most days, but you nudged at those frozen parts of me and made me wonder what it would be like to be different.

From the first night we met, you captivated me with your non-bullshit attitude. You infuriated me, yet with equal ferocity, you intrigued me. I couldn’t ignore you, no matter how much I wanted to. There was too much fire and enthusiasm in your hazel eyes.

Your infatuation was worse.

No other woman has looked at me like a puzzle strewn across the floor, waiting to be pieced together. I’ve always been seen as a completed picture—a skewed image that would forever be a shitty addition to a flawless collection. My faults make others feel better about themselves.

But not you. You never showed superiority over me. Not even at your worst. I only witnessed your affection and eventually your anger that hid the heartache.

I admit, the night of the bonfire wasn’t my first mistake when it came to you, it just feels like one of my biggest. I was annoyed that you’d stayed on my mind all week. It was out of character for me to let a woman control any piece of me. Yet you did without even being present. Then you showed up in your rental car, completely impeccable in casual clothes and no make-up, and set the bar for beauty without even knowing it.

Leading you inside, kissing you, seducing you, it was impulsive. It was a mistake. If only I’d denied the carnality that always seemed to drag us under, things never would’ve become this complicated.

While you were in the bathroom, I escaped to the back door, grasped the handle, and contemplated leaving you to find your own way to the bonfire. It would’ve saved a lot of pain if I did. I knew there was no future for us. Nothing apart from gratification.

Only I couldn’t deny wanting to taste every inch of you, touch every nerve, and inhale every one of those feminine gasps that made my cock pulse. I wanted to own you. To consume you the same way you were consuming me.

The fury was overwhelming as I held that door handle. I hated the effect you had on my libido. Worse was the response from more emotional parts of my body. I would’ve killed to come to your defense when Penelope insulted you. To be your knight in shining armor, as it were. But how? Through pantomime? That would’ve been fucking hilarious, right?

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