Page 34 of Inarticulate

Until you.

You took away the game. There was no champion. No score. You tied me to the bed with invisible strings and made me yearn for emotion I never thought I’d wanted.

Can’t you see how profound that is?

Now that you’re gone, I wish I could go back and change everything. I’d beg for any sort of different outcome. Maybe I should’ve informed you of the truth from the start. Or I could’ve stayed away from you entirely, never having experienced any of those moments in time.

I would never give up what we shared, but I’d do anything to spare you the hurt.

Anything, Savannah.

If I knew back then what I know now, I never would’ve let the lies fester. But hindsight is a marvelous thing, and unfortunately, I don’t have the liberty to go back and change my mistakes.

Please let me make up for them instead.

Give me another chance.

Keenan

Chapter Thirteen

Savannah awokethe next morning to the sound of her suite door clicking shut. The bed was empty beside her. Keenan had left.

She could’ve run after him and asked if he wanted to share breakfast with her, but the non-existent farewell was better. She’d become blindsided last night. He’d hooked her, distracting her with pleasure and enamoring her with affection.

More than twice.

The man may be silent but he made up for it with virility and enthusiasm.

She hadn’t wanted to encourage feelings for him. This was only sex with an expiration date. But as she’d watched him sleep during the early hours, her chest had done an uncomfortable throbby thing that announced she had no control over any of this.

She was too intrigued by the hidden parts of him and too ravenous for his touch.

With a groan, she rolled onto her stomach and reached for her cell on the bedside table. Two missed calls and a message.

Dominic: Mom called to warn me that Penny is on the warpath this morning. Apparently, she was trying to contact Keenan at home and suspects he spent the night with you. I hope she’s wrong. He’s a great guy, Savvy, but you’ll only get hurt.

No, she wouldn’t. Penny’s pathetic existence was the only one in the firing line. If the woman didn’t back off on her own, Savannah would do something to ensure she did.

Savannah: Don’t worry about me. I’m staying out of trouble.

It wasn’t a lie. She knew where things stood with Keenan. There was no future, no commitment, no exclusivity. She had erected clear emotional boundaries… Well, she would. It was on the top of her to-do list—emotionally detach yourself from silent and mysterious lover.

They both knew where they stood. Keenan hadn’t left a note or text message to say goodbye because it wasn’t necessary. They were two adults with heightened attraction issues they were trying to get out of their system.

Nothing more. Nothing less.

Unfortunately, she spent the next twenty-four hours with her head in the clouds anyway. While floating on a euphoric high, she convinced two more employees to rescind their resignation and return to work. The short Internet promotional campaign she’d organized with marketing had increased occupation rates until settlement and Mr. Rydel was openly pleased with her success.

She began chatting with staff on a personal level, gaining their friendship. For the first time on her Seattle excursion, it wasn’t all work and no play. She was in control, and damn, it felt good.

The next morning she skipped her room-service breakfast and sat at one of the many vacant tables in the hotel restaurant.

“Morning, Ms. Hamilton. What can I get for you?”

Savannah met the blue eyes of the young waitress and tried to remember her name. The woman was a single mother with a fifteen-month-old son. She still lived with her parents and last week had openly shed tears over the threat of losing her job.

The more time Savannah spent learning the individual stories of each employee, the more adamant she was to create a smooth transition into settlement. Penny be damned. “Please, call me Savannah.”

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