Page 77 of Inarticulate

She raised a fuck-you brow and laughed. “Not gonna happen.”

Her strut was calculated as she walked toward the function room—equal parts determination and independence that slowly dwindled at the sound of following footsteps. She entered the silence of the large, open area and prepared for battle as she turned.

“How dare you?”

Keenan raised a superior brow along with his cell screen—If I’d known you’d called your boyfriend in to save you, I wouldn’t have bothered.

“He’s my boss.” She ignored his jealousy, even though she itched to bathe in it, to lick it off her skin like honey. “Who I’m sure you already met during the negotiation of sale.”

He laughed, the silent movement taunting. His hand rose between them, his middle and index fingers both intimately crossed. “Close,” he mouthed.

“Yeah.” She nodded. “Just as close as you and Penny.”

He shook his head, denying the facts that had already been proven without doubt.

“I told you to stay out of my life. It wasn’t a difficult request.”

His eyes narrowed, the tension in his posture coiling tighter and tighter.

“And I guess this means I need to repay you now.”

His lips curved, his smile far from friendly. There was calculation in his gaze, a look that spoke of possession and passion. He raised a brow, questioning her cluelessness, telling her exactly how he wanted to be compensated, precisely how she should go about reimbursement.

“If your help comes with strings…”

What? Would she reject the offer? Would she shove it back in his face and tell the Grandiosity staff to leave? Of course not. She was indebted to him and wasn’t sure if she truly loathed the possibility of repayment.

“No strings.” He held up his hands in mock surrender and backtracked, his seductive demeanor leaving without her permission. His sure steps put aching distance between them, his final glance calculating, before he turned and made for the lobby.

Shit.“Wait.” She needed to apologize. To take back her bitterness and show her appreciation for him saving her behind. In mere hours, he’d done what she hadn’t been able to pull off in days. Even weeks. It was everything else that made her psychotically bitchy—Penny’s presence, lack of sleep, the buildup of stress, the pleasured memories of last night’s kiss.

He didn’t stop, didn’t falter in his sure stride as he left her on the periphery of the excited conversations coming from the lobby to sulk in her own childishness. He only gave her a wicked view of his sexy jean-covered ass, and a heavy dose of temptation to make her all the more grumpy.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Savannah leftAmanda to oversee the wedding at the back of the function room, and bumped the swinging kitchen door with her hip, exposing the stainless steel and tiled area in all its chaos. “Tell me what to do and I’ll do it.”

She’d flittered from one job to the next all day, determined to keep herself moving so she didn’t slump into an exhausted heap. For everyone else, the night was running smoothly. Guests were seated, listening to the besotted groom wax lyrical about his glowing bride. Spencer hadn’t lifted a finger since Penny and Keenan had returned earlier in the night. Her ex had discovered that chatting up her cousin made for an excuse to get out of the workload and probably thought it was the perfect strategy to make Savannah jealous.

The only thing poking at the green-eyed monster was the seductive grin Keenan currently gave to a giggling Rydel housekeeper who was posing as a waitress. Apparently, they both knew sign language, which seemed to spark a looming happily ever after for the woman who kept batting her lashes at the eligible bachelor.

“Start serving guests.” A plate was pushed forward from a Grandiosity employee. “The sooner we get the meals out, the better.”

“Sure.” Savannah grasped the porcelain and pushed past the swinging door into the dimly lit function room. She followed the line of Grandiosity wait staff leading to the table being served. Everywhere she turned there were smiling faces—the bride, the groom, guests, even Amanda.

They’d succeeded.

They’d pulled it off. And tomorrow she would celebrate. Tomorrow, when her feet weren’t throbbing and her head wasn’t filled with cement, she would let her hair down and focus on a way to apologize to Keenan. After hours contemplating an amicable, professional way to approach him, she’d come up with nothing. Instead, she’d become an automaton, striding back and forth from the kitchen, serving guest after guest, while she punished herself with the image of him flirting with the hired help.

Time passed without meaning, each speech fading into the next until she glanced up from placing the final dessert bowl on the far back table and sucked in a breath at the man staring at her from his leaned position against the entrance doorway.

She lowered her focus, convinced it was a coincidence they’d both spied each other at the same time, only to be proven wrong when she lifted her gaze again. He hadn’t moved, hadn’t quit staring at her with his arms crossed over his chest, his shirt sleeves folded, and his attention decimating the final vestiges of her strength.

Mentally, she crumpled. She lost coherence under the spell of his eyes. Then with the next inhalation everything rushed back—her energy, her memories, even her desire. She walked toward him, eager to get her apology over and done with while he was finally alone.

“Hey.” She gave him a half-hearted smile and kept her voice low. “The wedding was a success…”

He inclined his head, his expression blank as he took in the room.

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