Page 40 of Freeing Savannah

Slowly, she came back into herself, and her eyes opened. She caught him staring at her and a rosy hue rose to her cheeks. She dipped her head, but he stopped her with a finger under her chin.

“Don’t ever hide yourself from me. You have never been more beautiful.”

“Sawyer,” she said on a breathy exhale.

“Feeling better?” he asked.

She laughed full out, and the sound settled deep inside him. “Absolutely.”

“Good. Time for bed.”

“What about you?” she asked, glancing down at the bulge in his pants.

“What about me?” he returned. “That was just for you. It’s been another long day. You’re tired and we have an early flight. Let's get some rest.”

“You’ll stay?” she asked with a note of vulnerability in her voice.

“I’ll stay. I don’t want to be anywhere else.”

Savannah changed out of her gown and into a pair of silk shorts and a tiny camisole that made his mouth go dry while he stripped down to his boxers. They weren’t a matching set like Kandy had thought. Together, they climbed into the luxuriousbed. She settled against him, her arm across his stomach while his was wrapped around her back and he made lazy circles on her bare shoulder. He couldn’t help but marvel at the softness of her skin.

He was in bed with Savi. He was in bed with Savi after having just made her come. If he’d told his fifteen-year-old self this would happen, would he have believed it? He always knew there was something special between them. And now, having touched her, kissed her, watched her shatter, he wanted to kick himself for letting so much time elapse before they’d found each other again.

“Sawyer?” she whispered, and he felt the puff of air float across his chest.

“Yeah?”

“For the first time in forever, I’m happy.”

He smiled, his heart giving a leap. “I’m glad. This is just the start of happy days for you.”

“I hope so.”

He kissed her forehead. “I know so.”

A sigh escaped her lips, a slow, contented exhale as her breathing slowed and sleep claimed her. Voodoo held her as she slept, vowing to never let her go again.

The text from Haley came through while he slept.

Water bottle shows traces of ipecac syrup, if you can believe it. Very old school. Nothing caught on cameras.

Savannah had been intentionally poisoned, and they had no idea who the culprit was. This whole situation just escalated. The sweet, almost intoxicating taste of Savi coursed through him. He wasn’t about to let some shadowy figure harm her.

CHAPTER 14

The Segah Ballroomin the Four Season Hotel in the heart of Baku, Azerbaijan shimmered with gold-leafed opulence and imported chandeliers, but Savannah barely noticed. She stood with a crystal flute of water in her hand, her third of the night, ignoring the champagne tray that passed by. Her dress, a fitted sapphire gown with delicate beadwork, clung to her like an elegant shell. Beautiful, yet claustrophobic.

They had just finished another stellar performance on the grand stage of the Azerbaijan State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater. Her own performance had gone better than she’d expected, given her exhaustion. But her fingers had remembered every note, her energy had been high, and her nerves had been at a minimum. She attributed her newfound enthusiasm entirely to Sawyer.

And the orgasm he’d helped her achieve.

Yet here, under the calculated gaze of politicians and foreign dignitaries, she felt a different pressure mounting. Small talk was not her forte, as she’d pathetically learned over the past week and a half.You’re not a diplomat. You’re a solo pianist.She repeated the thought like a mantra, trying to slow hernervous thoughts. Solo being the operative word, her chosen profession was a solitary pursuit.

The lessons in diplomacy the Senator had tried to drill into her obviously never took. Consequently, these events proved to be exceptionally challenging for her, marked by moments of frustration and self-doubt. She found herself overwhelmed with the weight of expectation pressing down on her. The constant pressure, the bitter taste of failure, it all left her feeling defeated.

A translator from the cultural ministry smiled politely and leaned in to whisper something, but she barely caught it. Her head ached. The room buzzed with a dozen languages. Every camera seemed pointed in her direction. And she wanted to scream.

She looked for Sawyer. His presence always steadied her, but he was currently across the room near the security detail, eyes sweeping the exits. Focused and alert, as always.

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