Page 3 of Saving Sarah (Blissful Bets)

“I have to go. Sarah leaned over toward the wall to grab her purse. She knew she shouldn’t have come out tonight. Something kept nagging at her. Why didn’t she listen to her intuition? What was she going to do now? Could she avoid him long enough for him to return to wherever he came from? All she knew was that she needed to flee, and fast.

“If he hurt her, I want to know,” Stephen said with a low growl from across the table.

Stunned, she looked up. “No, it’s not what you think. It wasn’t like that at all, not what you’re implying, anyway. We went to high school and dated for a while. Let’s just say things didn’t end well.”

“I’m sorry. If I would have known, I never would have said anything,” Brandon whispered.

“It’s fine, really. I have to go.”

Sarah stood up swiftly, only to stand eye level with a very large chest. She didn’t even have to guess who it might be. “Fuck,” she whispered shakily to herself. She closed her eyes, slowing her breathing. She would not show him how scared she felt.

“Hello, Sarah.”

A rough finger brought her chin up so she stared directly into Devon’s eyes. The light gray color penetrated into her very soul until she thought she’d surely break into a thousand pieces. Renewed pain fluttered through her chest. He looked so different, yet not. The soft features of boyhood were long gone, transformed into the most gorgeous face she’d ever seen. The thought of what he’d turned into made her heart break even more. She’d missed it all.

Angry at the sensations filling her body, she slapped his hand away from her face. Words wouldn’t come, but he didn’t have a problem figuring out the unspoken thoughts running through her head. He immediately put his hand down.

“You look more beautiful than I remember. How have you been?”

The hoarseness of his voice somehow invisibly caressed her skin. Her traitorous body leaned in his direction until they weren’t more than an inch away from each other.

“I’ve been great. Never better. You?”

A pained looked passed his features only for a split second, but it was enough to make her stomach flip multiple times. She couldn’t ignore how she wasn’t the only one affected by their past.

“Fine, I guess.”

“Great.” Sarah put on a fake smile, trying to find her way around him. “Well, have fun tonight. I was just leaving.”

“Don’t leave,” he whispered. Softly, his hand wrapped around her arm, immobilizing her. Heat rushed to her very core. Trembling immediately took over her body. The panicky feeling rushed back through her until she couldn’t breathe.

The sound of glass breaking caused everyone to spin around. Melissa stood there, staring at them angrily. Sarah wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry. Melissa, being closer to her age, was the only one who personally knew Devon and their situation. And the girl was a force to be reckoned with when she was pissed.

“You son of a bitch.” She stalked forward, her red hair flying out behind her. “Get the hell away from my friend. Don’t you think you’ve hurt her enough? Do you have any idea what she went through when you just disappeared?”

Her friend barely came to his upper stomach. With her hands, she pushed him back, and embraced Sarah.

“Stay the hell away from her, or…or, I’ll kick your ass myself.”

Brandon stood up, but Devon put up his hand for him to sit down. “You were always a feisty little thing, Melissa. I’m sorry about what happened with Sarah, but I didn’t come back to cause trouble. I’m actually moving back.”

Melissa’s face turned almost as red as her hair. She started to advance toward him when Sarah quickly grabbed her arm. “Moving back? Are you serious? Amazing. You know…you had responsibilities here before you left.”

“Melissa, that’s enough,” Sarah whispered. “I’m fine, really. I was just leaving. It seems I have a date with a very good-looking blond.”

Confused, she turned in the direction of where Sarah pointed her finger. The anger left her face as a smile began to form. Her friend raised an eyebrow at Devon appearing to say, look what you lost out on. “Ah, I see. Well, you have fun tonight. Be careful and call me when you get home.”

Sarah took one last look at the man who broke her heart and walked over to her original bet. She needed this more than ever. The last person she wanted to think about was Devon. If she went home alone, she’d be up all night trying to figure out the reasons for his desertion. It was pointless. Instead, she’d block him out the only way she knew how, by Bets.

Approaching, she ate up the man’s powerful appearance. Damn, he was something else. Even with his clothes on, she could see how built his body was. She took a deep breath and extended her hand. “Hi, I’m Sarah.”

The blond beamed an impressive smile at her. He had full lips, a square chin, and the greenest eyes she’d ever seen. “I’m Gavin, nice to meet you,” he said, bringing her fingers to his lips. The surprise at how powerful his effect was had her body coming alive. “I saw you earlier and thought you were coming over here, but you left.”

“My friend needed to ask me something. It was no big deal. So, I’m not usually so rushed, but I really want to get out of here. I thought maybe I would ask you a question.”

He cocked his head to the side, staring intently into her face. She couldn’t help but bite her bottom lip as heat coursed through her body. His sweet-smelling breath brushed her face as he leaned in closer. “Shoot. What would you like to know?”

Whatever Sarah was going to ask vanished the moment she looked into his gaze. With every second that slipped by, the green color seemed to intensify, captivating her. “Wow, you have beautiful eyes.” The connection she felt toward him jolted through her body. Something about this man fascinated her and eased the pain from Devon. Yes, Gavin was definitely what she needed.

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