Page 30 of Saving Sarah (Blissful Bets)

Sarah looked at the redhead and tried to control her anger. “And if you are, then what, Melissa?”

“Then nothing, but how? I feel like I’m missing something. You’ve known these guys for what, five minutes? Now they’re your entourage? Why not stay with me or Ev? Why risk this,” she said, gesturing her hand toward Devon, again? He hurt you,” she whispered, her pain showing on her face.

“Melissa.” Sarah fought the tears in her eyes. “You have to know I loved him. I still do. Love like that never truly dies.”

She grew quiet so long the food arrived. Sarah was surprised Devon, most of all, remained quiet throughout their conversation. He usually stood up to people who spoke their minds so easily. Especially, to her.

“So, tell me something. If you love Devon, why are you not denying Hotness over there? You’re basically admitting to wanting to be with both of them. How are all of you okay with that? Guys don’t submit so easily. Dammit. Sarah, you’re hiding something,” Melissa snapped, frustrated. “This shit just doesn’t happen? Men don’t agree to relationships like this.”

“Now is not the time to discuss this,” Gavin said softly.

Sarah picked at her food as throbbing in her head nearly made her sick. Maybe taking off the rest of the day wasn’t such a bad idea. She kept quiet while she tried forcing something in her stomach. Melissa’s attitude toward Devon really upset her. More than anyone, she knew the pain he caused her, and yes, her friend’s intentions were good, but the decision was hers to make and no one else’s.

Gavin rested his hand on her thigh and peace spiked with a sense of heat. “Devon, do you have my phone on you?”

She watched while he pulled it out of his pocket. “Thanks.” Sarah hit the office’s number and waited until the reception answered. “Hey, this is Sarah. Listen, I’m not feeling so well. My head is killing me. I’ll be going home. Can you just take a message for anyone who calls and tell them I’ll get in touch with them tomorrow? Thanks.”

Gavin’s fingers tightened on her thigh, and she looked up to see a grin spread across his face. Placing the phone in her purse, Sarah handed Devon’s back to him. “Well, ladies, I’m going home.”

The smile that came to Sarah’s face felt plastered on. Damn, she really had wanted this meeting to go better. The men instantly stood beside her. She placed money on the table and took both of their hands. “Let’s go home, shall we?”

“Gladly,” Devon said, kissing her forehead. “You all have a great day.”

Melissa quickly stood. “Sarah, wait. Devon, I’m sorry. But you know Sarah is like my sister. I hated seeing her go through pain. If she forgives you, then I’ll try my best. I trust her judgment, but I know you all are hiding something. One thing before you leave…if you hurt her again, I’ll hunt you down myself.”

Devon laughed. “Thanks, Melissa, but I’m not going anywhere again. I love her. Always have and always will.”

“Me too,” Melissa said, hugging her. “I love you, Sarah. You know that. Go get some rest. You look paler than usual. I think this mess is taking its toll on you.”

“I love you, too, Mel. Call me later.”

Leaving the restaurant, Sarah couldn’t remember feeling more relieved for instant peace and quiet. The need to lie back and relax sounded so good she could feel the tension leaving her body. Devon stopped, wrestling in his tight pockets while they continued forward.

“Want me to drive?”

Gladly, she handed her keys to Gavin, but as she approached the car, fear nearly suffocated her. Twice, she looked around, hoping she wasn’t looking at the right vehicle.

“What the…” Gavin pulled her close. “Devon!”

The sound of footsteps coming up behind them was followed by a string of curses. “I can’t believe this shit. He was here, and we missed him.” Devon sniffed the air, closing his eyes. “He’s been gone for a few minutes.”

Sarah pulled out her phone and called Stephen. It wasn’t moments later she saw him fly up in his police cruiser. The damage to her car looked like a wrecking ball slammed into the side of it. Her whole driver’s side door looked unrecognizable. The glass in all of her windows littered the asphalt parking lot.

“Well, this doesn’t look good,” Stephen said, studying the car while he walked toward them. “I hope you have insurance.”

“Yeah,” Sarah breathed out. “But why is he doing this? I didn’t want to see him again, so what? I don’t understand why rejection would cause him to react this way. And a year later? None of this makes sense to me. There has to be something I’m missing.”

“Stephen, is it just me, or should we be talking to Brandon? No human did this without being caught. His scent held something. It could be vampire, but the trouble with that is vampires all have different scents so it’s hard to tell. I do know he’s definitely not a wolf, though. I’d have picked up on that when he busted the door down.”

“Well, I’ve only met one vampire before Brandon, and they smelled nothing alike so you could be right.”

Sarah breathed heavily. “You say vampire. If he was a vampire, wouldn’t I remember? I mean, I don’t really know the similarities between what happens in the myths compared to reality, but I would think he would have tried to drink my blood, and I sure as hell wouldn’t have forgotten that.”

Stephen narrowed his eyes at her. “Tell me this, Sarah. What do you remember from that night?”

“Well, I’m sure as hell not going to go into detail,” she said, looking at the guys uneasily.

After they all remained quiet waiting for her to go on, she rolled her eyes and continued. “We left the bar and headed to a motel a few blocks away. We fucked and…” Sarah saw the images in her head so vividly she could feel her breathing slow. Calling him an amazing lover would have been an understatement, which suddenly shocked her. She’d never really thought about what happened that night.

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