Holly looked over at him with sharp green eyes. “What happened with Savannah? Did she dump you?”
“No.” He set his jaw. “I dumped her.”
“Why would you do that?” Annabelle demanded.
“None of your business.” He swiped his keys from the little basket on the table by the couch and jiggled them. “Do you want a ride or not?”
He could practically feel the curiosity radiating from them, but to his surprise, neither female pushed him for details. He chalked it up to the wedding they were heading to, knowing that if the two weren’t occupied with something else right now, they’d be all over him, prying information from him like a dentist extracting teeth.
“We need to stop by Shelby’s bakery,” Holly said as she slid into the backseat of the SUV. “We stored all the food there.”
Annabelle got into the passenger seat. She buckled her seatbelt and shot him a sideways glance. “Thanks for doing this. Ryan was going to lend me the Jeep but it’s still in the shop.”
Matt wrinkled his brow. “He wrecked it?”
“Jeez, were you in an alcohol-induced coma for the past three days? He called you the day before yesterday to tell you about it. A dog ran right in front of his car and he had to swerve to avoid hitting it. He crashed into a tree, remember?”
Matt had a vague recollection of Ryan’s voice bitching in his ear about a dog or something. Fuck, how much had he drank in the last seventy-two hours?
“He’s okay, though, right?”
She sighed. “He’s fine.”
Shoving his sunglasses onto his nose, he focused on driving to Shelby’s bakery. The shower had helped clear his head, and the two beers he’d consumed this morning were starting to leave his bloodstream. He felt alert now. And pissed off.
Yup, still pissed off at Savannah for being so damn stubborn and so damn scared.
But what could he do about it? No way was he going to beg. He was way too proud for that. Besides, what would it achieve? Savannah wanted to live in her heartache-free world of first kisses and whirlwind thrills, and who was he to force her into a relationship?
Best thing to do was move on.
Put her out of his mind, find a new, cute chick to strike up a thing with, and fuck the love he still felt for Savannah right out of his body.
* * *
Savannah examined her reflection in the mirror, wondering if the low-cut violet dress she’d chosen was too sexy for a first date. The silky material fell down to her knees, so it wasn’t too indecent, but her breasts practically poured out of the bodice. After a second, she shrugged and moved away from the mirror. Whatever. You could never go wrong with sexy.
Her arms ached in protest as she lifted them up to adjust the artfully messy twist of her hair. She was still sore from yesterday. She’d gotten up at six in the morning and spent seven hours getting the flowers ready for the wedding. She’d driven around town like a maniac, first to the Rose Room, the banquet hall where Jeannine and her husband-to-be Henry were holding their wedding reception. Along with bringing Chad, Savannah had hired a few temporary workers to help her set up all the tables, chairs and wall panels. She’d left half of the workers to finish up, then went with Chad and a couple of others to St. Augustine’s Chapel to get the aisle and altar ready for the actual ceremony. She’d left Chad in charge, headed back to the banquet hall, then back to the chapel, back to the hall, and so on, until she was ready to collapse by the time noon rolled around.
During one of her trips to the Rose Room, she’d had a moment to chat with Annabelle and her business partner, Holly, who mentioned Matt had just left. Apparently he’d given them a ride and stayed to help unload supplies. Savannah had just missed him, and she hadn’t been sure whether she was happy or sad about that.
His parting words had been buzzing through her head like angry wasps for three days now.
Hope you had fun.
He hadn’t sounded cruel when he said them. Just sad and resigned. She almost wished he’d been cruel. At least then she could feel better about the way things ended. If she hated him, then she wouldn’t have to miss him.
Unfortunately, she didn’t hate him.
And she totally missed him.
Good thing she had a solution for that.
The wedding had gone off without a hitch, the flowers were a success, and Prestige Events wanted to work with her again. To celebrate, Savannah was going on a date with Tony, the tall, dark-haired hottie who’d waltzed into her shop yesterday evening to buy flowers for his newly engaged cousin. The two of them had flirted until finally he gave her a sexy smile and asked if she wanted to have dinner with him the following evening. She’d said yes immediately.
Tony was just the kind of guy she liked spending time with. Gorgeous, easygoing, and not looking for a relationship. He’d told her he worked long hours at a law firm where he was a junior partner, and didn’t have time for anything serious.
Exactly the way she liked it.
A flicker of guilt went through her as she left the apartment. She felt kind of crappy, going out with someone else when the dust of her time with Matt had barely even settled. But hopefully Tony would be a nice distraction. A way to put Matt out of her mind for good.
Downstairs, she found a sleek black BMW waiting at the curb. The passenger window rolled down and Tony’s cute grin greeted her. “Hop in.”
Despite herself, she was a tad irked that he hadn’t gotten out to open her door for her. Matt always did, even if they were just going for a quick cup of coffee. His Southern gentleman manners, as he always said.
Don’t think about Matt, a sharp voice ordered.
She decided to heed the advice. She was going out with Tony. Tony, not Matt. So there was no reason to think about anyone other than Matt—shit, Tony, anyone other than Tony.
“Hey,” she said as she got into the car.
Tony’s dark eyes studied her appreciatively. “You look amazing.”
“Thanks.”
He moved the gearshift. “I made reservations at an Italian place a few blocks from here. Is that cool with you?”
“It’s great.”
They didn’t say much more as he drove to the restaurant. Savannah normally excelled at first date chitchat. She had no problems asking questions or dropping a few flirtatious remarks, maybe even innocently brushing a guy’s arm to make that first contact.
But she didn’t do any of that tonight. And when they were seated at a secluded corner table with a red-and-white-checkered tablecloth, she actually felt nervous.
“So,” Tony said, reaching for the menu, “how do you like being a florist?”
She fumbled for her own menu. “It’s great.”
“Cool. Did you always want to work with flowers?”
“Uh-huh. Flowers are…well, they’re great.”
She tried not to cringe. She’d uttered the word “great” like fifty times already and they were ten minutes into the stupid date. Drawing a breath, she pretended to study the menu, all the while gathering up confidence. Enough was enough. She was acting like a total loser. She was in her element, for Pete’s sake. These first encounters, the exciting, flirty moments leading up to fun between the sheets—she lived off them, damn it.
Savannah picked up the water glass on the table and took a long swallow. “What about you?” she asked smoothly. “Have you always wanted to be a lawyer?”
With an enthusiastic nod, Tony began explaining how law was his passion, only to be interrupted by the arrival of their waiter, a twenty-something-year-old guy with spiky brown hair and hazel eyes.
“Are you ready to order?” he inquired.
Savannah noticed the waiter had glued his gaze to her cleavage. She suddenly wished she’d brought a cardigan or something. The way this kid checked her out was almost criminal.
“No, we need a few more minutes,” Tony said.
The waiter turned to Savannah, but his eyes never reached her face. He just kept ogling her tits like a horny teen
ager. “Something to drink then?”
“A few more minutes,” she echoed.
With one last lingering look, the waiter walked off, while Savannah rolled her eyes and said, “I hope he doesn’t roofie my drink. I’m not in the mood to be sexually assaulted tonight.”
Tony gave her a blank look. “What? Why would he put drugs in your drink?”
She grew flustered. “He wouldn’t. He was just looking at my…I was making a…whatever.”
Her date was looking at her in such confusion she almost laughed out loud. But then Tony’s face brightened and he continued his recitation of all the reasons he’d chosen to become a lawyer.
Savannah tuned him out, still thinking about how he’d completely missed the sarcasm in her tone. Matt would have appreciated the sardonic remark. Like the day they’d been lying side by side on the bank floor and he’d laughed at her whispered barbs. They’d joked back and forth that day as if they’d done it for years. She still couldn’t believe he liked—and got—her sense of humor.
Her mind drifted, the memory of his childhood anecdotes coming to the surface. She’d loved hearing those stories, mostly because it was fun picturing big, tough Matt O’Connor as a little kid fussed over by all the females in his family. She liked hearing his voice too. Deep and gruff, and so deliciously husky when he was turned on.
She smothered a groan. Why couldn’t she stop thinking about him already? They’d had a few fun weeks together, and she’d gotten out just in time. He’d told her he was falling in love with her! How could she stick around after that and risk another painful breakup? She’d been through too many of those. Like when Kevin dumped her after she burned yet another dinner. He’d gone on and on about how much he valued marriage and how he didn’t think she would make a good wife. Asshole. The words had stung back then, but eventually she’d accepted the truth to them. Men didn’t want to settle down with someone like her. She was too forward when it came to sex, too sarcastic, and not at all domestic, unless you counted her affinity for flowers.
Matt might be a bit of a commitment-phobe too, but she suspected he secretly did want the kind of loving relationship his sisters had. He would want a wife someday, and like an asshole once told her, she wasn’t wife material.
Or maybe it would have ended the way things did with Greg, her last serious boyfriend. The routine they’d fallen into had been so boring she’d wanted to tear her own hair out. So she’d broken up with Greg, hurting him deeply in the process. She didn’t want to hurt Matt, which would no doubt happen if the chemistry between them decided to fizzle out.
The sharp clearing of a throat jerked her from her thoughts. She blinked, finding Tony watching her in concern. “Huh?” she said.
“I asked if you were ready to order. You’ve been staring at the menu for five minutes. And you ignored me the four times I asked you what you wanted.”
Five minutes? She’d spaced out for that long? And she hadn’t even noticed him talking to her. What was the matter with her?
A startling thought sliced into her consciousness.
She wasn’t having a good time.
Here she was, on a first date with a seriously cute guy she’d normally be attracted to, but the thrill wasn’t there.
She didn’t want to feel Tony’s lips on hers for the first time. Didn’t want to undress him and find out what lay beneath his black trousers and navy-blue suit jacket.
She felt zero enthusiasm about starting a casual fling with this man.
Because she still wanted Matt O’Connor.
Because she’d fallen for Matt O’Connor.
Swallowing hard, she met her date’s annoyed eyes and said, “How about we call it a night?”
* * *
“God, your chest is rock-hard,” the brunette in Matt’s arms purred. “No wonder you’re so good at this game.”
Matt decided not to point out that hard chests had nothing to do with a game of pool. Precision, maybe. A steady grip. But not a damned chest.
Smothering a weary sigh, he slowly ducked out of the woman’s grip and reached for the cue he’d rested against the table. “Let’s finish the game.”
Her brown eyes flickered with irritation as he moved to the other side of the pool table and pretended to study the placement of the balls. Fuck, why had he bothered coming here tonight? The Sand Bar was always the place to go when you wanted to find someone to spend the night with, but for some reason, the mob of bodies and the scent of sweat and perfume made him nauseous. And the loud reggae music blasting from the speakers was giving him a headache.
He shouldn’t have come. The idea of sex with a total stranger held absolutely no appeal for him right now.
“Actually,” he said, setting down the pool cue again, “I think I’m going to head out. I feel like I’m coming down with something.”
The brunette whose name he hadn’t even asked for gazed at him in disappointment. Then, without another word, she sauntered off, her firm ass swaying at each step she took. Not even the sight of a nice ass could lift his spirits.
Finally releasing the sigh lodged in his chest, he maneuvered through the crowd. Two blondes with heavy makeup shot him come-hither smiles but he ignored them, intent on getting the hell out of there. He also ignored a throaty “What’s the hurry, stud?” and a teasing “Hey, baby” from two other chicks.
When he stepped into the balmy night air, relief swam through him. Fuck. It was like a feeding frenzy in there. Hungry female piranhas after his body. Usually his ego would inflate from all the attention, but right now he just felt sleazy that he used to spend so much time in a place like that.
“Hey.”
At the sound of yet another female voice, he clenched his fists, ready to shoot the chick down—and probably not in a gentle way.
But then he turned around and the irritated retort got stuck in his throat. Savannah stood by the entrance of the bar.
His eyes ate her up, taking in the short violet dress and open-toed silver sandals she wore. Her hair was tied up in a complicated-looking twist, and subtle makeup emphasized her beautiful features.
He cleared his throat, searching for his voice. “What are you doing here?”
“Looking for you,” she said simply.
There were about ten feet separating them, but Matt didn’t make a move to bridge the distance. What was she doing here? After the way they’d left things, he hadn’t thought he’d ever see her again.
She took a step toward him, then stopped awkwardly. “I went by your apartment building, but you weren’t there. Annabelle was on the balcony and told me you came here, so…” Her voice trailed off.
“Why are you all dressed up?” he asked guardedly.
“I was on a date.”
Pure agony slammed into him. She’d been on a date? Though it didn’t surprise him, it still elicited an unbearable wave of jealousy.
“Did you have a good time?” he muttered.
She took another step. “No.”
He put on a neutral tone. “Sorry to hear that.”
“Me too,” she admitted.
Straightening her shoulders, she kept walking, this time making it all the way to him, pausing when their bodies were a foot apart. Her familiar scent floated into his nostrils. He forced himself not to inhale.
“I was really looking forward to having a good time tonight,” she went on. “I got all dressed up, as you can see, and I wasn’t even against the idea of going to bed with him. Don’t usually do that on the first date, but you know, desperate times…”
Every muscle in his body ached. He felt like he was undergoing serious torture here. Along with the pain, anger collected in his gut, slowly spreading through his bloodstream. Was she purposely trying to hurt him? He knew she always spoke her mind, but this was borderline cruel.
“I have to go,” he ground out.
Before he could move, a soft hand touched his arm. “I’m not finished,” she said quietly.
“I don’t want to hear the
rest.”
“Really? Because I was just getting to the apology part.”
He eyed her dubiously. “Didn’t fucking sound like it.”
She sighed. “I had all these plans for tonight, Matt, but I couldn’t go through with a damn thing. The date was awful. Not because of Tony. He was cute and nice and, sure, he didn’t get my humor, but that hasn’t stopped me from getting involved before. There was one problem, though.”
“Yeah, what’s that?” he said testily.
“He wasn’t you.”
Matt refused to react to the soft-spoken confession. “Sorry to hear that,” he said again, shrugging her hand from his arm.
Savannah let her hands dangle at her sides. Something that resembled vulnerability entered her gray eyes. “I was wrong, Matt. I always thought it was better to have fun and focus on all those first thrills, but I don’t want that anymore. When I was with Tony, the only time I felt anything remotely thrilling was when I thought about you.”
He averted his gaze. Didn’t want to listen to any of this. “Fuck, Savannah,” he spat out. “Do you actually think I’m going to get back together just because you had a bad date with some other guy?”
“No, but I’m hoping you’ll want to do it because I’m in love with you.”
He didn’t even blink. “Four days ago, I told you the same thing and you dumped me.”
“I was an idiot.” Her voice shook. “And you were right, I was scared. I’ve always believed I can’t be in a successful relationship because all my past ones failed, so I avoided them. But I can’t keep avoiding. You were right about something else too—when you meet the right person, it can work. And you’re the right person, Superman.”
His heart shifted at the familiar nickname. Feeling himself soften, he curled his fingers into fists again, determined not to give in to her. He’d told her he loved her, for chrissake. Put himself out there, only to get shot down like a fighter jet.
“You’re the only man I’ve ever met who enjoys sex as much as I do,” she continued, and though he wasn’t looking at her, he could hear the smile in her voice. “You’re the only man I’ve held more than ten minutes of conversation with, the only one I talked about my work with, the only one I went to bed smiling about. You’re the only one, Matt.”
Out of Uniform Box Set: Books 1-3 Page 45