by Eden Summers
“I’m not trying to be an ass.” He softened his tone. “I’m just looking out for you.”
“Looking out for me?” She gave him a half-hearted smile and raised a brow. “Or maybe inserting yourself into something that isn’t really your business.”
He stared at her for a moment, the weight of thoughts heavy in his eyes, then turned to face the fire. “Women assume Keenan is different because of his lack of speech. They think it sets him apart from other guys, but it doesn’t. He’s the same fuck ’em and leave ’em type. He’ll burn you, just like any other man would.”
A derisive chuckle escaped her lips. He thought she was naïve? Well, she wasn’t. Highly susceptible to charm, maybe, but she had no doubt Keenan wasn’t a safe guy. Trouble flickered in the flecks of his blue-gray eyes, it was forged into his DNA, and she’d willingly followed his lead. She’d do it again, too. “I don’t understand. I thought you said he was family. That he was good people.”
“He is…”
“Then why are you concerned? You know I’m only here for a few months. I’m not in the market for commitment, I’m here to work.” The crunch of heavy footsteps approached from behind and she lowered her voice. “What is this really about?”
Dominic turned to her, but his focus rested over her shoulder, past the hedge. “Keenan,” he muttered, and she wasn’t sure if it was an answer or a greeting.
An unforgettable scent tickled her nose and her spine tingled at the advancing footsteps. The man of the moment stopped beside her, his spiked hair teasing her periphery as she fought to keep a smitten smile from her lips.
“Fancy seeing you out here.” Dominic didn’t mimic her mood. Instead, he scowled.
She waited for a response, needing two seconds of silence to remind her that Keenan wouldn’t fill the awkwardness.
“Penny is looking for you. She was wondering why you disappeared.” Dominic spoke as if Savannah wasn’t there. “You should go and explain where you were.”
Discomfort crawled over her skin, shuddering over her in a wave from her fingers to her toes. She’d never been bad at math, but right now she refused to put two and two together. After what she’d experienced with Keenan, the equation that also involved Penny was impossible to acknowledge.
“Does Savvy know the two of you work together?”
Savannah snapped her lips shut and measured the breaths through her nose, calming herself before she chanced a proper look at Keenan. His jaw ticked and his eyes were narrowed. Everything about him, from his expression to his stiff posture, spoke of his fury.
“It didn’t come up in conversation,” she murmured, hoping her poor attempt at humor might derail the upcoming train wreck.
A burst of breath left Keenan’s lips, the slightest laugh. He inched closer to her, right against her side, the strength and warmth of him making her solid. His gaze lowered, those haunted eyes reaching inside her to squeeze her lady bits. Pressure landed low on her back. His hand? She held her breath as he traced his palm down her jacket to her ass and slipped something into her pants pocket.
“That’s hilarious, Savvy,” Dominic muttered. “You should go and tell Penny all about it. I’d love to see her reaction.”
Keenan’s lip curled in a snarl and he snapped his fierce glare back to Dominic. He may lack the ability to speak, but the way he mouthed fuck you was clearer than an announcer on a megaphone. They stared each other down while Savannah’s chest thumped to the point of pain. Then Keenan strode away, heading toward the blonde goddess in question who was glaring at them, hands on hips, from the other side of the bonfire.
“For a man who lacks speech, he quite clearly made his feelings known.” She smiled, hoping to hide the jealousy eating her from the inside out.
“This isn’t a joke, Savvy. You’re here to facilitate a smooth sale transition with Penny’s company, right?”
She frowned. “Yes.”
“Well, if she finds out you’re fucking around with Keenan, she’ll make your life a living hell.”
The warmth from adrenaline and the growing bonfire didn’t penetrate the chill invading her bones. “They’re together?” She wished she could’ve hidden the resentment in her tone, but it was there, blaringly obvious. Along with the hint of disloyalty.
“I don’t know for certain. They’re close—physically and emotionally, but Keenan refuses to discuss my sister with me. What I can tell you, is that Penny has been in love with him for years, and seeing you anywhere near him will cause a shit storm you don’t want to be involved in.”
Discuss? With such a strong relationship, she would’ve thought her cousin had a better word to describe his communication with a man who remained silent. But focusing on specifics was only a diversion from the real issue—Penny was in love with the man who only moments earlier had his talented digits inside Savannah’s hoo-ha.
Déjà vu, eat your heart out.
“He gave me no indication he wasn’t single.” She tracked Keenan’s movements to Penny’s side. Even now, with disappointment making her stomach heavy, she still couldn’t see him as anything other than intensely gorgeous.
“Maybe he is. Maybe he isn’t. But it won’t matter to my sister. I’ve seen her fight for him before. It’ll be worse now because you’re already her rival.”
Keenan stopped at Penny’s side and turned his back to Savannah. It seemed almost deliberate. The emotional cut off that severed his connection to a mistress so he could devote his attention to his girlfriend. Had she really become the other woman? And if so, how much did she care?
“I don’t owe Penny any favors.” She met Dominic’s gaze. “I kissed a guy she was infatuated with when we were teenagers. She hasn’t had a nice word to say to me since. The guy didn’t even like her. He thought she was a child. She was a—”
“She lost her virginity to that douche.”
No. She shook her head. It wasn’t possible. Penny had been a minor. She’d been so young. A child.
Dominic nodded. “I’m afraid it’s true. We were always making her feel like a bratty little kid, and Mom blamed me, saying she only did it to try to prove herself. That she looked up to us and all that shit.”
“Why didn’t anyone tell me?”
“I probably would’ve told you at the next vacation, but it never happened.”
No, that had been their last summer together. Dominic’s father had passed away from a heart attack in the fall, and Savannah’s had packed his bags and taken off, never to return. Both their families had been torn apart, and celebrating the summer had been the farthest thought from their minds.
“I’m sorry, Dominic, but I still don’t believe it excuses her behavior.” She wrapped her hands around herself, trying to ward off guilt from the past. “We were kids back then. We’re adults now, and I knew nothing about her and Keenan.”
It was a tiny lie. She’d witnessed the way Penny had greeted him. She’d known something was between them. And why was the blame on her, anyway? It was Keenan’s responsibility to remain faithful if he was in a relationship. He hadn’t given her the slightest impression he wasn’t single. In fact, the way he glided his fingers into her pussy gave a vastly contrasting impression.
“I can apologize for the past, but what’s happening now is all her doing. I’m not responsible for tonight’s tension. She’s the one who arrived with a pole-vault stick up her ass.”
She took a step, heading God knew where. There was nobody else here for her to speak to. Unless she considered Fox a likely candidate, which she didn’t.
“Please, Savvy.” Dominic grabbed her jacket. “Be the bigger person. It’s been too long since we’ve seen each other. I don’t want this trip to end in an excuse not to see you for another ten years. Just leave and let tonight blow over.”
“You want me to go?” He was kicking her out. Sending her home like a child.
“I’m trying to save you from the inevitable crash and burn that is my sister. We both know what she’s capable of.”
“I don’t believe this.” She shoved her hands in her jacket pockets and shook her head. “You’re treating me like a whore.”
“That’s not my intention.” His tone was unconvincing. “Whatever you do is your choice, Savvy. But whether you decide to leave or stay, you might want to think about re-buckling your pants so it doesn’t look like you’ve been fucking Keenan in the bushes.”
Blood drained from her face as he gave her one last knowing look and then strode away. The potency of humiliation made bile rise in her throat and she tugged the sides of her jacket together, hiding her lowered zipper from view. She’d never felt so cheap or worthless. Fury mingled, too.
She refused to take responsibility for what happened tonight. Yes, the past was her fault. She’d kissed a guy her much younger cousin had fallen for. She hadn’t even apologized. But surely there had to be a time limit on holding a grudge over mistakes made by children. They’d been in school, for God’s sake.
“I guess I’ll see you around, then,” she called after Dominic.
He paused, shot her an apologetic smile and then kept on walking. Fuck. This was humiliation at its finest. The unmistakable bite of rejection nipped at her heels.
She stormed to her car, her chin high, her shoulders straight. She yanked her car door open and sank into the driver’s seat. After all these years, Penny was still a little brat. Nothing had changed. Not even Savannah’s desire to kiss a man she knew her cousin was infatuated with. Which reminded her… She shoved a hand into her back pocket and grasped the piece of paper Keenan had placed there.
Meet me for dinner tomorrow at the Sated Palate. 8pm.
She stared at his messy scribble and couldn’t pinpoint why her heart rate increased. Her feelings for this man she barely knew were crazy. Delirious. Unhinged. She felt tingly for the first time in years, but now those sensations were becoming clouded by guilt.
She glanced through the driver’s window and found Keenan focused on her. The narrowed intensity of his gaze splashed her with a bucket of delight. She shuddered, from her shoulders to her toes, every inch of her skin restless because of those eyes that spoke of an unsettling future. He was fixated on her, not Penny at his side. He didn’t even spare her cousin a glance as his severity rocked Savannah’s foundations.
Come talk to me, she mouthed the words nonsensically.
Christ, what was she thinking? He wasn’t the typical, everyday man. He was someone far more intricate. Someone who couldn’t ease her discomfort with conversation.
She raised a hand, waved in farewell, and didn’t wait for his reply as she jammed the keys into the ignition and brought the engine to life.
Maybe Dominic was right. Removing herself from the Keenan equation might be the best option. All she had to do was convince the pulsing parts of her body there couldn’t be an encore tomorrow.
No matter how much body parts south of the equator protested at the thought.
Email
Date: 20th December
Subject: Do you remember the first night we met?
Savannah,
I’m not poetic or romantic. I’m barely civil most days, but you nudged at those frozen parts of me and made me wonder what it would be like to be different.
From the first night we met, you captivated me with your non-bullshit attitude. You infuriated me, yet with equal ferocity, you intrigued me. I couldn’t ignore you, no matter how much I wanted to. There was too much fire and enthusiasm in your hazel eyes.
Your infatuation was worse.
No other woman has looked at me like a puzzle strewn across the floor, waiting to be pieced together. I’ve always been seen as a completed picture—a skewed image that would forever be a shitty addition to a flawless collection. My faults make others feel better about themselves.
But not you. You never showed superiority over me. Not even at your worst. I only witnessed your affection and eventually your anger that hid the heartache.
I admit, the night of the bonfire wasn’t my first mistake when it came to you, it just feels like one of my biggest. I was annoyed that you’d stayed on my mind all week. It was out of character for me to let a woman control any piece of me. Yet you did without even being present. Then you showed up in your rental car, completely impeccable in casual clothes and no make-up, and set the bar for beauty without even knowing it.
Leading you inside, kissing you, seducing you, it was impulsive. It was a mistake. If only I’d denied the carnality that always seemed to drag us under, things never would’ve become this complicated.
While you were in the bathroom, I escaped to the back door, grasped the handle, and contemplated leaving you to find your own way to the bonfire. It would’ve saved a lot of pain if I did. I knew there was no future for us. Nothing apart from gratification.
Only I couldn’t deny wanting to taste every inch of you, touch every nerve, and inhale every one of those feminine gasps that made my cock pulse. I wanted to own you. To consume you the same way you were consuming me.
The fury was overwhelming as I held that door handle. I hated the effect you had on my libido. Worse was the response from more emotional parts of my body. I would’ve killed to come to your defense when Penelope insulted you. To be your knight in shining armor, as it were. But how? Through pantomime? That would’ve been fucking hilarious, right?
Instead, I tried to make it up to you through touch—the only thing I seemed to excel at when it came to us. I could’ve told you there was no need to be quiet. The house was vacant, but establishing a level playing field was an opportunity I couldn’t deny. And what I had planned didn’t require conversation. I wanted your body, not your words. Your acquiescence, not your intrigue. Most of all, I wanted you to experience passion from my perspective. To strip the sensations down to pure carnality. Devoid of placating dribble and nonsensical dialogue.
I wanted you and me and nothing else.
Only something happened to me that night. I didn’t like it, nor did I want to allow it. You wove your delicate fingers around my consciousness and still haven’t let go.
I need to see you. I need to explain. Please message me back and let me know you’re receiving my messages.
Keenan
Chapter Nine
Savannah rested her elbows on the tiny suite desk and tried to pretend the bedside clock wasn’t glaring at her from the other side of the room. Today was meant to be a day of rest. Instead, her Sunday had been filled with panicked phone calls from staff and impromptu meetings with management to discuss how to handle the latest Grandiosity bombshell.
Evidently, Penny did work on weekends.
Savannah spared one last glance over her shoulder at the bedside clock—7:25 p.m.—then sighed as she swung back around to re-read the email sitting unsent on her laptop.
To all Seattle Rydel staff,
Earlier this afternoon I became aware of concerns from employees regarding interview requests from Grandiosity. Please be advised this is a normal part of the changeover process.
Although I wasn’t informed that you would be contacted, it’s your future employer’s right and obligation to prepare you for the transition into their team. This should not be considered an interview to fight for your employment, no matter how the correspondence was worded. As previously discussed, the security of your job was promised in the sale of the Rydel Seattle property.
I believe the interview is merely to establish a relationship between you and Grandiosity and to help pave the way to an informed future.
If you still have concerns, please feel free to contact me at any time.
* * *
Kind regards,
Savannah Hamilton
Her finger hovered over the send button, shaking. There was no doubt in her mind that Penny had sent the email in retaliation for last night. And it was entirely unacceptable. These employees had children and mortgages. They had bills to pay and family members to support. They also had guests depending on them to provide a hospitable enviro
nment.
Panic was expected. It was inevitable and exactly what Penny set out to achieve. All Savannah could do was work harder to soothe the uncertainty and hope her assurances wouldn’t turn out to be lies.
As stated in the contract for sale, Grandiosity had to retain all incumbent staff. However, they would all be placed on a three month probation period. What happened during that period was out of Savannah’s control.
She peeked over her shoulder again, still irked by the clock. 7:28 p.m. Last night, she decided meeting Keenan for dinner was a bad idea. It didn’t matter that she could still feel his touch in the darkness as she tried to sleep. It didn’t change her mind when she woke up from erotic dreams of him. And this morning, Penny’s drama had cemented the reasons for not going.
Only now she was searching for excuses to go back on her decision.
His smirk haunted her every time she closed her eyes. When she licked her lips, they tingled with memories. She pictured him in the restaurant, alone, suave and dripping with confidence. The thought of disappointing him made her itch.
“Damn him.”
She scrolled through her inbox, reading all the subject headings from terrified staff who feared for their future. It wasn’t right. Penny shouldn’t have this amount of control. And she certainly shouldn’t use it to intimidate Savannah on a personal level.
“Damn her. Damn her. Damn her.”
She pushed to her feet and faced the bed. The alarm clock changed before her eyes—7:32 p.m. She wasn’t even dressed. Her hair was in a messy bun and she didn’t have any make-up on. But if she met Keenan she could grill him for information on Grandiosity and Penny’s authority as the CEO’s assistant. The dinner could be used for business purposes. Meeting with him could give her insight to help smooth the sale transition.
It was in her employees’ best interest for her to go…