by Becca Dale
“Perfectly. Remember, no negative Nelly stuff when you get there. Be positive.”
Savannah tugged on her high-heeled boots and pushed Kate toward the door. “Fine. Let's go. I have better things to do tonight than chit-chat with you.”
Gavin checked his watch as Marc paced impatiently across the conference room. “What time was the landscape architect supposed to be here?”
Marc looked up. “You said six.”
“It's only five ‘til now. Why are you so impatient?”
“Our flight leaves for Jamaica tomorrow morning. I promised Darce I would wrap up a few things and be home early.”
“Then go. I can handle this.”
“Really?”
Gavin chuckled. “Don't let me stand between you and your honeymoon.”
Marc sprinted for the exit with a grin but stopped at the door. “Hey, I almost forgot. Darcy wants to introduce you to a friend of hers when we get back.”
Fantastic. “Not gonna happen. Tell my sister to back off.”
“She just wants you to be happy.”
“I'll be feakin’ ecstatic as soon as Darce gives up on my love life.”
“You tell her that.” Marc started out the door and stopped again. “Keep me posted if you find someone capable of handling the Monroe Estate.”
“It'll wait until you get home. I doubt I'll—”
The distinct click of girly shoes on tile cut him off. He automatically looked down the hall to greet the landscaper. It took no more than a split second to recognize her. Shiny raven curls brushed her shoulders. Her loose top hid curves the bridal gown had hugged, but her jeans clung to the long legs he'd only suspected lay beneath the dress.
He grabbed Marc's arm—out of excitement or for balance, he wasn't sure which.
“What?” Marc pushed him back into the conference room. “What the hell's wrong with you? You look like you're about to pass out.”
The concern in his brother-in-law's voice brought Gavin back to reality. It had to have been an illusion. His dream girl couldn't really be walking toward him.
“Excuse me?”
Even the voice sounded right. Gavin moved Marc aside to stare at the lovely vision. His body tightened. She's engaged, you idiot.
Marc tossed him a strange look and held out his hand to the woman standing in the doorway. “Hi. Marcus Braddock, and you must be Ms. Jensen?”
“Savannah.”
Gavin couldn't stop staring at her. His mind had not played tricks. Everything about her was exactly as he remembered. He shouldered Marc aside and took her slender hand. “Gavin.” Her delicate, sexy scent teased his nose. Longing returned full blown and painful. Stupid Wallace phenomenon. Love at first sight only happens in fairytales. Love of any kind lasted only in romance novels and teenage fantasies. He needed a moment for perspective.
“I'll be right back. Have a chair.” Shoving Marc into the hallway ahead of him, Gavin fled her hypnotic presence.
Once out of earshot, Marc jerked away. “What's gotten into you?”
“That's her.”
“Her who?”
Why had he never noticed how slowly Marc picked things up before? “Her-her.”
Realization flowed over his friend's face. “The bridal shop girl?”
Marc stepped back toward the conference room, but Gavin grabbed his arm. “You can't go back in there.”
“But I didn't get a close look. Come on, buddy. One peek. What can it hurt?”
She could fall for you like my sisters all did, that's what. “Go home, Marc. Darcy's waiting, remember?”
“But—”
“Go. I can handle this on my own.”
Marc hesitated a moment longer before he slapped Gavin on the shoulder. “What are you waiting for? Go get her.”
Not a chance in hell.
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* * *
Chapter Three
Savannah waited until the two men left before she leaned on the table and dropped her notebook and pen with a sigh. “This is nuts.” Her cell phone buzzed in her purse. She grabbed it and groaned at the number on the screen. “What?”
“Is it him?” Kate whispered with her usual high volume.
Savannah moved the phone a few inches from her ear. “It's him.”
“And? Did he recognize you?”
“I have no idea. He stared at me like he couldn't speak.”
“Cool! You actually made him speechless?”
“Either that or he's an idiot. My luck, it's the latter.”
“Who would care? He's hot enough that you could handle stupid, and he can dance. What more could you ask for?”
“Intelligent conversation?”
“Negative Nelly rears her head. Now, stop that and focus on charming his pants off.”
“I don't do that, remember?”
“There has to be a first time for everything. You don't want to die a—”
“Shut up, Kate. I'm not discussing that on the phone.” Savannah ignored the heat welling in her stomach and flowing lower. “I have to go before he comes back.”
“Call or text me when you leave and tell me if he's the one to...you know.”
Mr. Gorgeous strode through the door, and Savannah melted a bit more. “I gotta go. Bye.” She hung up without waiting for Kate's response. She needed her mind in the game if she intended to survive the meeting without looking like a fool.
Gavin heard the last bit of her conversation and wondered if he had put the breathless whisper in her voice or if she was hoping for Marc to return. “Sorry to keep you waiting.”
He shifted as his body naturally reacted to her slender form. Lean legs went clear up to her ass, long enough to wrap around him and steal reason and soul. Eyes so clear-blue a man could happily drown in them. The whole package stole his usual composure and tempted him to toss aside years of rigid control. What would she do if he took her in his arms and begged her to ditch her fiance? If she agreed to dump the poor man, he wouldn't want her anyway. He had to remember that. Commitment doesn't exist any more than love does.
What he wanted and what he believed possible clashed in a resounding slap to his skull. He pulled out a chair and waited for her to take it before he sat down across from her. Close enough to feel her heat. Far enough to resist the temptation to touch her. Maybe he could talk her into one last fling before she married the lucky bastard. The idea sickened him despite the attraction she generated.
She smiled, a simple tentative tilting of her full kissable lips that reminded him too clearly of her mouth under his. Should he act as if he didn't remember her? Would he seem like a love struck fool if he admitted he did?
“Do you have anything to show me, Mr. Ferguson?”
Obviously she didn't remember him. Why would she? She's an engaged woman. Gavin shook off useless desire and shot her a professional smile. “Of course.” He grabbed the spec sheets and pulled them across the table. “Here's the general layout of the house and outbuildings.” He pointed at the stream that entered the property from the west. His fingers brushed across her knuckles and electricity sparked between them. He jerked his hand away and sat back in his chair with a chuckle. “I...” A faint blush tinted her cheeks pink. “Sorry about that. The air's pretty dry in here.”
She shrugged but didn't lift her gaze from the layout. “It happens. So what were you going to show me?”
Did she feel it, too, the spark that had nothing to do with static electricity? Or was it strictly in his head? He stood and moved behind her chair. Careful not to touch her, he leaned over her shoulder and pointed to the creek bed. “The customer wants a natural looking area near the stream. Just a dock and maybe a little fish cleaning shack, but I thought it would be nice if you included some native flowering plants. Maybe a path of rocks or something leading to the house to add color and practicality.”
She sat straighter, and her hair brushed, silky, against his chin. Her long finger traced the dashed line that marked the border
between the cultivated and uncultivated parts of the garden. “So this is the main part that needs to be laid out then? Do you know what style?”
She turned her head to look up at him, and he tensed. Her big blue eyes seemed to tug him toward her. She smelled of sweet, innocent things. Things he had no business fantasizing about, things that only fools and romantic morons believed in. He moved back to his side of the table before he spoke. “I don't know that they've decided. The house is French country if that helps. Could you lay out a plan or two so I can run them past the homeowners?”
Her smile flashed only half way. “I'll see what I can do.”
“Thank you, Savannah. Give me a call if you have any questions.”
“Okay. I guess that's it then.” She stood up and reached for her purse. When she offered her full smile, his heart jumped like a trained monkey begging for attention. “Thanks again for the opportunity. It'll take me a few days to get something drawn up. I'll give you a call.”
Gavin caught her arm as she moved to the door. Let her go. “No.”
A scowl drew her lovely brows together. “No? You don't want me to draw something up?”
“Yes.”
“Yes, I shouldn't?”
He chuckled and stepped away so he could think and speak without sounding like an old joke. “Yes, draw up the plan. No, don't go yet. I asked you to work late. At least let me buy you dinner.”
She hesitated as if she regretted being alone with a stranger. “Is there something else we need to discuss?”
He couldn't lie. “No.”
“Then I really should get going.”
Okay, I can lie in a pinch. “Wait. Don't you want a feel for the clients?”
The scowl returned. “That could be helpful.”
“Good. We can talk at the restaurant. I'm starving.”
She hesitated again.
He took her elbow and steered her down the hall. “I promise to take you home the minute you want to go.”
“We could just meet somewhere. I have a car.”
“I'll drop you off later.” He took her hand, amazed at how delicate her slender fingers looked wrapped in his. She didn't wear a ring. How had he missed that before? Was that intentional? A weird, self-destructive joy teased him, but he shoved it aside. “Come on. I'll be a gentleman. Scout's honor.”
She lifted a brow at him and chuckled. “Can you use that if you're too old to be a Boy Scout?”
“Of course. Once a scout always a scout.”
“All right, then. But if you destroy my faith in the scouts, I will not be pleased.”
He laughed. She was so damned adorable. “Sounds like a deal.”
Holding open the exit, he waited for her to walk out before he locked the door. He put his hand in the small of her back more as an opportunity to touch than to guide her toward his work truck. She didn't pull away, and he savored the soft material of her blouse and the gentle swell of her ass barely below his fingers. Sheer will kept his hand from inching lower.
Savannah's phone rang before they reached his vehicle. She dug it from her purse. “Do you mind?”
“Of course not. Go ahead.”
She stopped, and he stepped away to offer privacy, but a female voice echoed from Savannah's cell. “So tell me!”
“We're going to talk about the homeowners.” Savannah turned and walked farther away.
Despite the distance, her friend's loud voice continued to float to him clearly. “I've changed my mind. You haven't a clue about how to read guys. He could be a serial killer.”
Savannah winced and shot a quick glance his way. She mouthed sorry and turned toward him. “I'm hanging up now, Kate.”
“Don't. Let me talk to him at least.”
Gavin grinned and held out a hand for the phone.
Savannah looked at him then slowly passed him her cell.
“Vanny?”
Gavin winked as Savannah rolled her eyes. He put the phone to his ear. “You wanted to talk to me?”
Silence greeted him.
He grinned. “Kate? Are you there?”
“Are you a good guy or some creep?”
He chuckled. “I try to be a good guy.”
“So what are your intentions?”
Savannah groaned. “Knock it off, Kate.”
“Tell Vanny I'm not talking to her.”
Gavin punched the speaker button on the side of the phone and held it between them. “She can hear you, but you don't need to worry. We're going to get something to eat. That's all.”
Kate's voice rose another decibel or two. “Are you really okay with this? He didn't force you into anything?”
Savannah sighed and leaned forward. “Of course, he didn't.”
“You're sure? You don't run off with strange men.”
Gavin chuckled again and tried to reassure the nervous woman, but his thumb edged toward the disconnect symbol. “I'm not all that strange.”
Kate huffed. “It's not nice to listen in on other people's conversations.”
Like he could help it. She hadn't exactly whispered. “You're right. I apologize.”
Savannah shook her head. “Stop it.”
“If you hurt her, buddy, I'll hunt you down like a rabid dog.
Savannah laughed. “Enough. It's dinner. I'll be fine. Join us if you'll feel better.”
Gavin almost groaned aloud. Hell no.
Silence screamed through the line again before Kate sighed. “You call me the minute you get home. By midnight at the latest.”
Gavin was too old to put up with a curfew. “It might get late.”
Kate huffed, and he could almost see the little woman throw her shoulders back. “If I haven't heard from her by midnight, I'm calling the cops.”
Would she just hang up already? “She's not sixteen.”
“Close enough.”
What the hell did that mean?
Savannah took the phone and shut off the speaker. “Good night, my friend. I'll call you when I get in. I promise. No cops unless you haven't heard from me by morning.” She hung up and tucked the cell back in her purse.
Gavin swept Savannah against his chest as the impulse to hold her overwhelmed common sense. A joke seemed like the path of least resistance. He lifted his eyebrows in his best villain impression. “Finally! Now, off to my evil lair where I can have my way with you.”
She jerked away. The movement swung her purse forward and the corner clipped him in the nuts. Pain stars danced behind his eyelids.
Savannah caught at him with a gasp. “Oh, God. I'm sorry. It was an accident. I didn't mean—”
He managed to look at her. The worry on her face relieved the hurt a bit but not much. “I was kidding.” He had to struggle to make the words fit together.
“I know.” Concern laced with laughter sparkled in her eyes. She bit her bottom lip and rubbed his back. “I'm really sorry. Are you all right?”
He stood up and breathed through the debilitating throb. What would she do if he asked her to kiss it better? “You're rubbing the wrong area.”
She shook her head and smiled her full gorgeous smile. “I am not rubbing anywhere else. Seriously though, please tell me you're okay.”
“Let's just say, your friend doesn't have to worry anymore tonight.”
She giggled.
He wanted to drown in the blue of her eyes. The pain eased to a manageable level. He ignored the slight swirl of nausea that sloshed in his stomach and offered a smile he hoped didn't look like a wince. “So where would you like to go?”
“I don't care. You pick. I owe you that much.”
Right or wrong, he wanted her all to himself. “How about a picnic at Salt River. I know a quiet spot. We can watch the sunset and eat.”
“Do we have time?”
He checked his watch. “Seven o'clock. That gives us a half hour to grab some food and get settled before nightfall. Very doable.”
“Then what are we waiting for?”
“The blood to lea
ve my swollen balls and return to my legs so I can walk.” Her grin made him forget the residual ache and all the reasons getting her alone was a stupid idea as he took her arm and led her into the warm evening.
Savannah held the subs and chips while Gavin popped open a couple bag chairs. The night breeze drifted across the river to chase off the heat of the day. She tilted her head back and let her hair lift in the cool air. “Mmm, that's lovely.”
Gavin stood in front of her, so close that the warmth from his chest overpowered the breeze. When had he moved? She opened her eyes and met his steady chocolate gaze. She felt herself tilt toward him, whether physically or merely in her mind, she wasn't sure. His spicy scent shredded her resolve in a way she had never experienced before. She longed to strip his shirt from his broad chest and explore the muscles hinted at beneath the starched lawn. Yearned for the feel of his strong arms around her waist lifting her against his solid form.
Savannah stepped back in an attempt to rein in her runaway libido. She had no business contemplating breaking all the rules just because he looked good and smelled even better. “Uh, we should eat before it gets dark.”
“I have a lantern in the truck.” He closed the distance between them again. His hands circled her waist, preventing her from moving farther away.
How was she supposed to focus when he did that? “The sandwiches will get cold.”
He chuckled and the sound almost vibrated through her. “They're already cold. Turkey subs, remember?”
A blush warmed her cheeks. She could lose herself in the man. How had that happened so fast? She shook off the preposterous thought and twisted gently from his hold. “Dinner and sunset, that's all.”
“How could I forget?”
She sat in one of the chairs, thankful he had left nearly a foot between them. A public place would have been so much better than the quiet field with almost non-existent traffic behind them. He slid the other chair closer until the arms touched before he sat down and reached for the sandwich bag. Dang it. His knee brushed against her thigh and his fingers slid past hers as he took the sack away. Had he noticed the tremor that shot through her at the casual touch?