Priceless Treasure

by Melody Anne

  And it looked painful.

  “Ashton!”

  That wasn’t love in her tone. Ashton looked back at his fiancée and paused. The two of them were far too close to Savannah’s boat now. If either of them turned, they would spot her.

  She backed up a bit, but dang it, this was better than a soap opera, and she just didn’t want to leave. She knew she should — knew Ashton was going to be pissed if he caught her eavesdropping — and yet she kept on spying. Cable was expensive and this was free.

  “Get over here and help me up,” Kalli called out.

  “I warned you not to wear those heels on the docks,” he said impatiently. But he moved back toward her.

  “What else was I supposed to do? I couldn’t wear flats to a show, could I?” Kalli was no longer screeching. Her voice was now quavering, as if she were fighting tears.

  Savannah was almost feeling sympathy for this woman. Where that was coming from, she just didn’t know. But if she ever had the opportunity to go to a show, well, she’d want to dress up too. She hated to admit it, but she could almost see the other woman’s point of view.

  “You could have brought a change of shoes, Kalli.”

  “And you didn’t need to bring me back here instead of to your nice place outside Seattle, which was much nearer to the show,” his fiancée countered as she took his hand and wobbled to her feet. “This is ruined now!” she snapped, holding up the broken shoe in her free hand.

  “Sorry,” he said, though he didn’t sound sorry at all.

  “Dammit, Austin Daniel Storm. Do you know how much these shoes cost?”

  “I’m sure they cost a lot. Are you done with your tantrum, or do I need to continue to act like I give a damn about a pair of overpriced shoes? Especially shoes that really don’t do that much for you.”

  He said the words with no inflection, as if he were having a polite conversation. It took Savannah a moment to realize he was insulting the woman he was intending to marry. Apparently, it took Kalli a moment to realize it too.

  But when she did, the rage on the woman’s face was obvious. She yanked her hand away from Ashton’s and took several stilted steps back, one heel on, one off.

  “You know what, Ashton? You can go find some oil and … use that big hand of yours on yourself tonight.” With that, she lurched around and headed back up the docks. She’d refused to shed the unbroken shoe, but she was limping along as quickly as she could.

  “I’ll probably have a better time,” Ashton mumbled. “It’s been weeks anyway since I’ve slept with you,” he muttered too softly for Kalli to hear, but just loud enough for Savvy to catch every word.

  Savannah almost laughed out loud, but she suppressed it. That would certainly get her caught. Still, a squeak escaped her mouth, and, damn her luck, Ashton looked in her direction. With superhuman speed, she jerked backward, barely managing to catch herself. She’d almost pitched over the ladder right behind her.

  She lay back as flat as she could, not daring to move an inch. But she couldn’t help but listen for any possible sound to alert her that Ashton had moved on.

  Without knowing how much time had passed after her triple axel, she finally decided she was either going to move or freeze out there on the deck. But just as she began to get up, she was given another fright.

  “Enjoy the show?”

  So much for her acrobatic skills. Klutzy acrobatic skills. She’d been busted.

  Chapter Six

  Heart thundering, she flopped over onto her back and stared straight up at the intimidating figure that Ashton made. And at the moment, he wasn’t even trying to scare her — or she didn’t think he was. She’d managed to avoid the man for a few days, but now that it was after midnight with absolutely no one around, he decided it was a good time for a chat. Of course, it didn’t help that he’d caught her snooping in on him.

  If she’d just gone below deck the way she should have when the whole brouhaha began, she wouldn’t be in this awkward position right now — literally and figuratively.

  Then, Ashton shocked the heck out of her when he suddenly dropped to the deck and lay down next to her. She tensed wondering what to do. She’d never been in a position like this before.

  “I wasn’t spying or anything,” she finally said when the silence was almost deafening.

  “Give me a break. Sure you were. But in your defense, I would have done the same if I’d been in your position.”

  He didn’t seem angry — amused was more like it. She hadn’t been expecting that. But she didn’t know this man, didn’t know him at all, and didn’t want to. So how could she judge what sort of mood he was going to be in?

  “Okay, fine, I can admit I was watching the show, and it could probably win an Emmy if someone was smart enough to tape it. However, I hadn’t set out to do it. I was sitting here, just drinking a nice cold beer and looking at the stars, when you and your fiancée began making a screen-worthy ruckus. What was I supposed to do? Interrupt my night and run and hide? Go below deck because you and that woman of yours were squabbling? I wasn’t ready to do that yet.”

  She was blathering. She always blathered when she was really nervous. But even knowing that, she sometimes found it impossible to stop, dang it.

  “And what was up with the shoe situation, Ashton? I mean, really! I would have been upset too if I’d broken a favorite pair of shoes, but then again, I wouldn’t wear heels on a dock either…” Oh, please. Just shoot her now. At least she hadn’t added that those shoes were fugly as sin.

  “Are you planning on torturing me, Savvy? Death by words?” He was laughing as he spoke.

  Savannah thought for a moment, and then she really did see the humor. Instead of huffing and puffing, she joined in the laughter, and suddenly the tension was gone.

  How could this man be so stiff and formal one moment, and then so carefree the next? She was confused. Up to this point, she hadn’t once seen him so … so friendly.

  “You know,” he said, “it would be only polite to offer your guest a beer. You were the one who mentioned the subject.” And he looked as if he were about to get really comfy.

  “I’m technically your guest, Mr. Storm, as you’ve already pointed out. You own the boat, and so, by your way of thinking, you should jump up and get us both one,” she told him boldly.

  He turned his head to look at her for a moment and then shocked her again when he hopped to his feet and moved to the built-in fridge. The man actually grabbed a couple of beers, twisted the tops off, grabbed the slices of lemon she had already cut, and wedged a couple pieces in each bottle.

  She finally sat up on the decking, then jumped to her feet before getting back on the lounge chair. That was a major relief — deck floors weren’t exactly built for comfort.

  “Thanks,” she murmured as he handed her a fresh bottle of Corona. She leaned back, took a sip, and then went back to searching the stars. She’d enjoyed looking for shapes in them ever since she was a small child.

  “You’re welcome, Savvy. I’m enjoying the company.”

  She stared at him for a moment and chortled. “How in the world are you enjoying my company? It seems we’re sniping at each other every chance we get.”

  “You know what they say, don’t you? There’s a thin line between love and hate.”

  She snapped her head back to look at him, then felt tremendous relief when he winked.

  “You really like throwing me all out of kilter, don’t you?”

  “Yes, as a matter of fact, I do.” The guy had no qualms about admitting it.

  “Do you do that to everyone?” she asked. It wasn’t like she was special or anything.

  “Not everyone,” he said, making her stomach flutter. “Just the people I like.”

  What in the heck was that supposed to mean? She definitely wasn’t opening that door.

  “Maybe you should find some more friends, because I’m not all that likable,” she told him with a laugh, but it wasn’t quite merry enough to cover the
reality of those words. “I can be a bit prickly.”

  “Prickly? Don’t get me to thinking in those terms, Savvy. And I can’t imagine that anyone on this earth would find you unlickable — I mean … unlikable.” He paused to relish her dramatic blush. “You’re beautiful, smart, hardworking, and easy to talk to. I’m sure you have a line of people clamoring for your attention. As a matter of fact, Weston seems to hunt you out every chance he can get.” He’d added that last part with the slightest of growls.

  It took her a while to answer, but it was so lovely to have someone to talk to, someone to share with.

  “Sometimes … life can be quite lonely. Perhaps it’s only when a person is really intent. I’ve been in school so long that it feels like I haven’t had a break in … forever. I do love my little sister more than words could possibly describe, but as for friends –—well, I just haven’t had time for that.”

  “You have a sister?” he asked.

  “Yes, it’s the reason I transferred here. The school has a great program and I get to be with my sis.”

  “Where is she?” he asked.

  “She’s been doing medical work in Africa, but she’ll be back in a couple of days now.” Savannah couldn’t wait.

  “Hmm. Interesting,” he said. Of course, it was interesting. Alexa was the sister everyone liked. But before Savvy was able to say something about that, he spoke again. “Is she anything like you?”

  Savannah didn’t quite know how to take that question. Was it good? Bad? Should she tell him her sister wasn’t available? Though, technically she was, but the thought of Alexa and Ashton dating sent slivers of jealousy running along her spine. But that was stupid. Savannah had no claims on Ashton and she didn’t want to. She was just upset about the idea because the man already had a fiancée.

  “We’re somewhat alike, but Alexa has one of those bubbly personalities that everyone is drawn to. She’s amazing.”

  He paused for a moment, and she would have paid everything in her small savings account to know what he was thinking. Not that it mattered, she tried telling herself.

  “You have a —” Ashton stopped whatever he was about to say because of the look that Savvy had just sent him.

  She picked things up from here. “You don’t get to be bubbly all the time when you’re working as hard as I am for a good future. I’m not an old maid, though, if I may use an outdated sexist term. I have plenty of time in life to ‘let down my hair’ — quote unquote — and giggle all night and day.” She knew she was being overly sensitive, but she was always told she was the boring and more uptight sister. Despite the occasional beer. That got old after a while.

  He was silent for a moment and then he was even smarter when he changed the subject. “Didn’t you make friends in college?”

  “Not really. I joined a lot of study groups — one of those high-achieving things — but then I’d move on to the next class. And because I didn’t like to go out and party and stuff like that, people quickly lost interest in me. I never really hooked up with anyone.”

  Savannah blushed again, fiercely, when she thought about what the phrase hook up meant now. But she went ahead. “I’ve always been a little jealous of people who constantly manage to draw other people to them. Then again, if I cared so much, I guess I’d put more effort into it.”

  “We all need people in our lives, Savvy. We aren’t meant to be alone.” Ashton reached out his hand and rested it on hers.

  Ding ding ding ding! Bad, bad, bad. The red flags were bursting in the air, but the mixed metaphors didn’t quite register in her mind. She was all absorbed in the tingling that shot through her at the innocent touch. Of course it was innocent. And this wasn’t where this conversation should be leading right now. She gazed desperately at the shapes in the sky.

  “Did you know that ancient mariners used the stars when they navigated?” she asked.

  His hand stayed on hers, and her heart raced, but she was trying to think of something else to say when he finally spoke.

  “Yes. But I never did too much research on it, Savannah, to tell you the truth. I’m more in tune with modern technology.”

  “I’ve always been fascinated by anything that has to do with the ocean, and the stars are a big map in the sky, so obviously I’ve studied them. You can always find your way back home if you just look up.” Her throat was beginning to dry out the longer he touched her. Not good at all.

  “Do you always speak so much when you’re unsettled, Savvy?” he asked, his fingers dancing on her skin.

  Okay, now it was time to go. Her heart was racing, her skin tingling, and her throat practically closing. She wasn’t sure what she was feeling, but whatever it was, it wasn’t good.

  “Well, it’s been fun, but I’m exhausted,” she said with an exaggerated yawn as she sat up, downed the rest of her beer, and practically bounded to her feet.

  Big mistake. She immediately began feeling wobbly.

  But Ashton leapt up and caught her before she went down. Like a classic romantic hero. And then they were standing there, her gaze held by his, the stars shining in all their glory right over them. She couldn’t remember why kissing this man was such a bad idea.

  And then she wasn’t allowed to think anymore. He was leaning forward and … and … and. Damn. Yes, she knew this wasn’t supposed to happen, or she must have known it somewhere deep down inside, but as his lips brushed against hers, as his hands caressed her back, and as his tongue slipped inside her mouth, she couldn’t remember anything, let alone why she shouldn’t kiss her boss.

  His hands slid up and down her back, his lips coaxed hers open, his tongue performed magic, and all the while she was helpless to do anything but cling tightly to him.

  “Savvy,” he moaned before he trailed his lips down her jaw and sucked the skin of her neck.

  Never had she enjoyed a kiss so much. Heck, she’d never experienced anything like this before. Not once! How was she supposed to stop something that felt so right — so incredible? With the other guys, it had been easy to put an end to it because she hadn’t felt this heat pooling in her stomach, hadn’t felt the rest of the world fade away.

  With Ashton, she forgot her own name, and she also forgot the reasons she shouldn’t allow him to make her feel such unbelievable passion. The night was made for romance. When his mouth reached the swell of her breast, she somehow gained back her sanity.

  “Ashton, stop.”

  Was that her voice? It didn’t sound like her, not at all. It was husky, and breathy, and the moan that followed certainly didn’t sound like something from a woman who was really saying no.

  “Why?” he groaned before his hand slipped below her shirt.

  She pulled back. He let her. Much to her … hell, her disappointment. Maybe she wanted him to take this decision — not that it was anything rational now — out of her hands. No. She didn’t want that. Maybe she thought she did for the moment, but she’d hate herself in the morning.

  And finally she managed to speak. “Because you aren’t mine.”

  With that, she turned and walked away. He let her. Savvy didn’t sleep well that night, not well at all. The little sleep she did manage to get was filled with dreams of Ashton.

  Chapter Seven

  What in the freaking universe had he been thinking?

  He was engaged to another woman. He wouldn’t be a cheater. He’d never cheated before. Sure, he hadn’t been in a committed relationship before, so he’d never really been tested, but that was beside the point.

  The point was that Kalli was the perfect wife. She was blue blood at its finest. She was literate, funny — at times, anyway — conservative, and the perfect choice to produce children who would make his father and his uncles proud.

  Ashton had spent enough years being the bartending playboy. It was his duty now to grow up and act like a Storm. And he had the added responsibility of knowing he wasn’t only a Storm but also an Anderson. Damn, that was a lot of weight on a regular guy’s shoulde
rs.

  So he couldn’t mess this thing up with Kalli. He wouldn’t do yet another thing that would prove his father right. The old man had pulled him and his brothers and his sister into a room and threatened to take everything away from them. He’d said that they were all spoiled, and that they all needed a purpose in life. And after the initial shock, Ashton had done his damnedest to demonstrate that a man could change. He’d done that.

  But he was now playing with fire, whatever that meant nowadays, and that wasn’t acceptable.

  He didn’t want to be a man people couldn’t trust. To “party on” and to live life to the fullest was one thing. Or two things. Who was counting? To have no morals at all was completely different. So he had two options. He needed to get rid of the temptation — which was one Savannah Mills — or he needed to learn some self-control and do what he knew was right.

  Getting rid of Savvy would be much easier. Dammit. His life had become complicated the moment she’d stumbled onto his docks, and he didn’t like “complicated.” He liked smooth sailing — on and off the water. But when had he ever taken the easier way when it wasn’t a way he wanted to travel? Never that he could think of.

  Well, it was too late to do anything more about it tonight, so it wouldn’t do him any good to waste time dwelling on the subject. But as he lay in bed, Ashton began getting annoyed. Who in the blazes was this Savannah person to come in and mess up his perfectly laid-out plans for the future? He’d been happy with Kalli. No, not ecstatic. He wasn’t deeply in love with her, but he’d been comfortable. He’d never wanted love, really, never wanted someone to hold him down. He’d seen where that could lead. And the end of the road wasn’t pretty.

  Love brought with it a deep responsibility. You had to make sure that someone else’s life was better with you in it than it had been without you. He didn’t want to be responsible for anyone else, didn’t want that pressure.