Lie to Me

by Natasha Preston

  She tightly squeezes my hand, the longer she's on the phone.

  "There's nothing to talk about. It's done. No, you put Isla first. I needed you!" Her voice rises as anger begins to eclipse the shock of her mum's call. "No, don't bother coming here. Just take care of Isla. Whatever." She lowers the phone and taps the End Call button.

  I hate her parents. They have two daughters, so I get that it was a tough situation, but they backed the one in the wrong, and that's unforgivable in my eyes.

  Savannah must have felt so lonely, going through a miscarriage and double betrayal at the same time. Her parents should have been behind her all the way.

  "Babe, are you okay?" I ask.

  "Let's just get to the studio," she mutters, pulling me as she power-walks.

  We're not far off, and I can understand that she doesn't want to discuss this in the street, but I'm worried about her.

  I reach out to open the door as we approach the studio, but she shoves it open first and lets go of my hand.

  "Savannah, wait," I say, shutting the door.

  Heidi rises to her feet from her sewing table. "What's wrong?"

  "My mum called me," she says, slamming her handbag down on her desk.

  My sister looks at me at the same time my eyes slide to her for help. I'm not sure what to do to make this better for Savannah. I wish there were something, but I can't take back the past, and I can't force her parents to make her a priority.

  She's shaking. Her body is trembling like she's freezing.

  "I'll put the kettle on," Heidi says, rubbing Savannah's arm as she passes. "You want tea or coffee?"

  "Tea, please," Savannah replies softly. She turns to me. "I didn't think I'd hear from her again. I mean, it's been three years, and besides messaging me, she's not tried to find me."

  "They've only emailed?"

  "Actually, not they, just my mum, and she messaged on my old Facebook page. She told me to come home and sort it out, but she couldn't have been that bothered by my absence since she didn't try finding me. So, I figured she only sent those messages to ease her own guilt--you know, so she could tell herself she tried."

  "Fuckers," I growl. How can anyone do that? I don't have kids yet, thank God, but I don't know how someone could turn their back on them. I couldn't even leave a pet. "I didn't know you had Facebook?" I ask.

  Max and Toby couldn't find her.

  "I don't now. I deleted it the day after we broke up. Sav Dean is no more."

  Sav. No wonder we didn't find her then.

  She deleted her old life when I walked out on her.

  I stroke her hair out of her face, my fingers lingering on the soft skin over her cheek and down her jaw. "What do you want me to do?"

  A frown slips on her face. "What do you mean?"

  "Do you want me to try talking to them? I want to do something. Tell me how I can fix this." I pull her into my arms.

  "I love that you want to help, Kent, but there's nothing you can do."

  "But that's unacceptable. You're hurting. There must be something I can do."

  Laughing, she presses her chest against mine. "You're sweet. They'll stop contacting me soon."

  "You don't want to try talking to them again?"

  She pulls back and stares into my eyes. "No, I have all I need right here."

  "Tea," Heidi announces, popping her head around the partition wall.

  "Thanks, Heidi," Savannah replies, dropping me to head for her caffeine.

  Charming.

  I follow her and sit at the small table in the kitchen area.

  "Okay, I'm going to say it," Heidi announces, wincing as she locks eyes with Savannah. "I think you should speak to your parents and get everything out in the open before you tell them to stay away."

  I think so, too, but I don't want to agree with Heidi now and make it seem like an ambush.

  Savannah sighs and looks down at the table. She runs her finger along the handle of her mug. "I've thought about that many times over the last three years. In fact, I've almost driven back there to do it, but I don't think it will change anything. I still won't want a relationship with them."

  "You don't have to have anything happen from it. All you need is to say what you want, and then you can properly put this in the past."

  "It's already in the past."

  Heidi tilts her head. "Savannah, you kept all of this to yourself for years because you couldn't talk about it."

  "I've told you all about it now."

  "And we're glad you have because we want to be there for you, but can you honestly say you've dealt with all of the betrayals?"

  Savannah taps her finger on the table. "I've not really thought about it."

  "Because you've been ignoring it, babe," I say.

  She presses her lips together, refusing to look at Heidi or me. I exchange a glance with my sister, and she now seems as lost as I am. What Savannah wants to do and what she needs are two different things, and she's battling herself.

  No one can make her face her family again even if we all think she should. I don't want to push because she might not be ready, and I'm not risking losing her again for anything.

  "Would you be there?" she asks after a long second, twisting her head to me.

  "You even have to ask?"

  I'm not letting her go alone. Not when they still think they did the right thing three years ago. Savannah is my universe, and she won't ever have to face anything alone again. I wouldn't risk them getting inside her head or making her feel worse about this. They blamed her for the rift in the family, and as long as I'm breathing, I won't allow her to believe that.

  Smiling, she dips her head. "I'll see if they'll meet us this weekend then."

  "You don't want to do it now?" Heidi asks.

  "I'm working now."

  "No, you're not. Make the call, hon. I've got things here if they can meet you now."

  She shakes her head in protest. "No, you've already given me plenty of time off. I wasn't here yesterday, and I know how busy things are getting."

  "Savannah, you're my best friend and future sister-in-law. I want these people out of your head and out of your life ASAP. Make the call, and then you and Kent can move forward ... to making me nieces and nephews!"

  Why are people so obsessed with me and Savannah reproducing?

  I narrow my eyes at her. "Not happening anytime soon."

  Savannah nods in my direction. "What he said."

  "Fine, whatever. Call them now and get this sorted."

  She doesn't want to. When she takes her phone out of her pocket, she hesitates.

  "I can call if you want?" I offer. I'm not fucking afraid of a conversation with them. In fact, I damn well crave it.

  "That's okay. I'll do it." She unlocks her phone.

  Heidi and I watch as she calls her mum and presses the phone to her ear.

  With a deep breath, she addresses her mum and asks her to meet.

  Where? she mouths to me.

  "My place," I reply.

  She gives them my address and agrees she can meet them there in thirty minutes, giving us plenty of time to get there first.

  They're already in the city?

  When she hangs up, I put my coffee mug down. "They're here?" I ask.

  "Yeah. Arrived this morning apparently." Savannah turns to Heidi and smiles. "I'll be back as soon as I can. Thank you."

  "Anytime. Give them hell."

  Laughing, Savannah nods in agreement. "I plan to."

  We walk to her place to get my car, and then I drive us back to my apartment and park underground in my spot.

  "Thanks for this, Kent. I know we're having to go back and forth a lot at the minute."

  "There's no one else I'd rather drive around the city for." I'm sure as hell not walking, even if it would be faster. Leaning over, I kiss her. "Ready to get this over with?"

  She gets out of the car. "I think so. You need to stay calm. I know what you can get like when you're pissed off."

&nb
sp; I fake gasp. "How dare you."

  "Please, Kent, you're fiery when you get worked up." She rolls her eyes. "You can tell them to fuck off when they're on their way out the door. All I ask is that you let me do some talking before that happens."

  I hold my hands up, and then we walk toward the lift. "Babe, I don't know why you think I'm going to call them useless wankstain parents the second they walk through the door."

  Hitting the button to call the lift, she laughs. I've missed that sound so much.

  "Wankstain?"

  "You've not heard that one before?"

  "No, and it's kind of gross, but I like it." She steps closer to me, pressing her tits against my chest. "I think I would like you to say that to them when they're leaving."

  "I think you need to move these away from me before I take you to bed and leave your parents outside, knockin' on my door," I say, pushing my hands between our bodies to circle her nipples with my thumbs.

  Closing her eyes, she moans, and I jump back like she's electrocuted me.

  Grey eyes flick open. "What?"

  "Nothing," I mutter, adjusting myself in my jeans. Damn hard-on ten minutes before her dickhead parents' arrival. "Just need to take a breather."

  The lift doors ping open, and we get in.

  "You're always horny, Kent."

  "Well, stop being so fucking sexy, and I won't be." I frown. "Hold on, you're the one pressing those perfect tits up against me like you want me to get hot and take you to bed. You are always up for it, too."

  She lifts one shoulder in a lazy shrug. "Not denying it. I want you inside me."

  "You're doing this on purpose, so I'll carry you to my bedroom, and neither of us will hear your parents knocking over the sounds of your moaning."

  "Take me," she whispers.

  "Savannah." Her name is a warning. My dick is painfully hard, balls tightening with the need to empty inside her. My control isn't great around her, but I need to keep a clear head for this conversation.

  "I want to feel your big cock stretching me."

  Fuck.

  I slam my fist against the stop button on the lift and launch myself at her. Savannah's back slams against the side of the lift with a thud, and my mouth swallows her cry. Her hands find my hair. She grips and lifts herself up, wrapping her legs around my waist.

  Her mouth fights mine for dominance, tongues wrestling. It's hot and wet, and I'm so fucking close, it's unreal.

  "Savannah," I mutter as my lips devour hers, "I need to be inside you."

  I unzip my trousers, shoving them and my boxers down. Hitching her skirt, I pull her underwear to the side and enter her in one sharp movement.

  Her lips leave mine, and her head thumps back against the wall. "Fucking hell, Kent."

  "God, you feel too good, Savannah. You're so tight, so ready ... fuck." I thrust, and my eyes roll back in my head.

  Savannah's fingernails cut into my shoulders as she holds on tight while I pound her into the mirror on the wall behind her.

  "I'm so close, Kent."

  "Good, because I'm about to go," I grit out. "Fuck. Fuck."

  Savannah calls out my name, her voice strangled and so sexy, and I explode inside her. Riding out the orgasm that has my knees about to give up, I press my head against hers.

  "I love you so much," I confess.

  Slumping in my embrace, she whispers, "I love you, too, Kent."

  I plant a kiss on her lips. "We have five minutes until your parents are due to arrive," I say.

  I slip out of her, and her feet hit the floor. I move her underwear back in place and straighten her skirt, all while smirking at her lying against the wall with her eyes closed.

  "You okay?" I ask, humour lacing my words.

  "Yeah," she replies, flicking her eyes open. "I want to do that again."

  "Later, nympho." I tug my boxers and jeans up and start the lift.

  We glide up to the top floor, grinning at each other like fools.

  I let us into my apartment and pull Savannah to the bathroom to clean up. "You have a change of clothes in my room," I say, wiping her down.

  Since sex in the lift, she's been on a high and absolutely useless.

  "Am I going to have to dress you?"

  With a laugh, she stands up as I drop the flannel. "No, I've got this. My legs are back to normal now."

  "I love it when you come like a train."

  "It doesn't suck for me either," she says, heading out into my room to get changed. Her skirt and underwear lay on the floor in my bathroom. She's never normally messy, so although her legs are normal now, her mind is still in that lift.

  There's no better feeling than knowing how much I affect her.

  When I enter my bedroom, she's fully dressed in a pair of skinny jeans and long black top. She rubs her palms on her hips and chews on her bottom lip. "It's going to be okay, right?"

  "Savannah," I say, moving close, "it's always going to be okay. I'm here, so lean on me whenever you need to."

  "Am I cheating by not doing this alone?"

  "You don't have to do something alone to prove your strength."

  A smile sweeps across her lips. "I really do love you."

  "Good, because you're stuck with me."

  My doorbell rings, and she freezes.

  "Don't do that. You've got this."

  Her expression changes, and her forehead smooths over. "I have. They're the ones in the wrong, not me." She sounds like she's been rehearsing that in her head.

  "Exactly. Now, do you want me to get the door?"

  With a deep breath, she shakes her head. "No, I'll do it."

  36

  Kent

  I watch Savannah walk out of my room with her head held high and back straight. She's ready for this, and I'm so proud of her. When Simon cheated with her sister and her parents took their side, it stole so much from her. She's spent three years hiding and keeping her past to herself. It's eaten away at her confidence, but today, she's fully taking that back.

  I follow as she struts right up to the door and swings it open.

  "Mum, Dad," she addresses. Her posture falters when she sees a woman who must be her sister behind them. Before they notice, she recovers herself. "Isla." Her sister's name sounds like a swear word coming from her mouth.

  I take an instant dislike to her, too.

  Moving aside, Savannah lets them all in.

  Isla looks around my apartment with wide eyes, similar to Savannah when she first walked in here. But, besides the same shade hair and similar eyes, they look nothing alike.

  "This is a nice place you have," her mum says.

  I'd exchange pleasantries, but I don't want to.

  "Let's sit down," Savannah says.

  I follow her to our sofa and park my arse right beside her. Pressing her arm against mine, she sinks back into the cushion. I love that I'm the one she leans on. I always want to be that person to her.

  Her parents sit opposite us, and Isla sits on the single armchair facing the view of the city.

  "I wanted to clear the air and get everything out there before we go our separate ways once and for all. Maybe I should have done this before I left, but I'm doing it now, and I think that would be best for all of us," Savannah explains.

  Her mum's face falls. "We want more than that. I don't want to live the rest of my life without my youngest daughter in it."

  "That isn't your decision, Mum," Savannah replies. She gets straight to the point. "When I lost my baby, I was devastated. You were the one with me because my boyfriend was off having an affair with my 'sister.'" She uses air quotes when addressing Isla as her sister, and I bite back my amusement.

  Isla's jaw tightens.

  "I don't understand how you could witness how devastated I was from losing that baby and then finding out about them and not be there for me."

  "I was there for you," her mum argues.

  "For a couple of weeks. I wasn't over it when you told me it was time to move on. I didn't stop grie
ving for the little one I'd lost, grieving for the end of my relationship with Isla, and I sure as hell wasn't over the betrayal from Simon. You tried to push me into papering over it because you didn't like that I was still angry, and we couldn't have fucking family dinners anymore. God, you're so selfish."

  "That's a bit harsh," her dad says.

  "Harsh?" Savannah's voice hitches. "It's the truth! And where were you? Not once did you come and sit with me. You didn't try to comfort me or even ask how I was doing."

  "I didn't know what to say, Savannah," he replies, dropping his chin.

  Fucking coward.

  "You're my dad. You should have tried. I didn't need you to do more than hold me and tell me that everything would be okay."

  He looks away from Savannah, and I want to grab his fucking head and make him face this. She puts her hand on my leg, sensing my rising temper.

  "Simon and I never planned on getting together. You act as if we tried to hurt you," Isla says.

  "Why are you even here?" Savannah asks.

  "Because I think we can move forward. It's been a long time."

  "Like I told Simon, I have moved forward."

  Isla's face falls.

  Oh, the wanker hasn't told her he's visited Savannah.

  My girl didn't miss it either.

  She tilts her head. "Maybe you should leave now and go have a conversation with your man."

  Isla doesn't react. "I don't need to."

  "No, I suppose he came straight home and told you all about turning up at my flat and coming to see me when I agreed to have it all out."

  Isla's eyes narrow, and their parents look at her and then at each other.

  This is getting good.

  "He didn't? What a shock. It's so unlike Simon to tell a lie."

  "Savannah, let's not talk about him right now," her dad says.

  "You're doing it again," I spit, unable to keep quiet now. "You're putting Isla before Savannah, protecting the wrong daughter."

  Squeezing my leg, Savannah lets me know it's okay. I hate the thought of her being hurt over this shit though. They're her parents, and they clearly favour Isla. I have no idea why.

  "I'm not doing anything of the sort," he argues.

  "Bollocks you're not."

  "Kent," Savannah warns, "it's okay. I know the drill by now, and it stopped hurting a long time ago. I don't need validation from them anymore."

  Her parents watch our exchange with curiosity. They don't like me any more than I like them. In any other circumstances, I would care what my girlfriend's parents think, but these people don't deserve to call Savannah their daughter.