Total pages in book: 111
Estimated words: 106806 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 534(@200wpm)___ 427(@250wpm)___ 356(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 106806 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 534(@200wpm)___ 427(@250wpm)___ 356(@300wpm)
She swallows down a large gulp of her martini. “I would never think that.”
“Tell me something about your family. I bet they make mine look like a mess.”
She throws her head back and laughs, exposing the long, creamy skin of her neck. I can’t help but smile. Her laugh is infectious. The most beautiful thing in this whole damn sparkling lounge. The whole city.
“No. Not at all. I’m not really close to anyone in my family anymore, actually. I have a brother, but . . .” She sighs. “He’s always into something self-destructive. I had to step out of his life years ago to protect myself—otherwise I’d end up crashing and burning right along with him.”
“Hell, Savvy. I’m sorry.”
She shakes her head. “I’m not. He’s . . . difficult. And, really, as sad as it sounds, I’m better off without him.”
“When was the last time you talked to him?”
She finishes the little that’s left in her glass. “A couple years ago? He needed some money. That’s always what gets him to come around again.”
I wince. “Ah. One of those.” I lift my hand and wipe away the smudge of chocolate she missed on her bottom lip.
She watches me as I pull my hand away, hunger in her eyes.
I glance toward the sparsely populated dance floor then back to her. “Would you dance with me?”
Her lips part, indecision in her eyes, and I’m bracing myself for an excuse when she smiles. “I’d love to.”
I stand and take her hand, slowly drawing her from our booth and leading her to the dance floor.
“You look beautiful tonight,” I murmur, dipping my head to brush my lips over her bare shoulder.
She shivers in my arms but doesn’t pull away. “Thank you. You don’t look so bad yourself.”
I skim my fingers along the back of her dress, letting them skate the line where the fabric touches her skin. She’s soft and warm, and my nose is full of the vanilla and rosewater scent of her. “Do you remember our night together?” The question comes out so husky I barely recognize my own voice.
“The early hours, yes. The later ones are just snippets. Flashes. I don’t do well with the quantity of alcohol we consumed.” She pulls back and looks up at me through her lashes. My gut clenches. “Do you?”
“Same. I just wish . . .” I probably shouldn’t say it. I wish I could remember. If I only get that one night, I want it all. “I can’t decide if not remembering makes it better or worse.”
She lies her head on my shoulder. “I’ve wondered that too.”
“Tell me one thing you remember.”
Her breath hitches. “I remember you over me, your face in my neck and your hand . . .”
“My hand between your legs,” I finish. I remember that too. The feel of her on my fingers, the way her lips parted when I slid them inside her.
She closes her eyes, as if she’s recalling these details at the exact moment as me. “This is torture.”
“I can stop.”
She shakes her head. “I don’t want you to.”
Good. “I still remember how you taste.” I use two fingers to touch her lips. “Here.” Her neck. “Here.” Then down between her breasts. “Here.” With my other hand, I follow her zipper down her back and to the curve of her ass then slowly back up. “I rolled you onto your stomach and kissed my way down your spine. When I scraped my teeth over the curve of your ass, you made the sexiest sounds.”
She shudders. “I wish we could have a redo.”
I swallow hard. “Who says we can’t?”
She buries her face in my chest, hiding her eyes from me. “Alec . . .”
“Come home with me, Savvy,” I say, my voice low. “I want you in my bed.”
When she lifts her head, there’s so much heat in her eyes it nearly knocks me over. I haven’t been fooling myself. This connection between us is real.
“Can we really have one night without it messing with our friendship?” She tugs her bottom lip between her teeth. “I’m not going to pretend I don’t want it, but I know you want more than—”
I put my thumb against her lips. I can’t handle hearing her talk herself out of this. “We’ve already been together once. Denying ourselves tonight won’t change that.” I stroke her lip. “It won’t change how much we want it.”
“And tomorrow?” she asks.
My heart is racing, tripping over how much I want this and how much I want more. But at the end of the day, this is Savvy. If tonight’s all I can have, I’m going to take it. “Tomorrow can be whatever you want it to be.”
Part Six
EIGHT YEARS AGO
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
SAVVY
Iprefer to close up at The Naked Bean. Not only are the late-night tips usually better when students come for coffee after drinking, but I like the quiet satisfaction of cleaning up at the end of the night. After a shift of running around, the solitude gives me a chance to decompress before I head home.