Chapter 11 Tempting Tension
Tempting Tension
Savannah barely heard what Mallory was saying over the pounding in her ears. Every nerve in her body was on fire, and she wasn’t even sure she was breathing properly.
This was fucking ridiculous.
She was a grown woman—accomplished, confident, in control. But right now? Right now, she felt like a damn teenager with a stomach full of nerves and no idea what to do with her hands.
Because Chase Montgomery was here.
And worse? He had noticed her.
"Fuck me," Mallory muttered, eyes locked across the bar. "He’s getting up, Savannah. He’s coming over."
Savannah’s fingers tightened around her drink, nails pressing into the glass. "I can fucking see that, Mal," she hissed, heart slamming against her ribs.
"Jesus Christ." Mallory smirked. "I feel like I should be recording this. It’s giving second-chance porn-level tension."
"Shut the fuck up," Savannah snapped, but before she could say anything else—
Chase was there.
Standing at their table. Hands in his pockets. Looking every bit like the mistake she was dying to make.
"Savannah."
Her name left his mouth like gravel—rough, deliberate, like he’d said it a thousand times in his head before now.
She lifted her chin, forcing herself to meet his gaze. "Chase."
Mallory let out a low whistle. "Well, damn."
Savannah resisted the urge to kick her under the table.
Behind Chase, a guy she didn’t recognize leaned back in his chair, grinning like an instigator. "Well, this just got interesting."
Savannah’s eyes flicked to him, then to the sharp-eyed blonde beside him, smirking in amusement.
Jaxon gestured to the empty seats. "C’mon," he said.
Mallory shot Savannah a look before getting up and making her way over. Chase and Savannah followed.
Once they sat, the conversation took on a life of its own.
Mallory, completely unbothered, leaned forward, eyes dragging over Chase like he was a damn five-course meal. "Chase Montgomery, you have no right being this fine. What the fuck?"
Chase barely spared her a glance, but the smirk on his lips was undeniable. "Appreciate that."
Mallory shook her head. "No, seriously. You look like someone made a lumberjack and a Greek god fuck. What kind of skincare routine do you have? Or is the universe just playing favorites?"
Jaxon barked out a laugh. "Oh, I fucking love her."
Sara smirked, tilting her head. "Glad y’all came to sit with us. This kind of chaos is best experienced up close."
Jaxon flagged down the waitress. "I’ll buy the next round if you promise to either fight or fuck by the end of the night."
Mallory scoffed. "Oh, I like them."
Savannah groaned. "You’re unbearable."
Jaxon grinned, looking between her and Chase. "Well? You gonna speak, or just keep eye-fucking each other?"
Mallory nudged Sara. "So, are you two a thing, or does Chase always keep gorgeous company?"
Sara snorted. "God, no." She nodded toward Jaxon. "He’s pretty, but I have standards."
Jaxon gasped, pressing a hand to his chest. "You wound me."
Mallory cackled. "Oh, I’m gonna love you guys."
The conversation flowed, filled with teasing remarks, casual banter, and enough tension between Savannah and Chase to light the whole damn bar on fire.
He was watching her, the same way he always had—like he was trying to figure out exactly how much space he was still allowed to take up in her world.
She hated how much she wanted him to take all of it.
Mallory lifted her drink, glancing between them. "You know, this is almost painful to watch. Just putting that out there."
Jaxon nodded. "Agreed. There’s an entire war of sexual tension happening here, and we’re just innocent bystanders."
Sara smirked. "I feel like we should be placing bets on how this ends."
"Yeah," Jaxon agreed. "But do we bet on a screaming match or a backseat makeout session?"
Mallory snorted. "Why not both? Do it in reverse order for a little extra drama."
Savannah groaned, pressing her fingers against her temple. "I swear to God, you’re all insufferable."
Chase leaned in, his voice just for her. "You sure about that?"
She turned to him, already regretting it the moment she locked eyes with him. His gaze was steady, unreadable, but his presence? It was suffocating in the best, worst way.
Sara sighed dramatically. "Alright, alright. Enough of this foreplay. Just go talk. Somewhere else."
Jaxon clinked his beer against Chase’s. "Yeah, get out of here before we start narrating your inner monologues for you."
Mallory grinned. "I can already hear it now: 'Savannah, why do I still want you? Why do I still dream about—'"
Savannah shoved her chair back with a groan. "Okay! We’re leaving."
Mallory laughed, raising her drink in victory. "You’re welcome."
Chase stood too, rubbing the back of his neck as he glanced at Jaxon and Sara. "Appreciate the warm welcome."
Jaxon smirked. "Anytime, Montgomery. Go do whatever it is you need to do."
Savannah rolled her eyes but led the way out of the booth, Chase following closely behind. As they moved toward the edge of the bar, Mallory called after them, "Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!"
Jaxon added, "Or, better yet—do everything she would do."
Sara just sighed, sipping her drink. "Idiots. All of you."
Savannah exhaled as she and Chase stepped away from the table, the bar suddenly feeling too small, too hot, too charged. She felt the heat of his presence beside her, the awareness of how close he was settling over her like a heavy weight.
And she knew—whatever happened next wasn’t something she could ignore.