Chapter 6 Savannah #2
Looking to the foyer, desperate, I found Claire and Emmett heading to the door. “I’ve got to go,” I said, simultaneously thankful and regretful for the escape. “I’ll see you later,” I added over my shoulder.
I felt his eyes on me the entire way out the door as I practically sprinted to Claire’s truck, my heart pounding.
There was no way I could’ve talked to him.
Not when we were under a microscope like that.
Not when he still got me flustered that easily.
Maybe next time would be better. Easier.
But the way my body hummed with anticipation told me it’d be anything but.
Two in the morning rolled around, and I still couldn’t stop thinking about Weston fucking Tate and that stupid smirk on his stupid face.
It was the same smirk he gave me when he’d take a bite of my ice cream when I wasn’t looking, or when he dared me to skinny dip in the creek that late summer night when I was seventeen.
A shiver ran down my spine when I thought about what happened after we got out of the water.
My eyes drifted shut, my breathing quickening as I pictured the dark gleam in his eyes as he took in my body and the way he laid me down on the shore.
The way he kept making sure I was okay. The way he touched me, the way he held me, and kissed me like his life depended on it.
We had fooled around before that, but never went all the way. That night, though, I had told him not to stop, and it turned out to be the most special night of my life.
I rolled over, groaning into my pillow. I shouldn’t be thinking about him like that when I didn’t even know who he was anymore, and I definitely shouldn’t want him when I didn’t know where my relationship with Stewart stood; I needed to figure that out soon.
But for now, my mind wandered back to Weston.
Would he still be gentle and unsure like he was back then? Or rough and urgent after years apart? I could only imagine the kinds of things a guy as attractive as him picked up from the hordes of women he had probably slept with in the last decade.
The thought of him with other women made my stomach turn.
So I thought of just him. I wondered if things would be the same, like the way he tasted, the way he moaned as he came, if his words would still melt me.
Or if there’d be differences, like how his body was bulkier and stronger now, so could he throw me around easier? Would he want to?
My hips rolled against my bed involuntarily as if my body was begging to find out. My hand slipped between me and the mattress, and I couldn’t even feel guilty when I discovered how wet I was.
It was always so good with him. And for a while, I thought it had been because he was my first, but no, it was because he was Weston. The context never mattered; Weston was the best I’d ever had, and it infuriated me.
It was too easy to picture him cornering me, a hungry look in those dark blue eyes I looked into only hours ago.
Too easy to hear him utter the words, “You’re mine, angel,” like he had a hundred times before.
Too easy to remember the feel of his lips on mine.
On my skin. Too easy to picture the smile he gave me earlier.
I let out a breathy sigh as I rode my hand, getting lost in the memories that began to blend with the present.
The ghost of his touch ran along my skin until it was his hand I was grinding against and not mine.
I bit my lip, careful not to make any noise, and imagined the way he’d lavish me with praise for being quiet like he had in the past. Sweat prickled my skin as I moved faster, chasing after the pleasure building in the pit of my stomach.
I imagined his body hovering over mine, pinning me to the mattress while driving into me relentlessly from behind, his hand tangled in my hair.
My toes curled, a strangled cry leaving me at the image of his teeth biting into my shoulder to muffle his groans while he came.
And when my orgasm passed and reality bled back in, the guilt hit me hard and fast. I had said goodbye to him years ago. It was my choice to end things. I wasn’t supposed to still want him like this. But I did. God help me, I did.
Despite the lack of sleep, I was at the courthouse bright-eyed and bushy-tailed when the security guard unlocked the doors, and it seemed I wasn’t the only one.
A man in a sharp gray suit walked in just moments after me, his shoes clicking on the tile floor.
He was carrying a box of donuts with a coffee on top and made small talk with the security guard.
He looked like Stewart and the kind of guys he hung out with: clean-cut and polished, with sophistication and stature that bordered on arrogance. Except this guy didn’t seem arrogant at all. He seemed kind.
“Good morning,” he said as we stopped at the clerk’s desk together. His eyes were a bright hazel green, framed with black eyelashes that matched his well-styled hair.
I gave him a tight smile. “Morning.”
He glanced at his watch. It was a Rolex. “Gladys is usually ten or so minutes late, so I hope you don’t mind waiting.”
I rocked on my heels. “That’s fine.”
The silence dragged between us as people began shuffling in. My mind drifted to Weston, and heat rose to my cheeks, remembering what I did last night. That could never happen again.
“Sorry, are you new in town?” The man asked as if he couldn’t help himself. “I just don’t think I’ve seen you before, and I know everyone.”
“No, I’m not new. Not really,” I replied. “I’m Savannah Hayes.”
His eyes went a little wide at that. “Oh! You’re Tess’s sister. She mentioned she had a lawyer for a sister.”
My eyes narrowed, protective instincts flaring. “How do you know my sister?”
He chuckled and extended his hand. “Right, sorry. I’m Levi Hollis. I’m actually here to get the ball rolling on Luke’s custody agreement.” He slid a manila folder out from under the donut box and waved it around.
I saw him in an entirely new light now. Of course, he looked so put together; he was a Hollis and came from money. I didn’t take his hand. “I’m filing a SLAPP motion against your grandfather and brother,” I said, my voice icy.
He sucked his teeth, his hand dropping. “Ah. I see.”
“Yep.”
“Well, if you need office space to work on things, there’s room for you at Wild Creek Law.”
My head reared back. What the hell? I told him I was working against his family, and he offered me office space to do it? Who was this guy?
He must’ve seen the shock on my face. “I don’t approve of what they’re doing,” he said, the pleasant expression from his face gone. “I don’t really associate with them unless I have to.”
“I still don’t trust you,” I said bluntly. I might’ve been shy and tongue-tied around Weston, but he was the exception, not the rule. Always had been. Otherwise, I usually wasn’t afraid to speak my mind. “And I don’t like that you’re working with my sister.”
I had enough experience with smooth-talking, well-dressed men who didn’t actually see me, and I didn’t want the same for Tess.
Levi laughed at that, pushing his glasses up. “Totally fair and understandable, but the offer still stands.”
A middle-aged, plump woman finally sat down behind the desk, powering on her computer. She must’ve been Gladys. She looked at the donuts and coffee. “Those for me, sugar?” she asked Levi, grinning at him and ignoring me.
“Yes, ma’am, but Miss Hayes was here first.”
I filed my paperwork and went on my merry way without saying another word to Levi. And when I glanced over my shoulder as I left, he was grinning with Gladys and asking her about her family, something I wouldn’t have expected a Hollis to do.
Maybe he wasn’t all that bad. I still didn’t trust him, but there could come a point when I’d need his help, so I couldn’t write him off completely.