Chapter 13
After returning to the Grand Mark Hotel, Voodoo unlocked Savannah’s suite door.
As he performed his customary room sweep, she stood calmly by the door as she had done many times before.
Sweep done, he returned to her, then stepped aside to let Savannah pass.
She walked in slowly, her heels clicking softly on the polished marble as she slipped off her coat and draped it over a nearby chair. No words. Not even a glance back.
Something in her posture pulled at him. Her shoulders were a little too tight, her chin tilted down just enough to hide her expression. She hadn’t said much since they left the embassy, and what little she had said had been quiet, perfunctory.
She was disappearing into herself again.
Voodoo closed the door behind them, his hand resting on the frame a second longer than necessary. “You’ve been quiet,” he said finally, voice low.
Savannah didn’t answer at first. She moved to the kitchenette and poured herself a glass of water, sipping it slowly before setting it down with careful precision. “I’m tired,” she finally said.
He nodded, stepping closer. “Long day. Hell of a performance, though. You lit that place up, Savi.”
She gave him a faint smile, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “Thanks.” That was it. No teasing, no gentle sarcasm, no warmth. Just polite distance.
Voodoo leaned against the edge of the table, watching her. “If this is about Kandy . . .”
Savannah cut him off, shaking her head. “It’s not.”
“Because if it is, I want you to know I’m not interested. I never have been.”
She finally looked at him then. Her eyes held something deeper than jealousy. Something that twisted in his chest the longer he looked.
“I know,” she said, and the words came out too even, too flat. “It’s not Kandy.”
He waited, giving her space to continue, but she just turned away, running her hand through her hair like she could shake off the night. She removed the clip he’d given her, staring at it in her hand a moment before she set it down on the counter.
“I saw the way she touched you,” Savannah added, quieter now. “The way Henry looked at me. Why do people always think they have the right to touch, to take. To control.”
Her voice faltered, and Voodoo pushed off the table, taking a cautious step closer.
“Savi . . .”
She turned back to him, eyes shining but hard. “You don’t have to explain anything to me, Sawyer. I’m used to being . . . tolerated. Managed.” She waved a hand in the air dismissively. “Besides, I know this is just a job to you. Once it’s over, we’ll both go back to our lives.
His jaw clenched. Was that really what she thought? “That’s not what this is.”
“Isn’t it?” she whispered, crossing her arms as if bracing for something.
He moved to her then, closing the space between them slowly, deliberately. “You’re not something I manage. You’re not a job. And you sure as hell aren’t someone I tolerate.”
She stared at him, lips parted, her breath caught.
Voodoo reached up, brushing a knuckle along her jaw, his voice low. “I’ve watched you walk into rooms full of strangers and hold your ground. I’ve seen you give everything to people who don’t deserve a single note from you. Don’t think for one second I don’t see you. All of you.”
Her throat bobbed as she swallowed, a shaky breath escaping her.
“I don’t want Kandy,” he said, voice barely above a whisper. “I want you.”
Her lips trembled just slightly.
He didn’t move, not yet. He waited until her eyes fluttered closed and she leaned ever so slightly forward.
That was all he needed.
Voodoo cupped the side of her face and kissed her, gently at first, like a promise being unwrapped.
She sighed into it, fingers curling into the front of his shirt as if anchoring herself.
The kiss deepened, slow and hungry, every bit of pain and longing and confusion between them melting into the space they finally allowed.
When they pulled apart, their foreheads touched, breath mingling.
Savannah’s voice was a whisper. “I don’t know how to do this.”
Sawyer smiled against her lips. “We figure it out. Together.”
She nodded, and for the first time that night, the shadows in her eyes faded, lighting up with something more. Something beautiful.
Voodoo couldn’t resist taking her mouth again. Having had a taste, it was as if he had become completely addicted and could no longer function without it. Without her.
She wrapped her arms around his neck, her fingers delving into the hair that brushed over his collar. He thought fleetingly of the haircut he needed, but her hands in his hair felt too good. He never wanted to cut it.
He moved his hands to her hips and pulled her into him. Her tits pressed against his chest. Hard met soft. The moan that slipped out from deep within her ramped up his lust and his dick pushed against his zipper, begging to be released.
Instead, he pushed his leg between hers, hearing her gasp. As if unaware of what she was doing, she ground herself against his thigh. He kept kissing her. Delving deep into the recesses of her mouth. He took from her while giving her pleasure.
She tore her mouth away. “Ohmigod, Sawyer,” she breathed.
“I’ve got you, Savi. Let yourself go.”
“I can’t.”
“You can,” he encouraged, taking her mouth in another soul lifting kiss.
She moved against him as if she was made for pleasure.
He worked his lips across her jaw and down the column of her throat.
The gown she wore had a deep V which dipped low between her tits.
She looked spectacular in it, but she was more beautiful now.
Disheveled, her lips red and swollen from his kisses.
Her chest heaved as she sought her pleasure.
He kissed down the exposed skin that her dress revealed, but fought the desire to bare her to his eager mouth. Now wasn’t the time.
Now was the time to taste and test. To search for those sensitive places that would make her tremble.
His lips were on the move again, testing her with little nibbles against her neck.
He moved his hands to her back, finding more skin from another deep V in her dress.
Sliding one hand up her spine, he encountered the silky strands of her hair.
He grasped them in his fist and gently pulled until her chin lifted, leaving her neck vulnerable to his hunger.
He smiled when he found the most sensitive spot below her ear that made her gasp and grind against his leg even harder.
Then the most spectacular thing happened. She cried out his name as her release struck her and his name had never sounded so good. He held her tightly as she rode the waves of pleasure, watching the emotions play across her expressive face. She was a beautiful woman, but now, she was stunning.
Slowly, she came back into herself, and her eyes opened. She caught him staring at her and a rosy hue rose to her cheeks. She dipped her head, but he stopped her with a finger under her chin.
“Don’t ever hide yourself from me. You have never been more beautiful.”
“Sawyer,” she said on a breathy exhale.
“Feeling better?” he asked.
She laughed full out, and the sound settled deep inside him. “Absolutely.”
“Good. Time for bed.”
“What about you?” she asked, glancing down at the bulge in his pants.
“What about me?” he returned. “That was just for you. It’s been another long day. You’re tired and we have an early flight. Let's get some rest.”
“You’ll stay?” she asked with a note of vulnerability in her voice.
“I’ll stay. I don’t want to be anywhere else.”
Savannah changed out of her gown and into a pair of silk shorts and a tiny camisole that made his mouth go dry while he stripped down to his boxers.
They weren’t a matching set like Kandy had thought.
Together, they climbed into the luxurious bed.
She settled against him, her arm across his stomach while his was wrapped around her back and he made lazy circles on her bare shoulder.
He couldn’t help but marvel at the softness of her skin.
He was in bed with Savi. He was in bed with Savi after having just made her come.
If he’d told his fifteen-year-old self this would happen, would he have believed it?
He always knew there was something special between them.
And now, having touched her, kissed her, watched her shatter, he wanted to kick himself for letting so much time elapse before they’d found each other again.
“Sawyer?” she whispered, and he felt the puff of air float across his chest.
“Yeah?”
“For the first time in forever, I’m happy.”
He smiled, his heart giving a leap. “I’m glad. This is just the start of happy days for you.”
“I hope so.”
He kissed her forehead. “I know so.”
A sigh escaped her lips, a slow, contented exhale as her breathing slowed and sleep claimed her. Voodoo held her as she slept, vowing to never let her go again.
The text from Haley came through while he slept.
Water bottle shows traces of ipecac syrup, if you can believe it. Very old school. Nothing caught on cameras.
Savannah had been intentionally poisoned, and they had no idea who the culprit was. This whole situation just escalated. The sweet, almost intoxicating taste of Savi coursed through him. He wasn’t about to let some shadowy figure harm her.