Chapter 13
Savannah
“Chase.”
The word left my lips cool and measured, all polish and restraint, like my heart didn't just dive to the floor.
He was the last person I wanted to see—an unwelcome ghost dressed in tailored confidence and entitlement.
Even his cologne reminded me of the last time I saw him: in a rushed panic to separate his dick from my cousin.
Silence followed my forced greeting, so I turned to face him, my brow arched in expectation.
“I was hoping you’d come,” he said warmly, like we were old friends running into each other by chance instead of two people standing in the wreckage of what used to be.
I scoffed softly, turning back to the bar where my Bellini sat untouched. “Don’t flatter yourself. I didn’t come for you.”
From my peripheral, I caught the way his lips curled. I knew that smile anywhere. It was the one he used when his last name opened doors for him, where he expected the world to bend to his will.
“It’s okay to admit you’re trying to get my attention, you know.” His gaze lingered on me, heavy with implication. “I'm used to that by now.”
I turned fully toward him then, a whirlwind of emotions burning through me. It was like I could see the memories in his eyes—walking in on him, the shock, the humiliation, him scrambling for excuses while he barely looked guilty.
“Let’s get something straight,” I said coolly. “I don't want or need your attention.”
“Always so defensive.” He tsked and leaned his elbow against the bar. “I've been meaning to reach out to you, though. You know, to make sure things are good between us. I know you freaked out the last time—”
“And by freaked out, you're referring to when I literally caught you with your pants down?”
He sighed, long and theatrical, like I was exhausting him already. “There you go again, always making something out of nothing. Savannah, you were away all the time, and I was struggling. What about what I was feeling?”
Disbelief flashed through me. “What you were feeling? You cheated on me with her!”
“You'll never understand the pressures of inheriting a global company, and that's okay. My dad, the company—everything rides on my shoulders. I needed support, for you to listen to me, but you weren't there.”
“Support goes both ways, Chase. You never once supported my decision to go to law school.”
His jaw clenched. “This all happened because of that fucking school.
I told you it wasn't worth it, but you went anyway.
You chose to put distance between us. You refused to give us the real chance we deserved.
I could have given you the life you wanted, but I never expected that you'd choose that school over us.”
“That school meant everything to me—the law is my life.”
“Before that, you used to say I was your life.”
I huffed and looked away from him, biting my tongue to keep me from responding. It was my natural reaction to argue, but there was no point arguing with him. Not anymore.
“I miss you,” he added softly, stepping closer again. “You and I make sense. All our history together. You know you want me back. We have five years, Savannah. It would be stupid to end all that because of one mistake.”
“You’re getting married to my cousin,” I hissed, my voice low but shaking. “Do you even hear yourself?”
His expression hardened. I didn’t let him speak.
“Trust me when I say the last person on earth I’d ever be with is you.” I took a sip from the tall glass. “I am uninterested and unavailable.”
“Unavailable?” His gaze flicked past me briefly, then returned, rolling his eyes. “So that’s what this is. You bring a replacement to make me jealous? Baby, you know you don't have to make yourself uncomfortable for me.”
“Jaxon is not—”
“You’ve never been good at pretending, and you hate public affection.”
“I—”
“It's obvious. Painfully obvious. You could barely stomach my hands on you in public, much less”—he waved a hand in the air—“whatever this is.”
“Maybe because my boyfriend is much better with his hands. You could learn a thing or two.”
His jaw ticked and that broad smirk withered away.
“I hate seeing you like this, Savannah,” he said, lowering his voice. “Petty. Desperate. This isn’t who you are.”
A bitter laugh escaped me. “You don’t get to define who I am. Not anymore.”
“And you think he will? You looked like some common prostitute sitting on his lap, having his hands all over you. He will never be me.”
Anger flared in my belly. He couldn't possibly be serious right now. There was no way the man I knew all those years had become this delusional and manipulative.
“And I'll send my prayers for that,” I spat, glaring daggers at him. How dare he say that to me?
“Don’t be stupid. Faking it with this guy isn't—”
My laugh this time was sharper as I folded my arms across my chest. “I’m not faking anything. Not that I owe you anything, but we've been seeing each other for weeks.”
“Please.” He rolled his eyes. “You're humiliating yourself with every lie you tell. You don’t need to fake-date someone to make me jealous, Sav. If you want us back together, we can be. You know that.”
My laugh was bitter. “You arrogant, self-righteous prick.”
“You know it's the truth. You loved me once—it won't be hard for you to love me again. Say the word and this entire wedding is done.”
“It doesn’t matter. I’m happy now. With Jaxon.”
“For fuck’s sake, Savannah, he's not even worth your time.
You can't go from an elite like me to… someone like that.
What could you possibly see in him? What life do you think you're going to build with him?
He'll fuck you and leave you faster than you can blink.
I'm the best thing that's happened to you; don't be stubborn.”
Something in me snapped clean in two.
“The best thing? You tore me apart and had the nerve to put a ring—my ring—on her finger. You lost me and there's no coming back from that.”
He opened his mouth.
“No,” I cut in. “You don’t get to speak.”
His expression darkened, but I didn’t stop.
“You don’t love me. You love control. You love having me orbit your life while you do whatever the hell you want.
After all the grief and lies, you still can't see that you destroyed what we had.
I'll be at this wedding simply as a courtesy to my grandma, but that's all. I’m done being your backup plan.
Done with you. Keep watching me from across the room, keep looking at the woman you lost. You want proof that I've moved on? Watch this.”
And, with that, I stormed away from him.
Every step I took was absolute, my heels striking against marble with purpose. My eyes blazed as I cut through the crowd with ease. It was as if they knew I was the storm—and with the way I was feeling right now, they'd be right. If Chase wants a show, then he'll get a show.
My eyes locked on Jaxon, finding him sprawled in the chair with his focus on his phone. Jaxon must've heard me coming because he slowly looked up. It was like watching him in slow motion with the way his eyes widened at my bullish approach.
“What's wr—”
He barely had time to utter the words. I stepped between his legs, our eyes burned as one, realizing that I was about to cross a line neither of us could come back from.
But my actions were fueled by rage, and there was no reasoning with that beast.
So I did the unspeakable.
I wrapped an arm around his neck and smashed my lips to his.
I kissed him with a fierce intensity that I didn't even know I possessed. His shoulders tensed and his hands held my waist. His shock lasted all of two seconds before he was kissing me back.
His lips moved tentatively at first, testing the waters, before urgency dragged us down.
He kissed me without restraint, moving his lips fervently against mine as if he couldn't get enough, as if he was breathing for the first time.
I pressed my body into his, losing all rhyme and reason to what drove me over here in the first place.
I gasped when his fingers dug into my waist, an opportunity he used to deepen the kiss.
Tongues tangled like two swords in battle.
Maybe that's what this was—a battle both of us were willing to win, no matter the cost. The universe must’ve been against me, because of course this man was a sensational kisser with his soft lips and wicked tongue.
Heat flared inside me at the sound of his groan.
I tugged him closer until there were no gaps between us.
Why was he so good at this? His hand moved up to cup the back of my neck, taking control of the kiss even though I was the one towering over him.
His tongue moved so fast, so slick, so hot.
God, this man was unbelievable. This was all for show, and it was still one of the best kisses of my life.
You hate him.
You hate him.
You hate—
He bit down hard on my bottom lip and tugged.
His lips muffled my moan, but one tug of my waist told me he heard it.
I didn't want to stop. Low, sensitive parts of me began to tighten and throb.
I released the death grip I had on his hair and let my hands slide down his neck.
He shivered so deliciously when my nails scratched against the base of his neck.
I slid my hand down his chest, skimming over his hard muscles beneath the buttoned shirt. My palm pressed against his chest, and I could feel the erratic beat of his heart. The feeling of wanting to climb him like a tree wasn’t a good sign. Neither was the aching need between my thighs.
I couldn't want Jaxon Cage.
The words would've been grounding, but my traitorous body didn't give in.
How could it? He'd taken control of every fiber of my being with one kiss—the kiss I started.
In an effort to take back control, I bit down on his lip and tugged.
It should have given him pause, but this wasn't just any man. This was Jaxon Cage.