Chapter 14
Savannah
“Hey,” Jaxon murmured, nudging me awake. “We’re here.”
I groaned, my eyes fluttering open and then widening with how close he was to me.
He stood in the opening of the passenger door, the length of his arm hanging over the car door.
My ethics book was sprawled open across my lap, pages bent, my pen somewhere near my feet.
I must’ve fallen asleep at some point, I thought, wincing at the ache in my neck.
“You snore in your sleep, by the way.” He grinned when my mouth flew open, but no words came out. Chuckling, he stepped back then moved to the back door, grabbing our bags.
“I do not!”
My protest was late, but it was there.
“Just a tiny snore,” he added. “Like a kitten. It was cute.”
I shot him a look that promised retribution.
The night air was cool and salty when I stepped out of the car. Sand shifted beneath my shoes as he led the way, and I followed his every step through the tall beach grass. To my right, the ocean shared whispers with the shore, getting louder with every step we took.
Then a house came into view.
Even half-awake, I could tell it was beautiful. The quaint house gleamed under the moonlight, with its wide windows and a wraparound deck that looked like it was built for sunsets and bad decisions.
“Watch your step, trouble,” he teased, tugging my bag higher on his shoulder. “Would hate for you to fall back there.”
“I'm sure you would,” I said dryly.
He laughed, leading me up the steps and inside.
The house smelled faintly of citrus cleaner and ocean air. Soft lighting illuminated a spacious living room, and I loved the neutral tones that colored the room. Three plush couches fit perfectly in the space and the glass doors behind them opened out toward the water.
And a familiar face paced the room.
Benji.
He was exactly how I pictured him when I saw his Qupid profile.
He had sharp features with a shadow of stubble covering his jawline.
His short, dark hair was styled back and the crisp, white, button-down shirt told me that he was the polished business man who I would've wanted to show off at the wedding.
A phone was pressed to his ear, speaking rapid Korean with a sharpness that suggested business, not pleasure. He glanced up, muttered something curt, then hung up.
“No fucking way,” Jaxon started with a laugh. He dropped the bags and approached Benji. “What are you doing here?”
Benji’s laugh was smooth and velvety. “Really think I'd miss this?”
There was no denying he was handsome. He looked even better in person than he did on the app. Polished. Controlled. On paper, he was exactly what I’d been searching for.
Safe. Predictable. Logical.
My gaze flicked, traitorous, to Jaxon. Something about him pulled me in harder, disrupting the strict lines I preferred my life to follow. I shouldn't have wanted him. The man was a walking red flag, and the history between us told me never to trust him.
And yet, everything he'd done since we reconnected gave me pause. This wasn't the taunting bully from high school, and it was a constant struggle to keep those walls up.
But after this week, we'd go our separate ways.
Thank God.
Benji’s attention shifted to me, his smile widening. “Savannah. It’s really good to finally meet you.”
“Likewise,” I said, returning the smile.
“And apologies for disappearing so abruptly. My father needed my help with a sensitive matter.”
“Oh, don't worry about it, honestly. I was just glad you agreed in the first place.”
“Had I known you were so beautiful, I might have protested a little harder with my father.”
We held each other’s gazes a second too long, long enough for awareness to spark, and then Jaxon cleared his throat.
“Trust me, we're managing just fine,” he stated, stepping closer to me as his hand settled around my waist. Benji’s eyes flicked to it, then to Jaxon, a silent conversation clearly passing between them. Benji’s lip twitched but he said nothing.
“Everyone here?” Jaxon asked.
“Yeah, everyone's out back. I just came in to take a business call,” Benji said easily. “Nerissa. Me. Jesse and Mercedes—”
Jaxon groaned lowly. “Fucking hell, Mercedes is here?”
“Accurate. And I suppose they're in the midst of an argument right now. Apparently, Jesse stared at the waitress too long at lunch. Ariyo and his… guests are here, too.”
“Guests?” Jaxon asked, brow raised.
“Plural?’
“He brought two women with him.”
“Of course he did,” Jaxon tsked, shaking his head.
“You won't be amused when I tell you he flooded his original room last night. Showerhead incident. We had to move him and the women into the spare room.”
They both glanced at me for a split second, and Jaxon sighed.
“Which means…”
“Exactly. The room flooded yesterday and the plumbers managed to drain the water yesterday. But it's still disastrous in there, so that leaves one room—yours.”
Oh no.
No, you have got to be kidding me.
“I know it's fake but…” Benji's gaze shifted between us. “You two good sharing?”
I'd respond but my throat was dry. Sharing a room with Jaxon? That screamed recipe for disaster.
“We’re fine,” he said smoothly, tugging me flush to him. “Right, trouble?”
I glanced up at him, narrowing my eyes. Whatever voodoo he'd done, this situation was working in his favor.
One of my stipulations for coming on this trip was that we'd be in separate rooms. Of course, he reminded me that we'd have to play the part this weekend, but our compromise was that he'd sneak out of the room late at night and go into the spare room.
The spare room that was now occupied by Ariyo and his flavors of the month.
I nodded, hoping my voice wouldn’t betray me if I tried to speak. “Right.”
Benji gave a nod, glancing down at his phone. “Everyone went to Club Seven. I'm heading down there now.”
Jaxon looked down at me. “You want to go?”
I shrugged, the motion carefully neutral. “Sure.”
“Well, I guess I'll see you both there.” Benji offered me a smile then disappeared down the hall.
Club Seven was already jam packed when we walked in, the bass thudding through the floor, lights strobing the walls like a heartbeat gone wild.
Bodies were pressed together in loose choreography, laughter spilling over music, the air thick with perfume and heat and anticipation.
Jaxon’s hand stayed threaded through mine as he led the way, parting the way like he knew exactly where we belonged in all of the chaos.
He led us to the group in a roped-off VIP section, looking back at me a few times, which made me smile inside. The second we arrived, Jaxon bumped fists with Jesse while Nerissa got on her feet.
“There she is,” she sang, pulling me into a hug. “Finally. I needed a dance partner.”
“Wait, I—” I started, but it was already too late.
She had me by my wrist and was dragging me toward the dance floor, laughter trailing behind us like confetti. I glanced back once, just once, and saw Jaxon taking his place in the booth, one arm slung along the backrest, watching me go with an expression that did unsettling things to my pulse.
The music swallowed us whole.
I followed her lead, stiffly moving my hips at first as my eyes surveyed the crowded room.
When my gaze returned to Nerissa, I could see the reassurance in her eyes, and it gave me the courage to just ease into the music.
It felt good to let go—to not worry about the wedding, the exams, the internship, or even the tattooed bad boy behind me.
I could just be.
My hips swayed to the beat, smiling at Nerissa who was already lost in the song.
“You can whine, gyal!”
I laughed. “You're one to talk. All eyes are on you right now.”
“I had to get out of that booth—this was just the perfect getaway.”
“Why? What's going on?”
“Jesse’s girlfriend was two seconds away from earning a black eye.”
“Mercedes?” I asked.
“She’s been glaring at me since breakfast,” Nerissa said, rolling her eyes.
“Then she blew up when we went out for lunch, all because Jesse was talking to the server about the bill. And then she had the nerve to say I should stay away from her man when the guys went to the bar. Honestly, it's like every time Jesse breathes near me, she acts like I’m committing a felony.”
“What the hell? Are you serious?”
“Trust me, I know! Talk about being insecure. That woman lives for the drama,” she added with an eye roll.
“No one has time for that,” I said, waving a dismissive hand. “Dancing is better.”
She grinned. “Damn right it is.”
We danced through another song, laughing, the tension in her shoulders easing. I saw her gaze shift behind me, then a mischievous glint flickered in her eyes.
“So,” she said casually. “You and Jaxon.”
“Oh, don't even.” I rolled my eyes, ignoring the tiny flutters in my stomach at the sound of his name. “You know nothing's going on.”
She laughed outright. “Sure. I suppose that’s why he hasn’t stopped looking over here.”
My neck warmed. “He’s not—”
I glanced over my shoulder.
Jaxon was exactly where I’d left him, lounging in the booth like it was built for him. He was talking to Benji, but his gaze was locked on me—intent, unguarded, hot enough to make my breath catch. The corner of his mouth tilted when our eyes met, slow and knowing.
I turned back quickly. “He was just… looking around.”
Nerissa cackled. “Girl. Please. I know a man obsessed when I see one. I'm surprised he hasn't gone all caveman and kissed you senseless yet.”
I grimaced, looking away from her widening eyes.
“Shut. Up. You kissed?” Her eyes lit up and she squealed. “Fuck yes. It's about damn time, too, with all that sexual—”
“It was nothing! Completely unimportant. I just needed to prove a point to my ex. You know it's all fake.”
“Mmhmm,” she said, unconvinced.
“It is!”
“Keep telling yourself that, hun.”
“You're never going to let this go now.”
“Well, duh. I have an eye for these things and trust me when I say you're both smitten. Or, well, at least sexually smitten.”