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Fuck!How did I answer that question, and when exactly had Savannah stopped being an honorary sibling to me?
Honestly, I’d been thinking about that a lot lately. It had probably happened before she’d blown me off at Torie and Cooper’s wedding, but I’d had enough sense to ignore that possibly before then.
There was something about the injured look in Savannah’s beautiful eyes when she talked about her failed relationship that had sent me reeling that day.
The fact that some bastard had cheated on her was more than I could take, evidently.
Knowing that Savannah was alone and vulnerable had kicked in a whole different kind of protective instinct for me.
At some point, I’d decided that she definitely deserved better, and I’d ridiculously come to the conclusion that she’d be much better off dating a guy who would never hurt her. Someone like…me.
She’d been out the door before I’d finally wised up and realized what a dumb idea that had been.
So yeah, maybe that irresistible attractionhadbeen there before Torie’s wedding, but I’d just been smart enough to disregard it before that day.
I’d watched every story she’d done forDeadline Americawith a mixture of horror and admiration over the years.
I’d always wanted to protect Savannah, even when she was a kid, so it was hard to decipher exactly when the concern about her safety had become less… brotherly.
Not that I’d ever mentioned my concerns to her, or anyone else for that matter.
She was, after all, a grown ass woman, and going into dangerous situations was part of her job.
As I watched her specials on television, I’d also known she could take care of herself, and that she had more common sense than the average person.
But that didn’t stop me from wishing she wouldn’t put herself in harm’s way so damn often.
“I still care about her well-being, Torie,” I finally answered as I added some first aid items to our backpacks.
Torie frowned. “I think you care about more than that. I saw the way you looked at her at my wedding, Chase. Maybe I was a little slow to notice, but I think you’re attracted to her.”
Fuck!Had I really beenthatobvious? “I’m not,” I lied without hesitation. “And even if I was, Vanna doesn’t feel that way about me. We’re friends, Torie. She’s brilliant and I enjoy a lively debate every time we meet up. That’s all we are.”
“I’m not so sure about that,” Torie mused. “It seemed to me thatshewas looking at you the same way you were looking at her.”
“She wasn’t,” I said flatly as I crammed more supplies into the bags. Hell, I might as well nip this in the bud. I knew my little sister, and she’d hound me to death if she thought her best friend really liked me. “Savannah and I stayed after all the guests were gone. I told her I’d like to hang out with her the next day. She turned me down flat.”
“She did?” Torie asked in a confused tone. “That’s weird. Maybe she’s just hesitant after what Bradley did to her.”
Torie’s comment immediately sparked my interest. “What did that bastard do?”
From my sister’s tone, I could tell the situation wasn’t as straightforward as Vanna had portrayed.
She let out an exasperated breath. “Don’t you ever watch the entertainment news? Videos of him and another woman—when he was still supposed to be with Vanna—were everywhere, and he made it very clear that it was sexual. He very publicly humiliated the crap out of Vanna. The paparazzi hounded her for months to get her to comment on how she felt when the asshole dumped her. She was really hurt, even though she tried to act like it was no big deal. Vanna hasn’t dated anyone since then, and it happened almost two years ago.”
Shit!Where had I been whenthathad happened? Then again, I wasn’t big on following the entertainment news, and Wyatt and I had spent a lot of time in France the last several years. “I didn’t know,” I confessed. “You told me that she was dating an A-lister. I didn’t realize it had ended that long ago. She told me that he cheated, but she acted like it was no big deal to her. I kind of suspected that wasn’t true.”
I’d probably avoided hearing anything about her relationship. Even then, ithadnagged at me that she might be serious about another guy. I probably just hadn’t wanted to admit it. Even to myself.
Knowing what I knew now, I should have paid attention. Just the thought of some bastard hurtingandhumiliating Vanna made my gut roll.
“When has Vanna ever admitted that she was anything other than fine?” Torie asked with a sigh. “I can see through that rhinoceros hide she wears to protect herself, but I doubt many people do.”
“She has to be tough to do what she does,” I reminded Torie.
“I know,” she answered. “But I think we both know that’s not the real Vanna. She has a soft heart underneath all that thick skin. I’m scared for her, Chase. I know what it’s like to be held hostage with very little hope of living through that situation. She must be terrified.”
“Torie,” I said carefully, worried that she might not be prepared to see the Vanna we might end up bringing back to her. I knew I sure as hell wasn’t, and I’d seen a lot of things I hoped my little sister would never even have to know about. “You do realize that Vanna might not be the same when she comes back, right?”
