“Don't, Rissa.I already got enough crap from the guys.”
“I'm not, I'm not.”Though her chuckle said otherwise.“Hey, don't look at me like that.I'm not the one who's practically skipping on rainbows and sunshine this morning.Had a good night?”
I rolled my eyes at the knowing glint in her eyes and walked away.“Mind your business, Rissa.”
Her laugh followed me down the hall and I slipped into the quiet of my bedroom.Savannah was still fast asleep, curled slightly on her side and hugging the pillow to her chest.Her lips were parted just enough to make my chest tighten.Even now, she was beautiful.
I didn't know how long I stood there just looking at her—at the rise and fall of her chest, at the messy strands of her hair, at her bare legs barely covered by the sheets.The coffee cup warmed my hand, but somehow, it didn't even come close to the burning between us last night.
Something had shifted between us.
Not just physical—though yeah, that too—but deeper.It was intimate.Dangerous.We crossed a line that neither of us could pretend was there anymore.I went out to get her coffee at seven in the morning, for crying out loud.I'd say we obliterated the line.
Moving to the nightstand, I set the coffee down quietly, then forced myself to step away before I did something stupid like crawl back into bed and wake her upproperly.
My eyes dipped to her legs again, and yep, I really needed to get out of here.
I managed to avoid Nerissa in my escape and headed out back.The sliding door whispered shut behind me, and the salt air hit my lungs like a reset button.I could see the silhouettes of the guys down by the shoreline, dark shapes against the pale morning sky.Jesse was stretching, Benji looking out at the waters, and Ari… well, Ari was hunched over, hands on his knees, clearly questioning his choices from last night.
I smirked to myself as I crossed the sand, rolling my shoulders, trying to shake off the image of Savannah tangled in sheets and soft light.Didn’t work.Not even a little bit.
“Look who finally decided to join civilization,” Benji called out as I approached.
“Somebody had to put you out of your misery,” I teased, dragging a hand through my hair.“Heard you missing me from a mile away.”
“I always knew your hearing would be the first to go.”
I laughed and bent low to flick some sand his way.
Jesse glanced at me, stretching his left arm across his chest.“You look suspiciously pleased with life.”
“I’m always pleased,” I shot back.“Even more now because I know I'm winning this year.”
“I think you have it all wrong, B.”Jesse’s gaze shifted to Benji, smirking.“His memory of how he lost three years in a row proves he'll lose his mind first.”
“All I know is that Ari's coming in last.”
Ari groaned loudly.“If you’re about to be smug, I swear to God—”
I stripped off my shirt, letting it drop to the sand.The breeze cooled my skin, grounding me just enough to focus on the moment instead of the woman still asleep in my bed.
“What happened with Mercedes last night?”Benji looked at Jesse with narrowed eyes.
“I drove her back to the city last night.”
Now, that got my attention.
My head snapped to him.“You drove her back?Why?”
“She thought I wanted to hook up with some waitress.”He tossed his shirt in the sand then ran a hand down his face.“I'm tired of having the same fight, man.”
“You know how I feel about her, bro,” I added with a shrug.“All she does is bitch and moan about other women.”
Jesse shot me an exasperated look but didn't bother to add anything.
Message received.
We stood in silence for a bit before Ari squinted up at me.“Did you bring me something or what?”
