AllFreeNovel
Share Us
ChapterSix
DONOVAN
Savannah stood stock straight at my words about her being naked, and I did a silent high five at the win. But my twitching cock, hard, leaning into her butt bent over the pool table, put us onto an even playing field I didn’t want to accept.
My wolf wanted to play, crawling to get out. And damn, that had been close—way too close. I’d almost shrugged down her jeans and panties, plunged deep inside her, and fucked her against the pool table in front of an audience. She looked too damn good, and she knew it.
I scented the arousal on her when she closed in on me, and I almost lost it. She handled it like a pro after that, though, losing the pathetic act of trying to flirt with her target. She didn’t need to play that card. The woman seduced merely by breathing.
Whatever her plan was, I had no clue, but she’d recognized me somehow when I’d first arrived. She’d got confirmation on her target and anger had surged at her reaction. She’d surprised me, though. I’ll admit that much. There was an undertone of defeat in her. Not the money-hungry bitch I’d expected. But after she showed her eagerness to stay, to befriend Grace, and to play pool with us, any sympathy I had flew out the window. She had her clarification. Now I needed to keep an eye on her to see what hand she played next.
It didn’t mean I couldn’t have fun in the meantime, though.
Touching the small of Savannah’s back, brushing a tendril of hair from her face when we spoke, smiling at her from across the pool table that told her everything I wanted to with her naked body, pleased me. Each small action affected her. And I lapped it up.
When Grace and Kyran announced it was time to leave, I didn’t hesitate to jump at the opportunity. “I’ll walk Savannah back to the inn.”
“Oh,” Savannah said, gnawing her lip. “It’s fine. I know the way.”
“It’s fine. I’ll walk with you. Kyran can take Grace home since it’s in the other direction.”
“I’m good, too,” Grace argued, a look from Kyran making her relent. “Fine,” she growled. “Walk me.” She dropped a kiss on Savannah’s cheek. “Thanks for a lovely evening. Maybe we can do it again before you leave?”
“I’d like that,” Savannah smiled. A sad smile. A regretful smile. And it unsettled me. I didn’t appreciate the pang of regret I felt for the two women at that moment. Grace, because even though she had acquaintances in town and a friend in me and Kyran, she’d never clicked with another female in the creek on a deeper level. I saw the potential for her to do that with Savannah.
And Savannah… I also saw, however fleeting, the need in her eyes for such a friendship. But that also made me protective of Grace. This bitch was lying to her, befriending her to get to me, and that I wasn’t on board with.
Gritting my teeth, we said our goodbyes, and I switched on the charm, walking alongside Savannah in the direction of The Pinewood Inn.
“How’s your room?” I asked, staying so close to her side that our arms touched.
“It’s beautiful,” Savannah replied. “Lilly is lovely. Very welcoming.”
“Most of us are here. We don’t get the chance to show it much to outsiders, though. You’re lucky.”
“I wouldn’t say that,” she murmured. She caught my eyes and added, “I don’t mean with the town. I’m lucky to be here.”
“Then what did you mean?”
“I don’t know.” She shrugged. “Just feeling sorry for myself, I guess.”
Unlucky? Why was she unlucky? She was hunting for a payday.
“We all get a free pass to do that sometimes,” I offered. “Sometimes we find our strength by feeling that way.”
She looked up at me with curiosity. “I guess we do.”
“Go on a date with me tomorrow?” I blurted, throwing her off guard as intended. She tripped, holding onto me to break her fall.
“A date?” She snatched her hands away from me.
“Yes. A date. Italian. A pretty place. Cozy, and informal, but the food is good. And Grace said the part for the truck won’t be in for a couple of days. It will help pass the time for you.”
“Okay,” she replied, her voice more high-pitched than usual. It made me smile, happy to bask in the silence that followed. But the silence also grew deadly. Deadly for me in the pathetic sense of wondering what it would be like doing this for real, taking her home, kissing her senseless, and burying deep inside her, claiming her as mine. It seeped into my bones. And if she wasn’t getting ready to hand me over to Gideon, all served up on a platter with an apple in my mouth, I would have contemplated exploring the connection. There was something about her that drew me in, made me linger, made me wonder. But with someone as competent as her, competent in the sense of finding the creek, I needed to stay on my guard.
“Here we are,” Savannah said, rummaging in her purse for her key. “Thanks for walking me back.”
“Anytime. We look out for everyone here.”
She smiled, hesitating on what to do, what to say. The conflict on her face intrigued me, so I took advantage. With a smirk, I hooked my finger beneath her chin, leaned down, and kissed her. Softly, with a promise for more, I lingered, but I didn’t expect the heat—the furious flare that rose in my wolf. I slipped my tongue inside and explored her further, caressing, fucking her with my mouth. And she responded, a little moan slipping from her lips. My wolf roared,Take her! Make her ours! Claim her!And goddamn it, I wanted to. I wanted to fuck her against the wall and sink my fangs into her neck, claiming every part of her as mine.
But she wasn’t my mate. The magic made the choice. And even though her mouth was ambrosia itself, even though she felt pliable beneath my hands, I stepped back, forcing a smug smile on my lips. She blinked her eyes open, hazy and unfocused. She licked her lip without thinking, and I bit back a moan as my cock twitched.
“Goodnight, Savannah.” I cleared my throat, tried to behave unaffected, and strolled off into the night, leaving her there in stunned silence.
