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FOURTEEN
“So now the car runs great.Great!” she repeated for emphasis, and she was fuming. “Like… practically better than when I bought it!”
“And this is…good?” Jackson questioned slowly.
Throwing her hands in the air, she paced away from him. Tonight they were at his place and she wanted to throw something in frustration, but…she couldn’t. “He wouldn’t take any money, Jackson! He was only supposed to do an oil change and I finally allowed myself to come to grips with that because those chain places run specials on them all the time, dirt cheap!”
“And…he did more than the oil change?”
Nodding almost maniacally, she said, “Yup! He gave it a tune-up, put on two new rear tires, replaced the windshield wipers, changed some air filter or something, topped off all the fluids, and even put in a new battery! For free! How am I supposed to live with that?”
“Um…”
“I don’t expect people to just give me stuff! I’m not looking for a handout and I certainly don’t want anyone thinking that I’m taking advantage! I pay my own way!”
Stepping in front of her, Jackson gently grasped her shoulders. “Okay, first you need to breathe and then relax. No one thinks that you’re taking advantage of anyone. Trust me. If anything, everyone is looking to help you because you’ve done so much for Dad.”
“It’s not like that, Jackson. We did for each other because back in Seattle, we’re all each other had and…” She gasped as his words actually hit her. “You said dad. You usually say Cash. You’ve never called him…”
“Yeah,” he said quietly as his hands skimmed down her arms. “That happened this afternoon. He pointed it out to me and…” He shrugged and Savannah could tell he didn’t want to make a big deal out of it. Suddenly, she didn’t want to talk about her car or her irrational reaction to people being nice to her; she wanted to hug him.
So she did.
Closing the distance between them, her arms went around him and she held him tight before kissing him on the cheek. When she went to pull back, Jackson held on and she knew he needed this. Grace had picked her up from the spa and told her about her emotional goodbye to Cash and how Jackson was the one to sit with him afterwards. There wasn’t a doubt in her mind that it had to be hard on him.
The next time she pulled back, he didn’t stop her, but she saw the gratitude in his eyes. “How about we go and grab something to eat at Donovan’s?” she suggested. “Unless you want to go back up to the hospital?”
“Yeah, um…would you be upset if I said neither? I think for tonight I’d just like to stay in and not do anything.” His shoulders sagged. “Is that selfish? I feel like I’m being completely selfish.”
“It’s not selfish,” she assured him. “There’s been a lot to deal with and I think Cash would completely understand if we didn’t go back tonight. Besides, I think Susannah, Colton, Georgia, and Beau were all up there tonight having a snooty poker game.”
“A snooty poker game? What does that even mean?”
Giggling, she walked over to the refrigerator and grabbed them each a bottle of water. “It means they used to all play poker together when they were younger—minus Colton. Anyway, they played it after the wedding and had so much fun that Georgia suggested them doing it tonight, but instead of typical poker snacks like chips and dip, she was having it catered and serving things like crab puffs, scallops wrapped in bacon, and some sort of filet mignon sliders.” She rolled her eyes. “It’s wild how the other half live.”
“I don’t think Austin and Garrett knew about this because they were both going back up there.”
She shrugged and took a sip of water. “I don’t think it’s a big deal. I’m sure once the game started, they either left or joined in.” Glancing around, she wondered if there were any takeout menus anywhere. “So, what are we going to order for dinner? I’m kind of hungry.” Then she remembered there was a drawer in the kitchen with a few paper menus.
Jackson moved in close behind her and rested his hands on her hips. She felt his warm breath on her neck as he pressed against her from head to toe. She loved the feel of him. It was comforting and arousing all at the same time. Whispering his name, she leaned into him.
His lips were warm against her skin as he kissed his way along her throat before nipping at her earlobe. “Tell me this isn’t the right time,” he murmured.
“I can’t.” And God help her, she couldn’t. Right now, the thought of shutting the world out for a few hours was beyond appealing. And the thought of shutting the world out while making love with Jackson sounded perfect.
This time, she let him take the lead. He took her by the hand and together they walked to the bedroom. Savannah stood at the foot of the bed and marveled as he got undressed before coming over and slowly helping her do the same. There was nothing hurried about their movements. It was slow and languid and sensual.
Every kiss, every touch, made her hum with pleasure. Only Jackson did this to her. It was as if he were worshipping her with his hands and his mouth and it made her tremble, made her weak, and before she knew it, he was lowering her to the bed.
Her hands raked through his hair as one soft kiss turned to two and then it was hotter and deeper and wetter in the blink of an eye. His movements became more urgent and he whispered her name like a plea. It was glorious and tender and wild and poignant. It was everything, and Savannah loved it.
Loved him.
She gasped, but Jackson must have thought it was because of the way he was touching her, but it was at that moment that she realized her true feelings for him.
She loved him.
She wanted to tell him—wanted to let him know he wasn’t alone in his feelings—but right now, she was being swept away in a tidal wave of pleasure.
