by Sable Hunter
“Lean over the table,” she commanded quickly.
Dang, if she didn’t bark orders as good as he did. Patrick found himself doing exactly as she demanded. Standing up she framed his face, looked longingly at his mouth, and then kissed him tenderly on the cheek.
Patrick was momentarily speechless. Savannah had just blown him away. And when she moved back, licked her lips and whispered, “Thank you, I enjoyed that very much,” he fell completely under her spell.
“That was sweet, Baby. But I want more.” Not one to let an opportunity pass, he took her by the hand and pulled her over into his lap, fitted his mouth to hers and proceeded to kiss her like there was no tomorrow.
Savannah didn’t know what to do! How did one find the strength to stop rapture? She put her hands on his chest to push him away – she had to! Turning her head to break the kiss, she whispered in anguish – “No, please no.” Instantly, Patrick let her go. She was still in his lap, but his arms fell to his sides.
“Sorry, my mistake,” Patrick went instantly cold. And when she grabbed a napkin from the table, his guts twisted because he thought she was about to wipe his kiss from her lips. Instead, she turned to him and began to frantically wipe his mouth.
“I’m sorry, so sorry. It’s my fault; I shouldn’t have kissed you on the mouth.”
Patrick was baffled. “Shouldn’t you be wiping your mouth instead of mine?”
“No, I liked your kiss.”
Now, he was confused. “You’re not making sense.” She looked so stricken that all he wanted to do was comfort her. Taking her hand, he kissed the knuckles. A jagged sigh escaped her lips as he turned her hand over, unfurled the fingers and tenderly kissed the palm. “Tell me what’s going on, Savannah. I need to know.” Titters and murmurs from the other patrons of the restaurant tore his attention from her sweet face. “God, Baby – let’s get out of here. The only thing I care about is you and this is too public of a place to talk.”
Savannah didn’t argue. Actually, she didn’t know what to say. The unbelievable events of the day had her completely off balance. She stood by while Patrick got their food to go, paid for it and then escorted her back to the Camaro. “I don’t have a heck of a lot of time, but let’s go to that park you told me about earlier. Do you have a blanket in the car that we can sit on?”
“The historic site has picnic tables, but I have an afghan in the trunk.” Her voice broke; she was just about to cry.
“You’re in no shape to drive, let me.” When he escorted her to the passenger side, Savannah didn’t say a word. If dreams could come true, Patrick would drive her car, have the keys to her front door and leave his shoes under her bed every night.
“I’m sorry about everything.”
“Don’t be. How do I get to the park?” Patrick followed the directions she gave him to the Evangeline State Historic Site which was just out of town on Highway 31, but his thoughts were just a tangled web of questions. Suddenly a wave of fear washed over him. “Are you sick?” Please, God, no – don’t let her be ill, he prayed.
Savannah jerked in the seat next to him, but quickly and emphatically replied, “No, I’m not.”
Patrick let out a harsh breath of relief. All right. Then whatever it was – was conquerable. He was a damn Marine Special Op and there was no enemy big or bad enough that he couldn’t kick its ass. So, he decided to woo her into smiling. He’d get to the bottom of this – eventually. It may not be today, but he wasn’t about to give up. “Are you a lesbian? I like lesbians.”
“No,” Savannah hiccupped a laugh. “I like men.”
“I’m a man.” He informed her solemnly.
“I know.” Savannah sounded sort of wistful. “I can tell.”
“Hmmmmm, let’s see.” He pretended to ponder the quandary. “Are you a man-eating alien from outer space who’s on a diet?”
At that absurd suggestion, Savannah let out a little giggle so sexy it made his cock throb. “No, I’m just a plain ole’ girl.”
“You aren’t a ‘plain ole’ anything, Baby.” Patrick reached over and covered her hands with him. “Savannah, I am so glad you walked into my world. Whatever is going on, whatever is bothering you, I’d like to help you with it.”
Savannah stared down at their joined hands. “There isn’t anything you can do, Patrick. It’s just something that I have to live with. But, thank you.”
When she met his gaze, he could see trails of tears down her cheeks. “So, what does this mean to us?”
“Us?” What a wondrous, amazing concept – us. “I’ll be glad to help you with your granddad’s research. We can talk about that, if you’d like.”
“Friendship is a good place to start.” Patrick couldn’t watch the road for wanting to look at Savannah. Stopping at a red light, he took advantage of the few seconds to make eye contact with her. “Will you write me every day?”
“Sure, if you’d enjoy hearing from me.” She couldn’t imagine that to be true. Patrick was saying all the right things, but Savannah didn’t have enough self-confidence to believe any of it. If he knew the truth, he would reject her. Everyone always rejected her. It wasn’t their fault; no one could get past millennia of misinformation. “I could write you every evening.” If he only knew how tempted she was to just throw caution to the wind and grab hold of him with both hands and never let him go. Noticing how far he had pushed back the car seat, she asked, “How tall are you?” There was no doubt about it, the man was built - muscled to perfection. His thighs were as big around as her waist and there was no way she could reach around his biceps with both hands.
“I’m six-three,” he made the turn into the park. “So, you’ll answer my emails and do videophone chats with me?” As he waited for her answer, Patrick realized he was holding his breath.
The thought of his leaving hurt her heart, anything could happen in a war-zone. And now that they had met – and kissed - she couldn’t stand the thought of something happening to him. “Yea, we can be computer friendly,” she smiled weakly.
Not exactly what he had in mind. But for now, he’d take what he could get. “I am definitely feeling friendly with you,” he cupped the back of her neck and gave it a little squeeze. To his great satisfaction, she leaned back in his hand as if his touch was more than welcome. “What was your childhood like, Baby?”
Starting slowly, she told him what she thought she could. “I never knew my real parents, so I grew up in foster care. In school, I was small and they called me Swamp Rat.” She smiled when he frowned. That was one of the nicer things they called her, but she didn’t go into that. “It’s okay, things got better. I won a scholarship in high school and now I’ve got a pretty good job.”
It always amazed Patrick how cruel people could be. Taking in her delicate body and perfect features, he couldn’t help but contradict the fools who had hurt her. “If I would have been there, I would have called you my Bayou Baby and beat the shit out of anybody who said different.”
What he said and how he said it made her feel all warm inside. Patrick O’Rourke was a hero. In her heart, Savann had been holding out for a hero. Honestly, she had never expected to find one. And now that he was here and seemed to think he wanted her, quite frankly, she didn’t know what to do with him. “Where were you when I was hung on the clothesline by my sundress straps?” The memory of that prank always made her laugh. The older boys hadn’t hurt her, but she had dangled there till her foster mom had finally heard her squealing. “Park over close to the picnic tables,” she pointed to the left. “We don’t need to buy tickets just to picnic. The Maison Olivier Plantation house is interesting, if you’d like to take a tour after we eat.”
“No, I don’t want to take a tour.” He got out of the car before she did this time, so he could help her with the food, the blanket and that monster size book she kept wanting to wag around. “We’re going to eat our fish and get to know one another. I’m also hoping that you’ll let me kiss you again.”
“Patrick,” she
murmured in exasperation. Savannah would have given everything she owned to kiss him one more time, but it wasn’t right. Later, if she confided in him, he would remember that she had taken advantage of him and the situation. “I am a little hungry, though.” Patrick didn’t answer, but she could almost swear she heard him make a low growling noise. “Was that your stomach?”
Patrick chuckled. “No, it wasn’t my stomach. That was my sexy growl. Couldn’t you tell?” When he noticed her amazed, amused expression – he laughed and tugged her close. “Being with you is a delight. It’s like seeing the world with a whole new pair of eyes.” He went on to explain. “When you said you were hungry, I was hoping you were starving for me – that’s why I growled.”
“Oh,” his explanation made her quiver. “I’m not too experienced,” she felt like she stated the obvious. She loved the way he walked close to her. Patrick made her feel so feminine and protected. His forest green t-shirt was stretched so tight over his ripped body that she could see his abs, and she didn’t pretend she wasn’t looking either. “You are in really good shape.”
“Thank you, so are you.” Patrick had been watching the way her tits moved when she walked. Damn, they were real. He loved real tits. “So, why are we toting around this encyclopedia size book? Research is not good for our digestion.”
“Well, we don’t have to talk about that, if you don’t want to. I just didn’t want to assume anything. After all, this is sort of a business luncheon.” Patrick kissed the top of her head and her heart skipped a beat.
“No, this isn’t a business luncheon. And I don’t really want to do anymore research.” He let his hand skate down her side and playfully goosed her, “I was hoping you were planning on standing on this thick book to kiss me. I haven’t got to smooch on you nearly enough to do me till I get back from Afghanistan.”
“You are as stubborn as Tammany, aren’t you?” What was she going to do with him? Savannah hadn’t got to do near enough kissing either. Practicing on a pillow hadn’t prepared her for the ecstasy of being kissed back. But - - - the notion that most people in her past had considered her to be somehow unclean and dirty was so deeply ingrained that she felt guilty for letting Patrick kiss her. “I don’t think that’s a really good idea, but thank you.”
“Here give me that stuff,” he took everything from her and set it on a picnic table. Spreading out the blanket, he drew her down to the ground. “I’m going to get to the bottom of this, you know.” Patrick searched her face for clues.
Hanging her head, she avoided making eye contact. “Please don’t ask me for an explanation. But I shouldn’t kiss you anymore, it just wouldn’t be right.”
Damn, what if there was someone else? He hadn’t thought of that till just now. Had he misread everything so completely? “Should we go back, Savannah?” He picked up the food. “I don’t encroach onto another man’s territory. You should have said something sooner.” Just what the fuck would he do now? She was supposed to be his Destiny.
“Wait!” She caught his hand. Pausing, she shut her eyes as if to gain strength. “There is nobody else. I wouldn’t have come if there was. I would never be unfaithful if I were fortunate enough to have someone. So, don’t go. Let’s stay and talk. Please?”
Patrick refused to let it go. It was just too damn important. “I didn’t turn you off, did I?” She sure as hell responded to his kiss, at least for a few moments. She tried to turn away but he gently took hold of her face. “That’s not it, is it?”
“No,” she whispered. “There’s something else. I’m not playing a game with you. Really.”
She looked like she was about to cry and that was one thing that Patrick couldn’t bear to do – make a woman cry. “Okay, Love. No more guessing.” He couldn’t resist rubbing the pad of his thumb over her cheek. “Although, I will warn you that I intend to do everything in my power to change your mind. And I don’t play fair. Is that okay?”
A small hitch of her breath was all that betrayed the hope that she couldn’t dispel from her heart. “Yes, I guess so. I’m not sure if that’s wise, though.” Actually, all she really wanted to do was throw herself into his arms and cling to him for dear life. He was so sweet.
“You let me worry about what’s wise or not. It’s my job to battle the enemy, so all you have to do is tell me what’s bothering you and I’ll surround, besiege and conquer that mother fufont size="+0" face="Calibri"> . . .” he was going to say an ugly word, but he swallowed it.
Patrick’s face had a fierce look on it and Savannah was sure that enemies had retreated from this scowl. But he didn’t scare her. She felt safer with him than she had ever felt with anyone in her life. So, Savannah sighed. “You’re so cute.” Was she making a mistake? What if he could deal with her past? The words seemed to hang on the tip of her tongue. Confessing to him would be such freedom. But it might also bring their friendship to a screeching halt, too. And she wasn’t ready for that. Savannah was greedy. She wanted to be around Patrick for just a little bit longer. So, she remained mum about Carville.
With a gentle nudge, he pushed her backwards until she lay flat, then he got down there with her – close. “I told you I didn’t play fair. Give me one more kiss. Please? For a soldier boy going off to war?” Lord, he couldn’t believe he was playing the sympathy card. He must be desperate! Yea, okay – he was.
“No, no, no. . .” Savannah gasped as his lips slowly lowered to cover hers, “. . . yes, yes.” Ripples of sensation washed over her in waves as pleasure exploded through her body. Ye gods, she could become addicted to him. He was propped up on one elbow, lying next to her; part of his big body covered hers completely. She was trapped, surrounded – one big hand kneaded the flesh of her waist and she gave in to temptation and wound her arms around his neck and clung to him like a honeysuckle vine. He smelled so good! She ate at his mouth, rubbed her tongue against his and reveled in his taste. And to think – just this morning, she hadn’t even known the man existed! “Ummm, I love this,” she whispered as they broke for air.
“I love it, too, Baby. You taste like honey. Now, kiss me back.”
“I shouldn’t. But, I want you so much. God forgive me,” she whispered. Savannah wrapped her arms around his neck and let out the sexiest kitten sigh he had ever heard. My God! She didn’t just kiss him – she nibbled his upper lip, licked the seam of his mouth and pushed her little tongue inside to tangle with his. In a matter of seconds, she had him ready, willing and able – hard as a rock - again.
As Patrick cradled her close, Savannah’s world changed completely. She knew she’d never be the same. A lifetime of starving for affection and never knowing the touch of another human being had not prepared her for the ecstasy of being in Patrick O’Rourke’s arms.
Need pulsed through Patrick like a drum. If he didn’t get his hands on her soon, he would go mad. Patrick raised up his head and looked around. “Just making sure there’s no one about.” There wasn’t. “Can I touch you?” Despite his challenge, he didn’t want to do anything she wasnt ready for. Savannah was special. If she demanded he stop, he would – in a heartbeat.
Savannah could only guess at what he meant, but the answer was going to be ‘yes’ regardless. It might not be right, but this was a moment that might never come again. “Yes, please do.” She cupped the side of his face and he kissed her wrist. “I wish you didn’t have to leave so soon. I’ll worry about you.” Even if she never heard from Patrick again after today, she knew she would never forget him.
“Are you sure?”
God, he was sweet. He had to know that being caressed and kissed by him was sheer paradise for her. She just prayed it didn’t blow up in her face later. Rubbing her hand over his chest, she encouraged him. “Touch me, Patrick. Touch me anyway you want to.”
What an invitation! But he wasn’t about to abuse his privileges. Savannah deserved consideration. They were out in the open and he didn’t want anybody seeing what one day might belong to him. But he didn’t want her to feel
unwanted either. “I can’t resist finding out how soft you are.” Moving his hand up her side, he filled his palm with soft woman flesh. The lace of her bra was thin, as was her dress, so he could feel her heat and mold the tender fullness of her tit in his hand. And when she quivered at his touch, he felt his blood flame in response. “God help me, I can’t resist.” He bent over and opened his mouth wide, fitting it over her nipple and he sucked – a long, hard draw.
“God! Patrick!” He was sucking her nipple through her clothes! Right now she would give her black Camaro to the first taker, if she could just feel his lips on her bare breast one time. Cupping the back of his head, she massaged the nape of his neck. As his lips and teeth worked their magic, she felt her clit sparkle to life with zings of burning delight. She needed more. Raising her hips desperately, she offered herself to him. Patrick answered her wordless cry by slipping his hand between her legs and rubbing the top of her mound. “Yes! More please,” she cried.
When Savannah sounded her passionate outburst, Patrick felt himself tremble with a deep and intense desire. Everything within him wanted to part her legs, rip away her panties and plunge into her softness. Hell! Before he lost control – he had to stop. Damn! “I can’t do this.” It wasn’t right. She deserved better than being fingered to orgasm in a public park. Pulling back, he sat up and dry-scrubbed his face trying to gain control.
