by Len Webster
Savannah had her feet tucked under her as she closed the book she had been reading for the past few hours and set it on the arm of the gray couch. “Do you still have work to do?”
He shook his head. “I just finished reading the report Emerson wanted me to look at. I’ve sent it back to her, and she’ll send me her notes tomorrow.”
“Right,” she said as she glanced down at her hands. “Hey, Will?”
“Yes, Savannah?”
She lifted her soft blue gaze at him. “I just wanted to say thank you.”
“You don’t have to.”
Shaking her head, she got on her knees and scooted closer. She inhaled a deep breath as if she were seeking strength and set her soft palms on his jaw. His heartbeat picked up as he looked in her eyes. His hands ached to touch her. To grasp her waist and feel as if she were his. But he didn’t.
He held back.
As he always had with Savannah.
“But I want to. Thank you for today, Will. For the food tour. For the catharsis we experienced together. For letting me experience the way you love New York. Thank you for everything you’ve done for me,” she whispered, brushing her thumb along his cheek.
“You’re welcome. Thank you letting me have this day with you.”
“Will …”
“Yes,” he said, breathlessly.
She bit her lip. “Hold me.”
Oh, fuck.
His hands shook. He had never been this nervous with a woman, but this wasn’t just any woman.
This was Savannah Peters. The woman he had spent days thinking about. The woman he had spent the day eating with around New York. The woman who he confessed his heartbreak to and found redemption with. The woman he was sure he was falling in love with.
It didn’t make sense.
Will was a rational man, but around Savannah, he lost sense. Lost in her eyes and her heart. Lost in her kindness and her warmth. Savannah Peters shifted his axis the moment she opened the door for him in Massachusetts.
I’m falling.
“Savannah,” he groaned the moment he held her hips. She felt so perfect in his hands. He was a man of control, but he was losing it with Savannah.
He knew her heart wasn’t his, and he knew she didn’t come to New York for him, but he didn’t care.
And he was more than aware that if Walter found out Will could lose everything.
“You’re worth it,” he whispered.
Savannah stilled beneath his touch as her hands fell from his face. “What?”
Will moved her over his lap so Savannah straddled him. His hands trailed up her hips, caressing the curves of her waist. His breathing heaved as the wonder in her eyes confirmed to him that she was all he needed.
“Savannah.” He cradled her jaw in his palms and lowered her chin so her forehead pressed to his. “You are,” he breathed. “You’re worth it.”
He knew it in his bones. Knew that this was possibly the last time he’d ever have her like this.
Like she’s mine.
She pulled back, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him close. His lips found her neck. If he kissed her lips, it was over. He wouldn’t be able to stop himself. Their line of friendship had never been drawn deep enough to remain. They had crossed the line a long time ago and obliterated it with the press of their lips outside of South Station.
I’m falling, Savannah …
“Will,” she moaned as she sank down on his lap, pressing against his hard erection. He groaned, feeling her against him. She felt so damn good. So damn perfect.
“Kiss me,” she pleaded.
He pulled back, and her eyes searched his. He knew he could never go back if he kissed her, and that frightened him. Frightened him because tomorrow was goodbye. Tomorrow, he’d take her to JFK. Tomorrow scared him.
“Savannah, if I …”
She made a small nod as she threaded her fingers through his hair. “If you don’t kiss me, Will, I think I might die.”
The tension was thick, and she had broken it with her plea, causing him to smile.
“You might die?”
Savannah rocked her hips, the surprising pleasure knocking the air from his lungs. She stole it, and she needed to replace it. She needed to give him life with her kiss. With her touch. With that glimmer in her eyes.
He might never have her future, but he’d have the air she just inhaled. He’d treasure the current heartbeat in her chest. He’d consume her sudden thought. He’d have her now for as long as she’d let him.
Will would keep the kiss from her lips for himself.
He watched the muscles in her neck tighten as she swallowed. “I’ve been dying all day.”
As much as he wanted to kiss her, he wanted to wait. To savor what little time they had left.
“Dying for what, Savannah?” He brought her lips closer to his. So close to contact. So close to having her.
“For you …” She peeked down at his mouth and then lifted her longing gaze to him. “To kiss me.”
Moving a hand from her cheek, he swept the pad of his thumb across her plump bottom lip. “Why would you want someone like me to kiss you?”
Savannah let out a shaky breath as she rocked her hips against him. She moved against him so well that he was close to breaking. But Will needed confessions more than her lips right now. He wanted the truth before she left him.
“Because …”
“Because?”
Her hands moved from his hair and gripped his wrists, pulling them from her face. Then she pressed her palms to the sides of his neck, staring at him. “I want a man to kiss me.”
A man.
“You’re beautiful, Savannah. You could have any man.”
She shook her head. “I don’t want any man.” She inhaled a deep breath and slowly released it. “I want you, William Lawrence.”
“Why me? You had him. He could give you everything.” It was true. Even though she told him her pain, her eyes reflected her love for Walter. And it wasn’t something Will could forget or ignore.
“Not everything. I don’t want him. I want you because …”
“Because?”
Then the sweetest smile consumed her lips, before she whispered, “You’re the better man.”
“I am?”
“God, Will,” she moaned. “You’ve always been the better man.”
I’m the better man.
Will believed he was. That he was her better man. And he was going to continue to be so he could have her.
“Can I kiss you?”
She nodded. “Please.”
Please.
That was all it took. One whispered word and her lips finally found his. And unlike their kiss in Boston, they ignited.
Nothing but fire, passion, and longing engulfed them in flames. Savannah’s lips were perfect against his as she kissed him. Her palms left his neck, and her arms wrapped around him tight, pressing herself against him.
“Will,” she breathed as his arms circled around her hips, afraid to have her so far. She felt so perfect.
He couldn’t get enough. He couldn’t stop kissing her.
Savannah rocked her hips, rubbing her core against him. Kiss after kiss. Touch after touch. He felt her heartbeats against his chest. Felt her shaky breaths after each inhale.
“Savannah …” He kissed the corner of her mouth. She pulled away, the desire flickering in her hooded blue eyes.
This woman.
This strong, beautiful woman was everything to him. But he respected her too much. He wanted her to wake up in the morning without regrets.
“We should stop,” he murmured.
Savannah nodded as she bit her lip. She moved her hands up his neck, her touch causing him to rock against her, eliciting a breathy moan from her sweet lips. “Will …”
“Yes?”
She licked her lips as she brushed his hair back. Her eyes firm on his. “I don’t want to stop. I want you.”
Me.
She
wants me.
It was all he needed to turn them and press her back to the couch. He gave in to her. His hips between her thighs as his lips crashed to hers.
Her moan tore his chest to shreds. Marking every piece of him with her name. With her touch. With her kiss.
She was in his bones. Stained the blood in his veins. He was utterly infatuated and falling for Savannah Peters.
Twenty
Savannah
It had been so long since she had been kissed the way William Lawrence kissed her. In fact, Savannah was sure no one had touched her or kissed her with the same gentleness, passion, and desire as Will. Every flutter of his lips was beautiful. Every taste of his tongue made her dizzy. Savannah was almost delirious with pleasure as he ground his erection against her core.
His name fell from her like prayers. Her fingertips dug into his skin. She raised her hips, meeting each thrust, but it wasn’t enough.
She wanted him.
She’d never wanted anyone more in her life—especially after their moment on the bench. Where the truth met daylight and felt as if she connected with Will on a level she never thought possible. He didn’t judge her or the wrongful love she had held on to for so many years. Will gave her compassion. He gave her support she had been missing for so long.
It was him she wanted the moment he wiped her tears away and told her it wasn’t her fault. It was Will when he smiled at her. It was Will when he helped her off the carousel horse and held her hand as they walked out of Central Park.
William Lawrence was in her heart.
“Will,” she breathed as she pulled away, ending their kiss. Her chest heaved as she looked into his light brown eyes. They were as beautiful as the heart of the man she was sure she was falling for. “I want you.”
He blinked, his hand leaving her thigh and pressing on the couch. “Are you sure?”
She nodded with a small smile, knowing just how sure she was. “I am,” she assured as her hands softly trailed along his neck, down his chest, and stopped at the button of his jeans. Will inhaled sharply as her fingers continued lower, brushing over his hard erection.
Will reached between their bodies and grasped her wrist, stopping her exploring touch. “Not here,” he said in a hoarse voice. “You deserve more than a couch.”
I deserve more …
Her heart wept in her chest.
God, he was so good to her.
No man had ever considered where they slept with her or thought she deserved more. With Walter, they had sex more times out of a bed than most. Wherever he wanted her, she agreed.
He had never looked at her the way Will did. Never touched her the way Will had. Never gave her kisses that stole her breath. Walter never believed she deserved more the way Will did.
Before she could say another word, he dug his arm under her back and lifted her. Savannah wrapped her legs around his waist as he carried her away from the couch. His lips sought hers, and their hot, needy kisses resumed as Savannah threaded her fingers through his hair. He walked them to his bedroom, flicked on the light, and kicked the door closed. The moment he reached the bed, he lowered her onto the mattress.
Savannah got on her elbows and looked up at Will. He stared at her, and the hesitation flashed bright in his eyes. He feared she didn’t want him, but he couldn’t be more wrong. She knew he needed a push, so Savannah sat up, then reached for and grasped his jeans. She inhaled a deep breath as she watched his eyes widen. Rubbing her lips together, she unbuttoned his jeans. He didn’t take his eyes from her as she pulled down the zipper.
She wanted to show him how much she wanted him and that she cared for him as much as she was sure he cared for her.
The tension was heavy as she pushed his jeans and boxer briefs down. She looked down and took in his cock. Will inhaled sharply as she wrapped her hand around it, stroking him.
He was thick.
Hard.
Long and smooth.
Savannah stroked him from base to tip, letting her thumb brush over his head as she looked up to find his hooded eyes on hers. Lowering her chin, she pressed a kiss to his hard length.
“You deserve this, Will,” she breathed before she took him in her mouth.
His pre-cum hit her tongue, slightly salty and all man.
Will’s fingers threaded her hair. “Oh, fuck,” he groaned.
She took him as far as she could, but he was so big in her mouth. Then she sucked him as he held her hair back. Once she pulled away, she pumped his cock with her fist, wet with her saliva. She felt him throb in her hand as he thrust his hips.
“Savannah,” he warned.
She increased her strokes.
Up.
And down.
Watching Will moan and shake from her touch was empowering. She couldn’t believe she made this strong man shudder with pleasure. He captured her wrist to stop her, then pulled her touch away and got on his knees before he cradled her jaw. That softness in his eyes had her falling deeper.
“Sweetheart,” he said in a low voice.
Sweetheart. His words of endearment touched her soul. She had been a man’s baby. A man’s babe. A man’s dirty secret. But she had never once been someone’s sweetheart.
Her eyes stung at the loving gleam in his. Savannah felt treasured. She felt like a woman who deserved a man like William Lawrence.
“Lie back for me,” Will instructed.
Savannah set her hands on the mattress and shuffled back until she reached the pillows she had slept on last night without him. She watched him stand and strip.
His naked body made her breathless.
He was beautiful.
An Adonis before her.
Once he dropped his T-shirt on the floor, he climbed on the bed, and his body covered hers. He kissed her on the mouth, replacing the air he had taken from her with his own. Savannah held his hips as he settled between her thighs. She felt him hard against her, wishing she was naked, too. As if Will could read her thoughts, his palm settled on her exposed stomach, his fingers brushing her bare skin.
God, she was so turned on.
His simple, gentle touch was driving her insane.
“I think of you,” he breathed as he grasped the hem of her top.
“When?”
Will smiled as she sat up, pulling her shirt over her head and revealing her black lace strapless bra. “All the time. At work …” His fingers traced the curve of her breasts, causing Savannah to squirm, desperately wanting more than his careful, intricate touches.
He finally reached the button of her jeans shorts. “At night …”
He popped the button. “In bed …”
He thinks of me in bed.
She was breathless.
The thought of him in bed, thinking of her, made her throb with need.
As Will pulled her shorts down, revealing her black lace panties, he groaned as if the sight of her in lingerie tortured him. Savannah licked her lips as he threw her shorts on the floor. Trailing her hands up her breasts, she caressed her collarbone with her fingertips, and asked in a low voice, “Did you touch yourself?”
He leaned down and gently kissed the swell of her breasts as Savannah widened her legs for him. Will kissed down her stomach until his lips met the elastic of her lace panties. He looked up at her. His brown eyes had darkened a fraction, reminding her of amber. Her heart could give way, and she would die happy with the way he looked at her as if he wanted her forever.
He wrapped his arms around her thighs as he lowered his chin, eyes still on hers. “At the thought of you?”
His teasing.
His slow movements.
He was torturing her, and she was so needy for him.
“Y-yes,” she stuttered as she felt his breath against the crotch of her panties.
Will nodded. “I stroked myself once I got home after I kissed you.” He kissed her core, causing Savannah to arch her back, wanting so much more.
Will masturbating to the thought of her drove her
insane. She closed her eyes and thought of him. Thought of him gripping his hard cock. God, she wanted to see it, but right now, she needed him to touch her.
Just as she was about to plead with him, Will ran his wet tongue over the lace. “Oh, God,” she moaned.
“I touched myself last night,” he stated as he pressed his tongue to her clit. Her damp panties took away the full pleasure she was sure he could give her. Savannah’s fingers dug into his hair as she rocked her hips.
“You … oh, God.” She couldn’t take her eyes off him as he went down on her. “You did?”
Will hummed. The vibration hitting her clit just right, causing her core to clench. “The thought of you in my bed was too much …” One arm left her thigh, and he reached down and pulled her panties to the side. “I had to.” There was no hiding as he gazed down at her. “Sweetheart, you’re so wet.”
Sweetheart.
There it was again.
The endearment turned her on more than knowing he’d touched himself at the thought of her. She knew she was so worked up that it wouldn’t take much to make her come. She was on the very edge.
“Will,” she pleaded.
“You’re beautiful,” he whispered before he dragged his tongue from her entrance to her clit, swirling the sensitive nub.
A moan escaped her, and she didn’t care if his neighbors heard. She watched, completely helpless, as he closed his eyes and tongued her.
“Jesus,” she groaned, grinding herself against him.
She was so wet. So needy. She needed this man.
Savannah felt the sweat on the back of her thighs as he took her higher and higher. She was so close as he lapped at her damp core, wet with her arousal and his saliva.
“Will,” she warned, pulling at his hair. “Oh, God. I’m close. Will, I’m close. Please don’t stop.” She closed her eyes as she rode his face, bucking and needing to be closer to him. “Please don’t stop. Please don’t stop. Please …”
She felt his finger at her entrance, circling for a moment to test her wetness before plunging one finger and then two inside her, stretching her. Savannah groaned as he rubbed her G-spot. Between his tongue’s attention on her clit and the strokes of his fingers, Savannah couldn’t hold back anymore.
