She laughed, rolling her eyes. “Okay, I can see that you’re not going to be any help.” She reached over with her fork and stole a bite of his omelet. “That’s okay. I’ll talk to Harper when I head home next week.”
“You should head home this week,” he ordered.
She laughed at him, then leaned forward. “What if the man I’m interested in is back home?” she whispered.
He froze, trying to figure out how to keep his baby sister safe. Safe from the lecherous arms, hands, and the mind of whoever was sneaking around with her. “Is he?”
She shrugged one shoulder. “After that horrified reaction, I’m not telling you.” She grinned cheekily and picked up her jacket and her purse. Standing up, she smooched his cheek. “Goodbye, brother dear!” and with a swish, she headed out.
Gaelen watched her leave, wondering if he should follow her and maybe lock her up, or if he should trust her. On the one hand, Talia was his baby sister. On the other hand, she was his sister and she’d always been smart and logical.
Still…that instinctive need to protect reared its sexist head and his fingers tightened around the fork in his hand.
At that same moment, Savannah came out, watching Talia’s departure. Which wasn’t unusual. Gaelen noticed that almost all of the other diners were doing the same thing. Talia truly had an amazing presence. It wasn’t as simple as her being beautiful, which royally pissed him off. It was that she was so vitally alive!
Damn it, he hated that his little sister was…what? Was she dating? Was she flirting with some stranger? What the hell was going on?
He made a mental note to ask her guards about her activities lately. And he’d have to inform Amit and Tarin about this. But not when Amit’s new wife, Harper, was around. She’d be livid and tell them that they were being sexist jerks. She’d be right too, but that didn’t change his need to protect his baby sister. Especially after the last year. Losing Orella in such a devastating way had really shocked them. Yes, the siblings had grown closer, but only after Harper had intervened and told them that they were isolating themselves in their individual grief. Once they started to talk as a family, that’s when they started to heal.
That didn’t mean that he wanted Talia to heal enough to be flirting with some ass though!
“Anything else?” the brunette waitress asked.
Gaelen blinked, looking at the other woman. “Where is Savannah?” he asked, peering around for the woman he wanted. And not just sexually. He wanted to talk to her about what Talia had just said, needing her advice. Hell, just seeing her smile and hear her reassurance that his baby sister would be okay would be enough for the moment. Not that Savannah even knew Talia, but her words of reassurance would help, regardless.
Unfortunately, she wasn’t anywhere to be seen.
“She’s taking a break,” the waitress said, with a snippy attitude, then slapped the check down on the table and stalked away.
Glancing at the bill, he pulled out his wallet and laid three twenties on the table for a fifteen dollar check, then stood up. Even as he walked out, he looked around for Savannah. Damn it, he’d love to speak with her one more time before going into this meeting, but, checking his watch, he knew he would have to wait. At least for a couple of hours.
Chapter 6
Savannah leaned her head back against a box of…something. The supply room here at the diner was always packed with stuff. She had no idea, nor did she care. The breakfast rush had finally slowed and she had time to breath.
“You okay?’ Cindy asked, poking her head into the supply room and handing Savannah a glass of ice tea.
Savannah accepted the glass, gratefully. “I’m fine,” she lied, taking a long sip of the cold drink. Cindy had added extra lemons and no sugar to the ice tea, just the way she liked it.
“I take it that guy was someone special to you?” Cindy asked, leaning against the door so she could talk to Savannah while still keeping an eye on the dining room. It was quiet right now, with only two people sitting in a booth, both of them sipping coffee and arguing about politics. In another hour, the lunch rush would start, which would last for several hours. Savannah would finish her shift after that and she could head back to her apartment and have a good, long cry.
“I thought he was. But apparently not.” The story of her life, she thought as she closed her eyes. The men in her life tended to be a bit too…uninterested in her, she thought. “Why is it that every man I find attractive turns out to be a royal jerk?” she asked.
Cindy scoffed. “Because you haven’t found your ‘Mickey’ yet,” she answered, winking at her husband as he passed by. “That guy,” she started, tilting her head towards the door even though Gaelen had left hours ago, “what happened?”
“He’s the one that helped me the other night. I just,” she paused, her voice cracking. She swallowed before continuing, “I didn’t know that he had a girlfriend or significant other or whatever that gorgeous woman was. And I probably made a fool out of myself.”
Cindy moved over to hug her. “You’re not a fool!” she whispered fervently. “You’re beautiful and wonderful and someday, someone is going to fall madly in love with you!”
Savannah absorbed the hug from her friend and laughed. “I’m not holding my breath.”
A few more customers trickled into the diner and Cindy gave Savannah another hug, then moved off. “Take it easy for a while. Have Mickey make you a burger. You’re looking a bit pale.”
Savannah smiled at the motherly woman, even though she was only about five years older than Savannah. Still, it felt good. Her mother had died a long time ago and her father hadn’t cared enough to notice her.
Unfortunately, the idea of a burger didn’t sit well with her stomach and she sighed, leaning her head back against the box again, letting the tears stream down her cheeks. For the next few minutes, she could be weak. She could cry and mentally collect herself. Obviously, she’d fallen for Gaelen, which was idiotic. How could she be so disappointed in a man she’d met only a day ago? It was stupid, she thought.
“Why are you crying?” a deep voice demanded.
Savanah spun around, shocked to find Gaelen standing in front of her, frowning down at her in the dim light from the supply room.
“What are you doing here?” she demanded, straightening and wiping her eyes with the back of her hand.
“We weren’t finished with our conversation.”
Savannah closed her eyes against the pain of his presence. When she opened them again, she looked directly into his eyes, deciding to be honest with him. “Look, Gaelen, I have to tell you that this isn’t going to work out.”
“Why not?”
She lowered her head, blinking back more tears. “Because I like you,” she whispered. “I really like you. I think you’re one of the most fascinating men I’ve ever met. And I…” she stopped, looking at the steel door that led out to the alley instead of looking into those hazel eyes that so fascinated her. “And I can’t do this. I’m not one of those women who can handle a guy who sees more than one woman at a time. I just…I can’t handle it. I know that other people can handle open relationships. But when I fall in love, I want to know that I’m the only person in his heart.” She finally looked up at him. “I don’t think that’s what…”
He interrupted her with a kiss. This wasn’t the gentle, testing kiss from last night. This was passion, raw and unbound. It was daring and challenging and so arousing, she felt her body begin to glow.
Unfortunately, he pulled back before she’d had enough. “What time are you finished here?”
Her lips trembled as she looked at him, unaware of her fingers clinging to his arms. “I can’t leave with you. I won’t…”
“That was my sister,” he told her. “Talia is my sister. And she came in here to get advice from me about men.”
There was a long silence. Both of them stared into each other’s eyes and she didn’t understand. “Your…?”
“Sister. She’
s my baby sister. Talia is the youngest, then my younger brother, Tarin, who is thirty two. I’m next, and then there’s my oldest brother, Amit. I used to have an older sister, Orella, but she died last year in a car accident with her husband. I also have two twin nieces that are still struggling to deal with their parents’ death. I have four aunts and two uncles, all of whom live too close, but they are wonderful. My brothers are much more arrogant than I am and,” he paused when she laughed, “and I think you’re the most beautiful women I’ve ever known. Please, have dinner with me tonight. I’ll tell you more. I’ll even introduce you to Talia and she’ll tell you horrible stories about me and all of the mean things I did to her when she was younger.”
“Yes,” Savannah breathed, feeling a bit light-headed with relief now that she knew the beautiful woman was a sister and not a lover.
Then he kissed her again. This kiss was more tender, but still so passionate, she thought her knees might just give out.
“What time are you off?” he asked, his lips nuzzling her neck, her ear, her lips again.
“Two o’clock,” she whispered, closing her eyes to better enjoy what he was doing to her neck.
“Good. I’ll pick you up then.”
“No, I need to go home and shower. I always feel icky after my shift. It’s a great place, but the food is greasy and it seems to permeate my hair and clothes.”
He sighed, pulling back but keeping his hands on her hips. “I’ll pick you up at five o’clock. Will that give you enough time?”
She nodded, beaming.
“Good. I’ll see you then.”
Chapter 7
Savannah smoothed her hand down over the dress, wondering if she should change. Was the red dress with one inch straps too sexy? It didn’t show much cleavage, but it revealed more skin than her normal tee-shirts and jeans. The skirt was full and swirled around her legs, the bodice buttoning up the front. She felt pretty.
Adding to the sexy factor, she’d piled her hair up on top of her head, allowing small, wispy tendrils to dance around her face. She’d put on more makeup than usual, including red lipstick that almost perfectly matched her dress. The color seemed to lighten her hair a bit, making it seem more of a pretty blond color than the dull dishwater that it normally appeared to be. Some mascara and a touch of perfume, a scent that someone had given her years ago, but since she rarely dated, Savannah hadn’t had a reason to wear it until now.
“This is too sexy,” she told her reflection in the mirror. “I should change into something less…obvious.”
The ringing of the doorbell announced that her time had run out. She knew with every fiber of her being that Gaelen had rung the bell. Not just that, but he was impatiently standing outside of her apartment.
How she knew that, Savannah wasn’t sure. Perhaps it was that he’d told her he’d pick her up at five o’clock. Or maybe there was some sort of electrifying presence about the man and she could feel his energy, even through the doorway.
Or maybe it was just something else, but she also knew that she’d better hurry to answer the door.
Even as that thought passed through her mind, there was another sharp knock on her door.
Savannah paused with her hand on the doorknob, and took a deep breath. Then she pulled the door open and…there he was! Goodness, he was handsome! That scar down his cheek only enhanced the incredible allure of him. She wanted to know how he’d gotten the scar…as well as about a thousand other things.
“You look beautiful,” he said. Stepping into the apartment, he took her hand. But his eyebrows drew together and he looked down at their hands. “You’re trembling. Why?”
She tried to pull away, but his fingers tightened around hers. “I’m nervous,” she admitted, lifting her dark eyes to his hazel ones.
“Why?” he demanded, stepping closer. The door to her apartment closed and there was an intense silence. “You know that I would never hurt you, right?”
She smiled, feeling a bit of her tension ease with his words. “Yes. I know.” She lifted her hand, cupping his jaw. “You look like you’d be very rough, but I suspect that you’re actually very gentle.”
He moved closer, his hands moving to rest on her hips. “With you, always,” he groaned. And then he kissed her. It started gently, but when she leaned in, pressing her body against his, he deepened the kiss, his hands moving around her waist and lifting her higher, pressing her more tightly against his body.
“Savannah!” he growled, his hands tightening as his tongue invaded her mouth, teasing hers into participating. She pulled back slightly, shocked by the passion in his kiss. But he softened and that triggered a panic inside her, not wanting him to stop. Lifting up onto her toes, she tugged at his shoulders, desperate for more!
“We have to stop or we’ll never get out of here,” he said, but as soon as those words were out of his mouth, he swung her around, placing her on top of her counter and stepped between her thighs.
Savannah wasn’t aware of anything other than the beauty of his kiss and the way his hands made her feel. “Please don’t stop,” she whispered, wrapping her legs around his waist in an effort to ease the incredible ache that seemed to be throbbing deep in her body.
In response, his hands dove into her hair, pulling her head back while his lips discovered every secret spot on her neck that she hadn’t realized was such an erogenous zone. Then he teased those spots with his teeth, sending shivers of delight down her spine. She felt her body tighten, but wasn’t aware of her legs tightening, pulling his hips closer. All she knew was that he felt so incredibly good! Every place he touched only heightened her desire.
Gaelen knew that he should stop. He hadn’t intended to make love to her like this. But seeing her in that red dress had set his body on fire. The first time he’d seen her, she’d been in a white shirt that covered her from neck to wrists and a pair of black slacks. Then this morning, she’d been in a pair of loose jeans and a tee-shirt. This red dress…with all of her lovely, pale skin showing and every inch of her so responsive to his touch, well, he couldn’t resist her. She was so damn beautiful and he felt as if he hadn’t been with a woman in…?
Hell, he couldn’t remember the last time he’d been with a woman. Looking down at her, seeing the passion in her beautiful eyes, he stopped fighting. Everything in his body tightened with need. A need for her. A need to possess her and be possessed by her overwhelmed him and he couldn’t stop touching her, couldn’t stop exploring all of her soft curves, hearing those sexy sighs and gasps of delight.
“Tell me to stop,” he ordered, biting that spot on her neck just behind her ear. Then he groaned when she shivered, her fingers tangling in his hair.
“Don’t stop!” she gasped, grinding against his erection. “Please don’t stop!”
That was the last bit of his restraint. He reached under that pretty red skirt, smoothing his hands along her thighs. He found her panties and almost laughed with delight at the expected cotton. What he wasn’t expecting though, was the heat and moisture when his fingers slid underneath that demure elastic band. Nor was he expecting her to grip his ears like that. Those fingers moved lower, digging into his shoulders and he wanted to roar with the need to bury himself in that moist heat.
Taking deep breaths, he slowed his raging libido as he slid one finger into her heat, easing the opening and teasing her folds. He captured her gasp in his mouth, kissing her as his fingers moved in and out while his thumb carefully, delicately flicked against that sensitive nub. Over and over, he teased her, feeling her body straining against his hand until…
He absorbed her scream of release into his mouth, felt her inner muscles clench around his finger while his other arm held her steady, safe and secure while she trembled with her climax.
When it was over, he lifted his mouth and looked down at her, surprised to find tears in her eyes. “Did I hurt you?” he asked, kissing the tears away and pulling his hands reluctantly from her wet depths. She gasped slightly, shifting clos
er to him.
“You didn’t hurt me at all,” she told him, beaming up at him as if in a dream. “That was wonderful!”
She wrapped her arms around his neck, eyes closed for a moment. Then, her eyes popped open and she glared at him.
“You’re still dressed!”
He chuckled and kissed her briefly. “So are you,” he told her, although his hands slid underneath her skirt again, caressing the silky skin of her thighs.
Savannah nibbled her lower lip, her gaze flitting from his shoulders to his chest and…lower. “I could…?”
He laughed, hugging her when she couldn’t finish that statement. “If I let you do that, then we’d completely miss dinner.” He lifted her down from the countertop. “Come, my beauty. I need to feed you.”
She held onto him when he started to let her go. “We could just…order pizza and,” she moved closer, letting her hand slide up his chest, “stay and see what happens?”
He felt her words echo all the way down to his groin. But he resolutely shook his head. “No. You need to eat. Did you have lunch?” He saw the truth in her eyes and sighed. “You’re too thin, Savannah. You need to eat better.” With that, he took her hand and handed over her purse and keys. He pulled the door to her apartment open, tugging her out and firmly closing the door behind him. “We’re eating and you’re going to tell me about your life.”
Savannah laughed, almost dancing along beside him as they made their way out of the building. “That was beautiful,” she told him, pressing against his arm. She felt free and happy and…giggly!
He looked down at her and she blushed, feeling ridiculous for doing so after what they’d just shared.
Something in his eyes shifted and he stopped, turning to face her. “Have you ever…had an orgasm with a man before?” he asked. The way she looked up at him confirmed his suspicions. “Allaena, you hadn’t!” he muttered. Because he couldn’t help himself, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her right there in the open courtyard. She trembled in his embrace and he had the insane urge to drag her right back upstairs and make love to her all over again, but this time, with himself buried in her heat instead of just his fingers.
Entangled with the Prince Page 7
