by Tina Martin
There he was.
Harding looked up when Savannah walked in. His eyes were concentrating on the computer screen until he laid them on her. Now, he couldn’t look away. She was the woman who made him settle down. The woman who brought out the rawest of emotions – didn’t matter from which end of the spectrum, good or bad. When he was in love, he gushed with it. When he was angry, he made it known. And she was the only woman to draw out either emotion.
Holding his gaze, Savannah swallowed the rather large knot in her throat. “Hi,” she said. Somebody had to say something. Staring at each other like they were strangers when they’d been highly intimate lovers, wasn’t going to accomplish anything. They’d still be miles apart while sharing the same room.
“Hi, Savannah. I—I didn’t expect you back so soon. Dante told me you were in orientation.”
“I was, then I went to lunch and now I’m back. Orientation is over for the day.”
“Uh…I’m not done with your workstation just yet,” he said.
“Okay,” she said, walking over to the small conference table, setting her purse down.
He looked at her—more like gawked, studying her every move as she walked towards the table. She wore her long hair down today with a side part and gold hoop earrings. A black pant suit and four-inch, black wedges with a royal blue blouse is what she had on. She always dressed nice, he thought. Classy. Elegant. Businesslike. Her outfit showed off the frame of her body – those deep curves, like the winding roads on the Blue Ridge Parkway. He’d navigated her feminine curves plenty of times but that didn’t lessen the ache driving him insane with the mere presence of her. They weren’t on the same page anymore – hadn’t been for a long time and he didn’t know what it would take for them to get back there again if they could. All he knew was that he loved her, was very much in love with her and wanted to be with her and his baby.
When he saw her preparing to turn back in his direction, he looked at the computer screen again, feeling those brown eyes of hers beaming over at him. He wondered if she’d say anything to further break the ice or let the distance between them expand. Maybe she was hoping he’d initiate conversation.
He glanced over at her. Her arms were crossed, and she was looking at him with a reminiscent twinkle in her eyes.
“What?” he asked.
“I didn’t say anything.”
“You look like you want to say something.”
“I was just thinking…”
“About what?” he inquired.
She smiled unnervingly. “This. Here you are sitting at my desk two years later, like when we met.” The underdeveloped smile dropped from her face. “Only difference is, now we’re married, I’m pregnant and you want a divorce.”
“I don’t want a divorce.”
“You said you did.”
“I know what I said, but—”
“Divorce isn’t one of those words you blurt out accidentally, Harding. You said it and you meant it.”
He sighed heavily. “You’re right. I did.”
“Then why are you going back on that now? Because you know I’m pregnant?”
He stared at her for a long time and didn’t respond. He didn’t want to argue with her. If anything, he wanted to get through to her, start over, or at least get to a point where they could be in each other’s presence without feeling animosity and uneasiness. Besides, she didn’t need the stress, and he didn’t want her to be stressed out about their situation when she had a baby – his baby – growing inside of her.
Her computer beeped. He glanced at the screen, typed something then looked back at her. “It’s crazy how we met. I was sitting at your desk, just like this, at your father’s law firm. You walked in and I thought you had an attitude. No, you did have an attitude and I remember thinking you were a spoiled, rich snob who wanted to pout simply because I was sitting at your desk.”
A smirk came to her face. She tried to hide it but couldn’t. Then she said, “I remember how you kept your composure. Most men didn’t know how to handle my personality, but you had no problem with it. You let it roll right off of your back like you didn’t care if I had an attitude or not.”
He smiled. “And all the while I was thinking that you were the most beautiful woman I’d ever laid eyes on and that I would never have a shot with a woman like you because of who you were—Savannah Ellsworth—daughter of the elite Ellsworth’s of Charleston. Turns out, I did have a shot with you, just not with your lifestyle and your parents.” He shook his head.
Savannah stood up and took her purse from the table realizing she couldn’t be in this room with Harding right now. He had work to do, and this subject was something she didn’t want to discuss at work. This job was her new start, a clean slate. Talking about the past was dirtying up that slate.
“I’m going to step out so you can concentrate,” she said, heading for the door. She’d reached to touch the knob when she heard him say, “I can’t tell you how many days I’ve laid in my own bed wishing my wife was lying next to me. How many nights I needed you—needed to kiss you and smell the scent of your skin and your hair. How many nights I’ve laid there agitated because I needed to make love to you, Savannah.”
She slowly turned around and locked eyes with him.
“I didn’t want anyone else—only you and I couldn’t be with you because you were worried about what your parents and everyone else in Charleston would think about me.”
“I wasn’t.”
“You were. That’s why I couldn’t drive to Charleston to visit you—my own wife. Do you know what that did to me?”
“Yes,” she said. She closed her eyes and pulled in a breath. “It made you hate me,” she said opening her eyes again. “But I had my reasons, Harding, and it had nothing to do with me being ashamed of you. I was fearful, yes, but it was because I know what my parents are capable of. I knew they would dig into your life, try to destroy your business—anything to get me to play by their rules. They would spread lies about you, look into your past and try to find things you’ve done that you weren’t necessarily proud of, just to have some dirt to tell me about. They would do whatever they felt they needed to do to keep you away from me. In a way, I guess I was trying to protect you.”
He stood up and took slow steps towards her. “Protect me?” he asked, towering over her. “That’s not your job to protect me. I protect you. I know it’s in your nature to take control and handle situations and while you may be the boss of your clients, I’m your husband. I protect you—not the other way around. I don’t care what your parents do to me. All I care about is you and my baby that’s growing in your stomach,” he said, touching her, feeling her stomach quiver beneath his hand.
Savannah helplessly stared up into his eyes and when she saw him lowering his lips to hers, she closed her eyes and nearly died of an overindulgence of pleasure when his lips touched hers – when he parted them with his tongue and fulfilled desire with the pure taste of her mouth. He moaned, nearly growled and cupped her face in his hands while he took more of what he’d been starving for.
Savannah’s whole body reacted as she turned into an all-out inferno. Feeling his body, his muscles constricting her made everything in her want everything he had to offer here and now, but then there was a knock at the door. They abruptly broke off the kiss a second before Dante peeped in and looked at the both of them.
First, Dante noticed how close they were standing. Then he saw what looked to be gloss on Harding’s lips. “Just popping in to make sure everything’s okay,” Dante said. “I have an off-site meeting to get to and I won’t be back today.”
Harding cleared his throat and said, “Everything’s fine.”
“Yes. Everything’s fine,” Savannah said. “I’m meeting with Tennyson again in the morning.”
“Good. I’ll see you both tomorrow, then. Enjoy the rest of your afternoon,” Dante said. He pulled the door closed as a joyful smile came to his face.
Savannah giggled and look
ed at Harding. “Why do I feel like a teenager who just got caught kissing her boyfriend behind the bleachers?”
Harding chuckled. “Because we did get caught,” he said. He took a single kiss from her lips. “We need to talk, baby.”
“Yes, we do,” she agreed.
“Can we meet up for dinner later?” he asked staring at her lips, desperately hoping she’d say yes.
“I would love to meet for dinner.”
He smiled. “There’s a nice restaurant down the street from our hotel.”
Her eyes brightened. “You’re at my hotel?”
He grinned. “I checked in this morning. Room 10204.”
“I’m a floor below you in 903.”
“Then I’ll tell you what,” he said, lightly stroking the side of her face with the back side of his index finger. “How about I meet you at your room later and then we can go to dinner?”
“Okay,” Savannah said, feeling giddy. “Let’s say seven o’clock.”
“That’s cool. Seven o’clock it is.”
“Perfect,” she said.
“Yes. Perfect.” He stared at her lips again.
“Um, let me go so you can concentrate.”
His cheeks dimpled. “Okay, Savannah.”
Chapter 37
Harding knocked on Savannah’s door, Room 903, wearing a sports jacket, shirt, jeans and a pair of dark brown leather shoes. He glanced at his watch. She told him she would be ready by seven, but he arrived thirty minutes early. He’d finished up at TCC around five, then returned to his room at the hotel to shower and get dressed. With spare time to burn, all he did was pace the room and when he wasn’t pacing, he would sit on the bed and relive the kiss they’d shared in her office earlier. The kiss that left him craving more. She’d kissed him as desperately as he had kissed her and with an equal amount of hunger and now, he was in starvation mode – in need of more. The appetizer simply wasn’t enough.
He knocked again and a few beats later, she opened the door, wearing one of the hotel’s thick cotton robes with her damp hair hanging seductively loose, framing her face.
“You’re early,” Savannah said, staring into his eyes, seeing desire blaze up in them. She recognized the need and the level of potency of that need. He didn’t have to say a word, and she didn’t have to ask. She knew why he was early and her body knew why, too. Anticipation already had her entire frame quivering. Had her tingling all over. Had her gnawing on her lip. Had her taking backward steps away from the door while he took steps forward.
Harding closed the door and flipped the latch to lock it. Then he fixed his eyes on her.
Savannah’s nerves fizzled at the thought of him touching her again. She desperately needed his touch.
Standing directly in front of her, Harding raked her hair away from her face and said, “You always know when I want you, don’t you?”
She connected her vision with his and when she glanced at his lips, he had already begun lowering his mouth to hers.
He kissed her softly, at first, while soft moans drifted from her throat. Then he nearly consumed her tongue when the hunger hit him that much harder. He was certain she needed this as much as he did considering she was tugging at his jacket and unbuttoning his shirt, causing a deep rumble to flow through him like prolonged thunder.
Held captive by his lips, Savannah undid the clasp of his jeans, pulled them down and squeezed the firmness of his muscular backside as Harding deepened the kiss.
Harding pulled the string that secured her robe, eyeing the soft, feminine body he hadn’t touched in some time – one that he desperately wanted to touch now. When her robe fell to the floor, he walked her back towards the bed until she lowered herself there on her own accord. Easing down on top of her, he took more kisses from her lips before hungrily sapping and licking her neck. Roaming down to her chest, he hungrily feasted on her softness, giving careful attention to every part of her that his mouth came into contact with. When he felt her body quiver, he knew he was on the right path. Seemed pregnancy made her breasts more sensitive than normal and he was drawing out sensations she’d never felt before.
“Oh, Harding,” she said.
“Yes, sweetheart.”
“I just…I…I had to say…say your name. It was on the tip of my tongue,” she said, her chest moving up and down quickly as she took rapid breaths.
“Then you’ll be saying it a lot more in a few minutes,” he said with all the confidence in the world. “As soon as I’m done tasting you.” He dipped his head even lower to kiss her quivering stomach and an overwhelming feeling of satisfaction took over his senses when he realized this was the first time he’d been skin-to-skin with her since learning she was carrying his baby. He left more tender kisses on her stomach. He wondered if she knew how much it meant to him that she was pregnant with his child.
Crawling up to take her lips again, he nudged her legs apart, then eased his body into place joining their bodies in one smooth surrender while holding her vision. He threw his head back, letting the intense feeling of being connected to her this way consume him. This was right – so perfect, it felt too freakin’ good to measure. She was his forever and he wouldn’t deny himself of her any longer.
“I love you, Savannah.”
“I love you, too, Harding,” she said feeling him snug inside of her as he lowered his lips to join them with hers. And then he began moving, seductively slow and then would intercept the slow motion with quicker movements, driving her to the edge of insanity while she attempted to hold on to the thick muscles lining his back. The faster he moved, the tighter she gripped him until her hands weakened and slipped as her body gave in to him. She closed her eyes and braced herself for the building sensation taking over her being.
It built…
And escalated…
It lit her body on fire and burned through her like a raging inferno seeking escape until…
“Harding!”
And he didn’t let up, even after she broke apart beneath him. He said she would be saying his name more, and he didn’t mean once. He began moving again, retreating and then sinking deeper into her warmth over and over again while she steadily moaned, chewed on her lip and attempted to hold on to him again. “Oh, Harding. Oh, my…” When she could find a breath, she said, “I missed this. I missed you so much.”
“I know, baby,” he said while his lips brushed against hers. “I can tell.”
He smiled, staring into her face as he moved slowly. “Can you tell I missed you?”
“Yes,” she said breathlessly, holding on.
“You can?” he asked, increasing the tempo.
“Ye-yes, Harding,” she answered then cried out, his name leaving her lips.
Then a force rammed through him and every nerve ending in his body. He bucked and exploded, emptying his molten, hot love right there in the cave of his beautiful lover. He panted while lowering himself on top of her remaining intimately joined, not willing to let go, refusing to surrender. They’d made love countless times before, but tonight, he’d lost his mind with pleasure that was as unbearable as it was satisfying.
He lifted his head, looked at her and saw her eyes barely opened. “Mmm, Harding,” she hummed.
He retreated and laid next to her, watching her drift off to sleep. She looked calm, loved and completely drained. They needed to talk, he knew, but making love was so much easier. He looked forward to doing it again before the night was over.
Chapter 38
Harding had ordered room service and was waiting for the moment Savannah’s eyes opened to tell her. When he finally connected his vision to those beautiful, dark eyes of hers, he said, “Welcome back.”
A slow smile curved her lips. It was a joke between the two of them how, whenever they would make love, she’d be asleep within minutes. Today wasn’t the exception. Granted, he was out for a while, too, but she’d slept for two hours. It was close to nine o’clock already.
“I took the liberty of ordering room
service since I knew we wouldn’t make it to dinner.”
“That was smart of you,” she said. She stretched her arms above her head and asked, “What time is it?”
“A few minutes ‘til nine.”
“Nine! I slept for two hours?”
“You did. Why do you sound surprised? You know I always put you to bed, plus, I’m sure the pregnancy is taking a toll on your body.”
“You’re right about that.”
“Are you hungry?”
“Yes, but first, I need to find some clothes and visit the bathroom.”
“Take your time, sweetheart,” he said looking at her as she stood up, completely naked. He noticed last night how her breasts looked fuller than before, even at this early stage in her pregnancy. Her stomach was still flat and firm. Her backside, plump and thick. The shape of her had him tempted to follow her into the bathroom.
“Be right back,” she said, turning around catching him staring at her backside.
Unashamed, his eyes rolled up to meet hers. “Okay, baby.”
He set their food on the table. Room service was a nice amenity at this hotel, but they didn’t have full dinner menus. The dinner he ordered was more like lunch – tuna wraps with a side of fries. For dessert, he opted for the fruit. Savannah loved fruit.
Savannah emerged from the bathroom wearing a pale pink, knee-length nightgown and had brushed her hair back into a ponytail.
Harding stood up and walked to her side of the table, pulled out a chair and said, “For you, my love.”
“Thank you, Harding.”
“You’re welcome.”
When he sat down, she just stared at him – her handsome, hardworking husband. She mused over how hard she’d fought to hang on to him and how she’d almost lost him.
Almost…
She was glad, in this case, that almost didn’t count but it’s the knowing of what could’ve happened that made her sick to her stomach. It wasn’t morning sickness. More like fear-of-losing-her-husband sickness.
