by Tina Martin
“That’s what you were supposed to do, anyway. Come straight here. Remember?” He stepped aside, allowing her to enter.
Savannah proceeded inside of the room and saw all of her things – clothes, shoes and other miscellaneous items – tucked carefully in the corner. “You moved my stuff here?”
“I did. It belongs here for as long as we’re staying at this hotel and so do you. There’s no more of you going to your place and me going to mine. That ends now.”
Savannah swallowed the knot in her throat with Harding’s take-charge attitude, feeling the air in the room surge with a charge that told her body, before it warned her mind, that Harding was sure to take her. He looked serious, jawline sharp. Eyes dark with warning. He took it upon himself to call the doctor on her behalf and to clean out her hotel room, merging their items together. And he looked ready to take charge again.
Gently, he placed his hands on her face, directing her to his gaze. He wondered why she was so quiet. “Savannah?”
“Yes?” she said, staring into the pit of his eyes, feeling the middle section of her body sizzle.
“Did you hear me?”
“Yes. I heard you.”
“No cross-examination?”
“No. I agree wholeheartedly with everything you said.”
“Seriously?”
She beamed. “Yes. Seriously.”
He licked his lips in one smooth swipe before lowering his mouth to hers, intent on kissing her until her legs felt weak and unsteady. When he accomplished the task, he lifted her, took her over to the bed and hovered over her. “I want you. I want you in every way a man could want a woman he loves.”
Savannah gazed up at him in awe. She almost lost him, her perfect person, her soulmate and that thought triggered an emotion deep within her heart which caused her eyes to glisten with wetness. She suppressed the emotion and put herself in the moment with him, holding on tight to the muscled ropes of his thick arms and the taut, smooth skin of his back. The slightest touch of his body to hers ignited four-alarm flames that only he could extinguish and she knew that, by the time he was done with her, her body would be left smoldering for more.
With his mouth locked with hers, tongue tangling with her sweet, delectable one, he used a free hand to work off her clothes, wanting every bare part of him to touch every soft, silken, feminine bare part of her. Then he came down on top of her relishing their closeness, drowning in her scent while being held captive by her power.
All he could do was groan. Not speak. Groan. Anticipation had taken his voice.
He closed his eyes and reveled in the heat.
The sheer yearning.
The intense feeling of needing to be inside of her made him ache so bad, it caused him a shriek of pain, hence another groan. He wanted to ease the aching, but not more than he needed to please his wife.
He nestled between her legs and did what he’d been dying to do since lunch—make love to her again. He gasped as he settled there, sinking deeper into ecstasy, losing control of his being. He needed this so much, his stomach quivered. Legs spasmed.
Savannah’s hands rested on both sides of his stubbled face as she pulled him down to her, kissing him with as much need as he possessed. And just like she did during their lunch break escapade, she wrapped her legs around his thighs and locked them at the ankles only this time she wasn’t letting go. She was letting him go deeper into her love while he tried his best to consume her lips. Her mouth. All of her.
Harding moved back and forth with a crazed, desperate need, spurred on by her soft moans, feeling her fingertips crawl away from his face and settle at his neck before grazing into the thick muscles of his sculpted back. She used her body to squeeze him, claim him and drive him to the brink of an inferno that raged like a wildfire.
Feeling the build in herself, she gnawed at her lip and closed her eyes, drifting closer and closer to the edge but hanging on to him so she wouldn’t fall alone. She didn’t want to fall alone. She wanted him there with her, but when he looked into her eyes and whispered, “Just let it happen,” that’s what she did.
Let it happen – let herself free fall into a pit of pleasure that only he could deliver. And a second later, he was falling with her.
“Harding!” she screamed, her body convulsing against him, their sweat combining into something spectacularly potent. And his entire frame shook when he submerged his hands in a sea of her hair and released his love in heated waves that flowed into the deep recesses of her.
He looked at her. She appeared exhausted and loved which meant he’d done his job. He smiled, greatly satisfied as he watched her eyes bat softly after taking his passion and absorbing it all in such quick succession. “Mmm, baby,” he hummed while taking her lips again, still intimately joined to her, not ready to break the bond uniting them as one. No, not yet. He wanted to take in every aspect of her beautiful face, softened cheeks, sweet lips, adorable eyes and the way her hair covered the pillow beneath her head.
My baby, he thought to himself. How did I get so lucky?
She smiled softly, forcing her tired eyes open to look at him. When she did, she swore she saw flames in his gaze. She reached up to run the tip of her index finger along the bridge of his nose and down to his lips.
“Love you.”
“I love you.” Harding disconnected his body from hers and laid next to her.
True to form, she was asleep soon after. Harding stared at her with love in his eyes, amazed at her beauty and proud she was his and that they were able to rekindle the spark in their marriage. But they still had details to discuss, important decisions to make and that would prove to test their love even further, he knew, but they would get through it. They had to. He loved her too much to allow anything to separate them. He made the mistake once before, and he was determined to not let anything come between them ever again.
* * *
About an hour later, Savannah was greeted by room service and the sight of Harding sitting at the table shirtless. He was lounged back in the chair in a pair of boxers with his legs spaced open watching her, and now she was watching him. She could never grow weary of seeing him, gawking at his handsomeness and taking pride in the fact that he was her man. Her Champion. Screw what her parents thought. She’d hit the jackpot with Harding.
“Hey,” he said.
“Hey.” She sat up, stretched. “What’s up?”
“Nothing.”
“What are you doing?”
“Sitting here. Watching you.”
She blushed. “Watching me?”
“Yep.”
She glanced at the table. “You ordered room service again?”
“Yes, but we can go out if you want.”
“No. My legs are still weak,” she said.
A small grinned settled in the corner of his mouth. “Since we’re staying in, I think we should take this time to discuss some things.”
“Okay.” She stretched her arms up in the air again and stood up, walking over to the closet to retrieve a robe. She put it on and then sat across from him, watching him stuff a juicy strawberry into his mouth. “Where do we begin?”
After he finished chewing, he said, “First, let’s talk about us and our current situation. We’ve made some drastic changes over a short period of time. You’ve taken a position with TCC and my business is in Wilmington.”
“But you’re working for TCC, too.”
“I am, but my position is not permanent like yours, babe. It’s a two-week contract position. There’s a possibility that the assignment could extend beyond two weeks, but I haven’t crossed that bridge yet.”
“Oh.” Savannah thought for a moment and said, “The only reason I took the job is so I could support myself. I thought we were…um…over, and since my parents felt like I couldn’t make it on my own without their money, I wanted to show them I could still be successful.”
Harding listened to her talk as he prepared a plate for her. He set it on the table in front of he
r and said, “Eat.”
“Okay.” She took a bite of a roast beef sandwich and mumbled how delicious it was.
“Savannah, why are you so concerned about what your parents think of you?”
She shrugged. “I’m their only child. I always wanted them to be proud of me and I’ve always done everything they’ve asked of me until now. Until you.” Shifting the focus away from her parents and back to them, she said, “As for our work situation, it would be much easier for me to quit TCC and move back to Wilmington with you. You have your business established there and a home. Your family is there. I wouldn’t ask you to give any of that up.”
“You’d quit your job for me,” he asked, studying her.
“Yes, I would. I did it before. I’ll do it again.”
“Why?”
“You’ve given up so much for me. It’s time I did something for you. I love you, Harding, and I want to start showing it as much as I say it.”
“I appreciate that.”
“I thought you would.”
After he finished chewing, he said, “I’ve been thinking…”
She smirked. “Uh oh. It didn’t hurt too bad, did it? You know...thinking.”
His lips formed into a killer-sexy smile. “I’ve been thinking that we deserve a new start. A clean slate.”
“Meaning…” she prompted.
“Meaning, if it’s okay with you, I would like to start a new life here, in Asheville. It will give us the new start we both need and it will also allow me to get to know my half brothers.”
“But what about your family? Your mother, sisters and Mordecai? Are you sure you want to leave them behind?”
“No, I’m not, but what I am certain about is us. You’re my wife, Savannah. I have to do what’s best for you. What’s best for us. What’s best for our baby. We need this. I’ll try to explain it to the family. Who knows? They may even want to move eventually, but I can’t worry about that right now.”
“Okay, but I’m telling Mama Florence this was all your doing,” she said.
Harding smiled. “I’ll handle her. Now, as far as your parents are concerned—”
“Don’t worry about them,” Savannah said. “I’ve pretty much cut them off.”
“That’s not what I wanted you to do,” Harding told her.
“I know, but I had no choice. It was either you or them. I chose you.”
Frustrated, Harding sighed. “I never wanted you to turn your back on your parents for me. In fact, I don’t care if they hate my guts. Actually, I know they hate my guts. Still, I want you to have a relationship with them. You are carrying their grandchild. Surely they would like to know him or her, wouldn’t you think?”
Savannah shrugged. “Maybe.”
“Okay. Then I think it’s worth reestablishing a relationship with them. I know how difficult they are, but maybe now that they don’t have you under their thumb, they’ll finally realize they have to play by some of your rules.”
She nodded. “You’re right. I’ll give it an honest try.”
“That’s my girl,” he said, then winked at her.
“Now, are you going to tell me the date of the appointment you made for me?”
“How’d you know I made an appointment?”
“Emily told me you got the doctor’s information from Dante. I assumed you were using the information to make an appointment. Was I wrong?”
“No. You’re right. It’s two weeks from now.”
She smiled. “Look at you being all fatherly. The baby ain’t even here yet and you’re already being a great dad.”
“I’m just as excited as you are. You, a baby—a family—it’s everything I want. I can’t wait to be a father to the baby inside of you and to the other babies we’re destined to make.”
“And I can’t wait to make all of your dreams come true, Harding.”
“Sweetheart, you already have.”
Chapter 42
“Good morning,” Dante said to Savannah and Tennyson. He’d called them into his office along with Desmond for an impromptu meeting.
“Good morning,” Savannah said.
“Mornin’,” Tennyson drawled.
“Sorry to call a meeting so early in the morning. I know you’re not a morning person, Tennyson.”
“I got my coffee,” Tennyson said then yawned. “Apparently, it hasn’t kicked in yet.”
Savannah smiled.
“The reason I called this meeting is to discuss Blackstone Financial Services Group. Desmond met with Blackstone Financial Services a while ago. Their company is suffering a major financial blow due to the loss of their top client, The Blakeney Agency.”
“I remember that,” Tennyson said. “What does that have to do with TCC?”
“Good question,” Dante said sitting up in his chair, bringing his hands to a steeple. “We offered Blackstone Financial a deal to make them a part of TCC, but now I’m curious about the client they lost. I think something shady went down and I need you two to look into it for me. I want to know if any merger or acquisition laws have been broken.”
“Okay,” Savannah said, writing some notes. “I’m up for the challenge.”
“Wait,” Tennyson said. “I don’t understand. TCC stands to make a killing with a company like Blackstone Financial. Why are you trying to help them out?”
“Because right is right and wrong is wrong,” Dante said. “I wouldn’t mind acquiring BFSG as an entity, but at the same time, I’m not in business to short-change people and if I feel like somebody is being wronged, I want to do something about it.”
“Dante is right,” Desmond said. “I had a bad feeling about it when I read the article on the company that acquired Blakeney. They’ve been known for shady deals and subpar business practices.”
Tennyson nodded. “Well, Savannah is up for the challenge so I’m sure we can tackle it.”
“Yeah,” Savannah said. “We got this.”
“Glad to hear it,” Dante said. “That was all I had.”
“All right,” Tennyson said, standing and heading for the door.
Desmond stood up and said, “Thanks, bro.”
“Yep,” Dante said. “Savannah, can you hang back for a minute?”
“Sure,” she said. “What’s up?”
“How have the first couple of days been?”
“Good. I’m not overwhelmed if that’s what you’re thinking. I’m used to this workload and looking forward to working on the Blackstone case.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. I am. Why do you ask?”
“I know you and Harding have been going through some things and—”
“You thought it would be a distraction.”
“I did.”
“Well, it won’t be. Besides, Harding and I are back together.”
Dante had to condense his excitement down to a meager smile. “That’s wonderful.”
“It is. I’m happy about it.”
“And what about your living arrangements? You’re not moving back to Wilmington are you?”
“I offered to do that for Harding since his business is there and all, but he wants to stay here in Asheville…says it’ll be a new start for us.”
“Then sounds like the both of you will be house hunting soon.”
“Um…something like that,” she said, “But I’m leaning more towards renting instead of buying.”
“Well, I’m glad to hear you’re both staying. I know the women will be excited to have a newbie joining their circle. Have you told anyone the news yet?”
“No.”
“Then how about you tell everyone the good news over dinner at my house on Saturday?”
“Okay. I’ll check with Harding to see if he’s down with it.”
“All right. I’m looking forward to it.”
Savannah stood up and said, “Guess I’ll get to work now.”
“I’ll be here all day if you run into any issues.”
“Okay. Thank you.”
“No problem.”
Once she left his office, Dante composed an email to his brothers:
From: Dante Champion
To: Dimitrius Champion; Desmond Champion
Subject: Harding
Guys,
Meet me in my office at 12:45. It’ll be a brief discussion about Harding.
Thanks,
Dante Champion | Chief Executive Officer
The Champion Corporation
_________
Chapter 43
Savannah nearly froze in her tracks as she walked up to the lobby entrance of her hotel, locking eyes with Alistair and Dorthea Ellsworth – her parents. After a productive day at work, she was finally looking forward to unwinding with Harding and actually making it to a restaurant tonight. But her parent’s unannounced visit threw a wrench in her plans – well, not a wrench – more like a forklift. How did they know to find her here? How on earth was she going to find the patience to hear anything they had to say?
When she passed through the automatic sliding glass doors, her mother was quick to say, “And here you are.”
“Hello, Mom. Dad.”
“Savannah,” Alistair said like he was trying to be unnecessarily formal. Like he couldn’t dig deep within himself to find that father-daughter connection he should’ve already had.
“We thought we’d fly out here and speak with you face-to-face,” Dorthea said. “I wanted to see for myself if you’d really lost your mind.”
Savannah sighed heavily, thinking about what Harding told her. He wanted her to have a relationship with her parents. She wanted one, too, but she’d had enough of their reign over her life. “Mother, I haven’t lost my mind. I’ve actually gained a lot of insight being here, and before you start rambling on and on about how big of a mistake I’m making, I want to say this. I love my husband. I love my new life. I’m sure it won’t be easy. Nothing worth having never is, but the least you can do is respect me even if you don’t agree with my choices. I love you and Dad and I appreciate what you’ve done for me over the years, but it’s time…it’s waaay past time to let me go and live my own life.”
