“Are you trying to say that if you had, you would have stayed? That you would not have rejected me so publicly and treated me like the kiss meant nothing to you?” Tess asked.
His face was tight with frustration, but he did not answer. Probably because a truthful answer would put him even further in the wrong.
“I didn’t think so,” she said, sounding every bit as cynical as the women who had mocked her at the party.
In a move that shocked her, he reached out and pulled her to him. “That is in the past. This is now. We begin from here, Tess.”
Begin what exactly? She thought, not that she had enough time to think. She hated her treacherous body that longed to melt against him. “I’m not up to your speed.” She said. Miserably aware that it was too true, she tried to pull away. “I belong with someone like David.”
He slowly withdrew his hand from intimate contact with her body as if it pained him to do so. She buried her face against him until he gently set her away from him. She kept her eyes fixed on the floor. How could she have made the same mistake twice? She hadn’t just let him kiss her, she’d responded with all the wantonness of a woman who routinely shared her body with men. She didn’t even know she was capable of that level of abandon to the physical. It both scared and shamed her.“Look at me, Tess.” Dash said.She shook her head. The memory of the way she had allowed him to touch her and where she had let him touch her was sending arrows of mortification into her conscience with bull’s-eye accuracy.“You have nothing to be guilty over.” he said again.That was easy for him to say. He was just fruit tasting. She’d never done any of thi
Someone had turned it into a garden, giving the impression of being in an enchanted bower high above the streets of the city. The view over the wall was spectacular. The moment she’d seen it she’d been glad she came with him, if only for the opportunity to spend her final evening in Greece in such magical surroundings.He sat down in the chair opposite hers. No sooner than he had done and a drink was placed in front of him by a discreet servant. The first course was served moments later.Their conversation flowed, Dash asking her questions about her life and he answered her questions about his.“So, what are you doing in Athens, or is it top-secret business stuff?” She was used to her father keeping tight lips about many areas of his life.“I make frequent trips to my headquarters here and elsewhere.” he replied.He was as driven as her father, she thought. “Do you ever take time off to relax?
“Then why didn’t I belong to you three weeks ago? Why did you leave and not come back? I’ll tell you why,” Tess went on before he had a chance to answer, “because those kisses meant no more to you than eating a chocolate bar. You found them pleasant, but not enough to buy the candy store.”“You expected marriage after one kiss?” His derision hit her on the raw.“You’re deliberately misunderstanding me. I didn’t say anything of the kind. You’re the one who has been rabbiting on about me belonging to you because of an inconsequential kiss.” She said.“Hardly inconsequential. I could have had you and you would not have murmured so much as a protest.”Oh. She wanted to scream. “No doubt your skills in the area of seduction are stellar, but what does that signify? With my limited experience in the area, a
She put her hand out. “Thank you for an interesting evening. The food was wonderful and you could charge admission on the view from your terrace.” She said.She said nothing about the company and he felt the urge to smile at her spirit in spite of his anger.He took her hand, but instead of shaking it, used it to pull her into his body, so he could walk her inside. “I will take you to your room.”Her small body was stiff in his hold. “I won’t argue because it won’t do me any good to tell you I would rather walk alone.” She said.His lips twisted wryly. “You have said it.”“And it didn’t do me any good.”“I would be a poor escort if I did not see you to your door.” he said.“Cro-Magnon man has nothing on you for primitive.&rdqu
She pulled her suitcase off the bed and left it outside the room for the porter to pick up and add to the tour’s luggage on the bus.Contemplating marriage with Dash was an exercise in futility. He was probably already regretting the kisses they’d shared and the implications he had made. He couldn't mean all that shit he said.She walked into the hotel dining room and seeing David at a table by the window, she went toward him. They’d been sharing breakfast since the second day of the tour, sometimes alone and other times joined by their fellow tour members. This morning, he was sitting alone at a table for four.She slid into the seat opposite him. “Good morning.” She said.He looked up from the paper he’d been reading. He had it special delivered because he said he couldn’t stand too many days without news from back home.His usually mobile face remained impassive. “Is it?” he asked.&nb
Victoria sighed and looked at Savannah like she was crazy, which she probably was."I have to tell you, I don't think you should do this" Victoria said. "I mean it's Matt, remember. In case you have forgotten, it's Matt. The man who broke your heart so badly that you had to leave and I had no idea if I was going to see you again. I know you need this job, but he's your ex and I honestly don't see any good coming out of this. You are my best friend, and I hate seeing you hurt."Savannah understood. Vicky had a point, but she had no choice. She was tired of being a waitress and no reasonable office was willing to offer her a job without her degree. Matt seemed like the only one who was willing to offer her one. It was a bad idea, but she was going to do it anyways. How bad could it be? Really bad, but she didn't want to think about that.The reason why she hadn't called to tell him that she was coming was because she was terrified of
Savannah sighed.Okay, she thought. So he wasn't going to make this easy for her. She knew she deserved it... Kinda. She had practically yelled at him when he had offered her the job and then she had asked him to leave with his job and his check.She hated that she had to come back to ask for the job but she had no choice and he was the only one willing to offer her one."I know that I should have called" she said. "I was just scared that if I did this on the phone, you would turn me away or worse, you might even refuse to talk to me"He leaned closer, resting his elbows on his desk. "You were scared that I would turn you away if you did what exactly?" he asked.Savannah took in a deep breath. "The job" she said. "The one you offered a week ago. I know I said that I didn't want it but I do now. And I'm sorry that I turned it down before. I know that's it's really crazy to just walk in here and
Savannah stared at him wide eyed. "Why?" she asked. "Why would you want to do that. I remember what you said to me that day when we broke up. I remember everything vividly. You made it clear that you didn't want anything to do with me. You said you never wanted to see me again, which was one of the reasons why I was surprised when you came to the diner and then offered this me a job.""I know what I said" Matt said, interrupting her. "But I was the one who came to look for you, regardless of what I said"Savannah was silent. She paced the room for a while. That didn't make much sense to her either. She never understood why he came to find her. "So what exactly are you doing?" she asked finally. "Is this some kind of sick game you are playing to hurt me?""I don't wish to explain anything to you right now," Matt said,"And I'm not trying to hurt you. I won't get anything out of that. The point right now is that you need me