This was such a bad idea. A stupid idea. And yet Savannah wanted it, wanted Grayson, more than anything else at this moment.
No, it wouldn’t last long, but for now all she needed to think about was how being near him this way set her body ablaze with desire. Concentrating on what was here and now and not happening anyplace else, whether or not it concerned her.
She had tamped down her interest in him from the moment he had arrived at this cabin. It had seemed so inappropriate. It didn’t matter that he was the only person she could communicate with in her current, small world. That wasn’t the sole reason she found him attractive.
She had forced herself before to ignore any interest in him, or at least keep it deep inside.
No longer.
“Are you sure, Savannah?” Grayson’s voice was raspy, totally sexy in tone and it stoked her desire even more, even as she considered her answer to him.
“Yes,” she said with no hesitation.
Would this wind up being the last good memory she had of freedom before she was caught again?
Would it be the beginning of something new and wonderful?
Or would it be a huge mistake? After all she had gone through, she still had no intention of getting involved in the long term with Grayson or any other man, no matter what the circumstances were now...or later.
But she needed this.
She needed him and what he could do for her at this moment.
And she would do all she could to reciprocate.
They were sitting on the bed now, on top of the sheets. As soon as she pulled his shirt off, he did the same with hers. At the same time she gazed at his muscular chest, she rejoiced in his hot stare on her breasts and wished she wasn’t wearing a bra.
That wish immediately came true as he reached around her, hugging her close but only for an instant as he unhooked her bra and drew it off.
She trembled in anticipation as he drew in his breath, looking at her as she felt her nipples grow taut—until he reached for her, bringing her close to him once more as he dipped his head to kiss and suckle those sensitive tips.
They weren’t the only part of her that reacted to him now, but she wanted to see him, feel him, before she bared the rest of herself. She reached toward his pants, intending to maneuver him as he sat facing her and pull his clothes down, but instead connected with his erection again. She rubbed at the fabric outside it with the heel of her palm, then grasped at it—as Grayson pulled back.
“Oh,” Savannah said.
But the delay was only for an instant as Grayson used it to pull down his dark slacks and the shorts beneath them.
His thick, enticing shaft was revealed, causing Savannah to reach for her own pants. She had help as she pulled them down and pushed them away.
“Grayson,” she gasped aloud as he began stroking her, moving from her breasts slowly downward as he again kissed her mouth.
His fingers were hot, probing, magnetic, exciting her even more—especially when he reached her hottest, most female area and explored it with his touch, his grasp. Those fingers were long and thick and utterly engaging, and when Savannah felt one, then two, inside her, she began to writhe, to beg internally for more.
For everything from him.
For that amazing erection of his inside her, pumping and—
Suddenly he pulled away again, farther this time, and she felt like crying—and demanding more at the same time.
Was that it? Would he be the one to regain sanity and call this off?
“What—” she began, and heard him give a short chuckle that was somehow also sexy.
“Hey,” he said softly, rolling over and reaching for his pants, which were now on the floor at the side of the bed. “I’m a first responder. I come prepared.”
In moments Savannah understood. He had pulled his wallet from a pocket and removed a condom from inside it.
Her turn to laugh. “I should have expected that from you.” This man anticipated everything.
Maybe.
Before he could unwrap the package, she pushed him back on the bed until he lay there, fully exposed. She bent over until she could take him, still unsheathed, into her mouth—and enjoy his heated groan. She continued playing him, but not for long.
This time, he was the one to roll her over, positioning her on the bed till she lay beneath him—and he had the freedom now to wrap himself in that condom, then press the head of his erection exactly where it belonged.
Savannah drew in her breath as he entered her. It stung just a little until her body stretched to take him in, since he was so large and she hadn’t engaged in this kind of experience for a long time. But the discomfort faded quickly. She wanted him. Now. She moved her hips to encourage him, and in moments he was pumping inside her and she was matching his eager motions with her own.
Please let this last, she begged silently, even as she knew it couldn’t. For now, she would enjoy and appreciate every moment of it.
This was what she wanted.
This was here and now.
And it was all she could and would think about.
But much too soon she reached the critical, wonderful climax, even as Grayson, too, moaned and stopped moving. She managed to open her eyes enough to see that his remained closed, but that gorgeous body of his had risen somewhat and she could see the tension in it as he, too, came.
“Wow,” he said as he gently lay down partly on her and partly beside her.
“Wow,” she agreed, reaching to hold him tightly against her.
Wishing this moment could stay just like this—forever.
This had not been the reason Grayson rushed to the cabin this evening. In fact, it hadn’t even been on his mind when he had headed here. Or at least as nothing more than a whimsy at the back of his mind that he’d never thought would come true.
But it had happened. He had helped to initiate it, had kept it going, and now they were lying in bed together.
Did he regret it? No way. Savannah was quite a woman. She had impressed him before with her attitude in a situation that appeared no-win for her—at least not without his help.
And so far, he hadn’t really helped her.
But he still believed in her. Although he couldn’t allow a miraculous bout of sex to swing his beliefs beyond what was logical as reality.
Still...
Bad idea, maybe, but he certainly had enjoyed it.
Wanted more, though not right now.
He would need to be careful, though. Sex could lead to long-term relationships if one wasn’t careful.
Long-term relationships could lead to nothing but trouble. He’d seen that in so many other people that he had minimized getting too involved with anyone. His own recent failed relationship had been short-term. He was a first responder, but that didn’t mean responding too deeply, too long, to a woman who attracted him.
Now Savannah was breathing deeply beside him, her head pressed against his chest.
Neither had donned any clothes, although they now were under the sheet. It was growing a little cooler—but he hardly recognized that, thanks to their combined body heat.
It was late now, dark outside.
He moved slightly, though his intention was to stay the night. Not for more sex, but to try to be there for Savannah during this difficult time.
Okay, he had come to care for her. Maybe too much.
On the other hand, it would probably be better for both of them if he left and pursued further leads.
And maybe got the rest of the disguises he had promised Savannah.
What else could he do to help her?
What—
“Grayson? Are you awake?” Savannah was moving now beside him, though she still remained close against him.
Which caused a certain part of him to react, despite how busy it had already been that evening.
“Yes,” he said in response to her question.
“I—as much as I’ve enjoyed our time together, I’m worried again. Still. I—I can’t just stay here and wait and maybe be found this time. Did you get any of the things we discussed?”
“Some, but—well, I heard about what happened to Wright while I was shopping and just headed here. I figured you might need the company.” And he needed to see her, too, out of his caring for her, his concern for her.
“Thank you.” Her voice sounded low. Humble, even. He turned to pull her tightly into his arms as they remained lying there. Her body heat, and the feel of her flesh against him once more, turned him on again.
But what they had done before, as wonderful as it was, had been somewhat inappropriate. He realized that adding to it now would only be more so—and they needed to focus on her case, not their chemistry.
“Hey,” he said. “Let’s get up and have some of that wonderful food I brought tonight and I’ll show you what disguise stuff I’ve already bought. And then—well, we can talk about what comes next.”
Grayson had some ideas about what should come next—but wished he could just whisk Savannah out of this place and...
Hey. He did know of someplace he could potentially move her if necessary.
More to think about, more to discuss, he thought.
“Sounds good,” was Savannah’s reply. Sadly, but not unexpectedly, she moved away from him and got out of bed on the other side.
And started pulling her clothes on. So of course he did the same.
After leaving the bed, they ate dinner. It consisted mostly of a couple of sandwiches already put together and purchased in town by Grayson—roast beef, pretty good. She enjoyed hers.
She enjoyed the company even more.
Her mind kept hopping back into bed with him, though they had put that behind them, at least for now.
And every time her thoughts started back on what had happened that day in town, what the possible consequences to her might be, she forced them back on the good things that had happened today instead.
Or at least she tried to.
Once they’d finished their meal, Grayson went back out to his car for some additional bags, which he handed her. “Sorry, not everything is there since I didn’t have time to get it,” he said, “but you can start working on your disguise with this stuff. I’ll try to find the rest tomorrow.”
Which meant he would leave tonight, of course. She would be alone again—with her thoughts.
She could handle it. She had to.
Forcing herself not to think about that, she looked inside the bags, took some contents out and laid them on the table. They included a lot of the eye makeup she had asked for but not all of it. Nor were the cream and foundation there.
“I think I’ll wait right now to see if you are able to get the rest before I start experimenting,” she told Grayson, although if this was all she acquired, she would make the best of it.
“I want to get some of the clothes you mentioned, too—the droopy, casual kind of things that you’ve likely never worn before—but no one you know is likely to recognize you in.”
“Right,” she said. “After all, I’m a society girl and always looked that way.” She shrugged. That was the truth, after all. She figured her casual clothing generally cost more than a lot of women’s dressiest stuff did. She’d sometimes wondered if she should start dressing “normally” but was glad now she hadn’t.
Not when she didn’t want anyone to know who she was. Except Grayson.
Grayson. Was she trusting him too much? She certainly was relying on him a lot. But what else could she do—at least for now?
After she went through the things he had brought, they jokingly discussed it, trading ideas on how she could change her appearance the way actors were changed—into zombies or superheroes or gorillas or anything other than who they were.
Their discussion morphed into the kinds of TV shows and movies they were fondest of. “So what do you think I like best on television?” she asked him.
“Sitcoms,” he said decisively, and he was right—but that wasn’t all.
“Add news specials to that,” she said. “And some talk shows, depending on the host.”
“Got it.”
She told him more. In theaters, her favorites were romantic comedies, even though she knew they were all fiction, especially the ones where the main characters fell in love and anticipated, at the end, a happily-ever-after.
A happy few minutes, maybe, or a few days. Or even a year. But she’d married a guy she believed she loved, and who claimed to love her. And what had she gotten? A torment-ever-after, as long as they were together. Once they were divorced, she had assumed that would be the end of thinking about Zane and his infidelity and everything else about him.
And it was, for a brief time. Until he’d framed her for his murder, probably just to get even with her for divorcing him.
But she didn’t want to think about that now.
As Grayson probed for her likes and dislikes, she turned the tables on him. She wasn’t surprised that he liked cop shows and superheroes, and he didn’t even mention shows with romance in them.
Which was as she’d anticipated. Sex was one thing. Staying together? That wasn’t on his agenda either, she felt certain. All the more reason to just enjoy his company—and maybe his body, too, again sometime. Meanwhile, she would hope he continued to help her as long as she was unable to help herself.
And expect he would soon be gone from her life one way or another. With luck, by then she would be free and exonerated.
But until she could find out how to clear herself, the burden of potentially being convicted of Zane’s murder—and now Ian’s—was hanging over her head.
Their conversation wound down. Savannah tried to figure out something else to talk about, but she was actually getting tired.
Not that she would mention that to Grayson.
She didn’t want to encourage him to leave. She liked his company too much.
She needed his company, someone to talk to and to help her feel a good ending to all of this could—would—occur.
Not that they were discussing any of that. Not now.
But she wasn’t surprised when Grayson stood up. “It’s getting late,” he said.
All she could do at first was nod and look in his direction without meeting his gaze. “Yes, it is,” she finally agreed.
“I think we need some sleep, don’t you?”
“Yes,” she said again, feeling a bit puzzled. Why hadn’t he said he was about to head home?
He must have seen something in her expression that concerned him, for he sat back down again. “I mean, let’s head to bed here, okay? Together—and I’m not talking about having fun to keep us awake again. Not now. But I can sleep here, stay till tomorrow morning. I’ll go back to town then, to my office, and get some work done. And find out how other things are going in town, too.”
“Like the investigation into the latest murder,” Savannah said, not making it a question. He—they—could find out more tonight, she realized, on their phones.
Not that they were likely to learn that way the motive for someone to have killed Ian. She assumed it had been Zane or Schuyler, but why?
And maybe they should, or at least she should, learn all she could to make sure that potential number one suspect—her—hadn’t been discovered here in this cabin.
Although if she had been, there’d be some activity outside, and probably inside, too.
“That’s right,” Grayson agreed. “I’ll determine what else we need to do, then head to another town to finish picking up your disguise materials. And come back here with it. Okay?”
“Sounds good,” she responded as casually as she could, but her insides almost melted in relief. Although she recognized she couldn’t, shouldn’t, count on anything, not even his return as promised, until it happened.
But oh, how she hoped he was serious. Because her latest problem was that she was becoming much too serious about him.
“So, let’s go to bed now, shall we?”
“Yes,” she said, “Let’s.”
Grayson joined her in bed soon after, and drew close enough to her to put his arm around her.
She turned, snuggling against him.
They shared a wonderful good-night kiss, and although Savannah felt her body churn a bit in lust again, she didn’t pursue it. Sleep sounded like a good idea.
Tomorrow could be a big day—even if she remained stuck here for all or part of the day.
“Good night, Grayson,” she whispered against him.
“Good night.” She felt him kiss the top of her head.
And hoped that wouldn’t be the last time, either tonight or on future nights together.
Though she knew better than to count on that to count on anything,
Even regarding the wonderful Grayson.