Lie to Me

  "You're hot when you're angry, Savannah."

  Actually, she's hot all the time. It's just, right now, she's the whole package.

  "You always use bullshit like that to deflect from someone calling you out?"

  "You're the first woman to call me out."

  "Why doesn't that surprise me?" she mutters.

  "Do you want to argue on your doorstep all night or get to my parents' for dinner? I'm cool with either, just checking to see which way you're leaning."

  She drops her arms, one still bound tightly in a splint. "I'm hungry."

  "Excellent, let's go then."

  I walk around to the driver's side, and Savannah heads to the passenger.

  "Ah, remember that time you were a gentleman and opened my door?"

  Shaking my head at her, I get in, and she does, too.

  I slam the door. "You had a broken arm."

  Holding her bad arm up, she replies, "Still do."

  "You manage just fine. I'm sure your medal is in the post."

  The engine roars to life when I turn the key. I pull onto the road, and we drive toward my parents' house.

  The whole drive is silent, but it's comfortable. We're about five minutes out when Savannah shifts in her seat. Up until now, she's been a statue, and I've been enjoying the peace. I don't like talking when I'm driving.

  "It looks really pretty around here," she says, staring out the window.

  We're surrounded by forest. My parents are out in the country. They have a lot of land and no neighbours. I want to settle there when I'm older.

  "It is."

  "What was it like, growing up here?"

  "Fine."

  "I've always loved the countryside, but the city is where I feel at home. Was it hard to transition to the city after this?"

  "Nope."

  She rolls her head toward me. "Are you sulking?"

  "What?"

  "You're grunting one-worded answers again."

  "My first answer was two words."

  I feel her roll her eyes. "If you'd rather we didn't speak, that's fine."

  I don't know if she's being polite now or bickering back. "Why do you want to talk anyway? You hate me."

  "I don't hate you, Kent," she replies, her voice low and breathy.

  "Bollocks."

  "No, I don't hate you."

  I glance at her, but her face is emotionless. "Well, you sure hide it well."

  "I could say the same for you. Can't pretend that it's always a pleasure being in your company, but I don't hate you."

  "It could be a pleasure if you wanted it to be."

  She snorts. "Has that line ever worked on anyone before?"

  "I've never had to use a line on anyone before."

  "You sleep around a lot, huh?"

  The judgment in her words feels like sandpaper against my skin.

  I clear my throat. "I'm single, and everyone I sleep with knows the score."

  "You don't have to justify it to me."

  "I take it, you don't sleep around a lot?" I ask even though I really don't need to.

  "Nope."

  I raise my eyebrow. "Have you ever had a one-night stand?"

  "No, but you already know I'm not a virgin."

  "I know, and I think it's a shame. I would have loved to be your first."

  She laughs, twisting her body toward me. I like that she's finally feeling comfortable enough to move.

  "What makes you think that, if I were saving myself, I would let you take my virginity?"

  "Babe, I'd clearly be the one you were saving yourself for."

  "Right. I would wait twenty-two years to give it up to my boss's brother, who mostly acts like I'm constantly pissing him off."

  "I don't have to act."

  "Nice. All I'm saying is that a one-night stand wouldn't be my first encounter."

  I pull onto my parents' drive, and Savannah's mouth opens.

  "I got something you can put in there," I say, smirking at her.

  She clamps her mouth shut and glares at me. "No, thanks. How do you go from looking like you want to throw me under your car to trying to get in my pants?"

  "It's a talent. And I don't ever want to run you over."

  "Can you tell your face that? You're always glaring."

  Shit, she's noticed. "That's just my face."

  "You don't glare at everyone else, not as much anyway."

  "Well, maybe they don't piss me off as much."

  "Because they're not as polite or because they won't give you a blow job either."

  I laugh, thumping my head back against the headrest.

  "What is so funny?" she demands.

  "I thought you were too proper to say blow job."

  "Too proper? Why would you think that?" She frowns and looks genuinely confused, not understanding why I would reach that conclusion.

  I need to tread carefully here. I'm not at all scared about telling her straight, but, believe it or not, I don't actually want to hurt her. "The polite thing doesn't help. But you always seem on edge and controlled. The only time you're yourself is when I piss you off so much, you snap back, and you just generally seem like you think you're above everyone else."

  Her mouth drops open.

  Surely, I'm not the first person in her life to be saying this?

  "That is so far from the truth. I don't think I'm better than anyone."

  I nod. "Okay. That's good to know."

  "Do people think that?" Her eyes gloss over like she's trying not to cry, and her face falls.

  Fuck, I can't do crying. If she starts bawling, I'm going to throw myself under my car.

  "No, everyone else seems to love you." She dips her head, and I feel like the biggest piece of shit to grace the earth. "Savannah, I'm sorry."

  "No, it's okay. That's how you feel, and I want you to be honest."

  "Me, too. I fucking despise liars," I spit. Freya's face appears in my mind, grinning at me, the smug bitch.

  Savannah flinches at my tone.

  I'm not doing well here at all. "Sorry, that wasn't directed at you at all. I don't hate you, not even close. I'm confused by you." And how I really feel about you.

  "Kent, Savannah, are you going to sit out there all night?" Heidi shouts.

  Snapping my head up, I realise we are in fact still sitting in my car on the drive.

  Savannah uses my distraction to get out of my car like it's on fire.

  Why do I even bother opening my mouth at all?

  I follow suit, catching up to her, and we walk the long path to the front door. It's on a slight incline, so Savannah is a little slower than usual.

  Heidi laughs at us from the front door. If we get much closer, she will be able to hear us.

  "Hey," I say, touching her back, "I am sorry."

  I can smell Savannah's hair as it blows lightly in the warm breeze, and all thoughts of my ex disappear.

  Coconut.

  "You don't have to be sorry."

  "I still am. I just don't know you."

  Her eyes lift to mine. "You don't want to know me."

  "Who said that?"

  "That's how you come across." She stops walking and turns to me. This conversation is now not at all inconspicuous, but Heidi has turned around, talking to whoever is standing in the hallway. "You act like I'm beneath you and not worth getting to know. You think you know me, but you've just admitted you're confused by me."

  I hold my hands up. This is getting us nowhere. "Truce? Let's put whatever preconceived ideas we have of each other aside and start again."

  She bites her lip, considering my proposition. Finally, she smiles. "Okay, that sounds good. Arsehole."

  "Now, that was uncalled for. I'm the one--"

  Laughing, she turns back and starts walking. "I was kidding."

  She probably wasn't, but I deserved it. I catch her again just as Heidi looks back at us both.

  "Seriously, could you drag this out any longer?" she says sarcastically.

 
Savannah slows her pace.

  "How old are you?" I say.

  "As if you didn't think about doing it, too. You're just annoyed I got there first. Arsehole."

  "Okay, you need to drop the arsehole thing, princess, or I'm going to make you."

  "How?"

  We're now in earshot of Heidi, so I clamp my mouth shut. Savannah looks at me over her shoulder and lifts her eyebrow in challenge.

  Oh, it's so on, girl.

  "Kent!" Mum shouts, running from the kitchen into the large, open hallway. She runs at me and wraps me in a death hug.

  "Jesus, woman, I saw you only a few days ago."

  Pulling back, she slaps my arm. "Less of the woman, and days feel like months when it's your children." She turns from me and addresses Savannah, "Darling, I'm so glad you could make it."

  "She didn't have a choice," I mutter.

  Mum ignores me and hugs Savannah with the same intense grip that she hugged me.

  Crazy woman.

  "You coming through to the kitchen?" Heidi asks me while Mum and Savannah are talking.

  Damn it, I'm standing here, watching Savannah, like a fucking creep. She looks different now.

  "Sure," I say. "I need a drink."

  "Kent Lawson, you are not having anything to drink if you're driving," Mum says, following us through.

  But I think I'm going to need one tonight. "Fine."

  "What are you two drinking?" Mum asks Savannah and Heidi. "I have a bottle of white open."

  Savannah walks past me and smirks. "Sounds good to me."

  Little fucker. She had better not get drunk.

  Dad is in the kitchen, stirring what smells like his famous pasta sauce. He looks up from it for a brief second and says, "Hey."

  He'll not interact until it's done. I think he loves cooking more than us.

  Mum pours three glasses of wine.

  "I'll grab a Coke then," I say.

  "Good boy."

  "Are Brooke and Freddy coming?" I ask, taking a can from the fridge.

  "No, they can't make it now."

  I close the door. "I wonder what they're doing instead."

  Mum points at me, but her mouth smiles anyway. "Don't."

  Savannah takes a sip of wine, and her stormy eyes flick to me. Watching her lips press together as she swallows is agonising. I stand closer to the massive island in the middle of the kitchen as my dick starts to swell at the thought of those lips around my cock.

  Is she doing that on purpose?

  I glare in warning, but that only seems to spur her on. She sits on the stool next to where I'm standing, and Heidi sits next to her with Mum opposite. I would go and pretend I'm interested in Dad's cooking, but if I move, everyone is going to see the raging fucking erection I've got going on.

  I can smell Savannah's hair from here, and it's quickly becoming my new favourite scent. Swallowing hard, I open my can of fucking Coke and swig. My throat is dry as hell. She looks at me with her mouth slightly parted and eyes full of heat.

  I don't think I'm confused about how I feel anymore, but I do think I'm in trouble here.

  9

  Savannah

  So, I definitely moved too close to Kent. It seemed like such a good idea when he was looking at me like he wanted to rip my clothes off. It was a massive change from the way he usually looked. I should have stayed put and kept a little distance.

  Now, I'm so close, I can feel his body heat and smell his aftershave.

  He laughs at something his mum says, and his arm brushes mine. The touch is electric. I bite my lip.

  What the hell is going on? How can I go from disliking him one second to wanting to be under or on top of him the next?

  One look from him is all it took to get my pulse racing.

  I've not been this turned on in forever, and he's not actually done anything yet. Sure, I've been physically attracted to him since we first met, but since we cleared the air and I've let go of negative feelings, it's made way for how I really feel.

  Which is wanting to jump his bones.

  I'm hot, and my insides feel like mush. My God, I'm pretty sure my vagina is on fire.

  Calm down. His fucking parents are in the same room!

  I take another long sip of wine and wish Judy had just given me the whole bottle.

  Thank heavens I'm not driving.

  He is though, so he can't drink. That might not be an issue. I might be feeling this alone. That does sound right. It would totally be my luck to want a guy this bad for the first time ever, but he doesn't feel the same.

  Kent isn't exactly saving himself for marriage though.

  Am I seriously talking myself into a one-night stand with my boss's brother?

  "Savannah?"

  I jump as Heidi's hand flashes in front of my face.

  "Yes?"

  She laughs. "You were miles away then."

  "Oh." Great, she was talking to me. "Sorry."

  "Spa day sometime. You in?" she asks.

  Not going to say no to that. "Definitely."

  Judy claps her hands. "Great."

  Kent leans forward, resting his forearms on the counter. He waits for Judy and Heidi to strike up another conversation before he looks at me.

  "What?" I whisper. My voice is hoarse, even to my own ears.

  His lips curl into the smuggest grin that lights his eyes. "Nothing."

  Okay, he's fully aware of the situation then.

  "You okay?" he asks.

  "Yep." If you call a pulsing between your legs and nearly hyperventilating fine, then I'm all dandy.

  He turns to the side and hops up on the stool he was standing near. The movement is quick, but I catch a glimpse of the bulge in his jeans. Averting my eyes, I sip my wine. White isn't my favourite drink, but right now, it's my best friend.

  Oh Jesus, that is not helping.

  I grip the stem of the glass harder when Kent leans in close.

  "Still okay?"

  No. No, I'm bloody not.

  "Yeah, you?" I ask, raising my eyebrow but glancing south where he is still very much hard.

  He murmurs, "Follow me to the bathroom, and I'll sort this out."

  My mouth parts. Is he serious? We're in his parents' house! "Thanks, but I'll pass," I whisper.

  "What're you two whispering about?" Judy asks.

  My mind goes blank. Literally blank.

  Say something.

  Not the truth.

  "Savannah was trying to get me to go to the bathroom with her."

  Eyes widening, my head turns to him. Stay calm, and fix this!

  Summoning every ounce of cool I have, I reply, "You wish." Okay, my voice was even. I got this.

  Kent laughs, and he actually seems ... impressed with how I handled that.

  I am, too, because, until the words came out of my mouth, I had nothing.

  "Get your head out of the gutter, son," Harrold says. He doesn't even look around or stop stirring whatever he's got cooking. It smells amazing though.

  "I can't help it. She's offering me all sorts over here."

  I whack him with my good arm and scowl. "Heidi, your brother is annoying."

  "Tell me about it," she replies, rolling her eyes.

  He laughs, blocking another whack. "Why do you think we took so long to get here?"

  When I turn away from Kent, Judy is smiling.

  Oh no. I bite my lip, knowing we've taken it too far.

  We opened the door to civility, and lust came pouring out. His mum is kind of a force, and she's definitely going to say things if she thinks we're getting close ... or if she just wants us to get together.

  We've only just agreed to start over. Yes, I want to follow him to the bathroom, but that doesn't mean I'm going to. I don't have to act upon this attraction, and I'm really not up for being another notch on his post.

  Even if the constant throbbing disagrees. Clearly, it's been a long time since I've had sex.

  "Ignore him, Savannah. The rest of us do," Heidi says, wa
ving her hand in his direction.

  I wish I could but, hello, vagina on fire here.

  "Dinner is almost ready," Harrold announces, stepping back. "And I agree that you should ignore Kent. He's still under the illusion that he's God's gift to women."

  Kent scoffs while Heidi, Judy, and I laugh. I really, really like Harrold right now.

  "I got that impression, too," I reply.

  "If you haven't tried the goods, don't leave a review, sweetheart."

  I tilt my head in his direction. "That's gross."

  "Kent, find your manners," Judy says, giving him the tight-eyed look again.

  He laughs and shrugs.

  "Make yourself useful, and set the table, Kent," Harrold instructs.

  When he gets down from the stool, I see that he's calmed himself down a bit. He salutes his dad and heads into the room off the kitchen, which I assume is the dining room.

  "You'll have to excuse my son. We raised all of them the same, but I must have forgotten that I dropped him," Judy says, making me laugh.

  "I heard that!" he shouts from the other room.

  I shake my head. "That's fine. I can handle Kent." And I finally feel like I can.

  We each assumed things about the other before getting to know one another, and it made us hostile, only feeding what we thought was true.

  Now, he doesn't seem so intimidating. Actually, he's not intimidating at all.

  I bite my bottom lip as I feel my smile grow, feeling a touch more like the old me. No one could make me feel small or unworthy before.

  People are supposed to get stronger as they grow, but I seemed to have gone backward. Not anymore though. Kent is right; I'm not being myself. It's through fear of letting my guard down too much, but I can't live like that.

  Ha, I'll probably change my mind about that one tomorrow. I hope not though. I want to grip hold of the strength I feel entering my body and never let go. I'm so tired of just existing.

  "We can tell that you can handle him," Heidi says, wiggling her eyebrows.

  "Don't get any ideas," I hush.

  Judy bends over the counter. "I already have a lot of ideas."

  Why doesn't that surprise me?

  "He's not my type."

  Now, that much is true--in the relationship sense anyway. I've never gone for the kind of guys who are arrogant and sleep about, hoping I'll be the one to change them. If someone wants to be with me, they'll stop shagging other women. Though maybe I've been looking at it all wrong because Simon was quiet and reserved, and that hardly ended well.

  So, maybe I just need to die alone.

  Okay, that's a touch dramatic.

  "We are ready," Harrold says, tipping something into a large serving bowl.

  There are tons of dishes along the counter over by the cooker. He has pasta dishes, salad, and breads. It all looks amazing, but I don't know how we're going to eat everything.