Monroe, Marla - Hot and Bothered (Siren Publishing Classic) (26 page)

* * * *

Savanna stripped the bed and threw the sheets in the washing machine. She wanted every reminder of Dustin out of her life. It had taken a good twenty minutes to locate all the damn buttons on the floor and throw them out. Not just in the garbage, but outside in the dumpster. She had believed in him, trusted him. Look where that had gotten her. He’d lied to her all along. She had bared her soul and begged him to give them a chance, and he’d been laughing at her all the time.

Well, maybe he hadn’t laughed. Still, she'd told him the reason behind her need for stability. He should have told her right then and there that he wasn’t jobless. That, in fact, he owned a business. Several, if what he said was true. It tore her heart apart thinking about it now. She’d finally found someone who didn’t bore her in bed and was financially stable only to learn he was a liar. How could she ever trust him to tell her the truth when he’d kept something that important from her?

The entire time she was making the bed, Savanna cried. Only a few hours ago, they had been making love in that bed. It just wasn’t fair. How would she be able to forget him now? Now that she knew she could have had it all, now that she knew what it felt like to get all hot just from a look.

The phone rang again. She checked to see who it was on caller ID. It was Karen again. She had called twice already. Dustin hadn’t even bothered to call once. Bastard. She stopped crying and got angry again. He said he loved her. Right, like she could believe that either. If he really loved her, he would be over here right now trying to win her back. No, he couldn’t love her, especially not like she did him. This brought back the tears. She gave up on trying to get the bed finished and collapsed on it instead.

Face it, Savanna, you lost him the minute you fell in love with him.
There is no such thing as a perfect man for anyone. She’d proved that over and over again. She should have realized by now that she could have one or the other, but not both sex and stability. Savanna sat up and rubbed the tears from her eyes. She needed a shower. She could smell him on her. She would never be able to stop crying as long as any part of him remained behind. She got up and turned on the water for the shower, making it as hot as she could stand it. Then she stepped in and soaped up a bath cloth. It reminded her of when he had bathed her. She screamed and threw the bath cloth against the shower door. Would everything remind her of him?

* * * *

Karen stood on the other side of the door when Savanna opened it the next day.

“Why aren’t you at the spa? I went there first, and they said you’d called in sick.” Karen pushed past Savanna and walked into the apartment.

“I didn’t feel like going in today. I’m the owner. I can stay home if I want to.”

“Have you even slept? Honey, you look like death warmed over.”

Savanna huffed out a breath and ran a hand through her tousled hair. She hadn’t bothered to brush it since she hadn’t been in bed that much anyway.

“Why are you here? Aren’t you supposed to be at work?” Savanna asked. She plopped down on the couch and watched her friend walk around to the chair.

“I don’t work there anymore.”

“Karen! They didn’t fire you, did they? I mean, didn’t Dustin tell them what was going on? It is the least he could have done.”

“Oh, they didn’t fire me. I quit. I have a new job.” Karen sat down on the chair across from her.

“You got another job? That’s great! Where are you going to be working? When do you start?”

“I don’t start for another couple of weeks. I’m taking a vacation with Ben first,” Karen said.

Savanna noticed her friend wasn’t looking as excited as she should look considering she was getting everything she wanted—a new job and her boyfriend back. Something was up.

“Okay, Karen. What gives? You’re not telling me something.”

“I don’t want you to be mad at me anymore.”

“I’m not mad at you. I was upset yesterday. I think I was allowed to be upset,” Savanna explained.

“Well, you might be mad at me when I tell you who I’m working for.”

Savanna frowned. Why would it matter who she worked for?

“Who is it then?” she asked.

“Dustin.”

Savanna’s mouth fell open. “You’re going to work for him? He lied to me, and you’re going to work for him?”

“See. I told you. I didn’t want you to be mad at me anymore. You’re mad again.” Karen crossed her arms.

“Well, what do you expect? I fell in love with the asshole, and he lied to me. Now you are going to work for him. I think I’m entitled to be a little pissed, don’t you?” Savanna jumped up and paced back and forth in front of the couch.

“You’re my best friend, Karen. I can’t believe you would go over to his side.”

“I’m not going to his side. I’m still on your side. He should have told you the truth, but he offered me a really good job, Savanna.”

“I guess I can’t blame you. It’s just going to be awkward for me is all, I mean, ah, hell, Karen. What am I going to do? I love him.” Tears threatened to fall from her eyes.

“I know, honey. Have you talked to him at all?” Karen asked.

“He hasn’t bothered to call.”

“That’s because he thinks you won’t answer the phone and talk to him.” Karen stood up and crossed the room to hug Savanna.

“He told you that?”

“Yeah. I suggested he give you a few days to calm down before he tried to call you. I figured you wouldn’t want to talk to him right away anyway.” Karen looked her in the eye. “Was I wrong to tell him that?”

“No. I guess not. I wouldn’t have answered the phone if it had been him. I’m so angry at him, but I love him, too.”

“Give yourself time to be mad and get it out of your system. He loves you, Savanna. He tore Martin a new asshole and got him fired. I’m not even sure what he did to the other guy, but he blames them for losing you.”

“Really?” Savanna asked.

“Yeah. It was fun seeing Martin lose his job. They actually offered me his job right there, but I’d already told Dustin I would work for him.”

“Do you think I should take him back if he asks me to? I mean, is he going to lie to me again and again if I do?”

“That’s up to you, Savanna. I don’t think he will lie to you again, but I’m not you. You have to decide if you can trust him or not.”

“You’re right. I have to decide.”

“While you’re deciding, want to go for coffee and pie?” Karen asked with a mischievous smile on her face.

“I look like crap!” Savanna yelped.

“So go grab a quick shower and change clothes. I can wait on you.”

Savanna gave her friend a hug and ran toward the bedroom.

* * * *

Dustin sat in his truck outside Savanna’s apartment for ten minutes trying to get up the nerve to knock on her door. He missed her so much. Karen seemed to think that two days was long enough to give Savanna time to get past being angry at him. He hoped she was right. The thought of never holding Savanna again nearly brought him to his knees. The last few days had been hell for him.

The one bright spot out of all of it had been taking both Martin and Jason down. Jason blamed him for losing his business when he lost the bid on the hotel franchise. It had really been his poor investing practices that had actually done it. Still, none of it was worth the loss of Savanna. He didn’t know what he was going to do if she wouldn’t accept his apology and take him back.

He hit the steering wheel and opened the door. It wasn’t doing him any good sitting out here in the truck. He grabbed the box of long stemmed red roses he had picked up for her. He hoped they would help sway her to his way of thinking. He hesitated to knock. Instead, he decided to ring the doorbell.

He waited for what seemed like forever before the door cracked open and Savanna looked out at him.

“What do you want?”

“Can I come in? I’d like to talk to you,” he said.

“I don’t think we have anything to talk about.”

“Please. I want to apologize.”

She stared at him for a few seconds then opened the door wide for him to come in. Dustin handed her the box of roses. Her eyes widened then sparkled for a few seconds. She smiled and took the box into the kitchen. He supposed to find a vase. He wasn’t sure if he needed to follow her or stay where he was. He decided to follow her.

“I hope you like them. I remembered that you liked the first ones I gave you,” he said.

“Thank you. They’re gorgeous. I love roses.” She placed them in the vase she had used the last time he gave her flowers.

“Baby, I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you about my business when we first met. I should never have kept it from you at all.”

“No, you shouldn’t have. Being honest with each other is the only way a couple will ever be able to stay together,” she said as she smelled the blooms.

“I know. I wanted you to like me for who I am and not for what I could give you. It wasn’t the right thing to do, though. I know that.” Dustin took a step closer to her.

“You hurt me, Dustin. I trusted you with a piece of my past that was hard for me to give, and you took it and used it against me.”

“I never meant to hurt you, Savanna. I was being selfish,” Dustin said.

Savanna hugged her arms around herself and stared up at him.

“I love you, Savanna. Please give me another chance.”

“I’m scared to, Dustin. I trusted you, and you lied to me.” Savanna looked so sad it nearly broke his heart.

“I won’t do it again. I promise you. Just give us a chance.”

“I missed you so much last night.” Savanna held her arms out toward him.

Dustin pulled her into his arms and hugged her. He drew in the first real breath he’d had since he’d rung the doorbell. Her shoulders shook, and he realized she was crying.

“Don’t cry, baby. Why are you crying?” he asked. He tried pulling her away so he could look at her face, but she held on to him and buried her head in his chest.

“I thought I had lost you. I didn’t think you really loved me because you didn’t call me or anything. Why did you wait so long?”

“Karen said you needed some time to think. I thought I was doing the right thing. If I had known you would talk to me, I would have called you last night.”

“I wouldn’t have answered the phone, but I would have known you still cared about me.”

Dustin shook his head. He didn’t understand women and how their minds worked.

“I’m here now, though. I’m not going anywhere. We’re going to work this out.”

“I love you, Dustin.”

“I love you, too, baby,” he said.

She raised her head from his chest. Her eyes were red rimmed from crying, and he felt the dampness of his shirt where her face had been. He wiped away a tear with his thumb and leaned in and kissed her lightly on the lips. She sniffed and hugged him tighter.

“Let’s get you a bath cloth, and then we can sit and talk some, okay?” Dustin asked.

“All right.”

They walked hand in hand back to her bedroom. Dustin sat her on the bed and wet a bath cloth in the bathroom for her face. He watched as she wiped her face and blew her nose. He smiled at her.