Right Where We Belong (Silver Springs #4)(40)

He went back to her jeans instead. “I was hoping to take it slow, but—” his hand slid inside her panties, and she felt his fingers seek and find the place where she was most sensitive “—I’m not capable of it right now. I’m dying to have you. So to hell with slow. We’ll go slow next time, okay?”

“Or the time after that,” she said, her voice barely audible as he pressed a finger inside her. She caught her breath at the pleasure that simple act brought, but it was the raw desire on his face as he added a second finger that triggered an even more powerful response. She’d never felt such primal need. And the tautness of his body, the rigidity of every muscle, told her she wasn’t alone. She could tell he was trying to be gentle instead of completely unleashing, and that built her excitement, too. The apparent difficulty of that struggle made her feel powerful in her femininity.

“Good thing you brought three condoms,” she told him. “I think we’re going to need them.”

He didn’t even crack a smile. He seemed to understand that she wasn’t joking. “We don’t have to stop at three. I can always go back for more,” he said, and removed his hand long enough to yank off his shirt and pull her onto the bed.

*

Gavin felt guilty for what he was doing. He wasn’t back with Heather, and he hadn’t promised Savanna anything more than this one night. She was the one who’d made that stipulation. And yet he knew he was operating in a gray area, that he shouldn’t be feeling what he was feeling toward his new neighbor when his old girlfriend could be pregnant with his child. His wanting someone else didn’t seem fair to Heather, even though she’d obviously been sleeping with Scott the past two months.

Still, with all the uncertainty in his life right now, he was being foolish to complicate the situation. That was why he’d tried to talk himself into leaving Savanna’s house before he could wind up in her bed. He just hadn’t been able to follow through. And he couldn’t entirely regret that decision, not when he finally entered her, not while he moved inside her. He loved the way she responded to his touch, the way she stared up at him and met each thrust with a look of wonder on her face, as if she was only now discovering how enjoyable sex could be, and how close it could make two people feel.

She deserved far more than she’d received from the man who’d been responsible for loving her so far. Not only had Gordon betrayed her in the most painful and humiliating way possible, he’d starved her of the nurturing all humans needed. Gavin hated him for that as much as the rest of it. Maybe she was confused because she wanted to believe the father of her children when he proclaimed his innocence, but Gavin had little doubt Gordon was indeed the rapist the police believed he was. The physical evidence was overwhelming. They’d tied him to one of the victims. He had a job that gave him the freedom to be out and about on his own. And they’d found zip ties, a knife and a mask in his locked shed! Even his extreme selfishness didn’t speak well of him. How could the man who’d attacked those women be anyone else?

When Savanna’s eyes drifted shut and her lips parted, Gavin knew she was close to climax. He was close himself, too close, which was why he’d been thinking about Gordon and anything else that might help him hold off. He didn’t want to come before she could.

“That’s it,” she suddenly gasped. “Oh, God, that’s good!”

Her words snapped his restraint, which had been tenuous to begin with. Gavin clutched the pillows on either side of her in an effort to give her a little more time. But when he felt her body jerk, he knew it was impossible. That familiar tightening had already started in his groin and was now bringing with it a cascade of exquisite pleasure. He wanted her to look up at him as he let himself go—to finish together—and the moment was made perfect when she did.

“That was the strongest climax I’ve ever had.” She was sweaty and breathless but obviously happy, so he was surprised when, several minutes later, he heard her sniff quietly and felt her move to wipe her face. She even got up, turned off the light and went into the bathroom for a while, where he heard her blow her nose.

When she slid back into bed, he lay there, staring at the ceiling for several seconds, wondering if he should give her some privacy or try to console her. Something was wrong...

When she sniffed again, he rose up on one elbow. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah. That was great.”

He could hear the false cheer in her voice. “Then why are you crying?”

She let her breath go on a long sigh.

“Savanna?”

“I don’t know,” she replied.

“Are you sorry you asked me to stay?”

“Are you kidding? No. It’s just that...the tenderness you showed me has made me realize how stupid I’ve been. How naive.”

He pulled his hair back so it wouldn’t fall into her face. “You’re talking about your marriage?”

“Yes. I should’ve left him years ago.”

“You stayed because you were committed. You were trying to be a good person, a good mother and wife.”

“I was oblivious. An idiot. I didn’t even realize how badly my marriage was broken. I knew Gordon was difficult, of course. But I thought all marriages were probably a challenge. I tried to love him, despite so many things. Didn’t expect or demand enough. That’s on me.”