“And so they punish themselves,” she continued in halting tones, “thinking if they sacrifice their lives for me, it’ll absolve them from their guilt. Instead it increases mine.”
“Yours?”
“Do you mind if we don’t discuss this anymore?” she asked, sounding physically tired and emotionally beaten.
The silence that followed was eventually broken by Savannah’s sigh of defeat.
“When would you like me to start cooking your dinners?” she asked as they neared her shop.
“You’re conceding?” He couldn’t keep the shock out of his voice. “Just like that, without so much as an argument? You must be more tired than I realized.”
His comments produced a sad smile.
“So you’re willing to admit marriage is a thing of the past and has no part in this day and age?”
“Never!” She rallied a bit at that.
“That’s what I thought.”
“Are you ready to admit love can last a lifetime when it’s nourished and respected?” she asked.
Nash frowned, his thoughts confused. “I’ll grant there are exceptions to every rule and your parents are clearly that. Unfortunately, the love they share doesn’t exist between most married couples.
“It’d be easy to tell you I like my macaroni and cheese extra cheesy,” he went on to say, “but I have a feeling you’ll change your mind in the morning and demand a rematch.”
Savannah smiled and pressed the side of her head against the car window.
“You’re exhausted, and if I accepted your defeat, you’d never forgive me.”
“What do you suggest, then?”
“A draw.” He pulled into the alley behind the shop, where Savannah had parked her car. “Let’s call it square. I proved what I wanted to prove and you did the same. There’s no need to go back to the beginning and start over, because neither of us is going to make any progress with the other. We’re both too strongminded for that.”
“We should have recognized it sooner,” Savannah said, eyes closed.
She was so attractive, so…delectable, Nash had to force himself to look away.
“It’s very gentlemanly of you not to accept my defeat.”
“Not really.”
Her eyes slowly opened and she turned her head so she could meet his eyes. “Why not?”
“Because I’m about to incur your wrath.”
“Really? How are you going to do that?”
He smiled. It’d been so long since he’d looked forward to anything this much. “Because, my dear wedding coordinator, I’m about to kiss you.”
Four
“You’re…you’re going to kiss me?” Savannah had been exhausted seconds earlier, but Nash’s words were a shot of adrenaline that bolted her upright.
“I most certainly am,” he said, parking his car behind hers in the dark alley. “Don’t look so scared. The fact is, you might even enjoy this.”
That was what terrified Savannah most. If ever there was a man whose touch she yearned for, it was Nash. If ever there was a man she longed to be held by, it was Nash.
He bent his head toward hers and what resistance she’d managed to amass died a sudden death as he pressed his chin to her temple and simply held her against him. If he’d been rough or demanding or anything but gentle, she might’ve had a chance at resisting him. She might’ve had the desire to resist him. But she didn’t. A sigh rumbled through her and with heedless curiosity she lifted her hand to his face, her fingertips grazing his jaw. Her touch seemed to go through him like an electrical shock because he groaned and, as she tilted back her head, his mouth sought hers.
At the blast of unexpected sensation, Savannah buckled against him and whimpered, all the while clinging to him. The kiss continued, gaining in intensity and fervor until Savannah felt certain her heart would pound straight through her chest.
Savannah closed her eyes, deep in a world of sensual pleasure.
“Savannah.” Her name was a groan. His breathing, heavy and hard, came in bursts as he struggled to regain control. Savannah was struggling, too. She finally opened her eyes. Her fingers were in his hair; she sighed and relaxed her hold.
Nash raised his head and took her face between his hands, his eyes delving into hers. “I didn’t mean for that to happen.”
An apology. She should’ve expected it, should’ve been prepared for it. But she wasn’t.
He seemed to be waiting for her to respond so she gave him a weak smile, and lowered her gaze, not wanting him to guess how strong her reaction had been.
He leaned his forehead against hers and chuckled softly. “You’re a surprise a minute.”
“What do you mean?”
He dropped a glancing kiss on the side of her face. “I wouldn’t have believed you’d be so passionate. The way you kissed me…”
“In other words, you didn’t expect someone like me to experience sensual pleasure?” she demanded righteously. “It might shock you to know I’m still a woman.”
“What?” Nash said. “What are you talking about?”
“You heard me,” she said, frantically searching for her purse and the bag of leftovers her mother had insisted she take home with her.
“Stop,” he said. “Don’t use insults to ruin something that was beautiful and spontaneous.”
“I wasn’t the one—”
She wasn’t allowed to finish. Taking her by the arms, he hauled her toward him until his mouth was on hers. Her resistance disappeared in the powerful persuasion of his kisses.
He exhaled sharply when he finished. “Your leg has nothing to do with this. Nothing. Do you understand?”
“Why were you so surprised, then?” she asked, struggling to keep her indignation alive. It was almost impossible when she was in his arms.
His answer took a long time. “I don’t know.”
“That’s what I thought.” She broke away and held her purse against her like a shield. “We’ve agreed to disagree on the issue of love and marriage, isn’t that correct?”
“Yes,” he said without emotion.
“Then I don’t see any reason for us to continue our debate. It’s been a pleasure meeting you, Mr. Davenport. Goodbye.” Having said that, she jerked open the car door and nearly toppled backward. She caught herself in the nick of time before she could tumble headfirst into the alley.
“Savannah, for heaven’s sake, will you—”
“Please, just leave me alone,” she said, furious with herself for making such a dramatic exit and with him for reasons as yet unclear.
Because he made her feel, she guessed sometime later, when she was home and safe. He made her feel as if she was whole and without flaws. As if she was an attractive, desirable woman. Savannah blamed Nash for pretending she could be something she wasn’t and the anger simmered in her blood long after she’d readied for bed.
Neatly folding her quilt at the foot of her bed, Savannah stood, seething, taking deep breaths to keep the tears at bay.
In the morning, after