A silence settled between them, but it wasn’t empty.
Then Mallory smirked. “So, are you gonna call him again?”
Savannah exhaled, gripping her phone like it held the answer.
She already knew the answer.
“Yeah,” she said, her lips curving slightly. “I think I am.”
16
Chasing Last-Night
Thenextmorning,Savannahlay in bed, her body still humming with the echoes of last night. The sheets were cool against her skin, but the air carried the warmth of something more—of Chase. The faint scent of salt and his cologne clung to her hair, a lingering whisper of his touch, his kiss, the way his voice had wrapped around her in the moonlight.
She turned onto her side, pulling the blanket tighter around her, letting the memories wash over her like the slow, rhythmic pull of the tide. His hands—God, those hands—had settled on her waist with an ownership that sent heat curling low in her belly. His breath had been warm against her neck, teasing, making her shiver with want.
And his lips—firm, insistent, reverent—had branded her.
Chase Montgomery kissed her like he was afraid she would disappear. Like she was something sacred, something he needed to memorize with his mouth, his hands, his entire body. And she let him. Because, deep down, she had never really stopped being his.
Her pulse quickened just thinking about it.
The way his fingers had traced slow circles against the back of her neck. The way he had murmured her name like a damn prayer. The way he had pulled away, just enough to rest his forehead against hers, as if he needed a second to steady himself.
He hadn’t rushed her. Hadn’t pushed. Hadn’t let his hands wander past the boundaries they both knew they weren’t ready to cross—yet.
But the hunger in his eyes was unmistakable.
She squeezed her eyes shut, breathing through the ache building deep inside her. No one had ever kissed her like that. No one had ever made her feel so seen, so wanted—so completelyundone.
Sunlight streamed through the sheer curtains, casting golden stripes across the bed. The world outside felt distant, unreal, as though she were still tangled in the dream of last night. But the soft buzz of her phone on the nightstand pulled her back.
She reached for it, heart thudding, fingers unsteady.
A single message.
“Meet me at the Marina. 9:30.”
A slow smile tugged at her lips, heat building in her stomach. No hesitation, no overthinking—just Chase, asking her to meet him.
And she would.
Because after last night, after the way he looked at her, touched her, kissed her like she was the only thing that had ever mattered, how could she not?
Adrenaline surged through her, waking her faster than any cup of coffee ever could. She threw back the covers, padding barefoot across the room. The cool tile of the bathroom floor sent a shiver up her spine as she turned the water on, stepping into the heat.
Steam curled around her, filling the space with warmth as she let the spray cascade over her shoulders. Her fingers traced absentmindedly over her skin, ghosting over the places where Chase had touched her, where his thumb had brushed along her jaw, where his hands had rested on her hips, steadying her as he kissed her slow, deep, and devastating.
She lathered Jasmine and sandalwood-scented shampoo into her hair, her movements slower than usual, lost in the memory of the way his voice had dropped when he whispered her name, the way his fingers had lingered at the small of her back as he pulled away—reluctant, like he hadn’t wanted to leave.
By the time she stepped out, her skin was warm, her curls damp and tumbling over her shoulders in soft waves. She wrapped herself in a towel, catching her reflection in the mirror.
She looked—different.
Lighter. Brighter.
Likethe weight of something she hadn’t even realized she’d been carrying had finally lifted.
