Page 49 of Forever a Thief

I lean down and press my forehead to hers. “I love you, Savannah.” I nuzzle my nose against her adorable freckled nose then kiss it. “My Savvy.”

She smiles, wrapping her arms around my neck. “My hero.” Then she pulls me in for a kiss, and I don’t miss Addie’s soft “aww.”

I have a girlfriend.

At least, I think I do. We haven’t exactly had time to put a label on it. It’s a new concept, but one I’m ready to embrace wholeheartedly. As Savannah talks to her sister Harper on the phone, explaining what happened, I can’t tear my eyes off her. Truly, I’m mesmerized. She’s smart, she’s beautiful and she’s all mine. Somehow the stars aligned and gave me the most precious gift.

Love.

And it’s way better than some stupid sapphire necklace.

It’s been a few hours since we defeated Voss and his thugs and regrouped at the hotel. I brought Savannah straight up to my room, and Brighton found a guest who’s a doctor and charmed him into checking on Savvy. Although she seems to be doing better, I wanted to make sure. To my relief, he declared she would be perfectly fine. I think this whole crazy adventure has aged me a decade.

I’ve been keeping a close watch on Savannah, making sure she drinks plenty of water to flush any lingering toxins out of her system. Her complexion has improved remarkably and, once again, she’s sporting a healthy, tanned glow. Remembering how deathly pale she was makes my stomach sour.

Listening to her talk to her sister tells me a lot of things. Most importantly that they’re extremely close. Harper is her family by blood, but she’s also her best friend. I never had a sibling, but a long time ago I did have a best friend. And I failed him terribly. Every time I think about Remy, guilt fills me.

After what happened with Remy, I made sure to distance myself from others. Getting too close to another person is dangerous. A gift I don’t deserve. But now with Savannah, I can’t get close enough. And that scares me. What if I end up failing her, too? She thinks I’m some kind of hero, but if she knew the truth…

“Hey.”

Savvy’s soft voice snaps me from the downward spiral of my dark thoughts, and I focus on her. She must’ve hung up because her cell phone now lays on the nightstand.

“Hey,” I respond. “How’re you feeling?”

“Almost like normal.”

I frown. “Almost? What’s wrong?”

“You’re too far away.” She gives me a smile that sends a shot of pure bliss rocketing straight through my universe. “Come here.”

I scoot over to her and lean my back against the pile of pillows. Then I gather her in my arms and drop a kiss in her fragrant hair. Sunshine and lemons. My gut coils and desire spears through me. Now isn’t the time, I scold myself.

“How’s your sister?” I ask, trying to get my libido to cool off.

“She feels guilty for not being here. But I told her there’s no way she and Ryland could’ve gotten on a plane and made it here before everything went down.”

“Guilt has a way of sticking with a person,” I mumble.

She pulls back and looks up at me. “Sounds like you’re speaking from experience.”

I force a smile. “I don’t want to burden you with my troubles.”

“Rhys,” she says carefully, and I arch a brow. “Remember how I said I love you? That means you can burden me. I want to know everything about you. The good and the bad.”

“I think there’s more bad than good,” I say drolly.

“I won’t ever judge you,” she promises. “And I won’t ever force you to talk to me, but I’m hoping you trust me enough to open up.”

“I trust you,” I whisper.

“Good.” Her lips brush against my chest, practically searing through my T-shirt. Then her hand slides under the hem and begins exploring.

“Savvy,” I groan, trying to pull away. “You need to rest—”

“I need you,” she counters in a breathy whisper. When she cups my cock, I’m instantly hard as steel.

“I’m trying to give you time.” My chest is heaving and I’m doing my damnedest to be good, but she’s making it incredibly difficult.