Little Bird (The Tangled Series) (4 page)

Lee and Savannah stood awkwardly in the driveway and watched Mike pull away. When he was out of sight Lee turned and started walking across the lawn to the cottage Savannah would inhabit, calling over his shoulder, “Let’s go get you settled.”

Savannah hurried to catch up, and when she pulled even with him she said, “You don’t have to carry my bags. I can take my stuff and let myself in if you’ll just give me the key.”

Lee looked down and smiled at her. “I got it. It won’t take but a minute. Besides, I owe you one for doing my dishes. The cottage is furnished and I had Maria put fresh sheets on the bed for you. She’s the farm manager’s wife, by the way. She helps me out sometimes so if you need anything and I’m not around she can help you. Anyway, we can stop tomorrow and pick up some food for you or you can eat with me. Whatever you want.”

“After the dinner I had tonight, I’ll eat with you if that’s all right.” Planning to eat with him every day was asking for trouble. She shouldn’t spend more time with him than necessary, but he’d proven himself a better than average cook. After that risotto, she couldn’t resist the opportunity to see what else he could do in the kitchen.

Lee laughed as he mounted the porch and unlocked the door. “I’ll tell you what: I’ll cook for you as long as you’re here if you’ll keep doing the dishes.”

“That seems fair.” Savannah smiled as he held the door open for her and she passed in front of him, catching the faint scent of him again on the evening air. Mike was right. Lee could be charming when he wanted to be.

Lee shut the door behind them and flipped the light switch. This cottage was identical to his in layout. Although being a rental, the furniture and decor were more spartan. Savannah followed him into the kitchen where he dropped her bags before tossing the keys on the counter and scribbling a number on a piece of paper. “There’s my number. Put it in your phone so you don’t have to fumble with it in an emergency. I don’t think they’ll be back this soon but you never know.”

Savannah nodded. Now that she was about to be alone out here, she was starting to feel a little scared. She gave him what she hoped was a brave smile. “I’m sure I’ll be fine. I don’t suppose you’d consider leaving Toby with me, though?”

“He wouldn’t stay. Remember, he was the coward who ran off last time there was trouble.” Lee gave her a searching look as he lifted up the back of his shirt and pulled out the nine millimeter she had seen that morning. “I was serious earlier, though. I’ll leave this here for you if it would make you more comfortable.”

Savannah shrugged, trying to appear calm and collected. “You can leave it if you want. I don’t plan on needing it though.”

Lee took her arm in his hand and turned it over, his rough thumb softly caressing the delicate underside of her wrist as he placed the gun in her palm. Savannah shivered as she felt the metal, still warm from its prior position against his skin, and surprised herself when she heard her own breathless sigh. Suddenly she felt completely overwhelmed by his close proximity, the smell of him, the feel of his fingers on her wrist, the sound of his voice with that lazy southern drawl. When she found herself leaning toward him and wondering what he would taste like if she were to kiss him, she knew she was in very big trouble.

“Do you know how to use it?” As Lee spoke his lips twitched before turning up in a knowing smile. Savannah didn’t know how he could have guessed what she’d been thinking but that look, a little dangerous and a whole lot of sexy, definitely said he had.

“The gun?” Savannah cringed at the sound of her own voice, all fervent and yearning.

“Yes.” Lee’s quiet laughter rumbled beneath his ribs and Savannah realized with some shock she was leaning against him, her free hand on his chest. When had that happened?

Lee’s fingers tightened briefly around her wrist before he released it, plucking the gun from her hand. He twisted against her and she heard the clatter of the gun as he laid it on the counter. Turning back, Lee reached behind her, pulling out the ponytail she’d made that morning. As Savannah’s hair fell around her shoulders he dipped his head, his lips brushing over her jaw, his beard tickling her sensitive skin. Lee’s hands moved down her back, softly touching her, until he reached her waist where he pushed them beneath her shirt and settled them on the flare of her hips. The ends of his fingers slipped beneath the waistband of her shorts as his thumbs leisurely stroked her skin. His lips skimmed her neck, the combination of his warm breath and scratching beard giving her goose bumps, and she moaned in eager response. His mouth moved lower still, grazing Savannah’s shoulder and then her collarbone as he tugged on the bottom of her shirt.

When Lee’s tongue flicked against the small indentation at the center of her neck, Savannah came undone, pressing her hips against him as she gasped, “Oh, yes.”

“Yes, what?” Lee raised his head to look at her, not so subtly pushing against her so she’d feel his erection.

His question hung heavy in the air and Savannah panicked. What had she been thinking? She didn’t even like this guy and Mike had explicitly warned her not to become involved with him. And now here she was, not twenty minutes after Mike left, with Lee’s impressively large hard-on pressing against her stomach. She was practically begging him to fuck her. Jesus, she’d made a mess of this.

“Yes, I know how to use the gun.” Savannah was dismayed her voice quaked as she spoke.

Lee gave her a curt nod and set her away from him as he bent to pick up her bags again. His voice was gruff as he said, “Good. I’ll just put your bags in your room and leave you alone to get some rest.”

Savannah retrieved the gun from where he’d left it on the counter and followed him into the bedroom. Lee turned on the light and placed her bags on the floor at the end of the bed. Stepping around him to put the gun in the nightstand, Savannah got her first look at the bed. She was pretty sure it was a king.

“Whoa!” Lee gave her a questioning look and she hastily added, “Oh, sorry, it’s just I have a twin bed at home. I don’t think I’ve ever slept in a bed this big before.”

Lee flashed a sexy grin at her. “Well, you’ve got my number. You just give me a call if you get lost in that big ol’ bed by yourself.”

Just like that, he gave her that seductive look again and goose bumps rose on her arms as she remembered the feel of his lips on her skin. Fuck, she had to get a hold of herself or she would never make it through this unscathed.

With a deep breath, Savannah finally managed to sputter out, “Go home, Levon!”

Laughing, he turned and headed for the front door, calling over his shoulder as he went, “Goodnight, sweetheart!”

When Savannah heard the front door slam behind him she collapsed on the bed. Hopefully they would find his ex-wife soon because she wouldn’t be able to withstand the way he looked at her, let alone touched her, for very long.

Although she had to admit the thought of fucking his brains out was certainly appealing. She remembered the way he’d held her, his lips barely touching her as his mouth moved over her skin. The guy knew how to touch a woman in all the right ways.

Savannah stretched back on the bed, pushing her shorts over her hips and touching herself as she thought about the scratchy tickle of Lee’s beard and his rough work hardened hands on her soft skin. She’d never been with a man with a beard before and she couldn’t help but wonder what it would feel like to have those rasping whiskers rubbing against her while he went down on her. She moaned quietly, shivering and remembering how he’d pressed into her, letting her feel his erection. Even disguised by the heavy denim of his pants she’d known it was large. Savannah shuddered, closing her eyes, as she pondered what Lee would look like naked, what it would feel like to have his cock press inside of her or to wrap her lips around it and stroke him with her tongue.

Savannah turned her head and looked at her cell phone, tempted to call him. What was he doing now? With a small shake of her head she laughed. What a silly question. Lee had been awake for two days and had to be running on empty. Probably he was asleep already, his naked body stretched across his bed with a sheet pulled over his chest and tangled around his legs. Oh, fuck it.

Unable to stop herself Savannah picked up the phone to dial before remembering his number was still out on the kitchen counter. With a sigh she got up and retrieved it, programming it into her phone as she walked back to the bedroom. Her hands trembled as she sat on the edge of the bed and pressed “send.”

“Hello?”

Lee’s voice was gruff, annoyed, as he answered the phone and she took a deep breath, steeling her courage.

“Hey, it’s me. Uh, Savannah, I mean. I was just calling…umm, I just thought…” The sound of his slow steady breathing on the other end of the phone distracted her and she lost the thread of what she’d meant to say, stopping uncertainly.

“What?”

His voice had softened some and was even a little amused. Or maybe that was her imagination, but that break in her concentration had been just enough to kill what little courage she’d mustered.

“Oh, well, I’d just programmed your number into my phone and wanted to make sure I’d gotten it right. Sorry if I woke you.”

Lee laughed softly and a shiver raced down her spine in response.

“You didn’t wake me. Anything else?”

“No, no. That’s it. Goodnight, Levon.”

“Goodnight, sweetheart.”

Savannah’s heart pounded in her chest as she hung up. In a fit of temper, she flung the phone on the dresser with a frustrated groan and went to get ready for bed, unable to stop thinking about Lee’s hands and mouth on her body no matter how hard she tried.

Sometimes it sucked to have a conscience. If Lee were a little less principled, he’d be getting laid right now instead of lying alone in his bed, jerking off.

When he’d carried Savannah’s bags over to the rental for her, Lee hadn’t intended to lay a hand on her. After all, he’d still been trying to convince himself he wasn’t interested. What a joke that had been because the second she leaned toward him with a soft sigh and a sweet smile he was more than interested. There was no denying she was interested, too. Yet, he’d felt compelled to offer her an easy out and she’d taken it, much to his disappointment. Evidently, he wasn’t the only one conflicted about their attraction.

Lee had told Savannah to call if she changed her mind but he never expected she might actually do it. He’d come back home and fallen into bed, exhausted but still on edge and restless. That was a problem he knew how to solve, at least, and he’d fisted his cock with single-minded purpose. A quick orgasm would give him the release he needed to find sleep and he’d been just about to come when the damn woman called. She’d called because she wanted to fuck, he was certain of it, but she’d lost her nerve and given him some bullshit line about his phone number. He hadn’t believed her for a second and if he didn’t know better he might have thought Savannah was purposefully teasing him.

That’s where his fucking principles came into it. She might not have had the courage to flat out ask for sex, but he knew if he’d offered to go back over there she’d have said yes. Yet, something about that felt unfair, like he’d be taking advantage of her when she was less than certain.

For someone who slept around as much as Lee did, he had an irritating sense of guilt. Not that he felt guilty about having a lot of sex with a lot of women. No, never that. But the women he slept with were always more than willing partners. He didn’t screw around with women who required convincing or were at odds with themselves about fucking. That was too much work and involved unnecessary complication. Those were just the sorts of women who would want a relationship, something that held little appeal to Lee, and that was precisely the kind of woman Savannah was. He had no intention of fucking her if he was just going to wind up feeling guilty about it afterward. Then again, maybe she wasn’t conflicted about it at all, maybe she was just too shy to come right out and ask for it. Or, maybe that was just what his dick wanted him to think.

Lee stroked his cock faster, his grip firm, desperate to find his release. At the moment, he had much bigger problems than whether to fuck Savannah or not, the most immediate being he needed some goddamn sleep. Still, he wasn’t able to keep her out of his thoughts and when he finally came he was remembering the husky sound of her voice and the provocative taste of her skin.

After taking a minute to clean up, Lee collapsed back into bed, quickly falling into a deep, and much needed, slumber. But his last thoughts before he found welcome oblivion had still been of Savannah. He was going to have to fuck her, but he would make her ask for it first and to hell with his fucking principles.

Chapter Four

S
avannah awoke the next morning and frowned as she cuddled under the blankets. Despite her exhaustion, she’d had trouble falling asleep the night before, thoughts of Lee cluttering her mind. Maybe if she’d been at home with the bustling sounds of the city to drown it all out she’d have slept better, but here in the country there had been nothing to distract her from all her lusty fantasies. And now having just woken up, she was already having those same erotic thoughts. Fuck, she needed coffee.

She rolled over and glanced at the clock. Probably still too early to call Lee and ask for coffee. Savannah wasn’t sure she was ready to face him just yet anyway. She needed more time to collect her thoughts and ready her defenses before she could deal with him.

After a final yawn and luxurious stretch between the soft sheets, Savannah rolled out of bed and sleepily stumbled into the bathroom, closing the door behind her. Reaching into the shower, she turned the water on and adjusted the knob as hot as it would go. While she waited for it to heat up, she brushed her teeth and slipped out of her pajamas, a pair of pink and blue striped cotton pants and a blue tank top, and then folded them neatly on the counter.

Stepping into the shower, Savannah closed the sliding glass door and moaned with pleasure as the steaming hot water beat down on her. She stood there for a long time, letting the water spill over her body, the small room growing foggy with steam. Tipping her head back, eyes closed, she smiled to herself, almost in a trance. God this felt good. Savannah was perfectly capable of taking a quick shower when necessary, but when she had the time she loved nothing more than to savor the hot water and humid air.

Savannah considered the day to come as she basked in the steamy shower. Hopefully they would find something useful at Cara’s apartment. She still didn’t understand why Lee didn’t want to call the police. He was being more than a little paranoid. If Cara was in danger, and she probably was, the police should be notified but it wasn’t her decision to make. This was Lee’s life and Lee’s ex-wife so she’d just have to follow his lead, at least where Cara was concerned. In other respects, following his lead would be very dangerous.

Christ, this situation was a bitch. She didn’t really like him. He was rude and abrasive. He intentionally called her “sweetheart” when he knew she disliked the nickname. He was annoying a lot of the time. But on the other hand, he could be sweet and charming when it suited him. Which, when combined with his rugged good looks and sexy drawl, made this situation perilous.

Normally she would probably just sleep with him. Not that she slept around a lot, or at all really, but in this case, a little one-night fling would get it out of her system and then she could move on. But that wasn’t an option. Lee was a client, and on top of that, Mike’s friend. That made the decision easy, she absolutely could not sleep with Lee. Maintaining her self-control would be the hard part.

Shaking her head, she tried to think of other things. It was time to get started on her tasks for the day. Maybe Mike had already sent her some documents for review. She quickly finished her shower and stepped out on the cold tile. Piling her long auburn hair in a towel on top of her head she patted herself dry with a second towel. When she finished, she wrapped the towel around her body and steeled herself to open the door. The steam had really built up in the bathroom and it was going to be cold in the rest of the house.

Opening the door, Savannah took only one step into the living room before she realized Lee was sitting on the couch. He’d been looking down at his cell phone but he’d heard the door and turned to look at her. With a scream, Savannah ran back into the bathroom, slamming the door. As she leaned against the sink, trying to get control of her anger, she could hear Lee laughing in the other room.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” She called through the door, not even trying to disguise how upset she was.

“I brought you coffee.”

“Didn’t anyone ever teach you to fucking knock?” Savannah yelled, barely resisting the urge to punctuate her question with a kick to the door separating them.

“I did knock but when you didn’t answer I got worried. So I let myself in with the spare key. When I heard the shower I figured that’s why you didn’t hear the door so I just thought I’d wait.” Lee paused for a moment and then added, “I admit I was kind of hoping for a bit of a show. Didn’t turn out to be as good as I’d dreamed but still, it was worth the wait.”

Savannah scowled at the door as she quickly put her pajamas on and raked a comb through her tangled hair. When she finished she slammed the comb down on the counter and opened the door, stepping out to glare at him. “Well, I hope you got a good look because it’s the last one you’ll get.”

Lee stood up, pocketing his cell phone as he moved toward her until they stood toe to toe. He was nearly a foot taller than Savannah and he let his gaze wander casually over her body as he looked down at her, bold and completely unapologetic for the blatant way he appraised her. He put his left hand on her shoulder, his calloused fingers pushing beneath her wet hair to caress the sensitive skin at the nape of her neck and, Lord help her, she couldn’t stop the soft sigh that escaped her parted lips.

Leaning in until his lips brushed her ear, Lee hoarsely whispered, “We both know I could have you right now if I wanted, sweetheart.” He paused for a moment when Savannah’s breath caught in her throat. “I know why you really called last night. Why’d you change your mind?”

“You sounded angry.” Savannah tried to keep her voice steady as she replied, the feel of his breath on her neck distracting her.

“I wasn’t angry.”

She felt the rumble of laughter in his chest and looked up at him as she repeated herself. “Well, you sounded angry.”

“Savannah,” Lee was still laughing as he pressed his lips against the sensitive skin below her ear, “I was jacking off when you called. And I was thinking about you while I did it, too.”

“Oh!” Had he really just told her she’d interrupted him masturbating? And he’d been thinking of her? Holy hell, this man was shameless and she was mortified. Of course, everyone masturbates but that’s not something you run around telling people all willy-nilly. How was she supposed to respond to a comment like that? Was he
trying
to embarrass her?

Holding her gaze Lee asked, “Were you touching yourself when you called?”

Savannah shook her head, whether in answer to his question or in denial that he’d asked it in the first place she couldn’t say.

“Before you called?”

She nodded this time, biting her lip nervously. Fuck, why was she admitting to this?

“And after you called?”

Savannah nodded again and Lee growled, nipping at her neck with his teeth. “You should have told me, sweetheart. I’d have come over, stretched you out on that big bed and fucked you all night long.”

Savannah mewled, a helpless eager sound. It was the only response she could summon to all the promise in Lee’s gravelly voice. She knew she shouldn’t but oh God, did she want this. As long as he kept saying things like that, she wouldn’t be able to deny herself, or him.

“Do you want me to fuck you?”

Closing her eyes, Savannah whimpered, suddenly afraid she might be crushed under the weight of this moment. Hell, yes, she wanted him to fuck her. Finding the words to say so, on the other hand, was a different matter altogether. Especially when it was the absolute last thing she should do.

“Open your eyes.” Lee had a hand under her chin, tipping her head back to look up at him as he caressed her lips with his thumb.

Savannah met his gaze and trembled in reaction to the undisguised lust she found there. That look alone was enough to bring her to her knees, but when Lee spoke again she realized how wrong she’d been. That look had been practically nothing. Totally inconsequential when compared to what followed.

“I know your aching little pussy is wet for me, Savannah. I know exactly what you need even if you don’t, and I’ll give it to you but you have to ask first. If you want to know how I fuck a woman, if you want to know all the ways I can make you come, if you want to know what it feels like to have me inside you, you need to ask. I want to hear you tell me you want my cock.” Lee’s hand trailed to the small of her back, his fingers splaying as he pulled her hard against him.

Savannah made a strangled sound and even she didn’t know if it was a moan or a sob. If she hadn’t been wet before, she definitely was now. How was she supposed to think with him talking and touching her like this?

“All you have to do is tell me what I already know.”

Savannah managed to find her voice then, breathless and husky though it was, as she pressed against him. “You’re so fucking arrogant.”

Lee chuckled, his hand sliding lower to cup her bottom. If she’d thought that statement might anger him she couldn’t have been more wrong. “Yes, but that doesn’t make me wrong.”

Savannah lifted her chin, her voice defiant despite the eager way she was rubbing against him. “I’ve never begged for sex in my life. I’m not going to start now just to stroke your ego.”

“I’m not asking you to beg, sweetheart. All you have to do right now is tell me you want to fuck. The begging will come later whether you want it to or not, but it’s unnecessary at the moment.”

Lee rocked against her, his cock straining in his jeans and it occurred to her now would be a good time to fold. He might be an arrogant son of a bitch but it didn’t seem to matter because she was aching for him anyway. And she wouldn’t stop aching until she’d had him.

“Okay, yes.” Savannah could hear the feverish lilt in her voice and wished she were able to be a little cooler about this.

“Yes, what?” Lee repeated his question of the previous evening with an arched brow and a wicked smile.

“I thought I didn’t have to beg?” Savannah snapped, feeling led on and deceived, but nonetheless still leaning into his touch.

“You don’t.” Lee bent his head, nipping at her jaw before meeting her gaze again to add, “But I want to hear you say the dirty, filthy words, Savannah.”

“Fuck me.” It was all Savannah could manage. She’d never been good at talking dirty, maybe because she was too shy or too inexperienced to know what to say. Fortunately, based on Lee’s answering growl, that had been good enough for him.

Savannah’s wide eyes and blushing cheeks amused Lee as he pulled her pliant body against him. Just a moment ago, when she’d found him in her living room, she had been angry and hostile and now she was soft and yielding in his arms. Her eager reaction, when he’d been half expecting her to slap him, stirred his desire for more than just fucking. What he really wanted to do was turn her over his knee and spank her for being a coward last night when she’d called him. Lee’s erection throbbed just thinking about it. Unfortunately, despite her response to his verbal demands, he had no real indication Savannah would tolerate, let alone enjoy, a spanking, so he’d just have to save that fantasy for later exploration if he got the chance.

Pushing his hand beneath her shirt, Lee skimmed her stomach until he cupped her left breast in his hand.

She gasped his name, her voice low and husky. “Levon.”

“You know, sweetheart, I never really liked my name. But just now, hearing you say it like that, I have a new appreciation for it.”

Holding her tightly against him, Lee turned her away from the bathroom door and backed Savannah against the wall. Pressing his hips against her, holding her firmly in place, he brought his other hand around so he cupped both breasts. Savannah’s head tipped back and she looked up at him, watching him through half closed eyes, her lips slightly parted. His heart thumped hard in his chest. She was so fucking beautiful.

Lee flicked his thumbs over both nipples and discovered they were pierced, the small metal rings pushing against his touch. Well, that was a surprise. Maybe she wouldn’t be opposed to some of his more depraved interests after all.

Lee grinned at her and tugged her shirt up to expose her breasts, leaning back for a better look. His breath caught as he took in the view. Full and firm, Savannah’s breasts heaved as she panted for breath. The areolas were rosy and dark, contracted tightly around her hard nipples, both decorated with a simple silver ring. Taking one of the rings between his thumb and forefinger, he gently tugged and she cried out, her hips rocking. Lee pulled again, this time a little harder, and Savannah trembled, a ragged moan escaping her lips as she pushed against him. Her reaction sent a jolt of hot anticipation straight to his cock.

Lee dropped his hands to her buttocks, lifting her, and Savannah wrapped her legs around his waist, her back pressed to the wall. He bent his head to her breast, the short, rough whiskers of his beard chafing her skin. He pulled her nipple into his mouth, rolling and sucking it between his lips; his tongue played with the ring and Savannah responded hungrily. Her back arched, pressing her breast to his mouth. She moved against him, one hand on the back of his head, her fingers entwined in his curling hair, while her other hand raked over his back. Even through his T-shirt Lee could feel Savannah’s nails clawing at him. She seemed to be as consumed with need as he was and that only enflamed him more.

Her voice was full of yearning as she gasped, “Please, Levon, please!”

Lee groaned and let her nipple slip from his mouth with a rush of possessive pleasure. The way the pale globe of her breast had reddened where his beard had scraped against her tender skin stirred him. He had done that to her and it was like a brand, claiming her, marking her as his own. Not forever, but in this moment, for now, she belonged to him and no one else.