License to Love (78 page)

“I would.”

“Are you looking for excuses, Jason?” she asked. He hadn’t
seen that one coming. “If you want to do something different, I think you
should.”

“I don’t. I’ve always wanted to be a firefighter. I still
do.” It’d been his dream for as long as he could remember, and he had never
wanted anything more, not until he had met Savanna.

Knowing that she supported his career choice left him in awe
of her strength. He remembered Margaret saying Savanna didn’t recognize that
about herself, but he did. “I love you, Savanna.”

She mouthed the same back to him with gleaming eyes. Their
food came and they were quiet, especially since Savanna had a limited time to
eat.

“I guess I’d better let you get back to work.”

She exhaled, her expression unhappy. “I know.”

He hated to see her like that, but he planned to do
something about it. After he paid, they went to the car so she could drive him
home.

“Jason,” she said as she started the car and backed up. “I’m
touched that you asked.”

When she glanced over, their eyes met briefly. He couldn’t
look away from her, from the woman he loved so much that he would quit his job
if she asked.

Wednesday, while Savanna worked, Jason got a ride back to
the station. He pulled Trevor aside to explain the situation about Rachael and
asked him to talk to Mindy about it. When he joined Savanna at her place that
night, he could tell how hard it was for her not to ask about it. She fixed
dinner for Aubrey, but the two of them were too preoccupied to be hungry. She
put Aubrey to bed, and they sat together.

“I may not hear from Trevor right away,” Jason said, sitting
with her curled up in his lap. “When I know, you’ll know.”

He’d said the last word as his cell phone rang. “It’s Alex,
my boss,” he said and answered. She sat beside him while he listened to his
fire chief. Even though Jason had expected this call—and this news—it felt so
good to hear it. He ended the call and told her, “He’s sure he wants me back.”

“So it’s official.”

“Yup, he said my leave is over, and I can get back whenever
I want. I told him the cast is coming off soon, and he thinks I can find
something to do at the station till I’m up to going on calls.”

“Congratulations.” She wrapped herself around him. “But I
never doubted it.” She all but pushed him back on the couch, kissing him with
purpose. He felt his body tighten, yearning for her, and couldn’t stop from
running his hands up her jeans to her hips, her waist, molding over her curves.
He moved then and felt the cast.

“No more mistakes,” he said to himself, but his words made
her sit up and look at him. The hurt in her eyes dug a hole right through him.
“Are you mad I’ve been waiting?”

She placed her palms on both sides of his face before she
ran her thumb over his lips, all while chewing on her own lips in frustration.
He felt it, too.

“I’m a mistake? Making love to me would be a mistake?”

“No, that’s not it.” He didn’t know how to explain. He
tried. “Things aren’t right yet.”

Her hands rested together on his chest, and that’s where her
gaze stayed as well. He watched for a long, quiet minute. Then she slowly
raised her gaze and made eye contact.

“Things with us are right.” That’s all she said. And the
truth of it hit him hard.

Holding this woman felt so good and so right. He knew he
loved her and knew he would give her all of himself.

She leaned down and kissed him softly at first but then grew
more urgent. He tangled his fingers into her hair and kissed her back with the
same passion, feeling their bodies pressing together, moving together in need. Her
hands slid down to the button on his shorts and he felt it give.

His mind went blank except for feeling her. He undid her
pants and she yanked them off, too needy to undress any further. They left
words behind for noises. At first, they were frantic for each other. After all
the waiting and teasing, the floodwaters crashed in.

Then he got caught up in the meaning of it all. He’d been
waiting for this, holding out for this, and now it felt totally, completely
right.

Savanna made him a better man. She also knew how to turn him
on in so many ways, on so many levels. This was even more special than he had
been imagining.

Maybe she felt his shift in mood. After he slowly pulled her
shirt off, she kissed a trail up his neck, to his mouth. This was sweet
pleasure and something deeper. She rested her forehead against his, and their
gazes locked. With a smile, he undid her bra and let it fall free.

Finally he could caress all the curves he’d dreamed about,
skin to skin. She seemed to like the feel of his hands skimming slowly up her
back.

Watching how his hands affected her, he was able to slow
down. He wanted to watch her and remember this. 

“I’ve waited a long time to feel all of you against me,” he
breathed, awed, wanting to feel every inch of her skin.

“Me . . .
too
.” She spoke so breathlessly, her hands
gripping his shoulders in sudden release, that he lost his control. She took
him with her in climax.

She collapsed onto him, breathing into his neck for several
satisfied minutes. Then, “You’ll stay here tonight?”

His hand slid up her back, caressing. “Of course.”

He’d stay tonight, but he wanted every night after, too.

Fourteen

Jason sat in the station the next morning, talking with
Mark. Trevor came in, and Jason gave him a subtle glance. After Trevor’s small
nod, Jason got away and met him in the hall.

Trevor gave the hall a glance in both directions and leaned
on the wall. “Brian Howells.”

“Never heard of him.” He’d been thinking it would be someone
he knew. Then again, Rachael knew all kinds of people outside of Jason and
Mike’s circle of friends. Jason shoved his hands into his pockets and waited
for the rest.

“He works for a private contractor who painted Rachael’s apartment
complex last summer. Mindy got wind of it from someone living there, so I
checked it out.” Trevor left the rest unsaid. Jason didn’t care that Rachael
had known the guy before he dated her or even while they were together. That
wasn’t the issue here.

“So she was seeing him in February?” From what he’d learned
through Mindy, that would have to be when she became pregnant.

“They were on and off again for quite a while,” Trevor said.
“I’m going to stop by his house and see if he’ll talk to me.” At his words,
Jason straightened. Trevor shook his head. “Listen, Jason, if you go over
there, he’ll think it’s about you, and it’s not. It’s about Mike. Let me go
alone.”

“Fine.” Jason huffed out a breath. “I just need him to say
he probably got Rachael pregnant. No one saw her and Mike together, so Brian’s
word should work.”

“Remember, this is to prove Mike’s innocence to other
people, and to Cassie, if she needs it.”

They both knew Cassie wouldn’t need evidence. Jason didn’t,
either, and said, “I’ve never doubted. I just know other people like to talk.”

 “Yeah, Rachael likes to gossip for attention, and I think
Savanna’s right about her,” Trevor added. “She got jealous when she saw the two
of you together.”

 “Probably just a sick joke to her,” Jason agreed. After
they both nodded, Trevor left, and Jason went to the closest phone to call
Savanna.

With Jason’s arms wrapped around her, Savanna stood looking
out the kitchen window, leaning back into him. They’d spent the day playing
outside with Aubrey in the bright, crunchy autumn air before coming home to
barbecue. Now Aubrey was sound asleep. Savanna sighed, watching the pleasant
day turn into evening.

“We need to talk to Cassie soon,” Jason said, breaking her
out of her lulled state.

“She needs to know the truth about Rachael before the rumors
get back to her,” Savanna agreed. “Then again, that might give her another
reason to be upset . . . when she finds out about us.”

“It’s time we told her.”

Savanna shut her eyes because they grew dry, stinging. “I
should have talked to her by now. I can’t seem to get anything right anymore.”

It felt right to lean into Jason. They felt right together.
It was the rest of her life that needed work.

“Don’t talk like that. We’ll talk to Cassie tomorrow, beg for
her mercy, and tell her everything about Rachael.” He spoke in a low, quiet
voice next to her ear. His body must have awakened to the feel of her against
him because he leaned into the crook of her neck and breathed in her scent.
When she felt his warm lips on her, she giggled, “You’re tickling me!”

He grabbed her around the waist and pulled her closer
against his chest. “Sorry, I wasn’t meaning to.”

After that, his mouth wasn’t tickling. Jason found her
earlobe, and she wondered if he meant to drive her nuts, especially when he
turned her around and found her mouth.

“You taste like your sweet tea,” he said as his hand slid
under her shirt to touch her back. She pressed closer to him and then reached
back to undo her bra, wanting his hands all over her bare skin. When he felt
her clothing come loose, Jason’s head lifted, and he looked at her, his eyes fiery.

“Touch me more,” Savanna whispered, knowing he could make
her forget her worries and everything else, except his teasing. His hands slid
around her side, to her stomach, and then under her loose bra. He cupped her
breast with one hand, while his other slid around to her bottom, so he could
pull her body against his.

His breath was hot on her skin, tickling and caressing at
the same time. She tugged his sweater up and flattened her hands on his stomach
and sides. “Aren’t you getting hot in this? We can take it off.”

His hand moved over her skin and slipped just inside the top
of her jeans, brushing her hips. She’d throw him on the floor if his leg wasn’t
still healing.

I can tease, too
. She pushed her fingers up into his
hair, pulling him closer, and leaning her hips against him.

The doorbell rang.

“No, no!” She pulled him against her, pleading, “Let’s
ignore it.”

He leaned over enough to see out the front window. “That’s
Cassie’s car.”

She sighed, almost crying, but she could see the car under
the streetlight.

“Honey.” He kissed her forehead. “It must be important if
she came over here.”

“You’re right.”

“I’ll hide out in your room. I’m not sure she’d be happy to see
me here.” He redid her bra and headed upstairs.

Savanna swung the door open to find Cassie about to knock.
“Hey! Come on in. You haven’t seen the place yet.”

Cassie didn’t come in but stood there with a wounded look in
her eyes. Savanna felt a thump in her chest, like the thump of a judge’s gavel
after a guilty verdict.

 This wasn’t supposed to happen until tomorrow, and she was
supposed to go to Cassie to talk, but she wasn’t sure whether Cassie had heard
about Rachael or about her and Jason, so she just waited.

“So you and Jason are official now? And you’ve hardly
mentioned it to me?”

“We were planning to talk to you tomorrow, actually.”

Cassie folded her arms and gazed off to the side, giving a
weak nod. “You were kissing in the park. Someone was bound to tell me. Why
didn’t you?”

“Cassie, I couldn’t.”

“That’s not fair.” Cassie looked at her in disbelief. “You
know how I feel about him.”

Struggling to control her frustration, Savanna replied, “And
that’s exactly why I couldn’t tell you yet.”

“Maybe you could have stayed away from him in the first
place.”

“That’s not fair to me. I’ve held my tongue and let you feel
the way you want, but you have to let go of it sometime.”

Cassie reacted like she’d slapped her. With a shake of her
head, Cassie turned and hurried back to her car. Savanna stared, dumbfounded,
as Cassie drove away.

“Is Cassie okay?” Jason asked as he came down the stairs.

Savanna slowly shut the door, feeling rattled. “She knows
about us.”

Jason sighed and moved closer, resting his arms over her
hips and around her.

“She thinks I lied to her.” Savanna closed her eyes and
rested her forehead against him. “I couldn’t tell her about Rachael.”

“I’m sorry, baby. This is my fault.” He whispered, stroking
up and down her back like soft waves caressing the beach.

“Please don’t say that.” She’d made the choice to be with
Jason, and she’d also made the choice to help both him and Cassie. Feeling a
new resolve, Savanna said, “I’m going to her house to try and talk this out.”

When she looked up, she found approval in Jason’s eyes.
Leaning down, he kissed her soft and slow.

As Savanna came up the steps, Cassie opened her door with
her eyes already narrowed, gearing up for a fight. In her mind, Savanna still
pictured her with a smile on her face all the time. She’d always been so
pretty, so full of life.

“I want to talk,” Savanna said, her voice soft. “You’re my
best friend, and I want you to be happy”

Cassie’s lips drew into a tight line. She looked down
suddenly, so Savanna guessed she might be nearly in tears.

Savanna stepped closer. “I made a mistake by not telling you
sooner. I hid my relationship with Jason because I wanted to be there for you.”
She shivered in the chilly, autumn air.

“You thought I wouldn’t mind when I found out you’d lied?”

Lied?
That felt like such a strong word. But maybe
she had, not with words but with her actions. “I’m sorry.” Why wouldn’t Cassie
look up? Say something? “You know Jason’s a good firefighter. Wasn’t he a good
friend to Mike? And to you? He’s been so caring toward me and Aubrey. He’s been
worried about you all this time, too.” Savanna kept going, talking while she
had Cassie listening to her. “He wasn’t there when Mike died. He can’t help
that.”