Her hair fell from its pins, curtaining us as we kissed. I was all at once immersed in her body, her scent, her spell. Pressure raged and roiled inside me until release hit in a crash of light and sensation and sound. She quivered around me and cried out. I wrapped her in my arms, refusing to let go. I’d waited so long for our union that it now seemed like a fragile, fleeting dream. If I moved, I’d wake and she’d be gone.
“Savannah?” some guy called from down the hall. “Babe, where the hell are you?”
“Shit.” In a mad dash, she climbed off me to pull up her panties and pull down her dress.
I tucked myself in, then zipped and buttoned my fly.
“My hair…Shit…” Crystal pins glinted in the moonlight pooled on the wood floor. She snatched them up, using the mirror above a display of women’s golf sweaters to twist her mane back to some semblance of its former glory. Finished, she asked, “How do I look?”
Spellbinding—only our spell had been broken. “You’re gorgeous.”
She kissed me quick. “Thanks. Are we good?”
Unable to speak past the nine-iron lodged in my throat, I nodded.
“There you are.” A douchebag, fratty sort rounded the corner.
“Chad. Hi. I’m sorry. Garrett and I were reminiscing and lost track of time.”
“Oh, hey.” Fratty held out his hand for me to shake. “You’re the long-lost brother I’m always hearing about, but never met.”
I shook the guy’s hand, but wasn’t happy about it.
“Chad and I both snagged Boston residencies, only we’ll be at different hospitals.”
“Sucks to be me.” Chad pulled her against him, kissing the crown of her head.
I fucking hated him. “So,” I forced myself to ask, “are you two an item?”
Chad said, “As much as you can be in med school, huh, babe?”
“That’s about right.” Her green gaze met mine, and spoke an encyclopedia of regret. You won’t tell, right? We’ll never speak of this again? “Well, this has been fun, but I guess I’d better get back to my own party.”
“Sure.” I wanted to at least give her a hug, but instead, shoved my hands in my pockets. The Patrón on top of my earlier scotch shredded my guts. “You two enjoy what’s left of the night. I’ll have Dad’s driver run me home.”
“Probably a good idea,” Savannah said. “That way you’ll be fresh for tomorrow. Daddy chartered a plane, and we’re all flying to Biloxi to play slots and drink Long Island Iced Teas.”
“Mmm…Sounds like a good time.” Her father had died when she’d been young, so she’d adopted mine. I fucking hated it when she called him Daddy. It made me feel like more of a perv than I already was. “Chad, are you joining us?”
“You bet.” He kissed my stepsister’s full, gorgeous, delicious lips. “Now that we’re out of school, I’m hoping to never be apart.”
“Great.” For Savannah, I pasted on a smile. If the douchebag made her happy, I’d support her. It wasn’t as if I had another choice. For all practical purposes, what happened between us had to be erased. It shouldn’t have happened the first time, and it would never happen again.
To ensure there were no awkward aftereffects, I got the hell out of the club and state.
By morning, thanks to my own chartered flight, I was back in California where I belonged.