Resisting Her (11 page)

Cole managed not to spill his coffee, setting
the mug down with shaky hands. “Yeah, cook, and ah,
housekeeper.”

Marissa broke off a small bite of the scone
and popped it in her mouth. “Oh my God. These are amazing.”

Cole relaxed into his seat. Savannah was an
amazing cook, which lent a certain amount of credibility to their
story.

“So is she why you’ve been hiding out?”

“I haven’t been hiding, Marissa. Just busy is
all.”

“Uh huh.”

Pulling something over on Marissa was near
impossible. He knew from personal experience — she’d discovered his
porn stash when he was fourteen, his pot when he was sixteen and of
course both times she’d turned him in to their parents. She’d
always been like a second mother to him, despite being only three
years older.

They continued with small talk, Marissa
complaining about her latest dating mishap — a blind date she’d met
online who’d handed her his resume and the results of his recent
physical on their first date. “I swear I attract the strangest
men.”

Cole grunted a response. He found that if he
occasionally nodded in agreement, their conversations went
smoother.

“Can I use your bathroom?”

Cole perked up. “Ah, yeah, just use the one
in my room. I’m not sure where Savannah is.”

“Kay.” Marissa sauntered off towards his
room.

She was back a minute later, her face alight
with playful suspicion. “Cook and housekeeper huh?”

Cole’s brow furrowed. “What?”

“And that’s why her panties are on the floor
in your bathroom.”

Fuck
. Cole had forgotten that she’d
taken a bath in his Jacuzzi tub that morning. She’d left behind a
tiny pair of pink panties lying on the bath mat, which he’d stood
and stared at for a good ten minutes, unsure what to do with. He’d
ultimately left them there, thinking maybe she’d come back for
them.

Cole stalked from the room, grabbing the
panties from where they lay on the floor and stuffed them into the
bathroom drawer. Dammit. He would not have Marissa making a big
deal about this. He didn’t want Savannah embarrassed, or worse,
ashamed. She hadn’t done anything wrong. But he knew that sooner or
later, Marissa would figure out the truth – well maybe not the
actual truth – that Savannah was a refugee from the cult, but most
likely she’d come to the conclusion that they were dating and then
pepper Savannah with questions. He couldn’t let that happen.

Returning to the living room, he pulled
Marissa aside. “Listen. She’s not my cook, or my housekeeper.”

Her mouth curled into a grin. “No shit. Well
it’s about freaking time you started dating someone! How am I ever
going to be an auntie if you don’t find a girl? I mean, I want kids
of my own, but you know the next best thing would be…”

“Stop.” Cole held a hand up. “She’s not my
girlfriend, either. Savannah’s only nineteen.”

Marissa’s hands flew to her hips. “Damn. A
little young, don’t you think? And if you haven’t forgotten, your
date with my friend Sali is next weekend. I want to make sure
you’re not involved with another woman. Girl. Whatever.”

“Listen, I’ll explain everything to you, but
I need you to trust me.”

Her gaze softened. “I do trust you, Colby.
You know that.”

He nodded. “Then come sit down.” He led her
to the sofa and settled in across from her.

Thankfully, he didn’t have to worry about
Savannah overhearing, because just then she emerged from her room,
saying she needed to take Cuddles outside. Marissa, of course, had
to meet Cuddles, which resulted in lots of baby talk and snuggling
the little beast. Cole made himself scarce, pouring them another
cup of coffee and grabbing more scones.

Once Savannah was outside, Cole explained the
whole story about finding Savannah at the compound, rescuing her
from that crappy halfway house and that she’d been living with him
for three weeks in secret. He knew the Bureau would freak if they
knew, but he didn’t have it in him to send her away. He left out
the part about Savannah invading his brain at pretty much every
waking hour, making it hard to concentrate at work, the gym, and
especially at home.

Marissa remained silent while he spoke,
nodding and looking concerned. “Wow. That’s quite a story. Tell me
the truth, Cole, are you two… lovers?” She swallowed roughly.

Cole knew the wrong answer would earn him a
thump upside the head, but he answered truthfully —that he hadn’t
so much as touched her. Not sexually at least.

“Good. She’s too young for you.”

“And too damaged,” Cole pointed out. “She
sees a therapist though and seems to be doing better.”

“And the dog?”

“Her therapist’s idea. Animal therapy or
something like that.”

“Hmpf.” Marissa nodded. “Are you sure you
know what you’re doing Colby?”

“Yes.”
No
.

“Well don’t forget about the date with Sali.
You’re still going, right?”

“Course.”
Crap
. He’d hoped to get out
of that. “I’ll go on the date—
if
you’ll do me a favor.” Cole
turned on his best
pretty please
for your little
brother
smile. “Take Savannah shopping?” He fished his credit
card from his pocket and handed it to her. “She needs clothes,
shoes—she needs pretty much everything.”

She jerked the card from his hand with a
grin. “Now that I can do.”

Savanna returned a few minutes later with
Cuddles nestled in her arms like she was the damn thing’s personal
throne. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes, and eased the dog
out of her grasp. “I’ll watch Cuddles. I want you to go with
Marissa to buy some new clothes, and whatever else you need,
okay?”

She studied his expression for just a second
before her face broke out in a huge grin. “Okay.” She lifted on her
toes and planted a kiss to his cheek. “Thank you.”

“Go on now,” he managed.

Once Savannah and Marissa were gone Cole was
drawn like a magnet back into his master bath. He pulled open the
drawer containing Savannah’s panties and stared down at the small
piece of illicit fabric. Pale pink lace panties. He would have
taken Savannah for more of a white cotton briefs kind of girl. He
held them up to inspect. They were high cut, likely showing off
generous portions of her perfect ass.
Da-mn.
He tossed the
panties onto the vanity and turned on the shower.

As steamy vapors lazily drifted toward the
ceiling, he couldn’t resist any longer. He brought the panties to
his nose and inhaled the pungent feminine aroma. His cock jumped at
the scent. He’d been fantasizing about Savannah for far too long
and if he didn’t get some relief soon he was going to combust.

With one hand still clutching the panties,
his other worked to free himself from the confines of his jeans. He
was already rock hard, his dick swollen and ready. He stroked
himself hard and fast, pumping without mercy as Savannah’s scent
filled his senses. His long measured strokes turned harder, uneven,
as his thoughts turned towards Savannah. Her soft skin, her
preference to be held in his arms, and the light feminine scent of
her skin. He pumped faster, praying for relief to come. His legs
trembled, and he reached one hand to the counter to support his
weight just as his orgasm hit.

Cole and his older sister shared a
resemblance in their coloring—both had dark hair and inquisitive,
yet kind, mocha-colored eyes. But the similarities ended there.
Whereas Cole was the strong, silent type, Marissa was talkative and
outgoing.

On the way there, she overwhelmed Savannah
with questions and, unused to talking about herself so much,
Savannah struggled to keep up as they moved through topics ranging
from her upbringing to her future plans.

Yes, she liked living with Cole.

Yes, she missed the compound, but only
because of all the little ones. There was always something that
needed doing and she liked feeling useful.

No, she’d never dated.

No, nothing was going on between her and
Cole.

Why did everyone keep asking her that? And
why did they seem surprised when she said nothing was? Perhaps they
thought like Jacob, that a man’s only interest in her was physical,
but so far Cole had given her no indication that was the case.

Marissa misread her silence. “It’s okay, you
can trust Cole.”

Savannah merely nodded. Somehow she knew
that.

A few minutes later, Marissa parked in the
mall’s overflow lot, and then turned to look at Savannah. “You
ready to do some damage?” she smiled.

“Sure.”

They set off for the entrance, Savannah
hesitating at the automatic gliding doors. Marissa stopped at her
side.

“Are you okay? Being in public like
this?”

Savannah nodded, though she supposed it was a
fair question, this was a new experience for her. One of many
lately. “Are you kidding, I’ve dreamt of this moment.”

Savannah dutifully followed Marissa into at
least a dozen different stores, accepted armfuls of clothes,
modeled the garments in the fitting room, and graciously waited
while Marissa looked her over, commenting on what worked, and what
didn’t. When they made their way up to the register, Marissa piled
the clothes onto the counter and handed over Cole’s credit
card.

Savannah snatched back a few of the garments.
“It’s okay. I don’t need all of these. Just because they fit
doesn’t mean I should get all of them.”

Marissa took the items from her and handed
them back to the cashier, frowning at Savannah.

“Marissa,” Savannah pleaded. “This is too
much. I can’t let Cole pay for all this.” She would never be able
to pay Cole back at this rate.

Marissa rolled her eyes. “Oh yes you can. And
you will. That boy’s got more money than he knows what to do with.
Every week he stuffs his paycheck in the bank for savings. Besides,
he told me to make sure you get everything you need. If I bring you
back with one little bag of stuff, he’ll be pissed. Trust me.”

Savannah couldn’t really imagine Cole being
pissed off, but she trusted Marissa, and she didn’t want to be
responsible for making him angry. Especially since he had done so
much for her already. She nodded her head in acquiescence.

But Savannah did draw the line at getting
herself one of the gorgeous handbags she noticed in the department
store they went to. She didn’t
need
it. So it felt wrong to
indulge at Cole’s expense, despite Marissa’s urgings.

Several pairs of jeans later, more than a
dozen tops, three pairs of shoes, an assortment of bras and
panties, and even a little bit of makeup, Savannah was exhausted.
They stopped for lunch at Marissa’s favorite Mexican restaurant,
where she had her first ever burrito, a delicious vegetarian
concoction. She made a mental note to prepare for Cole at home
sometime.

***

“This is it? This is all you got?” Cole
pursued the half-dozen shopping bags littering the entryway to his
condo.

“Told you.” Marissa shot a satisfied look at
Savannah.

Savannah walked over to Cole and hugged her
arms around his waist, sucking the breath from his lungs, more out
of surprise than anything else. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” He patted her back
carefully while Marissa scrutinized them.

Savannah shuffled off to her room, toting
several of the bags.

“You guys got a chance to talk?” Cole asked
his sister.

Marissa nodded, handing him the last of the
shopping bags. “Yes, she’s a really nice girl. Despite her
upbringing, she’s surprisingly normal. She’s got a good head on her
shoulders.”

He agreed, peeking into a pink bag filled
with panties. Whoa. His eyes shot back up to Marissa’s, hoping his
desire wasn’t reflected in his eyes. “Yeah, thanks for taking her
out.”

Savannah returned, carrying Cuddles on her
hip. “Thanks for today. Both of you.” Savannah smiled.

“Oh! And guess what?” Marissa asked, looking
at Cole.” We ran into Levi outside and guess what? Savannah is
going on her very first date!” Marissa squealed.

Savannah’s eyes nervously darted to Cole’s,
as if bracing for his response.

Damn meddling Marissa had gone too far this
time. Way too fucking far. “No,” he barked out. He turned to stalk
off for his bedroom.

He heard Marissa tell Savannah that she’d fix
this and she trailed after him down the hall. Cole didn’t bother to
lock his bedroom door, knowing Marissa would beat on it and demand
to be let in, or carry on the conversation through the door,
probably loud enough that the neighbors would hear.

He heard the door open as she slipped in
behind him, but Cole remained facing the window, looking down on
the traffic below. He didn’t even want to think about Savannah
dating. “She’s not ready for that, Rissa. You need to stop
interfering. Not everyone wants to fucking date all the damn time.
Just because you’re over thirty and single, and miserable being
alone, doesn’t mean everyone else is too. Christ…” He ran his hands
through his hair, pulling it in opposing angles and released a
heavy sigh.

When he turned and faced Marissa, his
expression softened. Damn, her lip was trembling.

“I was trying to help. Savannah’s nineteen
going on twenty soon, Cole. She wants to date. She wants to be
normal. She told me that herself.”

“She wants to date?”

“Yes. Maybe it’s time you stopped treating
her like she’s some sick little kid, and let her spread her wings a
little. She’s young and she’s been hurt, but she’s not stupid.”

Fuck. Marissa had spent one afternoon with
Savannah and had already gotten more out of her than he had. He
looked at Marissa and saw the hurt in her eyes . She’d only been
trying to help, and he’d snapped at her. “Hey, I’m sorry about what
I said. You know that any guy would be lucky to have you.”