Resisting Her. Kendall Ryan

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СКАЧАТЬ he needed to be calm if he wanted Savannah to relax too.

      A few heartbeats later she visibly relaxed, her breathing smoothing out, and her hands uncurling in her lap. Her features were entirely feminine, from her long dark hair that curled at the ends, to her almond-shaped eyes fringed in dark lashes, to her smooth, soft skin. Savannah was a natural beauty.

      Catching his own reflection in the mirror, Cole, in contrast, was all male. His jaw was shadowed in dark stubble and his body lean and sculpted with muscle, which he worked hard to maintain. Compared to Savannah, he was hard plains and jagged edges, all except for his full sensuous mouth. More than one ex-girlfriend had complimented his lips, and what he could do with his mouth. When he was with a woman, he used every weapon in his seduction arsenal — his mouth, tongue, hands, even his strength—often liking the feel of power, the crude masculinity of picking up a woman and holding her weight as he fucked her. It had been several months though since he’d taken a lover, and his body was growing restless with pent-up desire.

      Once Savannah was cleaned up, Cole stepped back and met her eyes. They were still swimming with tears and her breathing was little more than shallow gasps for air. He could tell that the slightest thing would set her off again. Shit. So much for relaxing.

      Savannah was an absolute mess. To be expected. She’d probably been through hell and back these past several days, and getting bruised up earlier had sent her over the edge. A girl like Savannah, who’d grown up so sheltered with such a strange upbringing, had no defenses to protect herself from the pure chaos this world dished up. He knew from the FBI files that the women and children were rarely seen outside the compound.

      Cole, on the other hand, was hardened, bitter, and certainly not delusional enough to believe in happily-ever-after. He’d seen too much working for the Bureau the past six years, and experienced pain firsthand when his parents were hit and killed by a meth addict who was drunk and high at the time of the accident. Still, he felt for Savannah, felt sorry for her in a way. She wasn’t the type to fare well on her own, that was obvious.

      He lifted her chin and rubbed a slow circle against her jaw. ‘I’ve got you. It’s going to okay.’

      She gave a heavy nod and somber eyes met his. ‘So what happens now?’

      Cole could read the apprehension on her face. The honest truth was, he didn’t know what happened next, but he knew one thing was certain; he wasn’t taking her back to that house. They both needed some sleep, and they would figure the rest out later. ‘Now we sleep. Come on, I’ll show you around.’

      He helped her from the counter, and led her through the condo, giving her a brief tour. He guided Savannah to the living room and encouraged her to sit on the sofa. He was about to turn and head for the kitchen to get her some water and pain reliever, but she silently took his hand and held it in her own, her eyes pleading with him to stay.

      He sat down beside her and she wordlessly lowered her head to rest against his thigh, nestling herself into him. Cole couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think. He dared not move with her head resting on his denim clad thigh. She bent her legs up onto the couch beside her, curling into the fetal position, and closed her eyes. He didn’t know what to do with his hands and settled for fisting one beside him, and placed the other carefully on Savannah’s shoulder. He let her sleep, unwilling to rustle her from the spot she’d claimed.

      When he woke a short time later, it took him a moment to realize who the warm body pressed against him belonged to. Savannah. He lifted his head and surveyed his body, and in turn hers. They had shifted in sleep so that he was stretched out on his back, and she was lying half on him, and half on the couch. Savannah woke when he moved and their eyes flicked to each other’s. He mumbled an apology and disentangled himself from her grip.

      He scrubbed a hand across his jaw. He’d never felt so out of place in his own house. The rumble of Savannah’s stomach made him smile and broke some of the tension. She clapped a hand over her belly. ‘Are you hungry?’ He chuckled.

      ‘Yes.’ She nodded.

      ‘Come on. Let’s see what we can rustle up in the kitchen.’ He led her into the large kitchen at the front of his condo. ‘I have to warn you though, I don’t cook.’

      ‘I do.’ Her hand on his forearm stopped him, and she motioned for him to take a seat at a stool tucked under the kitchen island. ‘Let me.’

      ‘Are you sure you’re up for that?’ Cole questioned.

      ‘It’ll help me feel better, more normal. I used to cook all the time at the compound.’

      Cole relented, sinking onto the seat. The time blinked at him from the clock on the microwave. It was three in the morning. He suddenly found himself thankful that he didn’t have to go to work in a few hours, though given the hour, he wasn’t as tired as he expected. He watched Savannah move about his kitchen, surveying the sad contents of his fridge, removing items from the pantry and cabinets as she went.

      ‘Sorry I don’t have much.’

      ‘You have eggs,’ she said, placing the carton on the counter.

      He frowned, not able to recall the last time he went grocery shopping. ‘You might want to check the expiration date on those.’

      She lifted the carton to read the date printed on the bottom. ‘Hmm. We don’t have eggs.’ She pulled a box from the pantry. ‘Pasta then.’

      It didn’t escape his notice that she’d said we, implying it was the two of them together against all the bullshit they’d suffered so far. He didn’t know what to make of that, but nodded. ‘Fine.’ She was holding up surprisingly well, given the craziness of the situation.

      She dumped an entire package of penne pasta into a pot of boiling, salted water. Cole watched her movements, and decided he liked having her in his kitchen. A satisfied little smile tugged at her lips, and she moved about effortlessly.

      Only once they were seated in the small breakfast nook, nibbling on pasta with a rich sauce she made from milk, butter and parmesan cheese, did he venture to ask about her past.

      ‘Can I ask you a few questions about the compound…and how you grew up?’ He knew some of the details from reading the files on the case, but he wanted to hear the story in Savannah’s own words.

      She nodded reluctantly. Her eyes were skittish—looking anywhere but at him.

      ‘You just let me know if there’s anything you’re not comfortable answering. And we won’t talk about it.’ He didn’t intend to push her too far tonight. She’d been through enough, but he figured if she was going to be staying in his home, there was some basic information he’d need to know, if only to make sure she felt as comfortable as possible.

      ‘What was it like growing up there?’

      She took a deep breath and began reiterating some of what he’d read in the case files. Jacob wanted to create a perfect community: they grew their own food, sold goods at farmer’s markets, and were entirely self-contained. He taught them that the outside world was a dangerous place, and that people were dirty and couldn’t be trusted. He taught them that germs and diseases spread from sexual contact would eventually kill off most of the population and they wouldn’t be able to procreate, so Jacob’s followers needed to separate themselves to live cleanly.

      ‘How did your mother get involved?’ Cole asked.

      Savannah СКАЧАТЬ