Saving Sarah (2 page)

Chapter 2

Sarah stood in the bathroom of her small one bedroom apartment, the same one she’d had for the last ten years. Silence filled the enclosed space, threatening to suffocate her. Her platinum blonde hair hung in waves to her elbows as she took in her reflection. Overall, she looked good. The short, sexy, black dress gave off the impression of what she supposedly would be looking for, but she’d kill to throw on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt.

Out of nowhere, she started shaking. Panic penetrated all the way to her bones. Her mind was screaming for her not to go out tonight. The air even felt electrically charged while she continued to take in her five foot eight inch frame in the mirror. This wasn’t the first time this had happened. The last week had been full of panic attacks.

“It’s nothing. You’re going to be fine, Sarah. You worry too much, that’s all. Maybe you need this. What’s one guy? After tonight, you can take another break.” She looked at herself and laughed. “Great, now you’re talking to yourself. It’s only downhill from here, darling.”

She took one last look in the mirror and grabbed her purse. Tonight, she’d be fine. If she repeated that enough, maybe she would believe it.

Not an hour, and two drinks, later, pop music died out and some song Sarah had never heard before filled the crowded bar. Smoke hung heavily in the air as she weaved her way through the crowds. Music pulsed through her body, courtesy of the increasing volume, but the vibrations from the bass weren’t the only things making her crave to be touched.

The blond man dressed in casual jeans and a tight, fitted, black T-shirt was her mark, her bet, and for tonight, her ultimate salvation. He’d numb the needs she’d begun to feel, and his contact would get her through the next few weeks.

Something about the way he stood there staring at her from across the room pulled her in his direction. From the moment he was pointed out to her, she knew she wanted him, had to have him. He’d be the first bet she took in weeks, and she couldn’t help but think the wait was well worth it.

“Sarah, wait!”

Quickly, she turned around to spy Julie running toward her. The blonde highlights scattered throughout her dark hair turned neon yellow in the black light. She looked gorgeous in a pair of tight-fitting jeans and a cute, sparkly tank top.

“What? You haven’t chosen someone else, have you? I really like this one.”

Julie looked toward the blond and smiled. “No, I haven’t changed my mind. Just thought I’d come and up the stakes.”

 
“What do you mean?”

Sarah narrowed her eyes. The blue of Julie’s eyes blazed mischievously. She let out a giggle, covered her mouth, and then turned to look at the table toward Stephen, Brandon, and Evelyn.

Slowly, Sarah followed her gaze and caught the wink from the pale, dark-haired Brandon. The gold of his eyes nearly made her heart stop. Damn, Evelyn was lucky to have snatched the two hottest guys in Port Aransas area. Despite Brandon’s good looks, she didn’t miss that mischievous look he had painted across his face. If he had anything to do with Julie’s sudden appearance, it wasn’t good.

“Brandon said he’s got a bet for you. Blondie,
plus,
”
Julie smiled even bigger, “him. If you can convince both of them to go home with you, he’ll buy your drinks for a year.”

Sarah sighed. “Well, for one, Mr. Gorgeous isn’t part of our game so he doesn’t get to dictate who I decide to go home with. For two, I have no desire to take two men into my bed at this time. One is plenty and complicated enough to get rid of. Two would be impossible. I have no idea how Evelyn even puts up with the both of them. Too much testosterone if you ask me.”

She turned to see the new guy in question and froze. Wide chest, taller than any man in the room, he was gorgeous and, heartbreakingly enough, her high school sweetheart. Devon was dressed in cowboy boots, tight jeans, and wore a cowboy hat to cover his dark brown hair. He looked nothing like the carefree rebellious kid she’d dated throughout her teenage years, the one who wore holey jeans and a leather jacket. She felt her chest shake from the rhythm of her heart.

“Hey, are you okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost. I think your tan just melted off.”

“What?” She looked at Julie, but didn’t truly see her. All she could see were memories and images of the two of them. Visions that haunted her every day.

Stop this, Sarah! Just pretend he didn’t stomp all over everything you’re made of.
But she couldn’t ignore what happened between them. The fact that she and Devon shared such an intimate past couldn’t be overlooked. At seventeen, she’d lost her virginity to him, got pregnant, and then tragically lost the baby when she was only three months along. Too many “what ifs” plagued her every moment, awake or asleep.

“I said are you all right? Geez, what in the hell is the matter with you? You’re getting paler by the second. Here, come sit down. If you faint, there’s no way in hell I’ll be able to lift your tall ass off the floor.”

Dizziness escalated the longer she stared at Devon from across the room. Aching in her chest quickly turned to anger. Where exactly had he been? The day after she lost the baby, he disappeared. She’d never heard a word from him. Had everything they shared meant nothing to him? How could someone be so heartless?

Julie led her to the table. Numbly, she sat down across from Evelyn and her men. Without thinking, she picked up her martini and drank it in one shift motion.

“All right, Sarah. Who’s the guy?”

“You know Devon?” Brandon asked, leaning toward her.

“She can’t know him. He just moved here,” Stephen said, looking in the direction of the tall cowboy.

“That’s Devon?
The
Devon?” Evelyn reached across the table and grabbed Sarah’s hand. “Honey, look at me. Is that him?”

The tears threatened, but she looked up. “Yeah, that’s him. Listen, I think maybe I should go. I can’t…”

Evelyn squeezed her hand. “Wait, let me explain before you leave upset. He’s one of the guys here for the wedding. I’m so sorry. I didn’t know. I’ll make sure your paths don’t cross again. I can’t imagine what you’re going through.”

“What did he do?” Stephen asked.

“Later,” Evelyn whispered.

“I have to go. Sarah leaned over toward the wall to grab her purse. She knew she shouldn’t have come out tonight. Something kept nagging at her. Why didn’t she listen to her intuition? What was she going to do now? Could she avoid him long enough for him to return to wherever he came from? All she knew was that she needed to flee, and fast.

“If he hurt her, I want to know,” Stephen said with a low growl from across the table.

Stunned, she looked up. “No, it’s not what you think. It wasn’t like that at all, not what you’re implying, anyway. We went to high school and dated for a while. Let’s just say things didn’t end well.”

“I’m sorry. If I would have known, I never would have said anything,” Brandon whispered.

“It’s fine, really. Now, I have to go.”

Sarah stood up swiftly, only to stand eye level with a very large chest. She didn’t even have to guess who it might be. “Fuck,” she whispered shakily to herself. She closed her eyes, slowing her breathing. She would
not
show him how scared she felt.

A rough finger brought her chin up so she stared directly into Devon’s eyes. The light gray color penetrated into her very soul until she thought she’d surely break into a thousand pieces. Renewed pain fluttered through her chest. He looked so different, yet not. The soft features of boyhood were long gone, transformed into the most gorgeous face she’d ever seen. The thought of what he’d turned into made her heart break even more. She’d missed it all.

Angry at the sensations filling her body, she slapped his hand away from her face. Words wouldn’t come, but he didn’t have a problem figuring out the unspoken thoughts running through her head. He immediately put his hand down.

“You look more beautiful than I remember. How have you been?”

The hoarseness of his voice somehow invisibly caressed her skin. Her traitorous body leaned in his direction until they weren’t more than an inch away from each other.

“I’ve been great. Never better. You?”

A pained looked passed his features only for a split second, but it was enough to make her stomach flip multiple times. She couldn’t ignore how she wasn’t the only one affected by their past.

“Fine, I guess.”

“Great.” Sarah put on a fake smile, trying to find her way around him. “Well, have fun tonight. I was just leaving.”

“Don’t leave,” he whispered. Softly, his hand wrapped around her arm, immobilizing her. Heat rushed to her very core. Trembling immediately took over her body. The panicky feeling rushed back through her until she couldn’t breathe.

The sound of glass breaking caused everyone to spin around. Melissa stood there, staring at them angrily. Sarah wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry. Melissa, being closer to her age, was the only one who personally knew Devon and their situation. And the girl was a force to be reckoned with when she was pissed.

“You son of a bitch.” She stalked forward, her red hair flying out behind her. “Get the hell away from my friend. Don’t you think you’ve hurt her enough? Do you have any idea what she went through when you just disappeared?”

Her friend barely came to his upper stomach. With her hands, she pushed him back, and embraced Sarah.

“Stay the hell away from her, or…or, I’ll kick your ass myself.”

Brandon stood up, but Devon put up his hand for him to sit down. “You were always a feisty little thing, Melissa. I’m sorry about what happened with Sarah, but I didn’t come back to cause trouble. It seems I’ve accumulated some responsibilities in this area, and I’ve decided since I’m already here for the wedding, I might as well move back.”

Melissa’s face turned almost as red as her hair. She started to advance toward him when Sarah quickly grabbed her arm. “Moving back? Are you serious? Fucking great. You know, you had responsibilities before you left, asshole.”

“Melissa, that’s enough,” Sarah whispered. “I’m fine, really. I was just leaving. It seems I have a date with a very good-looking blond.”

Confused, she turned in the direction of where Sarah pointed her finger. The anger left her face as a smile began to form. Her friend raised an eyebrow at Devon appearing to say,
look what you lost out on
. “Ah, I see. Well, you have fun tonight. Be careful and call me when you get home.”

Sarah took one last look at the man who broke her heart and walked over to her original bet. She needed this more than ever. The last person she wanted to think about was Devon. If she went home alone, she’d be up all night trying to figure out the reasons for his desertion. It was pointless. Instead, she’d block him out the only way she knew how, by Bets.

Approaching, she ate up the man’s powerful appearance. Damn, he was something else. Even with his clothes on, she could see how built his body was. Vision of running her tongue over every inch of his hard muscles made her insides tighten. She took a deep breath and extended her hand. “Hi, I’m Sarah.”

The blond beamed an impressive smile at her. He had full lips, a square chin, and the greenest eyes she’d ever seen. “I’m Gavin, nice to meet you,” he said, bringing her fingers to his lips. Her body instantly came alive. The surprise at how powerful his effect was had her nipples tingling and her pussy all too wet. “I saw you earlier and thought you were coming over here, but you left.”

“My friend needed to ask me something. It was no big deal. So, I’m not usually so rushed, but I really want to get out of here. I thought maybe I would ask you a question.”

He cocked his head to the side, staring intently into her face. She couldn’t help but bite her bottom lip as heat coursed through her body. His sweet-smelling breath brushed her face as he leaned in closer. “Shoot. What would you like to know?”