Vow of Retribution Read online

  She actually does feel this way. Outside of owning her boutique, Harper shops. She shops when she’s had a bad day. She shops when she’s had a good day. She shops when it’s a Tuesday.

  “Of course I want to help you get ready!” She bounces off the chaise and runs through the door, pulling me behind her—straight into my room. She sits me on the bed and rushes into my closet. “Let me work my magic!”

  I hear her sliding hangers and making noises of approval or disapproval with each slide. “Do you know what you’re doing for the date?”

  “No,” I answer.

  “Okay, casual, but something that could easily be worn in a nicer place.”

  I lie back on my bed, waiting for her to complete her “magic.”

  “Have you shaved?”

  “Yeah, I shaved my legs this morning.”

  “Not what I was asking, Sav. I’m hoping everywhere, including your legs, is all nice and silky smooth.”

  “Harper!”

  She pokes her head out of the closet, giving me a look that says to get over it. She goes back to work inside the closet when I begrudgingly answer, “Yes, all silky smooth. Not that it matters!”

  “Of course it matters,” she says.

  “He won’t be getting anywhere near my ... area tonight! We just met.” My cheeks redden from embarrassment.

  “Get over yourself. If it feels right then there’s nothing wrong with going after what you want. Besides, you’ve been in a dry spell so long, you could rename your ‘area—’” I hear the air quotes in her words— “the Sahara Desert.”

  She may be right, but I’m not ready for any of that with Liam. Even if he does make me tingle every time I look at him. Even if I do want to grab onto his ass while he...

  “Sav.”

  I look up to find Harper giving me a knowing smile. She walks fully out of the closet, holding some hangers. “We have a few options here. I want you to look sweet, but utterly sexy.” She starts holding up each dress to my body, casting each one in two different piles. I’m not even sure which ones she likes and which ones she doesn’t.

  She shoves three dresses into my hands. “Try these on.”

  I go to the bathroom to change into them.

  “Why are you so nervous about tonight?”

  I sigh before pulling the first dress over my head. It’s beautiful and sexy, but too much for a first date. It’s an emerald green with a deep V in the front. The dress hugs every curve of my body and hits above mid-thigh. This is not a casual dress. At least not to me. It might be for Harper, who looks like she’s ready to strut the runway even when she’s going to bed.

  I step out of the bathroom into my room. Harper is sitting on the bed, smoothing her hand over the fabric of one of the dresses lying next to her.

  “How can you tell I’m nervous?”

  “We’ve been living together for a while now. I think I’m getting to know you pretty well. I can tell when you’re lost in your mind. You only recess into yourself that much when you have some extreme emotions going on.”

  I groan, flopping onto the bed. “I don’t know why I’m nervous. It just ... feels different than other dates I’ve gone on.”

  “How so?” She tilts her head, eyebrows pinching together. “You were excited about your last date.”

  “Yeah, I was, but if I was honest with myself, I think I knew there wasn’t much on the line. Not much risk involved. With Liam, I am almost positive that I won’t leave before dinner starts.”

  Harper starts laughing a deep belly laugh. “I still can’t believe the date was so horrible that you had to come home before dinner. If it goes the same way with Liam, make sure to bring home some good food again.” She winks at me, making herself laugh even harder.

  “If that happens, I’m ordering dessert, too.”

  She laughs some more before pushing me off the bed and urging me to try on the next dress, declaring this one “too much.”

  Right before I step into the bathroom, Harper squeals. I turn around expecting to see a mouse or something crawling on the floor. “What? What!” I ask, dancing on my toes, searching for what made her squeal.

  She waves her hands around, launching herself off the bed and out of my bedroom. I’m completely confused. I start to follow her when she comes back in carrying a garment bag.

  “I almost forgot this came in today! It is perfect for tonight. Just the right amount of sweet with a sexy surprise. I’m going to start selling it at the store next week. Wear your nude wedges that tie around your ankle. And hair should be big and wavy. Neutral makeup palette. BOOM,” she says, trying to make an explosion with her hands without dropping the garment bag. “You’ll look like a freaking bombshell!”

  12

  LIAM

  Fuuuuuuck.

  I scan Savannah from head to toe. Twice. Three times. She looks incredibly sexy and utterly edible. Her long dark hair is curled, hanging past her breasts. Whatever makeup she has on makes her green eyes stand out, reminding me of lush landscape shining under the summer sun. Her purple dress is cut low, perfectly framing her breasts. They’re perky and golden, making me want to lick my tongue along the edge of the material. The dress ends just above her knees, and her mile-long legs end with her feet in heeled shoes with ribbons tied around her ankles. I could have a lot of fun with those ribbons.

  “You look stunning, Savannah.”

  I hear a girlish squeal from behind Savannah and look back to her. I catch her rolling her eyes. “Stop eavesdropping, Harper!”

  “Fine,” I hear shouted from farther into the house. “Have fun. Do what I would do!” Savannah rolls her eyes again and smiles. She finally looks at me.

  “Thank you,” she says shyly. “You look great, too.”

  I hand her the large, pink tulip bouquet. Her smile widens. “Thank you. They’re beautiful. Pink tulips are my favorite. Come in, I’ll put these in a vase before we leave.”

  She waves me inside, and I follow her to the kitchen. Her house opens to the living area, to the left is a long hallway I assume leads to the bedrooms. Savannah walks through a large archway leading into the kitchen and dining area. The cabinets are a dark-stained wood, and the countertop is a gray granite. It’s a nice space. “This house is great. When I was moving, this is the type of place I was looking for, but there wasn’t a lot on the market for sale, or at least it disappeared as soon as it appeared.”

  “I lucked out finding our house. We’re renting, but you’re right, everything seems to be snatched up quickly.”

  Savannah grabs a tall, clear vase from an upper cabinet. She walks back toward me to the sink. That’s when I notice her dress has a slit-like thing up the side. If she’s standing, you can’t tell it’s there, but when she walks, her toned thigh pops out of the space. I hold back a groan each time I catch a glimpse of it as she’s walking toward me. She smiles, I think she can read every dirty thought in my mind as if it were tattooed on my forehead. I don’t try to hide them as I scan her from head to toe again. My eyes fall to her lips. I’m not the only one affected by this chemistry.

  She stands right next to where I’m leaning against the counter as she fills the vase with water. “Can I ask you a question?” She peeks up at me and swiftly moves her eyes back to the vase.

  I stand straighter, wondering if my silent dirty thoughts made her uncomfortable. I clear my throat. “Of course.”

  “Why did you choose tulips?”

  “I had a little help, to be honest.” I lightly laugh, thinking back to the shopkeeper who took pity on me. I must have been wandering around the florist shop looking confused. “I was looking at bouquets at the florist shop in town. The first vase of flowers I picked up was nice, I was about to walk to the front when I noticed the sign on the display I picked it up from.”

  Savannah was now cutting the ends of the flowers with a smile on her face, looking up at me every few seconds. I grin and continue, “‘The sign read For Funerals. I put back that arrangement and moved to the
next one. This one had a card in it that read, For My Special Mother!!"

  Savannah laughed, using her whole body. The joy radiated from her when she laughed, filling my heart. She looks so carefree and joyful when she laughs. I want her to feel that way with me. I’ve never felt drawn to a woman the way I do with her. A spec of doubt forms in my gut as I stare at her. What if I hurt her? I clear my throat and thoughts. No, I won’t fuck this up. I’m a better man than what I became in Chicago.

  “I didn’t know buying flowers could be so complicated or flowers said so much. There are meanings! Did you know that?”

  She nods her head, still smiling.

  “Finally, the poor owner took pity on me. She told me I could go with the classic red roses, but to honest, I’m not a fan of something that doesn’t take any thought. I settled on tulips pretty quickly after I saw that bouquet. I can’t explain it, but they somehow made me think of you.”

  She finishes putting the tulips in the vase and looks at me. “I’m glad you went with the tulips. I agree about roses. In fact, I kind of hate them.” A disgusted and bitter look passes over her face that she quickly wipes away. “It would have been awkward to deny you at the door if you had roses in your hands.” She looks completely serious, like she really would have turned me away if I brought roses. I almost ask her about it, but then she smiles. “Ready?”

  I nod and hold out my hand, hopeful that she takes it. She does. I walk her out to my car. She looks surprised when I open the car door and help her in. “Such a gentleman,” she jokes.

  “My mom would kill me if I let chivalry die.”

  She laughs, and I lean into her. She abruptly stops, surprised by how close I am. I watch her face, searching for any discomfort. I find none. I press a kiss to the side of her mouth, our lips making the barest of contact. “I’m excited for tonight, gorgeous.”

  13

  SAVANNAH

  Holy shit. That kiss. I had to hold back from launching myself at him. My breathing hasn’t slowed by the time Liam gets in the car.

  “Keep licking your lips like that, baby, and we won’t make it through dinner.”

  I clamp my lips shut and feel a blush creep up my cheeks. Liam runs a finger down my cheek. I turn to look at him. He gives me a grin but doesn’t say anything as he puts his car in drive and takes off.

  Liam takes me to an Italian restaurant in the city. We sit on the patio, enjoying a light summer breeze. We’ve bantered and flirted back and forth throughout dinner. It’s shaping up to be the best date of my life, and from what he just told me, the date isn’t over yet. “This is part one of our date. We’ll need to leave soon for part two.”

  “What’s part two?”

  He slightly tilts his head, debating what to tell me. “A nice throwback of sorts.”

  I arch my eyebrows, wanting more, but he smiles and shakes his head. We sit in comfortable silence, finishing our drinks. He settles the tab, grabs my hand, and leads us to the car. The sun is setting behind the buildings of the skyline.

  He pulls off a city street onto a road with nothing but trees lining it.

  When we pull up to sets of ticket windows, Liam turns and asks me, “Ever been to a drive-in?”

  “I can’t say that I have.”

  There are six lanes with ticket booths. Cars are lined up at each one, slowly pulling forward as they purchase tickets. The closer we get, the more of the area I can see. Four large screens stand out amongst the trees. Rows of cars are parked in front of each of them, waiting for their movies to start. I love going to the movies, so I’m excited to try this new way of seeing a movie. When I saw the different screens, I was confused how it worked, wondering about the sound crossing from the movies across the open space. When we pull up to the ticket window, I see a sign that has radio stations for each screen.

  Liam gets us tickets for screen three.

  “What are we watching?”

  “Each screen has a double feature. You can leave at any time, so we don’t have to stay for both, but we can if we want. I chose the new rom-com and action flick duo.”

  I smile, knowing he chose the screen that would have a movie for each of us. “Can’t wait.”

  He places his hand on my knee and squeezes. “Me neither.

  Liam backs his car into a spot in the middle of a row. My eyebrows scrunch together, confused. We’re now facing away from the screen. Liam chuckles and he looks at me.

  “Some people watch out of the trunks, lifting their gates, so they can enjoy the night.”

  I nod. “I’m going to run to the restroom.”

  “I’ll walk with you over there. I’m going to get us some drinks and snacks.”

  “I can get that for us. You’ve already paid for everything. I’d love to help out.”

  Liam gets out and is around the car before I know it, pulling me out and into him. His hands go my hips and mine fall to his chest. He kisses my cheek. “As much as I appreciate the offer, I’m going to have to decline. I asked you out, I’m treating you. No matter what we do or buy tonight, I’m treating you.”

  “I’m going to treat you on a future date,” I tell him.

  “Future date, huh? A little presumptuous, don’t you think?”

  “I ... I ... I mean if there are future dates, not saying there will be. I mean don’t––”

  He cuts me off by putting his finger to my lips and squeezing my hip with his other hand. “I’m joking. I’m pretty hopeful that we’ll have a lot of dates. This is just the first.”

  I smile, my heart beats faster, and my stomach flips at his admission. “So, anything we do, anything we buy on this date is your treat?”

  “Anything you want,” he says. “My treat.”

  “Popcorn with M&M’s, please.”

  He smiles. “Sure thing, gorgeous. Drink?”

  “Coke.”

  He nods, takes my hand, and starts walking us toward the bathroom and concessions. “Anything else?”

  “A pony.” I bite back a smile, trying to maintain a serious expression.

  “A pony may have to wait,” he says, laughing.

  He drops me by the restrooms and tells me to wait for him so we can walk back together. The middle area is extensive. There is a small grassy area in the center with lawn games, picnic tables are spread out on each side of the grassy area, and different concession stands are set up on one end with food trucks on the other. You can see the skyline just on the other side of the trees, creating a sense that you are both in the country and in the city.

  I spot Liam coming toward me with our movie snacks. When he reaches me, he hands me my drink and grabs my free hand. I happily sip my drink as we walk back to his car. When he gets there, he opens the back, and I’m shocked at what I see.

  Liam has his backseat turned and pushed up against the front seats. There are blankets and pillows on the floor, making it a comfortable, couch-like bed. I look over at him. He is grinning from ear to ear.

  “How did I not notice this earlier?” I ask, completely shocked.

  “It wasn’t like this before. After I walked you to the bathroom, I ran back here, turned it around quickly, and then got our snack.”

  “This is amazing, Liam.” I place my hand on his arm, squeezing softly.

  “I’m glad you like it. And, we’re not keeping the back gate open. It’s summer. In Texas. It’s hot as hell. I don’t know why people do that.”

  I giggle. “Will you hold this?” I hand him my drink and turn around and sit on the back, so I don’t flash everyone in the vicinity.

  Liam hands me the drinks and food before he hops in. He sits next to me. Arm to arm, leg to leg. He places the popcorn between us and hands me the bag of M&M’s. I open them and sprinkle them on top of the popcorn. I catch the surprised look on Liam’s face. “Trust me,” I tell him. “Salty and sweet, there’s nothing better.”

  He raises one eyebrow and smirks. I know he’s thinking something that won’t say out loud.

  “Try it,” I say,
handing Liam the bag of popcorn mixed with M&M’s. “I bet you a dollar that you’ll love it.”

  The smile on Liam’s face falters slightly, but he quickly puts it back in place. It’s not the same easy smile, though. There’s tension he’s struggling to hide on the edges of his mouth.

  “I don’t make bets.” His voice is smooth, but clipped. He says it in a way that doesn’t leave room for arguments or questions, but I question him, anyway.

  “You don’t make bets?”

  “No.” His face turns away from me and toward the screen.

  “Why not?”

  Liam’s jaw clenches, but he’s smiling when he faces me again. “Give me some of that bag.”

  I slowly hand it to him, debating whether I should try to press him further, but I know I wouldn’t react well if he did the same to me.

  After we settle in, Liam puts his arm around me. The movie hasn’t started yet, but we have the radio tuned to the right station. I am loving part two of our date. It’s like we’re sitting on the couch at home, free to talk, but at the movies.

  “Savannah.”

  I turn my head to Liam. He has a serious expression now. He opens his mouth then closes it again, like he’s hesitating. “Why are you secretive about your address?”

  I feel myself stiffen and know he does, too, when his expression becomes even more severe. I try to control my expression and relax. I let my shoulders slump and my breathing return to normal, even though I’m feeling mixed emotions. Hardly anyone knows anything about my past, and I don’t give information freely. I didn’t press him about his no-betting rule.

  I made a choice a long time ago not to hide, that I would be ready when he came for me, but my past is mine. Mine to divulge or not. I hate looks of pity. I hate being treated like glass. Right after, I was honest about what happened, but the more I got those looks and the more my relationships changed, I stopped talking about it. When I meet new people, if I tell them anything of the past, it’s usually the last time I see them. No one wants to deal with all the crazy baggage, not as a friend and definitely not as a girlfriend.