Even the smell of takeout couldn’t stop Savannah’s stomach from churning. A quick shower, a change of clothes and now here she was, walking to his place. She’d wanted to go home and stay there, but she couldn’t bring herself to leave Tom waiting. Not only would that make him suspicious of her, but she knew it would hurt him and Savannah didn’t want that.

The way she was beginning to care for Tom was making her all kinds of afraid. Lucas had made it very clear she was to use anything and everything she could to get him to trust her, but Savannah wasn’t sure she could bring herself to do it. Every time she thought of the way Lucas had touched her, her body gave an involuntary shudder. She couldn’t get that out of her head.

“Hi,” she mumbled, walking into the office, seeing Tom waiting for her. “I brought takeout.”

“Thanks,” he replied, walking closer to her. His eyes ran over her body and Savannah knew exactly what he was thinking. “Do you want to eat first?”

“First?”

“Before we talk,” he clarified, a slight grin on his face.

“Oh,” she muttered, feeling foolish. “Yeah, sure.”

Walking back behind the counter, he threw her a glance. “Is everything okay?” he asked, taking in her slumped shoulders. This wasn’t the bold, sassy Savannah he’d left back at the lake.

She nodded, trying to give him a bright smile. “Everything’s fine. Thanks for asking.” Giving him her back, she began to unpack the takeout, hoping that he wasn’t going to ask her any more questions. What was she going to say, exactly? Tell him that she was already confused over how she was feeling about him and now Lucas had made things ten times worse.

"I'll be right back," she heard Tom say, hearing the click of a lock as he walked into the back room. A sudden scent hit her nostrils, making her bear wake up with a growl. Sniffing hard, she turned to face the door Tom had just gone through, her hackles rising. There was a familiarity to the scent but she couldn't quite place it. It was something she knew but didn’t know at the same time. What was going on back there? Why was the room locked?

Hearing Tom’s footsteps, Savannah took in a deep breath and turned back to the table. Quietening her bear with the promise that she’d find out what it was soon, she focused on dealing with the food.

“Here you go,” Tom murmured, coming close behind Savannah. The smell of her freshly washed hair had his hands curling into fists, trying to stop the desire to throw the food to one side and give in to what he’d been wanting to do ever since their swim in the lake.

The moment he’d left Savannah in the lake had been the moment he’d called himself all kinds of names for being so stupid. He’d told her it was ‘too much, too soon’? What kind of excuse was that?

Thankfully, being away from her soon helped Tom realize that he'd done the right thing. His body was screaming for her, but his mind was holding it back. He wouldn't let himself sleep with someone just because she offered it – if that was what her intention had been. He'd wondered for a while if she was deliberately attempting to seduce him, but had pushed that idea away almost at once. More realistically, she was lonely. He remembered how she'd told him about traveling from place to place, never really settling down. That could be quite isolating, in terms of relationships of any kind. Most likely, she didn't have a lot of friends and certainly not lovers. Their connection had been almost immediate, although Tom knew he'd spent most of the time denying it completely. Was he just as lonely as her?

He’d showered and changed, all the while questioning what it was about Savannah that was drawing him to her. Even though he still didn’t trust her completely, he couldn’t get her out of his head. He’d meant it when he’d told her it was too fast – too fast for him to even get his head around. He’d never been attracted to another shifter so quickly, and his bear was certainly drawn to her too. As he’d got himself ready for her coming over, Tom had made a decision.

He was going to give in.

He wanted Savannah, he couldn’t deny it. Yes it was very quick, and yes, he was really unsure about it all, but his bear wasn’t exactly going to stop growling until he had her. Tom didn’t know just how long Savannah was planning to stick around, so he was unsure if he was getting into something big, but he was going to take a chance anyway. Throwing his suspicion to one side, he chose to take the path towards her, not away from her.

 

Savannah let out a shuddering breath as Tom stood behind her, within touching distance. She could feel his breath on her exposed skin, making ripples of awareness rush up her arms.

“I brought sweet and sour and shredded beef in a black bean sauce,” she said loudly, trying to shake her awareness of him off. “I’m happy with either so just take what you want.” She heard Tom’s low growl as one hand slipped around her waist.

“I know what I want,” Tom whispered in her ear, his lips just lightly touching the corner of her ear. “I hope that I didn’t give you the wrong impression when I left,” he murmured.

“You want to go slow,” she replied, as her body exploded with sensations. As his lips touched the curve of her neck, Savannah let out a long breath and closed her eyes. This felt so good, even though she knew it was the exact opposite of what she was doing. “So maybe we should eat first?” she whispered, her hands falling uselessly by her sides as he slowly moved his lips towards her collarbone.

Tom felt his body harden as Savannah tipped her head back to give him better access to the curve of her neck. She was reacting to him just like he’d hoped, despite what she was saying. Her lips were there, just out of reach. Pulling himself up to standing, he looked down at her for a moment, seeing her slightly glazed eyes. “Savannah,” he murmured, before dropping his head and kissing her lightly.

Savannah stiffened for a moment, before letting her body relax. All thoughts of Lucas ran from her mind until all she could think of was Tom. He was a little out of practice, but then again, so was she. His tongue darted into her parted lips, tangling with hers and forcing a light moan from her throat.

Warnings sounded in Tom’s mind, but he brushed them away with a little effort. He wasn’t going to listen to the thoughts that had him pulling away from her over and over again. He’d made his decision and this was it. Savannah was pressing her hands against his chest, before running over his shoulders and digging into his hair. The slight pain made him gasp before his lips slammed back on hers, kissing her harder.

Savannah could barely think, giving herself up to the sensations he was building in her. Nothing could have prepared her for just how much his touch built a fire in her. His hands ran up and down her back, before tentatively brushing over her shoulders and gently over her breasts.

Pulling back, Savannah stared at Tom for a moment, nausea suddenly rolling in her throat. His touch had brought Lucas back to her mind immediately, and the fire had instantly gone cold.

“Savannah?” Tom asked, his breath coming in short gasps. “What’s the matter?”

Swallowing, she shook her head. “I’m sorry, Tom. I can’t….I mean, I – ” There was no way to explain it, not in any ways he would understand. “I have to go,” she whispered, reaching for her takeout. “Sorry, Tom.”

“Savannah, wait!” Tom exclaimed, his body cooling as he watched her walk out of the door. “What’s going on?”

Silence met his words as he was left, staring at the door that had just closed behind her. What had happened? Why had she pulled away? Frustrated, Tom growled, feeling his back ripple as the bear groaned in disappointment. Sitting down heavily, he put his head in his hands, wondering what had frightened her off like that. Had he been too forward in his advances? Had his touch truly scared her away? Shaking his head, he ripped open his takeout and ate a piece of chicken. He didn’t understand what had happened, and there was no point in chewing over it now. He’d have to just wait until the morning to find out exactly what was going on with Savannah.