Savannah was grinning like a fool, and she didn't care. She'd loved motorcycles since Raven had ridden her around a parking area on his when she'd been a child. It was even more exhilarating than she remembered. Though this time she enjoyed the feel of being pressed against his hard body as much as the ride.

Lord, the man was six feet of solid muscle. Every inch that she was plastered against felt like he'd been carved from stone. A hot, handsome bike riding bad boy oozing sex appeal. Her ultimate fantasy come to life. She didn't stand a chance of keeping her panties on if he turned that lethal charm loose on her.

Honestly, a part of her didn't want to resist.

It had been twenty-two-years since she'd watched him ride off into the sunset. Gone, but never forgotten. All these years, Raven had been the bar that she'd measured other men by. He'd been sweet and patient with a precocious child, but she'd seen the pain and sadness lurking in his eyes. Heard him crying as if his heart was broken.

Savannah had watched him from the window for almost an hour before she'd slipped out of the house. He'd seemed as lost and alone as she felt after losing her mom, so she'd walked down to the beach to ask if he was okay. When he'd looked up at her with his midnight eyes, she'd seen the sorrow he hadn't tried to hide.

And more than anything, she'd wanted to make him smile.

Even as a child of nine she'd realized how handsome the young man was. Raven was older now, more mature, but still possessed the same drop-dead gorgeous looks that she remembered. She'd thought about him more than she should have. Wondering where he was. If his brother had forgiven him. If he ever thought about her.

It had come as quite a shock when her college roommate had mentioned his name. Even more shocking to discover he was the president of an OMC. She'd had a hard time reconciling the patient young man she'd known with the hardened biker that Kira Walker had feared. Tonight she'd witnessed his dark side first hand.

Yeah, Raven Caulder was a bad boy all right. As bad as they came. She'd do well to remember who he was now instead of the young man she'd once known. Her resolve firmly in place, Savannah eased her hold on his muscular body and leaned back a bit to put some space between them.

When he revved the powerful engine, the bike lurched beneath them unexpectedly. Savannah squealed in surprise and closed the space between them again. Her arms locking around him in a death grip. She felt his torso twitching and realized that he was laughing. The ass had done it on purpose!

She pinched at his rock hard abs in retaliation, but they were too tight to grab onto anything but his t-shirt. The sound of his laughter floated back to her, and she smacked his chest. Raven was still laughing when he eased the bike onto a concrete driveway and parked in front of a small two-story house.

"You are an ass," she fumed as she slid off of the bike onto shaky legs.

"I can be," he agreed as he dropped the kickstand and dismounted. The black as night eyes revealed nothing as they met hers with fierce intensity. Her rubbery knees became even more wobbly at the heat from that look. "But not with you."

Deciding it would be best not to delve too deeply into that comment, she looked around and realized that this was someone's home. Hands on her hips, she narrowed her eyes and said, "I thought we were going for coffee."

"We are," he agreed as he placed a hand on the small of her back to lead her toward the front door. Savannah staunchly ignored the jolts of electricity that shot up her spine at his touch. "I make the best coffee around."

She stopped and dug her heels in to demand, "This is your house?"

Raven stepped in front of her and said patiently, "It's just coffee, Savannah. I didn't bring you here for anything nefarious."

Well, damn. Some minute and obviously insane part of her wished he had. "Fine," she sighed and let him lead her inside.

The house came as quite a surprise.

There were no posters of motorcycles and pinup girls on the walls like she'd seen in the clubhouse. No massive leather couch dominated the room. And there wasn't a stereotypical ginormous TV commanding attention. It was warm and cozy and looked more like a home than the bachelor residence of an outlaw biker.

Truthfully, his living room was decorated nicer than hers. Her attention snagged on the painting above the fireplace that served as the focal point. The style was so distinctive that she knew in an instant who had painted it. Savannah moved across the room and stared up at it in genuine appreciation.

The central focus clearly showed a three-masted schooner bobbing gently on the ocean. The slightly blurred outer edges revealed that it was an illusion. The boat was nestled inside of a bottle that sat on a windowsill overlooking the ocean. The brass plaque on the bottom of the frame revealed the title: So Close, Yet So Far.

"This is a Jasper Ravenwood," she said with absolute certainty.

"It is," he agreed as he walked up beside her and leaned his elbow on the mantle. "You know his work?"

"Yes," she nodded absently, her eyes drinking in the poignancy of the piece. "His paintings have an intangible quality that is absolute genius. The focus is so sharp and clear, yet they always contain an illusion that makes the image surreal. It's like the artist is chasing an elusive dream that's always just out of reach."

"It matches the drapes," he joked as he turned and walked into the kitchen.

"Neanderthal," Savannah chided as she followed Raven into the gourmet kitchen area complete with granite countertops and a six burner gas stove. Everything was spotless, and the stainless appliances gleamed as if they'd never been used. "Cook much?" She asked in amusement as she slid onto a bar stool.

"I do, actually," he admitted as he removed a couple of mugs from a shelf above the built-in coffee maker. "What's your pleasure? Espresso, cappuccino, latte, macchiato?"

Savannah's jaw had dropped in surprise at the high-end gourmet coffee machine. "Um, instant is fine," she replied since she wasn't picky about coffee.

Raven shot her a superior look over his shoulder. "Philistine," he accused. "Instant is a dirty word to a coffee connoisseur."

She snorted a laugh because he sounded serious. "All right then, Mr. Connoisseur. Impress me," she challenged.

"Shouldn't be hard if you normally drink swill," he assured her as he pressed an array of buttons.

Seconds later the aroma of freshly brewed coffee filled the room, and it smelled wonderful. "If it tastes as good as it smells, color me impressed," Savannah conceded. Raven flashed her a grin and placed a steaming mug on the counter before her. She took a sip of the aromatic brew and moaned, "This is so good."

Something dark and dangerously hot flashed in his eyes as a slow, sexy smile curved his lips. "I'm a man of many talents," he said with a wicked wink as he went back to the machine to pour himself a cup. Savannah barely resisted the urge to fan herself. Lord Jesus. The devil was too hot for his own good.

He came around the island and sat on a stool beside her. "I've thought about you a lot over the years, Savannah," he admitted, and she almost strangled on her coffee.

Raven had thought of her? Eep! "You have?" She squeaked in disbelief.

He nodded solemnly. "You made the darkest day of my life a little brighter," he informed her. "Thank you for that."

She blinked at him a bit stupidly before her manners kicked in and she replied, "You're welcome." Savannah sipped her coffee and admitted, "I thought about you, too."

"Did you now?" He asked and looked intrigued.

Realizing what she'd admitted, and who she was talking to, Savannah quickly regrouped and responded, "Of course. You took the time to be kind to a grieving child. The bike ride was an unforgettable experience." Almost as unforgettable as the man.

"Sounds like we helped each other out," he said with a grin as wicked as sin.

Lord, that smile. It could make a grown woman throw caution to the wind and jump his gorgeous body without a thought to the consequences of her actions. "I guess we did," she agreed and glanced at her watch, hoping to change the subject. "How long do you think it'll take to hear back from your nephew?"

"He was only a few blocks away from Kira's location so it shouldn't be too long," he assured her as her eyes met his again. "In the meantime, how do you propose we entertain ourselves?"

The question held so much sexual innuendo that her thong should have exploded into flames. Before she could say the hell with it and tackle him, his phone rang. Savannah sucked in a much-needed breath and forced her mind back to the subject at hand. Kira's safety.

***

Raven sighed in resignation. His nephew had shit for timing. The hunger he'd seen in Savannah's eyes had set his balls on fire. He'd been an inch away from draping her over the island and fucking her senseless. Pulling the phone out of his pocket, he growled, "Yeah?"

Slade's voice was shaking when he said grimly, "I found her, Uncle Rave. Somebody beat her and left her for dead."

"The fuck you say?" He demanded furiously and shot up off of the stool.

"Kira was tied to the bed and it… it looks like a bloodbath," he imparted brokenly.

"What? Oh, God, what happened?" Savannah demanded fearfully as she rose as well.

He tamped down his anger and held up a hand to silence her when he demanded, "Did you call an ambulance?"

"I called one of dad's teammates. His wife's a trauma surgeon," he admitted. "They're gonna helo her back to the island where it's safe."

"Good thinking, kid," he praised. Not involving the cops was always the wisest move in his experience. "Any idea who did it?"

"No, but when I find out that mother fucker is a dead man," he bit out furiously.

"I feel ya, kid. I feel ya," he agreed and would love to get his hands on the mofo who'd hurt Kira. If there was anything left when Jax got through with him that is. His brother would slaughter the fool who'd hurt his woman. "If you need me to help with that I'm just a phone call away."

"Thanks, Uncle Rave," the young man said in a tone filled with too much emotion. "I'll keep you posted on her condition."

"Make sure you do," he agreed before the line went dead.

"What happened? Is Kira okay?" Savannah demanded anxiously.

Yeah, he did not want to have to tell her this, but the woman deserved to know what was happening. He placed his hands on her shoulders and admitted, "Kira's been badly beaten."

Savannah gasped in shock as tears welled in her golden eyes. "Oh my God. Is she all right?"

"I don't know what her condition is," he confessed as calmly as possible since the blood had drained from her face. "Slade has a doctor en route to her right now. He'll call me as soon as they know more."

She was shaking like a leaf and looked like she was going to pass out. Raven pulled her into his arms and just held her trembling body. Savannah burst into tears, wrapped her arms around him and held on. "I knew something was wrong," she sobbed against his chest. "I should have done something days ago."

"Whoa now, darlin'," he soothed. "Don't go blaming yourself. Thanks to you we found her in time."

"I should have come to you sooner," she insisted brokenly.

"You did all you could," he assured her. "Kira's safe now."

"I need to go to her," she said as she pulled away from his protective embrace. "I should be there for her."

Raven scrubbed a hand over his face and admitted, "You can't go where she's going."

"Why the hell not?" She demanded and looked as fierce as a mama bear protecting her cub.

"Because they're transporting Kira to a secure location," he explained. "No one outside of my brother's former SEAL team and their families has access or even knows where it's located."

A frown marred her brow before she countered with, "You're family. Take me there."

"I would if I knew where it was," he admitted. "Unfortunately, I'm not on the list of family members with access."

"Why the hell not?" Savannah demanded in aggravation.

"Because my brother still hates me," he confessed.

"Son of a bitch," she bit out furiously and laid a hand across her forehead as she started pacing. "There has to be something we can do to gain access. What about your nephew? Would he help us?"

"Savannah, it ain't happening," he said seriously. "There are no exceptions. Ever."

"Well, what the hell am I supposed to do?" She demanded and threw both hands up in the air. "I can't just sit here not knowing how she is. I have to do something."

Any other time he would have suggested she do him, but right now that would be a dick move. Although his dick would appreciate it just the same. "We'll wait it out together, okay?" He offered. "I'm right here with you until we have some answers."

Her shoulders sagged in defeat, and she gave a nod of agreement. "I just feel so helpless."

"That makes us a perfect pair," Raven assured her.