One week later.

Savannah tugged her suitcase into the hotel suite and was thankful for the loud click of the door as it closed. Peace. Quiet. She wanted both, and lots of it. After enduring a three-hour delay at the airport, then sitting next to a mother with a newborn baby on the plane, her nerves were frazzled. And today hadn’t come close to the stressful week spent training her assistant, Rebecca, to take on new tasks, or the hours spent arguing with Spencer over how to run the profit reports, or the unending phone calls from the Seattle hotel in preparation of her arrival.

She needed a bath, or a glass of wine. Both would be best. Obviously, at the same time.

Staff had whispered nervously as she checked in. Their hope-filled eyes tracked her movements. They expected her to fix all their problems. And she would. She just needed a chance to catch her breath and start fresh tomorrow.

She dropped her handbag and the suitcase handle at the end of the short hall, and shuffled the five steps to plant face-first on the bed. Movement wasn’t necessary for the next twelve hours. She’d eaten an airport sandwich on the cab ride to the hotel, and staff didn’t expect to see her until morning. From now until then, she would rest in a coma-like state.

Within two minutes her mind was fading to black, sweet dreams hovering on the edge of her consciousness, then the loud trill of the suite phone tore a groan from her throat.

“Go away,” she mumbled into the comforter.

The phone continued to wail its siren call, disrespecting her plea. She gave a soft whimper and clawed her way to the other side of the mattress, picking up the receiver from the bedside table.

“Yes?”

“Ms. Hamilton, it’s Kelly from reception. I’m sorry to disturb you, but there’s a man here asking to see you.”

She pressed her forehead against the pillow and closed her eyes. “Are you sure he’s here for me?” Nobody knew she was here. Nobody except hotel staff and her colleagues back in San Francisco.

“Um…” The receptionist’s nervous hesitation was clear. “He said he’s your cousin.”

Savannah pushed to a seated position and kicked off her heels. “Are you sure he asked for me?”

“Yes, ma’am. He asked for you specifically.”

“Come on, Savvy, let me know your room number.”

Savannah grinned at the masculine voice calling in the background. The tone was unfamiliar, far too deep for the teenager she knew from her childhood. But the long-forgotten nickname wasn’t. Dominic was the only person who called her Savvy.

“It’s okay,” she told the receptionist. “Send him up.”

“Will do.”

Savannah couldn’t wipe away the grin as she hung up the phone and padded to the bathroom. The unfavorable reflection in the mirror slaughtered her happiness. She looked like a drug addict. Her blouse was crushed, her light-brown hair a tattered mess. The bags under her bloodshot hazel eyes were something she couldn’t ignore, the dark smudges announcing her exhaustion, while her pale complexion told of an unfavorable amount of hours spent in a high-rise office without a glimpse of sun.

She rushed back into the main room of her suite and yanked her handbag off the floor. She scrounged for her compact concealer and dabbed it under her eyes with less than artistic flare. A quick slide of lipstick later and she was ready for the loud knock that echoed through the room.

Anticipation bubbled in her belly as she padded to the door and pulled the heavy wood open.

“Whoa.” She needed to raise her chin to meet Dominic’s eyes. “How long have you been on steroids?”

Dominic chuckled, his brilliant smile whacking her with a heavy dose of déjà vu. “Is that any way to greet your favorite cousin?”

He stepped forward and pulled her in for a hug. The scent of his aftershave was all wrong. The feel of his hard muscles, too. Her short and skinny cousin was nowhere to be seen. He was no longer the kid she remembered dragging her under the water on summer vacation. He was a man. Tall, broad, and professional.

“You got big.” She pushed back from his chest and scrutinized him from head to toe. His blond hair and blue eyes hadn’t changed, but everything else had, including the bump in his once perfect nose. “And you learned how to dress yourself.” His white collared shirt was in better shape than her blouse, not a crease in sight. His charcoal slacks and matching tie were in perfect order, too.

“And you became completely stunning.” He eyed her with appreciation. “If we weren’t cousins, I’d totally hit that.”

“Oh, Jesus.” She slapped a hand over her mouth to stop an encouraging laugh. “You’re still as inappropriate as ever.”

He held up his hands in surrender. “Just paying you a compliment, Sav.”

“Let’s not make this awkward.” She shook her head and indicated for him to come inside. “I don’t want to regress to the time where I had to punch you in the face to stop you from trying to kiss me.”

“I was eight.” He walked past her. “It was dark out, and I thought you were someone else.”

“We were ten, and it was in the pool before lunch.”

He snickered. “You have a good memory.”

“It’s not easy to forget the first time your cousin tries to lay one on you.”

“First and last. I learn from my mistakes.” He slumped onto the corner of her Queen-sized mattress, dwarfing the bed with his large frame. “So how have you been?”

“I’m good.” She settled against the tiny desk opposite him, unable to stop mentally noting all the ways he’d changed. His feet were so big. His hands, too. “But I’d love to know how you found out I was here. And why you turned up on my doorstep.”

He pulled a face, a cross between a wince and a smirk.

“Don’t tell me.” She put up a hand to stop his explanation. “My lovely Aunt Michelle.”

He winked at her. “Guessed it in one.”

Christ. Savannah’s mother couldn’t keep a secret to save her life, especially when it came to her sister. For as long as she could remember, her mother and aunt had been inseparable. They endeavored to lessen the miles between them, from San Francisco to Seattle, by daily phone calls and weeks on end in a family cabin during summer.

“I gather you didn’t want us finding out,” he drawled.

“It’s not that.” It was a tricky situation. She hadn’t kept tabs on her cousins’ lives. If she had, maybe she could’ve foreseen the current drama. Years separated the last time they spoke, and she wasn’t confident in assuming they wanted to see her again. Especially when Penny’s involvement in the sale of the Seattle property seemed like a personal vendetta. “I didn’t know your sister was working with Grandiosity. I’m actually here because…”

How should she put it? Her relationship with Dominic had always been solid. They were born within months of each other. They reached the same milestones together and became long distance best friends.

Her communication with Penny was in vast contrast. She was the younger relative neither herself nor Dominic wanted to play with. She threw tantrums and demanded attention. She was immature, annoying, and daddy’s little girl even at the age of fifteen when they’d last spoken.

However, the past didn’t dictate her favorite cousin’s current bond with his sister. He could’ve outgrown the annoyance toward his sibling.

“She’s stirring up trouble again?” Dominic straightened.

“Kind of.” Merely scaring grown men and women from their long-term employment. “Is she still a—”

“Bitch?” he interrupted. “No. I think she’s evolved from that. Being a bitch was mere child’s play.”

“Perfect.” Savannah chuckled, ignoring the flush of annoyance heating her cheeks. “You still haven’t told me why you’re here.”

“Yeah…about that.” He flashed a smile at her. “I was supposed to call and make sure you came to a family dinner tonight. I was actually going to do it days ago, but it completely slipped my mind. So instead of calling now and getting an inevitable last-minute rejection, I thought I’d show up and drag you along kicking and screaming.”

“Kicking and screaming?” It was a possibility. She wasn’t in the mood for a family reunion. Dominic was enough for now.

“I’d prefer your ire to my mother’s. That woman can hold a grudge.”

So could his sister. “I’m exhausted, Nic.” She slumped her shoulders for effect. “I don’t want to leave a bad impression after all this time apart.”

“You’ll be fine.”

“I’ve been in my suite less than half an hour. I haven’t even opened my suitcase.” The opportunity to catch Penny in a friendly, family situation was favorable, but Savannah needed a certain mindset to approach danger. A mindset she didn’t think she had the determination to muster.

“Don’t waste your time with excuses. You know what my mother is like.” He stood, hovering over her. “If I show up without you, I won’t hear the end of it.”

A smirk pulled at her lips. “That’s a risk I’m willing to take.”

“So you’ve decided on the kicking and screaming option?” There was no inflection in his tone. No humor. Only a formidable determination in his features. He was going to make good on his promise; she could see it in his eyes.

“Damn you.” She pushed to her feet and glared at him. He hadn’t changed. Not one little bit. And apparently, neither had she, because she was still succumbing to his stubbornness. “I’ll get my coat.”