And then he turned around and the irritated words of rejection got stuck in his throat. Savannah was standing by the entrance of the bar. His eyes ate her up, taking in the little violet dress and silver open-toed sandals she wore. Her hair was tied up in a complicated-looking twist and subtle makeup emphasized her beautiful features.
He cleared his throat, searching for his voice. “What are you doing here?”
“Looking for you,” she said simply.
There was about ten feet separating them, but Matt didn’t make a move to bridge the distance. Wariness circled him like an uneasy scavenger examining a carcass. What was she doing here? After the way they’d left things, he hadn’t thought he’d ever see her again.
Savannah took a step toward him, then stopped awkwardly. “I went by your apartment building but you weren’t there. Annabelle was on the balcony and told me you came here, so…” Her voice trailed off.
“Why are you all dressed up?” he asked guardedly.
“I was on a date.”
Pure agony slammed into him. She’d been on a date? Though it didn’t surprise him, it still elicited an unbearable wave of jealousy.
“Did you have a good time?” he muttered.
She took another step. “No.”
Matt put on a neutral tone. “Sorry to hear that.”
“Me too,” she admitted.
Straightening her shoulders, she kept walking, this time making it all the way over to him, pausing when their bodies were a foot apart. Her familiar feminine scent floated into his nostrils. He forced himself not to inhale.
“I was really looking forward to having a good time tonight,” she went on. “I got all dressed up, as you can see, and I wasn’t even averse to the idea of going to bed with him. Don’t usually do that on the first date, but you know, desperate times…”
Every muscle in his body ached. He felt like he was undergoing serious torture here. Along with the pain, anger collected in his gut, slowly spreading through his bloodstream. Was she purposely trying to hurt him? He knew she always spoke her mind, but this was borderline cruel.
“I have to go,” he choked out.
Before he could move, a soft hand touched his arm. “I’m not finished,” she said quietly.
“I don’t want to hear the rest.”
“Really? Because I was just getting to the apology part.”
He eyed her dubiously. “Didn’t fucking sound like it.”
She sighed. “I had all of these plans for tonight, Matt, but I couldn’t go through with a damn thing. The date was awful. Not because of Tony. He was cute and nice and sure, he didn’t get my humor, but that hasn’t stopped me from getting involved before. There was one problem, though.”
“Yeah, what’s that?” he said irritably.
“He wasn’t you.”
Matt refused to react to the soft-spoken confession. “Sorry to hear that,” he said again, shrugging her hand from his arm.
Savannah let her hands dangle at her sides. Something that resembled vulnerability entered her gray eyes. “I was wrong, Matt. I always thought it was better to have fun and focus on all those first little thrills, but I don’t want that anymore. When I was with Tony, the only time I felt anything remotely thrilling was when I thought about you.”
He averted his gaze. Didn’t want to listen to any of this. “Fuck, Savannah,” he spat out. “Do you actually think I’m going to get back together just because you had a bad date with some other guy?”
“No, but I’m hoping you’ll want to do it because I’m in love with you.”
He didn’t even blink. “Four days ago, I told you the same thing and you dumped me.”
“I was an idiot.” Her voice shook. “And you were right, I was scared. I’ve always believed I can’t hold a relationship, because all my past ones failed, so I avoided them. But I can’t keep avoiding. You were right about something else too—when you meet the right person, it can work. And you’re the right person, Superman.”
His heart shifted at the familiar nickname. Feeling himself soften, he curled his fingers into fists again, determined not to give in to her. He’d told her he loved her, for chrissake. Put himself out there, only to get shot down like a fighter jet.
“You’re the only man I’ve ever met who enjoys sex as much as I do,” she continued, and though he wasn’t looking at her, he could hear the smile in her voice. “You’re the only man I’ve held more than ten minutes of conversation with, the only one I talked about my work with, the only one I went to bed smiling about. You’re the only one, Matt.”
Another squeeze of his heart. Shit, if she kept going like this, he was totally going to cave.
Reading the expression on his face, Savannah reached for him again, circling her fingers around his forearm. “Please give me another chance. I know I walked away from us, but I’m asking you not to do that. I promise you, I’ll spend every second of every day proving to you that I mean everything I’m saying.”
He slowly looked at her, and the sincerity shining from her features floored him. He might have brushed it off as a lie, if it weren’t for the naked shards of vulnerability moving in her eyes. Savannah Harte didn’t do vulnerable. She didn’t expose her emotions, same way he didn’t like to expose his.