The Better Man Read online

  “Does he treat you right?” Will asked in a small voice.

  Savannah winced at his surprising question. She wouldn’t read further into it, but she heard it and saw on his face that he cared. “It’s hard to explain.”

  His skeptical eyes found her. “Hard to explain?”

  Bringing her glass to her lips, she sipped some wine for courage. “We were never really together.”

  “But you love him.”

  Love.

  Love meant the present.

  She couldn’t love Walter Vidović.

  But to her horror, she whispered, “Yes.”

  She had never admitted it out loud before. But here she was, confessing to a nice guy who helped her take care of a one-year-old that she was in love with another man.

  A man who continuously vowed to never love her in return.

  Hurt flashed in Will’s brown eyes, but he hid it quickly with a smile. “He’s a lucky guy.” He drank all his wine, then set the glass on the table before he stood from the couch. “I should go. I have an early meeting. Dinner was great, Savannah. Thank you.”

  “Oh,” she breathed, confused at the sudden change in their dynamic. She knew she was responsible for that awkward tension. “I’m sorry.”

  Will turned and looked down at her. He appeared angry, his nostrils flaring and his hands balled by his sides. “For what?”

  “For this,” she said, moving her glass and gesturing to the distance between them. “For today. It’s the first time we’ve ever really hung out in all the years we’ve known each other. In fact, all this time, I never thought you liked me. I’ve made things awkward.”

  “You didn’t,” he assured. Then he sighed and sat back on the couch next to her. “You’re my cousin’s best friend. I’ve always liked you, Savannah. You’re a kind, loving person. I’m sorry I’ve never really been all that to you. But I saw those messages he sent you …”

  She pressed her lips together as she waited for him to respond and tightened her grasp on her wine glass.

  Looking her in the eyes, he revealed, “You deserve more.”

  I deserve more …

  Then he got up. “I should go. But is it okay if I come over tomorrow after my meeting?”

  Savannah couldn’t deny him.

  Not with the way he looked at her.

  Maybe he didn’t see the weak, lovestruck girl she had been for so many years.

  Maybe he saw more of her than Walter ever did.

  “Yeah, of course. Miller would like that.”

  Will nodded in agreement. “When are you going back to Vermont?”

  Savannah set her glass down and got up from the couch. “Evan says he’ll be home Monday night. So I’ll stay until he comes home. When are you leaving for New York?”

  “Monday, too.” Then he smiled. Flawless, sweet, and so very William Lawrence of him. “Call me if you need me, okay?”

  To her surprise, Savannah let out a laugh. “Need you?”

  A blush peppered his cheeks. “With Millie, of course.”

  “Of course.” She chuckled. “I’ll walk you to the door.”

  As she followed Will out of the living room, down the hall, and to the front door, something felt oddly strange about saying goodbye. This man was far kinder to her than any other man she had been with, and it had only been a day. She had found herself staring at him as he helped take care of their goddaughter. He appreciated each word she said and her cooking. This man was a better man but not hers for the taking.

  When Will opened the front door, he flicked on the porch light and stepped outside. She didn’t see a car’s headlights seep through the gate’s gaps. “You don’t have to stand out there. You still have to call a cab.”

  He smiled as if to reassure her. “I ordered a car just before. There was one nearby on the app.”

  “Right,” Savannah said. “Well, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  “I’ll see you tomorrow.” Then he walked down the steps. She expected him to walk toward the security gate, but he stopped and spun around. He ran up the steps until he was in front of her. “Savannah?”

  She blinked, stunned at the determination on his face. “Uh, yes, Will?”

  He let out a breath of air. “Can we start over?”

  “Start over?”

  He nodded. “Today wasn’t one of my best. Can we start over? Start fresh as friends.”

  “Umm,” she said, hesitating for a moment but quickly realizing how stupid she was being. “Sure. Friends.”

  “Friends,” he agreed with a smile.

  Then Will spun around and left her wondering what “friends” really entailed for them.

  Six

  Walter

  “Fuck!” Walter Vidović shouted as he threw the barstool across his empty apartment.

  His life was spiraling.

  The moment he walked away from the Bucks, he knew he was risking his career.

  The Bucks had taken a chance on him, so saying goodbye put everything in jeopardy.

  But Walter felt so confined in Milwaukee, and after one too many arguments with the head coach, it was time to say goodbye and invoked the early termination option in his contract. His agent was angry when Walter called and told him he wanted to transfer.

  He was now a free agent.

  An NBA player without a team.

  It was the playoffs, meaning some teams were considering new players and some were focused on winning.

  The moment he left the Bucks, he thought of the one person he had walked away from. He had done to Savannah Peters what he had just done to the Bucks. Walked away the moment he felt like he couldn’t breathe.

  He had watched her fall for him. Watched those blue eyes sparkle when she saw him. Watched them fill with devastation when she saw him with another girl after promises of exclusivity with her. When he was in college, he accused his best friend of being with his girlfriend because she was a sure thing.

  In reality, Savannah Peters was his sure thing.

  He treated her like crap, and she kept taking him back.

  She saw sense when their best friends’ relationship ended. Everyone thought they would make it. If Landon could break Alex’s heart, Savannah quickly learned that Walter was more than capable of breaking hers, too.

  And she wasn’t wrong.

  They ended before they could be exposed. They ended before any true declarations could be made. They ended before he told her the truth. That he loved her with the same love he suspected—and felt—she had for him.

  But they were both liars.

  They hadn’t ended when he was a senior. In fact, they continued their push and pull until she had graduated and moved to Vermont. The last time he saw her was at her college graduation. He was shocked to have received a ticket to the ceremony from her. Something in him snapped, needing to be at Duke that day. He thought it was time he told her, but as he watched her graduate, he realized how wrong he was for her future.

  But before he could say goodbye, she had beaten him to it.

  Near her friends and just after she graduated, she reminded him he didn’t love her and that it was the end. She would leave Duke and him behind her.

  Through the years, moments of weakness had found them.

  Dark days had brought them together.

  Lonely days had him almost seeing her.

  The days of longing had him tempted to return to her and promise her the elusive love he had denied her of for years.

  Savannah Peters had the patience of a saint but strength that couldn’t be imagined. She was the bravest person he knew, but he’d hurt her one too many times. He couldn’t commit to her without thinking he’d lose himself to her.

  As Walter heaved, trying to inhale oxygen into his lungs, he tried once more.

  He needed to hear her words.

  Apologize for his stupid messages.

  Walter needed to hear her sweet voice and that Southern drawl he’d fallen for. But unsurprisingly, he got her voicemail once
again.

  “It’s Savannah, but y’all know that. Leave me a message!”

  This time, he would cave.

  This time, he’d leave her a message and hope to God she listened.

  A stronger man would let her live her life.

  But Walter Vidović was not a strong man.

  He was a man in love with a woman who outgrew him a long time ago.

  A woman who deserved more than he gave.

  Walter fell to the floor, gripping his aching chest. “Savannah, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. It might not be love now, but it could be. I need you. Just give me a chance to say I’m sorry. I should have believed in us more. I was scared. I’m still scared.”

  She answered his text messages.

  Twice.

  But she refused to speak to him.

  Walter was desperate.

  He’d give her some time before he did something crazy …

  Like go to her.

  Seven

  Savannah

  She heard another knock as she rubbed her eyes and made her way down the hall. Savannah had just fallen asleep after a long day. Ignoring her better judgment to look through the peephole, she unlocked the door and opened it, flinching at the sight of her late-night visitor.

  He can’t be here.

  Not now.

  “Walt—”

  He didn’t let her finish as he grasped her face in his palms and pulled her lips to his. He stole her next breath and replaced it with his need.

  It had been so long since he last touched her.

  Last looked at her with undeniable desire.

  He walked them inside and kicked the door closed, causing the loud sound to echo. She pulled away from his rough kisses to hear if they had woken anyone. Panting, he turned her face to meet his eyes.

  “Is Alex home?”

  Savannah licked her lips and shook her head. “No, but you can’t be here right now. I told you—”

  “Just fucking kiss me, Savannah.” He ran his thumb along her bottom lip. “Stop fighting this.”

  Three words that broke her.

  She would stop.

  Because desperation diluted her thoughts and rationality.

  She grabbed his hips and brought him to her. Savannah did what he asked. She stopped fighting him. Gave up months ago but her pride had stalled this.

  This passion and heat.

  This connection she couldn’t quite quit.

  He was a drug.

  And she was the addict in remorse and not remission.

  Suddenly, Walter turned them, and her back hit the wall, causing Savannah to moan. She couldn’t stop. For the life of her, she couldn’t.

  Each kiss.

  Each moan of his name.

  Each nibble of her lip.

  The stroke of his tongue as his hand went up her nightgown. She threw her head back the moment he brushed the crotch of her panties.

  “Walter,” she groaned, needy for more than his teasing.

  She needed him to actually touch her.

  To put her out of her goddamn misery.

  God bless Baby Jesus because Walter finally listened to her wails as he moved her panties aside and really touched her.

  He ran his fingers up and down her slit, circling her clit once, twice, as he kissed her earlobe. She felt him smile against her as he whispered, “You’re so fucking wet, Savannah. You’ve missed me, haven’t you?”

  “No,” she breathed.

  Walter let out a laugh as he slowly pressed a finger inside her. “No?”

  She shook her head.

  “Let’s try this,” he muttered before he pulled out and thrust two fingers into her wet heat. He moved his face from her ear and grinned at her. His thumb pressed against her clit, stealing a moan from her lips. “Your needy little pussy can’t lie to me.”

  Savannah closed her eyes as his fingers dived deep, and his thumb rubbed circles. “Oh, God,” she gasped as he found her G-spot. She opened her eyes to find the desire bright in his.

  “Say it,” he demanded, slowing his thumb on her clit and stalling her orgasm.

  He knew how to hurt her.

  How to get the truth out of her.

  Savannah’s chest heaved as her hips met his now three thrusting fingers. “Yes,” she breathed.

  “You’ve missed me.”

  She nodded as another moan slipped out. “And you’ve missed me.”

  His fingers abruptly stopped their strokes as he stared at her. Savannah was confused at his need to pull away. Walter didn’t say a word as he swallowed hard. Then he curved his palm on her neck and pressed his forehead to hers. He clenched his eyes shut for a moment, and uncertainty lodged in her chest as she waited.

  Their heavy breaths filled their ears.

  She had never let a man affect her the way Walter had.

  He managed to leave his mark long after his touch left her.

  Finally, he opened his eyes. Soft gray piercing her soul and claiming her reluctant heart. He promised he would ruin her that first night in his dorm room as he peeled her clothes away, and he kept his word. Walter Vidović ensured no other man could claim her the way he had.

  He nodded as he bent down and pressed a soft kiss to her lips. “I’ve missed you, Savannah.”

  It was all she needed.

  They weren’t declarations she could shout to the world, but for tonight, in the dim hallway, they were enough. She would let him lie to her heart and break her soul come morning light.

  For now, this was enough as she reached down and unbuckled his belt, desperate to have him. To hope she left her own mark. To leave the need for her in his blood. To crave her love the way she did with his.

  He didn’t stop kissing her as she unbuttoned his jeans and pushed them and his boxers down his hips.

  The need was an ache she needed extinguished.

  Just like the fire between them she knew would die out sooner rather than later.

  Savannah gripped his hard cock, stroking him.

  “Fuck,” he groaned as he bent down and pressed his palms to the back of her thighs, lifting her and pressing her against the wall. Savannah let go of his length and wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him as if her life depended on it. His kisses were the air she needed in her depleted lungs.

  Then she felt him at her entrance.

  Walter kissed her once before he thrust into her, filling her to the hilt. “Walter!” she cried, closing her eyes and allowing the intense pleasure to consume her the way he had with her thoughts.

  “Savannah,” he groaned against her neck, stilling, allowing their bodies to fall in love with their connection all over.

  A cry in the distance caused her to open her eyes to the darkness. Savannah blinked several times, trying to adjust to where she was. It wasn’t a hallway but a living room. And she wasn’t against a wall but lying on a fold-out couch. She wasn’t back in North Carolina. And she wasn’t in college. She was no longer reliving the night he confessed he missed her.

  The night he came to her in a dream.

  A memory that felt as real as the touches of the past.

  Savannah sat up and brushed her messy hair back.

  That cry echoed once more, and she glanced over to find the baby monitor flashing. Savannah flung the blanket back and picked up the monitor to see Miller crying in her bed on the screen. She set the monitor back down and rushed out of the living room. Evan had told her that his daughter normally slept through the night, so for Miller to be awake and crying in the middle of the night was a concern. Savannah made it to the first gate and unlatched it before she went up the stairs to open the second gate. After she walked down the hall and arrived at Miller’s bedroom door, she grasped the handle and twisted it. She opened the door to find the room still filled with stars and Miller in her bed. She was lying down, hugging her two favorite toys. Savannah closed the door as Miller sat up.

  “Savvy,” she cried as Savannah approached the bed and got on her knees so that she wa
s eye to eye with the toddler.

  Reaching up, she brushed Miller’s tears away. “Are you okay, Miller?”

  “I miss Mummy and Daddy.” She sniffled.

  “Would you like me to stay with you?”

  Miller nodded as Savannah dropped her hands from her face. Then Miller collected her toys and made some space for her. Smiling, Savannah stood and climbed onto the small bed. She was far too tall to sleep in it, but she didn’t care. Right now, Miller needed her. Once she laid down, Savannah reached over and brought the upset toddler into her arms. Then she tilted her chin and pointed at the ceiling.

  “Do you see all the stars, Miller?” She nodded against the side of Savannah’s body. “Mommy and Daddy see those stars, too.”

  “They do?”

  Savannah smiled as she glanced down at her goddaughter. “They do. And when I’m in Vermont, I see those stars, too. See, I’m not very far away, am I?”

  The sweet little girl finally smiled. “No.” Miller then looked back at the starry ceiling.

  For the next ten minutes, Savannah watched as Miller stared at the twinkling stars as they moved across the ceiling before the little girl fell asleep.

  For ten minutes, Savannah thought of just the stars in the sky.

  For ten minutes, she let her mind forget her dream.

  For ten minutes, she was free.

  Then, just for a moment, she thought of him.

  For one moment, she let herself believe in the happiness of that memory she dreamed of.

  Then, a heartbeat later, she vowed it would be the end of him before sleep found her.

  It was a slow Sunday morning start for Savannah and Miller. Savannah was sure that Miller had slept fine, but she woke up with a sore neck she wouldn’t trade for the world. It was nice to have someone look up to her the way her goddaughter had. There wasn’t anything Savannah wouldn’t do to make her happy. After Miller had woken her with a big hug, Savannah bathed her before they went downstairs where she made some breakfast as Miller video chatted with her mother in England.