Page 47 of Falls From Grace
“Savannah,” she whispered, putting her hands lightly on the counter, effectively trapping her between them, nowhere left to go but where they’d been headed the whole time. “Did you write that song about me?”
“Don’t ask me that,” Savannah implored, her tone desperate and her eyes down; Brynn’s heartbeat pounded in her ears. That was a yes if she’d ever heard one.
“Because I wrote it about you,” she admitted quietly, and the ragged breath that escaped Savannah made her body clench, low and tight.
“We can’t do this,” Savannah whispered, finally raising her head, her pupils blown, the tops of her breasts rising and falling rapidly above her camisole. Brynn could see the shape of her nipples, hard beneath the thin cotton. She felt like she was going to come out of her own skin if she didn’t touch her.
“I can’t not,” she murmured, her voice cracking as she crossed the last inch between them to brush her lips just barely against Savannah’s own. She made herself pull back, almost in shock at what she’d just managed to do, and the moment hung suspended, both women breathing hard, their mouths close.
Her hand came up to cup Savannah’s body, sliding around her rib cage just below her left breast. She could feel the heat of Savannah’s skin through the thin cotton.
“Your heart is pounding,” she whispered, desire and awe thrumming through her. Savannah whimpered, head tilting up, lips parting and this time Brynn kissed her fully, their mouths open and soft, then desperate and heated, Savannah licking into her mouth like she would die if she didn’t taste her.
Brynn pressed in all the way in against the soft curves of the body she’d been longing for, her nerve endings lit up like wildfire at the sensation of Savannah, almost bare, in her arms. She ran her hands up Savannah’s neck and into her hair, holding her still to kiss her more firmly, feeling her limbs tremble and the moan that escaped the other woman made her feel savage. Savannah kissed like Brynn was the oxygen she needed to breathe. Her breasts were pushed up against Brynn’s, her hips fitting up against her own, the kiss ferociously hot, the sound of her gasp inflaming Brynn, when all of a sudden Savannah wrenched away and pushed her back.
“Fuck,” Savannah cried out, wiping her mouth with her hand. “Oh god. I didn’t mean to-” she looked frantic.
“Savannah-”
“Let me go.” Savannah shied away from her outstretched hands, and Brynn dropped them instantly. “This isn’t happening.”
“Wait-” she tried, but Savannah had already fled.
After a restless night, burning and tossing between the sheets, Savannah ignoring her texts and calls, Brynn was desperate to get into the studio. At least there Savannah couldn’t hide from her. She’d already resolved she’d have to change the plan and tell Savannah the truth as soon as possible. Even if it knocked her off her stride, she couldn’t possibly be more distressed by the news than she’d looked by what she thought to be their illicit kiss last night.
But it turned out that Savannah could and would avoid her. She finally arrived only moments before the session was due to start, striding in the door only after all the musicians had taken their places. Noah was playing lead guitar for the track, but Brynn was so far surplus to requirement, so was positioned just out of Greta’s way. Savannah stepped up to the mic, her game face on, impossibly beautiful in a short white shift dress and her hair loose. She did not once look toward the sound room.
The guitar squealed, and Savannah straight up wailed into the microphone. Beware the Fury. Her small body arched back as her crackling voice climbed into a fierce roar. Brynn was both slightly terrified and extremely turned on. She remembered the ragged gasps and hungry whimpers Savannah had breathed into her the night before and her body burned. The drums smashed, and the guitars shrieked and Savannah was one with a wall of sound. At the end of the song, she was panting for breath and everyone screamed in shocked delight. The queen of country music had just smashed her crown like it was a guitar at a death metal concert.
Brynn was relieved to see Savannah break into a smile at the reception to her song, picking up a bottle of water and taking a long drink. Her eyes skated past the sound room and she flinched, just barely, when she saw Brynn, before turning away for the next take.
When they broke for lunch, Savannah of course disappeared, and Brynn hung around trying to figure out where the hell she was hiding. She sent her a couple of text messages, both congratulating her on the track and asking her to please, please talk. There was no reply. With a sigh, she returned to the sound room, only for Greta to all but push her back out.
“You’re not required for the rest of the day,” she said shortly. “Savannah sent a car for you and said to give you the day off.” Brynn felt mutinous, but Greta didn’t budge. She frowned out the car window all the way back to the compound, worry and annoyance battling it out within her. If Savannah would just talk to her…
Hanging around the guesthouse made her feel like she was going to climb out of her skin. Going into the main house felt like an invasion of Savannah’s boundaries, even though the band were all bunking there. Then she heard a bright, cheerful voice and a splash. Heading out to the living room, she looked out over the pool to see Tucker excitedly bobbing about in Lane’s arms. She rushed for her swimsuit.
“Hey buddy!” she called out, stepping out onto the stone tiles.
“Fwimming!” Tucker yelled out gleefully, and Brynn did a dive bomb into the deep end. The water was warm despite the coolness of the air. She swam up and scooped him up away from his new nanny and back into her arms and whirled him around while he giggled. Lane relinquished him with a grin and swam around them in a circle.
They all splashed and played and goofed around and for a moment Brynn felt like everything in the world was going to be okay.
“Alright, kiddo, you’re shivering.” Lane pulled themself out of the water and grabbed a couple of towels. Brynn reluctantly handed the toddler back up.
“That’s because someone thought a mid-winter swim was a good idea,” she couldn’t help admonishing as Lane stripped him of his wet bathing suit and wrapped him in a towel like a burrito.
“You weren’t complaining a minute ago,” Lane gave her an easygoing shrug.
“I was just making sure you weren’t going to let him drown,” she dug back, hauling herself out of the pool.
“Are you always this much of an ass- I mean, this much of a jerk?” Lane asked curiously. “Or just when you’re fighting with Savannah?”
Brynn’s jaw dropped. She wrapped her towel around her body.
“What makes you think I’m fighting with her?”
“Because she looked like hell this morning and you’re back here on your own, moping around. Considering the vibes between you two, it’s pretty easy to work out.”
