Monroe, Marla - Hot and Bothered (Siren Publishing Classic) by Marla Monroe Page B

Savanna didn’t look at her friend.
    She hoped talking about Ben would take her mind off the job worries. Plus, she wanted to see how Karen really felt about him. Karen needed someone to care about her to get through this. She knew she had Savanna on her side, but she’d never gotten close to anyone else.
    “I don’t know. Some days I think I do. Then, other days, I’m not sure.” Karen bit her lip. “I really screwed up, didn’t I?”
    “Maybe not. You could still try to go back to him. Tell him you’re sorry and that you were just feeling pressured—needed some space to think things through.”
    “I don’t think he will ever forgive me, Savanna. I’m not sure I could forgive him if it were him that acted like I did.”
    They ate their salads in silence. At least Savanna did. Karen played with hers more than she ate. She could tell her friend was thinking about Ben and what she had done. She wished things had been different. Maybe she should have caught on to what was going on sooner. They were best friends. She thought they knew everything about each other. Had she failed Karen?
    Savanna spent the rest of the afternoon with Karen talking about how to set her boss up and what it would take to have a hold over him. By the time Savanna left, they had a tentative plan all laid out.
    Savanna made it home with just enough time to put dinner on before Dustin knocked on the door. She wiped her hands on the dish towel and answered it. As soon as she opened it, Dustin pulled her into his arms and kissed her.
    “Wow, what was that for?” she asked once she caught her breath.
    “Just because.” Dustin flicked her nose with a finger and walked into the kitchen. “What do I smell? It smells delicious.”
    “Chicken casserole. Nothing fancy, though. I spent all afternoon with Karen. She’s really upset over some things.”
    “Did you need to call off our movies tonight?” he asked.
    “No, she’s better. It’s nice of you to offer, though.” She was surprised he understood how she felt about her friend. Most men didn’t have a clue.
    “So, did you take care of your business?” Savanna checked the casserole. It wouldn’t be long now.
    While she readied the rolls for the oven once the chicken was ready, Dustin opened some wine.
    “You know, you wouldn’t have been able to get in touch with me if you had wanted to put off tonight. You don’t have my phone numbers. Where is your phone? I’ll program my numbers in.”
    Savanna hesitated. Was this turning into something too close to a relationship? She didn’t want it to come to that so soon. She was enjoying his company, and the sex was unbelievable. No, he was right. They did need each other’s phone numbers in case something came up and they had to cancel a date. She smiled, retrieved her phone from her purse, and handed it to him.
    “If I remember correctly, you already have my phone numbers.” Both her home and her cell phone numbers were with the same company and would have been on the bill.
    He had the audacity to grin at that. “Yep, already in my phone.”
    Savanna shook her head at him and pulled the casserole out of the oven. She popped the rolls in. It shouldn’t take more than ten minutes for them to get ready. They could eat and then start the movies. What movies? He hadn’t brought anything in with him. She only had a few movies she’d already seen. Hmm, maybe that meant he didn’t plan to watch any. She was good with that.

    * * * *

    Dustin punched in his home and cell numbers in Savanna’s phone. He hadn’t missed that she hesitated to give him her phone. Why was that? Did she think he would snoop through her numbers? Maybe she wasn’t sure about them as a couple. Then it hit him. He saw them as a couple. He wanted more than just sex from her. When had that happened? They’d only been seeing each other for a couple of days.
    He smiled and handed the phone back to Savanna.
    “Here you go. Put my cell and my home number in