Page 34 of Saving Saul

I took her in like a man who’d been starving, and there she was—the feast I’d been craving. Her skin glowed under the dim lights, kissed golden by the New Orleans sun. That damn yellow bikini clung to her like it was stitched onto her body, accentuating curves I had memorized through whispers and stolen confessions. And those legs? Christ, I wanted them wrapped around me, squeezing, trembling.

She looked like sin and salvation, and every instinct I had screamed at me to take what was mine.

Then her eyes met mine, and the mask slipped for a second—just a second.

She felt it, too.

That connection—the one that had kept me up at night, haunted me through every decision, every sacrifice—was still there, pulsing between us like a live wire. She sucked in a breath, lips parting slightly like she was about to say my name. Like she remembered.

Then, like a switch flipping, her walls slammed back up.

She forced her features into something sharp, guarded. She was pissed, and I deserved it. But that didn’t mean I wouldn’t take my damn time dismantling that anger, piece by piece.

I let a slow smirk tug at my lips, drinking her in, knowing full well the effect I had on her. I saw it in the way her chest rose just a little faster, the way her fingers twitched like she wanted to touch me but hated herself for it. She loathed how much she still wanted me, and fuck if that wasn’t the best thing I had felt in months.

“Tessa,” I said, my voice low and smooth, letting the way I used to say her name seep back into my tone. Letting it wrap around her like the promises I fully intended to keep this time. “That yellow bikini is iconic, love. You wear it well.”

Her breath hitched—just slightly—but it was enough.

She stepped closer, reaching for the envelope in my hand, but I didn’t just hand it over. No, I needed more. I gripped her fingers, holding them between mine, absorbing her warmth. Her skin felt holy against me. The moment we touched, a charge zipped between us, snapping tight like a rope pulled too far.

She froze, just for a second. Just long enough for me to know that this—us—it wasn’t over. Not even close.

“Hi, sweetheart,” I murmured, my voice for her alone.

She trembled. I fucking felt it.

That softness, that split-second surrender, was right there, within reach. But then she ripped her hand away like my touch burned, and for the first time since I had laid eyes on her that night, I felt a sting of regret. Not for what I did—never for that—but for how deep I had to cut her to keep her safe.

Tessa is a logical creature; I learned that in the hub. For her to be on board with anything, it has to make sense and add up—dollars and cents, facts and reason. That’s my Tessa.

Me being here now? After months of searching for me all over the globe? Even I was impressed; she couldn’t go to London herself, but she hired a private investigator. Of course, he got nowhere fast. But I was honored she tried so hard. That means somewhere deep down, she had to know I wouldn’t just leave her for something trivial. She wouldn’t put all that effort in only to curse me out. That’s not her way.

Up until the moment we just locked eyes, she probably thought I was still somewhere in my home country of Britain, hiding out.

Like I would ever put an ocean between us.

That wouldn’t make sense to her. She can’t fathom me. Being here. With her. For her. All this time.

So yeah, she’s pissed. But I saw it—the moment she felt it too, that unshakable pull between us. When she looked back over her shoulder, burning me to the ground, her eyes betrayed her.

I lingered in the shadows as she navigated the crowd. Her sister, whom Cecil had mentioned as Selene, led her upstairs to the VIP lounge. She vanished into the raised area, her curls bouncing as she walked, and I took a moment to breathe before choosing to follow her upstairs.

Because she’s mine.

Then I saw it.

She flinched and recoiled as some drunken idiot crowded her, leaning in like he had the right to be in her space.

Something dark and primal uncoiled inside me because the bastard was too close; his presence was staining the air around her, and I wanted to rip him away from her with my bare hands.

Then I heard him.

His voice was low and full ofdisgustingconfidence. “Bet I could change your mind.”

And then the world stopped, and I decided I might have to kill a man tonight.

He didn’t see me come up behind Tessa; he was too busyTOUCHINGher. So I swallowed my rage so I wouldn’t scar my sweetheart, and calmly let him know…

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