Page 10 of Decker

Chapter Five

Savannah frownedat the insistent sound of buzzing from beside her and forced her eyes open enough to grab for her phone. She blinked, confused about where she was and how. The last thing she remembered was helping Mark. Grabbing her phone, she noticed it was still light but that the sky was hazy with the glow of the late afternoon sun.

Checking her phone, she saw a text from a number she didn’t know, and her belly dropped wondering if it was more games from her ex-husband.

Sitting up she pushed her hair from her face and opened the text.

Unknown: Wakey, wakey, sleepy head. I finished the alarm and locked up when I left. Do you have time later to meet me for a drink? I have a proposition for you.

Savannah put down the phone and looked out her window realising the house was still and quiet. Reading the message again she found herself intrigued, her heart rate picking up in anticipation of what he might suggest. He’d probably ask her to leave the country and never come back and never darken his door again. Apart from fitting the alarm and that one incendiary kiss, he’d never shown her for one second that he liked her, and it bugged the hell out of her.

Oh, he might want to shag her brains out but hate sex was a real thing and that was very different. That was chemicals and hormones, she knew all about that. When she looked at Mark Decker though, she saw, or had seen, more than his dashing good looks and the confidence that he showed the world. She saw a man who hid his pain behind iron control, and she wondered if it was her nature to fix things. Her shoulders rose and fell in a sigh of confusion as she re-read the message. Adding his name into her phone under ‘Sexy Asshole’, she smiled and decided to take a leap of faith and find out what he wanted from her.

As she swung her legs out of bed to go and relieve her bladder, she wondered how she’d got to bed and who had taken her boots off. Had Mark carried her up here and removed her boots while she slept? It felt so intimate that he’d seen her in a vulnerable state and shown her kindness. Was there more to him than his devilish good looks and his snark or was she seeing something that wasn’t there?

Washing and drying her hands, she picked up her phone from the counter in her bathroom as it buzzed. She looked down at it as she made her way into the kitchen in search of food, her belly rumbling as if to remind her she hadn’t eaten.

Sexy Asshole: The alarm code is by the coffee with instructions. And I haven’t missed that you read my message and ignored my invitation! Chicken?

Savannah scowled at her phone and began to reply. She didn’t owe him a response and knew this was a trick to get his way, but she was curious enough to respond anyway, and he’d done her a massive favour with the alarm, and she felt like she owed him.

Savannah: I was deciding if I was curious enough to find out!!!!

Sexy Asshole: And???

Savannah: Fine. Where and when?

Sexy Asshole: Six pm in the Rose and Crown.

Savannah: Fine. See you there.

He didn’t reply but she could see it had been read. After shovelling a tuna mayo and cheddar cheese sandwich down her throat, she went up to shower and change. She didn’t want to make too much effort but enough to make him regret being such a dickhead and rejecting her. This wasn’t about trying to attract him, it was now about saving face and making him see what he was missing without being overt.

She wished she could call Addie and talk to her but with Mark being her friend it didn’t feel right. Maybe she’d try and get some advice from her tomorrow. They’d planned to meet up for lunch in town and do some shopping so it would be the perfect opportunity.

In the end, she decided on a pair of soft jeans with rips in the thigh and a dusky pink oversized top that hung off her shoulder. Adding some small gold hoops and a bangle, she touched her eyelashes with mascara and put some clear gloss on her lips. She left her hair in waves that fell to her shoulders. Sitting back, she assessed her look and grabbed her bag before she could second guess herself.

The Rose and Crown was fairly busy when she arrived, and she glanced around the bar for Mark before finding him sitting in a corner booth. He lifted his head as she walked over and nodded, giving nothing away as to why he’d asked her to meet him.

She slid into the booth opposite him and placed her bag beside her. “Hey, sorry I’m late. I couldn’t find a parking spot.”

He lifted a glass of what looked like soda to his lips and took a sip as she tried hard to look away from the masculine column of his throat as he swallowed. She’d thought he’d be back in his suit, but he’d surprised her wearing a different pair of jeans and a navy shirt, and a brown leather jacket lay across the back of his chair. He looked good, his dark eyes sparkling and warm, but then he always looked good.

“That’s okay, I only just got here. Can I get you a drink?”

“Uh, yeah sure. Just an apple juice please.”

“Sure, I’ll be right back.”

He stood and she caught the scent of his cologne; it was musky and heady and made her senses swim. Taking a deep breath, she tried to get her heart rate under control as he came back and handed her the apple juice. Savannah took it gratefully and thanked him, taking a sip, and placing it on a coaster with the local brewery name on it.

“So, what is this all about?”

“Well, I think it’s clear we find each other attractive.” Savannah snorted and Mark looked up sharply. “Am I wrong?”

She shook her head and took another drink, wishing it was wine but knowing with being on call almost always meant it was a bad idea.

“No, you’re not wrong, at least from my side. But you know this already, Mark, and you made it very clear you’re not interested in anything with me. That’s fine, I get it. Let’s just agree to be civil for our friends’ sakes.”