Free Resisting Her by Kendall Ryan Page A

babies, and other nonsensical
things.
    “I’ll um, be back before dinner.”
    She nodded.
    He slipped into his shoes, still waiting for
her questions, but they never came.
    Savannah didn’t say a thing. Didn’t even
raise an eyebrow about where he went on Sundays. What would he say
if she did? How would he explain his relationship with Abbie?
Perhaps it was best to shield Savannah from the whole situation,
including his messy relationship history. Things were manageable
now. Two hours on a Sunday were all that was required to keep
things running smoothly. And so far, Savannah hadn’t asked a single
question. Perhaps it was one of those things better left unknown.
Easier for all involved. He was trying to do the right thing by
Abbie. Of course, now that Savannah was in his life, things had
gotten considerably more complicated. He didn’t normally do
complicated.
    Cole had always felt confident in his
decision to maintain his relationship with Abbie. He was doing the
right thing to help a friend in need — simple as that. Then why did
it feel like a fuck of a lot more suddenly? The fact that Savannah
didn’t know about her turned it into some dirty secret. He had
enough skeletons in his closet, and he didn’t particularly enjoy
adding another. But he drew in a deep breath and shook off the
tension building between his shoulder blades. Just because he had
Savannah in his life didn’t mean he could walk away from his other
responsibilities.
    Cole ran his hands over his face, pressing
the heels of his palms over his eyes. Why women didn’t come with an
instruction manual was beyond him.
     

Chapter 11
     
    Monday morning came too quickly after another
pleasant weekend spent with Cole. Savannah yawned and smoothed her
hair back, securing it in a low ponytail at the nape of her neck.
The least she could do to say thank you was to help out around the
house, not to mention if they wanted to eat, the responsibility
seemed to rest on her. “The coffee’s ready,” she called to
Cole.
    He entered the kitchen with a frown. “Not in
the mood.”
    He always drank coffee. Always. “What’s
wrong?” she asked, turning to watch him fasten the last few buttons
on his dress shirt. She helped him with the cufflinks that his
fingers always stumbled over. “Here. Let me.”
    “Thanks.” He smiled weakly.
    “Are you sick?” she asked, noticing the dark
circles beneath his eyes.
    “It’s just an upset stomach. I’ll be
fine.”
    She stared at him, having never seen him
under the weather, and felt altogether useless. “Can I get you some
ginger ale and soda crackers?”
    He nodded. “Ah, sure. Maybe that’ll do the
trick.” He slipped into his loafers while Savannah poured a small
glass of the bubbly amber-colored drink. “My mom used to give me
the same thing.”
    “Here.” She watched while he munched down the
crackers and then downed the soda.
    “See, I’m fine Savannah.” He chuckled,
passing back the empty glass.
    “Okay,” she said reluctantly, accepting it.
He’d done so much for her, it was the least she could do to be
there for him. Savannah headed into the kitchen and switched off
the coffee maker, having never developed a taste for the stuff
herself, and watched from the corner of her eye as Cole stuffed his
cell phone, wallet and keys into the pockets of his slacks. He was
a man of routine, that much was certain. He kept all his
essentials, plus some loose change, and a seldom worn watch in a
small mahogany box on his entryway table, and repeated this same
ritual each morning. Savannah continued to inspect him,
appreciating the way he looked dressed up in his work clothes, when
Cole suddenly darted from the entryway, passing her as he shot down
the hall.
    “Cole…” She followed him toward the bathroom,
but the sounds of him becoming sick stopped her at the threshold.
She stood with her back pressed against the wall just outside the
bathroom door, wondering if she should go to him.
    She heard the