Splashing Right In (Crescent Key Book 2)
Page 6
Jenna let out a deep sigh of contentment and snuggled against his arm. “Nope. Just thinking how nice it is to have you in my life.”
“It’s nice to feel wanted.” His fingers grazed her arm up and down, teasing her skin delicately while butterflies fluttered in her stomach. Was this what it felt like? Was she finally falling in love?
It was an entirely new, foreign feeling. But it felt real, magical even. Like everything she’d ever wanted. Like everything that left her speechless during a soft, romantic movie. But this was real.
Yes, for once, she was willing to drop all the barriers around her heart. And she’d already done that from the moment he stepped through the front door at the shelter. It seemed so symbolic to meet him there, in hindsight. He felt like home, like the shelter she hadn’t realized she’d been craving so badly. And of all the places to meet him in. There was something so powerfully divine about that, as though the planets had aligned intentionally. Perhaps her prayers had finally been answered.
She opened her eyes, letting reality soak into her veins. He was real. This moment was real. And through that moment of clarity, she finally realized she had well and truly fallen in love. She was more certain of that now than ever.
She sat up slowly, and Zach’s lips met hers. No words were needed, and nothing had ever felt so right before. Where words failed, each kiss so soft and tender expressed the very feelings deep within their souls.
“You know what I’d love to do?” he asked, his voice low and husky.
“What would that be?”
He kissed her again, soft and slow, taking his time as he explored and tasted her. “I want to watch the sunrise with you.”
Heat rose in her cheeks. “You want to stay the night?”
He stroked her cheek with the pad of his thumb. “I do. I want to watch the most beautiful moment of the day with the most beautiful woman in the world.”
“You know, I’ve never actually watched the sunrise before.”
He placed a soft kiss on her lips. “Well, there’s always a first time for everything.”
♥ ♥ ♥
The pact to stay up until the sunrise almost didn’t come to fruition. Zach’s eyes flickered open just in the nick of time, and Jenna’s eyes fluttered as he stirred, waking from her slumber.
“We didn’t miss it, did we?” she mumbled.
He kissed the top of her head. “No, but we will if we don’t head out there soon.”
Still half-asleep, she grabbed a throw blanket, wrapping it tight around her body as they fumbled their way down to the beach.
“I hope that’s big enough we can share,” he teased.
The beach was silent as the two sat down in the sand, swaddling themselves in the blanket, all cozy and warm.
“I wish I would’ve brought my camera,” she mused. She wanted to freeze the moment forever and never let it go.
Zach leaned over, kissing the top of her head. “Even if you would’ve, there are just some moments that can’t be done justice on film.”
The first crests of light peeked out from the horizon, bringing both the promise of a new day and a renewed sense of hope. The hours of conversation flew by with ease, but just before sunrise, all was silent between the two.
“Something on your mind?” Jenna asked.
Zach’s gaze focused straight ahead as rays of light began to reflect in his eyes. “I’m just thinking. I’m thinking about what you said earlier, about the gallery. What if you offered to do photoshoots for the pets down at the shelter? Maybe that could spark some new interest in the gallery.”
Jenna quirked a brow, slightly surprised and slightly amused at such a cute idea. “I mean, that would be fun, but how would that help the gallery?”
Zach sat up straight, stretching his arms high above his head. “It would make for a great PR campaign. Maybe you could feature a different pet each week. If you told the local news about it, they’d eat it up. They love stuff like that.”
Jenna could practically feel the gears clicking in her mind. “I love that idea. It’s a win for everyone. Plus, I’m pretty sure I can get Nolan on board, too.”
He leaned into her, resting his head on her shoulder as he pulled her in closer. “See what we can accomplish when we put our heads together?”
In all honesty, when it came to him, she felt like she could take on anything.
One Month Later
“Turn it up! I can’t hear it.”
Zach reached for the remote, tapping the volume button frantically as the six o’clock news segment came on. Colleen Smith’s cheerful voice filled the room as she introduced the familiar face that Zach Williams had fallen in love with over the last month. It was an extraordinary feeling, knowing that his girlfriend’s face was beaming with joy on tens of thousands of televisions all across the viewing area.
Jenna’s face lit up like Christmas as the camera panned across the numerous photos she’d taken since starting the project. She was like a true animal whisperer, knowing just the right way to get each animal to pose without making them uncomfortable.
They looked happy. Truly happy. And why shouldn’t they? It was impossible not to smile while being in Jenna’s presence. She was the ray of light Crescent Key needed.
And someday soon, he’d ask her to be his wife.
♥♥♥
The End
For more great romance reads, visit nicolehighlandwrites.com
Sweetest Love Trilogy
Diving Right In (Crescent Key, 1)
Business and Pleasure
Furever in Love
Darkest Temptation (Vampires of Somerset, 1)
Forever My Valentine
Claimed: An Alien Abduction Short Story
Diamond in the Night
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Nicole Highland is a fiction author from Fort Wayne, Indiana. Having her start as a romance writer, she knows life doesn’t always give us a happy ending, so that’s why she creates her own.
Highland writes romances featuring a bit of heat, and a whole helping of sweet, and prefers her heroes to be on the softer side and love to open doors for their ladies. She is the author of the Sweetest Love trilogy and writes new adult, paranormal and fantasy romances. In addition to writing fiction, she loves writing free-verse poetry.
When she’s not writing, she’s most likely using her creativity in some other fashion. She graduated in 2011 with an associate degree in graphic design. She currently works full time as a graphic designer and does freelance design work and writing in her spare time.