by Lea Hart
“I don’t think seeing one another that often is necessary.”
“I do and there’s nothing you can say that will change my mind.”
She watched him sit and noticed the determination in his face. “Don’t push me, Zach.”
“I’m not.”
“Yes, you are,” she mumbled as she served them both some delicious pasta and salad. “Your face is pale. Are you sure you’re okay?”
“I could probably use some good loving from my woman.”
She cut into the delicate pasta and ignored his comments. Tasting the creamy crab and artichoke filling, she moaned. “The woman is a genius. This is amazing.”
“I’m going to assume your lack of response to my suggestions means you’re totally on board with the idea.”
“You would be wrong,” she replied as she ate some salad.
“Then we’ll just sleep side by side until you change your mind.”
“I think you should go home and get a good night’s sleep.”
“I won’t be able to unless you’re snugged up against my side.”
“Eat your dinner, Zach.”
“Yes, dear.”
Smiling, she wiped her mouth and then nodded. “Good answer.”
“Thought so,” he replied before digging back into his food.
She took a sip of wine and studied the man she’d dreamt about endlessly and knew that having him home safe was a Christmas miracle if ever there was one. What she was supposed to do with it though, remained a mystery.
Did she just let go of the hurt feelings and distrust his actions had caused, or hold on to them for a bit longer?
A big part of her wanted to just move past it and leap into their happy ever after like some princess from a Disney movie, but the smart part of her knew that would be foolish.
Trust needed to be developed and for that to happen, they both needed to show with their actions that it was possible.
Time and patience on both their parts was how it was going to happen, and taking a shortcut, no matter how tempting, would be a disservice to what they had.
And if she had to remind herself of that hourly, then she would.
***
Zach lay in Cecily’s bed and hoped like hell she wasn’t going to make him go home. He hadn’t had a good night’s sleep in over a month and needed her soft curves pressed against him so he could finally feel the peace he needed to make sleep possible.
He picked up his phone and checking his messages, saw that Seth was confirmed to return on Friday. “About damn time,” he muttered.
“What’s that?” Cecily asked as she walked out of the bathroom.
“Nothing, just talking to myself.”
“Why are you in my bed?”
“Because it’s time to go to sleep.”
“You better not be naked under those blankets.”
He let his eyes slowly rake over her nightgown and sighed. “I’m wearing my boxers.”
“Good, because I’m not having sex with you until I’m done being mad.”
Flipping the blankets open, he gave her a slow smile. “You might want to consider some angry sex then.”
“You couldn’t handle it,” she mumbled as she slipped into bed and pulled the blankets up.
He ran his hand over his chest and smirked. “I could more than handle it and you suggesting otherwise is ridiculous.”
“I’m pretty pissed and doubt your broken ribs could handle the rough animalistic things I have in mind.”
“Try me,” he replied with a grin.
“No, thank you.”
Sliding his hand along the sheets, he searched for hers and when he found it, clasped their fingers together. “I dare you.”
“Not going to work,” she replied, flipping the light off.
The room was plunged into darkness and he let out a long breath. “Cecily?”
“Yes?”
“Is it possible for you to love the beast within me?”
“I don’t know.”
“My mom used to tell me the world was going to be hard on me because I feel too much, hurt too much, think too much and love with every cell in my body.”
“That doesn’t sound like a beast. That sounds like a man who goes all in.”
“Can you handle all in?” The blankets rustled, and he felt her move closer.
“I’ve never had the chance, so I have no idea.”
“When I saw you at the wedding, I wanted to convince you I was your Prince Charming, but in retrospect, that probably wasn’t such a hot idea.”
“Why?”
“Because that’s an idealized version of a man and has little to do with the reality of the flawed human being that I am.”
“I suppose you’re right and since animated princes are not interesting for long, it’s probably best to get to know and accept the man you are.”
“I’d like to be your king of hearts, instead.” Feeling her hand move to his chest, he smiled into the darkness and tangled their legs together.
“And what exactly does the king of hearts do?”
“Protects his kingdom, and to be clear, our relationship represents the kingdom.”
“And what kind of protection are you offering?”
“The kind that will shield you from anything or anyone who intends harm. You come before everything and are the center of my world.”
“That sounds like a fairy tale, Zach.”
“No, it sounds like a man making his intentions clear. I’m not saying I’m going to nail it perfectly every day for the rest of our lives, but I am promising to do my best and have it be my guiding principal.”
“Bring it on then, because I’d love nothing more than to see those words in action.”
“Then get ready, baby, because that’s exactly what I’m going to do.” He wound his hand around her neck and pulled her close. Dropping his mouth to hers, he ran his tongue along the seam of her lips until she opened and groaned at the pleasure of being granted entrance.
He kissed her passionately, pouring out all the feelings he’d bottled up and felt her melt under his touch as she returned his desire with every stroke of her tongue.
Hard and soft.
Demanding and giving.
There was no surrender in the way their mouths moved together.
Cecily was his match in every way, and he knew there was no better queen than the one in his arms.
Fire hissed through his veins, and he wanted nothing more than to consummate their truce with his body buried in hers.
But that’s not what she wanted, and if he was going to make good on his promise to become her king, he needed to respect that. Sucking in her bottom lip, he pulled it taut and then slowly let it go. “I’m going to behave and do as you ask.”
“What?” she asked with a roughened whisper.
“I’m going to keep my hands mostly to myself.”
“But…”
He gave her a short sweet kiss and then rolled on his back. “Good night, Cecily.” Feeling the bed dip, he glanced over and watched her do the same.
“We could’ve…”
“No, I’m doing as you ask.”
“What if I asked for something new?”
“I would politely refuse, because it’s important that you have a chance to resolve your angry feelings before we make sweet, sweet love.”
“What happened to angry sex?”
“A king would never do that.”
“Well maybe I’m not so interested in a king after all.”
He folded their hands together and let out a little laugh. “Sleep well, my queen.” Closing his eyes, he heard her mumble and knew she wasn’t happy with his change in attitude.
Which may work in his favor if it allowed her to forgive him sooner rather than later. They needed to restart their relationship on the right foot, and that meant no recriminations or old anger was going to be allowed to poison their very bright future.
God willing, her desire would speed the pr
ocess along.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Cecily signed off on the last supplier for the Arizona facilities and handed the stack of contracts over to the regional manager. “Thanks for all your help.”
“Just glad to have it all nailed down before the first of the year. Appreciate you making the last minute trip.”
“No problem, Xavier. It feels good to have it wrapped up.”
“Do you need a ride to the airport?”
“No, thanks. I’m going to visit with the residents for a couple of hours and then head over.”
“Good enough,” he responded as he tapped the stack of papers on the desk and stood. “Have a good holiday, Cecily.”
“You too.” Leaning back, she rolled her shoulders and mentally went through her list and realized everything was checked off. After today, she was officially on vacation until after the first of the year, and she couldn’t wait for the time off.
Her phone pinged with a text alert. She pressed her finger against the screen and was greeted of a picture of Zach’s house decked out in lights and a short message. Happy fucking Christmas, baby. We’re getting shit done so Santa knows we’re on board with the holiday. She laughed as she typed back her response. Very impressive, but I better not find out that you were up on any ladders or your stocking is going to be filled with rocks. He replied less than thirty seconds later. I see someone wants to be the boss of Christmas and you better check yourself ‘cause I’m the elf in charge.
“We’ll see who’s in charge when I get home,” she mumbled to herself as she sent him a Christmas tree emoji and Santa face. The phone rang, and she saw that Zach couldn’t stand having not having the last word. “Hello, elf in charge.”
“Do you realize there are no dirty emojis available?”
“Had no idea.”
“I was looking for one of a couple fornicating and came up with zilch.”
“I’m thinking that’s a good thing.”
“No, it’s not, because that’s the one I wanted to reply with.”
“I just googled naughty emojis, and apparently there are quite a few options.”
“No shit.”
“I’m looking at several right now.”
“When we’re done with this call, I’m downloading them. That way I can sext you during the day with style.”
“There will be no sexting. My cell phone is networked to Affinity, and I do not need some weirdo in IT going through my texts and getting ideas.”
“That sucks.”
“We’re too old to do that anyway.”
“Speak for yourself, woman. I’m in the damn prime of my life and plan on showing you exactly what that means as soon as you forgive me and get rid of your big mad.”
“I have no response.”
“Because you’re at work?”
“Yes.”
“Fair enough. We’ll talk about it when you get home.”
“I’ll call you in the morning.”
“Bullshit. I’m picking you up at the airport and feeding if you if necessary, then we’re coming home and getting our fa-la-la on.”
“I don’t get in until after nine.”
“Doesn’t matter.”
“That’s very nice of you.”
“You can repay me in sexual favors.”
“Or I could just take an Uber.”
“Fine. No sexual favors, but I expect a lot of sweet kisses.”
“That I can do.”
“Can’t wait, baby.”
“I’ll call you from the airport.”
“Okay, be safe, and I can’t wait to see your face.”
“Same.” Hearing his deep exhalation brought a smile to her face, and she ended the call. “He’s a very bad man,” she muttered to herself as she slid her phone into her pocket and walked out of the administration offices.
Being the Director of Operations was not only about making sure everything ran smoothly for the residents, but also about making sure the company was giving them the best experience possible. Which they clearly were since the wide halls were decorated for the season without being garish, and the music playing over the speakers wasn’t intrusive enough to bother anyone.
At least that’s what she hoped was happening.
There were always a group of dissenters, and they were usually not shy about communicating the many multitude of things they found unacceptable. Walking into the craft room, Cecily saw several women working on what she assumed were gifts for the season and gave the woman keeping the chaos under control a smile. Admiring some of the items that were being turned out, she vowed that next year she would actually learn how to knit.
She stepped out of the room and heard her name. Turning, she saw Bernadette, the woman she’d spoken with during her last visit. “Happy holiday, it’s so nice to see you.”
“And you, my sweet Cecily the Director.”
“How are you doing?”
“I can’t complain, and considering cocktails are being served in the lounge I wouldn’t dare.” She linked their arms and winked. “Tell me you have time for a martini and some proper gossip.”
“I absolutely do and would love nothing more.” Admiring Bernadette’s bright caftan, she patted her hand. “This is a perfect way to end my day.”
“My goodness, yes. A lot can be set right after one has a drink and time to digest the day’s events.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” she replied as they walked into the lounge and placed their orders. Once they were seated, Cecily leaned back and looked around and noticed the place was bustling. “If we’d arrived a minute later, we might not have gotten a seat.”
“It’s five on the dot. Most people have been here since four.”
“Makes sense, since dinner is served at six.” Two perfect martinis were delivered, and she lifted hers in toast. “Happy holidays.”
“Indeed,” Bernadette replied as she clicked their glasses together and took a sip. “How is your handsome security consultant? Do you two have special plans for Christmas?”
“What?” she sputtered.
“Isn’t the man you were here with on your last visit your boyfriend?”
“He wasn’t at the time of the visit.”
Bernadette smiled and shook her head. “Yes, he was dear. You just hadn’t accepted it.”
“But how did you know?”
“I saw the two of you standing out front as the last of the light played through the aspen trees. The way you two looked at each other reminded me of all the great love stories I’ve seen over the years. People can say anything and promise more, but none of that means a thing if they don’t look at you like the world begins and ends with your smile.”
Sipping her drink, she did her best not let every emotion she had tumble out and spread across the floor. “He’s a rascal and I’m not sure…”
“If you’re up to wrangling him?”
“Yes!”
“I think you are and have a feeling you already know that.”
“I’m trying to be smart.”
Flapping her hand, she let out an inelegant sound. “Smart is for taxes. Smart is for deciding what neighborhood you want your children to grow up in. Smart has nothing to do with love unless, God forbid, you’re forced into an arranged marriage.”
“I don’t want to have my heart broken.”
“Then prepare yourself for a life so boring, you might as well be dead. Great rewards come with great risk, and there’s nothing more dangerous than gambling on another person.”
“Would you choose your husband again, knowing what you know?”
“An impossible question.”
“Maybe I’m not built for risk.”
Bernadette sipped her drink and then lifted an eyebrow. “Yes, you are. Jump, sweet Cecily, into the void, and believe that you have whatever it takes to fly.”
Nodding, she sipped her drink and found there were no words. Because Bernadette was exactly right. Love and safety were not synonymous and the sooner
she accepted that, the sooner she could leap straight into her future.
***
Zach leaned against his truck and watched Cecily walk out of the airport with two men trailing her like puppies. Standing at his full height, he threw both men a hard glare and then opened his arms and tugged her close when she walked into them. “Hey, baby, glad you’re home.”
“Me too. I’m ready for a warm bath and bed.”
“Coming right up,” he replied as he watched both men’s faces fill with disappointment. “How was the flight?”
“Uneventful. I finished the last of my paperwork, and I’m ready to start my vacation.”
“Talk to anyone interesting on the flight?”
She gave him an arched eyebrow and then shook her head. “Other than the man I joined the mile-high club with, no.”
His head spun around like he was possessed, and the first thing he saw was her withering glare. “Fine, I won’t ask that anymore.”
“A very good idea.”
Deciding that pointing out the two men who were dogging her heels was a crap idea, he grinned and opened the door to his truck. “We can have leftovers for dinner.”
“I ate with the residents, so I’m not hungry.
When he got in the car, she put her hand on his arm. “Please tell me you ate.”
“I had a late lunch.”
“Zach, you should’ve eaten. You’re not going to recover if you don’t take proper care of yourself. You should’ve been recuperating today and not running around like an elf on crack.” She pursed her lips and looked out the window. “Tomorrow will be a full day of rest, and I will make you some chicken noodle soup.”
“How pissed would you be if I told you your fussing was turning me on in ways that are indecent.”
“Pretty sure a stiff breeze would have the same effect.”
“Hardly,” he replied with a laugh. He pulled onto the freeway and glanced over. “I got a confirmation that our pajamas are coming tomorrow via FedEx.”
She clapped her hands and gave him a luminous smile. “I can’t tell you how happy this is making me.”