by Zara Cox
“Why?”
He toyed with the handled of his glasses. “Because I want to devote today to what makes you happy.” His words, like so many before, spoken without guile or adornment, stunned her. He was making her seriously fall for him.
Hell, who was she kidding? She had fallen hard. She had fallen fast, and there would be no turning back. No matter the consequences. No matter that she knew my heart would break in a billion tiny pieces in the end.
Go for broke. “The only way you can make me unhappy is if you push me away,” she said boldly.
His eyes darkened. “I’ll try and do better,” he said.
Bethany’s heart stuttered. Considering she’d expected a firm rejection, this was a step forward. It wasn’t a huge step, but it would have to do for now. “That’s all I ask. Thank you.”
He nodded but his eyes remained solemn, watchful, as if he was expecting something else.
“What?” she asked.
“You were on the phone for a while last night.”
She didn’t miss the veiled question. “Yep.”
“Everything okay?”
“My Aunt Mel is still sick.”
Concern immediately clouded his eyes. He dropped his glasses and rounded the desk to crouch in front of her. “Baby, why didn’t you say something?”
She tried to keep a straight face but silent laughter shook her shoulders, escalating when she saw Zach’s puzzled look. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t really laugh.” She explained the Aunt Mel situation and watched his eyes widen.
“Remind me never to cross your friend.”
Her laughter subsided. “Yeah, she can be a bit of a pit bull when the mood takes her.”
“I’m glad she’s been watching out for you.” His hand gripped her bare calves in a firm caress then moved up her legs to her knees.
Her breath caught and his eyes darkened. “You say that like it’s a thing of a past.”
His hands slid up her higher and massaging gently. “I’d love to take an active role in watching out for you now.”
Again, emotion sucker punched her. “It’s a two-way street, Zach.”
He nodded. “You want to level the playing field a bit. I understand that. And I’ll make every effort to reciprocate.”
Unable to resist touching him since it felt like a lifetime since she’d last done so, she raised her hand and slowly slid her fingers through his hair. “I’m glad.”
They stayed like that for several minutes. Sure, expert hands slowly parted her thighs and stroked higher. “How do you feel?”
“Physically or emotionally?”
Wariness crept into his eyes but he didn’t withdraw from her. “Either. You can tell me whatever you want, Bethany. You know that.”
“Okay. I was…upset when I woke and you weren’t there.”
“I told you—”
“I know what you said, but I that’s how I felt. And after what happened yesterday, I guess I’m a little…emotional about everything.”
“How can I make you feel better?” he asked.
Her fingers drifted over his ear and touched just beneath his earlobe. His tiny hiss gave an indication of his own state of mind. “Having you this close helps.”
“Then I’m not going anywhere, Peaches.”
“God, Zach. Is it wrong that I’m this greedy for you?” she whispered raggedly.
“Hell, no. If I wanted you any more than I do, I’d have to be carted off in a fucking strait-jacket.”
His fingers glided higher and touched her outer sex. They both groaned as sensation of a different nature altered the mood.
“Is that my T-shirt you’re wearing, baby?”
She nodded jerkily, the touch of his thumb moving up her down her slit making forming words impossible.
“Hmm, I feel a sudden chill coming on. I think I want it back.”
Her pout drew his gaze to her mouth. Slowly she licked it and watched his nostrils flare. “What about me? Surely you don’t want me to catch a chill?”
“I’ll keep you warm,” he promised. “Now give it back.”
She caught the edges of the T-shirt, pulled it over her head and dropped it on the floor.
“God, you’re so fucking beautiful.” His thumb continued to caress her but he pulled back slightly. “Scoot to the edge of the seat for me.”
Anticipation thrummed through her as she complied. Bethany couldn’t believe it’d been barely twenty-four hours since they last made love. It felt like a lifetime.
She gripped the armrests as he parted her thighs wider and his head descended. The trail of kisses down her midriff had her gasping for breath.
Watching his pleasure as his mouth trailed over was its own aphrodisiac. Hearing him groan as her skin quivered beneath his kisses got her even hotter.
Maybe there was something to this after all. Something that went beyond sex for him. No man could get this turned on purely by sex, could he?
Thoughts flew out of her head at the touch of his tongue against her clit. But a loud trill from his desk rudely interrupted her cry of pleasure.
He jerked then closed his eyes on a pithy curse.
“What?” she demanded hoarsely.
“I’m sorry. I forgot I arranged video conference call.”
The word video had her scrambling to locate the T-shirt.
“Relax, no one’s about to see you naked. That I can guarantee.” His eyes dropped to her wet sex and he groaned.
“It’s okay,” she said, although okay was the last thing she felt right now.
“It’s not fucking okay. But since I arranged it, I have to show up.” Hard regret entered his eyes when she tugged the T-shirt into place. “Don’t go far. We have unfinished business.”
Chapter Sixteen
She showered, dressed in a loose white knee-length dress, had breakfast, then tried to convince herself she wasn’t behaving like a love-addled idiot when she chose to wait for Zach in the living room closest to his study.
The sound of his deep, muted voice as he conducted phone call after phone call soothed her even as her blood thrummed with anticipation of taking up where they’d left off earlier.
When two hours passed without his appearance, she retrieved her tablet and accessed the bookmarks she’d saved a couple of weeks ago.
After her last run-in with her boss, Bethany had sent out feelers on a few jobs with interesting prospects.
So far she’d tolerated Sheena’s generally acerbic attitude because she’d been too caught up in licking her wounds after Chris. But the thought of returning to Neon to be Sheena’s whipping girl made her feel slightly sick.
She had experienced so much change in her life in just a few short days.
Time to embrace it in all aspects of her life.
She was in the middle of sending her resume to a third highly reputable events organization firm when she heard footsteps.
Her heart skipped several beats and she started to set her iPad aside. But the smile that started in her heart died a swift death on her lips at the look on Zach’s face when he entered the room.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
He’d covered his top half with an indigo shirt but a few top buttons were undone, and his hair looked as if he’d ran his fingers through it several times.
“I have a situation with one of my companies. One of my executives has walked out at a crucial stage of a delicate deal. I have to step in or everything will go to shit.”
“Is there anything I can do?” She started to rise but he shook his head and pressed her back down with gentle hands then crouched in front of her just as he’d done in his study.
“I appreciate the offer, but no. I just came out here to apologize for neglecting you. I have to take another call in less than five minutes. After that…hell, I don’t know how much time it’ll take to straighten things out.” Grey eyes held hers, his annoyance and worry clear.
“It’s fine, Zach. I’m a big girl, I can keep myself entertaine
d for a while longer.”
The worried look in his eyes didn’t abate. “Are you sure?”
She nodded despite the urge to cling like a pathetic limpet. “Positive. I have a few things to catch up on myself.”
His gaze flicked to her iPad and back to her. “Okay. I’ll make it up to you, baby. Promise.”
His phone rang and he cursed. Leaning down, he kissed her for a lingering moment then rose. “Oh, one more thing. Your birthday next week. Don’t make any plans, okay? I have a surprise for you.” With another kiss and a regretful smile at her, he strode quickly back out.
Her birthday…
The idea that she would be spending it with Zach pleased her far more than was advisable or healthy. The feeling unsettled her enough to jerk her to her feet.
Unthinking of where she went, she wandered from room to room until she reached the ballroom. She hadn’t returned since Zach brought her here on their first day.
The box containing the ballerina slippers sat on the floor where he’d left it. With trembling fingers, she opened it and took out the exquisite slippers. A shade of deep indigo—the choice of color wasn’t lost on her—they fit perfectly when she slid them on and tied the ribbons above her ankle.
Her heart skipping rapidly, she walked across the floor and picked up the remote that controlled the sound system on the far side of the room. Flicking through she made a selection and set the control down.
Soft strains of Yo Yo Ma’s Cello Suites by Bach drifted through the air. The familiar music alleviated her anxiety and grounded her.
If it makes you happy, do it...
Zach’s voice echoed in her head as if he’d whispered straight into her ears. Heart thundering, she practiced a few warm up moves. Her calves twinged at her first demi-plié but old habits soon kicked in. Keeping relatively fit had helped her body stay toned and limber enough that she dared to attempt a whirling jump halfway through the Suite.
“Yes!” She grinned and kept going. Even when the grand jeté didn’t quite make it, she danced on, a sense of joy bubbling just beneath her skin as she twirled from one end of the room to the other.
***
In his study, Zach curbed the snarl clawing its way up his throat and forced himself to listen to yet another executive make excuses.
He knew Bethany was no longer next door. He’d seen a flash of white about an hour ago as she’d wandered past his study door. Every cell in his body yearned to be with her, and the sensation wasn’t altogether a pleasant one.
His need for her seemed to be escalating beyond reasonable proportions. Granted, they’d passed reasonable quite a while back, but he’d expected a gradual slowing down of the insane attraction between them. Instead he’d spent most of last night contemplating how to give Bethany what she wanted without losing her.
The sky had turned a light shade of grey before he’d crawled into bed beside her. And still he’d hadn’t come up with a way of letting her into his life and his past without the risk of losing her.
He knew sooner or later he’d have to find a way to tell her about Farrah.
That truth couldn’t stay hidden forever, especially once they returned to the real world. No matter how discreet he tried to keep their relationship, his life was too interesting to the tabloid media for them to remain a secret item for long.
His team of lawyers had done a good job of burying what happened six years ago. He’d done an even better job, until recently, of burying his emotions even deeper.
Could he risk telling Bethany about it now? Would she understand? God, most likely she would run as fast and as far away from him as possible.
The very thought made his fingers clench on his armrests.
No way would he let that happen.
“Mr. Savage?”
He refocused on the videoconference screen and raised an eyebrow at the table full of sharply suited men on the other side. “Seventy-five percent is non-negotiable. You tried to hard-ball my previous executive, but the simple truth is my company is supplying aeronautic parts and the manpower to build the planes. The only resource you’re providing is the fit-out. The numbers work. Take a minute and work it out. Hell, take five.”
They turned away to confer and he sat back in his chair. Reaching for his laptop, he activated the program that brought up the security cameras.
He scrolled through the feed until he saw her.
Zach’s breath punched through his chest with enough force to jerk him upright. Completely mesmerized, he stared as Bethany floated across this ballroom floor. He couldn’t hear the music but the flow and grace of her body, and the sheer pleasure on her face made a shudder pass through him.
Jesus, she danced like a fucking dream.
He realized he’d stopped breathing when his lungs burned. Sucking in desperate air, he watched her raise her arms in a graceful arch above her head. Then staying in pose, she executed the most perfect arabesque.
Zach gritted his teeth at the swiftness with which his cock hardened. But while that reaction was expected, the feeling in his chest as he watched her slowly froze him in place.
Happiness…
“Mr. Savage.”
Dry-mouthed, he continued to stare at the screen, unable to take his eyes off the figure moving through another series of pirouettes and glides.
Happiness, arousal, pride...Fear. All tossed around inside him, jerking his insides into a thousand knots.
Jaw tight, he acknowledged that something was happening here. Something he didn’t have complete control over. For as long as he could remember, even before Farrah had come into his life, he’d been able to control his reactions to women. He called the shots and he never apologized or let things get out of hand.
“Mr. Savage?”
The realization that watching Bethany dance had the power to move him so deeply twisted another knot inside him. A knot made entirely of hopeless longing and deep possessiveness.
He wanted her. More than that, he needed her on a level he’d never needed anyone before. He wanted to claim her on every level. Completely. Immediately.
“Mr. Savage. Sir!”
Wrenching himself from the screen, he looked up. Several pairs of eyes stared at him in varying degrees of puzzlement.
Forcing air into his lungs, he cleared his throat. “Gentlemen, what have you decided?”
“We agree to your terms.”
“Excellent. Let’s move onto the next thing on the agenda.”
He waited until their attention had moved from him before he glanced down at the screen. Whatever music she danced to must have come to an end, because Bethany had sank into a low, perfect curtsy.
Sweat glistened off her skin but pure happiness shone from her face.
With not-quite-steady fingers, he slowly shut the laptop, the unshakeable sensation cutting a jagged path through him.
From now on, he wanted to be the one to put that look on her face.
Except he knew for that to happen he had to unearth parts of his life that could very well drive Bethany away.
***
Bethany was still smiling when she emerged from her second shower of the day. It was past seven and the sun was beginning to turn the sky that breathtaking reddish orange that commanded attention.
Zach hadn’t emerged from his study all day but her lunch had been delivered with a single long stemmed yellow rose and a note that read, Thinking of you, Peaches.
She had to hand it to him. He had a way of disarming her with very little effort. As a way of making her heart twist into forgetting that there was a side of him she barely knew, it was very effective.
She’d carried the rose upstairs with her and now inhaled its seductive scent as she opened the double French doors that led to the balcony and went barefoot onto the terrace.
Flagstones still warm from the sun soothed feet that throbbed from her balletic exertions. She didn’t mind the mild pain. The joy she’d felt from dancing again had been immeasurable.
Her o
nly wish was that Zach had been there to see her.
God. She had it bad. Very, very bad.
She rested one hand on the railing, watched the stunning horizon, and tried not to think too hard of what she’d decided in the shower just now. The more she thought about what she’d do to propel a deeper conversation from Zach, the more she was convinced she’d lost her mind.
Plus, chances were it would backfire horribly.
Go for broke.
The petals of the rose tickled her nose as she inhaled deeply. Could the man who’d sent her the flower really turn away from her that easily if she demanded more?
This morning he’d told her he’d try. She could wait until he chose his own moment to bridge the gap between them, or she could help him along.
She needed a slow, steady build. The small smile that curved her mouth eased some of her anxiety. She wasn’t fully comfortable with the new-found sexual power she seemed to have over Zachary Savage, but if it could aid in her campaign to get him to open up, she was going for it.
With the sun quickly sliding deeper into the horizon, the automatic lights on the grounds began to flicker on. They glinted over the pool and fountain, throwing up shimmering color as the water jetted into the air. Trailing her hand over the rail, Bethany slowly walked to the far right end of the terrace.
Looking down, she saw even more shimmering water as the shallow pools were illuminated. Despite what Zach had helped her achieve yesterday, the sight of so much water made her pulse skitter with alarm.
She was about to turn away when she noticed it.
A long slab of pavement dissected one of the shallow pools, ending in a mound of rocks that was set into the far wall of the landscaped garden. To one side of the rocks, a small Bedouin tent had been erected.
Bethany hadn’t noticed it before because of her preoccupation with not getting close to the water. She frowned at the unexpected sight but, unable to guess what the structure could be from this distance, she turned away and headed back inside.
The door to the toy room was unlocked. Bethany quickly entered before she lost her nerve and headed straight for the object she required.
With a cheeky grin, she slid it on and shrugged her robe back on just as a sound came from behind her.