“Wow, first breakfast and now this. I’m going to get spoiled.” Emma said.
“Don’t count on it. This is about the extent of my culinary expertise. Most nights, we eat cereal or something microwavable.”
Zack’s back was to her while he stirred the noodles, and Emma felt a pang of empathy for him. She didn’t have any other friends who were single parents, and she suddenly realized how difficult it must be. He worked full time and took care of a house and a four-year-old, yet he never complained. He had such a positive attitude, and Emma admired that about him.
“I could cook for you sometime,” she ventured.
Zack turned toward her. “I didn’t mean for you to feel sorry for me, Em.”
“No. It’s not that at all. I just thought that since you’ve cooked for me, I could return the favor sometime.”
Zack stared at her for a few beats and then said, “Sure. That would be great.”
Just then, Gracie ran into the kitchen and asked if dinner was ready.
“Almost,” Zack said. “Why don’t you ask Miss Emma what she would like to drink?”
“I made lemonade,” Gracie suggested.
How can I refuse? This little girl is absolutely adorable. “Lemonade sounds perfect,” Emma replied.
Once they were seated and Zack had dished out the macaroni and cheese, Gracie said, “I get to say the prayer.”
Zack nodded and held out his hands to Gracie and Emma around the small table. Emma swallowed hard as she slipped one hand into Zack’s warm, masculine grip and reached out her other hand to Gracie. Gracie’s small, soft hand rested gently in Emma’s while she said the prayer.
“Dear God, please watch over me and Daddy and Mommy and Papa and Nana and Miss Emma. And please tell Robby to stop pinching me on the playground. Amen.”
Emma couldn’t contain her laughter, and thankfully, Zack and Gracie followed suit.
“Does Robby pinch you every day?” Emma asked.
“Yes,” Gracie replied vehemently before stuffing her mouth with a heaping spoonful of macaroni.
“When I was in kindergarten, there was a boy in my class who used to pull my hair all the time. Sometimes, boys do things like that.”
Zack raised his eyebrows but didn’t add anything to the conversation.
“Did you ever do that, Daddy?” Gracie asked innocently.
Zack looked between the two of them and set his fork down. “Yes, I did. However, I only picked on the girls that I liked.”
“Well, I don’t like Robby! Can I be done now?”
Zack eyed her plate and said, “Two more bites.”
Gracie complied and then ran away from the table, shouting something about playing with her dolls.
Zack stood up to clear the table, and Emma jumped up to help. “She’s a lot like you,” Emma commented while they loaded plates into the dishwasher.
“How so?”
“Her exuberance for one and her sense of humor for two.”
“You forgot to mention her good looks.”
“Well, that’s a given.” She had said it off-handedly, but Zack stopped what he was doing and gazed at her intently.
“What? Friends can find each other attractive.”
“Yet they’re not supposed to act on it?” Zack smiled, but his eyes were dead serious.
His intensity did something funny to her insides. “Not if they want to remain friends,” Emma answered, refusing to back down.
“Why can’t they be both friends and lovers?”
Ok, the word “lovers” just made my spine tingle. “Because that complicates things.” Why do I feel like I am about to lose this argument?
“You mean sex?”
“Shh,” Emma hissed, worried that Gracie might overhear.
Zack chuckled. “You can’t even say the word, can you?”
“What word?” Emma felt the heat creeping up her neck, and she quickly averted her eyes.
Zack laughed louder this time. “Sex. You can’t say the word sex.”
Once again, Emma was reminded of why it was so difficult to be friends with this man. “That is ridiculous,” she said, becoming more flustered by the second.
Zack reached out and clasped her wrist in his steel grip. “Say the word, and I’ll let you go.”
“Real mature,” Emma said, but damn if a little giggle didn’t escape.
“Let’s hear it.” Zack tightened his grip on her wrist, which gave her spine another jolt.
Emma felt like she was burning up. She would have liked to blame it on the heat from the stove, but she knew better. Zack seemed to sense that victory was near, because his smile grew even wider. Emma scanned the area to make sure that they were alone, and then she looked him directly in the eyes.
“Sex,” she breathed.
Usually, she’d describe Zack’s eyes as light gray, but at that moment, they took on a different hue. A different shade of gray, she mused with a secretive smile. He hadn’t let go of her wrist, and now he yanked her closer until there was a mere sliver of space between them. Zack cupped her chin with his free hand and gently rubbed his thumb back and forth across her flushed cheek. Emma didn’t move an inch—couldn’t have even if she’d wanted to. Time was suspended. Her vision filled with only him. He tilted his head, eyes trained on her lips, and then…
“DAAAAAD!”
They broke apart abruptly just as Gracie rushed into the kitchen. Emma turned her back to them and resumed cleaning the kitchen.
“Can we watch a movie now?” Gracie asked.
“Sure, sweetie,” Zack replied, but his voice sounded a little strained. “Go ahead and pick one, and then we’ll be there in a minute.”
When Gracie bounded out of the room, Emma’s and Zack’s eyes met again. He made an exaggerated motion of wiping the sweat off his brow to acknowledge their close call. Emma broke out in a huge grin and let his sense of humor wash away the tension.
“Like I said, it complicates things,” she reiterated and flounced out of the room.
Gracie selected the movie Tangled for them to watch, and while Emma had heard of it, she had never seen it. Aside from her interaction with kids at the bookstore, Emma wasn’t around children that often. She was an only child, so she didn’t have nieces or nephews, and her friends that had kids were so busy that she rarely saw them. While watching a kid flick on a Friday night might not be everyone’s idea of a good time, Emma was perfectly content. She enjoyed the innocence and enthusiasm that most kids displayed, and Gracie was no exception. The fact that she was Zack’s child made her even more fun to be around.
Zack slipped the disc into the machine while Gracie and Emma took up positions on the couch. Emma didn’t mind at all when Gracie nestled right beside her, but Zack’s face showed a flicker of surprise as he came over to join them. Emma watched him wrestle with the question of where to sit, since there was room on either side of Gracie or her, but when Gracie patted the spot next to her, the decision was made. Secretly, Emma was glad. It would be easier for her to concentrate on the movie without Zack’s nearness to distract her.
Wrong-o! Partway through the film, Zack placed his long arm along the back of the couch and started fiddling with Emma’s hair. At first, she thought it was just a coincidence, but when he didn’t stop, she realized what he was up to. Gracie was so enthralled with the movie that she hadn’t noticed, but Emma shot Zack a knock-it-off glare over the top of Gracie’s head.
He got the message, because he pulled his hand away and turned his attention back to the television. But a few minutes later, his hand was back, and this time, his fingers caressed the sensitive skin on the back of her neck! Emma was torn between wanting to throttle him and wanting to give herself over to his magic hands. But then she looked down at Gracie staring wide-eyed at the television screen while Eugene professed his love for Rapunzel. Emma certainly didn’t want to draw attention to herself, so she decided to allow Zack to continue his... teasing.
Oh yes, he knew exactly what he w
as doing. He alternated between drawing lazy circles on her skin, massaging her neck muscles, and running his hand down the back of her hair. And it was driving her absolutely crazy with need. Every so often, she glanced over at him, and he appeared to be deeply engrossed in the movie. Occasionally, their eyes would meet, and she saw a cross between desire and amusement written on his face.
Emma shifted around in her seat, which caused him to give up his ministrations for a moment, but as soon as she got settled, he started up again. This time, he slid his entire hand just under the collar of her shirt, and she almost jumped. Her whole body responded when he brushed his hand back and forth between her shoulder blades. By the time the credits rolled, Emma was completely aroused.
Gracie let out a big yawn, which brought Emma quickly back to reality. Zack smoothly extracted his roaming hand, stood up, and briskly informed Gracie that it was time for bed.
“Say goodnight to Miss Emma,” Zack said.
“Actually, I need to get to bed too,” Emma said, struggling to sound casual. “I’ll just let myself out.”
Zack gave her a knowing look. “No need to rush. I can put Gracie to bed and come back down.”
There is no way in hell… If Emma stayed, she was afraid of what might happen, and she wasn’t ready for that—yet. She firmly shook her head but smiled down at Gracie. “I’ll see both of you tomorrow for story time, right?”
Gracie nodded her head enthusiastically, and Zack said a resigned, “Yes.”
“Ok. Well, thanks for dinner and the movie. I had fun.”
Gracie wrapped her arms around Emma’s waist and gave her a tight squeeze. “Me too,” she said.
Emma was somewhat taken aback by the display of affection, but then again, Gracie was Zack’s child. He obviously didn’t have trouble showing affection either.
When Gracie pulled away, she said, “Daddy, you have to hug Miss Emma goodbye too.”
Oh boy! The devilish grin was back as Zack immediately opened his arms to invite her in. It was impossible to say no with Gracie staring up at her, and Zack waited expectantly. Emma stepped into his arms and was wrapped up in a warm, tight hug. In that brief moment, she felt a swirling combination of emotions: desire and lust mixed with comfort and friendship. It was an intoxicating cocktail that buzzed through her veins. Better than rum and Coke any day!
Emma was still reeling when they walked her to the door. They stood and waved goodbye while she drove away, and when they were out of sight, Emma was left with only one emotion—loneliness.
Chapter 18
Emma was accepting a delivery from the UPS driver the next morning when Zack and Gracie entered the store. Gracie waved to Emma and then sprinted to the kid’s section while Zack stood nearby and waited for Emma to finish up.
Mike, the UPS guy, chatted her up like usual, only this time they had a rapt audience. Kelly had insisted that Mike had a crush on Emma, but she’d been married for most of the time that he’d been making deliveries to the store. Now that he knew she was single (thanks to Kelly), he found ways to linger just a little bit longer each time he delivered a package. Mike was good looking in that all-American, clean-cut, athletic kind of way. Emma and Kelly had often commented to each other about how lean and hard his body was from lifting boxes all day long. He wore the typical brown uniform with the shorts, and they’d often admired his muscular calves and tight buns.
Today, however, Emma was acutely aware of Zack’s inquisitive gaze upon her, so she listened politely to Mike but didn’t offer any encouragement.
“So, I was wondering if you would like to…”
Mike’s voice trailed off when Zack sauntered over to Emma, placed his arm around her waist, and gave her a peck on the cheek.
“Hey, Em,” Zack said, and he gave her waist a squeeze.
Emma couldn’t hide the look of surprise on her face, but she quickly collected herself. “Um, Zack, this is Mike. Mike, Zack.”
Zack and Mike shook hands firmly and sized each other up. While they both cut impressive figures, Zack was a few inches taller than Mike and broader through the chest. Next to Zack’s exotic good looks, Mike looked pale in comparison. Oh God, why am I comparing them?
“Nice to meet you, Zack. I’ll see you later, Emma.”
“Wait. What did you want to ask me?” Emma called as he hurried toward the door.
“Never mind. It’s not important,” Mike replied before he hopped into the delivery truck and drove off.
Emma glanced around to make sure that no one was nearby, and then she swatted Zack on the arm. “What was all that about?”
Zack shrugged. “I didn’t like the way he looked at you, and as your friend…”
“Don’t pull that friend crap on me,” Emma hissed.
Zack leaned in until they were mere inches apart. “It’s no different than the way you reacted about Janice, or were you just giving me a friendly warning about her?”
Before Emma could reply, Janice walked in with her bratty son in tow. “We’ll have to finish this discussion later,” Emma huffed, and she made her way to the back of the store. Emma felt Zack’s presence two steps behind her, but she didn’t look back. She was so furious with him that if she had turned around, she might have punched his too-handsome-for-his-own-good face!
She scored a minor victory when Zack chose the seat farthest away from Janice, but then she was irritated with herself for caring. Zack and I aren’t dating, so why should I care who he sits by? And why should he care if the UPS man flirted with me?
Emma managed to get through story time by avoiding eye contact with Zack. Once the majority of the children and parents had left, he approached her near the craft table.
“What is it?” she asked without looking up.
“I know we need to talk, but I have Gracie tonight. Can I call you after she goes to bed?”
Emma softened at the sound of regret in his voice. The man had her tied up in knots. She had been so wound up from his antics the night before that she had had trouble sleeping. Now, he had riled her in a completely different way.
“That will be fine,” she muttered.
Gracie gave Emma a hug before they left, and Zack simply lifted his hand in a brief wave. Once they were gone, Emma let out a long breath just as Kelly emerged from the office.
“What now?” Kelly asked.
“Zack went all caveman on me when I was talking to Mike. I don’t get it. We’re supposed to be friends, but the past few days…”
“It’s felt like something more,” Kelly finished.
“The thing is, he’s the one who suggested that we should be friends in the first place. He didn’t even want Gracie to know that we were seeing each other, and all of a sudden, I’m eating macaroni and cheese with them. I don’t get it.”
“It’s crystal clear to me. You two have a mutual attraction that you’ve both admitted to, and now Zack wants to move the relationship to the next level, if you know what I mean.” Kelly wiggled her eyebrows.
That may be true for Zack, but what about me? What do I want? Emma would have to think long and hard about her answer before Zack called.
“What are you going to do?” Kelly asked.
“Honestly, I have no idea.”
When Emma’s phone rang later that night, she felt a flutter of nerves in her belly. She had struggled all day long over what she was going to say to Zack, but now that the time had arrived, she had no idea what would come out of her mouth.
“First question. Are you still mad at me?”
Ugh, of course, he has to melt me right at the beginning! “I’m not so much mad as I am confused,” Emma admitted.
“What are you confused about?”
Zack’s voice was calm and patient, and Emma responded in kind. “I’m confused about us. I thought we were doing just fine as friends, but lately…”
“I’ve been crossing the line,” Zack finished with a heavy sigh.
Emma remained silent, expecting him to add more. Zack was one of t
he most expressive men she’d ever met, so she’d be surprised if he clammed up on her now.
“I’m sorry, Em. I have the best intentions, but then I get around you, and I can’t help myself. You’re so beautiful and funny and smart, and I just want to…”
Emma’s heart thumped overtime, and her throat had closed up. His words were so sweet, so sincere, so…
“Well, you know. But I’ll try harder to rein myself in. I promise. I don’t want to do anything to ruin our friendship. If that means keeping my hands off of you, then that’s what I’ll do.”
Uh-oh. Now I’m even more confused. Here he was trying to appease her, but is that what she really wanted? For him to keep his hands off of her? Those magic hands! Maybe they could try dating, and she opened her mouth to suggest it, but he was still talking…
“So, no more sleepovers, neck massages, or discussions about sex. No holding you back from dating the UPS guy, as long as he’s solid, and no more strutting around in my Superman boxers. Forget the innuendos and the rum and Cokes. From here on out, everything’s rated G. How’s that sound?”
Um, extremely boring! “Ok,” she croaked, glad that he couldn’t see the grimace on her face.
“Great. Now that we’ve settled that, I have another question.”
“What is it?”
“Would you like to go shopping with me tomorrow? One of my very good friends mentioned that my house could use a facelift, and I’d like your help.”
Emma smacked herself on the forehead and rolled her eyes. So now he was going to act the perfect gentleman and take her shopping. How could things possibly get any worse?!
Resigned, she replied, “Sure, I’ll go shopping with you.”
“Pick you up at ten?”
“That will work.”
“I’m so glad we sorted things out, Em. I feel a lot better now. Do you?”
Not exactly. “Yes. I’ll see you tomorrow, Zack.”
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