Zach’s flashlight clattered to the floor as he took hold of her shoulders and all but forced her up against the wall. Damp concrete cooled her back while Zach’s heated body pressed against her, molding perfectly and sending arousal shooting through her body. The narrow area didn’t leave much room to wiggle.
“Don’t you get it?” he said through clenched teeth. “I’m trying to stay away from you and you’re not helping.”
She wished she could see his eyes, wished she could see his face, but with her phone at her side and his light on the floor angling toward the door, all she could do was make out his shape, hear his low, throaty voice, and feel that hard, thick body on hers.
Sophie closed her eyes for a moment, terrified of her feelings for this man who obviously loathed her.
“I know you see me and still feel guilty about the accident,” she said softly. “I don’t want to always be that reminder—”
His lips crushed hers and for a brief second, Sophie was stunned. She snapped back into reality and sank into his kiss as he kept a tight grip on her shoulders, holding her firmly against the wall. His body trapped her, his kiss assaulted her, and that bulge in his pants all but mocked her.
This was the moment she’d waited for, the moment she’d dreamed about for years, and Zach Monroe blew every single expectation out the window with his talented lips and hard, taut body.
His tongue swept into her mouth and Sophie responded with a groan as she arched against him.
She wanted more, wanted to feel him, wanted to wrap her arms around him. She wanted to be rid of these clothes.
Never before had she wanted a man with such intensity.
Zach tore his mouth from hers with a string of curses.
“Not the way I’d hoped you’d feel about kissing me,” she muttered, her lips still tingling, her body still revved up and aching for more.
His hands fell from her shoulders. “I won’t apologize.”
“Well, that’s a move in the right direction.”
His boots shuffled against the concrete as he shifted back slightly. “This means nothing.”
“Felt like something to me,” she countered.
“Obvious reasons this was a bad idea aside, you’re dating someone. Or did you forget?”
The sarcastic, harsh question didn’t deter her from defending herself and firing right back. “You kissed me. You put your hands on me.”
Not that she hadn’t enjoyed every delicious second of it.
He started to turn, but she reached for his arm. This wasn’t over. She wanted, deserved answers. And she wanted more of what just happened.
Tensing beneath her touch, Zach froze. “What, Sophie?”
“Why did you kiss me?”
Now he did turn to face her, and with the light in his hand she could make out the torn expression on his face. An expression that matched the fear and vulnerability she’d seen when she’d fallen in Chelsea’s apartment.
“Why?” he repeated. “Because I’ve wanted to kiss you since I was sixteen. Because I couldn’t keep wondering what you tasted like. I had to know.” He blew out a sigh and lowered his voice. “Because I will never have anything more with you, and I selfishly needed that moment. Looks like I’m human after all.”
She started to reach for him, but his hand shot up, gripped her wrist. “Don’t.”
“You tell me all of that and then expect me not to react?”
And men thought women were confusing?
“You’re with Martin. Even if you weren’t, I won’t do relationships or anything long-term. There’s nothing between us.”
“I’d say there’s years of tension between us that we need to wade through before we can decide anything,” she told him as anger bubbled within her. How dare he minimize the impact of that kiss? “Hard to ignore a kiss like that.”
“You don’t understand,” he whispered. “You can’t possibly know what I have in me, what I’ve been through. All I could ever give is physical, and you’re better than that.”
Frustration overwhelmed her and she jerked her arm away. “You won’t let anybody in, damn it. Don’t you see that I want to be here for you? That I want more with you than this awkward tension and occasional encounters?”
In an instant, Zach’s hands framed her face, the warmth of those rough palms only adding to her growing arousal. Between the desire and the anger, she was ready to rip her clothes off and throw down the ultimate challenge.
“I’ll never let anyone in,” he growled, holding her firmly in place. “Nobody deserves to be subjected to this darkness. Can’t you see I just want to keep you away from that? That’s what I’ve always wanted.”
The brokenness pouring from him made Sophie wonder what the hell he’d endured that had him hiding behind such a fortress of defenses. She’d heard Chelsea speculate on what they believed Zach had gone through before coming to live with the Monroes, but really nobody had a clue.
“Tell me you don’t want me and I’ll give up right now.”
Okay, she hadn’t meant to let that out, but now that the words were hovering between them in the darkness, Sophie wasn’t sorry.
Slowly, as if he didn’t want to let go, Zach’s hands fell away, leaving her colder now than ever.
His stare turned cold. “I don’t want you.”
No four words had ever, ever hurt so bad. All this time she’d been holding out hope that she would be the one to break through to him, to be the one he lost control with.
“You didn’t kiss me like you don’t want me,” she threw back. “In fact, that kiss felt like a stepping-stone to something more.”
Forget the bulge in his pants that had settled against her stomach . . . no need to state the obvious.
“That kiss wasn’t the start of anything more. It was a kiss, it’s over. I’m sure Martin kisses you.”
Not like that.
“Zach?” Braxton called from the basement.
“In the tunnel,” Zach called back over his shoulder, then looked at her once more. “Everything that just happened here, forget it.”
If she thought for a second that he truly didn’t want her, she would totally back away. But no man would have kissed so passionately, touched so tenderly, and tried to protect her from a past she knew nothing about, if he didn’t care for her.
So if he wanted to use hurtful words to push her away, fine. She’d use hurtful words to pull him in . . . one way or another.
“I think I’ll let you finish this tour alone since you’re so set on living that way.”
She was apparently a glutton for more torture and anguish, because she went up on her toes and laid her lips against his for the briefest of seconds before stepping away.
“Good luck on forgetting that kiss.”
Chapter Six
Zach slammed the door on his fridge and cursed the very moment his control had snapped and he’d kissed the hell out of Sophie.
How was he to have known she would kiss him right back, matching his passion with one all her own? How was he to know she’d taste better than he’d ever imagined . . . and he’d done quite a bit of imagining over the years.
Damn it, he could still taste her. Now what was he supposed to do? She was dating an asshat who didn’t deserve her, but at least that man could offer Sophie a future. He wanted her to be happy, didn’t he? He wanted her to have a perfect life. Zach was about as far from perfect as a man could get.
He was an utter fool to even be thinking of the word “future” where Sophie was concerned. He’d had his chance, he’d blown it, and now he would continue to pay his penance.
Even beyond the unexpected kiss and bold reaction from Sophie, today had been interesting on the house front as well, and they were just getting started. He and Braxton had discussed all the renovations the house would need to get it up to code and all the foundation-type work. Cosmetics would come later, but for now they needed to get all the basics out of the way.
This wouldn’t be a quick p
roject, and it wouldn’t be a cheap process. Zach figured all the money he got from the sale of his home, provided Liam and Braxton were on board, would go toward fixing up Chelsea’s house. He could always bunk with Braxton until he figured out something else—not what he wanted, but that might be the only option for a temporary fix.
Unfortunately, Zach would have to tell his brothers about needing to sell their childhood home. He didn’t need all the space the old Victorian provided. The house should be filled with a family, with kids and dogs and laughter. He’d been tossing the idea around in his head for some time, but now that he needed the extra money, selling the home he’d lived in since he was twelve was the only option.
Even though the home was in his name only, out of respect he’d still tell his brothers and explain his reasons for selling. Zach had a feeling this conversation would only cause more conflict, but he wasn’t going to just outright sell and then drop the bomb on them. Going that route would definitely drive more of a wedge between them.
The bad blood since the accident had never settled, and Zach didn’t want to cause any more of a rift between Liam and himself. Just because they couldn’t be in the same room without arguing, didn’t mean Zach wanted to hurt him or be deceptive. He’d be up front about this house, about the prospect of using the funds for Chelsea’s dream, and Liam could get on board or buy their childhood home outright.
Zach took a long drink of his pop, his mind circling back to Sophie. He couldn’t help but wonder if he’d crossed a line he could never recover from. Kissing her had been a mistake, but he’d barely had control over his emotions for years, and he’d finally snapped. As if things between them weren’t complicated enough, now they had this added problem.
The problem being himself. He’d pushed Sophie away, he’d done everything possible to keep her at a distance, including lying straight to her face when he told her he didn’t want her.
What a load of bullshit. Didn’t want her? The second his lips had touched hers, he’d barely been able to stop himself from taking exactly what his body had craved for years.
She’d kissed him with a fire he hadn’t known she possessed. But she was seeing another man, and that made Zach even more of a jerk for messing around with her physically and emotionally.
The reality check put him back in the mind-set where he belonged. Yes, he’d wondered for years what kissing her would be like. Yes, he’d wondered if she would kiss him back with an ounce of the emotion he had for her.
Everything he’d fantasized about had been so minute in comparison to the real thing. Remembering Sophie pressed against him, her little sigh of pleasure, would have to be enough. He wouldn’t be touching, let alone kissing her again. And that heated kiss was already more than he deserved.
Zach’s cell rang, pulling him from his thoughts. Setting his half-empty can on the end table, Zach fished the phone from his pocket and checked the ID.
“Miss me already?” Zach greeted Braxton in lieu of hello.
“You want to explain why you and Sophie were in the tunnel and the second I get down there she takes off, looking like you killed her puppy?” Braxton demanded.
Zach straightened against his couch, instantly on the defensive. “She doesn’t have a puppy.”
Did she? Hell, he had no clue. He’d been trying to avoid her for the past decade, and he’d done a pretty good job of it until lately. She could have a damn rabbit living in her house and a goat in her backyard for all he knew.
“Don’t dodge the question,” Braxton ground out.
“We were talking.” And kissing.
Braxton’s laugh pushed through the line. “I’m not an idiot, Zach. Whatever you did to her, you need to fix.”
Dropping his feet from the coffee table, Zach stood. “You don’t know anything that’s going on between Sophie and me, so don’t try to play mediator now.”
“Why not? I’ve had to play referee with you more than once. I understand the tension with you and Liam, and I’ve even let you two go at each other to work off that steam. But I will not stand back and watch you with Sophie. If you’re serious, fine, but I don’t want her hurt anymore. She’s different, Zach.”
Raking a hand over his jaw, his coarse whiskers rubbed his palm as he blew out a breath. “I know. Damn it, I know she’s different. That’s why I push her away all the time. If she looked upset it’s because I was rude and told her to get away.”
Silence filled the line and Zach held his breath, waiting for Braxton’s reaction.
“You can’t act on these feelings.” Braxton’s knowing tone was low, worried. “I know the other night I told you to risk it, but Sophie was torn up when I saw her. How could you—”
“Drop it.”
No way was he getting into this discussion with anyone, especially one of his brothers. Anything he felt for Sophie, past or present, would stay locked away. They both led different lives, both had goals that didn’t involve each other.
“If you’re strong enough to keep your emotions in check, then you need to fix whatever you did to her,” Braxton went on. “I’m not going to pry, but if I see her visibly upset one more time, I’ll kick your ass.”
A piercing pain sliced through his heart. Hurting Sophie even more than he already had, was not an option. Yet another reason he wouldn’t even attempt a relationship with the only woman he’d ever truly wanted.
“I’ll fix it,” Zach vowed. No matter the struggle, no matter the heartache he felt, he’d sacrifice anything for Sophie’s happiness.
* * *
Leaving Martin a voice mail telling him she couldn’t go out of town with him seemed rather cold, but she’d tried several times and never could get him to pick up. She couldn’t put off telling him any longer, because he deserved to know and time was running out.
Not only could she not go out of town with him, she couldn’t see him anymore, but that conversation was definitely something she needed to do face-to-face, and she’d just have to demand a few minutes of his time.
Sophie didn’t need any more time to think about her relationship with Martin. Not after that kiss she and Zach had shared. No way could she continue seeing one man when her mind remained fixed on another.
She’d always wondered what kissing Zach would be like, but now she knew, and it wasn’t something she could ignore. The memory of the instant fire that had spread through her at Zach’s rough, demanding kiss had her body heating up all over again.
For some asinine reason she was completely drawn to the gruff, grouchy exterior of a man who kept pushing her away. She could easily blame her attraction on the teenage girl who found herself falling for the town bad boy against her parents’ wishes. If that had just been an infatuation, those feelings would’ve dissipated long ago.
Instead, everything she felt for Zach kept getting stronger, more powerful each time she saw him. She was to the point she was going insane with conflictions. Did she risk telling him, only to have him shut her out even more?
Regardless of the outcome with her and Zach, Sophie wouldn’t be with a man she didn’t have strong feelings for, so she needed to tell Martin they should see other people.
Sophie curled her feet beneath her on the sofa and slid her pencil in a smooth, easy glide over the clean sheet of paper. Flynn curled next to her and purred softly, as if he hadn’t a care in the world. Soothing jazzy music filled her living room. Most times her favorite selection was her go-to in order to relax. Unfortunately, tonight she was anything but relaxed. Even her favorite band wasn’t taking the edge off.
Her cell vibrated on the wooden coffee table. When she glanced at the screen, she groaned and went back to her drawing. No way could she deal with her mother. No doubt the woman was calling to discuss some little shop she’d just been in or to complain about Sophie’s father. No matter what, Sophie simply wasn’t in the mood.
Breaking things off with Martin would be easier than telling her mother that the relationship was over. Her parents loved Martin, or ra
ther they loved his social standing in the community and how he would look in the family. Not that her family was loaded, but they liked to play the part. They had, or rather her parents had, enough money to take trips and be comfortable, but they flashed their lives just for show and to appear “important.” Sophie never cared what others thought . . . well, except for Zach.
Sophie sketched a bit more, with no idea where she was going with the new artwork, but she just wasn’t in the mood. That had never happened before. Drawing and listening to Sinatra or Dean Martin had started out as therapy when she’d been dealing with tough times after the accident. The hobby had quickly turned into a passion and a talent she hadn’t known she possessed.
Placing the pad and pencil on her table, she retrieved her phone and ignored her mother’s voice mail. She’d listen to it tomorrow. Right now, she didn’t have the emotional strength.
She was tired, confused. Sleep wouldn’t come easy tonight. She had water aerobics to teach in the morning before work, and no doubt she’d show up looking worn and haggard, which pretty much matched how she felt at the moment. There was no way she could focus on much, when all she could concentrate on was the feel of Zach’s lips against hers, the firm, powerful way his body had pressed hers against the cool wall. His rough hands had gripped her in a way that she knew she’d be reliving for days, if not months to come.
Flynn darted down the hall and beat her to the bedroom. She wasn’t sure why that silly cat always thought there was a race, but apparently there was, and Sophie always came in last.
She reached into her antique drawer and pulled out her favorite chemise. She loved silky things against her skin while she slept. Anything soft and thin that made her feel sexy was always a good thing. Every woman should treat herself to something that made her feel beautiful, whether it was flannel or satin. Sophie wasn’t counting on a man to make her feel sexy; she was independent enough to do that for herself.
The cell on her dresser vibrated again and Sophie rolled her eyes as she glanced over. Only this time it wasn’t her mother.
Wrapped in You Page 8