“You’re going to cook me breakfast?” Annabelle shielded her eyes from the sun. “And then we go to town? That’s it?”
“Scout’s honor.” Zachary held up one hand and waved the other at her. “Deal?”
“Deal.” Annabelle placed her hand in his and held his gaze as he pulled her to her feet. Her body brushed his briefly, and he fought the driving need to pull her against him while keeping her fingers wrapped in his. A smile played at her lips as she leaned close and murmured, “Were you ever actually a Boy Scout?”
“Nope.” Zachary smirked and started walking backward, pulling her with him as he moved toward the house.
“I should have known.” Annabelle laughed and shook her head as she withdrew her hand from his. She folded her arms over her breasts and sliced a sidelong glance at him while they walked. “You don’t strike me as the Boy Scout type, but you did a fine job of helping a wounded stranger.”
“I wonder if there’s a badge for that?” Zachary stuck his hands in his pockets and captured the shell between his fingers. She laughed softly, and the sound of it whispered through him like a warm breeze, instantly putting him at ease. Damn if that wasn’t the sexiest sound in the world.
As they rounded the corner of the privacy fence along their section of the beach and went into the house, Zachary knew nothing was ever going to be the same. When he turned around to shut the slider, he spotted a few bikini-clad women strolling along the beach past the house. Normally, he would be making a beeline out there in an effort to get one or more of them into his bed…and now the idea of it seemed ludicrous. The notion of being with any woman other than Annabelle was off the table.
“Would you mind if I took a shower?” Annabelle’s voice brought him out of his thoughts. “Even if I have to put this dirty dress back on, at least my body will feel clean.”
“What?” Shaking his head, he spun around, feeling embarrassed for even looking at those girls. “Oh, yes. Sure. The bathroom is off the bedroom, and there are clean towels on the shelf.”
“I’ll be on my way soon enough.” Annabelle had a knowing smile on her face as she looked past him to the women at the water’s edge. Her pale green eyes flicked back to him. “And you can get back to your vacation.”
Without another word, she went to the bathroom, leaving Zachary standing alone in the living room feeling like an awkward teenager. He swore under his breath and headed into the kitchen to make breakfast, wondering if he could manage to fuck up anything else.
While Annabelle showered, Zachary whipped up two omelets with tomato and cheese, fried up some bacon, and managed a few slices of toast too. He was plating all of the food when he heard the bedroom door click open, but he didn’t have to turn around to know she was there. Her energy signature drifted through the room and wrapped around him like a blanket with oddly familiar ease.
“Have a seat.” Without turning around, he tossed the pans in the sink and grabbed two glasses from the cabinet before pouring them both some orange juice. “I hope you’re hungry, because I made plenty.”
Glasses in hand and with a smile on his face, Zach turned to face her but was rendered speechless by the sight before him. Annabelle’s long hair was wet and wavy and spilled over her bare shoulders temptingly. Her lush, curvy body was clad only in one of the green towels from the bathroom, showing off her gorgeous legs in the most cruelly seductive way. Her creamy, ivory skin glistened with moisture, and she nibbled her lower lip in an adorably shy gesture as she clutched the top of the towel with both hands.
Zach’s entire body went rigid, and for a second he forgot how to speak. She looked like a Greek goddess. Fresh faced, beautiful, and sexy as hell.
“I—I washed my dress in the shower and hung it up to dry. I looked around for a bathrobe, but I couldn’t find one.” Her cheeks flushed and she lifted one shoulder. “Maybe I could borrow one of your shirts or something? Just until my dress is dry.”
Zach blinked and shook his head, realizing he was standing there staring at her with his mouth open like a fucking moron. “Shit. I’m such an idiot.” Laughing, he placed the glasses of juice on the breakfast bar next to their plates. “You don’t have to do that. I can get you something to wear.”
“Oh no.” She shook her head adamantly. “I don’t want you to go to any more trouble.”
“It’s no trouble.” Zach winked. A sense of excitement fired through him. He could use his visualization ability to conjure up something for her to wear and kill two birds with one stone. Annabelle would get clothing, and he would get closer to earning her trust. He stepped around the counter while looking Annabelle up and down. She clutched the towel tighter and inched away as he moved closer, until she backed into the wall. Zach leaned close enough to feel the heat wafting off her gorgeous skin and whispered, “Trust me.”
“Wh-what are you going to do?” Her eyes widened and her gaze flickered over Zach’s face.
“Well, even though you look gorgeous in that towel, I’m going to give you something else to wear.” He tilted his head and held her stare while he tucked a long strand of wet hair behind her ear. He felt her shiver beneath his touch and his grin widened. “I think a little dress in the same shade of green as your eyes would be perfect.” A smile played at Zach’s lips as he stepped back and held out his arms. “Verto,” he whispered.
A split second later, the room filled with static electricity and a pale-green sundress appeared in Zach’s right hand. Annabelle’s eyes grew as big as saucers, and for a moment he worried she was going to cry, but his fears were abated when a huge smile cracked her face.
“Oh my God,” she murmured. She reached out with a quivering hand and grasped the soft fabric between her fingers before turning her eyes to his. “How did you do that?”
“Since you asked…it’s part of being an Amoveo.” Zachary stepped closer and placed the garment in her hands. “It’s called visualization, and as you can see, it comes in very handy at times.” He stepped back and raised both hands in a sign of surrender before going back into the kitchen. “But like I said before, I’m only telling you stuff if you ask me.”
“Thank you,” she whispered. Staring at the dress in her hands, she shook her head and let out a slow breath before turning her face to his. “You are unexpected.”
“Yeah, well, so are you.” Zachary gave her a curt nod and went to the sink and started cleaning the pans. He needed to do something to get his mind off the way she looked. What he really wanted to do was strip that towel off her and spend the rest of the day making love to her. He flipped on the faucet and let the cold water run, hoping it might put out the fire brewing in his gut. “Now, go get dressed so we can eat, because if you keep hanging around me wearing only that towel, I can’t promise that I’ll continue to behave myself.”
The door of the bedroom shut, and Zachary let out the breath he didn’t even realize he’d been holding. His entire body was stretched tighter than a drum, and it took Herculean strength not to devour her right then and there. One thing was for damn sure: the next time he used his visualization skill, it was going to be to get her naked, not to get her dressed.
A few minutes later, she emerged in the dress that, quite literally, had been made just for her. The fabric clung to every curve and showed off her full breasts, narrow waist, and ample hips with torturous perfection. Zach gave her a tight smile, trying not to think about peeling the dress off her. Giving him a shy smile, Annabelle sat on the stool and dug into the omelet. They ate in silence for a few minutes before he finally broke it by acknowledging one of several elephants in the room.
“So are you going to tell me who you’re running from?”
Chapter 6
Annabelle swallowed the mouthful of toast and placed her fork on the plate. She couldn’t tell him the truth, but she also knew that she couldn’t withhold everything, so she opted for a bit of both.
“My mother
died about ten years ago, and after that, my father and I moved in with his cousins. We were left broke by my mother’s medical bills, and we didn’t really have a lot of options because my dad got laid off—again.”
“I’m sorry.” Zachary’s voice was gentle and filled with compassion. “How old were you when she died?”
“Twelve.” Annabelle’s eyes stung with tears at the memory, and she blinked them back, not wanting to weep in front of him yet again. She held up her wrist and smiled at him briefly before looking away. “She gave me this bracelet on my twelfth birthday, right before she died.”
“I had a feeling it was special to you.” He took a sip of his juice and pointed at her wrist. “You fiddle with it every time you’re nervous or uneasy.”
“Silly, huh?” Annabelle let out a short laugh and adjusted the sterling silver bracelet before leaning both elbows on the counter. It was a bit unsettling to have someone she just met see her so clearly. “Anyway, my cousins live on what could best be described as a commune in northern California. It was okay at first, but after a while it got…weird. I only stayed as long as I did because of my father, but a couple of weeks ago things changed.”
She took a deep breath and stopped herself from saying anything else, because she didn’t trust herself not to tell Zachary everything. She wanted to. Annabelle wanted to come clean and tell him exactly who she was, but she couldn’t. Even though she knew Zachary wouldn’t hurt her—the truth would hurt him, and that was unacceptable. He’d been nothing but kind, sweet, thoughtful, and charitable. How on earth could she tell him who she was? He would hate her.
“What changed?” Zachary’s jaw set and his lips pressed together in a tight line as a dark cloud passed over his face. “Did someone hurt you?”
“No,” Annabelle said quietly. “Although I was worried about what would happen to me if I stayed. To be honest, the place is what most people would consider a cult. I’d been wanting to leave for a while, and recently I finally got up the courage to run away.” She shrugged and looked away from him before taking a sip of her orange juice. It wasn’t a total lie…not really. “They don’t take kindly to deserters and would do almost anything to get me to come back. My cousins are kind of obsessed with their beliefs, and let’s just say I don’t agree with them.” She glanced at him briefly before smoothing the fabric of the dress he’d given her. “Not anymore,” she added quietly. Her fingers curled in her lap, and a tickle of awareness flickered up her spine while he studied her intently. “Not at all. In fact, they couldn’t be more wrong, and I’m never going back.”
“Okay, you don’t have to go back,” Zach said slowly. He wiped his mouth and tossed the napkin on his empty plate. Placing both hands on the counter, he leaned across it while holding her gaze. “So why come to Mexico? Why a whole other country?”
“I dreamt of it.” Annabelle’s voice was just above a whisper while she revealed more than she planned to. “The beach, here at the house, it’s the same one from the dreams I’d been having. I guess I thought that if I came here. then I’d get some clarity or something.”
“So much for that,” Zach said with a smile. He let out a curt laugh and pushed himself off the counter before taking the dishes and putting them in the sink. “All I did was give you more questions.”
“Perhaps.” Her voice was barely audible. “I also came here because I knew I’d be safe. It’s crazy, isn’t it? I don’t know how I knew that, but I did. I didn’t know what I would do when I got here or where I was going to stay, but deep in my gut…I had no doubt that I’d be safe. In fact, I’d never been so totally certain of anything else in my life.” Annabelle’s gaze wandered over his well-muscled back, and she ground her teeth against the sudden twinge of need that throbbed through her from the mere sight of him. She crossed her legs and stifled a moan as she watched him move. He was graceful and sleek, just like the lion she’d seen in the vision. Powerful. Dangerous. Protective. The man was all of those things rolled into one, and even though her head was telling her to run, her heart was whispering for her to stay. “I’m safe with you, aren’t I?”
“For now.” Keeping his back to her, he braced both hands on the sink, and the muscles in his shoulders bunched. Then Zachary turned around, leaned his hip against the edge of the sink, and captured her gaze. Holding her stare, he stalked slowly around the edge of the counter until he was only about a foot away from her. Hands at his sides, he let his eyes drift over her from head to toe in one long, languid pass. He studied her with the hungry look of a predator, and it made Annabelle’s heart skip a beat. “Can’t say for how long…but for now…you’re safe.”
“For now?” Her voice sounded far away and her body felt heavy with need. Annabelle gripped the sides of the stool, worried she’d lose her senses, jump Zachary’s bones, and fulfill every erotic thought she’d had about him. Her bare feet slipped on the rung of the stool, but she righted them quickly and held on for dear life. “What do you mean, I’m safe with you for now?”
“Well, you see, Annabelle…” Zachary inched closer so that her knees brushed the fabric of his shorts, which were doing little to conceal his growing erection. “Right now, I’m going to take a cold shower and get dressed. Then you and I are going to go into town so we can file that report. That sounds safe, doesn’t it?”
Annabelle nodded, unable to form a coherent sentence, worried she’d do nothing but moan like the horny creature she’d turned into. Zachary’s lips tilted at the corners, and then, with lightning-fast speed, he reached out and grabbed the sides of the stool, covering her hands with his far larger ones. His lips were just inches from hers and his distinct masculine scent filled her head, making her dizzy with desire. Breathing as though she had just run a marathon, she held his stare and didn’t dare move a muscle.
“Then when we get back…” His deep voice was filled with sinful promise. “You won’t be safe. Do you know why?” Annabelle shook her head almost imperceptibly. “Because I’m going to strip you naked and spend the rest of the night finding out how many different ways I can make you scream my name.”
Without another word, Zachary turned and disappeared into the bedroom. Annabelle, her body shaking with lust, adrenaline, and all-out carnal need, stared at the closed door. She had never wanted another man the way she wanted Zachary. He was forbidden, dangerous, sexy, protective, sweet, and masculine, all rolled into one.
The sound of the shower running captured her attention, and she imagined him in there. Naked. Wet. Soapy. She pictured herself there with him. Running her hands down the slick skin of his stomach until finally reaching the part of him that she so desperately wanted to see.
“Oh my God,” Annabelle groaned. She closed her eyes and let out a shuddering sigh. “What the hell is the matter with me?”
Nothing at all, baby. Zachary’s sexy voice surrounded her on a purr. But if you keep that up, I’m not gonna wait until we get back.
“Holy shit.” Annabelle’s face heated with embarrassment and her eyes flew open, expecting to see him standing in front of her. However, the room was empty and the bedroom door was still closed. Annabelle slid off the stool and stood on unsteady legs. “Zachary?” she said with a squeak.
Why don’t you join me? His voice swept along the edges of her mind like a caress, and she could practically feel his hands on her. There’s still plenty of hot water.
What’s happening? Annabelle shuddered as her mind touched his, and a smile of wonderment spread across her face. She moved closer to the bedroom door and her fingers curled around the doorknob. Eyes closed, she rested her forehead against the cool wood surface and reveled in the erotic sensations that fired through her body from the intimate mental connection. How is this possible?
Well, since you asked—the playful sound of his voice made her smile grow—it’s because you are my mate. All Amoveo can use telepathy, but it’s especially important for the mating process. Most huma
ns can’t communicate telepathically. But you aren’t like most humans, are you, Annabelle?
No. I don’t suppose I am. Annabelle turned the doorknob and pushed the bedroom door open. She stood there for a moment, debating whether or not she should do what she wanted to do, what her body was begging her to do. The sound of the shower running urged her forward until she was standing right outside the bathroom door, which was open just a crack. Steam spilled out and wafted over her in damp waves. She pushed it open and stood for a moment in the doorway. Can you hear all of my thoughts?
Only what you want me to hear. Annabelle’s heart raced with anticipation and lust while she watched the blurred image of his tall, naked body through the tempered glass of the shower doors. But whatever we say to one another this way is protected, Annabelle. No one else can hear telepathic communication between mates—even if we aren’t actually mated yet.
Turn around. Annabelle’s voice, even in her mind, sounded as turned on and needy as her body felt. She watched as his form stilled before turning around and facing her. He ran one large hand over the glass, swiping away the fog, so she could see him more clearly. But it wasn’t enough. Now open the door and let me in.
The door to the marble-lined shower opened slowly, revealing Zachary in all his wet, soapy, naked glory. Just as she’d imagined. Only better. His hair was slicked back off his face, giving those glowing amber orbs center stage. He was handsome. She knew that already, but she hadn’t quite seen that intense look of desire before, evident in the sharp angles of his cheekbones and chin.
The water streamed over his body in rivulets, showing off every well-sculpted muscle. Her gaze wandered over him slowly until finally landing on the pronounced evidence of his desire. His cock, thick with need, jutted out from a neatly trimmed patch of hair. It was rigid and standing at attention, as though begging for her to touch it, to take it in her mouth so she could make him moan.
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