Zach (Torey Hope: The Later Years #3)

by A. D. Ellis

  “Game over, pretty girl.”

  The shiver that ran through her body ignited his even more.

  “I’d say I hate to lose, but I don’t think there’s going to be any losers in this game.” Turning so her back was against him, she rubbed her backside against his obviously interested erection.

  “Arms up, baby. Clasp them behind my head. Don’t move them.” He growled in her ear. As his hand traveled tortuously down her body and back up, he continued his assault of words. “No vibrator, no whip cream, no drunken fog. Tonight it’s just you and me, my body on you, in you, making you mine.”

  Arching her back, she tried to free her hands from behind his head, but he held them tight with one hand.

  “I’m going to touch every single inch of your beautiful body and follow with my tongue.” He made his promises as his hand continued its exploration. Eyes closed, senses on overload, he reveled in the swell of her breasts in his hand, the soft curve of her waist, the slight indent of her naval.

  Her whimpers almost did him in. “What do you want, pretty girl?” Teasing, he let his hand briefly skim the place he knew she wanted him most.

  “Please, Zach, touch me.” Before he could continue his teasing, she turned her hips slightly so that the next pass of his hand brought him in contact with where she longed for him to be. “There, touch me.”

  Several moments later, he knew he’d never tire of watching her come apart, and he wanted to watch it again. Rotating her so her head was on the pillows, he started a trail of kisses at her ear, tracing her jaw, spending several minutes at her lips, until her hips rocked into his.

  “No, no, no, pretty girl. Nothing hard and fast tonight. Patience.” He nipped down her neck, across her collar bone. Filling his hands with her breasts, he circled his tongue over and around, nipping lightly until she cried out.

  Knowing exactly where his body wanted him to be, he prolonged the torture a bit longer. Moving his kisses to her inner thighs, slowly tracing his tongue around her center, he dipped momentarily into her very core, before retreating.

  Her frustrated whimper was enough to make him chuckle and relent. All teasing aside, his heart and another body part swelled when she shattered for him once more.

  Bringing his mouth up her body, kissing deeply into her mouth, letting her taste herself on his tongue, he forced himself to stop. Breathing heavily, he asked, “Protection? We didn’t use anything last night.”

  “It’s all good. I got on the pill about a year ago. Mainly to prepare for this since we both knew it was going to happen, but the fact it helps my periods be lighter is a nice little side effect. We’re good, assuming you’re safe?”

  The unsure look in her eyes stung a bit. Yes, he’d been with other women, but he’d always used protection. He’d never risk picking up something he’d later pass on to Zoey.

  “I’ve always been careful, for you. But, I got tested about 2 months ago, and there’s definitely been no one since then.” He kissed her softly, wanting to portray how much he wanted to protect her.

  “Then we’re good to go.” She quipped lightly, but then her breath caught when he rocked his hips against her core. “Oh, God, Zach. No more talking, please.”

  “Please, what, pretty girl?” He dragged his boxers down as he spoke, his eyes never leaving hers.

  “Love me.”

  She opened herself to him, freely offering the only gift he’d ever longed for.

  Slowly, softly, he pressed into the only heaven he’d ever need. He was home.

  **********

  “Wow, we’re three-for-three tonight. I think we’ve made up for the debacle of Friday night.” She rested her head on his chest, both of them breathing heavily after yet another round. “But I think since good things come in three’s, we should stop while we’re ahead, and get some sleep. Church and lunch with my parents will come soon tomorrow.” She glanced at the clock, “Or, it will be here sooner because it’s already today.”

  Chuckling, he rolled to his side, cuddling her into his chest. They fell asleep immediately.

  Only the offending sound of her phone alarm pulled them from sleep several hours later.

  Once the annoying chime had been silenced, eyes still closed, he gathered her tightly into his embrace. “This. This right here is what I’ve been waiting for my entire life.” He kissed the side of her head. “From the moment you were born, I’ve wanted you to be mine, and you always have been in one way or another. But waking up with you in my arms is like making the circle complete. You’re my family, my best friend, my favorite girl, my forever. I love you, Zoey Belle.”

  Sighing into his chest, she lifted teary eyes to look into his. “I’ve loved you since the day I was born. My entire life I’ve wanted nothing more than to be yours. It seems so strange that we’ve waited so long for the time to be right, and now it is. It’s almost like living in a fantasy where all dreams come true.” Lifting her lips to kiss him lightly, she continued, “I love you with everything I have Zachary Malone Morgan.”

  Before the moment turned too heated, he rolled out of bed and grabbed a gift box from his closet. Handing it to her, he sat on the bed beside her. “Happy birthday, pretty girl.”

  Inside the box was the perfect gift if her reaction was anything to go by. He’d gotten her a large gift card to the local garden center so she could buy her butterfly bush, and some of the other things she’d need for her garden. The box also contained two tickets.

  “Those tickets aren’t to anywhere specific. We’ll make plans and get the trip set up. But, be thinking about where you want to go first on our ‘Zach and Zoey Tour.’”

  “Thank you, Zach, I love it all so much. You know me so well.”

  They managed to keep their hands off each other during quick showers and arrived at church in time to meet up with the rest of their extended family.

  Chapter 15

  “Zoey, there’s a letter for you. It came yesterday.” Josie spoke as she placed the roast on the middle of the table.

  Zach and Asher were finishing up the ice in glasses and pouring the tea. Zoey was setting the table, and Kyle had been charged with getting the side dishes to the table.

  Zach loved watching Zoey with her family. He knew they had a special situation in that he’d known her parents since before she was even born, but he loved the closeness. Images of them sharing a home, having a family, living their perfect future floated through his mind.

  Until Asher stuck an ice cube down his shirt.

  “Dude, you are so going down.” Zach lunged for the teen.

  Asher ran from the room and out the backdoor.

  Grabbing the bowl of remaining ice cubes, Zach gave chase while the other three just shook their heads and laughed.

  Having grown up around Zoey’s house, Zach was aware of the best hiding places. He also noticed that a neighbor cat came around the side of the house like a rocket.

  So Asher was hiding along the side of the house. He had two options. Go towards him from the front, or circle around and try to sneak up behind him. It really had been too easy, thanks to the cat.

  Deciding to make a sneak attack from behind, Zach tiptoed around the front of the house in hopes of coming up behind Asher. Sure enough, the kid was hiding at the back corner of the house trying to peek his head around to look at the backyard.

  Zach got within three feet of him before Asher sensed his presence and turned around. In shock, he tried to run but stumbled over his feet. Zach took advantage of the younger man being on the ground. Pouncing on top of him, Zach sat on him in a straddle position.

  “Thought you’d get me, huh? One little ice cube down the shirt? Child’s play. You’re playing with the big boys now, Ash. I hope you’re ready.” Zach’s grin was evil, but it was all in good fun. “You look like you could use a cool down. Here let me help with that.” He grabbed the waistband of the kid’s shorts and pulled it out far enough to dump the melty ice right on Asher’s groin.

  Asher screamed, l
aughing and kicking, as the ice made contact with his skin.

  “Ahh, how’s that feel, buddy? Nice and invigorating, huh?” Zach held the boy down so the ice wouldn’t fall out of his shorts.

  “Hey, boys?” The sound of Zoey’s voice caught them both off guard. Turning towards her, they attempted to protect themselves, but the icy cold water blasted from the hose and soaked them within seconds.

  She laughed as they scrambled to run away from her. Luckily for them, the hose didn’t have much length, so she was tethered.

  Smiling sweetly, she simply stated, “Lunch is ready. Mom wants you to come eat.”

  Asher waited until she put the hose down, then walked awkwardly towards the door, shaking ice cubes out of his shorts on the way.

  Zach walked nonchalantly toward the house, but lunged for Zoey when he was within arm’s reach. Grabbing her and pulling her into a big, wet bear hug, he laughed at her squeals.

  “Mmmm, you got me all wet, now I want to share it with you.” He shook droplets of water from his hair.

  Once they were all toweled off, the five of them sat down for lunch. Jokes, laughter, and good conversation filled the room.

  When the men had cleared the dishes, Zoey grabbed the letter from the kitchen counter.

  Zach watched her face light up as she read it.

  “What is it, pretty girl? Something good?” He walked up behind her, wrapping his arms around her, leaning his chin on her shoulder.

  “Yeah, it’s something good. Very good.” She turned in his arms, and spoke excitedly. “Before graduation, I applied for this trip to San Diego paid for through the school. Since the high school and the local college works together on a lot of programs, I’m still eligible for the trip because I’m in the right classes at the college. I got picked as one of ten to attend the neurokinetic therapy symposium. We will be in classes, learning background and techniques Friday through Sunday, and then staying Monday and Tuesday for sight-seeing. It’s all paid for through a joint grant between the high school and college.”

  She stopped momentarily to catch her breath. The smile on her face was enough to make his heart soar for her.

  “Zo, that’s fantastic. So, what’s this neurokinetic therapy? Something you can use at The Center+?” He loved seeing her so excited.

  “It’s a corrective movement system to address the cause of pain. It helps correct the dysfunctional movement patterns stored in the brain. It would be an amazing practice to have available at The Center+. We’d be the only location for a several mile radius with someone trained in the practice, so we’d likely get a lot of referrals coming in.” Zoey spoke knowledgably about the therapy, and he could also see her wheels turning in preparation for how this could increase business at The Center+. His girl was so very smart, both book wise, common sense wise, and business wise.

  “That’s fabulous, Zoey. You know Decker is always looking to bring in bigger and better at The Center+ as long as it’s a good practice. And it sounds like you’ve really done your research. How did you get chosen?” They walked to the living room to find Kyle and Josie.

  After she caught her parents up on the trip and therapy, she continued. “Well, they listed the top students from the qualifying classes at both the high school and college. GPA, community involvement, teacher and professor recommendations, and the essay we wrote on the application for the trip, they figured all of those things in and chose the top ten.”

  After hugs and congratulations were given, Zach and Zoey headed over to the guys’ house to tell them the good news.

  “Thanks for being okay with this, Zach.” She nibbled her lip.

  Looking at her in confusion, he questioned, “Why wouldn’t I be okay with this, pretty girl?”

  “I don’t know. Some of the girls who applied for the program were all worked up about boyfriends not being okay with them taking this trip with the group. I didn’t expect you to balk at it, but it just reminds me that what we have is so good when you’re happy for me.”

  “Zoey, I will always support you in everything you do. If it makes you happy, it makes me happy. I want nothing more than you to reach your goals and be the best you you can be.” He reached for her hand and rubbed her knuckles with his thumb.

  “Do you remember the day you left for college? We were in my room, I was crying. You told me that we’d come back together when we’d both written our stories and knew who we were. I just feel really lucky that I get to have you by my side as I finish writing my story, and we write our story together. I appreciate that you encourage me to find out who I am, outside of us, outside of this town. A lot of guys aren’t like you; they are jealous or try to stifle their partner’s desire to learn and become more. So, just….thank you for being you, and loving me in only the way you can.” She finished her words as he helped her from his truck.

  Keeping her pinned against the truck seat, the open door hiding them just enough, he aggressively captured her mouth, plunging his tongue in to mate with hers. Pouring his heart into the kiss, he didn’t let up until she whimpered against his mouth. Only then did he break their contact and look deep into her eyes.

  “Zoey Belle, we’ve survived eighteen years of roadblocks, setbacks, and having to be patient. A five day trip to San Diego for you to learn something that will inevitably broaden your horizon, is no threat to us. I’m so damn proud of you, Zo.” Kissing her again, he rested his forehead against hers. “Maybe it’s because I got to go off and live the college life for four years, while you had to wait for me back here. But, I feel like there’s no one who deserves the honor of this trip more than you. Never, ever worry that I’ll try to hold you back. I don’t ever want you to fly away, but you can be damn sure I’ll push you to find your wings. And then I’ll fly with you, wherever you want to go.” He wiped her tears with his thumbs. “Now, let’s go tell the crew about my hella smart girlfriend.”

  They were laughing as they walked in the front door, but when they saw Sawyer, Luke, Decker, and Katie sitting somberly on the couches, they stopped short.

  “What’s wrong?” Zach immediately reached for Zoey’s hand.

  Sawyer looked around at the rest of the group before speaking. “It’s Kendrick. He’s gone.”

  **********

  “Okay, we’re not his babysitters, he’s a big boy. Why the long faces?” Zach spoke, trying to come across like Kendrick being gone was no big deal, but he knew, deep in his heart, that Sawyer didn’t mean Kendrick was out on a date or at the store.

  Rolling his eyes at his cousin, Decker handed the note over. “He left this.”

  Dear Everyone,

  I’m going to head out of town for a while. I need to be somewhere I can try to clear my head and not bring everyone else down. Eventually, I’ll let you and/or my parents know where I am, until then, please just let me be. My head is all sorts of fucked up right now. It’s nothing any of you have done, it’s just something from my past that’s been threatening to screw me up for years, but for some reason it hit me really hard this year. My parents know a bit about the past, but they don’t know everything. Know that I’m not planning anything crazy. I just need some time away. I love you all so fuckin’ much it hurts, and I know you love me too. I know this will be hard for all of you, but please just let me do this.

  Love,

  Kendrick

  He read the words several times, trying to get them to sink into his cluttered head.

  Pulling Zoey with him to the recliner, he looked around at the rest of the group.

  “So, what are we going to do?” He looked to Decker, knowing his cousin was the calm, controlled, planner.

  “We make sure Audrey and Jeremiah know about this, and then we let it go for now. Two weeks at most, then we go find him.” Decker glanced at the rest of them, looking for disagreement.

  “I just wish he would have talked to us before he left. I mean, he was such a huge part of keeping me safe and hidden during that crazy stalker scenario, I wish he would have let us help h
im.” Katie wiped at a tear and let Decker pull her close.

  “I think a family gathering to talk about this would be good. That way everyone gets the same information, at the same time, and we can all be on the same page.” Decker spoke with calm authority. “Zach, I’ll want you and Sawyer to take over any of the work Kendrick left at The Center+, Luke can help too.”

  The three men nodded.

  “Zoey, you looked really excited when you came in. Did you have something to share?” Sawyer, always the perceptive one, looked expectantly at her.

  “Uh, yeah, I had good news, but it seems sort of silly now.”

  “No way, tell them. Kendrick isn’t dead. He isn’t dying. He just took a break. They look like they could use some good news.” Zach nodded at her, encouraging her to tell them.

  An hour later, after telling them about San Diego, and deciding they’d talk to Audrey and Jeremiah at the family dinner that evening, everyone went their separate ways.

  “Hey, pretty girl, I saw Sawyer and Luke sneaking off for a cuddly nap, would you like to partake?” He held out his hand to her.

  “Um, I’m pretty sure Sawyer and Luke would prefer privacy for their cuddly nap.” She smiled.

  “Smart ass, I meant would you like to cuddle up for a nap with me?” He smacked her ass as she ran for his room.

  **********

  Dinner was at Jack and Judy’s house that evening. It felt like a dark cloud had descended on the house. Zach stood with the whole cousin crew as they spoke to Audrey and Jeremiah about Kendrick leaving.

  “Yeah, he left a note for us too.” Jeremiah was uncharacteristically stoic.

  “It’s not our place to share what happened, maybe someday he’ll feel it’s okay to talk about it. I’ve always wondered if there was more to it, I wish he’d known he could talk to us about it. But, I understand better than most what it’s like to hold onto a secret, and how that secret can wreak havoc on your life.” Audrey wiped at tears and let Jeremiah pull her into a hug.