Treat Her Right

by Lori Foster

Zack looked around without conscious thought and finally located Wynn. She sat on the settee with Josh, her foot in his lap.

  Zack felt as though the top of his head had just blown off.

  Before he’d even made the decision to move, he was halfway across the lawn, his gaze set on Wynn who was, as yet, unaware of his approach.

  Today she was dressed in a pale-peach camisole that almost exactly matched her naked hide, and a pair of loose white drawstring shorts that showed every sexy inch of her long legs and put on display a tiny strip of her delectable belly.

  Zack’s lungs constricted. When he reached her, he’d—

  Conan stepped in front of him. “Whoa, where ya going there, Zack?”

  Zack heard a few snickers from behind Conan and knew he’d gained the players’ attention.

  Conan leaned closer. “The thing is,” he whispered, “you look mad as hell and my sister’s already been upset all day.”

  “Yeah,” Zack said, still watching Wynn while she smiled and laughed with Josh. “She looks real upset.”

  Conan blinked, then laughed. “Jealousy is a bitch, ain’t it?”

  Zack snapped a look at Conan and the man backed up two steps. “Okay, okay,” he said, swallowing down a laugh and holding up his hands as if to ward Zack off, “I take it back. You’re not jealous.”

  Zack narrowed his eyes. “What reason would I have to be jealous?”

  “None! No reason at all. I mean, believe it or not, Wynn’s in pain and… Hey, wait a minute!”

  Zack allowed Conan to pull him back around. Wynn was in pain? He couldn’t stand it.

  Conan laughed. “I’m sorry. Really, I am.” Zack vaguely heard the other men laughing and offering comments, but he paid them no mind.

  Over his shoulder, Conan shouted, “Shut up, Bo!” To Zack he said, “Ignore Bo. He’s been giving Wynn hell all day for being smitten. I was about ready to flatten him myself when he finally realized she wasn’t taking it well.”

  Zack drew a deep breath and attempted to ease his temper. Most times, he didn’t have a temper, and he blamed the emergence of one solely on Wynn Lane. She brought out the worst in him.

  She also turned him on more than any woman he’d ever known. “Why not?” he asked, hoping he sounded merely calm, not concerned. “What’s going on?”

  “Whew, finally you sound like a reasonable man.” Conan clapped him on the shoulder hard enough to make Zack lose his balance. “At first you were looking like a charging bull. Nostrils flared, eyes red, steam coming out your ears. Bo told me, but I didn’t really believe him. I mean, when I met you, you seemed so…”

  “Conan.”

  “Sorry. The folks threw this surprise housewarming party for Wynn, but she’s obviously not really up to it. I mean, her damn toe is broken in two places. Two! Can you believe that? Her feet are bigger than most, that’s true, but it’s still just a baby toe.”

  Zack closed his eyes and counted to ten, but he still heard the smile in Conan’s voice when he continued.

  “Your buddy has been fending everyone off, including my parents. He pulled Wynn’s foot into his lap after the third person accidentally bumped her and made her yelp. Not a pretty thing to see Wynn yelping.”

  “Damn.”

  Conan rubbed his neck, looked up at the fading sun, then back at his teammates who were now clustered together and waiting. He faced Zack again. “The folks mean well. It’s just that Wynn never complains much, and she never admits to being hurt, so they don’t realize…”

  “Dad!” His daughter ran hell-bent toward him, cutting off Conan’s explanations. Not that he’d needed to continue; Zack already understood the situation and more than anything he wanted to shake Wynn for putting up such a ridiculous macho show. That was something a man would do, but it wasn’t expected of a woman. And despite being hardy and strong, she was still a woman.

  And damn it, he wanted to protect her.

  Dani threw herself at Zack, and he noticed his daughter now wore sandals rather than sneakers. And she had a silver ring on her big toe.

  He scooped her up and hugged her to him. “Look at you, Dani,” he teased. “Wearing a dress.”

  She laughed, cupped his face and gave him a loud smooch. “It’s not a dress. It’s Chastity’s. She let me wear it while I finger painted. Ain’t it pretty?”

  Zack didn’t bother correcting her speech, not this time, not while she was so excited and happy. “Yes it is, especially on you.”

  “Conan said I was a flower child.”

  “But prettier,” Conan clarified.

  Zack hugged her again and started toward Wynn. He stopped, turned back to Conan and said, “Thanks.”

  Conan pretended great relief. “Yeah, anytime. I mean, she’s a pain in the ass, but I still love my sister.” His voice lowered to something of a warning. “And I wouldn’t want anyone to upset her. Or hurt her.” He stared at Zack, making sure Zack caught his meaning.

  Zack nodded, which was the best reply he could offer, for the time being.

  “So,” Zack said to his daughter, staring at that silver ring on her toe, “you’ve had fun today?”

  “I’ve had the bestest time! Artemus is teaching me how to dance and look what he did to my hair!” She primped, turning her head one way and then the other.

  Her hair had been braided and then twisted into a coronet with tiny multi-colored crystal beads shaped like flowers pinned into place. Two curling ringlets hung in front of her ears.

  Zack felt a lump the size of a grapefruit lodge in his throat at the sight of his daughter’s proud smile. Artemus met him at the edge of the patio.

  “I need your permission to give her a trim,” he said before Zack could greet him. “She has fabulous hair, just fabulous. But God only knows how long it’s been since it was shaped. It begs to be shaped.”

  Zack looked at Dani, who watched him hopefully. “Do you want your hair shaped?” Whatever the hell that means.

  She nodded.

  “You have my permission.”

  Artemus clapped his hands in bliss.

  Chastity turned to Zack. “Hamburger or hot dog, Zack?”

  He eyed this remarkable woman who had managed to birth Wynn. “Do hippies eat meat?”

  “Honey, when they’re my age, they do any damn thing they want to.”

  Artemus leaned close to nip her ear. “And there’s a lot they want to do, too.” He winked at Zack. “Hippies are a delightfully creative lot.”

  “Ah.” Zack grinned, amused by the obvious affection between them. “In that case, I’ll take a hamburger. Thank you, ma’am.”

  “Be ready in a moment.”

  Josh eased Wynn’s foot out of his lap and stood to greet Zack. “How’s Eloise?”

  “I called the hospital before I left work today. She has bronchitis. With the medicine they gave her, she’s feeling a lot more comfortable.”

  “Has she got anyone to take care of her?”

  Zack nodded, not quite looking at Wynn yet. If he looked at her, he’d want to pick her up and pet her and coddle her. Insane. As she’d said, it was only a broken toe. “She’s going to stay with her granddaughter for a week until she’s had time to recuperate.”

  Dani and Artemus danced past them, moving to the tune of the Beach Boys. “A week, huh? What about the rat? Who’s going to watch her?”

  Zack glanced at his daughter as she threw back her head and laughed. “I finagled an early vacation week. It wasn’t easy, but I got Richards to trade with me.”

  Josh looked pleased. “So you’ll be around the house—” he glanced at Wynn “—day and night, for a week, huh?”

  “That’s what I just said.” Done with that conversational gambit, he knelt down in front of Wynn. “How’re you feeling?”

  “Fine.”

  Zack could tell she lied. Her face looked pinched, her mouth tight. He gave her a frown that let her know he knew, and then took Josh’s seat. He lifted her foot into his lap to examine her toe.

&n
bsp; She wore no shoes and where the bandage didn’t cover, he could see the dark, colorful bruises. Her foot still looked swollen and for some dumb reason, he wanted to kiss it. It’s what he would have done for Dani, and now he wanted to do it for Wynn, too.

  He manfully resisted the urge and met her gaze. “Have you taken anything for pain?”

  “Aspirin.”

  Josh leaned on the armrest next to Wynn and peered down at them both. In a carrying voice, he said, “I’m sure you both know that ice for swelling is good, but soaking it in hot water is best for relieving the pain.”

  Zack rolled his eyes; Josh knew nil about subtlety, or medical matters.

  Wynn just stared at him.

  “I was thinking of your hot tub, Zack.” Josh cleared his throat and forged on. “A good neighbor would offer to let her use it.”

  Without turning their way, Chastity said, “Oh, I’m sure he’d have thought of it sooner or later.”

  Artemus chortled at his wife’s wry humor, and then swung Dani in a wide circle, ending their dance with a flourish.

  Dani came over and, natural as you please, climbed into Wynn’s lap.

  Wynn positioned her comfortably, as if she’d been holding Dani since the day she was born.

  Zack almost choked on another lump of emotion. Damn it, men didn’t get lumps of emotion, and certainly not over something so simple as seeing a neighbor hold his daughter. But Dani was smiling and looking secure and confident in her welcome.

  He silently cursed again.

  Wynn was not the right woman for him. Whenever he’d envisioned the right woman, he’d pictured a woman who was discreet and circumspect and responsible. A woman who’d be a good influence on his daughter and the perfect domestic partner for raising a child.

  Wynn was rash and outspoken and irresponsible. She didn’t protect herself or think things out before doing them. She knew too many men who knew her too well… No, that wasn’t exactly right and he felt guilty for even thinking it. But he found he was the jealous sort when he’d never been before. And that irked him too.

  Wynn dressed provocatively, didn’t eat right, and her family was beyond strange.

  She was big and beautiful and so sexy he couldn’t stop thinking about her.

  What the hell was he supposed to do?

  “Eat,” Chastity said as if she’d read his mind. She shoved a paper plate with a loaded hamburger, chips and pickles into his hand. She handed the same to Wynn, and gave Dani a hot dog.

  Everyone came in from the badminton game and Conan introduced Zack to his girlfriend, Rachael. She was a pretty, slender woman of medium height. She was dressed reasonably in long tan walking shorts and a loose blue polo shirt. And none of the men swatted her behind.

  However, the second Wynn said she needed to go inside a minute, the guys lined up to carry her. They jokingly compared muscles, trying to decide who was strong enough to bear her weight.

  Not giving them a chance to get so much as a pinkie finger on her, Zack lifted Wynn into his lap and then stood. There was a general round of oohing and aahing and muttered respect for his strength.

  “What do you bench?” Conan asked, and Zack rolled his eyes.

  Wynn dropped her head to his shoulder. “This is totally dumb, Zack. I’m more than capable of walking, you know.”

  “I know. But no one else seems to.” He turned to Dani. “Stay right here with Josh, sweetheart.”

  “I will!”

  Zack headed for the back door. Truth was, she felt good in his arms, a nice soft solid weight. Warm and very feminine. He liked holding her. And no way in hell was he going to let any of her “friends” pick her up so they’d experience the same sensations.

  “They’re just nettling you,” Wynn said, “and you’re letting them.” She reached down to open the kitchen door when Zack stopped in front of it.

  “Where to?” he asked.

  She sighed, then finally said, “The bathroom.”

  Zack grinned. The door closed behind them, shutting out some of the party noise. Now that they were in private, he nuzzled Wynn’s ear, carefully because of his rough beard, and then asked, “Are you coming over tonight to…soak your foot?”

  She looked up at him, surprised. “I thought you had plans?”

  “I’ll be free by eleven. It’s been a total bitch of a day and I can’t imagine a better way to end it than with a repeat of last night.” He touched his mouth to hers and added, “That is, if you’re up to it.”

  She said, “Ha! I sure wouldn’t let a little broken toe keep me from it!”

  Zack kissed her chin, feeling all his tension and aggravation melt away just from being near her. Leaving her behind this morning, knowing she was hurt, hadn’t sat right with him. “And you called me a superhero,” he teased gently.

  Wynn hesitated, then made a face. “Okay, I give up. Just what are you doing tonight?”

  They stood in the hallway outside the bathroom door. Wynn didn’t ask to be put down, and Zack was in no hurry to release her. He looked at her mouth and wanted to groan. He could feel himself getting hard and ruthlessly brought himself under control.

  “Del and Mick are coming over. They, Josh and I, are going to watch an interview Del did for her upcoming book. It’s going to be on channel—”

  They heard a thump and looked up to see Conan collapsed against the wall, a large fist pressed to his massive chest.

  Zack was briefly alarmed before Conan wheezed, “Delilah Piper is going to be here? Right next door? Oh my God.”

  “Delilah Piper-slash-Dawson. Remember, I told you Mick’s funny about that. And yeah, she is.”

  Conan’s eyes rolled back and he wheezed some more. “A celebrity in our midst! Wait until I tell everyone else.”

  “Conan,” Wynn said suspiciously, “what are you doing in here?”

  Briefly taken off guard, Conan stammered, then looked much struck. “I brought Ms. Piper’s books over to be signed and I was going to give them to Zack!”

  Wynn said, “Uh-huh.”

  “But now I can just give them to her myself.” He rubbed his hands together. “I can’t wait.”

  Whatever Conan had really wanted—and Zack assumed it was to check up on his sister—was forgotten as he rushed back outside to share the news.

  Zack looked down at Wynn, then readjusted her weight so he could kiss her throat.

  She sighed. “I’m sorry Zack, but I have a feeling your intimate little night with friends has just been ruined.”

  He kissed her throat again. “Conan is more than welcome. It’ll tickle Del and it’ll keep Mick on his toes. He gets rattled any time a guy looks at her with admiration—even if it’s admiration for her work.”

  “Zack?”

  “Hmmm?”

  “You can set me down now.”

  “I’m not sure I want to.”

  Wynn hugged him, but said, “If you don’t, Conan won’t be the only one visiting us. My parents will come trooping through, too, and then the guys…”

  Being especially careful of her injury, Zack slid her down his body. She kept her hands on his shoulders and her gaze on his mouth. “I like you in your uniform. It’s sexy.”

  Zack grinned. “Is that right?”

  She trailed her fingers over his jaw. “And this looks interesting, too.”

  “I didn’t have time to shave this morning.” He nuzzled her, letting her feel his whiskers. Then added in a gruff whisper, “But I’ll shave before you come over tonight.” He gazed down at her breasts and said, “I wouldn’t want to give you a burn.”

  “Zack…”

  The way she sighed his name was such a temptation. Zack turned her toward the bathroom. “Go, before I decide I can’t wait until tonight.”

  She gave him a vacuous smile and hobbled in, favoring her injured foot while trying to strut like a man, just to prove she wasn’t hurt. Zack shook his head and a warm feeling expanded inside him, making him hot and hard and filling him with tenderness.


  Her ridiculous false bravado shouldn’t have done that to him. She shouldn’t have done that to him. But she did, and he knew he was in deep.

  Problem was, for some strange reason, he just couldn’t work up the energy to fight it.

  10

  IT WAS ELEVEN O’CLOCK and her parents had retired to their room half an hour ago. Wynn could still hear them talking and laughing, though. Because her parents remained frisky even after all these years, she made a mental note to run her ceiling fan at night for background noise, and slipped out of her room.

  Unfortunately, she was almost to Zack’s house when she realized the additional cars were still in his driveway; his company hadn’t yet left. She was about to turn around when a female voice called out, “You must be Wynn.”

  Wynn froze. Zack had his porch light on and so did she, so she knew the woman could see her, but still she considered hiding.

  The woman laughed. “I’m Del. Come on over and chat.”

  Wynn hadn’t joined her brother and the others earlier when they’d gone to worship at the writer’s feet. She wasn’t much of a mystery reader, and beyond that, she hadn’t liked the idea of forcing herself into Zack’s company any more than she already had.

  Her foot hurt and she was self-conscious in her robe, but she crept forward and even pasted on a smile. “Hello. Yes, I’m Wynn. A neighbor.”

  Delilah Piper-Dawson stood leaning against a tree admiring the sky. When Wynn got close, Del offered her hand. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”

  “Oh?” Who had talked about her, she wondered. Zack? What had he said? She stepped closer.

  Though Delilah was tall for a woman, Wynn towered over her. Del had the type of slender willowy build that made Wynn feel like a lumberjack.

  Delilah looked her over and asked, “You’re ready for bed?”

  “Oh, no.” She fidgeted with the belt to her terry cloth robe and explained, “I have my bathing suit on. Zack invited me to use his hot tub. I, uh, I broke my toe today.”

  “That’s right! I heard about that, too.”

  Wynn studied the smaller woman. “What exactly has Zack told you?”

  “Well, not much. Zack, as I’m sure you know, is very closemouthed and private.”