"No, Bec. I'm going back alone."
"Zach—"
He interrupted her with a shake of his head. "You told me I needed to prove to you I want you back for good."
"But I don't need that proof anymore."
"It's only been a day, Bec. You just got hot from that novel you read. I don't want you to regret backing off from this. So I'm going back to my room. Alone," he said. He cupped her face and gave her a chaste kiss. "Have dinner with me again tomorrow?"
Rebecca smiled. "I'll have dinner with you every night if you're not busy."
"Good. Every night, then. Goodnight, baby. Sweet dreams."
"So what are you gonna do?" Rebecca asked as he went for the door.
"What do you mean?"
"Er, are you gonna touch yourself?" she asked with a shy expression.
"I'm gonna have to," he said with a laugh.
"Why can't I do it for you?"
He rolled his eyes. "Bec, I already explained. Please don't tempt me."
"I just don't see why you could do it to me and I can't return the favour."
"You don't have anything to prove. I do." With a wink, he hurried out, desperate to get back to his room.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Rebecca lay in bed, musing about Zach's stubbornness to forget about his promise. It surprised her that he was so insistent on sticking with it. But then again, Zach had always been a man of his word. Didn't he say to her all those months ago that the reason why he couldn't say he loved her back was because he didn't take those words lightly? That he only wanted to say them when there was no doubt he meant them?
It touched her that he truly wanted to prove that he wanted her back. She grinned like an idiot, thrilled to bits about that. That must mean he was somehow starting to fall in love with her, right? As long as she could see hope, she was willing to wait.
What she wasn't willing to wait for was making love to him. It wasn't just because she hankered for him, but she didn't want him to suffer. She knew how aroused he'd gotten earlier. He'd been so hard! It wouldn't have been easy for him, especially when she had been splayed before him, moaning with abandon.
She blushed. Ah, Zach made her forget modesty all the freaking time.
Well, she'd just have to continue to find ways to make him lose control. She wasn't waiting three weeks, even though it was her idea in the first place. Stuff that!
With that motivating thought, she fell into a deep, restful sleep.
*****
"Oh, yum, these look wonderful," Sarah said as she smiled at the server who placed scones and sandwiches at their table for afternoon tea.
"It's amazing how yoga and a short swim can make us so hungry," Rebecca said. "I'm almost scared to hop on the scales. I think I've put on some weight."
"Well, at least you have another way of exercising during the nights," Sarah said with teasing look.
Rebecca sighed. "I'm still trying to find a way to get my exercise partner to cooperate."
"What do you mean?"
"He won't sleep with me," she said with a teeny whine. "I mean, not all the way."
"What? I thought you'd let go of that 'show me proof thing' you wanted him to do?"
"I have. But he says he's sticking with it. You know Zach. Once he says something, he'll see it through."
"Maybe you're not doing enough to entice him," Sarah suggested.
"Maybe I'm not that desirable," she said with a loud exhale. "I've been wondering how he was able to hold himself back when I would've gone crazy if I hadn't gotten to have him last night."
Sarah rolled her eyes. "You have to look at it in a different way. He wants to prove he's more interested in a future with you than immediate gratification!"
Rebecca smiled at her best friend. "Thank you. That makes me feel so much better."
"That's what I'm here for," Sarah said with a grin before her brow creased. "Hang on. You said you wondered how he was able to hold himself back when you would've gone crazy if you didn't get to have him last night. What do you mean?"
Rebecca blushed furiously.
"Oooh, so he did you but you didn't do him."
"He didn't want me to return the favour. But I knew he was very aroused," she admitted, her face burning.
"So what did you do after he satisfied your need? Just sat around and talked?"
"No. He went back to his room."
Sarah laughed out loud. "To use his hand, no doubt. Oh, I feel sorry for the man. You gave him blue balls."
"I wasn't being a tease. It was his fault."
"If he lasts three weeks of that, I'd be very impressed with his self-discipline."
"I'd be very happy if he'd chuck self-discipline out the window," Rebecca said, vowing to redouble her efforts to relieve Zach of his frustration.
"Oh, look who's coming," Sarah said.
Rebecca twisted her head in the direction of Sarah's gaze. Oh, great. It was Vicky. And she was making her way toward their table.
"Hello, girls," Vicky said, her cold tone the polar opposite of her friendliness when she'd been drunk the other night.
"Hi Vicky. How are you?" Sarah said.
"Fine. Thanks."
"You want to join us?" Rebecca offered.
Vicky smirked. "No, thanks. I just came by to say you've done well, Rebecca."
"What do you mean?"
"Stealing Zach from under my nose when I was drunk," Vicky said with an ugly sneer. "I know I was stupid that night, but I was amazed at your audacity to throw yourself at my man when I've just told you we were sleeping together."
Rebecca gaped at Vicky in disbelief. What the hell?
"Don't play innocent with me. I might have been intoxicated and didn't have control of my tongue, but I remember what I said."
"Vicky, I didn't steal Zach away from you," Rebecca said softly.
"You knew I was sleeping with him. You knew I wanted him. And then you still made your move! Who do you think you are? You're nothing but an opportunistic gold-digger!" Vicky said angrily.
Rebecca gasped, reddening as she noticed the people around them glancing their way, then trying to act like they hadn't heard a thing.
"This is not the place to talk about this," Sarah said in a low voice, standing up. "Why don't the two of you talk somewhere more private?"
"I have nothing more to say to her, except that she's crossed the wrong woman," Vicky declared before storming out of the restaurant.
Rebecca sat unmoving as she stared at Vicky's retreating form with her mouth wide open with shock. Wow. She'd never been on the receiving end of a jealous woman's snark before. It was unsettling, to say the least, especially since everything Vicky had accused her of was untrue.
"You okay?" Sarah asked.
"Yeah."
"Don't worry about her. She obviously doesn't know the full story about you and Zach. And it's none of her business."
"I hope this little incident doesn't affect Magda."
"Magda loves you."
"But Vicky is the granddaughter of one of her best friends."
"It's Zach's decision, and I'm sure Magda just wants her grandson to be happy."
Rebecca stared at her tea, stirring it unnecessarily. It had always bugged the hell out of her when people intimated she was some sort of gold-digger.
Her mother was one, and she didn't want to be painted with the same label. She'd never abandon the people she loved for money or for lifestyle like their mother did to her and Trey more than a few times.
But did being with Zach make her more prone to being suspected as one?
She hated that people would assume she wanted Zach because of his money. If she really wanted money, she didn't need him for it. She had a multi-millionaire brother more than willing to share some of his wealth with her, although she hardly ever accepted Trey's generosity. In fact, Trey even resorted to scheming every once in a while just to get her to accept his gifts, like the apartment he'd bought for her.
"Hey, come on," Sarah
said, pulling her out of her musing. "You're not going to let her get under your skin, are you?"
"I'll try not to," she said. There were still three weeks to go before this trip was over. Even though the ship was massive, it wasn't big enough to completely avoid Vicky. She'd need to put up with the woman's hate and spite until they got back home—for her and Zach—but also for Magda. Rebecca wouldn't want Magda to worry about bad vibes and catfighting guests during her birthday celebrations.
*****
"You've been quiet all night. What's wrong, baby?"
Rebecca put on a smile for Zach as they enjoyed dinner. She wanted to shake it off, but her confrontation with Vicky still bothered her big time.
Vicky hadn't exactly tried to lower her voice when she'd made those accusations about her earlier. What if people overheard and recognised that the whole drama was about Zachary Carmichael? Rebecca didn't want to be the source of bad publicity for the Carmichaels, especially since they'd struggled with keeping their privacy in the last two years.
"Maybe we should have dinner at your suite more often," she suggested.
Zach raised an eyebrow, his lips twitching. "So you can seduce me?"
She chuckled. "Well, there's that. But it's more because you never know if there are reporters around or people who might gossip about you in the press."
Zach put his cutlery down and stared at her. "You think I'm worried about being seen with you?"
"It's not that. I know how important privacy is for you. You don't want to give fodder to people who'd want to violate that."
Zach shrugged. "I haven't noticed anyone here who might be paparazzi or from gossip magazines. And if there were people trying to stalk us quietly, our security would have picked it up already."
"Oh." She still wondered how the Carmichaels' security managed to go unnoticed. But she knew they were instructed to keep as far a distance as possible from the family while still doing their jobs effectively. The Carmichaels loved being like normal people as much as they could.
"But do you mind if we don't go to the movies tonight?" she asked. "I'd like to stay in. If you don't want us to go to your room, we can go to mine. We can watch a movie from there."
"Okay," Zach replied with a worried frown.
*****
"Okay, now tell me what's bothering you," Zach said as they sat on the couch in his suite.
Rebecca sighed. There was no point keeping it from Zach. He might as well know so he could prepare for it if it happened again.
"Vicky accosted me today. She said how dare I steal you from her."
Zach scowled. "When was this?"
"Earlier today, in one of the restaurants where Sarah and I had afternoon tea. Some people around us heard her rant."
Zach put his arm around her shoulder and squeezed her tight, kissing her temple. "I'm sorry. I'll talk to Vicky and straighten things out with her. She didn't have any right embarrassing you like that in public."
"No one knows who I am, so it doesn't matter. But when they see me with you—and they recognise you—"
Zach interrupted her with a kiss on the lips. "I'll talk to Vicky, okay?"
"I'm also worried about this getting to Magda. I don't want her worrying about any of this. She doesn't need it especially so close to her birthday."
"I'll talk to Gran, too. Debra and Vicky might raise the issue with her, but Gran loves you. I don't think she'd care if you did steal me from anyone," Zach said teasingly.
She forced a smile, picking invisible lint from his trousers.
"Did she really raise such a ruckus that it's bothering you that much?" Zach asked with a hard edge to his tone.
"She said I was a gold-digger," Rebecca said, looking up at Zach with a sudden flare in her eyes. "I hate that term being used on me, Zach. I hate it with a passion. Are people going to think that of me just because I'm with you? Is this going to add to your problems with your privacy? Would I be responsible for making your grandmother unhappy during her birthday celebrations? I don't want to create any problems for you or Magda."
"Hey, who cares what other people think? I'll talk to Vicky tomorrow and tell her in no uncertain terms to leave you alone—and not to spread nasty rumours about you. Now can we kiss?"
She sighed—more like a sob—and tilted her head to offer her lips to Zach.
Zach cupped her face and tenderly ran his thumb across her cheeks. "What. Anyone. Says. Doesn't. Matter," he said in between soft kisses to her face. He captured her mouth as his hand snuck under her dress to caress her upper thigh.
Desire flared within her and she deepened their kiss. Suddenly, she needed him to ease all of her tension. "Zach," she whispered as reached for his shirt buttons.
"Bec," he said in warning, gently pushing her hand away.
"I need you, Zach. I need to feel we're real. I need to feel that nothing else matters but you and me."
"Oh, baby," Zach whispered, looking deep into her eyes. "You're making it really hard for me to keep my hands off you."
"I want your hands on me, Zach. And your mouth. And I want to touch you, too. Then I want you inside me," she said, unbuckling his belt.
"I don't want that, Bec," he whispered.
She gasped, pulling back. To her horror, her eyes started watering. Damn it. She knew Zach meant well, but this still felt like rejection. She was burning for him. And yet, he could keep his cool.
"Hey, what I mean is not yet," Zach explained. "I hate breaking my word, especially to you, Bec. It's like telling you I didn't mean what I said."
"Right now, for me, it just feels like you don't want me," she said softly, looking down at her lap as she struggled to keep the tears at bay. Why the hell was she being so emotional?
Zach grabbed her hand and put it on his crotch. "Does this feel like not wanting you?" he asked harshly. "I'm dying to have you, Bec. And it's taking all my self-control not to take what you offer. But you said it's hard for you to believe that this isn't just a holiday-induced lust for me. How the hell am I supposed to prove myself if I don't literally keep my dick in my pants?"
"But I already said I don't need you to prove that anymore. I believe you now," she reasoned. "How can I make you believe that?"
"Do you really mean it?" Zach asked, his voice low and his eyes darkening.
"Yes," she whispered urgently.
A sensuous smile touched his lips. "Prove to me you mean it," he said huskily.
Her grin was sultry as she reached for his buttons. This time, he didn't stop her.
She straddled him and kissed him deeply as her fingers deftly undressed him.
Zach groaned, pulling her zipper down. She left his mouth long enough to let Zach lift her dress off her before going back for more. She moaned as Zach's insistent tongue invaded her mouth and his hot hands impatiently unhooked her bra and tossed it out of the way. Yes, this was how she wanted him. In flames. With her.
"Cuffs," Zach rasped, holding his wrists out to her as she tried to push his shirt off his shoulders.
She took off his links as his mouth made its way to her neck, nipping, nibbling. When his muscular chest was bare, she went for the button of his pants.
Zach moaned as her hand grazed his impressive erection. "Do you know how much I've been wanting your hands on me?"
"As much as I've been wanting to touch you?" she asked, putting her hand inside his briefs.
"God, baby, touch away," he said through gritted teeth, pushing his pants down as she shifted to let him discard his clothes while stroking his hard-as-steel erection.
"Hold on to me," he said breathlessly as he stood up with her wrapped around him. Zach took them to his bed and lay her down before hurrying to the bathroom, presumably to get a condom.
Rebecca took off her panties as she waited for him. God, she couldn't wait. She was so soaked.
When Zach came back, she spread her legs before him in invitation.
Zach gaped at her, his jaw slackening and eyes hooding. "So beautiful," he murmure
d as he leaned down and started kissing her leg. He made his way up with hungry nips that made her squirm with impatience.
"Honey," she cried softly, need evident in her voice.
"Yes, baby?"
"Hurry up."
He chuckled. "Patience, my sweet. We have all night."
"I want you n—Oh God... oohh!" She tried to keep still as Zach busied his tongue on her needy clit. Zach knew exactly how to use his mouth on her, and it never failed to take her close to the edge. When she was seconds away from coming, he left her wet centre and started kissing his way up her body.
"Zach," she cried, clutching his hair with one hand, and reaching for his manhood with the other. At last, he was going to fill her with his hardness.
But Zach was in no hurry. He moved his lower body out of reach from her seeking hand and dipped his head to take a nipple in his mouth. His fingers lazily ran over her upper thigh, teasing her core.
"You're driving me crazy," she complained. But Zach merely chuckled before closing his lips on her peak and sucking, making her sensitised nipples harden even more. Then his finger found its way into her soaked centre.
"Ahh!" It wouldn't be long before she reached the crest, but she didn't want to lose control so quickly. Zach deserved some of the teasing he'd been dishing out.
In a move that took Zach by surprise, she pushed him and pressed him down on the bed. She straddled him, leaned down, her face inches from his. "It's my turn."
She nibbled his lips as she rubbed herself against his hardness.
"Mmm," he gasped against her mouth.
She made her way down his body, kissing those abs that she was crazy about, and continued down to where his erection lay pointing to his belly button. She grabbed it and licked with one long stroke, from the base to the tip that was beaded with his moisture, before putting him in her mouth.
"Oh God... Bec... yes."
She pleasured him, remembering full well how he liked it. With a hand stroking his balls and the other tugging the base of his cock, she sucked with her mouth and licked with her tongue.
"Ah, baby... you're gonna make me come so soon," he panted harshly. "Stop... I want to be inside you."
She did stop, and reached for the condom he dropped on the bed.
Forever (Time for Love Book 1) Page 12