Amanda's Touch [D.A.R.E.ing Women] (Siren Publishing Allure)

by LeeAnn Masters

  She tensed as she twisted around to look at him. Kneeling in front of him on the bench seat she nervously asked “What?” while pulling the washcloth from her nose. She was pretty sure the nosebleed had stopped. It had. She sighed in relief.

  “Babe, please just promise me you’ll at least think about taking a week off? I’m honestly worried about you and I know how tired you feel. I think a week of R & R would do you a world of good. Get yourself grounded and then come back fighting. Would you do that for me, if not for yourself?” To his surprise she didn’t immediately argue with him but did contemplate for a minute or two before a mischievous smile lit up her face.

  “Okay,” was her simple response with nothing offered untoward. She loved throwing him off balance. He was bound to feel confused by her quick acquiescence to his suggestion.

  The Laurel Highland project was going smoothly and she doubted they’d miss her presence for a week. Tom would be fine acting as liaison with Jared, and Jared would be more likely to get the message that she wasn’t interested if she wasn’t readily available. He’d called her and left multiple messages over the weekend but she hadn’t felt up to dealing with him, or anyone else for that matter. It came to her in a flash of certainty that she needed to introduce Jared to Cara, they would make a great match. She also reminded herself to call Adam and speak to him about Becca too.

  His eyes widened in surprise and then narrowed suspiciously. “Okay what? Nothing is ever that easy with you. What are you planning?”

  She was really worried about Tabott and wondered when Zack and his family would hear from him in regard to them transferring their assets to another investment firm. That would probably tip him off more than anything else and she was suddenly certain that something very bad was heading their way as a result. It really would be in her best interest, and Zack’s, to get away for a while. She wondered if he would go if she asked him to take a trip with her. Not that she was telling Zack, but she was going armed.

  “I’d like to visit my grandparents. My grandmother told me this morning that Granddad isn’t feeling well, some heart trouble, she thinks. They usually come up to visit me every summer for a couple of weeks but with the McGinty project I wasn’t able to schedule a visit with them. So, since my boss is graciously granting me a week off, I think I’ll fly down to Boca Raton.”

  Zack’s eyes narrowed in concern. This was another reason she had shut herself off from him this morning? It had also probably prompted her temper tantrum when she’d accused him of acting like her father. Her Granddad had basically been that for her and she was concerned about losing him. He was reminded yet again, that Amanda had very little family and next to no support. And Diane couldn’t be that for her if Amanda shut her out.

  He hugged her close to him and stroked the stray wisps of curly hair back from her face, tucking it behind her ear. “Why in the world didn’t you say something this morning? You can talk to me about anything. I hate to think you were worrying about him all day but were afraid to ask for some personal time. You’ve got six weeks paid vacation, use it for goodness sake!” She smiled at him patronizingly and he caught up a second later “Yeah, yeah…I know. Like you need the job, right? An independently wealthy young woman with talents galore is being granted leave by her lowly boss,” he said self-deprecatingly.

  A stray thought occurred to him. “So why were you so upset at the thought of losing your job when I threatened you with it last month?”

  “Initially, it was because I enjoy it so much and truly was relying on it as the one stable aspect of my otherwise chaotic life, and I like my coworkers. They’re like family in a way. It wasn’t until I got some distance and perspective that I realized I didn’t want to lose the opportunity to be around you either.” Her shy glance away from him was so cute he felt a tug at his heart strings.

  Grasping her chin he lifted her face and placed a lingering kiss on her lips. Lightly tracing them with his tongue, they parted on a gasp and her tongue met his.

  “I thought we were going to work on relaxation techniques,” she murmured against his lips.

  “Mmm…we are. I have it on excellent authority that what we’re doing is a wonderful way to ease all sorts of stress,” he responded, beginning a slow stroke up and down her spine and over her firm derriere. His hands lingered on her bottom and pressed her against him and his fingers glided slowly in and out between her legs, rubbing her clit and probing more deeply within her folds. She was already wet for him and it wasn’t from the water.

  “As a matter of fact I can feel your stress levels decreasing as we speak.” He nibbled along her neck and behind her ear. “Though to be honest, I want to feel something else entirely, inside of you, right now,” he whispered waiting for her answer.

  He didn’t want to push her if she wasn’t feeling well enough but the signals she was sending him were pretty much unmistakable. She spread her legs and wrapped them around him in answer and he shifted himself forward as he gently guided her moist center onto his shaft, drawing a deep appreciative moan from Amanda that nearly caused him to come then and there.

  “Oh…” she responded breathlessly as he began moving inside her.

  His breathing grew ragged very quickly and he halted his pursuit to gain a grip on himself, drawing a plaintive cry from Amanda. “Babe, I don’t know why I’m so incredibly impatient for you this time but if I don’t slow down it’ll all be over way too soon for you to enjoy it,” he tried to explain but found Amanda taking the lead and urging them both onward and upward.

  “I don’t always need a marathon lovemaking session, Zack. I’ve been ready since you bent over to test the water. Short and sweet works just as well for me sometimes, too.” Her breathy pants came more quickly and Zack gritted his teeth to hang onto his control, to no avail. She could feel him trying his damnedest to hang back and wait for her and she clenched her muscles around him, drawing on his will, and he exploded, thrusting into her hard again and again, shuddering as he came. Just as he really began to worry that Amanda would get nothing from this short interlude he felt her arrive there too, her vaginal walls rippling around him, her nails biting into his back as she cried out his name.

  Relaxing against his chest, her forehead resting on his shoulder, they clung together for several minutes regaining their breath before she giggled. “I like this relaxation technique, we’ll have to use it much more often.”

  Zack chuckled quietly. “Somehow, I don’t think it would be an appropriate one during ghostly visitations. I’m not into being objectified by apparitional voyeurs.”

  Lifting her off of him he firmly stated, “Time to get out of the tub. We’ve been in here too long already.” When she gave him a puzzled look he grinned at her. “Did you want to cook the babies, then? Come on, your body temperature is climbing. It’s time to get out and cool off. Next time I’ll turn down the water thermostat and we’ll soak as long as you want to.”

  As she climbed out of the tub she grabbed two large fluffy green towels and tossed one to Zack. Her stomach rumbled noisily and Zack laughed when she blushed. “Work up an appetite?”

  She smiled. “Well, I never did get to finish my dinner.”

  Quickly pulling their clothes back on, they headed back to the kitchen. “Have a seat. I’ll get you a plate,” he offered.

  This time she ate her whole meal and even pleasantly surprised Zack by asking for seconds. He smiled approvingly at her and warmed up another plate. She had lost weight during the past week and she badly needed to gain a few pounds.

  “Stop smiling, Zack, in a few more months I’ll be big as a house and totally undesirable. We’ll have to find you a girlfriend to keep you company.” She tried to pull off the sarcasm with a grin but it didn’t reach her eyes and he caught her wave of uncertainty. She was afraid he wouldn’t want her once her belly grew.

  “Amanda,” he called softly for her attention, laid his hand on hers, and waited for her to look at him. When she finally did he continued. “Don’t
you know that, to me, the most beautiful sight in the world is the woman I love round with our children? I will never, not want you. I will never, not want to be with you.”

  She searched his eyes for the truth of his statement and saw sincerity. When would she begin to believe in the visions of her own life, she wondered again?

  “You’ll see,” he insisted, and she looked at him in confusion. She’d see what, a vision?

  “You’ll see. When you’re nine months pregnant and demanding that I keep my hands to myself, you’ll see that I’m being honest.” He gave her a rascally grin and she caved and laughed at him, he was just too damned cute for his own good, or hers.

  “So when are you planning on leaving for Florida?”

  “Well…” she stopped to think through her projected schedule. “Where’s my phone?” she asked him. He left the table to fetch her purse which he’d left in the bedroom on the dresser. She dug the phone out and powered it on, waiting for it to boot.

  While she was waiting she began to put together a tentative plan. “I’m thinking, if I can clear up everything I need to, that I’ll fly out Wednesday or maybe Thursday morning?” She still needed to get out to the lodge to pack her items, talk to Tom, and… She was making a mental list of to-dos when she realized Zack had asked her something and he was waiting expectantly for an answer.

  She was distracted again when she saw her phone had finished loading and she brought up her calendar. She thumbed the touch screen through each day’s schedule to determine precisely what she’d need to take care of immediately, what could be delegated to whom, and what could wait.

  “Mandy, yoo-hoo!” Zack called louder in amusement. She was off in Neverland somewhere so he waved a hand in front of her to catch her attention.

  “Sorry,” she replied abstractly, still running through her mental list. “What did I miss?” She was asking both herself and him at the same time. Hitting the browser function she flipped her phone sideways for the larger keyboard to type in flight information for the nearest airport to Boca Raton, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International. She was going to have to ask Zack for use of his laptop, she decided. It would be easier to check, compare, and book her flights that way. But this would get her started anyway.

  “Now that hurts,” he said facetiously. When her brows furrowed in concern and she finally gave him her undivided attention he tried again. “I asked you if you would mind if I accompanied you on your trip,” he asked for the third time.

  “Oh!” He felt her wave of surprise and could sense her waffling.

  “Amanda, are you still thinking about moving away?” He was very worried that she’d decide to relocate to Florida and was using the trip as an excuse to look at real estate. His role in her life was temporary at worst and tenuously promising at best. He felt a stabbing pain at the thought of losing her.

  “Oh, Zack, no!” She felt awful that, again, she’d made this wonderful man question his hold on her. “I promise, I’m not running away from you, honey. I know you’re uncertain of where you stand with me, but please know that I’m making a commitment here and now to try to build a relationship with you. I’m not saying it’ll be easy, but I’m willing to try, if you are.” His eyes tightened when she said it wouldn’t be easy, he knew it too. She felt bad knowing it would most definitely be harder for him than for her.

  “I was just taken by surprise that you’d want to go. I was actually thinking of asking you if you wanted to accompany me, but really didn’t think you’d do it. Can you leave the office for that long without going through withdrawal?” she teased him, trying to lighten his mood. “And remember, I am talking about south Florida, in the middle of July, it’s going to be very hot and humid.”

  “I’d like to meet your family,” he was thinking, and have the opportunity to get them on my side. “And, I don’t know if you’ve realized it but I’d like to spend some time with you in a relaxed setting without work, friends, or my family interfering. Every time we’re together other people are causing drama and trauma. I haven’t even had a chance to take you out on a real date yet!” he complained.

  She looked at him in astonishment. “No wonder we’re so screwed up!” she agreed. “Honestly, Zack. I didn’t even think about it until you said something. You’re right. It’s been so long since I’ve been on a date, and I guess at times I forget I’m not married to you.” She looked perplexed at the thought for a moment and then shook her head. “Sorry, I’m not very romantic, am I? We do need some time for just us. To be together without the stress and strain that brings out your overprotective tendencies and my contrary nature.”

  He wondered if she realized that she’d inadvertently admitted she felt like she was already married to him and he ducked his head to hide a smile. Good! As much as she fought the thought of them being married when he brought it up, somewhere deep inside her she already felt that attachment. That was more than half the battle. They had been through some traumatic moments and those always accelerate relationships, maybe she was finally figuring that out. To him it couldn’t be fast enough, he’d fallen in love with her the moment he’d laid eyes on her, while she’d been another man’s wife. What would she say if she knew that? Would she run, screaming as she went?

  Rising to her feet she took his hand. “I need your laptop. Let’s go check out the flights. I have a crap load of frequent flyer miles I can use. When do you think you’ll be able to leave? Is Wednesday pushing it?” She rambled on, thinking out loud about what she needed to accomplish and reminding him that she still needed to get back out to the carriage house to pack since most of her summer clothing was now out there.

  He let her ramble and smiled at her building excitement. Her enthusiasm seemed honest and her pleasure uncontained. As they checked flights online she talked of the restaurants she’d like to take him to and of sights she thought he might like. He’d told her that he’d never been to that area of Florida so it was all new to him and that he was open to whatever she chose to do. He didn’t care where they went or what they did. He just wanted to spend some quality time with her.

  She phoned her grandparents and he heard the squeal of happiness from her grandmother when she gave her the news and felt another knot of tension ease from Amanda’s psyche. She really had been more worried than she let on. Her relief that she would see them was a very palpable thing.

  Flight, rental car, and hotel room booked, Amanda headed toward the bedroom. If Zack had to describe her he’d have said she was giddy. The young girl in her took over and she nearly danced her way to his room still talking nonstop and bouncing on her tiptoes. He followed her, curious to see what she was up to and apparently she expected him to accompany her because she was still throwing remarks over her shoulder at him.

  Leaning against the wall he casually crossed his arms over his chest and humorously watched her as she absentmindedly began going through his dresser and chest of drawers, pulling out clothes. Since she didn’t know where he kept everything it took her a few tries to locate the correct drawers. For several minutes she went about making tidy piles on the bed of underwear, socks, jeans, shorts, and shirts. He said nothing but couldn’t help the amusement that had settled on his face and danced in his eyes, and he pressed his lips firmly together to keep from laughing out loud. Oh yes, she definitely felt like she was married to him. These were actions only a wife would take.

  The entire time she’d been readying his casual garments she’d regaled him with tales of her grandparents from when she was young and told him what they were up to now. He found out her grandfather was an avid golfer and assumed he’d be playing at least one game on the links. He wondered idly how long it would take Amanda to find his golf shoes. He also learned that both of her grandparents were on a variety of committees in their retirement community and volunteered at the local hospital. Her grandfather was a retired investment banker and her grandmother a retired nurse.

  As she spoke she moved like a whirling dervish into the master bath and
began looking for travel size hygienic items, placing the shampoo, conditioner, shaving cream, razors, and toothpaste and travel brushes on the countertop. He handed her specific things she asked for when she couldn’t find them herself, and wondered when she’d clue in to her own actions.

  When she was through with that she started for his closet and pulled out a couple of suits in navy and gray, dress shirts and ties, color coordinating everything to her own liking. Dress shoes followed the suits as she laid everything out on his bed. She even took a polishing cloth she’d found in the closet to his shoes, buffing them as she carried them to her staging area. He continued to simply watch her packing frenzy, staying out of her way and only answering when directly asked a question.

  When she paused in her storytelling to look around her, seeming a little bewildered, he finally broke down and began to chuckle. The deep rolling bass of his laugh drew a sheepish look from her and her face turned first pink and then a darker shade of red as she realized what she’d done. He had to give her credit. It had taken her ten or fifteen minutes to do what normally took him an hour. She was definitely an organizer.

  “Oh my!” she exclaimed shamefacedly. “Zack, I’m so sorry! Really, I don’t know what came over me” she took in the piles on his bed and raised her hands to her scarlet cheeks in embarrassment. “I should never have gone through your personal items that way!”

  He pulled her into his arms, raised her off of her feet, and began raining kisses all over her hands and then her face when she finally pulled them away. He kept it up, strategically moving his lips along her cheek, jawline, and throat. He tickled her at the same time, running his fingers along her rib cage until she laughed a little breathlessly and begged him to stop.