by SJ McCoy
Zack looked around at the others. “Do you think she’s okay to go?”
Angel nodded. “She’s fine. She had a glass of wine too many, maybe. But that’s Keith who’s driving the cab. He’ll make sure she gets home okay. He won’t leave till she’s safely inside.”
“Okay.” Zack didn’t know what to do with the opportunity Roxy had just presented him with—the chance to drive Maria home. And he couldn’t even think about it till he knew Roxy was going to get home safe.
“I’ll call her in a few minutes,” said Maria. “Tell her she has to text me once she’s home.” She looked up at Zack. “Would you mind giving me a ride?”
“Not at all.” He wondered why his voice always sounded weird when he got around her.
“Thanks.” She waved the towel rail at him. “I’ll just see if I can put this back and then wash my face.” She went back into the powder room and closed the door.
Luke caught Zack’s eye and raised an eyebrow, but Zack just shook his head. He knew what his friend was thinking. But just because fate—in the form of a tipsy Roxy—was offering him a little time alone with Maria, it didn’t mean he could act any differently toward her than he had been doing. She was his friend. That was all she could be.
~ ~ ~
Maria scrubbed at her face, regretting ever having put the stupid face mask on. Zack must think she was an idiot—and a scary-looking idiot at that. But at least she hadn’t scared him out of giving her a ride home. She’d have to thank Roxy tomorrow—bless her slightly-sozzled heart. When the last of the mask was gone, she dried her face with the towel and then inspected herself. She didn’t look too bad. Of course, she had no makeup on, which wasn’t ideal, but then bare-faced was still better than clown-faced. She smiled at herself. There was no point making a big deal out of any of it. Zack wasn’t interested in her. She might try to read too much into things he said and did sometimes, but if he were interested in her, surely, he would have said something by now.
When they first met, she’d thought he liked her, and she was damned sure she liked him—he was gorgeous! But either she’d been too optimistic, which was a flaw of hers, or his interest had only been fleeting. What had seemed like it might be a promising beginning had never amounted to anything, and they’d settled instead into a comfortable friendship. At least, it was mostly comfortable, as long as she remembered not to let her imagination get carried away.
She took a deep breath before she opened the powder room door and stepped out with a smile. The others had moved into the kitchen. Luke was sitting at the table, and Angel was sitting on his lap. It was time to get out of here. She might have given Zack a nasty surprise tonight, but Luke had given Angel a lovely surprise by coming home early. The two of them were looking at each other as though they wanted to capitalize on their good fortune just as soon as they could.
She met Zack’s gaze. “Ready when you are.”
He winked at her. “Yeah, don’t get up, you guys. We’ll see ourselves out.”
Angel smiled at Maria. “I’ll call you tomorrow.”
“Don’t worry if not. You two have some catching up to do.”
Luke smiled at her. “We do, but we’re going out tomorrow night with everyone. You should come.”
Angel gave her a wicked smile. “Especially since you have the whole weekend off for once.”
She felt Zack’s head turn toward her but continued looking at Angel. “Call me.”
Luke looked at Zack. “You’re coming out tomorrow night, right?”
“I am, but right now what I’m doing is leaving.” He smiled at Maria, and she nodded.
“See you guys,” she called as she made her way to the front door. When she reached it, she closed her eyes for a moment as his arm reached past her to open it. She could feel him close behind her. She could smell him. He smelled so good; he always did. He smelled like sandalwood—and man. She pulled herself together and went through the door and down the path to where his truck was waiting.
He opened the passenger door for her and grinned. She’d ridden in his truck before—usually when a whole bunch of them went somewhere together, but occasionally just the two of them. It was so damned big, she struggled to climb up.
“Do you want a boost?” he asked with a smile.
She shook her head and grabbed the handle inside the door to haul herself up. Once she was settled in the passenger seat, she smiled at him. “Thanks, but I’m good.”
He gave her that weird look of his. “Yes, you are,” he said before he closed the door and made his way around to the driver’s side. Sometimes she wondered if she pissed him off.
He started the engine and looked over at her.
She smiled. “Thanks for this. I hope it’s not putting you out.”
He shook his head. “It’s my pleasure.”
She wanted to tell him that the pleasure was all hers. She loved any moments she got to spend alone with him. But he didn’t need to know that.
“Should you call Roxy?” he asked as he pulled the truck out onto the street.
“Yeah.” She took her phone out of her purse. He was right. She should check on her friend instead of hoping to spend the next few minutes catching up with him.
She dialed the number and listened to it ring.
“Maria! What’s wrong?”
“I wanted to make sure you got home safe.”
“Of course, I did. I wanted to make sure that you got to go home with Zack. It’s about time the two of you got together. I just did my bit. You can thank me any time.”
“Mm-hmm.”
“Mm-hmm? Is that all I get? I set you up to spend some time alone with big sexy Zack in his big sexy truck, and all you can say is mm-hmm? Why?”
Maria wanted to laugh. “Think about it.”
“Think about what … oh … you’re still in the sexy truck with the sexy Zack?”
“Yes.” Maria shot a glance over at him, wondering if he had any clue how this conversation was going. He didn’t seem to. He kept his gaze fixed on the road ahead.
“So, why are you calling me? Go away.”
Maria had to laugh. “Okay. Now I know you’re home safe.”
“Call me tomorrow? I need to hear all about it.”
“I will. And you do me a favor and leave a glass of water and a couple of aspirin on your nightstand before you go to sleep? I have a feeling you’re going to need them when you wake up.”
Roxy groaned. “Oh. Good thinking. I will. You’re right. Goodnight. Have fun.”
“Thanks. Goodnight, Roxy.”
She ended the call and put her phone back in her purse.
“I take it she’s okay?”
“She is. She’s home safe. I think she’s going to have a bit of a hangover in the morning, though.”
Zack smiled. “It’s funny. I would never think of you girls hitting the booze hard.”
“We didn’t. Not really. It’s just that none of us really drinks much so anything more than a couple of glasses of wine and we’re tipsy.”
He turned and met her gaze for a moment before looking back at the road and asking. “Are you? Tipsy?”
For some reason that made her tummy flip over and her heart rate pick up. Did he want her to be? No! Of course, he didn’t. He was probably just trying to figure out the reason for her crazy behavior when he and Luke had arrived. “A little. I guess. It’s no excuse though.”
Deep furrows creased his brow. She’d noticed those before and figured he must do a lot of thinking to have etched them so deeply. “Excuse? For what?”
“For almost attacking you earlier.”
He laughed. “I have to tell you, you scared the life out of me.”
She rolled her eyes. “Sorry.”
“Hey. No. No need to say sorry. I think it’s kind of cool. Most girls would have curled up in the corner crying if they thought there were intruders in the house. Not you. You were coming out fighting. I admire that.”
Warmth spread through her c
hest. He admired her?! She thought that was kind of cool. She shrugged. “It’s just the way I am. I thought the girls were in trouble. I had to do what I could to help them—to protect them. I look out for my own.”
He shot a glance at her. “I do, too.” The words sounded like they were loaded with meaning when he said them, but she had no idea what that meaning might be.
Her heart sank when he turned into her street. How sad was that? He was only giving her a ride home as a friend. It wasn’t like they’d been on a date or anything. It wasn’t the end of an evening spent together—just a favor that he’d brought her home.
He pulled up in front of her house, and she looked over at him. “Thanks, Zack.”
He nodded and cut the engine, making her heart start racing again.
“Anytime.”
She nodded. She should say something, but she didn’t know what. Maybe she had had too much wine. They’d hung out together before. He’d given her rides home from the Boathouse and the Lodge when everyone had been out together. She smiled. She needed to get this back on their usual footing—or at least remember that tonight was no different from usual. He was her friend, and it was only the wine that made tonight feel like it could be anything more than that. “How long are you back for?”
“Until a week from Monday.”
“Wow, that’s a long stretch. What are you going to do with yourself?”
~ ~ ~
Zack held her gaze for a moment. “I don’t know.” He didn’t know why, but everything felt different between them tonight. Maybe it was because Luke had asked about her on the drive back from the airport. Maybe it was seeing her brandishing a towel rail at him while looking like a demented clown. Something had changed. He’d always been attracted to her, but tonight, for the first time, he didn’t know how long he’d be able to hide that from her.
He shrugged. Maybe he wouldn’t have to keep hiding it for much longer anyway. He tightened his grip on the steering wheel. No. He couldn’t afford to relax now—not when the end was almost in sight. He couldn’t take any risks, but being her friend wasn’t a risk. He could do that. “Angel said you have the weekend off. Do you want to hang out?”
She nodded slowly. Her eyes searched his face. Did she feel it too? Did she know that something had shifted between them tonight and did she feel—like he did—that there’d be no shifting it back?
“Do you want to have lunch tomorrow?” That was nothing risky; they’d done that before—many times.
She nodded again and then seemed to pull herself together. “That’d be great. Do you mind if I call you? I think I’ll be sleeping late in the morning. I don’t want to commit to anything too early.”
“Sure.” He didn’t either.
“Okay … well …” She reached for the door handle. “Thanks again.”
As she turned, he could see a smear of white still on her cheek. He leaned toward her. “Come here.”
Her eyes widened, but she leaned toward him.
In that moment, he knew she felt it, too. He reached his hand up to her cheek and smoothed away the white powder from her face. “You still had …”
She nodded, her gaze locked with his, and instead of bringing his hand down, he slid his fingers into her hair.
Her tongue ran over her lips, and he had to watch. He’d waited a long time—way too long—to kiss those lips. He leaned closer in and … sat back up in a hurry when the sound of a car alarm cut through the quiet of the street.
Maria sat back, too, as if she’d been slapped. She looked shocked. “I’m sorry. I should go.” She reached for the door handle again and this time didn’t hesitate on the way out.
“Call me when you’re ready in the morning?”
She turned back to look at him before she closed the door.
“You’re still going to call me, right?” Zack’s heart was pounding. He was afraid he’d blown it.
She nodded but didn’t look convinced.
“If you don’t call me, I’ll call you,” he told her. There was no way he was going to let a near-miss kiss spoil things between them.
“Okay.” He hoped that was almost a smile she gave him before she closed the truck door.
He watched her walk up the path to her front door. If she went straight in without looking back, he’d know he’d blown it. He held his breath while he watched her dig her keys out of her purse. She unlocked the door and stepped inside. “Come on,” he murmured under his breath.
She turned around and looked straight at him. A wave of relief swept over him. He gave her what he hoped was a reassuring smile. She was in. She was scared, but she was in.
He held up a hand, and she gave him a small wave before she closed the door.
He started the truck with a smile on his face, but it soon faded as he pulled away and remembered that, even if she wanted to be in with him, he couldn’t put her at risk like that.
Chapter Three
Maria rolled over and looked at the clock on her nightstand. She groaned. Eight o’clock. That wasn’t much of a lie in. She closed her eyes again and burrowed deeper under the covers, but it was no use. Her mind had already started racing—racing its way back to last night, to Zack’s truck, to Zack.
She pulled the pillow over her head and screwed her eyes tightly shut. Even then, all she could see was his face—the horrified look on it when he’d opened the powder room door and seen her brandishing a towel rail, the indecipherable look he’d given her when he told her she was quite something. She groaned. In her imagination, the way he’d looked at her when he’d told her to come here when he’d reached over and touched her cheek had looked a lot like a guy who wanted her. She wasn’t a stranger to that look. But it could only be her imagination. She’d gone and made a fool of herself, leaning in as if he were going to kiss her. Thank goodness for that car alarm.
She rolled over and sat up, propping the pillows against the headboard and leaning back on them. Still, even as she’d tried to flee the truck to save them both from her embarrassment, he’d said he wanted her to call him today—still wanted to have lunch with her. He was such a stand-up guy, he probably only said it to let her know everything was okay between them. That she hadn’t ruined their friendship by being such an idiot.
She brought her knees up to her chest and hugged them. She kind of knew that wasn’t the real reason he’d said he’d call her if she didn’t call him. He liked her. Sitting here in the cold, clear light of morning, she knew it instinctively. She could make up as many excuses as she liked, but deep down she knew. He had wanted to kiss her. When he brushed the last of that damned face mask off her cheek, he’d sunk his fingers into her hair. She hadn’t leaned toward him only because she was a fool—he’d been leaning toward her too. His gaze had dropped to her lips. If that car alarm hadn’t gone off …
A wave of heat rushed through her and settled between her legs. What might have happened? Would they have kissed? Made out right there in his truck? Would she have invited him in?
She shook her head. No. She wouldn’t. Even if her instincts were right, she wouldn’t be rushing into bed with him, would she? The heat pooled between her legs and her breasts tingled, suddenly sensitive to the cotton of her T-shirt brushing her nipples. No. If anything was going to happen, it didn’t have to happen in a hurry. She flung back the covers and got out of bed. But as she looked herself in the eye in the mirror while she brushed her teeth, she couldn’t help smiling. The naughty little voice in the back of her head was reminding her that there was nothing hurried about it. She’d known Zack for a long time now. And she’d known on the first day she met him that if he ever wanted to take her to bed—she wouldn’t say no.
After she’d showered and eaten breakfast, she went back upstairs and made her bed. She’d told Zack that she wanted to sleep in. So? Since she hadn’t managed to stay asleep, why shouldn’t she call him now? At least that way they could make a plan for later and she’d know how long she had to spend in her closet deciding what on ea
rth she should wear.
She picked her phone up and then set it down again. No. It was only nine-thirty. She could decide what she was going to wear first, then call him.
She went into her closet and stood there looking around. She loved clothes. She had a lot of nice clothes. It was a Saturday; they were going for lunch. What did it matter what she wore? It mattered a lot, according to her racing heart. She pulled down a vee neck sweater. It was purple, pretty, but still casual. She pulled it on and went to look in the mirror. It hugged her figure and was cut low enough to show a little cleavage—but not too much. She cocked her head to one side. It wasn’t too much, was it? She blew out a sigh. Maybe it was. She pulled the sweater off and reached for a pink and white plaid shirt. That was fun, maybe a little flirty, but not too … She pulled that off, too. This was crazy. She’d had lunch with Zack dozens of times. She always made a little extra effort—she wouldn’t deny that—but she’d never gotten this stupid before. Half an hour later, her usually neat closet looked like it had been hit by a tornado, and she still had no idea what she was going to wear. She ran back out into the bedroom at the sound of her phone ringing on the bed where she’d left it.
Her heart rate kicked into high gear when she saw Zack’s name on the display. Her hands shook as she swiped to answer. “Hey.”
“Hey.” She loved the sound of his voice. It was all deep and manly. She’d always imagined it held the trace of an accent, but she’d never dared ask him about it. You didn’t ask Zack personal questions like that.
“How are you?” she asked, then made a face to herself. That was a dumb question. She’d only spoken to fill the silence.
“I’m good. I hope it’s not too early?”
“No. I’ve been up for a while.”
“You didn’t get to sleep in then?”