by Kim Law
“Everyone needs something.” She patted his cheek. “Everyone needs someone. Don’t let the perfect person pass you up because you’re afraid to get your heart broken.”
He wasn’t afraid. Didn’t he already know what it felt like?
“She’s just a friend,” he reiterated.
She didn’t take her eyes off his for several seconds. Then she tilted her head and gave him “the look.” “Neither you nor I are stupid enough to believe that.”
Chapter Nineteen
Holly heard a car approaching as she folded the piece of black velvet she’d used for her impromptu photo shoot. She’d spent the last three hours with Brian, getting her best work captured for her portfolio.
Her brother had been incredible.
First, he’d been floored by Holly’s skill. He’d hugged her close as if letting her know that he was proud of her. She also thought he was finally catching on to the fact that when no one had been looking, she’d grown up. She wasn’t just the baby sister anymore. She had dreams and aspirations of her own. And somehow, she was going to catch them.
Secondly, Brian had turned serious and had gotten down to work. He’d even cancelled an early date he had lined up with some girl from the next county over. She’d been a first date. His cancelling at the last minute had not made a good impression.
That thought made her smile. It also gave her a warm fuzzy.
She stepped to the window at the sound of a car door closing, not surprised to see it was Zack. Who else would be coming out to the cabin? Until today, she’d never even invited her brother there.
She peeked into a mirror to check her appearance. Her hair was wild in a quick topknot where she’d pulled it up earlier, her shirt was tugged out of her shorts on one side, and her cheeks were flushed from hanging mirrors back on the walls.
She looked like crap. But she didn’t care. She was riding on a high from the photo shoot.
She slung the velvet around her neck, and walked to the door.
When she pulled it open, Zack stood there, his eyes intense.
“I didn’t like it,” he said.
“Excuse me?” She stepped back to let him in. As he walked past her, he eyed the velvet wrapped around her neck.
“The guy,” he said. “I didn’t like the guy.”
“What guy?”
“At the diner.”
Oh. She almost smiled. He’d gotten jealous again. Over Bobby this time. “Why not?” She closed the door, and when she turned back, he was right there. So big in her small space.
And she couldn’t help but think about what had happened the last time he’d been there.
Or what else she’d wanted to happen.
He gave an unconcerned shrug and took a step forward. He backed her to the door. “Because he’s not right for you.”
If she’d been drinking at that moment, she’d have spit the liquid out with her laughter. “You think? His nickname is ‘Hounddog.’ Trust me, I know he’s not right for me.”
“You liked him though.”
It was hard not to like Bobby. “What makes you say that?”
“The way you smiled at him.” His hands grabbed the edges of the velvet and he lightly tugged. She took a small step forward. “The way you laughed with him,” he added.
They were so close his breath brushed across her cheek.
“I like to laugh,” she whispered.
He nodded. “I like it when you laugh. Especially with me.”
“You weren’t there.”
He tugged again. Their toes touched. “I’m here now.”
The words were spoken softly, but they seemed to usher tension into the room as if a gate had been lifted over a dam. It slapped at her legs at first. Threatening to pull her under. Then it rose, closing in around her body until it pushed against her, cutting off her air.
Until all she could see was Zack.
All she could feel was Zack.
She gulped.
“What are you doing here, Zack?” She sounded panicked. Hell, she felt panicked. He was acting like he was going to kiss her again. “I don’t want to play games.”
She did want to play games.
She just didn’t want to get hurt when the game ended.
“I can’t stay away,” he admitted.
His nostrils flared as he inhaled, seeming to pull her scent inside him, and then he leaned forward, shifting at the last second and burying his face in her hair. Her heart missed a beat at the longing moan that came from him.
She wanted him to kiss her.
She let out a shaky breath.
“Zack?” she begged. Her lips parted. She didn’t know if she was begging him to kiss her, or for him to stop.
“I can’t stay away,” he said again, more slowly this time.
He shifted, leaning back so that his eyes were on hers. “I don’t know what this is, and I’m not promising anything,” he began. “But I can’t sit by and watch you with other men.”
Fear filled her at the same time as a kernel of hope flared to life.
The fear won. “How about if I promise not to date anyone until you go home?”
He shook his head slowly. “I think you should date me until I go home.”
Well, that put it bluntly. He really was promising nothing. A week and a half of bliss. Nothing more.
Wasn’t like she was finding bliss anywhere else.
And didn’t a girl deserve a taste of bliss once in a while?
She swallowed. He was going to break her heart.
“Can I have some time to think about it?” she asked. She wasn’t asking for time to consider going out with him so much as she was asking time to consider what would happen if she went out with him. They would end up in bed together. She needed to give that clear thought when her nether regions weren’t weeping at the pure joy of having all that testosterone nearby.
He nodded. The move was slow and deliberate, as if he was thinking that it might be wise for him to take that time as well. “You can have two days.”
Then he twisted his hands, and the velvet at her neck wrapped around his fists.
And his mouth met hers.
Holly opened under him the instant his lips touched down, and Zack sank into the lusciousness of her mouth.
The tip of her tongue stroked against his. Tentative, but seeking. Wanting.
He wanted to.
He wanted everything about her he could possibly get.
Not tonight, though. Not everything. Tonight would just be this. A kiss. A stroke.
A touch.
Enough to leave her looking forward to the next time. To make sure he stayed topmost in her mind. Because yeah, there was going to be a next time. There would be as many next times as he could get.
He’d taken his mother back to the house earlier, and he’d no more than set foot inside the foyer than he’d known he’d been kidding himself. Holly was not just a friend. They’d crossed that border days ago.
Thinking he could ignore this had been wrong. He had to see where it went.
He lifted both hands, the velvet still wrapped around his palms, and cupped the sides of her face. The tips of his fingers slid into the silkiness of all that glorious hair, and he was reminded of her pure joy Sunday night as they’d raced through the streets of Atlanta.
If he were the romantic type, he’d think he’d fallen a little bit in love with her that night.
Everything about her had been so alive. Electric.
Her joy had vibrated through his car until it filled his heart. He’d wanted to freeze the moment so he could hold on to it forever.
He lifted his mouth from hers and stared down through lust-heavy eyes at the plump, red lips he’d been feasting on. Her eyelids fluttered beneath him. Finally they opened enough to reveal the same d
esire he himself felt. She was beautiful.
She could be his.
That was a staggering realization. Along with the fact that he’d almost let this get away.
“Thursday night,” he whispered. He dragged his thumb over her bottom lip and her chin lifted with the action, moving along with him. He dipped his head once more.
When they parted a second time, he pulled a groan away with him.
“I’m taking you to the movies,” he told her. “Thursday night. On a date.”
Her eyes began to clear. “A date?”
He nodded. And then fear hit his chest and radiated out. He didn’t date. He hooked up. He had understandings.
But with Holly, he wasn’t sure he had anything. Not anything he could control.
That was the worst part.
Then again, maybe it was the best part. It sure as hell left him breathless.
However it turned out, he had to let himself see. He had to know.
Placing one last kiss against her lips, this one barely a graze, he then dropped one on the tip of her nose and stepped away. As he did, he unraveled the velvet from around his hands and smoothed the material back into place.
“What’s with the velvet?” he asked. If he didn’t know she was as turned on as him, his breathless voice would be embarrassing.
“Oh!” Her ardor disappeared in an instant. “I was going to tell you about that earlier. I got a call today. From Chicago.” She bit her lip as if to try to keep the smile from getting away from her.
“About the mirrors?” From the looks of her, it had to be. And good news at that.
“Yeah.”
“I thought you never showed them to anyone.”
“I didn’t, but I gave one to my cousin. She had a party and a guest saw it. The guest is a client of a specialized boutique. It was a store I hadn’t tried,” she explained. “Even more upscale than I was shooting for. Anyway, the manager got a look at it today, and she asked to see more.”
His breath caught. “Are you going back up there?”
“No. But I’ve spent the last few hours taking pictures to send to her. Brian helped me.”
So that’s why he’d met her brother on the road into her place.
“You showed him the mirrors?”
She grinned wide once again. “I did.”
“And?”
“And he loved them.” Her tone held such awe that he once again wanted to kiss her. He wanted to share in that feeling. “I think he was proud of me,” she said shyly.
“Of course he was proud of you.” He took her hand and gave it a squeeze. “You’re amazing. And he’s your brother. Brothers are proud of their siblings.”
Zack realized that was true. Even if a person had just met his siblings.
Everything he’d learned about Nick and Cody in the last two weeks had sealed his fate. He couldn’t walk away from them. Ever. They were blood. He’d been wrong to think that didn’t matter.
He’d been wrong about them.
He would make sure they remained a part of his life. Though it would be scary, he would even consider having them down to his place. Or maybe he would have everyone out to the house. The one he’d grown up in. He could show them his car. His mother would cook. She would love it.
He wondered if Holly might come down too.
“What happens next?” he asked.
“I’ll e-mail the file to her tonight.” Her eyes burned with a renewed energy mixed with nervous anticipation. “And then I wait. She said she’d let me know something soon.”
He couldn’t hold back. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her to him. “I am so happy for you,” he murmured into her hair. “She’s going to love them.”
“I hope so.” Her arms hadn’t gone around him, but her hands clutched at the front of his shirt. She was pressed up tight against his chest. “But I’m nervous,” she whispered into his throat.
He pulled back. Just enough to look down at her. At the worry etching her face. Then he put his lips to the spot right between her brows. She let out a sigh and he felt her melt into him. He was falling for her. Hard.
And he was going to let himself do it.
He wanted this woman in his life.
Lessons had been learned long ago, but they were hard to remember when he was wrapped around Holly.
“Let me send them to my friend,” he suggested. He released her. “You have the file already made. It wouldn’t hurt to have more than one person take a look at it, would it? Maybe you could get into both locations.”
It surprised him when she immediately said, “Yes.”
“Just like that?” he asked.
She nodded. “I was already thinking that,” she said. “Hoping you might want to.”
“Wow,” he murmured. The belief she suddenly had in herself was very sexy. “Where did this come from?”
“I’ve never been afraid to be different. To put myself out there,” she told him. “Except when it came to my mirrors. But that never felt good and I’m tired of it. I guess showing them to Brian helped me to see that. I’ll be bringing the rest of the family out too. I want them all to see what I’m capable of. What I want.” Her dimple showed up with her smile. “What I’m going to accomplish.”
He couldn’t have been happier if she’d just stripped naked and climbed onto his lap.
Well, not much.
“I’m so proud of you,” he told her.
She nodded and her entire face glowed. “I’m proud of me too. Thank you, Zack.” She lifted a hand and caressed his cheek. “You helped me get here. I owe you everything.”
He brought her hand to his mouth and put his lips to the center of her palm. “You don’t owe me anything.” He folded her fingers down over his. But he might just owe her.
Chapter Twenty
Thanks for choosing to stay with us, and I hope you have a wonderful vacation.” Holly smiled at the guests she’d just checked in, and handed over the rack card for the Firefly Festival. The couple was from Virginia, come down solely for the festival. “Your room is right at the top of the stairs on the left, the Magnolia Room. Also, there’s a movie in the park tonight. Everyone comes out for it. I hope to see you there.”
“Perfect,” the wife murmured.
Holly handed over a map showing parking for the festival, and explained how to get to each lot. When the couple moved up the stairs, she took a quick peek at her watch. It was date night, and here she was, sitting in the middle of her parents’ bed-and-breakfast instead of at her cabin primping for Zack.
Which made her think of the lack of primping she’d done for Keith.
She’d looked nice for Keith. She just hadn’t gone out of her way to really stand out.
For Zack, she wanted to stand out.
For Zack, she wanted to be the only thing he saw tonight.
The front door opened and she fitted another smile to her face, expecting it to be the final guests they were expecting. Instead it was the man who hadn’t been further than a minute from her thoughts since he’d walked into her cabin Tuesday afternoon and declared he couldn’t stay away.
Hallelujah for small miracles, because she didn’t want him to stay away.
Yeah, it was stupid. She was already half in love with the guy. She didn’t need to fall the rest of the way just to watch him walk out of her life.
But how could she not say yes? To whatever he wanted?
He saw her sitting at the corner desk and stopped, and the look that came over his face turned her into complete and utter mush. His smile was slow. It said he’d been thinking bad, bad things when it came to her. And the heat in his eyes could singe anything it came into contact with.
Lord knew she was singed.
He wore dusty boots, his jeans hadn’t fared much better, and the navy T-shirt he had on c
lung to his chest and shoulders as if it was damp with sweat. Either he’d been working with Nick again, or he’d turned into some kind of caveman overnight.
She liked the look.
They hadn’t seen each other since Tuesday afternoon. She’d been keeping busy at the studio working on a couple new designs. If word came from either Chicago or Atlanta that there was interest, she wanted to have something fresh and new ready to go.
She’d also been working so hard just to avoid Zack.
Because she didn’t think she could be around him and “avoid” him any longer. Not after the way he’d reeled her in Tuesday afternoon. He’d barely kissed her when he’d been at her house, yet he’d made a very lasting impression.
The kind of impression that let her know his next kiss would come with more. She was ready for that. She’d thought long and hard about it the last couple of days, and yes, she wanted it. She wanted Zack.
Her heart pounded so hard behind her breastbone just from thinking about it, that she wouldn’t have been surprised to look down and see her shirt moving in sync with her pulse.
“Hi,” she said. She swallowed around a dry throat.
He gave a single nod. “Hi.”
Then his gaze drank her in from head to toe as if he hadn’t seen her in months. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”
She hadn’t expected to be here. “Mom called.” She forced herself to breathe normally. No sense letting him know she was this turned on merely by looking at him. “She needed me to handle check-ins while she ran into Pigeon Forge. There’s a sale on patio furniture. Apparently some of the chairs need replacing.”
Mundane chitchat was about all she had available right then. As well as a spiked temperature and increasingly damp panties. If she played her cards right, she was going to have sex tonight. And then she was going to have sex as often as possible for the next ten days.
“I thought you were working at your studio?” Zack asked. He moved farther into the room, his body honed and tight, and his movements not wasting an ounce of energy. He didn’t come close enough to touch, though.
She wanted to touch.
She gave a little shrug. “Duty called.”