by Noelle Adams
Arm around his neck for leverage, she tried to maneuver into a less restrictive position. Her attempts proved futile without his cooperation, but she was determined to have access to the body she’d been trying not to salivate over the past ten minutes. A push on his chest met with solid resistance and she groaned in frustration.
“Zach.”
“Mmm,” he growled in response. “I know.”
“No—let go for a sec.”
The demand caught him off guard and she was able to wiggle from his slackened hold.
“What—where you going?”
“Relax,” she admonished in the face of his confusion. “Just getting a little more comfortable.”
With that, she placed one knee on the chair next to his thigh and swung the other over to straddle his lap.
“More comfortable is good,” he agreed as she settled down, hands braced on his chest.
His heart thumped beneath her right palm, his arousal throbbed against her core, and satisfaction that he was as affected as her brought a smile. Sadie slid her palms up, threading her fingers through the thin layer of dark chest hair before learning the breadth of his shoulders and testing the thickness of his biceps. No wonder the man had taken that jerk Jason down with one swing.
Twin caresses on her thighs warned he was about to do some exploring of his own. She leaned in to kiss him again as his hands kept going until they palmed her butt. He offered a gentle massage to match the rhythm of his tongue, then swept his hands up along her spine.
His mouth left hers, giving them each a chance to drag in oxygen. But the kisses didn’t stop. His lips skimmed along her cheek to her ear, the stubble on his jaw rasping across her skin. Nip, lick, suck on the lobe and then his hands urged her higher, giving him access to her throat. She played with the soft texture of his hair and tilted her head back, unable to control a shiver as the breeze cooled the damp trail he left on his way to her other ear.
My God, and these were just kisses. Her stomach clenched in excitement at the thought of being connected with him in every way possible. How utterly amazing it would be.
“Let’s go inside,” Zach breathed against her neck. “We can start that hands-on fact checking right now.”
Sadie’s fingers clenched in his hair, hugging him to her, unresisting as his mouth seared a path along her skin toward the V neckline of her old T-shirt. She teetered on the edge when his hand skimmed her ribs to cup her breast, pushing the mound up even as his fingers curled around the hem and pulled the material down. Dredging up the last sheer thread of willpower, she pulled back, released his hair, and took his face in her hands.
The heat in his fiery green eyes told her exactly how much he wanted her. The hard ridge of his erection between them was equally convincing. But his response to her next words would be the true test.
“I want to say yes, Zach.”
God, how she wanted to have him sweep her into his arms as he had in the commercial and carry her willing self to his bed.
“Then say it,” he urged, linking his hands behind her back as he pressed a kiss on her tingling lips. “Yes.”
Her body was more than willing, but her mind hesitated. And her heart. As easy as it would be to give in to the physical, she’d vowed to herself never without emotion. Maybe others didn’t have a problem with casual relationships, but she wanted more of a connection than two people simply having sex.
She leaned into his embrace, opening for one more taste of him before the night was over. Then she broke the kiss and leaned her forehead against his. Gazing into his eyes, she didn’t say anything. Saw she didn’t need to when the light in his gaze dimmed and he took a shuddering breath that she echoed.
And then she couldn’t help but say, “I’m sorry.”
He pulled back a few inches, dark eyebrows drawn together in a frown. “For what?”
“I probably shouldn’t have kissed you like that if we’re not…um…”
A finger pressed to her lips.
“I’ve been dreaming of that kiss for days, so please don’t apologize for it.” He grinned, tracing her mouth before trailing his hand along her jaw to rest on her shoulder. “Besides, I could kiss you for hours without expecting more. Doesn’t mean I don’t want more, but if you’re not ready, I’m not going to pressure you.”
He wasn’t mad. He didn’t automatically expect her to put out because he’d done something nice for her and her sister. Unexpected tears welled in her eyes as joy combined with her earlier appreciation of his fierce protectiveness, swelling her heart like one of the Who’s of Whoville in How The Grinch Stole Christmas.
Blinking furiously, she quickly buried her face in the crook of his neck and hugged him tight. His arms closed around her, strong and secure.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
His shoulder tensed beneath her cheek. With her next breath, he hunched and shrugged, pushing her away.
Her stomach did a small tumble, but when she sat back to look at him with eyebrows raised, his sheepish smile eased her apprehension.
“I’m a little ticklish around my neck.”
God, the man was so damn hot and cute to boot. How easy it would be to change her mind. Before all her good sense was carried away on the cool ocean breeze, she pressed one last quick kiss to his mouth and pushed up off the chair. Off him.
“’Night, Zach.”
Without even realizing it, she trailed her gaze down the length of his body as he reclined back. Across the tanned expanse of his chest, the impressive bulge beneath his cotton shorts, and the muscled strength of his long legs.
Returning her gaze to his, she saw her scrutiny had unleashed the full force of his grin. He toasted her with the beer bottle he’d retrieved from alongside the chair.
“Sweet dreams, Goldie.”
****
Gemma always said Sadie would come to appreciate her youthful appearance some day. That day was today. After splashing cold water over her face, a critical surveillance in the mirror convinced her she didn’t look half as tired as she felt, because after Zach’s kisses and cocky parting comment, she’d barely slept at all. And when she had, she found herself walking back to Zach’s room to relive every moment of that last kiss—and then some.
There had been nothing sweet about those dreams.
When she’d left Zach last night—for real, not the dream version—she’d stripped to her underwear and crawled into bed opposite her sister. No sense messing up two beds when the one Gemma slept in was big enough for four. Which only served to remind her of the party and the one particular bedroom they’d checked.
Maybe that’s why her dreams had been so erotic? She closed her eyes and, unfortunately, saw the mental picture of the four people clear as day. Waited for a reaction, then sighed with relief. The group sex thing triggered her personal ick-factor, nothing else.
But if she summoned the vision of Zach as she’d left him, sprawled in the chair, that sexy, knowing grin on his face…
Mmmm.
Heat warmed her face and a little throb of longing pinged deep inside. Those dreams were all Zach.
Sadie made use of the toothbrush she’d acquired last night and then did what she could with her hair. In the end, it was easier to rake it up into a ponytail with a band she dug from her purse. She added a bit of mascara and lip gloss, and was on her way out the door when Gemma rolled over and stretched.
“Sadie?”
“Morning.” She returned to the bed and sat on the edge. “How do you feel?”
Gemma pushed up to lean against the headboard with a frown. “My mouth feels like it’s full of cotton and I’ve got a headache, but other than that I’m fine. What time is it?”
“A little after seven.”
A low groan accompanied her slide back down in the bed. “No wonder. I could sleep for another couple hours.”
“Not here,” Sadie warned, reaching to yank the pillow from under her sister’s head. “We’ve imposed on Zach enough.”
> “Yeah, yeah. Can I at least shower so I feel normal when I tell him thanks?”
“Just don’t take too long. I’ll go see if he’s awake and scrounge up some coffee. Then we need to get going.”
She started to rise, but Gemma sat up and grabbed her hand.
“Hey—about last night. I’m sorry I was so much trouble.”
“You still remember everything that happened?”
“Unfortunately, yes.”
She breathed a silent sigh of relief. “Good. But don’t apologize, you didn’t do anything wrong. And I’ve always told you, you can call me anytime—you know that.”
“I know.” She lowered her gaze to their clasped hands. “I can’t believe what a jerk Jason turned out to be.”
Sadie squeezed Gemma’s fingers. “Hey, I’ve got Ted in my past, now you’ve got Jason. We live and learn.”
“Well, I still feel stupid about it.”
“You will for awhile,” she said with a smile.
“Great.” Gemma sat back and cast her a wry look. “I definitely need to apologize for interrupting your date. Zach seems like a really nice guy.”
Her cheeks warmed even as she laughed. “Last night was not a date, believe me. He felt guilty over me losing my job and when the battery on our car died, he gave me a ride, that’s all. We were dropping off the ducks at the wildlife sanctuary when you called.”
“Guilt gets you an apology, not duck delivery and sister rescue.”
She shrugged, preferring not to talk about Zach and get her hopes up—not until she had a chance to think about what’d happened between them. Last night it had been easy to fall under the spell of the moon and his intoxicating kisses, but in the light of day, the differences between their situations shone brighter than ever and she hadn’t even been past the tiled bathroom that was almost as big as their living room.
“Get in the shower and I’ll get some coffee.” She headed for the door. “And I spotted a bottle of aspirin in the right hand drawer when I looked for the toothpaste last night.”
“I think I could fall in love with your boyfriend,” Gemma said as Sadie left the room.
Rolling her eyes outside the bedroom, she paused to listen. No noise filtered along the upstairs hallway, and below was equally quiet. The aroma of coffee, however, told her Zach must be up. Unless he had a maid? Given the size of the place and knowing his background, she wouldn’t be surprised if that were the case.
Bare feet moving silently over the plush carpeted stairs and shiny hardwood floors below, she made her way across the deserted living room toward the kitchen with its breakfast area overlooking the ocean. Before entering, she paused and swung back to survey the room behind her.
Gossamer curtains fluttered in the air flow from an open window. The room was light and airy, inviting and refreshing, and bigger than her and Gemma’s entire two bedroom apartment. See? Definitely different lives.
Sadie turned back to the kitchen, drawn once more by the delicious hazelnut scent making her mouth water. She spotted the coffee maker next to the sink with a couple mugs on a serving tray. Cream and sugar sat to the side, along with spoons, plates and napkins. And a note.
Went for a swim, will be back about eight. Help yourself to juice, fruit and rolls in the fridge, and anything else you’d like. Mi casa es su casa.
Usually, coffee was their breakfast staple; cheap and easy. Curiosity compelled her to open the stainless steel refrigerator. An array of fresh pineapple, raspberries, strawberries, blackberries, kiwi and honeydew melon had her stomach growling at first sight. When she spotted the half dozen huge frosted cinnamon rolls, she was lost.
Ten minutes later she entered their guest bedroom, serving tray loaded with the coffee mugs and a serving pot, a buffet of fruit, fresh squeezed orange juice and two warmed cinnamon rolls. Sadie nearly dropped everything when her sister exited the bathroom while towel drying her hair.
“Where’d you get that stuff?” she demanded, eyeing the white Daisy Dukes and dusty blue bikini top barely covering Gemma’s curves.
“There’s a whole bunch of stuff in there.” She pointed toward the tall dresser next to what Sadie assumed were closet doors.
“So you just helped yourself?”
“I’m not going to wear what I had on last night. Gross.”
Sadie ignored that, knowing she probably hadn’t even thought of Sadie’s own recycled outfit. She crossed the room and attempted to balance the tray on her knee so she could brush aside the curtain and slide open the door to the deck. All the while she tried not to think of who the clothes could belong to. Zach may have said he didn’t have a girlfriend, but that didn’t necessarily mean it was true.
Then again, if he had a girlfriend, would her things be in a guest bedroom? Not likely.
“So were there any actual Tshirts in there?” she asked. “I mean, after last night, I’d think you’d want something a little more…reserved.”
“I’m testing a theory.” Gemma straightened and flipped her hair back. “Besides, when in Rome.”
Theory? Rome? What in the world was she talking about? “We’re in Malibu, Gem.”
“Exactly. We’re at the beach, so the bikini makes perfect sense.”
She rolled her eyes, unwilling to encourage her sister’s simple, yet skewed logic. Sadie’s common sense said cover up, but Gemma had always been more of an extrovert. “Whatever. How about a little help here, Barbie.”
Her little sister laughed at the joke and hurried to get the door so Sadie could set the tray outside on the table. Gemma poured the coffee and swept up the mug, cupping it in her hands to take a sip as she surveyed the food Sadie had brought up.
“Mmm—this looks great. Do you really think Zach just happened to have this all in the fridge?”
“Yep.” In truth, she suspected he’d made a run to the corner coffee shop she’d spotted last night, but if she revealed that, she risked more talk about what guilt didn’t cover.
“This whole place is amazing.” Gemma did a slow spin on her bare feet to take in their surroundings, then went to lean against the rail overlooking the ocean. “And I take back what I said—some rich people do know how to decorate. Either that, or he’s gay.”
“Maybe he has a good decorator,” Sadie suggested, stirring cream and sugar into her coffee.
“What? You don’t think he could be gay?”
Memories of their kiss flooded back. Definitely not gay.
Knowing her sister was fishing, Sadie ignored the bait and selected a cinnamon roll before joining her at the deck rail. The first bite of frosted pastry was groan-worthy. Washed down with a sip of gourmet hazelnut coffee and it became heaven. When she reached over to pinch off a bite, Sadie moved it out of reach.
“Get your own.”
With a laugh, she twirled to the table. As she loaded up fruit on a plate next to the second sweet roll, Sadie finished hers while savoring the warmth of the morning sun on her back. Here at the ocean another forecasted day of record heat wouldn’t be so bad, but she didn’t relish the thought of returning to their small apartment and skimping on the AC. Trying not to think of it, she filched a strawberry from Gemma’s plate when she rejoined her at the railing.
“I could get used to extravagant luxury again,” Gemma said a few minutes later, after they’d finished the fruit and stood watching the waves crash ashore. She cast Sadie a sideways glance. “How about you? Do you ever miss what we had at home?”
“You mean do I miss Doug’s money?”
At the mention of their stepfather, Sadie shrugged one shoulder, watching a swimmer approaching shore with strong, even strokes. “I’d be lying if I said no.”
However, living under their stepfather’s control was not worth giving up her independence.
“Wouldn’t it be nice to not have to worry about how we’re going to pay for next month’s rent?”
“Of course.”
Gemma rubbed her thumb up and down the side of her mug. “So…maybe we shou
ld call—”
“No.” Sadie shook her head for emphasis. “I’m not calling them.”
“But without your job—”
“We’ll be fine.” At her sister’s silence, Sadie shrugged a shoulder. “Hey, you want to call, go ahead—just leave me out of it.”
“We agreed when we left that we’re in this together.”
“I know, but you have the right to change your mind.”
“So do you.”
“But I won’t,” Sadie vowed with a shake of her head. “I don’t care what it takes.”
Gemma nodded, gazing out over the ocean, expression pensive as she sipped her coffee. Sadie leaned into her, shoulder to shoulder.
“I’ll get another job,” she assured, as much for herself as for her sister. “And in the meantime, Zach offered me an exclusive interview, so I might be able to leverage that angle into something profitable.”
Gemma shouldered her back. “Maybe I can help by getting a rich boyfriend, too.”
Either the caffeine and sugar had gone to her head or she was still under the influence from last night’s escapade. Then she caught the glint of mischief in her sister’s blue eyes and figured the aspirin had done the job and Gemma was simply being Gemma.
“First of all, he’s not my boyfriend—”
“Yet.”
“—and second, that really worked out for you last night, didn’t it?” She made sure to inject a teasing note into her voice and caught a mischievous grin out of the corner of her eye.
“I just have to find the right guy, that’s all.”
“Good luck with that.”
Gemma laughed, setting down her mug on the railing as she swung around to face the house. Sadie would’ve followed suit, but the swimmer she’d noticed earlier had reached shore and commanded her full attention as he rose up from the surf.
“Well, hel-lo,” Gemma purred.
Hello indeed. Zach had returned from his swim in what Sadie could only classify as fine form. As he raised his hands to sluice his hair back from his forehead, water streamed down his glistening, sunlit body.