by Noelle Adams
Gemma and Matt arrived shortly after, creating a stir when everyone saw how much alike the sisters looked. His family accepted him and Matt were dating sisters without question, and while he was still on the fence about it, he couldn’t deny that his brother seemed to enjoy being with Gemma as much as he liked Sadie.
More than liked, he admitted, unable to take his eyes off her. Which is why what she’d said the other day hurt so much, and why her heartfelt apology was so meaningful. Best part was, she’d all but said she was falling for him, too.
His week was ending a hell of a lot better than it’d began. He’d gone from any future with Sadie as questionable as the Truner acquisition, to her at his side and a signed and sealed deal in his briefcase.
Matt caught his eye from over by the coolers and held up a bottle of beer. Zach shook his head no. He was hoping to cut out soon with Sadie. Maybe pick up where they’d left off earlier. Her laugh reached across the yard, Setting sunlight glinted off her golden curls as her laugh reached across the yard. Desire tightened his groin when he recalled the feel of her lips and the silky slide of her tongue against his.
A slap on the back brought him back to reality. He smiled when Gabe Carson sat on the edge of the picnic table with him. Houses across the street from each other growing up had bonded both families, even after Mr. Carson retired from the police department and they’d moved further north. His parents had arrived early, but Gabe had been absent until now.
“About time you showed up,” Zach said.
“I got caught on a last minute call at the station, and then I had to grab me some of that fancy catered food before finding your sorry ass. Though I heard I missed some killer brownies.”
Zach grinned. Sadie’s dessert had been such a hit his mom had not only scammed the recipe, she’d hidden a few for his dad to have the next day before they’d all disappeared. “It’s his birthday after all,” she’d reasoned.
“Your loss on the brownies,” Zach agreed just as Matt joined them. “So, how are you doing? How’s work been?” As a second generation cop, the former class-clown was working hard to make detective.
Gabe accepted a beer from Matt as he answered, “Never enough time in the day—especially with people calling me to request personal favors.”
The reminder of his phone call earlier in the week sunk a ball of lead deep in his stomach. It grew heaver when the stocky police officer withdrew an envelope from his back pocket and handed it over. His brother observed with interest.
“This was a little more PI work than background check, but I had fun.”
Though he no longer planned to read the report, Zach accepted the envelope. After what Gabe had just said, it wasn’t like he could now tell him to forget the work he’d done. Too bad he hadn’t been smart enough to listen to his gut in the first place and never made the damn call.
“Which one’s her?” His buddy’s sharp blue gaze zeroed in on the girls across the yard. “They kinda look like twins from here.”
“White shirt. The one in yellow is her younger sister, Gemma. But you already knew her sister’s name, didn’t you?”
“Yep.”
“Am I hearing this right?” His brother lowered his beer, his expression full of disbelief. “You had him do a background check on them?”
“Don’t worry about it.”
“You said you trusted her.”
“I do, so drop the subject, okay?”
Zach folded the envelope in half, intending to stuff it in his pocket until he could throw it away at home, but Matt reached and snatched it from his grasp before Zach could stop him. He backed up, tearing open the sealed flap as Zach got to his feet.
“Anything good in here, Gabe?” Matt asked.
“I’m staying out of this one.”
“Give it back,” Zach demanded.
He may have originally requested the information to prove Matt wrong, but now the whole damn thing felt like a betrayal and he didn’t want anyone reading it. Besides, if there was anything to be concerned about, their buddy would’ve had his back and already warned him.
As Zach advanced, Matt backed up until he bumped into the fence separating their parent’s yard from the neighbors. Finally, he thrust the envelope forward. “Fine—here. I just thought it would be nice if you didn’t have any doubts.”
“I don’t have any doubts.” He shoved the papers deep into his back pocket and leaned close so only Matt could hear him. “What the hell is with you being such a hypocrite lately? You warned me away from Sadie all along and then date her sister. What makes Gemma any better than Sadie in your eyes?”
“I didn’t say she was. In fact, I like Sadie now that I’ve gotten to know the both of them.”
“Then why do you keep pushing?” Zach demanded with frustration.
“I don’t know…Melissa Syndrome?”
He didn’t even smile at his brother’s attempt to joke about his ex-fiancé.
“You’ve never fallen for anyone this fast or hard before,” Matt added. “I was worried you weren’t thinking things through.”
“Believe me, I’ve thought about it a hell of a lot more than I’ve wanted to. But she’s already told me everything I’d expect to find in the report.”
“Rich stepdad? Looker of a mom thirty years his junior?” Gabe asked quietly from right behind him.
“Yes and yes.” He took a step back to accommodate both men. “What happened to staying out if it?”
A broad-shouldered shrug from the blond officer was his only answer. Zach saw Sadie eyeing them with interest from across the lawn and decided he’d better wrap things up before anyone started asking questions.
“That’s it?” Matt asked Gabe as Zach made his move to leave.
“Well…there was one more thing…”
Gabe leaned in, drawing Matt closer. Even Zach found himself holding his breath as he waited for the answer. After a few heartbeats, he began to lean closer—
“Two years ago, she had a speeding ticket for ten over.”
Zach jerked upright as his pulse reset. “Asshole.”
Gabe and Matt laughed, but when he turned to go, his brother caught his arm. After a glance across the yard, he turned his gaze to Zach, his expression genuinely contrite. “I’m sorry. I won’t say anything anymore, okay? I’ll let it go.”
Zach gave a sharp nod. “You’d better. And don’t you dare say one word to Gemma, either. She’ll tell Sadie and then I’ll be screwed.”
Twenty-Four
Sadie watched Zach cross the yard, her heart thudding in her chest with each step closer he took. He wasn’t smiling, like earlier whenever she’d catch him watching her and her pulse would kick into overdrive for a few seconds.
Spending time with him tonight, and getting to know his warm, wonderful family confirmed what she’d been afraid of all along.
She’d fallen in love with him. Hook, line and sinker. Head over heels.
Only she’d also come to realize she wasn’t afraid of her feelings for him anymore. Not now that she’d finally decided to quit worrying what everyone else thought. The only one who mattered was Zach, and he believed in her; Sadie Barton, twenty-four year old journalist, making it on her own. And he had from the very beginning.
“Everything alright?” she asked when he reached her side. Relishing the freedom to show her feelings and touch, she rubbed her hand up his arm and back down until he captured her fingers with his.
“Just Matt being Matt.”
Sadie did her best not to frown. “You guys looked pretty serious. Was he warning you about me again?”
Damn. Hadn’t she just said she didn’t care what anyone else thought? Way to prove it.
Zach’s gaze shifted across the yard to his brother. Sadie tried to decipher if the shadows on his face were from the fading light or his thoughts.
“No, he wasn’t. In fact…” He turned back to capture her gaze with his and offered a reassuring smile. “Now that he knows you better, he approves.”
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“Seriously?”
“Seriously.”
“I’m sure Gemma had something to do with that.”
“Don’t sell yourself short,” he chastised, lifting her hand to place a kiss on her palm. The warmth of his lips on her skin rivaled the heat of the fire. The thought of being alone with him later sent her stomach into a series of excited flips and nervous tumbles and she scrambled for a distraction.
“Hey, I meant to ask you earlier, how’d your trip go?”
“We closed the deal,” he told her nonchalantly.
“That’s great! More success for MovieMail.”
He nodded with a smile before hugging her close. “Listen, things are going to start winding down here soon, and I wouldn’t mind having you to myself for a little bit before I take you home. What do you say we get out of here?”
“I brought my own car,” she reminded as her stomach somersaulted.
“Aw, hell, that’s right.”
She smiled up at his grimace and leaned in to whisper, “I could follow you to your place. It’s warm enough for a walk on the beach.”
A flame lit his eyes that wasn’t only a reflection of the glowing embers in the fire pit. “It’s downright hot, if you ask me. Let’s go.” He started to pull her toward the gate leading from the backyard to the front.
With a laugh, Sadie put on the brakes. “I’m not leaving without thanking your parents.”
Zach groaned in protest. “We won’t get out of here for at least another hour then.”
“Relax. We’ve got all night.”
Whoops! She hadn’t meant to say that. To keep Zach from seeing the heat that burned her cheeks, Sadie spun around and thankfully spotted her sister.
“There’s Gemma,” she said quickly. “Come on, I should let her know we’re leaving, too.”
Zach’s time estimation wasn’t far off. It took a long time to make the rounds and say goodbye to his family members who still remained at the party. She saved his parents for last as they stood in the kitchen. John Robinson, Sr. surprised her by reaching forward to envelope her in a bear hug after she thanked them for their hospitality.
“Thanks for coming, Sadie,” he said, holding her at arms length again. “It was great to meet you, and I’m especially grateful for those brownies. Jessica saved me a couple on the side.”
“I’m glad you liked them. Happy birthday.”
“It was so sweet of you to bring something,” Jessica said, extending her arms for a hug, too.
Sadie’s heart swelled at their kindness. Was it possible to fall in love with an entire family? Well…she still had her reservations about Matt, but the rest of them were pretty great.
She pulled back as John added, “Don’t be a stranger now.”
Zach shook his dad’s hand and then the two hugged with a couple of hardy man-slaps on the back. “Hope you enjoyed the party, Dad.”
“You boys went overboard.”
Jessica elbowed her way in and lifted her cheek for Zach’s kiss. “Don’t listen to him, he loved every bit of it.”
John grinned.
“And I will definitely appreciate the cleaning crew you insisted on for the morning. Thank you, Zach.”
“Anytime, Mom.” He stepped back and urged Sadie toward the front door of the house with a hand on the small of her back. Little fissions of sensation skittered up her spine, heightening her anticipation.
“See you soon, love you guys,” Zach called over his shoulder before shutting the door and turning to Sadie. “I told you that would take forever.”
“It wasn’t that bad,” she protested as he pulled her to him and lifted her for a kiss.
“You told me we have all night, and then took forty-seven minutes to say goodbye to my family. That was torture.”
Arms wound around his neck while he held her off the ground at eye level, she asked, “If it was so bad, why are we still hanging out here on your parents’ porch?”
“Good point.” Zach set her back on the ground with a low growl and another quick kiss. “Follow me.”
Sadie did just that, her nerves winding tighter with each mile closer to his home. Too much time to think about how long it’d been since she’d been intimate with anyone. After three years, she felt like a virgin again. When she parked behind his car in the driveway, her stomach was a churning mass of anxiety and anticipation.
He was alongside her car, opening the door before she reached for the handle. There were two other vehicles in his drive. Voices carried on the sultry summer air and lights were on in his living room.
“You have company,” she stated with dismay.
“My cousins,” he confirmed. “They always stay with me when we have a family get-together on this coast.”
It was after eleven. No way was she walking inside, facing all of his guests, and then heading up to his bedroom. She wasn’t that immune to what other people thought, nor did she want to be.
As if reading her thoughts, he said, “We don’t have to go inside to get to the beach, Sadie.”
That’s right. A walk on the beach. She breathed a sigh of relief, and acknowledged disappointment at the same time.
“Although, they’re probably drinking wine out on the deck,” he added. “We’re gonna have to sneak through the neighbor’s yard. You up for a little covert ops?”
“Um, sure. Sounds like fun,” she agreed with a nervous laugh as she got out of the car.
“You might want to leave your shoes here,” he suggested. “Sexy as they are, those heels won’t make it through the sand.”
She leaned down to remove her first sandal. “You got a black knit cap for me to wear?”
“Nah. Wouldn’t help unless you took off that white shirt. Although…that is an idea.”
Though he was teasing, she glanced down at her blouse, standing out like a beacon in the dark. “Except my bra is white.”
“Then it’s gotta go.”
“You’re such a guy,” she accused, reaching for her second sandal as her nipples tightened at the thought of running topless with him through the dark.
“If it makes you feel better, I’ll take mine off. I’m all for equality.” He reached for the hem of his shirt.
She rolled her eyes and shook her head at his grin, and all she got was a glimpse of his mouth-watering abs when he dropped the material back in place. After tossing her sandals in the passenger seat, she leaned in and reached into the back to grab the blanket covering the old oil stain no amount of scrubbing had diminished.
Zach took the soft black fleece and tossed it over her head and shoulders.
“Oh, knock it off,” she said, pulling it off with a grin that matched his.
While she brushed her hair from her face, he took her hand to lead her across the driveway, through the privacy hedge and into the neighboring yard. Crouched down, they snuck through the dark like two fugitives. Sadie wondered if his heart pounded as hard as hers. They weren’t doing anything wrong, yet her adrenalin pumped strong.
“Ow,” he muttered. “Watch out for—”
Something scraped across her shin, then caught and dug into her skin. Sadie let loose a shriek and then quickly muffled her laughter when her brain made the connection to the scent of roses. She’d run into a fricken’ rose bush.
“Shh,” Zach chastised.
“Sorry.”
Two steps later, he stumbled, letting loose a low string of curses before sprawling at her feet. In the faint moonlight, she saw him lying on the ground next to a knee-high, chubby, red-capped statue. A dog started barking inside the house, but containing her giggles was impossible as Zach pushed back to his feet.
They’d almost reached the edge of the lawn when light flooded the lawn.
“You kids get out of my yard!”
“Oh, shit.” Zach took off at a run, pulling Sadie behind him. She stumbled along, dragging the blanket well down the beach until they collapsed on the sand behind a low sand dune, in the dark once more.
Catching her breath after their run would’ve been easy if she weren’t laughing so hard. Lying on her back, she rolled her head to the side to see Zach having the same problem.
“We suck at covert ops,” she finally managed.
“Hey, I’m not the one who screamed at a rose bush.”
“At least I didn’t get taken down by a garden gnome.”
He leaned over her, white grin flashing bright. “It was you or me, Goldie. I took one for the team.”
“My knight in shining armor.”
She lifted up to give him a quick smack on the lips, but the firm pressure of his mouth as he met her halfway ignited the residual adrenalin in her body like a match to gasoline.
Twenty-Five
Zach slanted his mouth over Sadie’s, angling his head as she parted her lips, inviting him to deepen the kiss. Her arm curled around his neck, pulling him down on top of her. Soft breasts crushed against his chest.
Not that he was complaining, but this wasn’t what he’d intended. He brushed a curl from her cheek and reluctantly asked, “What about that walk?”
“Do you want to take a walk right now?”
“Not really.”
“Then shut up.”
He smiled when her lips met his again, all arguments silenced. And then he wasn’t smiling anymore as her leg rubbed his thigh, bringing his hips directly in line with hers. Desire swiftly hardened his erection behind the zipper of his jean shorts. His weight pressing her into the sand made the pressure pleasurably painful.
As he explored her mouth and nibbled at the minty sweetness of her lips, her hands roamed over his back, slipping underneath his shirt to skim back up. The warmth of her touch against his bare skin triggered a low groan of approval.
Long, slow kisses built the heat between them until he was so hot he could barely stand it. He eagerly helped when she ran her hands up along his sides, lifting his shirt, bunching the material before dragging it over his head.
Sand granules scattered through the air, tickling where they landed on his arms and back. Sadie sputtered, raising her hand to wipe at her face.