by Noelle Adams
“Ooh, sorry, are you okay?”
After a couple blinks, she nodded. “I’m good.”
He pushed to his knees and brushed clinging granules from his skin. “Want me to spread out the blanket?”
“Yes, please.” She sat up, running her fingers through her mass of golden curls. Her upraised arms gaped open the top of her shirt and tightened the material across her breasts. It took a moment to realize she’d stilled and watched him watching her.
“Stop being such a tease and help me out here.”
The husky tone of his voice completely negated the order and her resulting low laugh was as arousing as the snug blouse. She rose, taking her time brushing sand from her clothes while he easily managed the blanket on his own. Straightening, he found her gazing over the top of the dune, down the beach.
The deserted beach.
Except for a campfire flickering way off in the distance, the wide expanse of sand and ocean was all theirs at this time of the night. Zach eased up behind her, brushing her hair aside to bare her neck. He’d always thought she smelled like the ocean breeze, but now he inhaled her scent and realized she smelled ten times better than the real deal.
She leaned back into his body, and while kissing her soft skin, he slid his arms around to her front, crossing them just below her breasts. Her light touch teased along the muscles of his forearms.
“Seems we’re more alone here than at my house,” he whispered, his meaning unmistakable, especially when his erection throbbed insistently against the small of her back.
“It appears that way,” she agreed.
Foregoing her massage on his forearms, he flattened his palms on her flat stomach and slowly slid them up to cup her breasts. Her head lolled back, exposing the sensitive underside of her jaw. He took full advantage, licking and sucking while gently pinching her nipples through her clothes.
“Do you have protection?”
The breathless question stilled his hands. “Would you think less of me if I did?”
“No. Why?”
“Because admitting that I do makes it appear like I planned this, when in reality I only grabbed a couple from my glove box just in case. This really was supposed to be just a walk on the beach, but then you brought a blanket…”
“Do you think less of me for that?”
His chuckle morphed into a low growl. “Hell no. I’m going to worship you for that.”
“Mm, I like the sound of that.”
Lips pressed to her ear, he promised, “You’re going to like the feel of it even more.”
“Mmmm.” She tried to turn around in his arms, but he held her as she was while facing them both toward the ocean. The moon had brightened a bit as it rose higher in the night sky, bathing the water and the beach with a silver glow.
Tugging her shirt free of the waistband of her Capri’s, he began unbuttoning from the bottom up. A slight breeze swayed the shirttails, the soft cotton urging his fingers to hurry.
The rapid beat of her heart against his forearm confirmed her excitement. Maybe nervousness, too, but she didn’t stop him when he undid the last button and peeled the material apart. Being so much taller than her, he was at the perfect vantage point to see the moonlit-gilded swell of her breasts above her white satin bra.
“You look like a goddess, Sadie.”
She reached up, and with nothing more than a flick of her fingers, set the magnificent globes free. Zach peeled away the material between them, dropping shirt and bra to the sand before drawing her back against his chest so he could fill his hands with her breasts. As he caressed and fondled, soft sounds of pleasure escaped from her lips. At his side, she clutched the material of his jeans, her fingers digging into his thighs.
“Zach…” Once more, she attempted to turn in his arms.
“Not yet,” he murmured against her neck.
Keeping one hand on her breast, he slid the other down across her stomach. She sucked in a breath, muscles contracting beneath his touch. After a bit of one-handed fumbling, he managed to undo the buckle of her fancy belt, unbuttoned her jeans, and slid the zipper open.
He switched hands and drew a circle around her navel before easing down to slip his fingers inside the elastic of her panties. Sadie pushed her jeans down, wiggling back and forth to coax the material over the curve of her hips.
Zach groaned at the enticing movement against his front, but didn’t detour from his quest. Her moist heat welcomed as he slid his forefinger across her slick flesh. Back and forth, he increased the pressure. She gave up on the jeans and leaned back against him once more. He felt her breath catch before she let loose a low moan.
He quickly decided he wanted more freedom. Needed to explore more as she liquefied beneath his touch. He swept her up into his arms and covered the ground to the blanket in three strides. Kneeling, he laid her out before him. With those golden curls fanned about her head, she made no move to hide her beautiful body from his hungry gaze.
She reached for him, drawing him down for a kiss that stoked his passion higher than ever. As they kissed, he removed her panties with her help, then slid his hand along the inside of her thigh before resuming his earlier quest. She opened to him, granting the freedom he’d craved.
Her fingers threaded through his hair, the light scrape of her nails sending tingles down his spine. Maintaining rhythm with his caresses below, he shifted soft kisses southward until his lips reached her breast. Her back arched when he drew her into his mouth, sucking hard before flicking the tightened nipple with his tongue.
She gasped, her body tensing even more. “Oh, God, Zach…”
With amazement, he realized she was close. Her breathing increased with his tempo. When he leaned over to her other breast, one of her hands fisted in his hair while the other clutched his shoulder. He sucked, swirled, nipped and sucked again, pressing her nipple between his tongue and the roof of his mouth.
Sadie came apart in his arms. He lifted his head to watch, thrilled to have brought her so much pleasure.
While she caught her breath, he loomed over her and returned his attention to soft, exploratory kisses along her torso, between the valley of her breasts, up to her neck. A shuddering sigh of contentment totally stroked his ego and he raised his head to smile down at her.
Without a word, she pushed up and rolled him onto his back. Simmering desire surged into overdrive as she straddled his hips. When she leaned forward to kiss him, he took full advantage of his position and reached up to caress her breasts. She didn’t give him long to play before breaking the kiss and sliding down, exploring her way across his chest.
Stomach muscles tightened at the whisper of her soft lips over his skin. His groin tightened when she worked the button of his jeans free and slid the zipper down the length of his erection.
Easing the elastic of his boxer briefs over his tip, she chastised, “A little help here.”
Zach lifted his hips, allowing her to slide jeans and briefs from his legs before tossing them aside. Then he lifted his head to determine her next move. Kneeling between his legs, she ran her hands up his calves, over his thighs. Her breasts dangled as she leaned forward, gaze fixed on his arousal standing at attention.
He caught a brief glimpse of her tongue and the thought of her taking him into her mouth, of those wet lips sliding down his shaft, nearly undid him. It was her hand that closed around him, testing his hardness, moving up and down as if relishing the feel of velvet over steel. He let his head drop back to the ground, eyes squeezed shut, hands fisted in the blanket as he fought for control.
A brief flow of warm air warned him a second before she took him in her mouth. Her tongue swirled around the tip before she opened wider and eased down. Sensation swamped him, pushing him close to the edge.
Way too close.
“Sadie,” he bit out between clenched teeth, grasping at her shoulders to pull her up. She lifted her head slightly, only to slide back down. Her curls tickled his stomach with each movement. A few more ti
mes and he got serious about stopping her.
She kissed her way up to his mouth, shifting one leg, then the other, until her knees rested on either side of his hips, hands braced by his shoulders. He explored every reachable inch of her luscious body with one hand while grappling for his jeans with the other.
Successful in finding a condom, he ripped it open and rolled it on while Sadie’s tongue dueled with his.
“Ready?” she whispered against his mouth.
“God, yes.”
She reached down and guided him to her entrance. He pushed up as her weight settled on his hips, taking him so deep inside it felt as if they’d become one. It took some effort, but he held still until she adjusted with a little wiggle of her hips. After one last kiss, she braced her hands on his chest and undulated her hips again.
“Damn, that feels good.”
Zach moved with her, thrusting up with each move she made, matching the rhythm she established. He loved her initiative, her abandon, and watching her face as she concentrated on what felt best. Yet he sensed she wasn’t quite reaching where she needed to be and there was no way in hell he was going this alone.
Flipping their positions before she could do more than give a small gasp of surprise, he gently sucked on the full bottom lip she’d held between her teeth a moment earlier and executed a couple of slow, deep strokes.
“How’s that?”
“Good.”
This time he added a little force behind the thrust and bent his head to tongue her nipple. From deep in her throat, she let loose a low moan.
“Soo…damn…good.”
Pleasing her intensified his own pleasure. Her ragged breath and those sexy, sensual sounds panting from her lips were an unbelievable turn-on. Then she drew her legs up past his hips and her inner muscles contracted around him. As fast as she’d combusted before, he knew she was now as close as him. He braced his hands beside her, and in a few hard, deep strokes hurtled them both over the edge.
Pleasure subsided, allowing him to catch his breath and lift off her with shaky arms. After rolling aside and discarding the condom, he gathered Sadie into his arms and flipped the edge of the blanket over to cover the lower half of their bodies.
As the breeze whispered across their skin and the moonlight kissed her cheeks, he knew he wanted her beside him like this forever. Maybe not exactly right here on the beach, but he wanted to go to bed with her every night, and wake up with her by his side every morning for the rest of his life.
I love you. His heart knocked his ribs at the thought of saying the three little words.
Sadie’s languid gaze met his, full of warmth. She smiled, the slow curve of those lips so completely satisfied his chest tightened with overwhelming emotion. He opened his mouth at the same time she drew in a breath to speak. They both paused and then grinned.
“You go,” he urged.
“No, you.”
And he chickened out.
Afraid to push too far too soon, he kept his feelings tucked in his heart and instead asked, “Any chance I can convince you to spend the night?”
“If you’re up for a repeat performance, there’s a very good chance.”
Joy eased the anxiety in his chest. And then before he could ask what she’d been about to say, she leaned forward and kissed him completely breathless all over again.
Twenty-Six
It was still dark when Sadie woke up in Zach’s bed, his arm curled about her waist as he snuggled against her body. She lay for a moment, thinking how strange and wonderful to be lying next to him, naked.
The night had been beyond belief. So amazing, she’d almost told him she loved him after they’d made love on the beach.
Made love.
On. The. Beach.
Never in a million years had she expected to completely throw caution to the wind. She’d grabbed the blanket so they could sit together—maybe make out and a little more. But wow, somehow she’d found the guts to ask him about protection and there’d been so much more.
They’d held hands on the way back to his place, snuck into his quite, dark house via his oceanfront balcony doors, stripped, showered, and spent a good portion of the nighttime hours exploring each other all over again. The things he’d done to her body. The things she’d done to his.
Her face heated. A remembered twinge of desire only intensified when she shifted her legs to ease the pulsing ache.
She lifted her head to get a look at the clock. Five-thirty. Too early to wake him. Too early to start coffee. She should be exhausted after their late night, but while her tired body wanted nothing more than to lay next to Zach for hours, her mind was totally wired. Wondering if he was too good to be true. Reassuring herself he wasn’t. Reminding herself of all she’d learned about him from writing the article.
All the reasons she’d fallen in love with him.
He’d believed in her all along, and now that the article was completed, she had an appointment with Chuck Ericson of OLEP on Monday morning. The thought of selling her work to such a respected magazine put another little zing in her pulse.
Definitely no going back to sleep now. And if she stayed in bed, she’d start running her hands over his body, checking out the muscles she didn’t think she’d ever get enough of.
Zach slumbered on as she eased out from beneath his arm. No more than she stood, he rolled onto the side of the bed she’d just vacated, and hugged her pillow right up to his face. He didn’t wake, though, and she quickly headed for the bathroom so if he did, he wouldn’t find her standing over him staring like some sort of psycho.
When she opened the door again, light spilled into the room, highlighting their clothes strewn across the floor. She started picking up, dressing as she found her things and laying Zach’s clothes over the arm of his leather recliner.
Paper stuck out of his back jeans pocket, and when she scooped up the denim, it fell out and flipped to the floor. She bent and picked up what turned out to be a folded envelope. After a cursory glance, she reached to toss it onto his dresser.
A split second later, the typed letters on the top sheet of paper exposed by the torn flap of the envelope registered.
Barton.
What? Sadie pulled her hand back and stared at her name.
Barton, Sadie.
She pulled the paper out, glancing at Zach as she unfolded it as quietly as possible. He slept on.
Scanning the document in her hands, she determined it was a police report of some kind. The paper was nothing official, but the NYPD logo printed in the return address area of the envelope told her exactly where it came from.
Details about her and her family jumped off the page. Mom, Doug, Gemma. Where she’d attended high school and college. Her speeding ticket from a couple years ago. When she’d moved to California. Even her credit score.
As the implications of finding such information in Zach’s possession sank in, her hands began to shake. Tears stung her eyes, but she sucked in a couple deep breaths and held them at bay. Barely.
Lies. Everything he’d said about her not having to prove anything to him. He hadn’t believed her at all. Hadn’t trusted her.
What hurt the most was he’d only thought about running a background check on his brother’s fiancé, but with her, he’d actually done it. So what did that say for what he really thought about her?
And what was last night? If he didn’t believe in her, did that make her nothing more than an easy score?
A sob threatened. She refolded the paper, stuffed it in the envelope and shoved it back in his pants pocket. As she finished dressing, every shift he made on the bed made her flinch, but she was soon on her way across the room to exit the sliding balcony door.
Only she stopped mid-stride, turned her gaze on Zach, then retraced her steps and took out the envelope. Once the paper lay wide open on top of his clothes, she exited the house and hurried around to her car in the driveway.
Two miles down the road, she had to pull over when her tea
rs blurred the dotted lines.
****
No more tears.
After her breakdown on the side of the road, Sadie shut down her emotions and summoned the determination that had gotten her through college on her own. She’d made it home, showered, and changed. There were three messages on her phone from Zach by then, but she deleted them without listening.
Why was he calling? To apologize? Spin some story to explain? More than likely, he was worried about his betrayal tainting her article and wanted to salvage his reputation.
Her heart didn’t believe that, but look where listening to her heart had gotten her. All trust was gone.
The cell phone rang again in her hand, caller ID flashing his number. She ignored it, left a note for her still-sleeping sister, and went to the zoo for the day.
When the zoo closed, she moved to the local book store and drank too many cappuccinos. But eventually they closed, too. She had no choice but to go home.
Gemma had waited up and pounced the moment Sadie shut the apartment door.
“Where have you been? I’ve been worried sick. Zach’s been going crazy trying to find you. He called and called and then he came over. He waited all day.”
Her stomach bottomed out as she darted a glance toward the living room. “He’s not here, is he?”
“No. He threatened to sleep on the couch, but I finally convinced him to go home. What the heck happened between you two?”
Relief drained her remaining energy as she pushed away from the door. Exhaustion was starting to take its toll.
“What happened?” Gemma repeated, following her down the hall.
“Nothing.” It didn’t surprise her that Zach hadn’t told her sister anything. He wouldn’t have wanted to look like a jerk to both of them.
“Did you spend the night with him?”
Sadie paused at her bedroom door, eyes closed as she was bombarded by vivid memories on the beach and in his bed.
“Sadie—”
“I don’t want to talk about it,” she choked out. “Please, Gem, I’m tired. Tomorrow, okay?”
“He’s not going to give up,” Gemma warned.
Sadie closed the door. Maybe she should just face him. Pretend to listen to whatever he said and then say goodbye forever. Once again, her heart protested.