by Lea Hart
“That’s a dirty play, Zach.”
“Not really. It’s just negotiating for what I want.”
“Exclusivity?”
“We have that already since I’d kill any son of a bitch who looked your way. I want your heart and mind committed to what we have.”
“The guy who made my coffee looked my way. What are your plans for him?”
“You know what I mean.”
“Do I?”
“Yes, and pretending like you don’t is just a way to deflect answering.”
“Fine.”
“And what does that one-word response mean, baby?”
“I’ll be your girlfriend. But…”
“I hate that word.”
“You have to tell me if you plan on anything death defying,” Cecily said.
“And what if our definition of that is different?”
“You defer to mine, so I won’t die of worry.”
“The more you know might make your worry increase. Why don’t we go with a need to know policy?”
“No.”
“Want to think about it?”
“No.”
“Give me a minute so I can come up with a question that will give me a yes.”
“We don’t have that much time.”
“The good news here is that you worry about me at all, so that’s what I’m going to focus on.”
“Smart move.”
“Don’t give the Ford fellow any encouragement.”
“Meaning?”
“That you’re available in any way and for any job that doesn’t land your beautiful bitable ass in Vegas at the earliest opportunity.”
“And you don’t give those government types any encouragement either. I like the idea of my boyfriend having a regular nine to five job with minimal risk.”
“So, I can make you dinner, rub your feet and sex you up?”
“We’ll make dinner together and the sexing up will be mutual.”
“I’m not going to last until the weekend.”
“You will, since you’re a tough Marine.”
“Not tough enough to live without you.”
Feeling her heart bloom with both hope and happiness, Cecily sighed. “That’s so perfect.”
“Miss you, baby.”
“Miss you too.”
“Call me after your meeting.”
“You do the same.”
“Roger that.”
“I’d say something military in response, if I knew what to say.”
“I’ll teach you a bunch this weekend.”
“Can’t wait.” Looking up, she saw a man in a suit look around and assumed it was the headhunter. She lifted her hand and watched a smile light up his handsome face. “Gotta go.”
“Talk to you soon.”
“Bye, boyfriend.” Cecily ended the call and tucked the phone into her bag. She tried to get her game face on, but found it difficult as thoughts of Zach flew around her mind.
The man was dangerous in more ways than one.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Zach had less than two hours of sleep, and whoever was ringing his doorbell had better have some damn good excuse for showing up so stinking early. He opened the door with more force than was necessary, letting it bounce against the wall, and quickly swallowed his words.
“Surprise.”
“It sure as hell is,” he replied as he pulled Cecily into his arms and hugged her tight. “I thought you couldn’t come until later in the week.”
“I got a call yesterday and was told to be at the new corporate offices at eight on Monday.”
Zach closed the door and pulled her into the house along with her suitcase. “I’m so fucking happy to see your face,” he said as he pulled her toward him and covered her lips. He swirled his tongue with hers and felt her body soften, which sent a direct message to his dick.
One he didn’t plan on ignoring.
Letting her mouth go, he gave her a grin and then pulled her down the hall. “I worked late last night and want to welcome you home before I pass out from exhaustion.”
“Zach, we don’t have to…”
“Yes we do,” he replied as they walked into the bedroom.
“Why don’t you catch a couple hours of sleep and then we can have lunch or something.”
Pushing her sweater off, he shook his head. “Nope, we’re going to have our something now.”
She slowly ran her eyes over his body, and he knew his loose sleep shorts were not going to hide how much he wanted her. “Get rid of that dress so I can ravage you properly.”
“Ravage?” she asked with a smile as she slipped off her sandals. “I don’t know if that’s what I came to Vegas for.”
Throwing his head back, he let out a bellowing laugh. “That’s exactly what you came for.” He stepped closer and twirled his finger. “You’re going kind of slow there. Need some help?” Cecily bent, took the bottom of her dress in her hands and peeled it ever so slowly off, and Zach assumed that drooling wouldn’t be considered rude.
Ravenous.
There was no other word to describe the way she made him feel.
Taking her into his arms, he tipped her head back and kissed her gently. Her eyes fluttered closed, and he took the kiss deeper, until he felt her hands push at his chest. “What?”
“It’s your turn to be ravaged.”
He shook his head and took a step back. “Not necessary.”
“Oh, but it is,” she replied as she closed the space that separated them and ran her hand over his shoulders. “I’m going to trace your tattoos with my tongue someday.”
“Someday,” he gritted out as he locked his muscles.
“Not today, though, since there’s something else I need to taste first.
“Cecily, baby, it’s not—”
“Close your mouth and enjoy,” she murmured as she ran her tongue across his chest and around one nipple.
“Not going to survive.”
“You will. It’s just not going to be easy.”
Zach watched her lower herself to her knees and groaned as his incredibly beautiful woman kneeled before him. Tangling his hands into her hair, he gripped the long strands as she cupped his balls in her hand and drew his cock into her mouth swirling her tongue along his rigid length.
“Freaking incredible,” he huffed as she held the base of his cock in her hand and began to suck.
Looking down, he saw her smile around his length and keep up the movements. Tightening his grip on her hair, he began to thrust into her mouth. He felt the head hit the back of her throat and almost blacked out when she swallowed around him.
“I’m going to come, Cecily.”
Not backing off for a second, she took him all the way. Thrusting twice more, he came with a shout as she swallowed every drop he had to give.
Opening his eyes, he grinned and then scooped her into his arms and carried her to the bed. “That was incredible,” he said as he came down beside her.
He curled himself around her and dropped his hand on her waist. “I’m going to blow your mind in about ten minutes.”
“Sleep, Zach.”
“No, I’m going…”
Her finger went to his mouth and he closed his eyes as their synchronized breaths became the only sound in the room.
Feeling peace and contentment, he let himself be pulled under and enjoyed the spell his woman had cast over him.
***
Cecily pulled herself out of Zach’s pool, grabbed a towel and watched him walk out of the house with two bottles of water. “When do you have to leave?”
He handed her the water and then gave her a smacking kiss. “In an hour. I pulled the short straw and I’m stuck with the pop singer and her crew.”
She took a long drink of water then gave him a fake frown. “Poor you. How will you stand being in the company of a young, beautiful singer all night?”
“I’d rather have one of the fighters, because watching twenty-year-old kids act like idio
ts is not my idea of a good time.”
“You sound like an old man,” she replied as she sat in a chair under the big umbrella.
“At thirty-two that’s how I feel sometimes.”
“I may go the movies tonight.”
“I just talked to Cole, and he said that Kelly wants to do something with you.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
“How nice.”
“Another advantage of moving to Vegas would be living across the street from a woman as great as Kelly.”
“Subtle.”
“That’s my middle name.”
Cecily grabbed her sunglasses and slid them on then decided a response wasn’t necessary. “Maybe she’d be interested in going to a show. I’m dying to see Mariah Carey or Celine Dion.”
“Then let’s get you two tickets because I have no interest in seeing either.”
Hearing voices, she looked up and saw Cole and Kelly walk in. “She may not even be interested.”
“In what?” Cole asked as he walked up to the table.
Wrapping the towel around herself, she stood and waved to Kelly. “A show I’d like to see.”
“I’d love to see Mariah Carey but Cole refuses to take me, so I’m hoping that’s who you want to see.”
“I didn’t refuse, babe. I simply pleaded for mercy.”
Kelly rolled her eyes then looked over at Cecily. “I’d also like to see Celine.”
“Peas in a pod,” Zach commented as he draped his arm over Cecily’s shoulder.
“I’d love to see either and am so excited you want to go,” Cecily said as she took Kelly’s hand. “Maybe we can go to Tao after.”
“No!” Zach and Cole said simultaneously.
Kelly tugged Cecily’s hand and started walking toward the house. “Ignore them. We can do whatever we want.”
Cecily glanced over her shoulder and saw both men frown. “How did you get used to Cole and his domineering ways?”
“We had a working relationship for over a year and every time he pushed, I pushed back. I ignore his bellowing more often than not and really only pay attention when he gets quiet about something. He’s just like a lion and roars loudly to let everyone knows he’s king, and since I’m well aware of that fact, I let him do his thing, without comment.”
“That makes a lot of sense,” she replied. “Zach’s quieter, but no less ferocious.”
“Are you ready for that?”
“Not really.”
“The McCallan men don’t do anything by half-measure, and it’s been my experience that when they decide on something, or someone, they go after it with everything they have. It took Cole more than a minute to get clear, but once he did it was like being hit with a tsunami. No place to run and no place to hide.”
“And now?”
“Still a tsunami, but I’m getting used to it. Under all his roguishness is a gentleman who loves me with more grace than I thought possible. I’d always stumbled in the game of love, and it wasn’t until I met him that I found the right partner.”
Feeling tears prick the back of her eyes, Cecily swallowed. “Kelly, that’s so beautiful.”
“And right after he’s done something incredibly romantic, he’ll slap my ass and tell me he’s damn glad it’s his.”
Laughing, she set her water bottle down on the kitchen counter. “Both sides are charming.”
Kelly put her finger to her lips and looked past Cecily’s shoulder. “Don’t ever let them hear you say that.”
“Of course,” she responded. “No need to encourage their baser tendencies.”
“And they have quite a few,” Kelly responded, and she waved to the men as they walked inside. “Honey, can you get tickets for one of the shows before you leave this afternoon.”
“It’s done already. I called a buddy over at Caesars and you two are set for Celine and can have dinner either at Rao’s or Nobu.”
Zach leaned against the counter and took Cecily’s hand. “If I were going I’d definitely pick Rao’s, since that veal chop is crazy.”
“You choose, Kelly, since they both sound wonderful.”
“Let’s go to Nobu, since we can have amazing Italian food at the Red Door any day of the week.”
“Perfect,” Cecily replied as she leaned into Zach. “Maybe Vegas isn’t a bad place to live after all.”
“Music to my ears,” Zach said as he kissed her head. “Kelly, make sure you share all the stuff you love about this city at dinner.”
“I will,” she replied with a wink.
“All right, we’re out of here,” Cole said as he took Kelly’s hand. “We’ve got some stuff to do before I’ve got to be at the arena.”
Cecily watched Kelly smile as she walked toward the door and let out a laugh. “Wonder what they need to do.”
“The same thing we do,” Zach replied as he tugged her toward the bedroom.
Following him, she knew the smile on her face probably looked a lot like Kelly’s. Which made her think that being the center of attention of the McCallan men was pretty darn spectacular.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Zach sat at the island and sipped his coffee as he studied the latest pictures of him and the pop star he’d secured during UFC 238. They were all over the gossip sights, and he didn’t how much more understanding Cecily was going be.
When the pictures first popped up on Sunday morning, she hadn’t been too bothered, but by the evening her mood had changed when the entertainment shows started speculating. Not that there was a thing to hypothesize about since nothing had happened, and he couldn’t be less interested in the young singer.
The woman was nice enough but sure as shit nothing to write home about in his book. Unfortunately, the pictures told another story, and his hand being suspiciously close to the woman’s ass wasn’t helping anything.
And no, he couldn’t remember putting it there.
But that wasn’t something he expected Cecily to believe twice.
Hell, if the situation had been reversed, he sure wouldn’t have believed it. So, what was his next best move? He had no idea, because telling her she was the only one he was interested in wasn’t going to cut it for very much longer, since words were cheap.
The whole assignment had been a goat fuck from beginning to end, because the singer’s personal security ended up being nothing more than a couple of hired thugs. Where she found them and why she trusted them was a mystery, and he was still pissed that they’d started a ruckus on the floor of the T-Mobil arena before the event.
It had taken everything he had to close the shit down before it got going, and he knew it pissed the singer’s publicity people off. Not because it happened, but because they didn’t have a chance to make the most of it.
He heard the shower turn off and decided delivering Cecily’s morning coffee was the way to go. How mad could a person be if they had their shot of caffeine waiting for them the moment they stepped out of the shower?
Zach filled a mug, preparing it just as she liked and walked down the hall, praying the small gesture would set the tone for the day. He walked into the steamy bathroom and set the mug down as he admired his woman toweling herself off. “I could get used to this view in the morning.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes, and I’m hoping it happens before the holidays.”
“Which one?”
“I’ll say Christmas just to be safe, since Thanksgiving is in three days.” When she didn’t respond and went about her morning routine, he decided the lack of absolute refusal was as good a win as he could hope for. “You didn’t tell me how your meeting went with the headhunter last week or what happened at the corporate meeting yesterday.”
Shrugging, she wrapped herself up in a robe and then combed out her hair. “Guess we were too busy looking at pictures of you and the singer.”
Sighing, he crossed his arms. “I’m going to make you some breakfast, and I’d love to hear what’s going on with your career.”
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She picked up the mug and took a sip. “Thank you for the coffee. It was very sweet of you to bring it in.”
He pulled on her hand until she got close and then kissed her cheek. “There isn’t a thing I wouldn’t do for you, and delivering your morning coffee is only the beginning.”
“I’ll try and remember that when I’m looking at pictures of you and the pop princess.”
“You are my queen, and there ain’t no one who can take your place.”
“So you say.”
Bending down, he gave her a good kiss and then stepped back. “And I will keep saying it until you believe me.” Cecily leaned in, letting him know she wanted to believe him, and damn if he wasn’t going to find a way to make it possible.
Leaning against the counter, Zach watched Cecily’s fingers fly over her keyboard and hoped he could talk her into staying for Thanksgiving. “Do you want some more eggs, baby?”
Her eyes flew up and she gave him a smile. “No, thank you. Breakfast was delicious, by the way.” She stood, picked up their plates then walked over to the sink and started rinsing them.
“Did you get a drop-dead date for the move to Vegas?”
She nodded, continuing to scrub the dish. “They want me to be here by the first of January, so I need to make a decision by next week.”
“Meaning?”
“Commit to moving to Vegas or gamble that Ford can find me something else.”
Swallowing his need to yell, Zach nodded slowly. “And where would the something else be?”
“There’s a company in North Carolina that’s interested in speaking with me and one in Atlanta.”
“Oh.”
She put the dishes in the rack and then wiped her hands. “I wish I had more time to make a decision.”
“Are you really interested in moving to the East Coast?”
“I don’t know.”
Folding his arms, he rolled his lips together so none of his hurt feelings would escape. Why the fuck was he not a consideration in this next chapter of her career? Was she just playing with him until something better came along?
“Zach, I’m not a risk-taker, and I’m afraid that if I don’t explore what else is out there now, I never will.”
