One Chance at Love

by Carole Mortimer

  Dizzy gave her a chiding look. ‘Is that very likely?’

  Christi grinned. ‘Considering the state of our catering situation, yes! He could have offered to take us both out: I don’t mind doing breakfast and lunch, but it would have been nice to go out for dinner.’

  ‘For your information, Fredericks has arranged for an agency to send along a cook until Mrs Scott can come back here,’ she told her drily.

  ‘I still think Uncle Zach could have taken us both out for dinner,’ Christi said wistfully. ‘Do you suppose that when the two of you are married he’ll let me just call him Zach?’ she added with a sideways glance at Dizzy.

  After her outrageous suggestions last night, Dizzy was ready for her, and answered calmly, ‘When Zach and I are married the sky will be green!’

  Christi was unperturbed. ‘I mean, I have no intention of calling my best friend “Aunt”!’

  Dizzy shook her head. ‘You’re incorrigible.’

  Her friend smiled confidently. ‘I’m determined.’

  ‘Christi,’ she sobered, ‘don’t interfere in this, hm?’

  ‘Too important?’ her friend prompted gently.

  ‘Too delicate,’ she corrected ruefully.

  ‘I don’t have to tell you that I wholeheartedly approve of the idea?’ Christi told her softly.

  ‘No.’ She gave a grateful smile.

  ‘I’ll even give him away at the wedding,’ Christi joked lightly, although the affection in her eyes belied the teasing.

  ‘He doesn’t have to be given away; I do.’ She sighed. ‘And my father would have done that years ago if he could!’

  ‘I refuse to let you think about him,’ Christi said firmly, standing up. ‘Just remember that none of your friends would ever willingly lose your friendship. Especially me.’

  ‘So you won’t do anything to make things awkward for Zach and me?’ she prompted beseechingly.

  ‘I’ll be the model of decorum,’ Christi promised. ‘Just don’t wait too long, hm?’ she grimaced, frustrated at the restraint being put on her impulsive nature.

  The lake was even more of a temptation that afternoon, as it was, Dizzy spent most of that time looking out of the window, wishing she could magic away the hill that hid the lake from her view!

  Was she really ready for a relationship with Zach? It was the question she had to answer before taking things any further. And she didn’t know. She just didn’t know.

  She had never believed there could be anyone for her like Zach. That instant attraction had deepened into liking and respect, into a physical awareness that made her tremble. But her mother must have felt that way about her father once, and look what had happened to that relationship! She was frightened of taking a risk on her emotions, although she was very much afraid it was already too late for that!

  * * *

  ‘Isn’t this nice?’ Christi announced with satisfaction, looking at them expectantly.

  Despite the fact that the replacement cook had arrived at the castle that afternoon, Christi had still got her way and persuaded her uncle to take them both out to dinner. Walking down the wide stairway to meet Zach had been a little difficult for Dizzy to do after their earlier conversation, but Christi’s light chatter had easily covered the moment of awkwardness, the three of them talking lightly together as they drove to the restaurant.

  Nevertheless, Dizzy was very aware of Zach as he sat across the table from her, and watched his hands, because heat flooded her cheeks every time she looked into his face and found him looking right back at her. His hands were strong and tapered, the backs covered with tiny golden hairs—and oh, so sensual to watch.

  Christi was matchmaking in the nicest possible way, doing nothing to force them together, but making sure they just spent time together. It was what Dizzy most needed, so that she could be sure of her feelings, and she silently thanked her friend for her tact.

  It was a pleasant restaurant, cosy little tables in alcoves, subdued lighting; the sort of place for lovers to gaze across the table at each other and let their eyes talk of their love. The three of them looked a little out of place, a man alone with two young women.

  ‘This will do wonders for your reputation, Uncle Zach,’ Christi teased, seeming to pick up on her amused thoughts, not at all perturbed that neither of them had chosen to answer her earlier statement. ‘Two beautiful women!’

  Zach smiled at her mischievous grin. ‘I wasn’t aware that my reputation needed “wonders” doing for it,’ he drawled, very handsome in a dark brown suit that fitted him better than anything else Dizzy had seen him in, and a tie which was knotted meticulously at his throat. His hair had been neatly brushed back from his face when they met him in the entrance hall at the castle but, because it was still damp from his shower, and a light breeze blew outside, his hair now lay in an endearing wave across his forehead. She found everything about this man attractive, Dizzy admitted to herself in panic!

  ‘Every man likes to have his ego boosted now and then,’ Christi said with certainty.

  ‘Taking my niece and her friend out to dinner doesn’t do a thing for mine!’ he returned drily.

  Christi’s friend—but that wasn’t the only way he thought of her, Dizzy was sure of it. Tonight she was wearing the only other evening dress she carried around with her, a soft green dress that emphasised the colour of her eyes, making them look almost luminous. Zach’s eyes, as he watched her descent down the stairs earlier, had told her that she was completely a woman to him, a woman he was very much aware of. Her hair had been loosely swept up on top of her head, giving her a sophistication that was usually lacking, and Zach had noticed that, too.

  ‘Being escorted by a handsome man does a lot for mine,’ Christi reproved. ‘Doesn’t it yours, Dizzy?’

  She looked at Zach beneath lowered lashes, knowing by his embarrassed expression that he was uncomfortable with being called handsome, maybe even thought Christi was teasing him. And that would never do, not when he was the most attractive man in the room.

  ‘Very much so,’ she answered with firm sincerity, holding Zach’s gaze. ‘You underestimate yourself, Zach, if you think otherwise,’ she told him softly.

  Warmth blazed in his eyes, his gaze was deeply searching, and it was suddenly as if they were the only two people in the room, those lovers that Dizzy had imagined a few minutes ago, as they told of their feelings with their eyes. Zach’s were saying he wanted her, and she was very much afraid hers were saying the same thing! And she still wasn’t ready for this.

  She looked away. ‘It is very pleasant here,’ she finally answered Christi’s statement of a few minutes ago. ‘Do you come here often, Zach?’ she added politely, the smile on her lips distantly enquiring.

  He shrugged, his gaze still intent. ‘Never before, I’m afraid.’

  ‘Uncle Zach doesn’t have much of a social life usually, do you?’ Christi said brightly.

  Dizzy shot her friend a warning look, guessing she was trying to get Zach to admit to not being involved with anyone. She didn’t know him that well, but the little she did know about him told her that he wouldn’t have kissed her the way he had last night if there were another woman in his life.

  ‘My work keeps me very busy,’ he dismissed abruptly. ‘I’m just a dull old professor of history, I’m afraid,’ he added harshly.

  ‘Dizzy doesn’t find the subject boring at all,’ Christi assured him enthusiastically. ‘She has a passion for history; it was her favourite subject at school.’

  Dizzy shot her a reproving look. ‘I’m surprised you remember my favourite subject at school, we were never that—close,’ she reminded drily.

  Christi blushed as her enthusiasm for matchmaking overshadowed her good sense, and made her briefly forget the tale she had told before and after Dizzy’s arrival in the Lake District. ‘I remember that,’ she defended awkwardly, ‘because it was my worst subject!’

  ‘Does anyone want any more coffee?’ Dizzy affected a yawn. ‘I’m a little tired af
ter my disturbed night last night.’ She deliberately kept her gaze averted from Zach, as she recalled all too vividly just how responsible he had been for the unsettling feelings.

  ‘Mrs Scott told me that you sat with Kate for some time after I’d gone to bed,’ Zach frowned.

  She shrugged. ‘I’d told her I would sit with her.’

  ‘But she was asleep.’

  Dizzy looked up at him. ‘She could have woken up, and then she would have known I’d broken my promise to her.’ In fact, she had sat with Kate until Mrs Scott began to stir at seven o’clock, only snatching a couple of hours’ sleep before joining Christi for a late breakfast, her friend having slept through the whole thing.

  Zach was giving her a searching look, as if she puzzled him more than anything else he had ever experienced. ‘You must be extremely tired,’ he finally conceded softly, signalling for the bill.

  Actually, she knew that, as with every other night, once she got to bed, no matter how tired she was, she wouldn’t be able to sleep for hours yet. She had finished reading the two books she brought with her, as she had expected to be able to indulge herself in Zachariah Bennett’s library. With that painting in there that was now impossible.

  She accompanied Christi to the Ladies’ room while Zach paid the bill, securing a couple of loose tendrils of hair while her friend renewed her makeup. Not that Christi needed the aid of much artifice, her features already perfect, her colour naturally attractive.

  ‘You were doing very well until the end,’ she finally told her friend drily.

  Christi blushed. ‘I was only trying to give the two of you a push in the right direction,’ she said uncomfortably. ‘Really, Dizzy, the man eats you up with his eyes and talks to you like a polite stranger!’

  So Christi hadn’t missed that burning look that had passed between them! ‘It’s only been three days, Christi,’ she teased. ‘I know patience isn’t one of your virtues, but neither Zach or I are the type to leap into a relationship until we’re ready for it.’

  ‘You could have left to become a nun and he could have entered a monastery before either of you realise that you actually glow when you look at each other!’ Christi said disgustedly.

  Dizzy smiled. ‘I have no inclination to become a nun,’ she chuckled. ‘And I don’t think Zach has the qualifications to become a monk!’

  ‘Really?’ Christi pounced interestedly.

  She blushed as she realised the trap she had fallen into. But any man who kissed like Zach did, who made her feel the way he did, couldn’t possibly spend the rest of his life denying himself the ‘pleasures of the flesh’. It would be a crime to himself and the vocation.

  ‘Really,’ she acknowledged drily. ‘And that’s all you’re getting from me tonight, young lady,’ she added firmly as Christi’s eyes glowed with satisfaction.

  ‘It’s enough,’ Christi said with glee. ‘Believe me, it’s enough!’

  She smiled indulgently at Christi’s buoyant mood as they went out to join her uncle. Even though it would spoil all Christi’s plans if Dizzy and Zach did fall in love, her friend was pleased for her, not worrying about what she stood to lose. It was typical of Christi’s generosity.

  She watched Zach surreptitiously beneath lowered lashes on the drive back to the castle, Christi having announced, when they reached the car, that she intended ‘stretching out’ on the back seat, giving Dizzy no choice but to take the seat next to Zach.

  With Christi sitting so quietly in the back it was almost possible to believe she and Zach were returning after a date together, that the evening would end in a lingering goodnight kiss once they reached the castle. She gave a disappointed sigh that it wasn’t to be so, for she had a burning curiosity to be back in Zach’s arms.

  ‘That was a big sigh.’ He turned to her briefly, smiling gently.

  She glanced at Christi in the back. Her friend was giving a good impression of being asleep even if she wasn’t, her eyes firmly closed as she leant back against the seat.

  She turned back to Zach. ‘I was thinking of last night,’ she told him honestly, her voice low.

  He frowned. ‘Kate—’

  ‘No—not Kate,’ she said firmly.

  Zach looked at her sharply, swerving the car suddenly as the movement of a rabbit in the road caught his eyes. He drew in a controlling breath after straightening the car, keeping his gaze firmly ahead. ‘Not Kate?’ he repeated with forced lightness.

  ‘No,’ she confirmed.

  He breathed raggedly. ‘Dizzy—’

  ‘It’s all right.’ She put a hand on his arm. ‘You don’t have to say anything. They were my thoughts,’ she dismissed with a shrug.

  ‘And if mine have been the same all evening?’ he bit out raspingly. ‘Despite my assurances to you this morning?’

  Her eyes were wide in the darkness. ‘Zach?’

  ‘Yes—Zach,’ he echoed disgustedly. ‘I’m too old to be having the thoughts I’ve been having about you! So much for my apology this morning—’

  ‘Christi,’ she reminded him softly, sure that her friend was no more asleep that she was, but she did have a ringside seat to a very personal conversation!

  ‘Yes,’ he conceded impatiently, his strong hands tightly gripping the wheel.

  They lapsed into a silence that lasted until they reached the castle, Dizzy giving her friend a rueful smile as she made a show of supposedly waking up when the car came to a halt. She and Zach had been talking softly, and Christi may not have heard all of their conversation, but Dizzy didn’t doubt she had heard enough!

  Christi kept her expression bland as they all went into the lounge for the nightcap Zach had suggested; Dizzy couldn’t get her to meet her gaze at all. And as Zach handed her the small brandy she had asked for she found out why!

  ‘Not for me thanks, Uncle Zach,’ Christi refused the nightcap. ‘I think I’ll just get straight up to bed. I’ll see you both in the morning,’ she added lightly before leaving the room.

  Her friend had left so abruptly that she left an awkward silence behind her. Dizzy had felt brave enough in the darkness of the car on the drive home, but being left alone here in the lounge with Zach was a different matter altogether. It wasn’t that she was a tease, never that, but she was sure neither of them had any idea where they went from here, and Christi’s leaving them alone like this had just precipitated the moment of truth.

  ‘I have been thinking about you, Dizzy.’ Zach suddenly spoke, staring down into his glass of whisky. ‘I haven’t come to any conclusions, but—damn it!’ He slammed his glass down, taking hers out of her unresisting fingers and placing it beside his own. ‘I know I said this wouldn’t happen again, but—’ He didn’t finish the sentence, his mouth forcefully claiming hers instead.

  It was more, so much more than she even remembered, and her memories were already so vividly disturbing!

  Her body curved instinctively against Zach’s, her arms moving impulsively about his neck, her lips parting beneath his as he had taught her last night.

  He was every inch the Greek god; demanding, possessive, claiming her response as his right.

  And it was his. There was no denying it any longer; she wanted this man, in every way it was possible to want a man. She wanted him to love, to care for, to be made love to by. Morning might bring back the uncertainties but she didn’t think so. She was in love with Zach, completely, irrevocably, and she knew he was the type of man who would never hurt her intentionally.

  Her joyous realisation of her love, a love she had thought never to feel for any man, made her response all the more intense, deepening the kiss as she knew she wanted to belong to this man completely.

  There was no gentleness in Zach tonight, only fierce demand, a need to show them both this was what they wanted, what they needed to make them sane again.

  And then it all changed, his lips nibbling at hers, his teeth gently biting, the pleasure-pain sending quivers of delight through her whole body. She trembled uncontrollably as his ton
gue moved slowly around her parted lips before plunging deeply inside.

  Her legs gave way beneath her, and the strength she had seen that first day, and which she knew the tailoring of the brown suit hid, enabled Zach to swing her up into his arms before carrying her over to the sofa.

  He sat down with her still in his arms, their mouths still fused, tasting her, taking her, again and again.

  Dizzy felt weak with longing, with a burning that she couldn’t control, her arms about Zach’s neck as she clung to him.

  While his lips and teeth nibbled at her exposed throat, his hands caressed the length of her body. Dizzy’s breathing was erratic as he lightly grazed the sides of her breasts, and she gasped as she felt the light caress of his thumb-tip, her nipple hard and pulsating.

  Her breasts were always the one part of her body she felt self-conscious about, having developed them long before most of her friends, but as Zach deftly unzipped her dress to expose the uptilted peaks to his heated gaze she knew only pride that she had been able to put that glow of pleasure in his golden eyes.

  He pulled the dress lower, freeing her completely, his hand trembling slightly as he cupped one upward sweep, gazing his fill of the pink-tipped loveliness. And then he wasn’t content to just look; his gaze briefly met hers, finding no resistance there as he slowly lowered his mouth to her breast.

  It was like an electric shock, tiny pinpricks of pleasure that made her arch up into him, wanting more, receiving it as he nibbled and sucked, nibbled and sucked.

  Her head moved back of its own volition, and she was sent into a frenzy of longing as Zach laved first one nipple then the other, her whole body a throbbing ache that needed to be assuaged.

  She fell back on to the sofa, taking Zach with her, welcoming his weight against her, their thighs melded together as they moved restlessly against each other, needing to—

  ‘My God, what the hell am I doing?’ Zach’s groan of self-condemnation halted the madness. Dizzy looked up at him with unfocusing eyes as he pulled himself up off the sofa; his suit jacket was still on, but his shirt had been partly unbuttoned down his chest by her eager fingers, seconds earlier. His hair fell rakishly across his forehead, his mouth looked as swollen from their kisses as hers felt; he looked exactly what he was, a man who had drawn back on the brink of making love!