Though he hadn’t actually been alone much recently, now that he thought about it. He’d been with several communities in Indonesia and a solid year with his ex, Muriel, and her family. Well, look how well that relationship had turned out.
Carrie interrupted his depressing thoughts. “You realize this is the longest conversation we’ve ever had?”
“Yeah.”
“We should talk more,” she said with a yawn.
“You’re tired. Go to sleep,” he said gruffly.
“Are you going to sleep?” she asked.
He didn’t reply. The truth was he couldn’t, but he didn’t want to make her feel bad.
“I’ll go home.”
“No. Stay.” He tightened his hold on her, keeping her in place against his side. He’d be damned if he was going to kick her out of bed just because he couldn’t sleep. Besides, he’d made a promise. They’d sleep in the same bed, even if only one of them got a good night’s sleep.
“Mmm,” she said and relaxed against him.
A few minutes later, she fell asleep. He could tell because her breathing was deep and even and her entire body went limp. He waited another half hour, hoping it was long enough for her to shift into a deep state of sleep before sliding her to her side of the bed. He covered both of them with the blanket, shifted to the far edge away from her, leaving lots of space between them, and closed his eyes.
He woke surprised he’d slept past nine and in his own bed. The cover was only half on him. He turned to see Carrie wrapped with the blanket under her like a burrito on the far edge of the other side of the bed. His and hers blankets might solve the problem.
That was when he knew he had a bigger problem. Planning for a future with Carrie in it.
Chapter Eleven
Carrie had spent every night with Zach for the past twelve nights, keenly aware they were reaching the agreed upon two-week mark. Of course, that also meant she couldn’t waste a single night, which was why she dragged him along with her friends to an international beer fest at Garner’s on Thursday night. The event was the manager Josh’s idea to push more of the high-end beer and wouldn’t normally be the kind of thing her friends would attend, being more wine drinkers, but Hailey had decided it was the perfect time to finally put the rumor that Ethan was a sex addict to rest once and for all by showing everyone that she and Ethan were now a couple. This would be news to Ethan. Ha! In Hailey’s mind, putting Ethan with a classy lady like herself would instantly grant him high marks. Carrie had no idea how long Hailey would pretend they were together, but figured Hailey knew what she was doing. She was the queen of happy endings with her thriving wedding planning business. In any case, it should be a very interesting evening.
Of course, this didn’t qualify as a date for her and Zach. More of a two-birds-with-one-event kind of thing. That it was the second time she’d brought him along to hang with her friends was merely a matter of logistics—time crunch plus her own raging libido. She stifled a sigh. Okay, yes, she missed him fiercely when they were apart.
She glanced over at him in the driver’s seat on the way to Garner’s, looking all hot and sexy and alpha with his wild hair and beard, those wide shoulders, his big hand confidently steering. A traitorous warmth stole through her.
He’d gotten into her heart.
Dammit. She knew the moment she learned more about him, she’d start getting attached. She wished she could be less sensitive, harden herself for what was bound to be a painful separation with the two of them on opposite sides of the world. Her only defense was ending things after her parents’ renewal ceremony. She knew prolonging things would only lead to a broken heart. Hers. Zach seemed tougher than that, a global traveler used to connecting with new people all the time. She was fairly certain that even though he might think back on their time fondly, he’d quickly recover. Things wouldn’t be as easy for her if she let herself get in any deeper.
Zach looked over at her. “What did you tell your friends about me?”
“Why?” she hedged.
“It’s the second time I’m meeting them and I’m wondering what they think I am to you. Did you tell them about the list?”
“Yes.”
He shot her a quick look. “Anything else?”
“I just said you made me happy. Don’t worry, I don’t kiss and tell.”
His lips curled in a small smile. He said nothing more, but she felt sort of giddy about that smile. He was normally so quiet and reserved that a smile was like a gift.
“If you want to hang with your friends tonight, I don’t mind,” Carrie said. “I just thought it would save time if we went together; then we could leave together and get back to business.”
He chuckled. “We have a lot of business meetings.”
“Such professionals!”
He reached over and squeezed her leg. “I came here for you, not my friends. I’ve been seeing them plenty.”
“Oh, okay. I should warn you Hailey doesn’t approve of our arrangement. It’s only a matter of time before she says something. She thinks I should get to know you and give you a chance for a happy ending.”
He didn’t reply.
“She’s a wedding planner. She can’t help herself.”
Another long silence.
She cleared her throat, dearly wishing she’d never brought it up. “She did make a good point about how it might be difficult, for me, anyway, to say goodbye after two weeks because I’m, you know, not used to this kind of thing.”
“Uh-huh.”
He said nothing more, which irritated her. Was it really just her that gave a crap about the fact that they only had three more nights and one family event left? Never mind that the time limit was her idea. Eyes hot, throat tight, she stared straight ahead. Every moment felt precious and fleeting and bittersweet.
She swallowed hard. “That’s it? Just uh-huh?”
He was quiet, pulling into the parking lot behind Garner’s. Finally he turned off the truck and turned to her. “What we do is between us. Not Hailey or anyone else.”
“Are you used to this kind of fling thing?” She hated how her voice sounded—choked and small.
He cradled her jaw, stroking her cheek with his thumb. “No.”
She took in a shaky breath. “So it might be hard for both of us to say bye after two weeks.”
He closed the distance, his mouth taking hers in a long drugging kiss. It was still light out—anyone could see them making out in his truck—and that excited her. Edward had been strictly lights out and only in the bedroom. She ran her fingers through Zach’s thick hair, loving the feel of the shaggy mane. She could never get enough of his kisses and never pulled away first. The kiss went on and on until she had to get closer. She undid her seatbelt, hitched up her dress, and attempted to climb into his lap.
He broke the kiss, his hands on her waist, putting her back on her side of the cab. “Mind if we’re late?”
“You want to ravish me, don’t you?” she asked eagerly.
He reached across her, his knuckles purposely brushing across her nipples as he reached for the seatbelt, and then skimming her nipples again as he pulled the belt back in place. He was such a wicked bad boy.
He gazed at her pointy nipples before meeting her eyes. “I want you on a blanket in the bed of my truck, spreading your legs for me.”
She squirmed, already hot and wet. “I love when you talk dirty.”
He held her chin. “I love when you are dirty.”
She laughed, giddy again. “Yes, let’s go.”
They made love under the setting sun by a lake Zach knew about deep in a nature preserve. She was extremely comfortable first on a thick sleeping bag he’d set out for her and then on top of him. He made a wonderfully warm mattress.
After, she rested her head on his chest, listening to his heart pounding. “Zach?”
“Mmm.”
“What’re we doing?” She lifted her head and waited for him to open his eyes. “Are we being stupid
putting a time limit on things?”
His voice was rough and gravelly. “You tell me.”
“I don’t know.”
He slid his fingers through her hair, cradling her head. “Here’s what I do know, you had a specific goal, try out a few items. I had a specific goal, be the one to make that happen and keep you safe. If we keep this thing going, that’s deeper territory. And we both know we’re heading in different directions soon. Literally.”
She blinked, a little stunned not only at the flood of words from a man of so few words, but also that he got to the heart of the matter so succinctly. He was right, of course. She started grad school here in a little over a week; he was heading to Singapore soon. Besides, he’d said he didn’t do long-term. She shivered, suddenly cold despite his heat under her. His arms closed around her, pulling her tight against him, warming her. She told herself to get off him, but she couldn’t seem to move, every part of her needing this closeness. His heartbeat under her ear steadied her. It would be way too easy to let herself fall. Way too difficult to recover. And she refused to give up on her own dream of graduate school just to be with him.
She lifted her head and stared into the face of the man she had to learn to let go. He studied her in his quiet observant way, running his fingers through her hair. It didn’t make sense to push him to give long-term a try when they wouldn’t even be on the same continent. And was she really ready for another relationship, or was it just post-sex bliss that made her imagine a different future for them? How could anyone think clearly lying naked in their lover’s arms? It swayed her thinking and she needed to stay sharp.
She smiled. “You have a keen analytical mind, don’t you?”
One side of his mouth quirked up in a bemused expression.
“How come you didn’t take me here for a Sunday drive the first time? Ethan probably wouldn’t have found us here.”
“Yeah, he could’ve if he wasn’t working. He comes here all the time fishing and camping. Anyway, it’s much harder to get in and out of this place in the dark. No streetlights.”
She kissed him. “Let’s go. Poor Ethan has no idea why Hailey has decided to make him hers.”
He sat up, bringing her with him, one arm around her waist. “He knows. I told him yesterday. He says he likes flirting with Hailey, but now that he knows her ulterior motive is to kill that ridiculous rumor, he’s out. He’s bringing backup to put the rumor to rest his way.”
Her jaw dropped. “Omigod! You told him? You weren’t supposed to tell him.” And won’t Hailey be surprised?
He watched her with hooded eyes. “I don’t always do what I’m supposed to do.”
Such a rebel. She lifted off him, reached for her bra and pulled it on.
He stroked a hand down her side and over her hip. She loved that he still wanted to touch her after sex. There was something almost reverent about his touch afterward that made her want to purr and rub against him like a contented cat. Or maybe she was just reading into things, imagining a tenderness in him that wasn’t there. Maybe he was touching her and thinking about having her again. They did have a lot of sex. She really had no idea what was in his head. Maybe nothing at all. She went cold all over and grabbed her dark green dress, quickly pulling it on.
“Help!” Her arm was stuck. Zach helped her straighten out the twisted cap sleeve and get the dress on. She leaned back and slipped on her panties. “Meet you back in front.”
She stood up and he gave her a light slap on the ass. “Zach!”
“Can’t help it. You’ve got the prettiest ass I’ve ever seen.”
She smiled to herself and got out of the bed of the truck, hopping down and slipping on her heels. Sometimes he said the sweetest things.
He joined her a few minutes later and they drove over to Garner’s in comfortable silence, the edge of hard lust temporarily satisfied between them. She’d craved passion with every cell in her being and found it with Zach. She liked to think it was his skill and her enthusiasm that made the incredible heat between them because that meant she could find it again. The alternative was unbearable to think about.
She quickly decided she definitely wasn’t ready to jump into another relationship. Getting over Edward had been like going through a divorce after six long years, especially because they’d started when she was only nineteen. He was the blueprint for all future relationships, her only experience. It had been good with Edward in the beginning; he’d gone all out with a steady stream of flowers, candy, jewelry, dinner by candlelight, the works. Now she realized things between them had worked mostly because she was so young and inexperienced, eager to please him and willing to conform to his expectations. He’d been seven years older, just out of medical school and seemed so sophisticated. As she got started in her own career, taking responsibility for patients, she’d changed, standing up for what she wanted. He’d been less than pleased.
Zach held the door to Garner’s open for her and she stepped inside to quite a crowd. They headed straight for the bar, waiting their turn for a drink. She looked around for Ethan and his “backup.” Oh, wow, interesting. Ethan was sitting in a booth in the dining area. Next to him was a tough-looking woman with a short dark cap of hair, sharp cheekbones, and a black tank top that showed off the sculpted muscles of her arms. Across from them sat Hailey, who appeared to be leading the conversation while Ethan and the other woman occasionally responded in between devouring a pile of chicken wings.
Josh appeared in front of Zach and offered an international beer sampler with five small glasses of beer. Zach took him up on it. Before Carrie could try one, Ally grabbed her arm and pulled her farther away by their friends.
Ally grinned. “So, things going well with Zach, huh? Now you’re actually showing up places with him like a real boyfriend not just a fuck buddy.”
“Shh.”
“Nothing wrong with a fuck buddy,” Missy put in from Ally’s other side.
“It’s still a short-term thing,” Carrie confided. She quickly changed the subject, asking Ally about her preparations for the new school year (she was a first-grade teacher), and then catching up on what was new with everyone. She made herself focus on her friends, but finally the temptation to seek out Zach proved too much and she peeked over at him. He sat on a bar stool, holding a beer and listening to some of the guys. Even laid-back Josh was leaning across the bar, talking and joking around with the guys. It struck her that Zach, even in the middle of a group of guys he knew well, seemed separate. The observer. What was going on in his head? She wondered if he had nothing to say or if he had tons of thoughts bouncing around in there that he never let out. And then she wondered if she’d ever find out. She caught Zach’s eye and the chatter of her friends, the clinking of glasses, even the sound of the TV above the bar receded far in the distance. Every part of her wanted to reach out to him in that moment and be let in.
He stood, seeming to read her thoughts from across the room, and crossed to her, slipping an arm around her waist from behind. For some reason, she was blushing, though she should be well used to his touch after nearly two weeks of naked time. He never hesitated to hook an arm around her and pull her close. Even late at night in bed, now that they both slept in the bed, the last thing he did was hook an arm around her shoulders and tuck her tight against his side. Somehow she always woke up on the far edge of the bed away from him.
“You remember everyone?” she asked Zach.
“Yeah. Hi,” Zach said.
“Hello,” her friends chorused.
“Of course we remember you!” Ally exclaimed. “You’re the man.”
Carrie glanced back at Zach to see if he was embarrassed hearing what Carrie had called him right before she’d seduced him that first night they met, but he took it in stride. “Yup.” He spoke in a low rumble by her ear, giving her a shiver. “You want something to drink? I know you’re not a big beer drinker.”
“I’ll take a piña colada,” she said.
He released her waist, h
is hand grazing across her back as he shifted down to the other end of the bar to put in the order with Josh. She was just listening to Ally, who was counting down the days until her college reunion, where she hoped to get back together with her ex, when Zach returned with a bar stool. He asked one of the guys to shift down and set it next to Ally’s stool before pulling Carrie up and onto his lap, his arm banding around her waist, keeping her securely in place.
Ally kept right on talking, but she also took in the casual gesture with interest. Carrie rested her hand on Zach’s arm and tried to focus on the conversation. An impossibility. She was hyperaware of him, skin hot, every nerve ending stirring to life, aching for his touch, his spicy sexy scent making her nearly light-headed with need.
Josh appeared a few minutes later, setting her drink with a cute little umbrella in it in front of her.
“Thanks!” she said.
“You got it,” Josh said. He turned to Zach. “How’s your book coming along?”
“No book,” Zach muttered.
Carrie tilted her head back to look at Zach, who was staring at Josh. “What book?” she asked.
Zach shifted his hand, splaying his fingers low on her belly in a gesture her body recognized as a precursor to seduction. It was an under-the-bar move, but she felt herself flush anyway. She took a sip of piña colada, trying to act as if everything was normal despite the low ache in her womb and the dampness between her legs.
Josh shifted his gaze to Carrie, giving her a wink and a charming smile. “We started our own book club just for us men.”
“You did?” she asked, surprised.
“That’s right,” Josh said, leaning close to share in a confidential manner. “We’re reading What Women Want.”
Her eyes widened and she checked in with Zach, looking back at him. His expression gave nothing away.
Josh’s brown eyes danced with good humor. “Except Zach here refuses to read the book. Says he knows it all. What do you think, Carrie? Is he right?”
Bad Boy Done Wrong Page 11
