Her breath caught. “But what about your fellowship in Singapore?”
“I turned it down.”
She gasped. “Zach! I don’t want you to give up your dreams for me. That’s not right either.”
“I don’t need a fellowship to be happy.” He released her hand and stroked her hair back from her face. “I need you.”
She pressed her palms to her flushed cheeks, her heart racing. She’d never expected him to sacrifice for her. “I’m not sure—”
“I’m sure.”
Her eyes welled, overwhelmed with this shocking wonderful news. “But won’t you be burning a bridge, turning them down?”
“I explained the timing was bad. There’s a wait list, anyway, so it worked out. Besides, it’ll give me more time for this book I’m working on. Maybe after that I’ll study something closer to home.” A smile played over his lips. “I’m particularly interested in courtship rituals in modern society.”
She stared at him—giddy and amazed and shocked. So shocked. Her bad-boy professor was so much better than any fantasy she could ever have dreamed up. She let out a small laugh of pure wonder, scarcely believing it.
He took both her hands in his. “I’ll be here for the full year sabbatical, working on my book. I hope you’ll be with me. During that time, I’ll apply for jobs locally. Columbia, Yale, and NYU all have excellent anthropology departments.”
She still couldn’t believe it. “You’d do that? Switch jobs for me?”
He framed her face with his large hands. “I’d do anything for you. I love you, Carrie.”
She wrapped her arms around him and burrowed her head into his neck, suddenly shaky with the risk she was about to take. He stroked her back, quietly soothing her, somehow reading her in that primal language he was so good at. Tears welled up, spilling down her cheeks. A few moments later, she untangled herself from him to wipe her eyes.
She took a deep quavering breath. “I’m scared, but…I want to give us a chance.”
He hugged her tight. “I won’t hurt you. Promise.” He pulled back, his eyes burning into hers. “Complete honesty. Complete commitment.” He paused. “That is, if you’re okay with not exploring more. I know you haven’t dated much.”
She stared at him. “You’d really let me date other men just to explore?”
His expression was fierce. “This is where my wrestling skills and physical prowess would come into play. You’d ultimately see I was the more viable partner.”
“I think I already see that.”
He peeled her off and stood, looking disgruntled. “You think?”
She grinned and stood close to him. “You could show off your physical prowess a bit more to remind me.”
He flashed a devilish smile and lifted her by the waist, wrapping his arms around her. She automatically wrapped her arms and legs around him.
“You’re about to meet Harvey,” he growled, walking with her toward the adjacent wall.
Her back connected with the wall. Hello, Harvey Wallbanger, my old friend.
She giggled. “I found my viable partner.”
Zach didn’t make any move, though, merely pressed against her and gazed into her eyes with so much love her eyes filled with happy tears.
She cupped his face in her hands. “I love you too. I never was a fling girl at heart.”
A wide smile slowly spread across his handsome face. “The next step is I spend time with your family.”
“There are steps?”
“Courtship rituals are well established throughout the history of man. One of them dictates you’re not just marrying your partner, you’re marrying their family. You already know my family, the Campbells, so next I need to get to know yours.”
She couldn’t help her smile. This was a new side to him—the academic, though she’d seen glimpses of it. Some of the things he’d said before that sounded odd now made sense. Like when he’d asked if she’d done research for her wish list or when he’d explained that everything came down to biology. And he was talking marriage, which filled her with a joy she could barely contain. She wanted to dance around the room, but she was pressed between a hard wall and a deliciously hard man. She stroked his scruffy beard, not grown in much, less wild looking but still just as dear to her. “What’re the other steps?”
He set her on her feet and spoke in a confident tone. “The male has to prove he’ll be a good protector through feats of strength and endurance.” He paused, looking thoughtful. “It would be easier if I had some competition to wrestle.”
“You could wrestle Edward.”
His eyes narrowed. “You still into him?”
“No, but it would be fun to watch. I’m sure you’d kick ass.”
He nodded. “My size and deep voice also give me an advantage. They indicate dominance and, therefore, protection.”
She slipped her hands under his shirt and felt him up from abs to chest. “Uh-huh, keep talking, Professor.”
He obliged. “Gifts are very important. The gift of food, but any gift that indicates the male will be a good provider. The only exception is matriarchal societies, which are few and far between. In that case, the gifts are given to the male.”
Her hands stilled. That was cool. “Like what?”
“Flowers, jewelry, sweets, or larger items like livestock, property, a house. I’d like to buy you a house.”
Her jaw dropped. “Zach!”
He tipped her chin up, closing her jaw. “Don’t look so surprised. I’m a good provider living modestly. My savings are decent.”
She kissed him. “Your academic talk is getting me hot.”
He flashed a smile and cupped her ass, holding her against him. “I wear long-sleeve button-down collared shirts with dress pants and a belt to work.”
She laughed. “Of course you do. What else?”
He nipped her bottom lip. “I’ll likely be offering you love letters and/or poems. If you find all of these acceptable, and you don’t mind where I came from—”
“I don’t.”
“Then you should know I will also be a suitable procreative partner. Healthy virile male.” His brows furrowed, deep in thought, before he concluded, “That about covers it.” He cradled her jaw, stroking lightly across her cheek. “You light up my world, Carrie. You’re my mate.”
My mate. Her heart squeezed at the odd but perfectly Zach phrasing and she melted, just melted, legs quivering, actually weak at the knees. She clung to him, her throat nearly closed with the huge ball of emotion lodged there. Love, it was love. She never thought she’d find it again. “That is the sweetest thing anyone has ever said in the history of the universe! You’re going to make me cry.” A tear escaped that he wiped away with his thumb. “You’re my mate too!”
He hugged her for a long moment, cupping her head to his chest. She let out a shuddering breath, relaxing again safe in his arms.
He pulled back far enough to meet her eyes. “If you’re not ready to move in with me, I’ll put your stuff back. It was symbolic, that gesture, though I’d love to have you here with me.” He kissed her and spoke against her lips. “Where you belong.”
He pulled away so suddenly, she was dazed for a moment. He studied her, seeming to be waiting for her to say something.
“Are my clothes already in your dresser?” she asked.
He went to the dresser and opened three drawers. Completely empty. “I made room, but I didn’t want to be presumptuous. Just brought enough over to drive the symbolism home. I want you in my life.”
She clapped a hand over her mouth, her eyes stinging. He studied her in his observant way, watching with an intensity that told her exactly how important she was to him. She turned, walked a few steps away, then ran and leaped at him. He caught her and she peppered him with kisses all over his face. A zillion suns burst through her in euphoric joy.
“Is that a yes to moving in?” he asked with a laugh.
“Yes! I love you! Yes!” She rubbed her cheek against his b
eard, practically purring in contentment. Then she lifted her head to find him smiling that rare sweet smile that made her heart sing. “You’re so sweet. I never knew how sweet. I’d swoon at your feet if you weren’t holding me.”
He snapped his teeth at her. “I’m a wolf. Watch yourself.”
A hot shiver raced down her spine. “You’re so much better than any fantasy I could ever dream up. You’re like a dream come true.”
They gazed into each other’s eyes, the unspoken connection more powerful than all the words in the world.
She kissed him again. “Now, Professor, tell me all about your research.” She wanted to understand that side of him.
He set her back on her feet and lifted a finger in full professor mode. “That would actually help me a lot. I’ve been wanting to bring my work to a nonacademic audience. If I can explain it to a nonanthropologist like yourself, and you understand it, I’ll know I’m on the right track. I just need to unpack everything from my wall of boxes and organize it as a whole. Give me a week on that.”
She beamed. It seemed when it was a topic dear to his heart, he had a lot to say. “Okay. Now that we’re being completely honest, what did you think of me when I handed you my wish list, thinking you were a bad boy? Did you think I was a naïve idiot?”
“No.” He stroked her hair back from her face and then cradled her jaw, his gaze tender. “I read between the lines.”
“And?” she whispered.
“I knew what you really wanted.”
“And what was that?”
He shifted his hand, stroking his thumb across her lower lip. “It wasn’t passion, though you were sorely in need of that experience.”
“Tell me.”
“Everything on your wish list was focused on you because you wanted to feel special.”
“I did?”
“Yes. Your ex made you feel less than, so your secret desire was to feel special.” He pulled his phone from his jeans pocket and tapped a few times, pulling up the list. “Okay, take number one. Dessert comes first.” He met her eyes. “Besides the obvious sexual euphemism, it says I want to come first with you. I want to feel special. See?” He looked down at his phone again. “And this next one. Top floor. I would like to be important to you. High on top. I want to feel special.” He lifted his head. “See how it comes back to that?” He rattled the next few off in a rapidly rising voice. “Sunday drive, can’t even keep my hands off you in a car because you’re so damn special; squeaky clean, can’t stop touching you even in my personal time—”
She cut him off. “You’re brilliant!” Her cheeks burned, embarrassed that he’d seen right through her, delving deep to what even she hadn’t realized she wanted. No other man would’ve taken that list and read so deeply into it. He was amazing. Utterly amazing.
“Here’s another one,” he said. “Animals are primal. I want to feel alive in my skin. I want to feel—”
“Special,” she finished for him. He seemed to enjoy figuring out the puzzle of Carrie. She liked it too since he was so good at it.
He kept going with extra enthusiasm. “Yes! The focus is on you so you feel special. And what does meeting Harvey, a wallbanger, represent?” He raised his brows. “Strength on your partner’s part to lift and hold you for a duration of time, but also your partner would be overcome with passion, face-to-face, focus on you. And, of course, Jane Bond can’t help but have the focus on her since she’s tied up.” He shoved the phone back in his pocket and grinned. “I like that last one a lot.”
She flew into his arms and kissed him. This time his focus was back on her and he took over the kiss, gripping her hair, his lips hard and demanding, his tongue thrusting inside. She mewled in the back of her throat, already hot and wet and ready. His other hand cupped her ass and slid between her legs, igniting her. She pulled at his shirt, desperate for skin on skin, but was still caught in his hold. Just when she was about to demand he rip his clothes off, he lifted his head, gazing into her eyes.
“Do you agree with my interpretation?” he asked in his gruff and growly voice.
“Yes, you’re so observant,” she said in a breathy voice.
He kissed her gently. “I am. For you and everyone else but not myself. All this time I thought I wasn’t good at relationships, but I was just waiting for you.” He lifted a hand and cradled her jaw. “You’re special to me.” His voice was gruff with emotion. “More than I ever imagined someone could be. You’re it for me, Carrie.”
Her eyes stung, overwhelmed once more by the love pouring out of him. All for her. “I can’t believe you read between the lines to what I really needed. I didn’t even know I was putting that in there until you said it.”
He gave her a small smile. “Takes a special someone to see, an anthropologist type.”
She framed his face with her hands. “A good man.”
He turned his head and nipped her palm. “I’ll still be your bad boy in the bedroom. That comes naturally.”
“No holding back.”
He kissed her. “Couldn’t if I wanted to.” He scooped her up, carried her to the bed, and lowered her to the mattress, but he didn’t join her right away. Instead he stood, gazing down at her before flashing a brilliant smile. “You are the woman, Carrie Young. I’ve been looking for you.” She recognized her pickup line from weeks ago.
She held out her arms to him. “Yeah? Where’ve you been looking?”
He climbed on top of her, resting on his forearms, and spoke in a husky voice. “Everywhere.”
She wriggled under him. “Rip my clothes off, bad boy, and have your wicked way with me.”
He obliged because he was a very good bad boy. Once they were both naked, he settled between her legs but didn’t take her in his usual hard thrust. Instead he slid in slowly and then stilled. He cradled her cheek with one hand and gazed into her eyes.
“Carrie,” he rasped in a voice thick with emotion.
“Yes,” she whispered.
“I have a wish list. One thing on it.”
She ran her fingers through his short hair and then across his shoulders. “Tell me.”
He didn’t reply, merely shifted, kissing along her jawline as he made love to her, taking her slow and deep. Her head dropped back and he nuzzled along the side of her neck.
He kissed her and spoke against her lips. “I want all of you.”
“Yes,” she whispered, wrapping her arms and legs tight around him. “You have me. All of me.”
He got more aggressive then, pumping hard and fast in what felt like a claiming. Her fingernails dug into his shoulders, hanging on for the ride. He slipped a hand under her hip, lifting her to take him deeper. She moaned as the pressure built within her. And then his eyes locked on hers and her breath hitched, her heart racing as she read in his eyes what he really wanted from her.
“Zach, I love you unconditionally with everything I am.”
His eyes watered and then he surged into her, his mouth crashing over hers. The intensity ratcheting up with the most powerful force of all—love.
And then she flew, coming apart safe in his arms, holding him through his own shuddering climax. He gave her his weight and they stayed like that, tangled up in each other. Merged in body and heart.
Epilogue
The past month of living with Zach had been nothing short of amazing. She was crazy in love. Her family loved him. Her friends thought he was awesome. Probably because he invited them over for a gourmet dinner, which he prepared. He’d lived up to his promise of total honesty, even when that meant telling her that her chicken was way overcooked or that she had a real cover hog problem (stealing his as well as hers). And his word was something she could count on. Her heart was so full.
Zach parked in the lot behind Garner’s and they walked inside, hand in hand, for Hailey’s special night. It was the pinnacle of a wedding planner’s career to be featured in Bride Special, a national magazine catering to upscale weddings. Hailey had an interview and photo shoot g
oing on right now at Ludbury House, the mansion in town where weddings were held, and had invited all of their friends to Garner’s afterward, where she planned to take the reporter and photographer to dinner and cocktails in a carefully controlled environment. Hailey wanted to make sure Bride Special readers would know how easily they could feel right at home in the warm and friendly Clover Park community. Hailey had even arranged for Logan Campbell to meet her here in the role of “boyfriend.” It was, of course, a fake boyfriend, but what else was a single wedding planner to do? Hailey chose Logan because she deemed him to be the last single Campbell and had specifically wanted a Campbell because of their large close-knit family. Never mind that Josh Campbell was also single. He wasn’t “eligible” on account of being a scoundrel. Ha!
Zach rested his hand on the small of her back and guided her to one of several high-topped tables set in the open area of the bar for a predinner cocktail hour. He leaned down to her ear. “I love you in this dress.” She wore a sleeveless pink dress that emphasized her cleavage. Zach was a big fan of her cleavage. Hailey had suggested they all dress up in case the photographer decided to include some impromptu casual shots.
She looked up at him and smiled. “Thank you.” She took in his still-not-long-enough beard and focused on his navy blue tie. “And you look very handsome.”
He grinned and tipped her chin up. “I promise it’ll grow back.”
“I know,” she said forlornly. She dearly missed his full beard—the way it rubbed so deliciously against her and how wild it made him look.
“They’re serving champagne at the bar,” Zach said. “Want some?”
That was odd. She thought it’d be the usual full bar. Maybe Hailey wanted to give it an extra special wedding reception feel. “Sure, why not?”
“I love that attitude,” he said, gazing into her eyes in that deep loving way he had that brought shivers of happiness all the way to her toes. “Why not is a great way to live.”
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