by Lexi Post
“I’d say he did.”
She sensed his amusement and looked up at his face. “What?”
“This kid got his act together after that and his father was so thankful he offered to buy me out.”
“What do you mean buy you out? You mean your contract?”
“No, the company. He offered me a ridiculous amount of money for it if I would run it for three more years and mentor his son. I couldn’t resist.”
She moved her hand with his so she could touch his abdominal muscles. His strength made sense. “Is that when you moved down here?”
“Yeah.”
The muscles tensed beneath her hand and a light tingle of anticipation surged through her veins.
She moved her hand lower, but he stopped her progress. “I don’t want you to be sore in the morning.”
God, what was she doing? This man was too big a temptation. She clasped his hand and lifted it to her lips for a kiss. “You are very thoughtful.”
She gasped as he rolled her onto her back, bracing himself on his elbows as his semi-hard cock pressed against her inner thigh. “Not really, I just want more of you tomorrow.”
At his words, her worry intensified.
He nibbled at her lips, but she refused to allow him entry. Giving up on her mouth, he paid homage to her jaw, then kissed his way down her neck.
She closed her eyes and sighed, her resolve weakening.
“You’re too easy, beautiful.” He licked her earlobe.
She turned her head away.
He took full advantage, raining sweet kisses down to her shoulder until she shivered. “You must be cold. Let me see if I can warm you up.” He licked her collarbone before wetting a path between her breasts. Then he used his nose to push up under one breast so he could nibble the underside before licking his way to her hard nipple.
Bea’s limbs turned to mush even as tension built between her legs. She couldn’t let him be inside her again. She didn’t want to risk—
His teeth caught her nipple and scratched the surface, pushing coherent thought away. The man was born to pleasure her, she was sure of it. At least her body believed so because her folds throbbed with need and moistness seeped between them.
He took her nipple into his mouth and played his tongue over it before sucking. His touch was gentle yet erotic. She felt like a maiden sacrifice being worshiped in preparation for penetration.
His hips moved his cock along her wet entrance.
With the little strength she could muster, she used one hand to play with the hair resting on his neck. Its silky thickness caressed her skin as she pressed his head more firmly to her breast, but his touch remained light.
Without warning, his hard cock slipped into her pussy, seeking her depths. The lethargy of her limbs lent a curious helplessness to her psyche and his gentle strokes and light kisses made her feel loved.
Loved?
She opened her eyes and pulled on his hair.
He lifted his head to gaze at her, a tenderness in his expression that had the back of her eyes itching. “Zach?” Her voice came out in a whisper, all she could manage.
“Relax and enjoy while I make love to you.”
Her heart leapt at his words. It was just an expression. She shouldn’t read anything into it. But her body responded to his gentle touches and slow strokes. Her blood sped as a slow, building pleasure grew within her.
She pulled at his head to leave her breast. She needed to kiss him. She didn’t understand why, but the need was too strong to deny.
He finally gave in to her and raised himself, leaning his hard chest against her soft breasts where his hair scraped her nipples. But his hips continued their slow rhythm.
When his mouth touched hers, she licked his lips, kissing the edges until he opened for her. She grasped his neck to lock her tongue with his. Her hips moved of their own accord, meeting his, answering his call to be taken. She pressed his ass into her with her other hand. She wanted all of him, every inch.
Breathless, exhausted and on the edge, she held on as his cock drove home and sent her body into spasms of ecstasy while her heart leapt with sheer joy. Her weak limbs tensed as the orgasm rolled through her body, wringing out every last drop of energy.
He gasped, pulling away from her mouth. His seed flowed into her as her name spilled from his lips, filling her with completeness. Pure happiness swarmed through her for the first time in her life.
He collapsed on top of her, panting.
She couldn’t help a smug smile of her own.
He rolled to the side and lay on his back, his chest rising and falling in a slowing beat. “You’re going to kill me.”
Bea’s euphoria crashed hard. She gasped as the words echoed in her brain. Are you going to kill him? She shivered.
“Hey, are you cold again?” Zach covered them with the thick, green quilt and pulled her against him.
She nestled into the comfort he offered, trying to ignore the dread seeping into her heart. She had yet to discover how immune Zach might be to her poison. Maybe fate had led her to him and she was meant to be with him because he didn’t react to her like other men. Maybe he wouldn’t become sick. She prayed she was right because she’d coated him with the full force of her poisons three times, but instead of feeling energized from their expulsion, she felt relaxed. God, she hoped that meant he wouldn’t become ill.
Zach kissed her hair. “Go to sleep, beautiful.”
She kissed his chest in response. What was it about this man that left her with so little control of herself? If she wasn’t careful, she could lose her heart to him, but to lose him would be devastating. Pushing the scary idea away, she concentrated on her dream that Zach was immune and they could have a happily ever after. Surely if she believed it enough, it could be so.
Chapter Eight
Bea woke to the sound of Zach moaning. Her gut tensed as dread filled her. She sat up to find he had kicked aside the blanket and lay curled on his side away from her, clutching his abdomen.
“Zach? What’s wrong?”
“I don’t know. It feels like food poisoning. Are you okay?”
Guilt surged through her. “I’m fine.”
“I’m sorry I woke you. I’m in bad shape. You should go.” He groaned again, his thigh muscles tensing against the pain.
Tears escaped unexpectedly. Bea swiped them away. Feeling sorry for herself would not help Zach. “Do you have any of that pink stuff? It might help flush your system.”
He pointed. “The bathroom. Under the sink.”
She jumped out of bed and ran to the bathroom. Finding the bottle, she then brought it back to him. “I’ll get a spoon and some water. You’ll probably need it.”
He didn’t move from his cramped fetal position.
She flew down the stairs as another tear wet her cheek. Grabbing her blouse from the living room floor, she threw it on.
She found a spoon and snatched a bottle of water from the fridge. This was all her fault. She should’ve had enough willpower to take control of the sex last night. She knew this would happen. Damn. She couldn’t trust herself around him.
Throwing her skirt over her shoulder, she sped back upstairs.
Zach was in the same cramped position.
Opening the bottle, she spooned out the liquid. “Come on, Zach, take some of this and I promise I’ll leave you alone.”
His lips quirked in a pathetic attempt at a grin. “Fair’s fair, huh?”
“Yeah, something like that. Now open.”
His lips parted and she emptied the spoonful into his mouth.
“Ugh, that tastes like hell.”
She pushed his thick hair away from his face. His body was hot, way too hot. “Here, have some cool water to wash it down.”
He grasped the bottle, spilling some onto the sheets before finding his mouth. When he finished drinking, he would have dropped it on the bed if she hadn’t caught it. Chewing the inside of her lip, she tried to think of what she could do. Wa
s this how all her ex-lovers reacted, or only Zach?
Her stomach tied itself in knots at his pain, pain she’d caused. She didn’t want him hurt. What if he died? Are you going to kill him? She shivered and rubbed her aching chest with her fist. She wouldn’t let him die. She wouldn’t.
Setting the water beside the bed, she darted into the bathroom and brought back a cold washcloth. She pressed it onto Zach’s forehead. Within seconds the cloth heated. “Zach, I need to get you to a hospital.”
He grabbed her wrist, though his grip was weak. “No…hospital.”
His lack of strength scared her more than his moans. “But you’re burning up. I don’t know what else to do.”
He croaked, “Call Josh.”
She could barely hear his voice, his breathing was so labored. She leaned closer. “Who’s Josh?”
“Friend. Doctor. My cell phone.”
Bea looked frantically around the room for his phone. It had to be with his jeans and they were downstairs. She dashed down to the living room and spied his clothes lying on the floor. She grabbed them and found the phone attached to his belt.
Hitting the contacts, the name “Josh” popped on to the screen first. She dialed.
The bass voice startled her. “Hey, buddy, how is Mystery Woman working out?”
“Uh, hello, is this Josh?” She could hear her own voice shaking.
There was a moment of silence on the other end. “Yeah, who is this and why do you have Zach’s phone?”
Bea licked her lips, her heart hammering in her chest. “Zach’s in rough shape. He won’t let me take him to the hospital. He said to call you.”
“What’s wrong with him? A little too much to drink last night?” She could almost hear the man grinning. Damn, this was serious.
“No, he’s burning up and cramping. His breathing is growing rougher. He can’t even get out of bed. What should I do?”
“Damn, blasted stubborn ass. Listen, I’m on my way. It will take me a good hour. Get some acetaminophen in him and water. And don’t leave him, whoever you are.”
“Okay, but—”
He hung up.
Bea went to the fridge and grabbed more water. When she ran back into Zach’s room, he was shaking, his face as pale as snow, and beads of sweat dotted his forehead. She rushed to the bed. “Zach, Josh said to take Tylenol.”
“Cold. Shut…window.”
Bea glanced at the closed window. Shaking her head, she pulled the blanket over his shoulders and scurried into the bathroom again. Rifling through the cabinets, she found Tylenol and soaked another washcloth with cold water. She didn’t want to lose him when she had just found him, but that was when she thought him immune to her. She had lied to herself and he paid the price. She should be the one in pain instead of him. It was what she deserved.
Back in his room, she sat on the bed. “Here, you have to take this.”
He didn’t respond.
Setting the two Tylenol on the nightstand, she brought the cold cloth to his forehead, but he shook her away. “Cold.”
Her throat tightened as her eyes filled. She wasn’t helping.
She tucked the blanket around his body as stubborn tears wet her cheeks. Unsure what to do, she crawled on top of the blanket and put her arms around him. She felt his body loosen. After an hour or so, his shivering ceased and he slept.
Carefully, she moved off the bed and pulled on her skirt. She tiptoed over to feel Zach’s forehead. Still too hot. Somehow she had to force the pills into him.
A sound below stopped her reach.
She listened. Footsteps on the basement stairs echoed up to her. Oh God, someone was in the house.
Glancing around the room, she searched for a weapon, anything, a baseball bat, a heavy statue. Zach had to have something up here. She opened the drawer in the nightstand…no gun.
The steps grew louder.
The intruder would be at the bedroom door any moment. Why didn’t Zach have a gun mounted on a wall? Didn’t all log cabins have guns on the walls? She dropped down to search beneath the bed. Aha. A rifle was suspended from hooks beneath.
Heavy steps sounded at the top of the stairs.
The intruder was big by the sound of the creaking floor beneath his weight. Grabbing the rifle from its rack, she stood in front of Zach and lifted the gun. As a tall shadow fell across the doorframe, she tried to calm her racing heart. Her sweaty palms weren’t helping, but she had to make the intruder think she had control of the situation. Oh God, she didn’t even know if there were any bullets in the damn gun.
A man appeared in the doorway.
Lurch from The Addams Family stood there. Her pretended calm left her. “Stop right there or I’ll shoot.”
The man put his hands out in front of him as if he could protect himself from a bullet. “No, wait, I’m Josh. Someone called me to help Zach. Was it you?”
Bea sagged in relief and lowered the rifle, though her hands still shook. “I’m sorry, I thought you were an intruder. How did you get in?”
Josh reached in his pocket and raised his keys. “I have a key.”
“Oh.”
“Can I come in now?”
Bea moved away from the bed. “Please. He’s burning up. I couldn’t get anything in him, but he was shivering with cold. Are you a doctor?”
Josh nodded, but he had already begun to examine Zach. “I can see you wore him out.”
Bea felt herself blush. If Josh knew his medicine, he’d also know poison caused Zach’s current condition. She placed the rifle on Zach’s dresser and clasped her hands together to keep them from shaking. Josh took a long time to explore Zach’s symptoms. She bit at the inside of her lip.
He looked at her. “Poison.”
Bea froze.
He turned back to Zach. “We need to get the poison out of his system. Do you have any idea what he might have ingested?”
She shook her head. “We ate the same food.”
“Did you use any particular sex lube or flavored enhancements?”
Bea wanted to sink into the fur rug at her feet, her face growing as hot as Zach’s. “No. Nothing.”
Josh turned back to scrutinize her again. “I don’t know what it was, but he needs to get rid of it, fast.”
Bea shook her head, ignoring the tears that coursed down her cheeks. “It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have come here. I didn’t mean for him to get sick.”
Josh’s eyebrows rose. “Well he is, and if you weren’t here to call me, I’m not sure he could make it. I’m going to give him something to make him vomit and set up a saline drip for his dehydration. It will be easier to administer the drug for his fever. Will you stay and help me?”
She nodded, unable to bear the thought that Zach could be seriously ill. What had she done? If she had just restrained herself. Stopped him. Done something.
Josh removed his fingers from Zach’s neck. “Great. Then stay here with him while I run to my car and grab what I need.”
She nodded again as Josh left the room, his lanky strides covering the space in half the time it would take her. She went to the bed and brushed Zach’s hair away from his forehead before taking his hand in hers. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you. Please get better.” She kissed his fingers and wiped away her tears. He would be all right. She had to believe that.
* * * * *
Bea sat in the kitchen sipping a cup of tea Josh insisted she have. She’d called work and told them she was sick. Hopefully, no one would go to her apartment to see her car wasn’t there. She never called in sick, but she lived in a small town and she could imagine Sharon Larsen dropping by with chicken soup.
Josh entered the kitchen. “He’s going to make it.”
She started at his voice. “Thank God.” Her relief made her want to cry again, and it took all her effort not to fall off the stool as her tightened muscles finally relaxed.
Josh opened the fridge and grabbed a beer.
A beer? Her face must have shown her s
urprise because he shrugged.
“I need a drink after that. I don’t know what got into him, but it was bad. You were right to call me.”
Bea looked into her tea as if she could find solace there. “I wanted to take him to the hospital, but he told me to call you.”
She sensed Josh inspecting her. He sat on a stool next to her. “So, are you Zach’s mystery woman?”
She faced him. Up close, he had a much nicer face than Lurch. It had been his height that frightened her. That and the fact she thought him an intruder. She offered her hand. “I’m Bea Rappaccini. I work at the Lakeside Inn.”
He smiled and shook her hand. “I’m pleased to meet you. I think he will wake up soon. Did you want to see him?”
She shook her head and stood. “No, I’d better go. Thank you so much for helping Zach.”
Josh gave her a searching look. “I’ve known Zach since grade school. I wouldn’t let anything hurt him if it was in my power to stop it.”
Bea gulped at the hint of a threat in the doctor’s words. “I’m so glad he has you as a friend. Thank you for helping him.” On impulse she leaned over and kissed him on the cheek, then she rushed into the living room to gather her purse.
Josh came around the kitchen wall and intercepted her at the top of the basement stairs. “Did you want to leave him a message?”
She stopped. There was too much she wanted to say, but the best words would be “goodbye”, and she just couldn’t do that. “Tell him…I’m sorry.”
Josh raised an eyebrow, but Bea headed down the stairs.
She could have killed Zach. He deserved so much better. Moving away from the house, she forced herself to place one foot in front of the other, despite the growing ache in her chest. As she walked the path, she couldn’t help glancing back at the second story one more time. She liked him too much to be with him again. “Goodbye, Zach.”
* * * * *
Bea checked the clock for the fifth time in the last twenty minutes. She couldn’t help it. Every minute past noon could mean Phillip had changed his mind. She didn’t want to see him, especially today. After witnessing Zach’s pain yesterday, she had been on the edge of vomiting herself. Her stomach tightened again. She hadn’t been able to eat since she and Zach had finished the pizza before hitting the hot tub the other night. Now she was supposed to eat lunch? What was she thinking to meet with Philip?
