by Cyndi Raye
Yet...
Yet he shuddered under her touch.
He cupped her breast and moved his hips faster. She danced with him.
"Let me love you," he said, the words coming out as a breathy plea.
She knew he was talking about more than this carnal act and still she answered, "Yes, please."
He placed his mouth back at that spot where he had nipped and the two moved together.
Their clothes melted away and revealed scars and imperfections that were beautiful in that moment. Hands and mouths soothed away any lingering pain and turned the traumas into erogenous zones.
He was cradled by her body, poised to conquer her softness.
“Are you sure?” he asked even though his breath came in pants and his body strained with the effort of holding back.
She pulled him forward and joined their bodies in response.
There were no more words. Their bodies did the talking.
Sighs and groans filled the room. They swelled in volume then settled into satisfied whispers.
After the fever passed, Zach confessed, “I love you.”
Caroline’s heart skipped a beat then ran away like a speeding freight train.
She had deep feelings for Zach. She had finally admitted that to herself.
Was she in love though?
She was afraid of the answer to that question. The last time she told a man she loved him, it ended in disaster.
She opened her mouth, unsure how to reply.
Zach placed his finger against her lips. “You don’t have to say anything. I did not tell you for you to feel pressured into anything. I just want you to know. I love you, Caroline Nash, with all my heart. Maybe you don’t feel the same way yet but some day you will. I’m sure of it. I'll wait as long as it takes for you to realize it. Besides, you won’t be able to hold out against my charm for long. Let’s face it – I’m irresistible.”
He wiggled his eyebrows at her and she laughed.
The mood lightened and she decided to give this thing with Zach a shot.
As light from the rising sun bathed the bedroom, Caroline felt change in the air.
It was a new day.
Chapter 6
The thrill of romance.
Sexual tension.
Caroline did not know what those things were until Zach Cody entered her life.
After the life she led, Caroline had thought herself indifferent to the hype portrayed in romance novels and movies. Now she walked around on a cloud anticipating what Zach would do next. Flowers, chocolate, dinner and dancing, every cliché romantic gesture known to man, Zach had done it in the last three weeks.
He had even pulled a few unexpected tricks out of his sleeve like a surprise birthday party for her. She had never told him the date but he found out and made the day special. His family had been there and his mom had welcomed her to the family as his father looked on indulgently. Everyone had gushed about what a cute couple they made.
And there were the touches. He could not seem to keep his hands off. Dale had been like that but where Dale's touches had left her feeling caged, Zach made her feel desired - like she was the only woman in the world.
They made love every chance they could and when they could not his heated gaze followed her. She had returned to her house two days after Dale had shown up but she and Zach may as well be living together since he spent so much time there. He slept over most nights although they were careful to keep his presence low key to protect Jasmine’s delicate sensibilities.
It was not all about sex. They did simple stuff like watch movies on her couch and have breakfast together most mornings before going their separate ways for the day.
Not only was he sweet to Caroline but he and Jasmine were like two peas in a pod. Her daughter already loved him.
Caroline was lapping it up despite her best efforts not to. Her heart was getting more and more involved and she was helpless to stop it.
But she was waiting for the next shoe to drop. Nothing this good lasted forever.
She recognized her view of life was jaded. After some reflection, she decided she did not want to be this cynical. She was teaching her daughter to go at life with an open heart yet she had closed herself off so much in the last few years, it was now second nature to push people away emotionally.
Being a hypocrite did not seat well with her.
She was tired of living in the past.
And that was why she was visiting Dale at his home for the next few years – a prison in Miami.
She was sitting in a hard, plastic chair, facing him through a window of glass. He still looked banged up from the altercation with Zach. She always thought of him as an unstoppable force. Today, dressed in the orange suit marked inmate, he looked small and weak - defeated.
He picked up the other end of the phone she had at her ear. He smirked and opened his mouth but she was ahead of him.
“No, you’re not allowed to speak today because nothing you say matters. Not any more. I hated you for a long time. I also feared you. Even though you were not near me, I carried the memory of you and the things you did to me in my heart. And that affected my actions. I allowed you to control me but that ends today.
You no longer have any power over me because I won’t allow it. I forgive you. For everything. I hope you get the help you need someday. Good bye, Dale.”
She put the phone down. His face was tight with anger but she was unaffected by the sight.
She smiled at him and walked away.
She stepped out into the sunlight, feeling not like a changed woman but like a better version of herself.
Caroline 2.0
She smiled at the thought then stopped in her tracks when she spotted Zach there.
He was leaning against the brick building, looking all kinds of sexy.
She had not told him where she was headed when they talked this morning. She knew he would not like it and could not take the chance of him dissuading her.
He did not look angry though as he came to her.
She did not know how he knew where she was but it did not matter because she was glad to see him. There were some things she wanted to say to him and they suddenly could not wait.
Zach loved her. He told her every day. He showed her every day.
Dale’s abuse shook her confidence in her ability to trust her instincts.
No longer.
Right now, those instincts were screaming that this was a man she could entrust her heart to and she listened to them.
She was not sure what she intended to say when she opened her mouth but four words came out and they were just right.
“I love you, too.”
Zach smiled, eyes lighting up. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a blue velvet box.
Inside was a simple diamond ring.
He got down on one knee. In front of an ambling police officer he said, "I have been carrying this around, waiting for the right moment to give it to you and this is it. I love you. Will you be my wife? The mother of my children? The keeper of my heart? My everything?"
She embraced the future, not scared of the past any more and said, "Yes."
Ring on her finger, she pulled him to his feet and jumped into his arms as a lone voice cheered from the street.
“You won’t regret this,” he whispered against her ear. “I’ll make you the happiest woman alive.”
She kissed him and said, “I know.”
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Thank you for reading Zach’s story. Stay tuned for other bad boys of Boot Key Harbor. If you’d like to join my mailing list, go to cyndiraye.com to sign up.
Want to see what other books by Cyndi Raye? Go to my author’s page on Amazon to check out the rest of the contemporary books and my new line of historical western mail order bride books.
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