by T. M. Cromer
She pulled back to gaze into his face. The gorgeous moss-green eyes were as wide as he’d ever seen them. The question in them unmistakable.
“Yes, I’m completely serious,” he laughed. “I want you to make an honest man of me. And you can sniff me any time you want. We’ll even put it in the vows.”
“You’re an asshole,” she laughed.
“So that’s a yes?”
“Yes. A million times, yes.”
He bent to seal the deal with a kiss, but a squeal sounded behind him and nearly caused Mason to come out of his skin. He was embraced from behind, and for a brief moment he worried they were victims of another attack.
“I knew it!” Erica cried in delight. “We were in bed the other night, and I told Zack you were going to propose.”
Mason whirled to see his brother enter the room. A look of chagrin warred with amusement on his face.
“Sorry, bro,” Zack offered up. “She’s on a sugar high from her lemon donuts.”
“Your wife thinks of me while she’s in bed with you? Man, you’ve got a serious problem.”
Zack’s expression went from light to thundercloud in less than two seconds. Darkening even still when Erica not-so-subtly sniffed him.
“Did you just sniff me?” Mason asked, incredulous.
“Uh, no!” Erica denied hotly. Yet she had, and not only did they both know it, her husband and his new fiancée also knew it as well. Heat flared in Erica’s face, giving lie to her answer. “Okay, yes. But can I help it if—”
Zack clamped a hand over her mouth and ushered his very pregnant wife toward the door.
“What did I say about incriminating yourself, sweetheart?” Zack asked, admonishing her with a twinkle in his eye.
“You going to want my brand of cologne?” Mason called out to his retreating sibling.
“It’s pure Eau de Mason,” Shonda laughingly supplied.
Mason gazed down into her glowing face. Seeing the bottomless pool of love reflected in her eyes, he came to the conclusion that he was the luckiest sonofabitch in the world.
“And I have a surprise for you.” Shonda smiled coyly and unfastened the first button of his shirt. “My dad’s chartered a private jet to St. Thomas just for the two of us. He wanted us to be able to enjoy our vacation without any worries this time. I thought you could initiate me into the Mile-High Club.”
For the longest minute, he stared at her. Unspeaking. Unmoving. The next instant, he had lifted and placed her on the granite countertop, capturing her mouth with his own. Mason had never tasted anything as sweet as Shonda, and he never would.
Keep reading for an excerpt from other books in the Stonebrooke series.
Other Stonebrooke Stories
BURNING RESOLUTION
* * *
She stared at her pudgy belly in the full-length mirror, poked it a few times, and let out a heartfelt sigh. Until this very moment, Erica Sutton had been able to ignore her emotional over-eating issue. However, standing here, overweight body on display, made her realize it was one bad habit she needed to break. She was one slice of pie away from splitting the seams of her stretchy yoga pants—the ones she’d purchased last year that, at the time, were a little big. The other reality was she couldn’t take a selfie that didn’t expose her double chin, even with the poses she’d practiced for hours in the bathroom mirror.
Damn, she hated to work out. Hated to sweat in any way, shape, or form. Yet, today’s foray on her social media page, where all her skinny thirty-year-old friends had tagged her in the New Year’s Eve revelry, had made her grimace in distaste and remove her name from the photo tags.
Erica pulled her ex-boyfriend’s overlarge t-shirt over her head and reached for her trusty laptop. She skimmed through the online reviews for local gyms until she found what she was looking for. Apparently, the newest place, Workout World, which had opened a third location here in her town, had four and five star reviews for their personal trainers, staff services, and cleanliness.
She groaned. God, she hated the idea of going to the gym. This was going to suck. Other people got a runner’s high from working out. All she got was tired. Firming her resolve, she picked up the phone and dialed the main number to set an appointment.
The incessant ringing phone annoyed Zack Sharp. The main office of his newest branch of Workout World was supposed to be closed for the holiday. However, his brother Mason, who was also his partner and marketing guru, had convinced him this was New Year’s Resolution Day. Therefore, everyone and his or her brother, who weren’t hungover from the night before, would be calling to purchase a membership. Of course, Mason hadn’t been wrong. It just pissed Zack off that half his damn staff hadn’t shown because they, too, had overindulged last evening. When his employees returned tomorrow, there was going to be a ‘Come to Jesus’ meeting.
Zack paid his team top dollar to be on time and professional. The Human Resources department would be getting a phone call in the early morning about revising some policies. He’d been too lenient for far too long. It didn’t help some of the guys working here knew him from their old high school football team. Because of their connection, they thought rules didn’t apply to them. That was going to change.
“Hello. Thanks for calling Workout World. How may I help you?” he answered.
The sexiest voice he’d ever heard came across the line. “I need to set up a time to tour your facility and meet with a personal trainer. The sooner the better. Preferably today if you have an opening.”
Her voice shot straight to his groin. Holy hell! That had never happened to him that he could recall. If she sounded this delicious, what would she look like in person?
“Is there a reason why you’re wanting today?” Zack asked as he reached for a membership form.
“Yeah, I’m freaking fat and need to drop forty pounds,” she snapped. “Also, I need an intervention. There’s a leftover chunk of cake on my counter, and I’m about to bury my face in the buttercream frosting. Aren’t you people trained to talk me off the ledge and not ask stupid questions?”
He found it impossible not to laugh. His soon-to-be-client was on the proverbial edge.
“A crisis indeed. Listen to me very closely. I want you to slowly back out of the kitchen, run to your car, and make your way here. Don’t stop at any bakeries between here and there. I’m going to time you. How soon would it normally take you to get here?”
“Ten minutes if all the stop lights are green. I’m worried though. There is a bakery on the corner of Tenth and Main. It could be iffy. And what’s with the running comment? Is there going to be running involved? I’m not down with that.”
Again, he laughed. This lady had already made his day. He couldn’t wait to hear her complaints when he put her through her paces. He took a sadistic pleasure in seeing a newbie’s expression when they first caught sight of the machines.
“Can I get your name please?”
“Erica Sutton.”
Zack frowned when he heard the name. He’d gone to school with an Erica Sutton. She’d been a skinny bookworm who’d tutored him in biology. He’d taken great delight in teasing her when the human reproductive lesson was introduced to the class. She’d been such a cute, shy creature with her large, dark eyes hidden behind her oversized glasses. He remembered she’d also been prone to blushing if he happened to make eye contact with her, which he strove to do for that exact reason.
It couldn’t be the same person. The mousy Erica he’d known twelve years prior would never think the word “freaking” much less say it. Although, what were the odds there could be two in the small town of Stonebrooke?
“Okay, Erica. I’ll see you in ten minutes. Twelve tops. I’ve activated the tracking device on your cell phone, and I’ll know if you stop at the bakery. Keep in mind it will go harder on you if you do.”
“Nag, nag, nag. I’ll be there in ten.”
As Erica forced herself to step through the double doors of the gym, she observed about twenty or so
people in various positions grunting and sweating. Glancing toward the main desk, she noticed a cute young woman in a low-cut sports bra leaning across the counter, displaying her wares for the jock across from her. Freaking great. As if she didn’t already feel like a whale out of water because she couldn’t boast a size two figure! Tugging the hem of her shirt a bit lower over her rear end, she made her way to the desk.
“Hi. Welcome to Workout World. Are you interested in signing up for a membership today?” asked the woman with the twin peaks as the guy behind the desk bobbed his head in unison to her words. Or it could have been in time with her words since her boobs tended to bounce in sync with the cadence of her voice. At this point, it was too difficult to tell.
Erica sighed. He was a jock robot, and the buxom twig worked here. Talk about feeling out of place.
“I have an appointment.”
Just then, the man of her dreams walked out of the office behind the dunderhead male manning the reception area.
“Erica?” he asked with a smile.
Now she felt like the dunderhead because all she could do was gape and nod. Zack Sharp. She’d know him anywhere. Having been in love with him for almost half her life, it was impossible not to recognize him. Damn. The man had filled out and aged well.
“Come on back. I’d like to go over your long-term workout goals. You made good time.”
Following him to his office, Erica had to work to not stare at his ass encased in tight jeans. Wait, what? Why was he in jeans?
“Excuse me?” he asked as he spun around.
Dammit! She’d asked it out loud. Erica jerked her eyes up from what was now his crotch facing her. The heat started at her toes and rapidly gained speed as it ascended up her neck, then colored her face a bright red.
“I… uh…” she stuttered.
“It is you! I thought so,” Zack grinned. “Little Erica Sutton.”
His words brought her back to the reason she was here. “Not so little anymore. Can we get the torture over with so I can go home and drown my sorrows in a vat of wine?”
The bark of laughter which escaped him caused her to closer her eyes and rub the spot between her brows. Once again, she’d forgotten to use her internal voice. She stood glued to the spot, and if he hadn’t thrown an arm around her shoulders to lead her the rest of the way into the office, she would still be standing there wishing the ground would open up and swallow her whole.
“I’d forgotten how adorable you were,” he laughed. “Come on. I promise to take it easy on you the first day.”
“But why are you wearing jeans?” And why was she so focused on his butt?
“I’d only planned to work in the office today. However, a few of my team members failed to show.” He settled behind his desk. “Let’s get started, shall we?”
After spending a half hour discussing her eating habits, which she blatantly lied about, along with her fitness goals, Zack took her on a tour of the facility. He detailed the function of each machine and showed her the rooms where they held the spin, zumba, yoga, and pilates classes. Next, he brought her upstairs to view the inside track overlooking a basketball court which doubled as a volleyball court.
“This place is incredible. You manage all this?” Erica asked, amazed by everything Workout World had to offer.
“Own. Or rather co-own with my brothers Mason and Dane,” Zack corrected with a self-satisfied smile.
“Is this a franchise or do you own all three in the state?”
“I’m impressed you did your homework. Although, I shouldn’t be. I remember you were studious in school. Yes, we own all three. And no, we haven’t franchised yet, but we’ve been looking into it.”
“Zack, you’ve done an amazing job.”
“That means a lot coming from you. I seem to recall it took a lot to impress you,” he said with a grin.
For a moment, the two of them stood and stared at one another. The admiring light in his gorgeous, azure eyes made it difficult to breathe. What could he possibly find to admire about her? Embarrassed, she sought a distraction. Her eyes lit on the cardio equipment behind him, and the joggers they contained.
“I thought you told me there would be no running,” she groused.
As he laughed and flung an arm around her neck for the second time in an hour, Erica’s heart lightened and felt as if it had found its home. She was in major trouble.
“Come on, kid. Time to get started burning some calories.”
“God help me,” she muttered.
His chuckle told her he’d misunderstood and thought she was talking about what he had planned for her. In reality, she had been referring to being this close to him once again. Stupid schoolgirl feelings were fighting to resurface.
* * *
Once he had gotten Erica set up on an exercise bike, Zack went to change into his gym shorts and a t-shirt. He left instructions with Todd and Lacey to continue manning the front desk and not to interrupt him unless there was an emergency. His plan was to spend the next hour with his client.
When he returned to where he’d last seen Erica, the bike was paused, and she was jamming buttons on the display. Her frown had him fighting another smile. As he got close, he could hear her cussing under her breath.
“Wow, when did you develop such an extensive vocabulary?” he joked.
“Screw you. And screw this stupid bike. It tried to kill me. Did you know these things speed up on their own?” she demanded.
“It’s a function of the unit. It simulates uphill, flat roads, and downhill,” he explained, tamping down the urge to laugh again.
“Well, I don’t like it. What else can I do?”
Zack pinned her with a hard stare. Just because he liked her didn’t mean she was going to walk all over him.
“I don’t care if you don’t like it. You have ten more minutes of cardio. Get busy.” He reached over and restarted the bike.
“I don’t like you very much either.”
“Too bad.”
When the additional time was finished, Erica jumped off the bike as if her rear end was on fire.
“What’s next, coach?”
* * *
“You can’t say ‘fuck you’ any time we set a difficult exercise routine you don’t want to attempt, Erica.”
Frustration welled up and made him a bit short with his new client.
“Yes. I. Can.”
Her stubborn chin jutted up and her mouth pursed in a pout. If she didn’t look so damn kissable in that moment, he would have strangled her. Kissable? Where had that thought come from?
Fixing her with a stony glare, the one he reserved for the most belligerent of customers, Zack gestured with his thumb to the weight rack behind him. The little wench glared right back.
“I’m tired,” she whined.
“Look, all you have left is free weight bicep curls. You’ve got this. Finish these and I’ll give you a donut,” he lied.
“Really?” she asked. Hope and gratitude warred for the prime spot on her face.
“No. Now get moving,” he ordered.
“I hate you.”
“Whatever. You have two sets of fifteen reps.”
“I’m never coming back. This is your one and only time to torture me.”
“You’ve paid for a year’s membership in advance. Besides, I will come drag you out of bed and cart your happy ass in here if you don’t keep to the schedule we set. I know where you live now,” he warned.
“I hate you.”
“You’ve already stated that. Three more curls… now switch arms… good,” he encouraged. “Okay, little miss grumpy pants. Your workout is concluded for today.”
“Thank you, Jesus!” she groused as she wiped the sweat from her brow with the sleeve of her shirt. “Are my arms supposed to be twitching like this?”
“It’s not uncommon,” he chuckled upon seeing her cast a concerned glance at her right upper arm. “We have a smoothie bar downstairs. Let me treat you to a protein shake.”
>
“It better taste like chocolate cake or I’m not going to be too thrilled with you,” she warned.
After they’d placed their order and sat at one of the small two-person tables in the bar area, Zack decided to see how well she fared in the interim between when they’d seen each other last.
“So are you married?” he asked and wondered where the hell that question had come from. She did too, if snorting out of her protein shake was any indication.
“Um, no. I would have thought the fact my name remained Sutton would have told you as much,” she snarked.
“Some women keep their maiden name,” he defended.
“You have a point. Okay. What about you? Are you married with any little rugrats running around?”
“No to the marriage. I was close once. However, I do have a son. He’s eight.”
“Why didn’t you marry his mother?”
“What? Did we go back to the dark ages, and I wasn’t aware of it? Seeing this is the twenty-first century and they don’t have many shotgun weddings anymore, I felt I was safe with just paying child support and getting dual custody.”
“You don’t have to be a sarcastic ass. I was only wondering.”
Abruptly, he didn’t feel like kidding around anymore. Might as well be honest right off the bat. “We dated for a few months. She lied and told me she was on birth control. I was the idiot who believed her. We called it quits, and six months later, she presented me with my son, Jacob. When I saw him, I fell instantly in love. He’s the best part of my life.”
“Did you try to make things work… for his sake?”
Zack contemplated the drink in front of him as he stirred it with the straw. How did he tell her Jacob’s mother was deranged and had been committed to a sanitarium two years after he’d been born?
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to pry.”
He shot a sharp glance in Erica’s direction and noticed her contrite expression.
