by Judy Duarte
Her husband had flat-out neglected his family, as far as Zack was concerned. But he figured that was Diana’s conclusion to make. He damn sure didn’t want to rag on her about it, like her father had done.
“Things began to look up when I got a job working as a bookkeeper at Buckaroo Ranch. I tried desperately to save enough money and get a place of my own before my dad browbeat Becky and Jessie, like he did to me and my brother. And when a friend from college told me about a job opening at a church in San Diego, I took it, believing I’d been provided a way out. And a way to support the girls on my own.” Her eyes met his, seeking his understanding when she’d had it all along. “I have health insurance, although no dental. But I have a small life insurance policy. It makes things a little tight financially, but…”
Zack brushed his thumb along her wrist, caressing her skin, feeling her pulse beat steady and strong. “You’re doing a great job raising the girls by yourself. And I understand how important it is for you to make it on your own. But what’s wrong with accepting a gift from me? For the girls.”
“I guess there isn’t a problem with it.” Her eyes met his. “Are you sure you don’t mind?”
“Not at all. I’m glad I can provide them with a weekend at camp.”
Her eyes glimmered with sincerity—and maybe something more. “Thanks, Zack.”
He lifted her hand and brushed her knuckles with a kiss. “You’re welcome.”
A porch light turned on next door, and Diana straightened and drew her hand from his. “Let’s go tell the girls.”
Once in the living room, Diana called Becky and Jessie. Then she announced they would be going to camp.
“Cool!”
“Goodie.”
As the girls eagerly wrapped their arms around Zack in two little bear hugs, he felt like someone special, rather than the rebel he really was.
Because when push came to shove, he might be happy to provide the girls a great trip, but there was a selfish motive involved, too.
He was really looking forward to having their mother to himself next weekend.
On Friday afternoon, Diana left work early and met Zack at the house. Together, they drove to downtown Bayside and parked behind the building that housed the Department of Parks and Recreation. There, in the parking lot, an idling bus waited to take the children to Pine Valley.
“I’m going to miss you two,” Diana said, giving her daughters a hug.
“But we’ll be back on Sunday,” Becky said. “It’s only two days.”
“I know.”
Jessie nudged her sister. “Are you going to tell him?”
Becky nibbled on her bottom lip, then glanced down at her feet.
“Tell me what?” Zack asked.
“That she lost the ball you gave us. That she closed her eyes and swung as hard as she could. And that she didn’t see where it went.”
Becky looked up at Zack with regret-filled eyes. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Zack said. “I’ll look for the ball while you’re gone. And if I can’t find it, I’ll buy you another one.”
“No,” Diana said. “If you can’t find it, Becky will have to figure out a way to earn the money to buy a new one. That way, she’ll learn to be more careful with her things.”
“Okay,” Zack said, winking at Becky. “But for what it’s worth, my car needs to be washed.”
“Cool.” She glanced at the bus that had begun to fill. “Come on, Jessie. We better get going.”
Moments later, as Diana fought the tears in her eyes, the doors closed on the bus, the engine roared and the driver pulled out of the parking lot.
“Are you holding up okay?” Zack asked.
She smiled, brushing away the moisture under her eyes. “I’ll be fine. A mama bird has to boot the babies out of the nest sometimes.”
Zack slipped an arm around her. “Would it make you feel better if I took you out to dinner tonight?”
“On a date?”
“A real one,” he told her. “Just you and me—if you’re ready for it.”
“I’m ready. What time will you pick me up?”
“Six-thirty. We have dinner reservations at The Grotto.”
She’d heard a lot of nice things about that place. The Grotto was a five-star steak and seafood restaurant with an ocean view. “You already made reservations?”
He shot her a crooked grin. “I said you could call the shots. But that doesn’t mean I’m not going to be prepared.”
She laughed, then slipped her arm around his waist as they strode back to the Camaro, which could still use a paint job, but didn’t look like it needed a wash.
In spite of her misgivings about having another man in her life, about the trouble Zack had been in, about their age difference, something felt right about this.
Three hours later, dressed in a simple black dress she’d decided was her nicest outfit, she sat across from Zack at a candlelit table that overlooked the bay.
“Can I get you something to drink?” the maitre d’ asked him. “Perhaps a bottle from our wine cellar?”
Damn. Zack had no idea what to ask for, other than one of the Merlots Harry had suggested he take to Diana’s house a while back.
“Perhaps you’d like to look over our wine list,” the tuxedo-clad waiter suggested.
“Please,” Zack said, trying his damnedest to look like he knew what he was doing in a place like this—more for Diana’s sake than his own. She deserved a night on the town. A special evening. And she didn’t need him to embarrass her.
As the waiter handed him a menu that listed a ton of wines, he struggled to find one that looked familiar. But no such luck. He settled for an expensive bottle of Merlot, hoping that the price really did have something to do with the quality, not that he’d be able to tell.
A few moments later, the fancy-pants waiter poured them each a glass.
Across the room, Zack noticed an older man toasting the silver-haired woman sitting across from him. And in spite of his reluctance to do something goofy, something that would come across awkward and dumb, he lifted his goblet toward Diana.
She followed suit, as the sound of crystal sang out in a rich, heavenly tone.
“To a special lady,” he said.
Her green eyes glimmered, flecks of gold sparkling in the glittering candlelight. “Thank you.”
They didn’t talk much, but that was okay with Zack. He was busy basking in the presence of the angel seated across from him.
And somehow, when the food arrived, he managed to pull it all off and look like he’d done this sort of thing a hundred times. The trick was in waiting until Diana chose a fork and took a bite, then following her lead. He liked the idea of coming across as polite, rather than inept.
“Zack, you have no idea how nice this is. I haven’t ever been to a restaurant like this before.”
“That’s too bad. You deserve this and a whole lot more.”
She flushed, or so he suspected in the candlelit room.
What was she doing to him?
Besides twisting his heart into a knot, she was turning him into a gentleman. At least, on the outside.
They shared a slice of cheesecake for dessert, then he paid the bill, tacking on a tip that seemed a bit outrageous. But heck, there were a lot of guys standing discreetly in the wings, ready to refill a water glass or whatever. He hoped they got to split the tip.
The ride home was pretty quiet, and he couldn’t help wondering what was going on in her mind. Was she looking forward to the evening’s end? Would she want to turn in early?
Or would she ask him inside for a cup of coffee or whatever?
Actually, he’d much rather prefer the whatever.
He pulled into her driveway, rather than parking along the curb, although he wasn’t sure why. Maybe, subconsciously, it felt like he was coming home, too.
He got out of the car, then walked around and opened the door for her.
“I had a wonderful eveni
ng,” she said as he reached out his hand and helped her slide from the seat.
“I’m glad.” He followed her to the darkened porch and waited as she dug into her purse for the key. A streetlight down the way made it a bit easier to see.
They lingered outside for a moment, stars twinkling over head, the bulk of a fairly full moon smiling down on them.
For cripes sake, he was becoming a frigging poet whenever he was around her.
He supposed giving her a kiss wouldn’t be out of line, even though she hadn’t particularly indicated she wanted one. Besides, they always ended their evenings that way.
So he took her into his arms, prolonging his touch, his gaze. Then he lowered his mouth, claiming her as his own.
Diana closed her eyes, losing herself in Zack’s embrace, in his kiss. With her arms wrapped around his neck, she ran her fingers through the soft, silky curls that hung along his neck.
As their tongues mated, his hands roamed over her back and caressed her derriere. She whimpered, drawing a moan from him, and the kiss deepened. Passion flared, making them desperate to caress, to taste.
She wanted him in the worst way, in the best way.
And she wanted so much more than a kiss.
A light flickered, and as she opened her eyes, she saw that Martha’s front porch was lit up. It hadn’t been when they’d arrived.
Uh-oh.
She placed her hands against Zack’s chest, pressing gently but insistently, ending the kiss.
What if the older woman had been spying on her? Watching and waiting to see whether Zack had brought her home at a reasonable hour?
Then she scolded herself for freaking out about something like that.
Zack had been a perfect gentleman. And she was an adult, for goodness sake, able to see whoever she wanted, do whatever she wanted.
“Maybe we should take this inside,” she said, her voice a bit breathless.
“Good idea.”
She turned and fumbled for the keys in her purse, then fiddled with the lock, her fingers still trembling in reaction to Zack’s kiss. A kiss that had been more powerful, more earth-rocking than the others they’d shared.
Or was she trembling out of fear that Martha had caught her kissing Zack, a man the older woman had made no secret of disliking and distrusting?
Diana finally won the wrestling match with the lock and key and led Zack into the house. In the growing silence, something magical, mystical filled the air.
She lifted her arms and stepped into his embrace, back where she belonged. Where he held her captive in a swirl of desire she didn’t want to escape.
Their tongues sought each other, swirling and tasting, unable to get enough. A moan formed low in Zack’s throat, announcing he was hungry. On fire.
For her.
A surge of feminine pride and power took over, as her hands slid to the front of his chest and she began to unbutton his shirt.
He jerked the shirttail from his pants, then pulled her to him, his hands sliding up and down her waist before capturing her breasts. His thumbs stroked her nipples through the black cotton of her dress and the lace of her bra.
She wanted to remove her clothes, to hold Zack skin to skin. She wanted him, wanted this.
And she wanted it now.
She took hold of his hands, and he froze, as though he assumed she wanted him to stop.
“Come with me,” she said, leading him into the bedroom.
Zack had told Diana she could set the pace. And set the pace she did.
She turned her back to him, pulling her hair aside so he could unzip her dress. And for the first time in his life, his fingers actually fumbled in nervousness as he undressed a woman.
But Diana wasn’t just any woman. She was the lady who’d taken over his thoughts since the first day he’d met her.
She stood almost shyly before him, yet he sensed an eagerness, a need. And it had him nearly coming apart at the seams.
Did she have any idea how sexy she looked with the black lace of her bra and panties contrasting with her fair skin?
“You’re so pretty, Diana. So perfect.”
So much better than he deserved.
But he would take what she offered, cherishing the gift of her body.
She reached for his belt, tugging at it to get it undone. “I want you, Zack. And I don’t think I need to be in charge anymore.”
That’s all he wanted to hear. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a foil packet. “I wasn’t sure if this would happen, but I hoped it would. And I wanted to be prepared.”
She smiled, her eyes hazed with passion.
Then he slipped off his pants and joined her on the bed, where they finished undressing, where he loved her with his hands, his mouth, his body.
When they were wild with need, he protected them both then hovered over her, giving her one last chance to change her mind. “Are you sure?”
If she stopped him, he didn’t know what he’d do. Explode, he guessed. But he didn’t want her to have any regrets, not afterward, when it was too late to turn back the clock.
She reached up, cupped his cheek gently. “I’m ready. And I want you inside me. Now.”
As she shifted her hips and held onto his, guiding him, he entered her. She arched with each thrust, moving with him, taking and giving.
The world spun away, leaving only them. Only their passion, their need, and the incredible act of making love the way Mother Nature had surely intended it to be.
As they peaked, Diana gasped, then clawed into his back, crying out with a climax that sent him over the edge, too. He came in a burst of color, in a mind-soaring, eye-crossing, neck-arching orgasm, the likes of which he’d never had.
And as he lay on top of her, fully spent, he didn’t dare move. Didn’t dare speak. Didn’t dare think.
Pretty Diana had a hold on him.
A hold that scared the liver out of him.
But he wasn’t going to fight it, wasn’t going to remind himself that she could do better than him. Not anymore.
They lay like that for a while, wrapped in a cocoon of awe and wonder, hearts racing.
And as they slowly pulled apart, Diana looked up at him and gasped. The regret he hadn’t wanted to see crept into her eyes.
“I’m so sorry,” she said.
“About what?”
She touched his shoulder, running her fingertips along the broken skin where her nails had dug into him. “I…guess…for getting carried away.”
“Carried away?” He brushed a strand of hair from her face and kissed her brow. “Are you kidding?”
“No, I’m not kidding. I didn’t mean to…”
“Diana, are you feeling guilty about this?”
“No. Not about making love. Just about…”
“About liking it so much?”
She furrowed her brow, but this time he seemed to be zeroing in on what was bothering her. “Yes, I guess so. I didn’t mean to scratch you. Or to make all that noise.”
“Those breathy little whimpers made my blood run hot, honey. You can scream next time, if you want to. I don’t care. Heck, I feel like beating my fists against my chest, just knowing it was good for you.”
“You do?”
His lips quirked in a smile, and he brushed a kiss across the tip of her nose. “I’m going to do my best to make sure you get carried away every time we make love.”
“But…I…” She let out a wobbly breath she’d been holding. “I’ve never done this before. Well, not like that, anyway. Peter used to…”
Zack waited to hear what she was going to say, but clearly it wasn’t easy for her to share. “What did he used to do?”
“He didn’t like the lights on. And he didn’t like it if I…well, if I got too involved. He thought I was too wild.”
“The hell you are. The only one with a problem in that relationship was your husband, Diana. He was a sanctimonious jerk. And he didn’t deserve a woman like you.”
She seemed
to relax, to loosen up, although not quite enough. “What kind of woman am I?”
“You’re beautiful, inside and out.”
Diana couldn’t believe her ears. No one, not Peter and not her father, had ever told her that she was pretty. Or special in any way. And although deep inside she knew she was attractive and that she was—or at least tried her best to be—a good person, it would have been nice to have someone notice.
Making love with Zack had been an eye-opening experience.
Peter used to roll over afterward, never holding her close. Never whispering words of endearment.
Zack, his arms still wrapped around her, nuzzled her neck. He didn’t mention anything about being in love with her, and she wasn’t sure she wanted him to. After all, she didn’t trust herself to make good choices about men.
First there was that fiasco with Travis during high school. Then, when she’d met Peter in college, she chose him because he was so gentle, so mild-mannered and so different from her father. And so different from Travis, too. But in some ways, she thought he might have been too nice. Too lofty in a spiritual sense.
But still, Peter had been safe.
Once she’d gotten away from home, she’d enjoyed the freedom to date as well as the chance to exercise her sexuality. And even though Peter hadn’t wanted to have sex before the wedding, Diana had pushed until he succumbed to temptation. And almost as though God shook a finger at their sin, she’d gotten pregnant with Becky.
They married, of course. But Peter always believed they’d done something wrong. And he never forgot that Diana had been the one who’d led him astray.
Zack stroked the curve of her hip. “Are you feeling better about this?”
She nodded. “I’m glad we made love.”
“So am I. Do you care if I spend the night?”
No, she didn’t mind at all. She loved the idea of waking in Zack’s arms. “I’d like that.”
He pulled her close, and she ran her hand along the corded muscles of his back.
