Zach slid his hand to the back of her head to ease her down. She didn’t fight it. Instead, she lay back and brought him closer, held him tighter, moaned against his lips, returning his kiss with hunger. Atop her, he lowered his mouth to her throat, and back to her lips—his tongue colliding with hers in a fevered connection. He treasured each breath, each sigh whispered through their hot kiss.
She pressed her hands into his back, speaking softly against his mouth… “Zach… Your kisses mean everything.”
Before he took her right there, he stood up abruptly and helped her up to a sitting position. He wiped his mouth of their sensual kisses. Both breathing hard, they stared at each other under the brazen sunset. He took a step back and inhaled slowly, releasing it even slower. “I want more than kisses from you, Kimber. That’s what you haven’t figured out. I don’t want to fight anymore. That’s another thing you haven’t figured out.” With his body shaking now, Zach clenched his head.
She grasped his right arm and gave him a soft smile, but her eyes glistened with tears. “Me too. I…well, kisses aren’t all I want from you, either.”
Zach splayed his hands out to his sides. “Then what are we doing with all these jabs and sarcastic shit?”
Her palm pressed against her heart. “I think we’re both fighting the obvious, and that’s the only way we know how.”
She was right. His frustration with her didn’t come from anger, but from wanting her in all ways he could have her—physically and emotionally. He’d never felt this way about a woman before. What the hell was he to do?
Kimber laid her palm against his chest. He closed his eyes upon her touch. Zach took her hands and brought her arms around him. “We need to face this head-on. I swear to God if we don’t, I’ll have to quit working here because it kills me to see you and not be able to touch you. There, I admitted it.”
“Thank you, Zach. I needed to hear you say it.” She lovingly peered into his eyes. “I’ve been afraid of going into something with a man again, but with you… I can’t fight what’s happening inside.”
“If we try and it doesn’t work out, you and I both have a lot to lose.”
“I know.” She moved a step closer. “What do we do?”
Zach lifted her chin and smiled. “We try anyway. It’s a risk I’m willing to take. Are you?”
Kimber slid her hands from his waist to the center of his back, drawing him closer. “I am, too, but you need to know that what I said about not being able to tell you some things, will always be this way. Please…” She widened her eyes and inclined her head a bit. “You can’t pressure me about it.”
His muscles tensed. No surprise he’d never be trusted with her secret. Some parts of her life she’d never share. “You don’t trust me.”
“I do. That isn’t it. I’m sworn to secrecy.”
Whatever this was now, could end with his next question unanswered, but he had to know. “Admit you’ve seen me before, and I’ll try to accept things the way they are. Don’t start with a lie hanging over us we both know is true.”
“You’re correct. It was me at the doctor’s office. I knew for certain it was you since the baggage area in the airport. I had a mole removed. That’s why I was there.” She pointed to her minimal scar.
“I had our future all planned out that day in the waiting room.” Palm to forehead. “Don’t laugh.”
Kimber patted his back and smiled. “How did it turn out?”
“I don’t know. Neither the beginning or ending has happened yet.” He squeezed his eyes closed and held her tighter.
“Isn’t this the beginning?”
Zach flashed a warming smile.
“That day, I thought you were the most handsome man I’d ever seen. Fate allowed us to come in contact again. And again.”
Zach smirked. “Yeah, and twice more in Canyon Junction. Doesn’t that tell you something?”
“Definitely. Why were you at the doctor’s office?” Her gaze went to his scar.
He laughed. “My old man threw a hay hook—one he’d sharpened at that. It snagged me. I still don’t know if he did it on purpose. I didn’t care about having a scar. My mom did.”
She touched the faint mark on his face. “I noticed it. Oh, so this is the man I get to meet? I hope you threw that old hook away?”
“I’m sure it’s in the hay barn with a little blood on it.” Zach pulled her closer. He had to ask one more question he dreaded. “I do have another question.” He gave her time to rebut but she didn’t. “The men who followed you to the Double Dutch and then the grocery store? They had everything to do with why you changed your appearance and moved here?”
Kimber backed them up to lean against the truck. Her gaze lingered on the sky. Zach waited, not wanting to give her a chance to back out, but he’d honor her wishes for now if she remained quiet.
“I think so. Can you be satisfied with a firm maybe?”
How could he be of any help to her if she kept silent? Could he deal with this? A text message notification came in. “I bet that’s Jake. Are you ready?”
Kimber hugged him, and he gladly returned it. With her in his arms like this, his blood pressure raised for a different reason and in different places.
“I’m ready.” She got in the truck.
He held the door from closing. “I don’t want to go now.”
Kimber smiled then nodded in agreement. “I know. We have to.”
Zach went around and got in. If this was love…well, it made his brain fuzzy. “I have to ask. Are we going to carry on whatever this is in secret?”
She stretched over to place her palm against his cheek. “I don’t want to. I’m not ashamed to be attracted to you, but if you’d rather—”
“I wouldn’t. I can touch you in front of people?” He checked his text then put his phone down, grinning. “Let’s go eat.”
“It depends on where you want to touch me, in front of people, I mean.” Her foxy smile about melted his heart, and he enjoyed seeing more of it, not to mention experimenting on where he could touch her when alone.
Zach’s gaze dropped to her breasts, and he was barely able to wait before touching them, with his mouth. “I’ve been cynical with you at times, and a damn smartass, but I’ll treat you with nothing but respect. That’s my word, darlin’.”
Kimber laid her hand over his. “I believe you. I’m still trying to find myself here in this place, but I’ll give the same back. I’ve been hiding my heart. But now I don’t have to anymore.”
“Correct.” He couldn’t wait to find the real Kimber. Either way, he was crazy about this one.
“Beth never called me to bring anything. I didn’t have her number to double check.”
“It’s okay. She asked me to bring whipped cream. I picked some up on the way here.” He entwined their fingers and wiggled his eyebrows. “With the whipped cream, I wonder what kind of dinner we’re having.” He smiled when her cheeks pinked.
“Why didn’t she ask me?”
“Because you’re a new guest, and that’s the way she is. You’ll like all of them, including their old dog, Kasha. They’re good people.”
“So are you.”
“I’m glad you see through the armor. I have my own wall.” How soon his wall began to crumble before his eyes. But how far would he let it fall away from his heart? “To be fair, I have to tell you my relationships haven’t lasted long since the Army. I’m hard to understand sometimes, or so I’ve been told.”
“Well, maybe I can understand you better than the other women.”
Don’t call me moody. He leaned over to kiss her. “That’d be nice.”
Chapter 15
They sat in silence on the ride home from Jake’s. Neither of them brought up their earlier conversation. After dinner, Zach had slipped his arm around the back of her chair at the table, and around her during dessert in the living room. Kimber had snuggled against him. She felt at peace beside him.
Now, she hated herself for being c
old toward him when he never did anything to deserve it. However, he’d been as cold and uncaring at times—cynical like he said, but she understood he was a man’s man. Whatever she emitted toward him, he gave it right back, and vice versa. He was a man who wouldn’t take anything from anybody, and she should’ve seen that earlier.
It wasn’t her imagination when he drove slower than normal down the road until he pulled up in front of the house. He removed his hat and peered at her. She didn’t know what to say, but the right words came out at the correct time for once. “Do you want to come in?”
“I thought you’d never ask.” He picked up his hat and put it on while she searched her purse for keys. Inside, she shut off the alarm. They waited a minute while Stormy found a favorite spot to do her business. Zach patted her when they all tromped through the door. Kimber strode to the kitchen and Zach followed.
“I need to text Tyler. This is getting old fast. He’s either going back home or getting a room if he thinks I’m sharing my place with the women he picks up.”
Kimber sat her purse on the table and kicked off her heels. “Be glad you have a brother, Zach. You’d miss him if he wasn’t around.”
“Yeah, I know.” He peered at her before he typed another word to his brother. “Are you mourning a loss?”
I mourn my family. And myself.
“It’s another thing I’m not supposed to ask about? Did you forget you already mentioned you’ve lost everything? Can’t you tell me about this?”
She hadn’t forgotten, but she hoped he had. Kimber took a bottle from the refrigerator and opened it, then held up two glasses. “White wine?”
He put his phone into his pocket. “All right.”
She poured them a glass, but Zach took her arm and pulled her close. “I’ve been wanting to do this all night.” He kissed her and she responded with delight. Her head spun from his tender and sensual kisses. Were her feet on the ground? When it seemed like neither of them would end the kiss, or wanted it to, it did. Her heart thumped faster. She took his hand, “Come into the great room.” Kimber turned music on and took a seat on the couch, snuggling into the corner to face him. “I enjoyed when you put your arm around me at Jake’s tonight. Him and Beth exchanged glances.”
“I saw them.” Zach leaned forward and held his glass. “Tyler figured it out. Speaking of Tyler, he never texted back. I’ll send him another one.”
Tyler had figured out what? Them?
A reply came right back. Zach read it out loud: “Dude, I’m sleeping.” Another one came in right after. Again, Zach read it to Kimber: “Alone.”
Kimber laughed. “Looks like you have your place back.”
“I like when you laugh.” Zach released his hair then ran his fingers over it.
Kimber placed her hand on his shoulder. “You know, I hate to admit it, but I wanted to not like you, especially after the first day when you were such a smartass about me being here, which differed from our little flirtation on the plane. If only you could understand.”
He placed his cool hand on her cheek. “If only I could.”
Kimber stared into the glass. “I’ve been hurt by more than one person and in more than one way almost all at the same time. Before coming here, I had to make the biggest decisions in my life. I’m still recovering from a lot of losses. An image lies behind my eyes I’ll never forget.”
“Mine too.” His voice was nearly a whisper.
The Army had done him in, she was sure of it. She fingered the necklace she had stolen out of the envelope at the hotel. It held too many memories to part with, and wearing it made her feel close to her family. Did her sister still wear hers? Charlotte’s was a little different in style but had the same stones. They shared a birthday month.
Zach picked up the blue topaz setting. “This means something to you?”
She struggled to swallow, for she became choked up at the memory. “It does.”
“It can’t be your birthstone since you said your birthday is coming up. I know this gem is December because it’s my mom’s birthday month. Me and Tyler bought her a bracelet with this stone.”
“That was sweet. Forgive me, but I wasn’t truthful about my birthday. I’m sorry, but you have to think it’s August. My birthday is December.” How could a relationship with Zach, or any man work when her life remained a mystery?
“I know better than to ask, but okay. August, it is. But expect a gift in December.” He finished the wine and stood. “Hey, as much as I don’t want to, I gotta go. See you in the morning.”
“So soon?” Kimber stood and sat her wine down. She placed her hands on Zach’s shoulders and stepped in. “I don’t know how to be with you this way yet.” She slid her hand around his neck and through the silkiness of his hair. “I’m not even sure the conversation at your truck was real. I hope it was.”
“It was for me.” Zach held her and leaned in, kissing her like he had in the driveway, forceful and confident. At the end of the kiss, Kimber whispered, “So it’s true. We’re going forward with, with…”
“With a relationship? We’ll damn well try.”
“Okay then, let’s do it.” She pressed her body into his and lifted her face, not wanting him to leave tonight. “Kiss me again.”
“Kiss me back like you did in the truck earlier, and I won’t be going home.”
“I don’t care.” She brought his face to hers and kissed him even harder, but she pulled back to catch her breath or he wouldn’t be going home. “Goodness, but your kisses are sexy.”
Zach’s lips went to her neck, and he placed kisses along her throat, over her collarbone, and lower in the direction of her breasts. Groaning, he said, “Let me get out of here.”
Instead of releasing him, she laced her fingers into his hair again. “It’ll be a long night until I see you in the morning. I’m excited about us.” Don’t go.
He kissed her again, this time slow and easy, his lips flowing over hers like fine wine from an aged bottle. “Sweet dreams.” His words came out low and sexy, reminding her of how much time she’d wasted pretending not to like him.
“This is real, Zach. I felt this for you from…well, way before I should’ve. Thanks for taking me to dinner tonight.”
“You’re welcome. See you tomorrow.” He went out the door, but he came back in and took her into his arms. His lips collided with her hungry mouth, but he abruptly pulled back. “One for the road.” Breathing heavy, he opened the door. “Set your alarm, city girl. Don’t let me back in.”
“I wouldn’t keep you out.” She took his hands. “I am a city girl, but I’m liking this rural environment more.”
“Night, Red.” Zach winked before closing the door.
Kimber hugged herself and swayed across the great room to the tune by Brett Young called “In Case You Didn’t Know.” How fitting. A new tomorrow formed in her mind, and it looked brighter than she could’ve imagined. She stopped dancing. Jerry had said Zach could protect her if necessary. Shouldn’t he know why in case he had to? Her phone interrupted her crazy musings. “Hey, cowboy…”
“We can take it slow, or not. It’s up to you.”
Neither said anything for a moment. “Not slow. What do you want?”
“I don’t want to go slow, Kimber. If you knew Zach Bryson in the old days, you’d know he’d never say this to a woman.”
Kimber smiled. “The old days are gone.”
“That tells me all I need to know. Turn off your alarm.”
“Done.” With her heart hammering, she ran into the bathroom to brush her hair and teeth, and by then she heard the slide of his tires in the dirt. She met him outside the door, following his gaze all the way from the truck.
Zach stood before her. “I had to come back.”
“I wanted you to.” She opened the door and they entered, heading to the couch.
He dropped beside her and wrapped her up tight in his arms, lowering his face and his lips to her neck. “You smell so good. Let me breathe you in.”<
br />
“Mmm, breathe, baby.” Kimber scooted down on the couch at his instigation, and she lay beside him, pressing tight against his body. She put her leg over his, and his knee settled between her legs. He lifted his leg higher between her thighs. They kissed and caressed each other until they both nearly rolled off the couch. Kimber wrapped her leg tighter around his hip to bring him closer, showing that she wanted him as much as he wanted her. He slid his hands to her back, clasping one against her neck so she stayed right where he wanted her lips. “Zach, oh…” she muttered through the ending of the kiss as his hand roamed to her breast.
He peered into her eyes. “You know I want you.”
“Yeah,” she whispered, shaking. “Me too.”
Zach untangled himself from her, stood, and gave her a hand to a sitting position. He breathed hard. “Wow, you’re something else. Can I get a glass of water?”
“Sure,” came out breathlessly. Good God. She straightened her blouse when he left the room. He returned with water for her. “Thanks.” Her throat was so tight and dry, she might not be able to swallow a drop. She peered up at him. “You stopped us.”
“Yeah. Call me an idiot.”
Zach sat beside her and grasped the glass for another drink. His breathing had slowed down but hers hadn’t. In fact, she still tingled where it counted. She’d been ready for him, and he wanted her. Zach had a reason for everything, and she wouldn’t question this one. Yet. “What do we do now?”
“I don’t know.” He clasped her hand and brought their hands to his thigh.
“Zach, please don’t be mad at me for saying this, and don’t rush out on me, but…did my godfather hire you to look after me?” She had a knack for saying the wrong thing at the wrong time.
He tilted his head back and released a breath. “Someone hired me to work here. I had assumed it was you. I don’t know what you’re talking about when you say ‘look after you.’” Zach touched her chin and tilted her face to look at him. “Why?”
She had to explain. “Because of what Jerry said the last time he was here.”
“Tell me.” His finger stroked her cheek with a soft and sensuous touch.
Finding Kimber (Canyon Junction; Hearts In Love Book 2) Page 19
