by T. M. Cromer
She arched a wave in his direction, splashing his lap. It did nothing to ease his hard-on. What was it about this one zany woman that tied him in knots? When he didn’t want to strangle her, he wanted to screw her brains out.
“Put me out of my misery and sleep with me already.”
The slight hitch in her breathing told him she wanted to make love as badly as he did.
“It’s Jacob’s first night home, Zack. You need to spend it with him,” she said, regret thick in her voice.
“After he goes to bed then.” It was more of a demand than a request.
Her eyes trailed ever so slowly over the tent in his slacks before meeting his hot gaze.
“Yes,” she said huskily. “Come to me tonight.”
Zack was pretty sure he was dreaming, but if so, he never wanted to wake up. For the longest time they sat staring at one another, expressing their desire without a word.
He didn’t dare touch her again. Not now. Not if he wanted to retain his sanity. One last long look and he left her to finish her bath. The need to stop and adjust himself before heading into the next room was paramount. The extra time it took to change his clothes helped ease matters somewhat. He purposefully had to switch his mindset from wanting to feast on her delectable curves to the video game, Minecraft. Jacob would expect his full attention.
Erica surprised him and came out to join them about twenty minutes later. Dressed in jeans and a hoodie, she sat on the other side of the room in a side chair and observed their play.
“What’s the objective of the game?”
Jacob surprised him by answering first. “You have to avoid the monsters. And you get to build things.”
“Is it difficult?”
“Nah.”
Silence reigned for a bit as the two of them leveled up, broken only by Erica’s next question. “Did you guys already eat?”
“No. I was thinking of ordering a pizza. You know, for a cheat meal.”
He would have sworn for a moment he saw pure love in her eyes. The probability was high it was for the pizza and not him.
“I can call it in,” she said, quick to jump up. “My treat.”
“You don’t have to do that,” he protested.
“It’s the very least I can do after disrupting father/son night.”
The stray thought occurred to him, maybe the made up date might have been her way to gracefully bow out for the evening so he could spend time with Jacob. Of course, the way she went about it wasn’t the best, but he couldn’t fault her for the sentiment. It actually warmed his heart she could be so thoughtful.
“Erica, were you trying to make it so Jacob and I had alone time? Is that why you came up with the date excuse?”
Standing there, uncertainty written all over her, Erica worked to form an explanation. In the end, she sighed and nodded. The huge grin which burst over his face seemed to put her at ease.
“Thank you. Although, you didn’t need to do that. Lil man and I have lots of guy nights.”
“Yes, but it is his first night back. He hasn’t seen you in two weeks.”
“You’re a rare breed, babe. Don’t ever change.”
Her blush broadened his grin if it was at all possible. Man, he adored her.
“Okay, what do you fellas take on your pizza?”
He loved it when she changed the subject. Another great thing about her was the lack of conceit. She honestly didn’t know how beautiful she was.
“The number for Tony’s is on the fridge. Jacob and I usually get pepperoni. But whatever you want on it is fine.”
“Do you mind if we get a half pepperoni, half cheese?”
“You can order two. I love pizza,” Jacob piped in.
“Marry me,” she blurted out.
Jacob turned beet red, causing Erica and Zack to chuckle.
“Sorry. I’m invoking the twenty-seven year minimum age requirement for any men of this household getting married. You’re stuck with me, since I’m the only one fitting the bill,” Zack joked, flashing her another grin.
“But you won’t let me have pizza every night. Jacob will,” she retorted before sashaying off toward the kitchen.
As his normally shy son laughed, Zack told himself, right then and there, he would be marrying that woman. He only had to convince her. Time to come up with a game plan.
* * *
“Okay, lil man, time to go to bed.”
“Aww, Dad!”
“Nope. You have school tomorrow, and you’ve stayed up later than normal. Move it.”
Erica could see the internal struggle Jacob was having. The boy wanted to stay up later to hang out with the adults, however, it appeared as if once Zack called bedtime, there was little to no debate allowed.
“Say goodnight to Erica and thank her for the pizza, please.”
Jacob did as he was bid and went a step further by throwing his arms around her. “Thank you, Erica.”
Her heart melted on the spot. Jacob was a mini version of Zack. She remembered back to when they were the same age in school and Zack had teased her on the playground. There were countless times she cried to her mother because he’d pulled her braid, threw dirt on her dress, or had run off with her books. She squeezed Jacob tightly to her, knowing how tough it was at such an age. She couldn’t imagine what it was like to be so young and not have a mom.
“You are more than welcome. Anytime you want pizza, you let me know, and we’ll gang up on your dad. Two against one. Majority rules right?”
His grin was all the answer she needed. Zack, on the other hand, didn’t care for their game plan.
“Oh, no! You two will not be in charge of the menu in this house. How will it look for the owner of a gym to be out of shape from eating pizza every night?”
“Nag, nag, nag,” Erica teased with a wink to Jacob. “Goodnight, kid.”
“Will you read to me?”
“I’d love to if it’s all right with your dad.”
As one, they turned to Zack for permission.
“Sure. Am I banished to the kitchen for clean-up duty or can I listen in?”
As an answer, his son grabbed both their hands and dragged them toward his bedroom. Once they were all situated on the bed with Jacob snuggled between them, Erica started the story of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. They had gotten through two chapters before the boy fell asleep.
“Was it something I said?” she asked, inching off the bed so as not to wake Jacob.
“No. Two chapters are his limit. Especially when he’s had such an eventful day. Thank you for being so kind to him,” Zack said. “It’s tough for him without a mother. I try my best, but sometimes…”
He didn’t need to finish the sentence. Erica understood. Being a single father had to be difficult at the best of times.
“I get it. Come on. I’ll help you with the dishes.”
“Have I told you today how awesome you are?”
“Only about five times. I think you have another five to go before I believe you’re sincere.”
“I think that will come later,” he said suggestively.
She wanted to warn him not to get his hopes up. It wasn’t like she was an exemplary lover or anything. The words wouldn’t come. He would find out in due time she was a poor excuse in the bedroom. Or so she’d been told.
The words of her ex came back to haunt her. “You’d think someone who wrote such hot sex scenes wouldn’t be such a prude in bed.”
Erica experienced a moment of panic. What if she wasn’t good enough? What if Zack laughed at her pathetic attempt at sex? Sweat beaded her forehead and her breathing became rapid.
“What’s wrong, babe?”
It occurred to her Zack could stand to be a little less attentive. He picked up on her slightest mood change.
“About that…”
“You’ve changed your mind,” he stated flatly.
“No! No, I…”
His eyes studied her for a moment, before he seemed to come to a
decision. Without a word, he scooped her up in his arms and headed for his bedroom.
“Zack! What are you doing? Put me down. You’ll break your damn back.”
“Pfft. Hardly.”
“I mean it. Stop. I don’t want you to carry me.” She struggled against the steel bands that were his arms.
“Erica, look at me,” he commanded, tone soft and understanding.
When she met his warm gaze, she wanted to cry. Why did he have to be so sweet? So perceptive?
“I suspect your self-confidence has taken a major beating. I’m not going to assume or question why. However, if you care to tell me, I’m here to listen.”
The tears did start streaming then. Her struggles ceased, and she wrapped her arms around his neck to bury her head against his skin there. She felt him place her on the bed with the utmost care and crawl in beside her. Zack held her, stroking her hair as the words spilled out.
“My last boyfriend was abusive. I didn’t realize it until too late,” she explained. “Looking back, I don’t know how I didn’t see the signs. It started with emotional manipulation. Then it graduated to verbal digs here and there. It ended when he backhanded me one day.”
She heard the quick inhalation of Zack’s breath. Apparently she’d shocked him with her last sentence.
“Did you press charges? Tell me you did.”
“I did. I was naive, but I refuse to be a punching bag.”
His answer was to squeeze her tighter.
“How long did this go on?”
“We dated for a few months before he found a reason to move in. It was another four before he struck me. The whole relationship lasted only seven months, yet it was enough to undermine my confidence. Hence, the emotional overeating. I guess losing myself in the taste of something is easier than having to think about what a dumbass I was to let something like that happen to me.”
“No. You don’t get to blame yourself for what happened, Erica. Some people are skilled at manipulation and hiding their true nature. Believe me, I know. I went through the same with Christie.”
“The logical part of my brain knows that. It’s harder to get the rest of the brain on board.”
“Yeah. True enough.”
Seconds ticked by, then minutes. Still, he seemed content to just hold her, not demanding anything from her.
“Zack?”
“Hmm.”
“I don’t want us to be just a one night stand.” Her voice was barely above a whisper, but he still heard her.
“Is that what you really think is happening here?”
“I don’t know. I’ve been wrong before.”
“Not this time,” he replied.
Chapter Eight
Erica woke to sounds of male voices coming from the kitchen. Opening one bleary eye, she took note she was tucked all safe and snug in her own bed. Zack must have carried her back to her room before Jacob woke up. She smiled in remembrance of being held in his arms and the words he spoke to indicate he wanted more than a quick lay.
She could hardly fathom it. Zack Sharp wanted a relationship with her. The idea of it was enough to have her jumping up in a good mood for a change. After a quick wash of her face and brush of her teeth, she sauntered out to join the guys.
Seeing them sitting on the island and eating cereal made her heart lurch. Zack glanced up and caught her watching them. His welcoming grin had her own blooming across her face.
“Look at you. No coffee and yet not scowling. Has something miraculous happened or are we just special?” he teased.
“Something miraculous did happen. I met a wonderful boy by the name of Jacob yesterday. He doesn’t deserve my surly attitude. As such, I’ve decided to be on my best behavior,” she said, chin in the air. “However, when he leaves for school, all bets are off until I’ve had coffee.”
Zack jumped off the counter and retrieved the bowls for him and Jacob. “Teeth.”
“I already brushed them,” Erica said.
His laugh had her wanting to smack her head. He’d been talking to Jacob.
When she would have turned to flee back to her room, he snagged her around the waist and pulled her in for a soft, lingering kiss.
“Aww, Dad!” Jacob protested the mushy stuff.
“Go finish getting ready for school. I have to wish Erica a good morning.”
“Don’t I get to say good morning?” Jacob asked.
Both adults sputtered in disbelief and amusement, certain he didn’t mean what Zack had meant.
“Of course you do,” Erica said when she could tamp down her giggles. She opened her arms wide as invitation for the boy. He rushed to her and wrapped his skinny arms around her. Bending, she dropped a kiss on the crown of his head. “Good morning, Jacob.”
“Good morning, Erica. Can you take me to school?”
“How do you normally get to school?”
“Dad or Grandpa drives me. But you can today. They won’t mind.”
Over his head, she met Zack’s warm, blue gaze. One lifted brow asked a question, to which he nodded in return.
“I’ll tell you what. You go finish getting ready, and I’ll throw on something other than my pjs. We’ll meet back here in about five minutes, and I’ll ride along with you while your dad drives. Fair enough?”
The happy shout could be heard a mile away. Jacob ran to do his father’s bidding.
“You’ve made him ecstatic.”
“He’s a great kid, Zack. You’ve done so well.”
Erica wasn’t prepared when he hauled her back in his arms for a second deeper kiss. Her head was spinning when he finally released her. “Thank you.”
“If I get rewarded for compliments like that, you can be sure I’ll be coming up with them more often,” she said.
He chuckled and hugged her to him. “And you can be sure it’s no hardship doling out those rewards.”
“That’s what I’d hoped you’d say.”
“Go get dressed. We have just enough time to hit the drive-thru for your morning coffee.”
“You keep this up and I will be falling in love with you.”
“You’ve figured out my plan.”
“Don’t let your mouth write a check your butt can’t cash, my friend.”
“Oh, Erica,” he purred. “I have much better things to do with my mouth.” Her gulp caused another chuckle from him. He gave her a quick tap on the butt to get her in motion. “Go.”
Two days later, Erica’s sedan was sporting a fresh paint job and four new tires. While she had fun driving a rental car around, having her own vehicle back put her in a better frame of mind. She’d been in contact with her home owner’s insurance agent, and they assured her all damages to her home, minus her deductible, would be covered.
She’d spent the better part of the morning picking through what was left of her belongings. Stopping the tears had been near impossible. Her home had been cozy. Perfect for her in every way. Now it was a blackened shell of a structure.
Placing the last of the boxes in the trunk of her car, she’d moved to shut the garage door when a hard shove drove her to her knees. Thank God the overhead doors now had a sensor to stop if motion was detected or she’d have been decapitated.
She struggled to her feet. A quick scan of the area showed her assailant booking it down the sidewalk. There was no way Erica was in shape enough to catch up. With a quick internal debate whether to inform the police or not, she rejected the idea. What was there to go on but a medium sized person in a gray hoodie? Determining the sex of the person was out of the question. Instinct said female, but she couldn’t be sure.
In that moment, she decided to get serious about her future training. Had she been in even a smidgen of better shape, she could have been able to run her assailant down. And she definitely would’ve. These personal attacks were pissing her off.
A glance down showed her new jeans were torn at both knees. The burn of the air as it hit the open scrapes strengthened her resolve. Zack would love that sh
e was about to become a machine. She’d have to talk to him about self-defense classes. He would be able to direct her toward an excellent teacher.
As she once again closed the garage door, a pain in her side made itself known. She looked down to find blood soaking her sweater. What the hell? Lifting the hem, she saw the wound. Christ! She’d been stabbed! How had she not felt it go in? Erica applied pressure to her side and hollered for help. She’d managed to get to her car and sit down as a few of her neighbors came running up.
“Erica! Ohmygod, honey! You’re bleeding!”
Leave it to Mrs. Wilson to state the obvious. She was a kindly older woman, but she loved her gossip and drama.
“Yes, Mrs. Wilson. Could you please dial 911 for me?”
“I’ve got it covered, Erica,” stated John, her neighbor from across the street. He proceeded to whip out his cell and make the call.
Why Erica didn’t think to use her own cell, she’d never know. She was feeling a bit lightheaded so maybe she could blame it on the blood loss.
“They’re on their way. Is there anyone else you want me to call?” John asked.
As she gazed up into his concerned brown eyes, she was reminded of Zack and his many kindnesses to her to date. Each man had that something special which reassured whomever they were with.
“Thank you, John. Do you mind calling Workout World and asking for Zack Sharp? I don’t have the number so you’ll need to look it up. Ask him if he’ll meet me at the hospital,” she said, before thinking better of it. “On second thought, maybe you shouldn’t call him. I don’t want to bother him at work.”
His bushy brows shot up in surprise. His expression was the last thing Erica registered before the lights went out for her.
She came back to for a few moments in the ambulance, and then again in the emergency room. The hospital nurses asked the standard questions of name, date of birth, and allergies all the while wheeling her toward the operating unit.
An angry male voice was arguing with the staff about having access to a patient.
