The elevator ride to their floor was short and silent. Nicki didn’t know where to look and when her gaze accidentally landed on Zane’s face, she nearly fainted at the desire she saw etched there. Whatever doubts she might have about the foolishness of her decision to make love with him again were overshadowed by the fact that he wanted her just as much as she wanted him.
When the elevator doors opened, they exited and moved directly to the suite. Zane already had the key out. He pushed opened the door and she entered. He was right behind her. She heard the slap of the take-out containers hitting a table, but she was already heading for the bedroom. As she rolled, she reached down and pulled off her shoes, while shrugging out of her suit jacket.
That’s as far as she got. Zane caught up with her halfway across the bedroom and knelt in front of her wheelchair. Then his hands were on her face and he was kissing her with a desperation that made her heart break.
His warm, firm lips took as much as they offered. She tasted wine and a hint of the man himself.
At the first brush of his mouth, her breathing caught and she parted her lips for him instantly. When his tongue swept inside, touching her, teasing her, making her want with a force that should have terrified her, she ceased to need breath. As long as she had this man, as long as he touched her and allowed her to touch him, she would survive. This moment was enough. This world in which they were lovers was paradise.
“I want you,” he breathed as he kissed her cheek, her nose, her forehead. He cupped her head and gazed into her eyes. “Nicki.”
The sound of her name was as erotic as the most intimate touch. She shivered in anticipation of what was to come. Of how they would be together. She was already damp. She could feel the wetness on her panties. Her breasts had swollen, as had that most intimate part of her.
“Zane,” she whispered as she ran her fingers down his cheeks.
He wrapped his arms around her and drew her out of the chair and onto his lap. Leaning up against an oversized chair, he cuddled her close and kissed her.
These were slow, deep kisses. Kisses of preparation and exploration. Waves of sensation crashed through her as she struggled to get closer and closer. If only she could crawl inside of him, everything would be all right.
He kept one arm around her. His other dropped to her lap where his hand began a lazy exploration of her legs. While he nibbled on the corner of her mouth, then sucked her lower lip, he tickled the inside of her knee and slowly began to drift up her thigh.
For her part, she explored his broad shoulders, then began to unbutton his shirt. She wanted to feel bare skin against her own. She wanted to make his breath catch as much as her own.
“So beautiful,” he whispered as he rained kisses down her throat and across her collarbone. “So—”
The hand on her thigh froze. She felt a little jolt of her own as he crossed from the top of her stocking to skin.
He raised his head and looked at her. “What the hell are you wearing?”
She couldn’t help smiling at his tone of outrage. “What I always wear when I have to put on stockings. A garter belt.”
He swallowed, swore, then swallowed again. “You’re kidding?”
She shook her head. “Have you ever tried putting on panty hose while seated in a wheelchair? It’s just about impossible. I can’t stand up and all the wiggling in the world isn’t going to pull that waistband into place. I gave up years ago. Actually the whole stocking thing is the reason I prefer pants. But for business meetings, I’ll put on thigh-high stockings and a garter belt.”
Heat flared in his dark eyes. “You mean to tell me that every time I’ve been in a meeting with you and you’ve been in a skirt, you’ve had this on underneath?”
As he spoke he caressed her thigh and the garter belt clasp.
“Sure.”
He groaned. “Thank God I didn’t know.”
She looked at him. “What’s the big deal? It’s just underwear.”
“Nicki, it’s a whole lot of things, but ‘just underwear’ isn’t one of them.”
He shifted onto his knees, then still holding her, stood and walked to the bed.
“I’ll admit it’s completely adolescent, but I have to see,” he murmured as he placed her on the mattress and reached for the side zipper of her skirt.
The garment slipped off, and he stared at her. Nicki raised up on one elbow to see what all the fuss was about. To her the view was what it always was. Garter belt, panties and stockings.
“I don’t get the big deal,” she began, right as Zane bent over and pressed an openmouthed kiss to the top of her thigh.
Instantly overcome by need and weakness, she sank back onto the bed. Maybe it didn’t matter if she understood why it worked for him. Maybe the important information was that it did.
He nibbled higher, making her squirm when he tickled her tummy.
As he kissed his way north, he also reached for the front of her blouse and went to work on the buttons. Seconds later, he flipped open the front catch on her bra and took her right nipple in his mouth.
Glorious didn’t begin to describe the sensations filling her body. While he used mouth, lips and tongue to tease her into a frenzy, his hand matched the movements on her other breast. She gasped and writhed, clung to him, pressed closer and begged for more.
There seemed to be a direct connection between her breasts and that place between her thighs. Her legs fell open. She ached and wanted, even as she held him in place.
It was better than she remembered, which she didn’t think was possible.
They were both breathing hard. Nicki felt Zane tremble as he continued to touch her and she didn’t think she could hold out much longer.
“Get naked,” she whispered.
He didn’t need to be told twice. He stood up and grinned, then went to work on his clothes. Seconds later he stood before her, undressed and aroused.
She stared at his broad chest, at the pattern of dark hair that led down to his flat belly and the thick maleness jutting toward her. Had she been standing, she would have gone weak in the knees. As she was lying down, she was able to stay relatively in control.
She shifted back on the bed while he moved next to her. Then their hands were all over each other. While he traced the curve of her hip and the length of her leg, she stroked his back, his rear and the top of his thigh before settling her hand on him.
She rubbed back and forth, then slipped her thumb over the soft, velvety tip. His breath caught in a ragged gasp.
“So you want to play that game,” he whispered just before pressing an open kiss on the sensitive skin below her ear. His tongue flicked back and forth, causing goose bumps to break out on her arms.
At the same time he slipped a hand between her legs and moved his fingers through the swollen dampness. Now it was her turn to gasp, then writhe as he searched for and found that one place of pleasure.
Electricity jolted through her. She couldn’t do anything but close her eyes and let him please her. It was too much—it would never be enough. More, she thought desperately, unable to focus enough to speak the words.
Fortunately, Zane was able to read her mind. He shifted his hand so his thumb pressed against her most sensitive spot and his finger dipped inside. Then he moved both, delighting her, making her hips buck, her head fall back and her entire body tense in anticipation.
She was already so close. Too close. She wanted to tell him to wait, to let her savor the moment. She wanted to take her time. But it was too late.
As his thumb circled and his finger mimicked the act of love to follow, he claimed her with a kiss that touched her soul. Mouths pressed, breaths exchanged, she lost herself in the pleasure. Her release swept through her, a violent storm that battered her senses and left her shaking with ecstasy.
Zane continued to touch her, lighter and lighter until he barely brushed against her throbbing flesh. When she was able to finally open her eyes, she found him looking at her. Not smiling, not speaking, just watc
hing.
“Thank you,” he murmured at last.
His tender words made her eyes burn, but she blinked away the tears and reached for him. When he was inside, stretching her, filling her, making her reach again for the moment of release, she found that it was her turn to watch him. Even as pleasure claimed her a second time, she saw the tension in his face, the near grimace of his mouth as he pumped in and out, reaching for his own climax.
At that crucial moment, when they were both lost in the wonder of what their bodies could do together, their gazes locked. She saw down to his very essence and knew he had the same view of her.
For a split second, time stood still. Shy, bruised and lonely souls kissed in a moment of connection so profound, she had no words. This wasn’t just making love, Nicki thought, this was two becoming one.
They clung to each other until their bodies returned to normal. Then Zane rolled on his side, pulling her with him.
She braced herself for his casual response to what she’d considered a life-altering experience, but he didn’t speak. Instead he maneuvered them both under the covers, then pulled her close and stroked her hair.
Nicki knew it was crazy, but she had the overwhelming need to cry. She wasn’t sad—if anything she was more content than she’d ever been. But she was also terrified.
Something had happened. Something more scary than when she’d broken her legs and been told she wouldn’t ever walk again. Even as she lay there, safe in Zane’s embrace, she could feel something shifting inside. It was as if her heart were physically opening up and allowing him to be a part of her.
She hadn’t wanted to fall in love with him, but what if it was too late? What if she already had?
If she loved him, she would want him to love her back. If she loved him, then leaving and starting somewhere else wasn’t possible. Loving Zane would mean needing him as much as she needed air or food or sleep. He would weave himself into the very fabric of her being and then what? Would he love her back? And if he didn’t, how long would it be until he left and she had to learn to survive without him?
I love you.
The words hovered on her lips, but she didn’t speak them. Not yet. Maybe not ever.
Loving Zane. Could she be more of a fool? He was a man who never committed. He didn’t do long-term or forever. He did temporary and meaningless.
He kissed her forehead. “I want to stay here with you tonight.”
She nodded because speaking would mean saying what she was thinking. What she was feeling.
“Are you hungry?” he asked. “We have those dinners.”
She shook her head.
He sat up and looked at her. “What’s wrong? Are you okay?”
She was far from all right, but she wasn’t going to tell him that, either.
“Hold me,” she whispered.
“I am.”
“More. Hold me more.”
He slipped back down onto the mattress and wrapped both arms around her. She turned so she could lean her head against his shoulder and breathe in the scent of him.
“Shh,” he murmured. “I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere.”
She believed him. For tonight. But what about tomorrow and the rest of her life?
Chapter Nine
Nicki managed to get some sleep that night. By the next morning, she’d convinced herself that worrying about being in love with Zane was a subject best explored in the privacy of her own home…when she was alone. So when she felt him lightly tracing the length of her spine, she was able to turn toward him and smile.
“You snore,” he said as he kissed the tip of her nose.
“I do not.”
“Okay, you don’t, but you breathe deeply when you’re asleep. I’ll bet you’re going to snore when you’re an old lady.”
“Is this your idea of sweet talk the morning after?”
“Yup.” He grinned and got up. “So here’s the thing,” he said as he stretched. “It’s Wednesday.”
She admired the view of his very naked self and leaned back to enjoy the show. “I was aware of that, but thanks for sharing.”
“You’re welcome.” He plopped down on the edge of the bed, on her side. “We’re supposed to go back to Seattle this morning.”
“I know that as well.”
He was so close, she couldn’t resist tiptoeing her fingers across his bare leg. As she got closer to the promised land, the body part in question seemed to notice. There was a slight stirring, then it began to grow.
Zane glared at her. “I’m trying to have a serious conversation.”
“Oh, and we can’t do that if I’m doing this?”
She took him in her hand and moved back and forth along the rapidly hardening length. Then she fluttered her eyelashes at him.
“Not enough oxygen going to your brain?” she asked.
He closed his eyes and gave himself up to the caress for a couple of minutes, then grabbed her wrist. “I thought we’d save that for after breakfast.”
“Interesting plan, but we have a plane to catch.”
“Which is my point. I have a business trip on Friday. I have to fly to New York to meet with the prince and princess of El Bahar. They’re planning an extended trip to the States with their three children and they want to have local security to supplement whatever palace guards they’re bringing.”
She was having a little trouble tearing her attention away from his arousal. She couldn’t help thinking how much more pleasant this conversation would be with him inside of her.
“I fail to see how your business trip has anything to do with us doing the wild thing again.” She teased the very tip of him with her finger.
He sucked in a breath. “My point is I want to call Jeff and tell him we’re staying an extra day. The plane isn’t needed back. I don’t have anything pressing on my calendar, do you?”
One more day with Zane? One more night in this beautiful hotel before heading back to the real world?
“I like a man with a plan,” she said. “My calendar is blissfully empty.”
“Great.” He rose and collected bathrobes from the closet, then tossed her one. “You call down for room service while I check in with Jeff.”
He shrugged into the robe. After pushing her wheelchair to the edge of the bed and locking it into place, he picked up his jacket and dug around for his cell phone.
Nicki had a sudden thought. “What are you going to tell him?” she asked.
“That we want to celebrate the new contract by staying an extra day.”
She felt heat on her cheeks. “You can’t say that. He’s going to suspect something.”
“Like what?”
“Like we’re doing it.”
Zane grinned. “I swear that my business partner never wants to think about me doing it. Even if he were to find us naked on your desk, he wouldn’t want to think about it. Trust me. It’s a guy thing.”
That may be true, Nicki thought as Zane dialed the office, but what about Ashley? She knew what had happened before and if Jeff told her that Nicki and Zane had spent an extra night in L.A. she would be able to put all the pieces together.
“Please don’t share the completed puzzle with your husband,” Nicki whispered as she shifted into the chair, then wheeled to the desk for the room service menu.
As they’d both skipped dinner, they were starving by the time the breakfast cart was wheeled into their room. Zane signed for the charge while Nicki poured coffee and pulled lids off of dishes. There was very little conversation for the first few minutes, until they took the edge off their hunger.
Nicki took in the view, which included Zane and the open French doors behind him. It was a clear morning, with a brilliant blue sky.
“So Jeff didn’t want to know why we were staying?” she asked.
“He said we’d done great and to have a good time.”
She wasn’t sure she liked that. “What was his tone of voice? Was he joking?”
Zane pushed bac
k his plate and reached for his coffee. “I have no idea about his tone. He was fine, we’re staying an extra day, so let it go.”
Easier said than done. She didn’t usually skip workdays, which meant she had tons of vacation time built up. But as they were already here, she might as well enjoy herself.
“Come out onto the balcony,” he said. “We can sit in the sunshine for a few minutes.”
He led the way, then settled on a big cushion he’d brought out and leaned his shoulder against her legs. She held her coffee in one hand and stroked his hair with the other.
She wasn’t any less terrified than she’d been the night before, but she was learning to cope with the feeling of impending panic. When they returned to Seattle and she had a few days to herself, she would work out a plan. In the meantime, she would simply enjoy their time together.
Something soft brushed against her knee. She glanced down and saw Zane tracing the line of the scars on her leg.
“Do they ever hurt?” he asked.
“Not the scars. There are some achy places inside. If I exercise too hard, or use my braces for too long I can feel it.”
He turned and grinned at her. “These aren’t all that impressive.”
“Oh, you think not?”
He shrugged out of his robe and exposed his back to her. “Now that’s a scar,” he said.
She studied the long narrow line slicing by his shoulder blade. “A knife?”
“Wicked, huh?”
“Very nice.” There was another scar by his rib cage. “Gun shot?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Did you get these while you were in the Marines or are they from your previous life?”
He pulled the robe back over his shoulders and turned to face her. “I got them in the service.”
He didn’t talk about his past much, which made her wonder why. “Can you tell me what you did?”
His eyes clouded. “I was a sniper.”
Four simple words, yet they stunned her into silence. A sniper? She had a feeling that was a polite way of saying he’d killed people. But who and where? And who had shot back?
So many questions. Rather than ask them and spoil the day, she shifted to another topic.
A Little Bit Pregnant Page 11
