Zach grinned, pressing the accelerator and getting her there as fast as he could manage.
*****
The garage door whirred shut and Zach held the interior door open for Lucy. She eased past him, her shoes dangling from her fingers and clunking together. The bag was clutched in his hands, curiosity tugging at him as he placed it on the dining room table. He dumped his keys beside it and looked at her.
"You want to go through it now?"
Her gaze was frozen on the bag, her blue eyes looking a little wild. Finally she shook her head. "You know what, I don't. I don't want to know if we haven't pulled it off. I mean what if everything inside is worthless?
"It won't be."
Her sharp nose crinkled. "I just want to get clean. I feel so filthy, you know what I mean?"
He nodded, images assaulting him again. Sliding his hands into his pockets, he tried to hide his disappoint. He was desperate to tear those files apart, but he wouldn't do it without Lucy.
"I'm just gonna take a shower."
"Okay." He forced a smile.
Her lips looked sweet as they curved at the corners, before she dipped her head. Her tongue skimmed her lower lip and she looked up at him. "Do you want to join me?"
He glanced up, surprised. Her intense gaze pulsed with such pure yearning he couldn't have turned her down if he'd wanted to. Not that he wanted to!
Without saying a word, he walked towards her outstretched hand and gently clasped it. She led him up to the bathroom, leaning behind the curtain and turning on the shower before facing him.
The water hit the tub, a pattering rhythm that was somehow soothing. The room began to fill with steam. Lucy swallowed, her eyes not leaving his as she reached behind her neck and unclasped her dress. Zach's eyes followed the fall of the fabric drinking in her naked torso and skimpy knickers. He wanted to touch her so badly, but curbed the urge, instead unbuttoning his shirt and letting it slide off his shoulders.
Her enamored smile captured him as she slid off her panties and let him drink her in. With a wink, she stepped into the shower, disappearing behind the curtain. Zach joined her a moment later, his heart catching in his throat as he gazed at her. She was standing under the showerhead, her eyes closed, her head leaned back into the spray. Zach placed his hand lightly on her hips and moved beneath the hot water, pressing his chest against her slick body. The hot water combined with her soft skin made his flesh tingle. He reached for her neck with his mouth, gliding his tongue over her silky white skin, slowly exploring every inch of her as the water soaked into their bodies.
Their breathing increased with each touch, each kiss, their fervent desire mounting by the second. He pressed her against the tiles, melding their naked bodies against one another. He wanted her, that was more than obvious, but had she planned to go all the way tonight? He didn't want to assume a thing.
What if it was her first time?
This would only be his second. The title was stripped from him in a chaotic moment that was closer to a car wreck than a real experience.
As he trailed his lips over Lucy's cheek and kissed her soft mouth, he knew this would be entirely different.
"I want you." She touched him, making his brain short circuit.
His vision blurred as he sucked in a breath. "Are you sure?"
She opened her eyes and looked straight at him, the water trickling down her face like tears. "Yes. So sure." She smiled. "You're the one, Zach. My one and only."
His heart spasmed before taking off. Pressing his body against her, he flicked off the shower and mumbled against her lips. "We need a little something from my bedside table."
Her grin turned into a giggle as Zach stepped out of the shower, nearly slipping on the floor. She grabbed his arm and pulled him against her, their lips locking together as they stumbled across the bathroom floor.
They left a crooked line of wet footprints in their wake as they kissed their way to Zach's room and both made love for the first time.
Chapter 26
LUCY
I squeezed my eyes tight then slowly let them crack open. My brain did a little spasm as I took in the line of light stretching across the floor. It was morning...and I hadn't been woken by a nightmare.
Shifting my head on the human pillow beneath me, a luxurious smile stretched over my lips. I ran my hand across Zach's bare chest and took a quick peek under the sheet. Yep, still naked.
Every nerve in my body sizzled as the very idea of him touching me again sent spikes of desire shooting through my core. I shifted my knee over his legs so I could press my body against him.
My first time had been different to what I expected. I'd heard girls talk at school, I had an idea of how it all went, but I never imagined it would be so intimate and mind blowing. Zach had taken it slow, touching every inch of my skin. His lips and fingers had worked some kind of magic until my back had arched and my legs were a shaking mess. Then with a slow, lazy smile he'd become a part of me. Once again, he'd taken it slow, knowing it could hurt me. He obviously knew what he was doing. The fact he had condoms in his bedside drawers made me wonder how experienced he was, but then it suddenly didn't matter.
He'd filled me, he'd kissed me, watched me with an awestruck gleam in his eye. He kept checking to see if I was okay and then he told me he loved me. Hearing him whisper those words in my ear while he moved inside of me nearly made my heart explode.
After we'd finished and we could actually move our limbs again, he'd dragged me back to the shower and I couldn't help spending that time pleasuring him, which then led to him touching me and sending my senses hurtling to Mars all over again. I could have gone like that all night, but when he finally tucked me under his shoulder, I felt so secure I didn't want to move. Sleep had captured me in spite of my efforts to fight it, and now it was morning.
I grinned, my tongue skimming lightly over his nipple.
His moan was soft and pleasant, his body reacted to my touch before he'd even properly woken. I skimmed my fingers down his torso and a low chuckle reverberated through him.
His eyes slowly opened, his soft gaze filling me with that familiar security I basked in.
"Morning." I kissed his sleepy lips, enjoying the feel of his hand gliding up my body.
"Are you okay?" he murmured against my lips. Pulling back, his eyes studied me carefully. "Not too sore or anything?"
I touched his bottom lip with my finger and smiled. "Not too sore. Thank you for asking though."
"Last night was..." His face lit with a smile that melted me and I rolled on top of him, lavishing the feel of his naked flesh on mine.
"Last night deserves a repeat," I whispered, trailing my tongue over his Adam's Apple and sliding my body against him. His delicious groan made me giggle, but the sound was stolen as he rolled me onto my back and tucked himself between my legs. Conversation was lost to kisses. It was the best morning I had ever known.
*****
The sheets were a tangled mess around us. I wasn't even sure how we were supposed to get out of them, but I didn't care. Zach's lips were nestled against my neck, his warm body was the perfect blanket. That time had been even better than the night before and I couldn't help wondering if each time we did this it would be even more exquisite. I closed my eyes and softly sighed, wondering if we could spend the day finding out when a sharp knock sounded at the door, followed by the ringing doorbell.
I jerked beneath Zach as his head popped up. He scrambled for his watch and squinted at the time.
"Zach! You home, man?" Elliot's voice wafted in from outside.
Zach dropped his head with a whiny moan before blowing a raspberry into my neck. I squealed and started laughing as he did it again before slowly pushing himself off me.
"Time to face reality."
I reached for his face, running my fingers into his hair and pulling him back towards me for one final kiss.
The doorbell rang again, forcing our lips apart. Zach sat back, getting caught in the sheet
s and sliding off the bed. We tumbled to the floor in a laughing mess, trying to untangle ourselves. Finally Zach was free. I couldn't take my eyes off him as he quickly dove into some shorts and threw a T-shirt on.
"I hate to say this, because it's the last thing I want to see, but..." Zach winced. "You need to put some clothes on."
I grinned as he winked at me and left the room.
With a reluctant sigh, I finished untangling myself and shimmied out of the sheet. I always thought being naked with someone would be so uncomfortable. Talk about feeling vulnerable! I looked like a skeleton with flesh, something everyone around me was rapidly trying to cure. But the way Zach watched me with that gleam in his eye, just made me feel so beautiful that I almost felt free to walk down the stairs in nothing but my skin. I wouldn't of course, but I loved that I felt that way.
This was what I wanted...for the rest of my life.
Grabbing a baseball shirt from Zach's closet, I threw it on and pulled out a pair of his blue striped boxers, not even thinking about the statement it would make until I descended into the dining room.
Jaeda and Elliot were already at the table while Zach fluffed around the kitchen making coffee...something he actually did pretty well.
"So, she stayed then?" Elliot asked Zach. "You took so long to answer the door, I thought you might have run off with her."
I leaned against the wall and crossed my arms, feeling a touch nervous. What was Jaeda doing here?
"I stayed." I tucked a lock of hair behind my ear, needing something to do with my hands as they both spun to face me.
Jaeda's green eyes lit with a cheeky grin, her lips quirking to the side. "I can see that."
She looked back at Zach. I couldn't see her face, but the way he blushed gave me a good idea of how she was looking at him.
I cleared my throat and stepped into the room, trying to avoid Elliot's droll stare. It flicked towards Zach and my boyfriend mumbled, "Shut up, man."
Running my hand along the kitchen counter, I came to stand by Zach. His smile was too cute as he kissed me briefly and handed me two mugs of coffee. I walked back to the table and placed one in front of Jaeda.
"Thanks, Lucy."
My fingers froze, locked on her mug as she tried to take it from me. I braved a glance at her face and noticed her expression. Her eyes were etched with a look of deep sympathy as her lips quirked to the side. "Don't worry. You're secret's safe with me...with all of us."
I threw an accusing look at Elliot.
"I'm sorry!" He raised his hand. "She broke me."
"Yeah right." Jaeda gently tugged her coffee out of my grasp. "He was at AJ's less than five minutes before he broke down and told us everything."
Sliding into my chair, I wrapped my fingers around the hot mug, suddenly feeling cold. I didn't know what to say.
"We talked about it for like three hours straight. Elliot filled us in on everything he knew, so we know it all." Again with the sympathy. I looked away from it, because it hurt for some reason and felt more like pity than understanding. "We get it. We get why you didn't want to say anything." Her sympathy eased into a soft smile, but then her nose wrinkled. "I mean, I'm still annoyed that you put these guys in danger in L.A., but it was their choice to go. Elliot was pretty clear on that." Her eyebrows disappeared beneath her bangs as she threw a look across the table.
I nodded at Elliot, whispering my thanks before finally taking a sip of coffee. The warm liquid simmered through my insides, settling the jitters mounting within me.
Zach gave me a wink and leaned back in his chair, his gaze still a little hungry. I matched his expression, my eyes felt like they were on fire.
"Okay, would you guys stop. You're grossing me out. You're as bad as AJ and Liesl." Elliot glared at Zach. "If I'd known we were going to be interrupting a love-fest, I wouldn't have come." He threw his glare to Jaeda who just laughed at him.
My cheeks were on fire as I watched the exchange. I dipped my head and focussed on the black liquid in my cup.
"We tried to call you guys, but I can see you were pretty busy." Jaeda wiggled her eyebrows. "The reason we came over was to one...check you were okay and two...ask if you went to a party last night."
I caught Zach's gaze and gave him a stiff nod.
It was time.
"Yeah, we went," Zach said.
"How'd it go?" Elliot shifted in his seat, leaning into the table with an eagerness that surprised me. "Did you find a safe? What'd you manage to get?"
"We didn't find a safe, but we found a locked box." Zach glanced at me. "Things didn't go exactly how we planned and we had to kind of scramble in the end so we don't know exactly what we have yet." Reaching forward, Zach touched the bag in the center of the table. "But I think it's time to find out."
Chapter 27
ZACH
Zach kept a careful eye on Lucy as he reached for the bag. Her eyes were glassy as he pulled the bag towards him. Stretching out his leg, he ran his foot up her calf. She flinched and then gave him an apprehensive smile.
Opening the bag, he took things out, one by one, laying them on the table.
"Do you think your uncle should be here for this?" Elliot tapped the table.
"Good point." Zach finished lining everything up and reached for his phone, sending a quick text. Before he'd even sat back down at the table, Alex had responded.
With a chuckle, Zach shook his head. " Let's get started. He's only ten minutes away. "
Lucy's eyes rounded and Zach wondered if she was imagining him arriving earlier and finding them in bed together. He squashed his smile and focused back on the pile of things in front of him.
None of them wanted to move or touch any of it. They were all subtly watching Lucy, waiting for her to make the first move. Finally she reached for her father's laptop, running her finger over the yellow smiley face sticker with a sad smile.
"Elliot do you think you can have a look at this? It was my dad's," she said softly.
"Sure." His reply was gentle, as was his smile. Zach could see she was holding her breath as Elliot lifted the lid and turned the machine on.
Nothing happened, making Zach's chest deflate, but Elliot was soon scrambling for a power cord and a few minutes later the computer clicked and whirred, taking its time to start up. Zach reached for the file he'd started going through the night before. Now that he had decent light, he could easily read the documents and basically had no idea what they really meant. They were bank statements, but they all looked legitimate, so why were they hidden away? Tenner had investments in various local businesses in the San Francisco Bay Area. He donated heavily to a charity Zach had never heard of and he also had a trust fund set up for Billy. Zach frowned as he scanned the documents, trying to find patterns or inconsistencies. Maybe Uncle Alex would have a better idea.
Elliot had started clicking away at the laptop.
"Any idea what his password might be?"
"Um...." Lucy shook her head. "Try, Edith or Edith71 or Edith92, maybe."
"Birth year and wedding year?" Jaeda asked as she reached for a small bag on the table.
"Yeah." Lucy cleared her throat, watching Jaeda carefully as she unsnapped the bag and let the emerald necklace fall into her hand.
"This is so beautiful." Jaeda held up the gold chain, admiring the large emerald with a smile.
Lucy opened her mouth to reply, but was interrupted by Elliot. "Nope, none of those."
"Um..."
"How about a pet name? Did you guys have a cat or anything?"
"No." She shook her head.
"Did he have a nickname for your mom or you?"
Scratching her eyebrow, Lucy closed her eyes, looking pale. "He used to call me Lulu."
Zach rubbed her ankle with his foot again, knowing how hard this must be for her.
"When were you born?"
"February '96."
Elliot's lips bunched as he tried out a few combinations. Zach kept his gaze on Lucy, wondering if she could handle
this.
"Bingo."
Her head popped up, her eyes wide as she looked at Elliot. "Lulu was his password?"
"Lulu, exclamation point, 9602."
Her lips quivered with a smile as tears built in her eyes. They didn't have time to fall though, because the doorbell rang, making them all jerk.
It was a testament to how on edge they were all feeling. Zach let out a nervous chuckle as he rose from his seat and opened the door for Uncle Alex.
"So did you get anything good?" He whipped off his shades as he walked into the room, giving a cursory wave to each person at the table.
"We're just going through it now." Zach slipped back into his chair while Alex went to stand behind Elliot.
"What's Carrots doing here?"
"Hey! I—" Her offended reply was cut short by one of Alex's sexy smiles, he added extra punch to it with a quick wink that had Jaeda's cheeks blooming with color. She went back to studying the necklace, running her thumb over the gem.
Everything dropped to a quiet murmur as Alex and Elliot fiddled with the laptop, Zach studied the files and Jaeda admired the stone. Lucy remained stiff and awkward, her curiosity obviously not quite strong enough to rifle through other random papers they had haphazardly shoved in the bag.
"So, why was this in the lock box?" Jaeda asked.
"I'm not sure," Lucy murmured. "It was my mother's. Dad gave it to her for her birthday...about two weeks before they died. She loved it and wore it everyday."
"Hmm," Jaeda raised it up to the light, unable to take her eyes off it. "My grandparents used to own a jewelry store. I used to love sitting with my grandpa as he assessed these gorgeous gems and told me all about them. He used to..." She frowned, squinting at the stone. "Is this a real emerald?"
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