by Anne Conley
Within seconds, Bonnie’s chin glistened with dog slobber, and Shania was out in the small yard doing her business.
“She’s beautiful.”
“Yeah, she’s awesome.” Shania kept Zack company most of the time, and she was amazing when he started feeling sorry for himself. “I’ll keep her around a while.”
When his golden retriever had finished, they all went inside, Shania fastening herself to Bonnie’s side.
“She’s a PTSD service dog, but I ended up with her.” Zack went into the kitchen to find a bottle of wine he knew he had somewhere. “That’s why she’s sticking by you. She can smell you’re upset or something. Dog magic or some shit.” He felt around the back of his lower cabinet, finally finding the bottle of red he had saved. “Is this good? You want a glass?”
“Yeah, but can I use your shower first? I feel really dirty for some reason. I think I need to wash that sex club off me.”
He heard her words, but he also understood them. She needed to wash Jonas off her. Nodding, his teeth ground together almost painfully. “Yeah, let me show you where everything is.”
He led her into the bedroom where the master bath was, everything wide open for wheelchairs. The one thing about this apartment was the shower—it was amazing. There were seats everywhere and nozzles pointing at them. There was also a Jacuzzi tub Zack indulged in more than he would ever admit. “I’ll get you something to wear.”
Everything was awkward now. At least, Zack thought so. He couldn’t see Bonnie to judge her facial expressions, but her voice and all her noncommittal answers of agreement were telling. She didn’t know what to expect tonight, either.
And for some reason, he still had this erection but didn’t want to be an ass and expect her to deal with it. For all he knew, it was no longer Viagra-induced; instead, it could purely be due to Bonnie’s proximity.
Going back to the kitchen, he ignored her low moans as the water sluiced across her skin in the shower. The walls were too thin, he could hear everything. His cock throbbed with awareness while he dug around in his fridge for some cheese, then found some crackers in the cabinet.
Slamming the cabinet door, he realized how frustrated he was. Zack was a coward. He was too chicken shit to tell Bonnie his true feelings, and here he was hiding behind his job when he should be loving her. He’d had countless women since Bonnie, yet she was the one he’d always wanted. Why couldn’t he just be straight with her?
Shania was a constant presence next to him as he walked around his apartment setting snacky things on the table next to the couch in the living room and pouring the wine. He poured some food in her dish, hoping she would eat for a while and not be a pest while he talked to Bonnie.
When the shower shut off, Bonnie didn’t waste any time dressing and coming out to the living room. Zack had laid out some of his clothes for her to wear, not that he could see the amazingness of Bonnie wearing his clothes, but he could imagine it.
“You said you had wine?” She laughed as she said it, but Zack knew she probably needed a drink or ten.
“Yeah. And I found some stuff to snack on, too. I don’t know if the wine’s any good, I’m more of a beer guy, but here.” He waved to the side table and felt more than heard her move past him and plop down on the soft cushions. “Uh, I’d like a quick shower. Help yourself. Shania is a very good listener if you want to talk to her. And no, as much as I wish she did right now, she doesn’t have a mic in her collar.” He flashed a grin and left to go clean himself.
He was going to try to rub one out, or six, so maybe he could think straight for a change tonight.
Chapter Eleven
Bonnie knew Zack was on edge; he wasn’t his usual jokester self. Of course, not having spent any time with him in years, maybe he wasn’t a jokester anymore at all. When he got out of the shower, he looked more refreshed, but there were still dark circles under his eyes.
She patted the sofa next to her. “Come sit, drink with me. This wine is really good.” The lights were dim in the living area, and she assumed he didn’t turn them on to full brightness when he was home alone. What would be the point? If he knew his way around here, he wouldn’t need to see shadows and stuff. “Let’s catch up,” she offered weakly.
Zack let out a slight scoff as he sat next to her, not lowering his body so much as falling onto the sofa. “Are you hurt?”
“Not for long,” Zack grunted. “I took some real Aleve, so maybe it’ll stop in a minute.”
She couldn’t stop from looking at his crotch in the gym shorts he was wearing, and sure enough, there was still an erection. Not as big as it had been, but it was still there. It probably wouldn’t take much to come back to its full glory.
Her mouth went dry at the thought, and she changed the subject.
“Is your mom doing okay? After your dad …?” That was a question to ask, not knowing how much it had affected him and having missed all of it.
He leaned his head back and closed his eyes. “Yeah, I guess. Other shit has come to light since he died, and I’m still dealing with it.”
He looked so vulnerable, sitting there, just enough space between them to not touch, but it seemed like a chasm. Bonnie closed the distance and reached for his hand, wishing it would be that easy.
He entwined his fingers with hers, turning his palm over and rubbing his thumb along the side of her hand.
“Dad had an affair back before I was born. He was two-timing Mom. When he found out she was pregnant with me, and they tested for this blind bullshit, he picked Mom to support over the other woman. It’s been really fucked up coming to terms with the fact my dad was a two-timing douchebag who left a single mom to raise a kid alone because of me.”
“Oh, Zack.” Bonnie wanted to take him in her arms and just hug the crap out of him but knew he probably wouldn’t want that. But it was a heavy burden to carry, knowing somebody else struggled because of you. “How did you find out?”
He opened his eyes and stared straight ahead. “That’s the ironic part. Deena Rae, the new girl at the office, started dating the guy. He’s known who I am for a while now, and after a whole bunch of shit went down after a case, he told me.” Zack was squeezing her hand, hard. “But he’s a really cool dude. The fuck all of it is, we’d probably be really good friends otherwise.”
“You can’t be friends with him?”
“I can. He put the ball in my court. It’s up to me, but he’s known about this his entire life. I just found out. I’m still trying to wrap my head around it all.”
“What are you going to do?”
He turned his head to the side and looked at Bonnie. At that moment, it seemed like he could really see her. His eyes focused intently on her lips, and she licked them unconsciously. The air between them thickened, and when he spoke next, Zack’s voice was lower, husky almost.
“Kiss you. I’m going to kiss you next. I’m exhausted from ignoring us and pretending all night.”
He turned slightly on the couch and cupped her neck with his hand, pulling Bonnie toward him. She went easily, not fighting the attraction she’d always felt. When their lips met, it was different from every other kiss they’d shared.
It started slowly, as Bonnie and Zack reacquainted themselves with one another. The way their lips moved across each other, familiar, yet different somehow. Then Zack sucked her bottom lip into his mouth and bit down until she moaned. He came back with a determination. His hand tightened on her neck, while his other went to her waist, bending her slightly as his mouth gained traction on hers. Nibbling and suckling, tongues swirled, gaining and giving way to domination. Their mouths danced together in something new.
Then it all changed.
“Where is this going, Bon-Bon?” Zack asked raggedly between kisses, his voice hoarse.
“As far as you want it to go.”
She giggled as Zack started eagerly stripping her. Off came her top—his t-shirt actually—and he filled his hands with her breasts as he moaned his appreciation.<
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“Fuck … your sweet tits.” He seemed to be speaking to himself, but then he started talking to her tits. He held one up to his face. “I missed you so much.” He took the nipple into his mouth and swirled it around his tongue, flicking it and nibbling. Releasing it, he focused his attention on the other. “And you. You’ve always been my favorite. But shhh … Don’t tell Wanda.” Then, he paid that one the same attention he’d paid the other, if not more.
“You named my tits?” Bonnie giggled breathlessly, each pull of his mouth on her flesh sending a shockwave to her core.
“Of course.” He looked up like she was the weird one. “What? It’s a thing.” Zack dipped his head and took one into his mouth, plumping her other breast until her nipples were almost painfully engorged peaks. She murmured a whole lot of nonsense. Unbelievably sensitive, she grabbed fistfuls of his hair and tugged. They were still on the couch in his living room, Shania having been relegated to the floor, but she watched them carefully.
Bonnie let out a giggle. “Shania is entertained.”
Zack lifted his head, her breasts spilling over his hands as he toyed with them while he thought. “I guess I want this in my bed the first time. Not rutting on the couch like horny teenagers. We’ve done that before. I want this time to be something new.”
Bonnie didn’t have the words to speak to tell him it was new. They were adults now, they both had actual experience—not that she had a ton—but there was an element of lovemaking this time, not fucking. It was a reconnection she was looking forward to.
Or at least hoping for. Needing. Bonnie couldn’t forget the deep-rooted fear that Zack would just walk away again.
Zack lurched off the couch and held his hand out to Bonnie to help her up. Swallowing her doubts, she went, and Shania started prancing around and wagging her tail.
“Lady wants privacy, Shania. Go to bed.” Zack said the words gently, and Shania wagged her tail while going to a large crate in the corner and curling up.
“Wow.”
Zack gently pushed Bonnie toward his room. “We can talk about my dog later, I promise.”
His bedroom was every bit as Spartan as the rest of his apartment, but still comfortable. As she sprawled on Zack’s bed, he started stripping his clothes off before grabbing her ankles and yanking her to the edge of the bed. Zack ran his hands up her legs, yanking off her borrowed sweats with little effort before delving his fingers inside her.
He bent back over her and pulled a nipple into his mouth with a groan. He felt amazing. His hands went to work down below while his mouth worked her breasts, one after the other.
“God, I want to be everywhere.” His words, spoken in the heat of the moment, sent something rough and dark coursing through her bloodstream.
He had her pants down around her ankles and his hand spanning her back in a heartbeat, and the next thing she knew, Zack was licking her sex like his life depended on it.
“Ahhh, fuck!” Bonnie bedsheets like a maniac and couldn’t for the life of her think straight. He had his mouth on her, licking her folds, clamping down on her clit, while his fingers gripped her ass and spread her for his satisfaction. He had learned a thing or two.
“Spread wider, Bon-Bon. Yeah, that’s it,” he cooed at her. She didn’t want to think about his face down there, and she didn’t have to because his mouth was making her forget everything.
In a matter of seconds, she came with a scream, and then he had her flipped, the tearing of a foil wrapper filling the room. Bonnie barely had time to register the disappointment of not feeling him against her before he was pressing inside her, filling her, stretching her. Every hard ridge of that mammoth erection she’d been eyeballing all night was finally stroking her, and she didn’t know her name anymore.
“Fuck, Bonnie. So goddamned tight,” he gritted out through clenched teeth. She almost laughed. She was practically revirginized, it had been so long since she’d had sex. As Zack worked his way inside her, pulling out and pressing back in a little deeper, she continued stretching to accommodate him.
This was what she’d been needing tonight. This is what she’d been needing for years. She’d been needing this with Zack. Nobody else.
Zack was grunting and groaning his pleasure as he squeezed her ass and snaked a hand up her back.
He started a wild slamming, and it was rocketing her straight out of control. At this rate, she was going to climax again, and that had never happened. Even with Zack. He’d grown up a little in that department. Bonnie refused to dwell on where he’d sharpened his skills. That was a talk for another time.
Wrapping a fist around her hair, Zack yanked her head back, pulling her against his chest. Whispering in her ear, he said, “Bonnie, you’re everything.” Still pumping and thrusting inside her, his other hand found her nipple. She flew apart, completely shattered.
Zack continued pistoning in and out of her, faster now as he reached his own climax. Bonnie’s legs were like Jell-O and she was pretty sure she’d blacked out a little. The vision around her eyes was a little gray, but she could still feel him, hard as anything, as he pounded in and out of her flesh.
He thrust once more, harder than before, and stilled as he pumped hot jets of cum into her walls. It was a seemingly never-ending stream, the heat warming her from the inside out. Without pulling out of her, Zack lowered himself onto her back and rolled over to the side, cradling her into his arms.
“Everything,” he muttered before falling asleep.
Totally content, Bonnie did the same.
Chapter Twelve
Bonnie heard the clanking of metal from the gym as she and Zack got off the elevator at Pierce Securities. He grabbed her hand and squeezed, and she took all the comfort his gesture offered. He didn’t let go as he led them through the offices to the gym where Simon, Quinten, Ryan, and Evan were waiting for them.
Simon and Quinten zeroed in on their clasped hands as Bonnie and Zack walked in with Shania, but they didn’t say anything. They did stop their workout, though—Quinten propping himself against the wall by the punching bag, and Simon putting his weights back on the bar and sitting up on the edge of the bench. Evan dropped from the pull-up bar, and Ryan stopped the treadmill, each one grabbing a folding chair and making a sort of circle to sit in.
Bonnie and Zack followed suit while everyone studied them. It was a bit disconcerting. She knew Ryan from last night, but only knew Evan a little bit, having met him once at some barbecue and again at the benefit dinner months ago. Introductions were made, and Bonnie officially met the men of Pierce Securities.
“We need to all be on the same page.” Simon began the impromptu meeting that had been called. “Before we start, you all should know, Andrew’s been fired. He could have compromised the assignment last night with his little stunt. I’m sorry things got that far, Zack. I should have realized he wasn’t a good fit from the get-go.” Bonnie almost did a double-take. Simon didn’t apologize often, only when he was really, really wrong. She looked over at Zack’s face, and his jaw was practically on the floor. He was gobsmacked at the admission, too. Smiling, she continued to watch her big brother in his element.
Hollerman spoke without reacting to Simon’s words, clearly not realizing how strange they were. “I have a contact on the force who can get him for solicitation to engage in prostitution, if y’all are interested in going that route.” His grin was telling, and Bonnie wondered exactly who all this Andrew character had pissed off to get everyone against him like this. She didn’t want to be on Pierce Securities’ bad side.
Simon ignored him, but Bonnie noticed Zack tilted his head in Hollerman’s direction, his jaw ticking as he contemplated it.
“I got us here so we can compare notes and give Evan something to work with. Macy’s home, safe, for the time being, until she finds another guy to run off with. I was told the reunion wasn’t the flowers and balloons the cops are used to in these situations, so we’ll have to see what comes of it.” Turning to Bonnie, Simon focused his
laser eyes on her. She’s seen that look before and steeled her spine for it. “Ryan said some guy threatened you last night, and you knew him.” His eyes softened, which was another shocker to Bonnie. Seeing a different side to her brother in his professional environment was a novelty. “Jonas?”
She nodded, swallowing hard. She so did not want to go through all this again.
“Ryan said he had a gun to your head?”
Zack stiffened next to her and squeezed her hand so hard it hurt. She looked over at him and saw his teeth gritting together, the muscles of his jaw taut. Shania whimpered and rested her head in his lap as Zack buried his other hand in the scruff of her neck. Bonnie marveled at the animal’s innate need to comfort him, even when he hadn’t said a word. Simon cleared his throat pointedly, drawing her focus back to her brother.
“Yeah, he said he was busy with something last night and would come back for me. He showed me the papers I filled out to get into the club and said he’d see me later.”
Simon gave Quinten a death glare but continued in his even tone, “I’m so sorry you’ve been dragged into this again. I would do anything to keep you out of it.” He let out a long sigh that sounded a little like a groan. “Okay, Evan, you get everything you can on this asshole. Jonas Prestley? Find out everything you can about him.”
Evan nodded, all business. “I already found one thing this morning after you called me. We know he owns the club, so I started there.” He paused for effect, but Simon’s impatience was shining like a beacon as his jaw flexed. “He’s Senator Lawrence’s son.”
“Motherfucker,” Ryan let out under his breath. “I knew we should have nailed him to the wall when we could.”
Evan was the voice of reason. “But we couldn’t. This is our chance.” Standing, he continued, “I’ll go work on this some more.”
Simon leveled his eyes on Bonnie, and she squirmed under his gaze. It was the big brother, you-will-not-argue-with-me look. “You’re not staying by yourself. I don’t want you at work, I don’t want you anywhere without supervision.”
