by Ryanne Corey
Anna gave him a shaky little smile, still sensitive to the bright and demanding feelings thick in the air between them. She knew he cared enough to leave when he wanted to stay. Surprise and tenderness ran through her like a bubbling fountain. “Good night, then.”
His cue to leave. Slowly Zack walked backward out of the studio, holding her in his eyes as long as he possibly could. And when he reached the doorway, he dipped his head, draping his hand over his eyes with a gesture of mock weeping. “You have no idea how hard this is.”
“I think I do,” Anna said softly.
He looked up, peeking through his fingers. His grin grew; so did hers. His hand dropped and he stared at her for a few more seconds, warring with himself. He knew there was a very good reason to return to his room and behave himself. Unfortunately, it was difficult to remember what that reason was. His passion stayed with him like the whispered fragrance of her perfume, making his reluctant chivalry acutely painful.
“Do you think there’s going to be an ‘us’?” he asked suddenly, seizing on a topic that would keep him near her. “Since that first moment at the store in Providence when you literally fell into my arms, I can’t stop wondering.”
Neither can I, Anna thought. But she only said, “Nighty-night, Mr. Romantic Policeman.”
“When you look at me like that…” Zack muttered, “all I want is to…”
“All you want is…?”
“Nothing. Never mind. I have to leave now, fast.”
And he did.
Restless and wide awake after Zack had left her, Anna wasn’t able to sleep until nearly 4:00 a.m. She couldn’t forget that she was alone in the house with him. He slept directly below her, so disturbingly near. Throughout the night her mind continually strayed to him, lingering on the memories of the past two days. She got barely three hours’ sleep before the rosy light of a brand-new sunrise slanted through her bedroom window, nudging her back to awareness.
Fortunately, she had always been one who could get along with very little sleep. She showered and changed into beige shorts and a navy-blue baby T-shirt, leaving her wet hair loose to dry. Bright-eyed and eager to meet a new day, she went to the kitchen and fixed herself a typical “Anna” breakfast: a can of cola and a whole lot of brown sugar garnished sparingly with oatmeal. She hummed beneath her breath as she popped her brown sugar/oatmeal in the microwave.
Zack Daniels was here with her, in her world, in her life, in her house. Her funny little smile belonged to him, to that thought.
Looking out the kitchen window, she could see it was the perfect weather to run barefoot through the cool, dewy grass, and she fought against the urge to go upstairs and wake him up to enjoy the sunrise. Still, Zack didn’t know her all that well, and she did have certain idiosyncrasies that not everyone understood. Not too long ago her friend Frank had dropped by for breakfast. Anna had made the mistake of asking him to play Frisbee with her on the back lawn. Frank had immediately gone into “distinguished judge mode,” looking at Anna as if she had a screw loose. Some men had problems with letting their hair down.
Anna had a sneaking suspicion that Zack would enjoy a good game of Frisbee, but it was not yet 7:00 a.m. and they’d had a late night. She generously decided she would allow him to sleep in a bit. When he woke up, she would offer him her very last Pop-Tart, a generous gesture indeed. Until she went into town and did some marketing, her options were somewhat limited. Besides, who didn’t enjoy a nice Pop-Tart?
Her plan had been to spend some quality time in the porch swing, musing on her situation with Zack and Kyle, emphasis on Zack. Anna was beginning to wonder if she hadn’t taken a flying leap from the frying pan into the fire by bringing Zack home to discourage Kyle, yet she felt remarkably happy. Something was indeed happening to her, and it felt like something very good. She would enjoy her breakfast while she relived last night’s…sigh…kiss.
But as she headed out the front door, she could see that the porch swing was already occupied.
Zack was seated with his bare feet propped up on the porch railing. He was wearing a pale-blue denim shirt hanging open over his jeans, looking like a rumpled Tom Sawyer. She was surprised at the surge of unexpected emotion that simply seeing him inspired, unable to control the goofy smile that had taken over her lips. Her curiosity about the man was running unchecked, and every moment she spent in his company piqued that curiosity even more. She doubted there was a woman in the world who could be kissed by him and not be permanently branded. He was like a candy bar, only bigger, longer-lasting and addictive. A lovely, luscious, industrial-size Snickers bar.
“It’s about time,” Zack commented, not taking his eyes off the rosy sunrise. “What a lazy girl you are, sleeping this late. I’ve been waiting for you to come out and play with me.”
Anna laughed when she realized he was actually serious. “How long have you been waiting for me?”
“All my life,” Zack replied immediately, breaking into a cherubic smile that put the sunrise to shame. Finally he allowed himself to look at her, something he had been wanting to do all night. Her hair was damp, spreading clingy wet patches on her thin T-shirt. Her bare, bronzed legs were long, toned and well-suited to a Coppertone commercial. He ate her with his famished eyes. She was blue-eyed ambrosia.
Sweet Anna was bewitching, a woman whose natural beauty was only complemented by morning light. Just as he had suspected. She deserved a treat, he thought, for being wonderful. He pulled a candy necklace out of his front jeans pocket, the last souvenir of their memorable stay at Appleton’s. “In the past couple of days, I kind of noticed you have a thing for sugar, so I brought this along for you.”
Anna grinned, licking the sugar off the back of her spoon. “Thank you. I’ll save it for dessert. I’m impressed—Mr. Romantic Policeman is also thoughtful and unselfish.”
“You forgot good-looking,” Zack remarked sadly, knowing very well he wasn’t exactly a picture of beauty with his unshaven face. He’d managed to shower, but he’d been too anxious to see Anna again to take time to shave.
“Oh, good-looking goes without saying. And since you were so nice to bring me a treat, I’ll share my oatmeal with you.”
“You’re a wonderful hostess, and I’m very glad you’re finally awake. So…wanna play a game?”
“That depends on the game.” Smiling, she nestled in the swing beside him, tucking one bare leg beneath her. It felt good, like they’d been sharing a porch swing for years. “I’ve never met anyone who loved to play like you do.”
“You sound like Captain Todd. He says everyone else on the force is an adult, but I’m merely in disguise. Can you believe it?”
Her smile grew to a grin. “Maybe he’s just jealous of how much you enjoy your life.”
“I love the way you think. You see, life is a very short walk from the cradle to the grave, and I’ve always believed you should pack in as much quality time in between as possible. It’s all in your attitude.” Zack basked in her incredible smile, wondering if he would ever become immune to it. To distract him from those kissable lips, he reverted to one of his favorite childhood pursuits. “I noticed you have a lot of clover in your lawn. There’s bound to be some magic in there somewhere.”
She stared at him, her spoon frozen in midair. Last night had left her with a very erotic interpretation of magic. “What do you mean?”
He read her mind, grinning. “Four-leaf clovers, duh. They’re a cop’s best friend, next to his gun. Finish up your oatmeal, Anna. We’re going hunting for some luck.”
The morning was warm, the air gentle with sea breeze and floating wisps of apple blossoms. Thinking back, Anna couldn’t remember ever playing games as a child. She had grown up much too quickly, and there were always things to worry about besides entertainment. Oddly, since meeting Zack, her whole life felt like a wonderful game. The satisfaction didn’t come from playing chess or Candyland or hunting for lucky four-leaf clovers, but from simply being in his company. Zack had a confident, cont
agious masculine charm that somehow transformed mundane, everyday living into a grand adventure. He never seemed to be bored, and heaven knew he was never boring. From Appleton’s to McDonald’s to the little town of Grayland Beach, Zack Daniels lived life double-time, and he’d been kind enough to take Anna along for the ride.
Fortunately, she’d finally learned what is was to have been unconditionally loved by her adoptive parents, but her supposedly “carefree” childhood days had been long gone by then. At the ripe old age of twenty-six, it felt wonderful to relax and try her hand at being a child. Still, when Anna looked into Zack’s eyes and saw the sensual awareness teasing her there, she remembered that not everything between them was innocent.
Anna had no sense of time passing until a familiar four-door sedan pulled up in front of her house, distracting her from carving her initials with Zack’s handy-dandy Swiss Army knife in the bark of her apple tree. She let out a little whimper, watching Carrie get out of the driver’s seat and Kyle climb out from the passenger side. Davy and Frank scrambled out from the rear seat. It was too early for a confrontation, but it seemed she had no choice. Kyle had apparently rallied the troops.
“Good Lord,” Zack said with horror, his resentful gaze sticking immediately on Kyle. “It’s like one of those clown cars where they never stop climbing out. You have way too many friends, kiddo.”
“Try to behave yourself,” Anna whispered out the side of her mouth, at the same time reaching out to hug Carrie. “Hey! Long time no see.”
“I can’t believe you’re back!” Carrie replied, returning the hug. “I was so happy when Kyle told me you had come back early. Did you have a good time in San Francisco?” Her smiling brown eyes slid to Zack. “My, oh, my. It certainly looks like you had a good time.”
“I did?” Anna asked blankly. Then, when Zack nudged her by stepping on her toes, “Ouch. Oh, yes. Yes, I…well, I met Zack there, and you know how it goes. Things happen. Plans change.”
Carrie smiled at Zack, sticking out her hand. “I owe you big-time if you’re the reason Anna came back early enough to help me with the wedding. I’m Carrie Wagner.”
“Zack Daniels.” Zack dispensed with the handshake, giving Carrie a brief hug instead. She was nearly as tall as he was, with short, flyaway butterscotch hair and soft Bambi eyes. She also sported a healthy dusting of freckles on her sun-kissed cheeks, which Zack thought were adorable. But best of all she was the reason he’d been invited to come to Grayland Beach in the first place. “I like you already. We’re going to be friends.”
At that moment Kyle got in his face, blocking Zack’s view of his new friend Carrie and irritating him greatly. “The veterinarian is back,” he said flatly. “Whoopee.”
“I told my friends all about you, Zack,” Kyle replied. “They really wanted to meet you.”
Judging by the suspicious looks on the surrounding faces, Zack figured he’d been painted as some kind of serial killer. “It’s awfully early in the morning for a lynching. I’m flattered you were all so anxious. You know, Kyle, you didn’t tell me last night how adorable your fiancée was.”
Kyle had the grace to flush. “We didn’t have much time to talk last night. But you’re right, Carrie is wonderful.”
“You’re a lucky man,” Zack went on, delivering an unmistakable message with his hard gray eyes. “Why is it we don’t always appreciate our blessings, I wonder?”
“Too early in the morning for deep thoughts,” Anna interrupted quickly, stepping between them. She felt like a defenseless little kitty-cat between two snarling pit bulls. She grabbed for Davy’s hand and tugged him into the little group. “Zack, you haven’t met everyone. This is Davy. I told you about him—he’s a cover model for romance novels. Very much in demand, by the way. The ladies love him, especially when his shirt is off.”
“Please,” Davy muttered. “Don’t do that to me. I was curious to meet you, Daniels. I’ve known Anna since I was in high school. Her late father was my football coach. I was a lineman.” Then, with an unmistakable note of challenge in his voice: “Protection, that’s what I learned from Carson Smith. Guard your quarterback, that’s always been my motto.”
“Frank,” Anna called desperately, depending on her old friend’s good manners and maturity to smooth over the ruffled feathers. “I need you.”
A gray-haired fellow in a spotless peach-colored golf shirt and perfectly creased slacks stepped forward, shaking Zack’s hand. “I’m certain Anna has spoken about me,” he said in a perfectly clipped, radio announcer’s deep voice. “My name is—”
“No, no, wait,” Zack said, grinning widely. “You’ve got to be the lawyer.”
“I am a judge,” he intoned, reminding Zack forcibly of Charlton Heston playing Moses in The Ten Commandments. “Judge Franklin Archibald Carstairs.”
“But you were a lawyer before you were a judge,” Zack replied innocently, “right? I have this thing about lawyers. I can spot them a mile away. So, does anyone here want to check me for clean underwear or inspect my teeth? I don’t mind, really. You can investigate me from top to bottom. That’s what they did before I was accepted into the police academy, and I passed with flying colors. I can even have my credit report sent up if you’d like.”
Davy glared at Kyle as if to say, He’s not the spawn of Satan you told us he was. “You got me up at eight o’clock on a Saturday morning for this? To meet a policeman you think is untrustworthy?”
“I’ve died and gone to hell,” Anna said sadly. Her cheeks were blazing, and she couldn’t bring herself to look in Carrie’s eyes. Carrie was no fool. Her fiancé’s concern for Anna was awfully personal for a man who was supposed to be nothing more than a friend. “One of these days you’ll all have to accept the fact that I’m all grown-up.”
“I doubt it,” Frank said, oh-so-carefully picking a spot of lint off his slacks. “You’ll always be cute little Anna Smith to us. Kyle, I believe you overreacted. Zack seems normal. Not at all the slimy, opportunistic gigolo you painted him as.” Then, with an inquiring glance at Zack, “You don’t have any tattoos, do you?”
Zack blinked. “Tattoos? No.”
“Well, there you have it,” Frank said to Kyle. “You said he was covered with tattoos.”
Kyle cleared his throat. “I thought I saw tattoos.”
“You know,” Frank continued, obviously intent on doing his duty, “one of these days you and I are going to have a serious talk about the legal repercussions of slander and discrimination.”
“I’m covered with tattoos?” Zack chortled, raising his eyebrows at Kyle. “Oh, that’s a good one. Kyle, one of these days you and I are going to have a serious talk, too, all about the serious repercussions of annoying me. And as far as the rest of you are concerned, I’m a cop, not a slimy, opportunistic gigolo. And I wouldn’t hurt Anna for the world.”
And to prove his point, he kissed her.
It wasn’t a passionate maneuver, to say the least. Zack pulled Anna to him gently by her wrist, his merry eyes dancing as he pressed a smile briefly against her lips. Despite the casual manner of the caress, despite the fact it was strictly for show and had a built-in audience, Anna felt the resulting electricity ripple through her veins like liquid fire. It had been, she thought with sudden clarity, roughly nine hours since he had kissed her last. She hadn’t realized until now that she was counting.
Frank cleared his throat tactfully, staring with great fascination at the rain gutter running along the eaves of the house. Davy stuffed his hands in his pockets and scuffed at a dandelion with his sneaker. But Kyle was staring at Anna and Zack, his jaw set in stone and his gaze dark and flat. He didn’t notice that his fiancée was taking in his odd reaction, her smile drifting away.
Post kiss, it took Anna two tries before she was able to speak with her normal voice. “Well, since you’re all here, you may as well come in for breakfast. It’s Saturday, so I suppose no one has to worry about going in to work?”
“Actually,” Carrie said quietl
y, “I have some things to do this morning. I need to be on my way. If the rest of you want to stay—”
“No, we’ll leave with you.” Kyle abruptly turned and marched back to the car without another word. Carrie’s soft brown eyes followed him, her expression briefly uncovered to reveal a stark pain. “I guess…he has wedding nerves. He’s been a bachelor for much too long, I’m afraid. Sorry for barging in on you like this, Anna.”
“It’s good to see you again,” Anna told her quietly. “You and I should go out to dinner before the wedding. Girls’ night out.”
“That would be great,” Carrie said in a hollow voice. “Zack, I hope you’ll excuse my fiancé. He’s actually a nice guy when he isn’t about to be married.”
“I’m sure he is,” Zack said gently. He bent down and kissed Carrie lightly on the cheek. Then he looked at Kyle who was standing beside the car, noting the little kiss had attracted the man’s full attention. Good. Dr. Doolittle needed a wake-up call, and Zack Daniels was just the man to give it to him. He gave Kyle a sunny smile, waving cheerfully. “See ya, Kyle. Don’t be a stranger, good buddy.”
Six
You could tell a lot about a man at the produce section in the market.
Zack seemed to enjoy the experience of shopping for food as he enjoyed everything else he did in his life. Little or big, he took everyday, mundane occurrences and made them into original, enjoyable experiences.
“You’re not supposed to juggle apples in the store,” Anna told him firmly.
“You should take a risk now and then. It’s very exhilarating.”
“There are people staring at—”
“I don’t see them,” Zack said. “And I certainly don’t let them distract me from entertaining myself. Now I’m going to teach you how to juggle.”
