by Mari Carr
Tacy had felt like a teenager on her very first date last night as she and Zac spent hours just walking and talking. He’d been completely engaged, interested in hearing what she had to say, and when he spoke, she found herself equally enthralled.
So much so, she’d woken up excited and energetic, despite the fact she hadn’t managed more than a few hours’ sleep. And she’d been thrilled to discover he was awake and thinking of her too when he texted to see when she wanted to meet.
Zac had joined her and Lauren for breakfast and they’d been together every moment since then. The more she learned about him, the more her infatuation, her attraction grew.
He was a fascinating man, to have achieved so much when he’d clearly come from such a rough beginning.
And when he’d kissed her…
Oh man. That kiss last night had knocked her socks off. Perfect amount of pressure, tongue, and his hands gripped her in just the right places. She’d had good kisses and she’d suffered through some shitty ones. Zac’s was, by far, the best ever.
In fact…
She turned to face him at the same time he looked at her. Her gaze landed on his lips, and she noticed his stare was in the exact same place.
“I’m going to kiss you, darlin’.”
She licked her lips as she grinned. “That’s funny. I thought I was going to kiss you.”
They moved toward each other without another word. And just like that, Tacy was blown away. Again.
She was vaguely aware of when the Ferris wheel began to move again. She sort of thought she heard some catcalls and whistles when they whizzed by, closest to the ground, but none of that mattered. Not the view. Not the public display of affection. Nothing.
She was Tacy Bradford, former soccer player. A woman with no job, no home, no clue. And she didn’t give a damn because she was kissing Dr. Zac Lewis at a carnival.
The kiss might have gone on forever if not for the interruption of someone clearing their throat nearby. She and Zac both turned their heads in unison, surprised to find themselves face-to-face with the carnie running the ride. He was amused and patiently waiting for them to debark.
“Sorry ’bout that,” Zac said in a tone that was far from sorry.
The man lifted the bar securing them inside the car and they got out. Tacy giggled as Zac warned the man they would be back later with double the tickets. He wanted a longer ride.
The man chuckled as he tipped his head, drawing her attention to his dusty ball cap emblazoned with the words Midway Magic Carnival Supplies on it. “I’ll be waiting.”
Zac took her hand as the two of them debated their next move.
“We could grab something to eat from a booth now,” he suggested. “Or head over to the haunted house first, and then hit the diner for a sit-down supper.”
She grinned at his twang as he rolled his eyes. Tacy found it hard to resist mimicking some of his more southern sounds. Zac didn’t take offense. Instead, he turned it up a notch for her entertainment. “We can see if Dottie will whip us up some shrimp and grits.”
“Hey, there you are.” Lauren walked up with her daughter, Whitney. “Heard you two just put on quite a show on the Ferris wheel.”
Tacy laughed. “Dear God. There’s no way you could have heard that already. It literally just happened.”
Lauren shrugged. “News travels at a normal pace in Sapphire Falls. Gossip flies at the speed of light. Softball game is about to start. I’m heading over to watch. Wanna join me?”
Zac looked at Tacy, clearly leaving the decision up to her. She loved how considerate he was. “Maybe we’ll meet up with you later. Right now, we’re going to check out the haunted house.”
Lauren’s eyes narrowed as she studied Zac more closely. “Ferris wheel and haunted house? You sure you’re not a local boy, Zac?”
Confused by her question, he asked, “This accent doesn’t prove that?”
Tacy giggled. “Apparently the local guys have learned how to incorporate the Ferris wheel and haunted house into their seduction routines.”
Zac wrapped his arm around Tacy’s shoulders. “Thanks for the tip, Lauren.”
Lauren rolled her eyes as she waved. “Go have fun. But be warned. You get too carried away and I’ll know about it before you manage to get to the ball game.”
“We’ll behave,” Tacy promised.
“Don’t write checks you can’t cash, sweet pea,” he teased Tacy, before looking at Lauren again. “We’ll be discreet,” Zac amended as Lauren’s loud laughter caught the attention of several people walking by.
“Text me later, Tace. Let me know if you two want to meet up for dinner with me and Travis.”
They waved goodbye, Lauren heading for the game as they took off for the haunted house.
Zac claimed her hand. She loved the feel of his fingers looped through hers. It made her feel safe, protected, cared for. Probably strange emotions considering she wasn’t in danger, but after a lifetime of fending for herself, this one simple act—holding hands with Zac—had her longing for so much more.
“Am I the only one who thinks a haunted house in June is strange?”
Tacy paused as they passed one of the craft booths. “Oh, I love that scarf. Remind me to come back,” she said as they continued walking. “Lauren says they all know it’s weird to have a haunted house this time of year, but I think they keep it going because the local boys don’t want to have to find some other way to get a girl they like alone in a dark room. Guess they’re fans of the tried and true.”
“Well, when you put it that way, it’s not so weird after all.”
Zac handed the man at the door their tickets to enter, then grinned when Tacy wrapped her arm around his waist, clinging to him tightly.
“Scared already? We haven’t even walked in.”
“I’m going to warn you right now. Stuff like this gets to me. People jumping out of dark corners. Loud, unexpected noises. Every horror movie ever made. I’m the girl who closes her eyes, screams and startles easily. I’m probably going to look like a lunatic.”
“Then why are we here?”
Tacy gave him a flirtatious smile. “I’m hoping you’ll take advantage of my irrational fears.”
“Challenge accepted.”
They walked in together as Zac wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “Not going to lie. I like playing the role of protector. I haven’t been in a haunted house since I was a teenager.”
“Man, you really have been in a rut.”
“Yeah. Just needed to find a pretty girl to help me break free.” He looked around the dark room with the scary music playing. “Oh yeah. This place is great.”
“Figures you’d like it. I bet you’re the type who loves horror movies too.”
Before he could reply, a zombie seemed to detach itself from what Tacy had thought was a blank wall, approaching them with a loud groan.
She jumped at least five feet in the air and screamed.
Zac laughed as he quickly guided her away from the horrible creature and into another room.
While she’d feared how she would react, she had actually believed she could control it better. After all, she knew none of this was real. “Shit. That was embarrassing.”
“It was ador—”
Before Zac could finish, a spider dropped from the ceiling right in front of her. Even though her brain said fake, the rest of her reacted instinctively.
“Oh my God! Motherfucker!” She dodged behind Zac, gripping his shirt so tightly she was in danger of tearing it right off him.
Zac batted the plastic thing away and pulled her farther along, not bothering to loosen her grip on his shirt. “Maybe we should walk faster. Get this over with. I’m starting to worry about you, darlin’.”
“I thought I could handle—”
The sound of a witch cackling loudly filled the room and Tacy screamed in outright terror.
“That’s it.” Zac reached out to open a closed door nearby. He pushed her inside, followi
ng quickly before shutting them in.
Tacy gazed around the dim room. “Um, Zac. I think this is a closet.”
“Yeah. I thought you might like a breather before we go back out there and try to find the exit.”
Her heart was still racing, her hands shaking, but now that she knew nothing was going to come at her, she was beginning to relax. “Thanks. I appreciate that.”
She released a long breath just before Zac stepped closer.
“Besides, I seem to recall a challenge being laid down earlier.”
Tacy laughed softly. Obviously she stood corrected. There was something coming at her in here too. And it made her heart race even faster.
The difference was this time she wasn’t afraid. Not even a little.
She lifted her arms to his shoulders as he bent to kiss her. Three kisses in, and every time, he took her breath away. Zac kissed her as if she mattered, as though she was special.
There was no denying the intensity of the kiss, but there was also a gentleness behind it. She appreciated that care as much as it drove her nuts. She felt as if he was holding back.
This time when their lips parted, she decided to test the waters. She nipped at his lower lip, slowly increasing the pressure until Zac pulled away.
There was a tiny, frosted window in the far wall, but there appeared to be a large tree blocking the sunlight from streaming in. As such, the room was painted in a dim gray that left her and Zac in shadows. Nevertheless, she could still make out his hungry expression.
She’d surprised him. And aroused him.
“You wanna play rough?” His voice was deep, husky, that gorgeous southern accent adding even more wetness to her already-damp panties. Tacy hadn’t had sex in one year, two months, three days and a handful of hours. And sadly, it hadn’t been much to write home about.
Zac set her body on fire. Her nipples were tight, her pussy clenching. She feared one touch from him in the right spot and she’d spontaneously combust.
God. She was so tired of finding her own lukewarm orgasms. Tired of being alone. Tired of feeling out of control.
Everything she’d known, planned, and expected in life had been blown to bits in one stupid fall.
Maybe she didn’t know where she was going in the future, but she knew exactly what she wanted right now. And it was Zac.
“Yeah,” she replied. “Rough is good.”
Zac closed his eyes at her response. She wasn’t sure if he was turned on, praying or overwhelmed. All three ideas described her current state of mind fairly well. She liked the idea that he might feel the same.
When his lids lifted, she was treated to the sexiest, horniest look ever cast her way.
“We’ve only known each other a day. I was trying to be a gentleman.”
Zac wasn’t saying anything that hadn’t crossed her mind every second since they’d struck up that conversation over caramel apples. Perhaps if they’d met under normal circumstances, they would have moved at a steadier, slower pace. Gone on a few dates, spent several weeks talking on the phone and texting, taken the time to get to know each other before jumping into something sexual.
But this wasn’t a normal situation. Zac was only here for a few more days and then he was on the road again to Big Sur, and then his future as a doctor in New Orleans.
As for her, her life was one big question mark. All her belongings were packed in boxes in her parents’ garage in Longview as she tried to figure out what came next. Maybe if she weren’t in such a state of flux, of utter confusion, she’d be better able to figure out what it was about Zac that was pushing all the right buttons and making her act so out of character.
Her gut told her it was vacation brain. Both of them were taking a break from real life and stress and…common sense. People did things on vacation they would never do in their everyday lives. Scuba diving, zip lines, luaus on the beach, making out with a sexy doctor in the closet of a haunted house in June.
“Zac?”
“Yeah.”
“I don’t care how long we’ve known each other. And I don’t mind that it’s moving way too fast. I just really, really want to be with you.”
He didn’t reply, didn’t smile. As far as she could tell, he didn’t even take a breath. Instead, he pressed his lips to hers firmly and gave her the kiss she’d been waiting for. The one that told her everything she needed to know. Zac might be a sweet, patient, funny, easygoing doctor on the surface, but underneath, he was a bad boy.
His hands gripped her head, turning it so that he could take the kiss from scorching to hotter than the surface of the sun instantly.
Tacy dug her fingers into the muscles of his upper arms, searching for something to hold on to, something to keep her from dissolving into a puddle of goo at his feet.
As they kissed, Zac pressed her back three steps until he had her caged against the wall. It was a move worthy of Hollywood, and it drove the temperature in the tiny space up another twenty degrees.
Zac kept one hand on her head, using it to direct the kiss as the other slid lower, skimming over all the parts of her body that desperately wanted to be touched. He palmed one of her breasts, squeezing the flesh, pinching the nipple.
She kept trying to break free of the kiss in search of some much-needed air. She was light-headed, dizzy. Zac granted her no reprieve, his mouth taking hers relentlessly, beautifully.
Tacy moaned when his hand moved lower, reaching down to grip the hem of her miniskirt. She’d thrown the thing into her suitcase at the last minute, not really expecting to wear it. She was a jeans-and-shorts kind of girl. This morning, she’d been grateful to have something pretty…and sexy to wear for him.
His fingers traveled beneath the material, tickling the tops of her thighs, journeying closer. God. So close to the place she really needed to be touched.
Finally, Zac released her lips. “Open your legs, darlin’.”
It was the third time he’d used that term of endearment and when spoken with that accent of his, it was deadly to her libido. No one had ever bothered with a sweet nickname for her like that. Always a tomboy and a jock, she wasn’t viewed by guys as the type of girl worthy of something so cute, so panty-melting adorable.
Her thighs parted almost of their own volition and Zac took immediate advantage. He tugged her panties aside, his fingers sliding along her slit.
His eyes met hers and she blushed. She was soaking wet. She might be more embarrassed by that if Zac wasn’t looking at her as if she was the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.
“You’re the sexiest woman I’ve ever met.”
She smiled. “I’d be more flattered if you hadn’t admitted to spending the majority of the past eight years in the library.”
Zac chuckled. “I think librarians are hot.”
“Zac?”
“Yeah?”
“Start with two fingers.”
“Fuck me,” Zac muttered. Then, he granted her request, driving two fingers inside her as deep as they would go.
Tacy’s head flew back, her eyes drifting shut, as he thrust the fingers in and out. He took her with the roughness she’d always dreamed about, but had never managed to find. Her hips moved in time as she sought more stimulation, more…
“God, more.”
Zac’s thumb found her clit, stroking it firmly as his fingers still moved inside her.
And then she stiffened, her back arching as the unexpected orgasm struck her like lightning.
“Holy shit,” she whispered as her body trembled so hard her bones rattled. “Fuck.”
Zac’s fingers remained buried deep inside her, but he no longer moved. Instead, he gave her time to find her bearings, to recover.
What the hell had just happened?
One minute she was enjoying the festival with a stranger, the next she was in a dark closet with a guy’s hand up her skirt.
“I’ve never come so quickly,” she admitted, not bothering to hide her amazement. Orgasms had never been all that easy
for her to achieve. They typically took a bit of work on the part of both her and her lover.
Zac slowly withdrew his fingers, kissing her as he did so.
She shivered, the final traces of her climax rumbling through her. “I—”
Tacy wasn’t sure what to do next. She wasn’t a selfish lover, but the truth was, while Zac had rocked her world, she hadn’t done the same for him.
A scream outside the door caused them both to jerk slightly. God. They were in a haunted house. In a closet with an unlocked door. Anyone could open it and catch them.
Though she hadn’t spoken her concerns, Zac seemed to have an inside track on her thoughts. “This probably isn’t the best place for us to continue. What do you say we try to make our way out of this haunted house without you having a heart attack and get something to eat?”
She glanced down. Even in the dim light, she could see the outline of his erection pressing against his jeans. “What about—”
He kissed her before she could finish her question. “And after supper, I’ll give you that tour of my RV. If you’re still interested.”
She loved the way he was giving her a choice. Even after what they’d just done, he was giving her a way out if she wanted one.
Tacy was familiar with the concept of a southern gentleman—thanks to Gone With the Wind—but she’d always believed that ideal had disappeared right after the Civil War.
“I still want the tour.”
Zac sighed. “Not gonna pretend I’m not glad to hear that.” Then he paused. “Wait, do you just want to see the camper or…”
He let her fill in the blanks, which she did with a laugh. “I want the full tour. And maybe a sleepover after.”
Zac cupped her cheek. “Just so you know, keep saying stuff like that and I’m not going to have any choice but to fall in love with you.”
Her heart literally skipped a beat at his sweet confession. She was fairly certain she was halfway to falling for him too. “You won’t hear an argument from me.”
“Let’s get out of here.” Zac took her hand and led her from the closet. A group of three teens were making their way through the haunted house and the entire group jumped back and screamed at their sudden appearance. Obviously they thought she and Zac were part of the entertainment.
