ZenithRising

by Marilyn Campbell

  His fingers trembled as he stroked her cheek and neck and when his hand moved down her back a tiny murmur of contentment rose in her throat and vibrated against his lips. A heartbeat later he was kissing her in earnest and certainly didn’t need any more instructions. His lips were soft and full and felt really good against hers but it was his hands that had her attention. No longer tentative, his touch was light and feathery, then firm then light again, roaming over her back, into her hair, up and down her arm. And everywhere he touched she felt nerves awakening, tingling.

  He was nowhere near any of the private areas the other boys were so anxious to grope and yet her breasts were swelling, almost aching to be handled by him and she had the oddest sensation stirring at the base of her body. It made her tighten her thighs and squirm a bit on the concrete wall.

  “Hey, Magpie, your boy’s startin’ to turn blue. Better let him get some air!”

  Breathlessly Maggie and Noah parted in time to see the jocks walking away, howling at their stupid joke.

  What the heck had just happened?

  She had gotten carried away, was what happened. For the first time ever. With a pretend boyfriend. Who probably preferred making out with his own gender. What the hell was wrong with her?

  “Well,” she said as cheerily as possible, “that should take care of letting the entire school know I have a boyfriend by tomorrow.”

  He picked up the book he had dropped at some point and held it on his lap. It made her wonder if he had something to hide or was just concerned about the book.

  He cleared his throat. “Uh, yeah. I think you’re right. But, I, uh, I’m not sure we should do a lot of that sort of, I mean, if it’s just pretend…”

  “Right,” she agreed too quickly. “No kissing.” It was pretend. He was just doing what she’d told him to do. Even though, for a moment, it sure had felt like the real thing.

  “But now I know what I’m going to call you.” He ran his index finger across her lower lip then licked the tip of his finger. “Sugarlips. Pretend or not, it sure was sweet.”

  Her breath caught in her chest. How could something so corny make her want to throw her arms around him and start kissing again? Instead, she gave his arm another playful punch. “Just remember I hold the fate of your biology grade in my head.” She hopped off the wall and gathered her books. “Gotta go. I’m already late.”

  That five-minute interlude set the stage for the next nine months. As far as anyone knew, Maggie had a boyfriend and was off the market. Noah had to be straight because he was with Maggie. And he got all Bs in biology.

  They held hands in public, slow danced as though they were the only two people on the dance floor and exchanged hushed secrets over the biology microscope. But they never kissed again.

  Despite the pretense or because of it, they became best buds that year.

  When the year ended Noah announced his family had to move again. Maggie cried and Noah consoled her without saying how he felt. In an instant he had hidden himself behind a wall she couldn’t penetrate. She promised to write once a week and call every day but Noah had been on this road before and warned her things change when two people live in different places.

  The last thing he said to her was, “If we’re meant to get together sometime in the future, it will happen. If not…” He shrugged, smiled and gave her a kiss on the top of her head—something he could now do after growing five inches in one year. “If not, I hope you have a great life and find someone you don’t have to pretend with.”

  She leaned into him for a long hug.

  “But you’ll always be my little Sugarlips.”

  ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜

  Maggie blinked her eyes at the mirror several times before she was certain the only image being reflected was her own. Still, she had the eeriest feeling something extraordinary had just occurred. It felt as if she had drifted off into a deep dream, but that wasn’t possible. She was wide awake, still standing upright in the bathroom and—she glanced at the digital clock embedded in the corner of the mirror—it was exactly the same minute it had been when she last checked the time.

  If this were one of the paranormal romances she enjoyed reading, the mirror could be a portal to another time or place but she hadn’t actually gone anywhere and, besides, she knew better than to believe anything she read in a romance novel could ever really happen. Her history of unsatisfactory to disastrous relationships was clear evidence of that.

  Her self-analysis came to an abrupt halt as she heard the door to the suite open and a man’s voice said, “Welcome to the Diamond Suite, Mr. Nash.” It wasn’t Reynard but it was the same speech she’d already heard. Rather than being caught in the bathroom, she hurried out into the living room to greet her new boss and find out immediately if he remembered her or if she had romanticized a minor encounter from their mutual past.

  The bellhop saw her and nodded but Nash had his back to her. He was even taller than when she’d last seen him but she remembered the wavy black hair. Her fingers curled into her palm as she recalled what it felt like to play with it when they danced so close together or when she was teasing him.

  She swallowed hard and her lips parted as her gaze took in the breadth of his shoulders and the evidence of a firmly muscled back through a blue t-shirt. Inching downward she noticed how his worn jeans were snug enough to show off lean hips and a tight ass. Unexpectedly her nipples puckered.

  Just then he turned around, glanced at her face, her pointed breasts then a spot behind her.

  Maggie stepped forward quickly, holding her hand out. “Hello, I’m—”

  He cut her off by holding up an index finger between them and returning his attention to the bellhop.

  The gesture was as rude as having a glass of icy water thrown at her face. Although, if that had been the case, at least she could explain the condition of her nipples. She had her answer. The Noah she remembered, whether he recognized her or not, would never have cut her off like that…or looked right at her breasts. It was enough to yank her back to her normally poised demeanor.

  She waited patiently in the spot he had suspended her, hands gracefully folded at her center, happy-to-accommodate smile in place, as the bellhop completed his task and left the suite. She waited several more seconds while Noah stood facing the closed door.

  Just when she began to wonder if he was okay, he turned around…and smiled.

  “Hello, Sugarlips.”

  Chapter Two

  In his gut he was fifteen again and gawky and scared and unhappy and she was the teen angel who had swooped down from heaven and changed his life forever. As he waited for her response, his heart pounded in his chest. He could barely breathe. She appeared to be stunned so he took a step toward her and hesitantly held out his hands.

  A moment later she closed the distance between them and threw her arms around his neck. He whirled her around twice before setting her on her feet, but rather than let her go, he clasped both her hands. “I gather you remember me?”

  “Good grief, Noah, I thought you might not remember me. I mean, that would make sense. I’m nobody. But you, you’re a household name. Who would have ever thought shy little Noah Nash would wind up being a world-famous celebrity?”

  He threw his head back and laughed the way he used to when she teased him out of one of his sad moments. He squeezed her hands then twirled her around in front of him like a ballerina. “You look exactly the same. Except for the short hair. I still had a picture in my head of you with the long ponytail.” He stepped back and slowly scanned her from head to toe. He noticed her nipples still seemed to be poking through her thin top. “Ah, I think your boobs are bigger. Don’t tell me you—”

  She punched his arm. “I think my not hearing from you in eighteen years revokes your privilege to comment on the size of my boobs. However, I am willing to admit they’re all me. Just like the rest of the twenty pounds you’re pretending not to notice. But you, geez, Noah, you turned out to be gorgeous. You must have women…an
d men throwing themselves at you all the time.”

  She gave him the same once-over he’d given her and the fine hairs on his arms stood up as though static electricity flowed between them. He remembered that happening the first time she touched him, so long ago. “I got lucky. But I’ve never really enjoyed that part of being a celebrity. Being an author suits the hermit in me. And when I need to be in public, it’s brought me enough money to buy…security.”

  “Like this suite?” she asked lightly, looking around.

  He grinned and led her over to the sofa. It gave him a reason to take her hand again and after they were seated he held on. After all, they used to hold hands constantly. He hadn’t planned to be so touchy-feely with her, at least not right away, it just felt so normal, as though only a few weeks had passed. The fact she didn’t try to reclaim her hand made him think she might feel the same way. “You know what I’ve been doing the last decade. Tell me about yourself.”

  She shrugged. “There’s not much to tell. High school was a lot less fun after you left. I did manage to get an associate’s degree in business before I got sick of school. Worked a lot of different kinds of office jobs over the years. I tend to stick with temp assignments because I get bored so easily. And I love to travel so doing temp work allows me to take a week or so off whenever I get the itch to go exploring. Never married but got close once. No kids. Lots of good friends. All in all, I have a good life.”

  He closely watched her eyes as she sped through her abbreviated bio. Only when she mentioned travel did he see even a slight spark. What had happened to her that put the basket over her brilliant light? “Hmmm, I seem to remember telling you to have a great life, not just a good one.”

  “I can’t believe you remember that too.” She smiled warmly and gave another little shrug. “Some of us are destined for great—like you—and some of us are fortunate just to get good. But now it’s your turn to talk. You obviously knew I would be here. How?”

  He wiggled his eyebrows at her. “Maybe I’ve developed psychic powers.” He got a smirk for that. The familiarity of it made his insides weak. He had been looking forward to seeing her but hadn’t expected to still have such a strong attraction. It was almost as if she had never broken his heart.

  He shifted his position on the couch and bent one knee so she couldn’t see the physical effect her nearness had on his cock. Interlacing his fingers with hers, he asked, “Do you remember what else I said that last day?” She tilted her head and furrowed her brow. It had probably been foolish of him to think his last words had been as important to her as they’d been to him. “I told you if we were meant to see each other again, it would happen.”

  She chuckled. “I remember being annoyed with your nonchalant attitude. I was really hurt that you could walk away from such a good friendship without even trying to stay in touch. But I grew up and realized you were right. We had different paths to follow.”

  “Looking back on it, I’m not sure how right I was about the way I handled that but I meant the part about fate. Over the years I’ve found life to be much more interesting when I let fate do her job.”

  “So you’re saying fate had something to do with my being here today, with you.”

  “It’s the only explanation that makes sense. I had an idea for a new book called Hotel Hellgate. One of those ‘you can check in but can’t check out’ stories.” He noted how she wrinkled her nose and laughed. “I take it you’re not a fan.”

  “Sorry. It’s not you. It’s the genre.”

  He shook his head. “Not a problem. I actually requested an assistant who wasn’t a huge fan. Anyway, after doing a lot of research about haunted hotels, I decided the Davenport had everything I was looking for but I had to wait five months to get a long-term reservation in this suite.”

  “Yeah, I’ve heard they stay pretty booked up. Wait. Why this suite?”

  “The founder, Robert Davenport, put a bullet through his brain here in 1930. At least that was the official ruling. The family always insisted foul play was involved. But this suite isn’t the only supposedly haunted place. There were a number of other unsolved deaths and disappearances in other parts of the hotel property. Plus there were thousands killed around here during the 1928 hurricane. And for a while during World War II this place was used as a hospital and not all the patients survived. In other words, if ghosts really do hang around, it seems probable this could be a good place to find them.”

  “I’ve heard stories but I’m not sure I believe any of them.”

  “I have no interest in proving or disproving those stories. I just figured it would make the perfect backdrop for mine. Anyway, when it got close to time for me to come here and get started, my assistant was too far along in her pregnancy to be away from her husband and home. I asked the hotel to send me five résumés to review. When I saw your name…” He remembered feeling his heart leap in his chest and excitement race through his bloodstream. “Well, I checked it out, confirmed you were the Maggie Harrison who helped me pass biology one year and told them to give you the job. If that’s not fate stepping in, I don’t know what else you could call it.”

  “Synchronicity?”

  He grinned. “Same difference. Point is, we were meant to get together again and I’m really looking forward to working with you. It’ll be like old times.” He was actually hoping it would be nothing like those days but that would have to be up to her.

  “Okay, I’m sold. Only, can I ask one favor?”

  His eyes widened. “Uh-oh. I seem to remember the last favor was a pretty big one.” That left me with a constant hard-on for an entire school year. “I’ve never been sure we came out even on that one.”

  She gave him a little punch to his shoulder. “Smartass. This is a little request. Please don’t ever call me Sugarlips again.”

  He grabbed her hand. “Only if you’ll stop punching me.”

  “Deal,” she said with a giggle and gave him a quick peck on the mouth. Instantly she jerked away, looking more shocked than he felt. “I’m so sorry. I wasn’t…it just seemed…”

  He leaned toward her, stopping an inch from her mouth and waited for her to retreat farther but she didn’t move. He could feel her breath exiting in tiny puffs from her parted lips. He lightly touched his lips to hers, giving her a chance to object but instead she sighed into his mouth. It was all the encouragement he needed. His mouth slanted over hers, urging her lips apart so he could taste the sweetness he remembered.

  Her arms snaked around his neck and he pulled her into a full embrace, the way he had only once before but thought of countless times. His fingers traced the line of her neck and down her arm. She was all silk and heat, melting in his hands. She was no longer the pretty high school girl. She was one hundred percent woman now. But she was still Maggie.

  He stroked her tongue with his and she sucked him deeper as she repositioned herself to be cradled in his arms. Her hands suddenly seemed to be all over him at once as though she didn’t know where she wanted to touch. He had wanted her as a horny teen. But that was nothing compared to the inferno of need she was raising in the man. His erection strained against his jeans and when her fingers brushed over it, he thought he would explode right then. He needed her to release the beast, hold it in her soft hands and take it into her body. But he also needed it to be her desire. His hand cupped her breast and found the puckered nipple. What more did he need?

  Abruptly her hand covered his and held it still as her whole body stiffened. “Wait. This is crazy. Noah, please…”

  It took a moment for his body to catch up with her words. It took several more seconds for him to take his hand off her breast and take a deep breath. “Do I need to apologize?” he asked quietly.

  She closed her eyes and shook her head. “Absolutely not. That was my fault. I broke our rule.” As gracefully as she could, she eased away and returned to her own space on the couch without looking at him.

  He gave her chin a gentle nudge with his crooked index
finger. “Hey. C’mon, Sugarlips. Talk to me. Tell me it’s too fast. Or you’re committed elsewhere. Or even you never mix business and pleasure. But don’t try to convince me you weren’t caught up in that as much as I was. And by the way, the ‘no kissing’ rule was never a good one.”

  She slowly raised her eyelids. “Okay. It’s way too fast. Mixing business with pleasure is a really bad idea. And the rule was a good one. It was necessary. And considering what just happened, it still is. I’m very happy to see you again but I’m here to do a job, not…”

  He waited for her to finish saying what she was not here to do but she just left it hanging. Meanwhile he was hanging on the fact she did not say she was committed elsewhere. He had thought the memory of the pain she had caused him would be enough to stave off any lingering desire but apparently neither memories nor time could keep him from banging his head against the same old brick wall. “You’re right. It was all your fault.” He winked at her and got a raised fist warning in return. “You were also right about having a job to do. I was thinking we could go over what I expect from you and some of my work habits first.”

  Her demeanor changed from friend to professional in an instant. “Perfect. I’ll just get my notebook.”

  As she headed for her room he said, “Let’s talk over dinner. Would you prefer the restaurant or room service?”

  She glanced back over her shoulder and arched one brow at him. “I think leaving this room for a few hours would be the wiser option. Then we can come back here and pretend the last fifteen minutes never happened.”

  “Swell,” he mumbled to himself. “We’re back to pretending.”

  Maggie took advantage of the break to use the bathroom and when she realized how damp the crotch of her panties was, she made a quick change. Even though she had come to her senses, she was still so turned-on she was tempted to go back out there and finish what they’d started. She only remembered having that feeling once before. It was nearly two decades ago. And it was with him.