“What would you like to talk about?”
“How was your day?”
“Pretty busy. We had three birthday cakes to put the finishing touches on this morning since they were rush jobs.”
“I bet they were beautiful, regardless.”
“They were. They won’t leave my kitchen unless I think they look the best they can.”
“What else?”
“We sold out of nearly everything and I had to make two extra batches of chocolate chips cookies.”
“Do you have help on the weekends?”
“I have a girl who’s been helping during the week since school’s out for the summer and she stayed late today. Claudia Merchant works for me on Saturdays. She’s pretty experienced but doesn’t want to work full time somewhere since her kids are little. I think coming to work gives her a break from them,” I laugh.
“It sounds like you need someone full time to work in the front.”
“I’ve been thinking about it but right now it only makes sense in the busy season.”
“From what you’ve said before you’re busy most of the time. I know that you have to bake in the morning but if someone worked the counter you could have the afternoon off or to work on other stuff.”
“That would be nice.”
“You could pamper yourself a little. Or just sit down and breathe.”
“I wouldn’t know what to do with myself.” I laugh. “What did you do today?”
“Mainly helped out at the marina. They had a packed schedule for fishing trips today. As soon as they returned with one group, another was lined up to go.”
“Good. Hopefully, they’ll spread the word and come back next year.”
“I hope so. It’s nice to see my parents doing well and having fun at the same time.”
“They’re in their element. Your dad gets to fish for a living and your mom gets to mother all the people that come in.”
“Yeah. Dad can’t wipe the smile from his face.”
“Have you thought about going out with them sometime? You used to love to fish.”
“That’s a good idea. I can’t remember the last time I took an afternoon to just relax and throw out a line.”
‘You haven’t relaxed since you came home. Your mom has had you working.”
“I think she’s making up for me being gone for so long. If she has me working at the marina, she can keep an eye on me.”
“You’ll always be her little boy no matter how big you get. I never really understood that until I had Lila.” I twirl my hair around my finger, trying how to ask what I want to know. “Speaking of coming home, how long are you planning on staying?” He looks at me with an expression I can’t decipher.
“Originally, I was just going to stay until Wesley’s wedding but now there seems to be more here for me than I thought.”
“Oh, what would that be?” Hoping against hope he tells me.
“Well, there’s this cute little girl that’s wiggled her way into my heart. I can’t imagine not seeing her regularly.” He smirks. “But her mother, that’s one thing I don’t want to live without. You see, I was an idiot many years back and let her slip through my fingers. Now I have a second chance, I’m not letting it happen again.”
“Zach…”
“I’m not losing this, Dani. If you’ll let me, I’ll do my damndest to make you and Lila happy. I know that I’ll never replace her dad, but I want to be there for her. And for you. I’ve never stopped loving you and I never will. I just hope that someday you’ll love me a fraction of what I love you.”
I can’t help myself, throwing myself toward him, wrapping my arms around his neck and pressing my lips to his. His part for a second and I swipe my tongue across his bottom lip. He releases a growl and uses his greater weight to push me back into the couch cushions. I sink into the soft surface as his weight blankets me. He devours my mouth likes he’s never tasted it before. His tongue sweeps in, his taste dark and rich. My hands thread through his hair, the texture silky. He pulls back and looks into my eyes. The heat and lust shining in his drenches my lace thong.
“Dani, are you sure about this? I don’t want you to feel like I’m rushing you into this. I didn’t tell you I love you to get you into bed.”
“Zach, shut up and kiss me.” Our mouths meld together, tongued dueling as his chest presses against my breasts.
I lean back. “Take me to bed.”
No comment, no questions. He stands up and scoops me up from the couch, hurrying down the hall.
“On the right, last door.” I nibble on his earlobe and he picks up speed. He gives the door a nudge with his foot sending it flying the rest of the way open. Stalking toward the bed, he sets me down gently on the edge before lacing his hands in my hair. His expression is fierce and if I didn’t know him better, I’d be a little scared looking up at him.
“I don’t know whether I want to take my time and learn every single part of you or ravish you like a desperate man,” he confesses.
“Yes,” I breathe out.
He kisses me gently before working his way down to my neck, gently he nips where my neck and shoulder meet, goosebumps erupt down my arms. He laves the tender area with his tongue, one hand moving from my hair to the spaghetti strap of my dress. Soft kisses rain on my shoulder as his hand jerks the fabric down my arm. The contrasting hard and soft making me pant. His lips travel down my chest until he sinks to his knees in front of me. His arms wrap around me until his hand snag the zipper on the back of my dress. The material slowly parts, the cooler air a sharp change from the heat on his hands caressing the now bared skin. He unclips my bra, the material loosening and scraping my rock hard nipples before his bunches the cloth, pushing to down to pool in my lap. His eyes lock onto my breast, his hands cupping the flesh and lightly squeezing. Lowering his head, he licks around the areola but never touches as I squirm closer trying to get him where I want him.
“Stay still or I’ll never give you what you want,” he growls.
“Please.”
“Don’t worry, these pretty pink nipples will get what they need. Trust me.” I freeze, afraid to even breathe. “Good girl.”
A few more soft strokes of his tongue and then he nips the tip. Pain and pleasure spark inside me and I can’t help the whimper that escapes.
“My girl likes a little pain, good to know.”
He sucks my nipple into his mouth while his other hand pinches the other. Soft, hard. Pleasure, pain. My body isn’t sure what to do. Pull back or push forward.
“I bet I could make you come just by playing with these pretties. We’ll save that for another time. Lean back.”
I fall back against the comforter, anticipation riding me hard.
“Lift your hips,” he orders. Without thought, I comply. The rest of my dress leaves me in a whisper of cloth leaving me just in my black lace thong.
“Fucking beautiful.” His hands stoke my sides, his hand lingering on the tattoo on my hip. “Hands above your head. Keep them there.”
I grip the comforter to keep from reaching for him as he trails his tongue down from the valley of my breast to my belly button. He nips the skin just below and shoots lightning straight to my clit; I squeak in surprise.
His thumbs trace the lace, each pass creeping under the seam. His breath fans over my mound before he traces the lace pattern with his tongue. His thumbs part my lips, capturing the material against my clit. He light traces it with a finger. I whimper at how good it feels. He keeps the touch soft as if he knows the roughness would be too much otherwise.
“Like that, pretty girl?”
“Yes,” I hiss.
The lace scrapes down my thighs until I'm completely bare to him.
“This may be one of my favorite views in the entire world.” His tongue touches my clit, light strokes before nipping it with his teeth. My hips rise toward him.
“Keep still.”
“Zach,” I beseech.
“You can do it, Dani. Kee
p those hips still and I’ll send you flying.”
His finger circles my opening, teasing as he flutters his tongue across my clit.
“Please, Zach…” At my plea, he pushes his finger in deep. The stretch feels good, but I need more. His lips clamp around my clit and suck hard as he plunges back in with two fingers, the slight burn sending me flying. “Oh, God” I wail.
His fingers continue to saw back and forth, drawing out my orgasm until I’m wrung out. I fall limp to the bed as he stands. Shoving my legs apart he falls on me, bracing himself on his arms. His lips ravage mine before he pulls back.
“Up on your elbows.” Weakly, I comply and watch him grip his dick in a firm grasp. He pushes the head in between my sex lips, the skin glossy with my juices.
“Do you have any idea how good you feel? I can’t wait to feel you wrapped around my cock, all hot and wet.” His husky words send a shiver rolling through me.
“God, please, Zach, you’re torturing me.”
“You can take it.” His smile is devilish. He taps my clit with the broad head, not enough to hurt, just a nudge, hell I don’t know how to describe it, but it feels freaking good. My legs wrap around his narrow hips, heels drumming on his taut ass, trying to get him to move.
“Damn, you’re impatient,” he chuckles.
“It’s been so long, Zach. Please.”
“How can I ever deny you anything?” he whispers. The head breaches my pussy, the pressure a slight sting as he pushes inside before withdrawing. He seesaws in and out until he bottoms out, hitting my womb, the slight pain causing pleasure to build. The steady rhythm drives me higher, the swivel he does on the upstroke hitting just right until my body splinters apart. Shatters. My mouth opens on a silent scream as he picks up speed, pistoning in and out until he tenses, the warm jets of his release filling me. Our breathing is the only sound in the room as we lay here in my bed. The breeze from the ceiling fan cooling our heated bodies.
His hand trails lazily up the bare skin of back as my head rests on his chest. I don’t think I could move a muscle if the apartment caught on fire. My fingers run through the smattering of chest hair; the texture rough against my palm. The rhythmic beating of his heart lulling me to sleep.
“Thank you for this,” he murmurs, kissing the top of my head.
“I’m not sure if I’ve ever had anyone thank me for sex before.”
“That’s not what I’m thanking you for,” he chuckles, “but I am grateful, no, I mean for giving me another chance.”
“Zach…”
“Shush, please just let me get this out. You believed in me and trusted me, and I threw all of that away instead of trusting in your love for me. My pride caused me to lose what I needed the most. I don’t deserve a chance or you, but I will try my hardest to be the man you deserve this time around. I will earn your trust and love no matter how long it takes.”
“I’m not sure right now about anything.”
“We’re going to take this as slow as you need. I’m not going anywhere.”
His hand slows and his breath deepens as we lie there in the darkness. A soft snore escapes his lips and I can’t help but smile. All the what ifs can wait until the morning.
Chapter Eighteen
Danielle
Zach’s voice wakes me as the sun streams in between the small crack in the blinds.
“Tomorrow?” he nods his head as he paces by the bedroom door, the conversation muffled through the wall. “Yeah, what time do I need to be at the airport? Okay, I got it, Vinny. See you tonight.” He deeply sighs before he reappears in the doorway.
“Oh, hey you’re awake.” He smiles, but it's strained.
“Yeah, it’s hard for me to sleep too late.” Time to put this new trust to the test. I sit up, the blankets pooling in my lap. He eyes drop to my chest making me glad I out on a t-shirt in the middle of the night. “What’s going on?” A myriad of emotions crosses his face before he sits on the edge of the bed.
“Do you know why I came back home?”
“I heard rumors, but I thought it was to spend time with your family before Wesley’s wedding.”
“Partially. I was coming back for the wedding, but I hadn’t planned to come back until a day or two before.”
“Then what’s the reason?” He rubs his hand across the back of his neck and takes a deep breath.
“Damn this is hard. I don’t want you to think any worse of me.”
“Spit it out, Zach.”
“I got into a fight at a bar. Well not really a fight. A guy punched me, and Mark took offense and hit him back.”
“Some random guy hit you?” He nods but looks away from me. “Why?”
“Why?”
“Yeah, why? Why did a stranger hit you?”
“Because I had sex with his wife in the bar's bathroom.” I can’t hold back the gasp of disbelief. “Wait, wait.” He holds up his hand, warding off my next words. “I did not know that she was married. She wasn’t wearing a wedding ring. I did not see her with anyone else. She came up to me and hit on me. One thing led to another.” His head hangs in shame. “God, I’m such an asshole.”
“Is that what your life has been like? Having sex in bathrooms with strange women?” His hesitation makes my heart stutter in my chest. “The truth, Zachary.” He winces when I use my mom voice.
“I’m not proud of the things I’ve done, Dani.”
“Now is not the time to dance around the subject.” He flops back on the bed, staring at the ceiling.
“Yes, that’s been a lot of what my life has been. Since I became a household name,” he throws up air quotes, “women have been throwing themselves at me. At first, it was flattering, and I took a few up on their offers.” He shoots me a look, pleading for me to believe him. “Not nearly as many as the media insinuates. But not a damn one of them wanted me for me. It was the country singer they wanted. My name attached to theirs. Every person I met had an agenda, and I became skeptical of everyone. I’m surrounded by people, but I felt utterly alone.”
“You always had us.”
“I realize that now but then I thought I would have just been a burden. You had moved on, hell moved out of the state. Wes got out of the Navy and started working for the Sheriff’s department. Mom and Dad had their business. It wasn’t big enough to bother them with.”
“Nothing’s too big. They’re your family.”
“It was stupid when I think about it now.” He gives a self-deprecating smirk. “I can’t help but think now what would have changed if I’d just called Mom up and told her how I was feeling, what was going on. I became jaded. Decided it might as well be tit for tat. They wanted to use me, and I used them right back,” a frown settles over his face. “I became a shell of the man I was. Hell, I turned into someone I didn’t know anymore. It wasn’t until I came back here that the old me has started to come through.”
“You’re a good man, Zach. We’ve all made mistakes. It’s what we learn from them that’s important.”
“Family and you and Lila. That’s what’s important. I could lose everything, my career, my fame, my money and I would be fine as long as I had you.”
“What was the phone call about?”
“It was from my manager, Vinny. I need to go to Seattle to settle some things related to that fight.”
“Are you in trouble?”
“No, nothing like that. The couple doesn’t seem to want to drop it and are making some threats. We have to get on top of it before it spins outta control.”
“When will you be back?”
“It shouldn’t take long,” he reaches over and pulls one of my curls between his fingers. “Probably tomorrow. I don’t have a reason to stay there any longer than it takes to get this done and over with.”
“You think it’ll be over that quick?”
“Vinny does. He said he’d take care of it and I trust him. He won’t screw me over since it would cost him money in the long run.” He looks at me with a sexy smirk on his
face. He flips over onto his stomach, his hand warm on my thigh as he delves under the covers. “How about I make you breakfast in bed and then you can thank me by worshipping my body?”
“Or I can worship you now,” I lean forward, placing a soft kiss on his lips, “then we can get breakfast before we do it all over again?”
“I like the way you think,” he breathes out before his hands tangle in my hair pulling me to him.
Breakfast will be a long time coming.
Chapter Nineteen
Zach
The sun glints off the window as I stare out across the bay. The Ferris wheel spinning lazily in the distance makes me wonder if Dani is still afraid of heights. I just left her apartment less than twelve hours ago and I already miss her. How did I go years without her? The answer is I was a miserable prick who became self-absorbed. The apartment is quiet after Vinny left to pick up the Bertrands and I’m waiting for my driver to arrive to take me to the hotel downtown where we are scheduled to meet, secluded but public. The concierge buzzes the intercom to let me know the car has arrived. Cap placed securely on my head, I put on my aviator sunglasses when I walk out the entry door. Not making eye contact, I slide inside the back of the Cadillac as the driver holds the door open. Once it closes, I look around frantically for the press hounds, but I drew no attention. I’m safely ensconced behind the blacked-out windows as he slowly pulls away from the curb.
Twenty minutes later, we pull into the parking garage and I’m quickly ushered into an elevator, rising quickly toward the top of the building. The door opens and I step off, the restaurant silent as the hostess leads me toward the table in the back. Vinny’s face is stoic giving nothing away as he meets my gaze as I weave my way around. As I approach, William sends me a hard glare, placing his hand on his wife’s shoulder, her body tensing. I pull out a chair opposite the couple, not saying a word.
“Let’s get this over with, shall we?” Vinny starts off. “You requested this meeting with the threatening letter you sent my client. Let’s dispense with the pleasantries and get to the heart of the matter. What do you want?”
Pieces of a Broken Heart: Whiskey Bend Series Book One Page 14
