HIGHER (The Indigo Lounge Series)

by Cox, Zara

  He pulled her back and banded his arms around her. Against her ear, his breath was harsh but his voice was full of awe, adoring her as she trembled in her arms. “You’re a dream come true. My dream come true.”

  He held her like that, skin to skin as he groaned his release, long and hard inside her. Several minutes later he still trembled.

  His hands shook as he pulled out of her and washed her. Turning off the shower, he dried her body then swung her in his arms and took her back to bed. He pulled the covers over them and cupped her face to deliver a sweet, adoring kiss. His mouth quivered against hers and emotion welled inside her.

  God, she loved him, especially when he was caught in the grip of his own overwhelming emotions.

  “Zach…”

  Something in her voice must have given away her feelings. His breath hissed out and those intense eyes devoured her.

  “Tell me you love me,” he demanded hoarsely. “Please baby, I need to hear it.”

  Bethany opened her mouth to tell him. But found herself shaking her head. “No. You tell me you love me. You never have. Because you don’t love me. Why should I be the one to bare my heart and soul to you?”

  He looked shocked. Genuinely shell-shocked as if he’d been shot.

  “What the fuck are you talking about? Of course I love you! Why else would I be ripping myself inside and out for you if not because I’m insane about you?”

  In that moment, Bethany was sure she knew what it felt like to be completely insane with both fury and love.

  She went to pull out of his arms but he caught her back.

  “Wait!”

  “Let me go, Zach. You’ve just ruined what should’ve been a beautiful moment. I am not fucking psychic! How would I know you love me? There are a hundred different emotions besides that love that could be motivating you.”

  His eyes widened. “Like what?”

  “Obsession. Possessiveness. Insane sexual chemistry.”

  A haze of red flared across his taut cheekbones. “You think that’s all this is? That my heart turns over every time you look at me because I’m crazy about the sex?”

  “Those are powerful emotions, Zach.”

  “God...Bethany, I love you,” he repeated. “I love you. So much. So very much that sometimes I wonder if I’ll ever be able to take a breath without craving you.”

  She trembled at the strong, powerful words. “Do you want to?”

  “Hell no. But I want your love, too. I foolishly threw it away when you offered it. I’m not ashamed to beg you for it. But only if you feel it.” A shadow of anguish clouded his eyes. “Do you feel it, Bethany?”

  “Tell me you love me again.”

  “I. Fucking. Love. You.”

  Her heart soared, joy and love and screaming happiness fizzing inside her. Her smile felt as wide as the sky and his breath hitched as he gazed down at her.

  “Bethany?”

  “I feel it, Zach. With every breath in my body, I feel it.”

  Epilogue

  “Get up, I have a present for you.”

  She groaned and burrowed deeper into the pillow and tucked another one over her head for good measure. “Give it to me later.”

  “No, it’s nearly ten. You have to get up anyway. Your parents will be here in half an hour.”

  “God, I can’t believe you invited them to brunch without telling me.”

  “It was a spur of the moment thing,” he answered before yanking the pillow away.

  She turned over and watched him stride naked into the dressing room. “Sure, which was why you arranged it two days ago, then dragged me onto yet another plane and flew us back to New York last night?”

  His shrug was unrepentant. “They love you. I love you. I thought it was time we bonded over our mutual interest.”

  She rolled her eyes. “When you put it like that, it’s so sexy!”

  He laughed as he tugged on blue jeans and paired it with a fitted stripped grey shirt that did amazing things to his physique and eyes. Strolling back to the bed, he gazed down at her. The adoration in his eyes fractured her breath.

  “I know they were concerned about that photo of us this week.”

  “I explained things to them. They know who you are now and they’re okay with it.”

  “I still think they deserve to have their concerns put to rest properly, don’t you agree?”

  Her heart melted. “I love you.”

  His smile widened. “You still have to get up, Peaches.”

  With a groan she rolled over. The smack that landed on her ass made her yelp. She rose and lunged for him and he caught her up in his arms and strode into the bathroom before setting her on her feet.

  “Shower. Now. I’d join you but I’d prefer your parents not to receive audible evidence of me defiling their daughter.” His eyes raked heatedly down her naked body, then he swallowed and jerked around to walk out of the bathroom.

  “What about my present?” she asked.

  One wicked eyebrow arched her way. “You’d definitely have to shower and dress for that one. It’s in Bora Bora.”

  ***

  Sugar white sand crunched between her toes as Bethany lifted yet another shell and looked underneath it. So far she’d searched from trunks of palm trees to the fruit sculpture their chef had created this morning for her. She’d even considered diving into the natural water feature outside their bedroom at Zach’s villa but she hadn’t quite reached that stage yet.

  But she was fast reaching the end of her tether.

  “Do you give up, Peaches?” Zach strolled a few feet behind her, his bare chest making her insides heat up all over again.

  “No.”

  “Do you really want to tie me up that badly?” The dark anticipation in his voice made her pulse race.

  “Yes, I do want to win that badly.”

  Half a day of Zach as a slave to her every whim was too tempting a chance to pass up. Trouble was, she had to find the tiny flat white box he’d hidden somewhere on the premises.

  His Bora Bora villa wasn’t huge, which was an advantage. But it was breath taking in an utterly distracting way. The water was impossibly blue; the sand impossibly white and the man she loved impossibly gorgeous and utterly bent on impeding her search.

  “Just say the word and I’ll end this. We can go back to bed and I can have my way with you until the sun goes down.”

  She blew out an exasperated breath and faced him. His blue shorts were snug enough that she would’ve noticed if he had anything in his pocket. And his chest was bare, so no hidden treasure there aside from the obvious hard torso she loved to explore.

  And she hated that his baseball cap and sunglasses hid his expression so she couldn’t get further clues…

  His baseball cap.

  She walked slowly toward him, swaying her hips in a seductive way that made his arms slowly drop from their folded stance. Her tiny white bikini had already caused major concentration issues for him and when his lips parted and his tongue traced the inside of his lower lip, she knew she had him.

  “Zach?” She reached him and tugged off his glasses.

  Molten grey eyes stared at her, their focus unwavering and adoring. “Yes?”

  “I need to kiss you.”

  “You don’t need to ask, baby. Just take what you need.”

  “Take your cap off.”

  He tensed. “Ah…”

  “Do you want to win so badly? It’ll be equally pleasurable for you if I win.”

  His nostrils flared. His eyes dropped to her hips and he swallowed before glancing back at her. “Take what you need.”

  She closed the gap between them and slowly slid the cap off. His tension increased. She looked from his face to the cap. Taped inside was a flat box from a jeweller whose name made her jaw drop.

  She looked from the box to Zach’s face.

  Guarded expectation blazed from his eyes and he swallowed again. “No matter what your decision, I love you. I’m thankful that you l
ove me in return. Know that. Believe that.”

  “I do.”

  He nodded. She opened the box. The diamond ring was huge and gorgeous and a perfect fit when he placed it on her finger.

  Her heart leapt into her throat. She tried to speak but no words were adequate for the feelings rampaging through her.

  “Speechless, Peaches? I believe that wins me a year’s brownie points.”

  “You win all the fucking points, Savage. A lifetime of them.”

  “And I intend to collect. Often and thoroughly.”

  Tears swam into her eyes. “God, I love you.”

  His smile slowly disappeared and his eyes grew solemn with a deep, unwavering promise. “Not as much as I love and cherish you, Bethany. Always.”

  Zachary Savage would probably never be the guy to wear his heart on his sleeve but she knew him inside and out. And she loved every single inch of him.

  That he felt the same about her was pure icing on the cake.

  THE END

  Coming Soon

  SPIRAL

  BY

  ZARA COX

  THE INDIGO LOUNGE SERIES #3

  JUNE 2014

  INTRODUCING

  NOAH KING AND LEIA MICHAELS

  Another sizzling story set in the luxurious and sinfully sexy world of The Indigo Lounge.

  Are you ready to SPIRAL out of control?

  Dear Reader

  Thank you so much for reading HIGHER, the concluding sequel to HIGH.

  I really hope you enjoyed it.

  THE INDIGO LOUNGE SERIES is by no means finished.

  I will be introducing two hot new characters, Noah and Leia, in June 2014 and I hope you will take them to your hearts as much as you’ve taken to Zach and Bethany.

  If you’d like to find out more about these new characters, please stay in touch, via Twitter – @zcoxbooks or on Facebook – Zara Cox Writer

  Alternatively, you can email me – zaracoxwriter@yahoo.com

  I’d love to hear from you.

  Happy reading!

  xxx

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  As always, my thanks go to my Minxy Buddies, especially to Kitty French, for her continued support. You’ve all become more than writing buddies. You’re my rock and my lighthouse and I don’t know what I’d do without you all!

  Also to Kate, for your continued unwavering support and general cheerleading skills when things get a little rough. I’m humbled and honoured to have you in my corner. Thank you, my friend!

  To JoJo, yes, it’s almost time to say goodbye wheelie chair conversations and “kitchen meets”! I leave you with Zach to cheer you up J

  And last, but not least, to my husband, Tony, for being my most supportive, incredibly patient rock, and for bringing me coffee and chocolate when I pulled all-nighters for this and all my writing projects. I love you.

  Copyright

  Copyright © 2013 Zara Cox

  Edited by Laura Kingsley

  Cover by Angela Oltmann

  All rights reserved. No part of this e-book may be reproduced in any form other than that in which it was purchased and without the written permission of the author.

  This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This e-book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Amazon and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  About Author

  Zara Cox has been writing for almost twenty-five years but it wasn’t until seven years ago that she decided to share her love of writing sexy, gritty stories with anyone besides her close family (the over 18s anyway!).

  The Indigo Lounge Series is Zara's next step in her erotic romance-writing journey and she hopes you’ll take the journey with her.