Zach’s traveling gaze over her body may as well have been his big, strong hands. Ana tilted her head, smiled and spun in a slow circle with her arms out, sending him a subtle signal that this was all his for the taking. Later. Another shiver of delight speared through her. She only hoped her newfound bravery held up through the night.
Ana walked through the sliding doors. “I’m glad you didn’t bring one of the bikes.”
“I’m glad you decided to go with me.” He ran a fingertip across her bare collarbone. “Damn, you’re sexy. Every man there will want you.”
“But I’m yours.”
His hand froze on her heated skin. “Ana…”
She stepped closer, leaning in to his ear so the driver and valets couldn’t hear. “For tonight, I’m yours. I don’t want to think about how different we are, or that in a few months we’ll part ways. Tonight, Zach, take what you want.”
As she eased back, she saw Zach swallow. And for once, since she’d known him, he was speechless.
Zach turned toward the open door to the car and assisted her, following her in before the driver closed the door.
“I always thought you were beautiful,” he whispered, taking her hand in his. “But I had no idea you could be so stunning that my mind could actually go blank.”
“Kayla helped me,” Ana confessed. “She took me shopping for the dress and I went to the salon for my hair.”
His eyes settled on her shadowed cleavage. “Remind me to get Kayla a very nice birthday present next month.”
Ana laughed. “If you don’t stop, we won’t be able to get out of the car at the wedding.”
He lifted a brow. “Is that a bad thing?”
“It wouldn’t look good if the best man didn’t show.” She laughed. “Try to control yourself.”
“You’re kidding, right?”
Ana shrugged. “Just think about what good behavior will get you. Oh, and try to picture what I’m wearing under this.”
Zach groaned and squeezed her hand. “You sure you’ve never done this before? You’re too good at torture.”
Nerves swirled around Ana’s belly. “I promise. I’ve been waiting on the right person. Are you sure you want to be with someone who may do everything wrong?”
Zach shifted in the seat, took her other hand in his as well. “You will do nothing wrong. We’ll do this together and nothing could be more perfect. Relax.”
Relax? Sure. No problem. She only had several hours to go knowing that this man was going to bring out a new side of herself tonight and they would explore that side together.
Relaxing should be no problem. Right?
Standing up as best man was pure agony seeing as how he kept looking into the crowd to make eye contact with Ana.
He wanted to be alone. With her. Now.
But as his twin and Tamera said their vows, he had to look away from Ana. She was tearing up and smiling like women do at weddings. She was no doubt wondering what her own wedding would be like someday.
And Zach instantly loathed the faceless man who would take Ana and make her his for life.
If Zach were looking to settle down—the thought was laughable—he would certainly explore where this desire with Ana would go. But he wasn’t, so he would take what she offered tonight and not worry about anything else.
“You may kiss the bride,” the minister said.
Finally. Zach clapped along with the other one hundred fifty guests as Cole and Tamera kissed and turned to be introduced as Mr. and Mrs. Cole Marcum.
As the sun set in the background and flocks of doves were released to fly overhead, Zach smiled. This sort of fanfare wasn’t for him. But he was so happy for his brother and new sister-in-law. Happy they’d found each other and wanted to share their love with so many people.
After the receiving line was finished, Zach went in search of Ana to make sure she was okay and not feeling lonely since he had duties to see to as the best man. But once that toast was over, he was skipping out of this shindig early and taking Ana upstairs to one of the numerous guest rooms to make love to her all night.
Make love? Whoa. Where the hell did that come from? He’d never thought of sex as making love.
Must be all the holy matrimony getting to his head.
“You next?”
Zach spun around to see Victor Lawson smiling, a glass of champagne in hand.
“Hardly,” Zach replied. “What about you?”
“Married? No, thanks. Too busy enjoying life.” He motioned with his drink toward Tamera and Cole. “But love looks good on them.”
“Yes, it does.”
Zach glanced at the happy couple, then allowed his eyes to wander until he spotted Ana. All the breath left his lungs. Those mesmerizing deep green eyes were on him, half shielded by heavy lids.
And she had the same look in her eye as she looked at him that Tamera had when Cole had said his vows.
No, no, no. She couldn’t be in love. Could she?
And why, when Victor mentioned love and marriage, did he automatically seek Ana?
All this wedded bliss was wreaking havoc on his mind, making him weak and vulnerable. Time to make a quick exit.
“If you’ll excuse me,” Zach said, nodding to Victor.
A wide grin spread across the billionaire’s face. “I don’t blame you for the interest in Miss Clark. She’s got that quiet, reserved beauty, but knows how to make a statement when it counts. Makes a man want to take notice.”
Zach didn’t return the smile. “So long as you don’t take notice, we’ll get along just fine.”
Victor’s chuckle followed and mocked Zach across the courtyard. He didn’t care. All that concerned him was Ana and the fact that she was ready to give him the greatest gift he’d ever received.
Cole may be the one to have gotten married, but Zach considered himself the luckiest man here tonight.
When he reached her side, she was chatting with some guests. He softly took her elbow and whispered in her ear, “Let’s go.”
The tremor that shook her also vibrated through him. Ana graciously said her farewells and allowed him to lead her back into the house.
“Did you at least tell Cole and Tamera goodbye?” she asked as they passed the marble entryway and headed toward the wide, curved staircase.
“They left an hour ago,” he told her. “They were eager to be alone, too.”
Instead of going up the stairs as he’d originally planned, Zach led her out the front door.
“Where are we going?” she asked. “I thought we were staying here tonight. Isn’t that what Cole had planned for the family and close friends?”
He led her to his Camaro, which he’d had Cole’s driver bring over, and opened the passenger door, but before she could settle into the seat, he turned her around, pinned her against the car and kissed her. Gentleness had no place here, not right now when he was ready to explode. He would be gentle later when she needed it most.
Before he could get carried away right here in the driveway, Zach eased back, but kept his body flush with hers so she would know how affected he was.
“This matters to me,” he murmured against her moist lips. “I want you in my bed and I want privacy.”
When he stepped back to let her have room to get in the car, she continued to stare. “Are you always this passionate?”
Her honest, whispered question took him by surprise, but he didn’t even have to think. “I can honestly say I’ve never felt this way before.”
Ana closed her eyes, sighed. “Don’t say things like that to me.”
He didn’t know what she meant by that or why she looked so torn, so he just gestured for her to get into the car.
Months ago he was so confident, so sure he would have her in his bed. Of course at that time he didn’t literally intend to have her at his home, his sanctuary. He’d planned on seducing her aboard his yacht, maybe whisking her off to his cabin in the hills of Tennessee for extra seclusion. Or maybe just a quick evening r
omp in her on-site office after hours.
Yeah, he’d been cocky and sure of himself. But as he settled in behind the driver’s seat, Zach was hit by an attack of nerves like he’d never experienced before.
Ana was innocent and that meant this evening would be a first for him as well.
Surprisingly Ana didn’t feel as nervous as she thought she’d be at this moment she’d dreamed of. If anything, she felt a sense of peace, like she was doing something right. As Zach pulled into his four-car garage and killed the engine, silence enveloped them.
Yes, she’d waited a long time to give herself to a man, but she wasn’t sorry she was going to give herself to Zach. She loved him, and he cared for her as much as he could. Once upon a time, Ana wouldn’t have accepted that. Not that she was settling now, not by any means. She’d never been in love before, but she was now. Was it her fault her heart chose someone who was skittish of love? He had every reason to be considering his ex had skipped out on him in such a swift, coldhearted way.
Ana opened her car door before Zach could. They walked by two of his motorcycles and the Jag and the Bugatti and finally stepped into the house, where he promptly turned off the alarm.
“Where’s Jake?” she asked, setting her purse on the island in the kitchen.
“He’s in the crate. I’d better let him out to do his business before…”
Ana smiled as Zach trailed off and went into the utility room to let out their dog.
Their dog. No way could Zach deny that he loved her. Oh, he may not be ready to admit it, but deep down he did. Otherwise he never would’ve gotten her a gift so meaningful. He wouldn’t have remembered her even mentioning that in her rambling comments about her family.
Yes, Zach Marcum may be resistant when it came to commitments and relationships, but they hadn’t even made love and he hadn’t seen another woman in months.
That spoke volumes in ways his words couldn’t. And solidified the fact that giving herself to him was not a mistake or something she would regret later. Even if they went their separate ways after the project was finished, Zach would always have a piece of her heart.
“Would you like a drink?”
Ana spun around as Zach reentered the room. “No, thanks. Did you already let Jake out?”
He nodded. “I put him on the enclosed patio. There are puppy pads for him and not much those little sharp teeth can tear up out there. Plus it gives him some room to walk around after being cooped up for several hours.”
Ana walked through the kitchen and into the living area where a large flat screen TV was framed to look like a picture between floor-to-ceiling bookshelves.
The stark white walls were tastefully adorned with pictures of various sailboats out on the ocean. He also had a pencil sketch of a sailboat on an easel in the corner. The lone drawing drew her interest.
“You like sailboats?” She glanced over her shoulder to where he remained at the entryway just watching her. “I didn’t pay attention to all these the other day when we brought Jake here. Guess I was too busy playing with him.”
“Well, that just boosts my ego. You notice them now when I’m dying to strip you out of that dress?”
She turned fully now, more than aware of her heart beating, her palms sweating. Okay, maybe she was more nervous than she thought. “I actually have never been on the water. Too busy working, I guess.”
He moved toward her, one slow step at a time, and her heart picked up its pace. Game on. Let the predator come to his prey.
“You sketched this?” she asked, turning back to the drawing before he reached her. “Your talents are endless with design.”
His warm breath hit her bare shoulder as his words caressed her skin mere inches from her ear. “Are we really standing here discussing how well I draw? I have many, many more talents, Anastasia, and I want to show them all to you.”
She turned, her breasts brushing against his crisp dress shirt. Yes, she wanted this man and it thrilled her beyond description that he wanted her, but she’d be a fool not to go into this with a bit of fear.
“Relax, Zach.” She smiled, laying a hand on his chest. “I’m not going anywhere. Even though I’m nervous and scared, I need this to go slow. Can you handle that?”
He rested his hands on her bare shoulders, extending his thumbs down to brush against the tops of her breasts spilling from the dress. “I’ve watched you move all night in that dress. I’ve watched other men look at you and each minute that passed was too long for me not to touch you. But I don’t want to scare you. I want to show you how perfect this will be. Let me show you, Ana.”
Ana didn’t protest when his hands slid around to her back and eased the zipper down. Emerald silk swished to the floor in utter silence.
And the look in Zach’s eyes was so worth the extra money she’d put toward her new lingerie. How could she make this as good and perfect for Zach as he’d promised it would be for her? She knew nothing about pleasuring a man. But the look in his eyes told her she was about to learn very soon.
Shivers of anticipation swept through her and in their path excitement and love now replaced fear.
Sixteen
More than anything Zach wanted to run his hands all over Ana’s slender body, but he knew the moment he touched her smooth skin, this night would progress at a much faster pace than he wanted. And right now, he wanted to savor this moment with his eyes and capture a mental picture of every dip, every curve of her body.
“The dress was stunning,” he said, almost not recognizing his own husky voice. “But this is positively breathtaking.”
A wide grin spread across her face. “I was hoping you’d like what I chose.”
Wrapping a body like Ana’s in clothes should be a sin. But wrapping it in a sheer gold thong and bustier was pure heaven.
“I’m glad you like it, Zach, but could you touch me or start taking off some clothes? I feel a little silly being on display.”
He jerked his shirt from his pants and unbuttoned it, tossing it over his shoulder, not caring one bit where it landed.
Zach wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her against his chest. They matched perfectly. Chest to chest, stomach to stomach, thighs to thighs.
“I don’t get to give you the microscopic overview?” she asked, teasing.
“Later.”
He bent down, scooped her up and made his way out of the living room, through the wide, long hallway and toward the front of the house where his master suite was located. The whole east side of his home was his bedroom, his domain, and he wanted to spend the next two days closed in with nothing and no one but Ana and her innocence.
He eased her down to her stiletto-covered feet. “Be sure, Anastasia.”
She ran the palm of her hands over his bare chest, never taking her eyes off his. Slowly she eased her body closer, until her lips were a breath from his, and smiled. When her arms looped around his neck, she gave him a gentle tug until he was walking her backward toward the high four-poster bed dominating the center of the massive room.
She sank down on the edge as he towered over her. Pure, raw heat shimmered in her green eyes. The mass of red hair, usually curly and wild, was now tamed and tumbling down her back. He couldn’t wait to see it spread across his sheets.
Ana licked her lips, but not in the suggestive way most women did. Her eyes darted to the ground, then back up.
That she was getting nervous humbled him. A surreal feeling, but one he was learning to live with considering Ana had become a part of his life he hadn’t expected.
More than anything, he wanted to make this night, this moment perfect for her. He wanted to ruin her for any other man.
No. Those thoughts had to leave. There was only room in this bed for two. And he refused to already give her up to someone else, even if only in his mind.
Zach placed a hand on either side of her hips on the bed and leaned down to capture her mouth. Tipping her face up, she rose to meet him. She sighed deeply as she opened
her mouth, giving him access. Her back arched, the satiny material over her breasts brushing against his bare chest.
Taking her shoulders, he eased her down and placed a knee on the bed. As much as he wanted to continue kissing her, he wanted to see her completely free of all clothing first. He knew he needed to take his time, something he’d never had to consider before, but he didn’t know how agonizing it would be. He wanted to draw this moment out for both of them.
With one knee on the bed, one foot on the floor, Zach eased back and began unfastening the little hook and eye closures on her bustier. One by one they popped open, exposing creamy, pale skin beneath.
“You make me feel beautiful,” she whispered.
Zach’s eyes roamed up to Ana’s. “You should never feel any other way.”
He parted the shiny material, laying it open on either side of her torso. Then he hooked his thumbs in the side strings of her panties and slid them down her slender legs, over the heels and flung them off.
Laid bare before him, in his own bed, Ana looked like sin personified. Those mesmerizing eyes sparkled, her chest heaved with every breath she took. Her moist lips were parted, begging him to take more.
To know he was looking at a body that had never been touched, never been admired nearly brought him to his knees.
“I’ve always taken this for granted,” he told her as he ran his hands up her legs, over her pelvic bone and up to her breasts. “You have no idea what you do to me, Ana.”
She sat up, reached for his belt and unfastened it along with the button and zipper of his pants. “I know, Zach. I know because you do the same to me.”
Once his pants were off, along with his socks and shoes, he bent to take off her killer heels. Now that she was fully naked, he kissed his way from her feet to her breasts, bypassing her most sacred part.
She wiggled and moaned beneath his touch. Zach wanted nothing more than to bury himself in her and assuage this ache he had, but he was realistic. He knew that with Ana once would never be enough. No, once she got into his system, he had a feeling it would be hard to ever get over her.
Her Innocence, His Conquest Page 13
