Concentrating on the here and now, he took one nipple into his mouth. When her back arched off the bed, he wrapped both arms around her waist to hold her closer. And that was another first for him. He couldn’t get close enough or touch her enough. He literally couldn’t wait to become one with her.
Zach turned his attention to the other nipple, then traveled up her neck and finally reclaimed her mouth. Ana grabbed his shoulders, her short nails biting into his skin as she lifted her knees around him.
He trailed one hand down her body, found the spot between her legs and stroked. He needed to make sure she was ready, and not just emotionally.
Ana’s mouth tore from his as she cried out at his touch. He couldn’t wait another minute. He grabbed his pants off the floor and pulled a condom from his wallet.
“Look at me,” he told her as he positioned himself between her legs. “Don’t ever forget this moment.”
Don’t forget me, he silently added.
Inch by agonizing inch, he entered her. Their eyes stayed locked as Zach allowed her body to adjust.
Ana brought her hands up to his cheeks, framing his face in between her fingers. “Please, Zach. Don’t hold back.”
He didn’t. “Wrap your legs around my waist.”
When she did, he sheathed himself in her even deeper. Her hips tilted with each thrust and Zach had to grit his teeth to remain in control.
“I’m so glad it’s you,” she murmured right before she gripped the duvet in each of her fists, threw her head back and came beneath him. That’s all it took for Zach to let go.
And as much as he wanted her to remember this moment, he wanted to keep it embedded in his own head forever, so he leaned down and kissed her as his body trembled and even when the tremors ceased.
Sated, Ana kept her eyes closed. She was afraid if she opened them she’d see this was a dream. Or worse, Zach was disappointed.
He shifted his body over and she instantly felt the loss of his presence, but in an instant he was lying at her side again, trailing his fingertips over her heated body.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
Ana smiled, opened her eyes and turned her head toward him. “I can’t believe I’m in your bed. I never thought this would make me feel so…alive.”
The look on his face was sexy, yet at the same time vulnerable. The words I love you settled on the tip of her tongue. She wanted to tell him how she felt, but she didn’t want this moment to turn into guilt on his part. He wouldn’t be able to say the words in return and he would probably think she was just saying it because of what had just happened.
So she kept the secret for another time. But she would tell him. Soon. He deserved to know how he’d touched her life, how he would always be a part of her even if they weren’t together.
He broke the silence. “I have to say, these last few hours of you in that dress really tested a man’s willpower.”
She laughed, rolling to her side and mimicking his pose. With her elbow bent and her head resting in her hand, she looked at him. “It was just a dress, Zach. I’m the same person in my dusty boots and holey jeans as I was in that dress.”
His brows drew together. “That’s what I’m trying to figure out. How can someone look so totally different, yet amazingly sexy both ways?”
“I don’t know. Why don’t you tell me? You go from a CEO to a construction worker to a motorcycle rider in a flash.”
His wide grin split across his face, making that stubbled jawline all the more appealing. “Are you saying we’re not that different? I’m positive I wouldn’t have looked that good in the dress.”
Ana laughed and shoved him in his chest until he fell to his back. She came up on her knees, still laughing, took a pillow and smacked him. “Now you’re making fun.”
“Maybe just a little.”
Zach clasped his hands behind his head, instinctively flexing those hard muscles in his arms, accentuating his tribal-looking tattoo that wrapped around one hefty bicep.
How could she not have fallen hard for this man? All that sex appeal wrapped around the heart of a true gentleman. He could have anyone, yet he’d taken time to earn her trust, show her what passion and, yes, love was. All the afterglow, all the tingling feelings swirling around inside her, and all of the confidence she had in herself were all due to Zach.
How in the world had she ever thought this caring, giving man was anything like her selfish, womanizing father?
“What are you thinking?” he asked, gazing up at her.
She shrugged, came to sit on her knees, surprising herself at just how comfortable she was naked in his bed. “Everything. Nothing.”
“You were smiling, but you had a different look in your eye for a second.” He rested a big, tanned hand against her pale thigh. “What was it?”
“I love you.”
Silence settled so deep into the room, Ana wanted to be buried in it. “Oh, God. I told myself I wouldn’t tell you.”
She covered her face with her hands, praying the last ten seconds of her life would be erased from Zach’s memory.
“Ana.” The bed shifted as Zach sat up and took her hands in his. “Look at me.”
Slowly moving her hands, she looked him in the eye. But he wasn’t horrified. At least he didn’t appear to be.
“I’m sure you hear that all the time,” she began, suddenly trying to backpedal in a current too forceful for her to fight. “And I’m not just saying it because we made love. I told myself not to say anything, to just let this moment be and not bring my personal emotions into it. But, much as I want to, I can’t take the words back. I know you don’t feel the same, and I’m fine with that. I knew going in that you wouldn’t love me.”
He remained motionless as she rambled, except for the one corner of his sexy mouth that turned up into a smile. “Are you finished?”
Ana shook her head. “I tried not to fall for you. I really did, Zach. But do you know how much you’ve done for me?”
“Excuse me?” His brows drew together. “I didn’t do anything.”
“You gave my company this amazing job.” She began ticking the list off on her fingers. “You were there for me when my office was broken into. When my father showed up, you stood by my side. You’ve been so patient with me even though I know that goes against everything you’ve probably ever done where a woman was concerned. And Jake. You gave me a dog, Zach. Something I wanted when I was a little girl and you just delivered it to me.”
“Let me get this straight,” he said, still holding on to her hands. “You love me because I was in the right place for the break-in and your father’s visit and because I got a dog?”
Ana closed her eyes. “That is all on the surface,” she whispered, knowing tears weren’t far. She opened her eyes anyway, not caring she was baring all the emotion there. “You gave me a sense of hope that not all men are jerks. That not all men who can literally have it all are uncaring and selfish. You put me first, in everything. I don’t think you know what that means to me.”
“Ana.” Zach sighed. “I don’t know what to say. I do care about you. I can’t even try to deny that. But…”
She’d be lying if she said a piece of her heart hadn’t just chipped away. There was never any question that he wouldn’t fall in love with her, but she was hoping for just a sliver of his love.
“I don’t expect you to say anything,” she told him. “But I can’t lie to you, Zach. I’m not sorry you know how I feel. So, now that I’ve embarrassed myself, can we enjoy the rest of the evening or did I ruin it?”
He leaned in, touched his lips lightly to hers. “Never.”
Thankful he wasn’t terrified of her now, Ana smiled. “I bet you’ll never ask me again what I’m thinking.”
Zach slid off the bed and scooped her up into a fireman’s carry. “Not for a while, I won’t.”
As he carried her into the glass-tiled bathroom, Ana couldn’t help but smile. The words of affection were out now and she felt relieved.
Scared, but relieved.
And now that the truth was out in the open, would he, could he consider something more with Ana than a fling? God, how she hoped so. She wanted desperately to see where this love could go. If only Zach would open his eyes, and his heart.
Seventeen
Zach had just finished sliding the pancakes onto a large platter when his cell rang. He grabbed it from the kitchen island praying it wasn’t Melanie again. She’d left him three texts during the night, all of which he’d ignored and deleted.
Thankfully it wasn’t her. It was his attorney.
“Zach, we’ve found Miss Clark’s father.”
He glanced toward the arched doorway to make sure Ana hadn’t wandered in from the bedroom. He’d left her sleeping and decided to make her a surprise breakfast in bed.
“He agreed to sign the contract?” Zach asked. “That was too easy.”
“Well, an IRS threat really scares people into doing what you’d like,” his lawyer agreed. “All debts, legal and otherwise, are clear. Everything is taken care of.”
Zach could feel the relief lifting off his shoulders. Now when he and Ana parted, he would know she could move on without that extra baggage and could live without fear. But he would have to keep his investigator on this for a while, just to make sure Ana’s father held up his end of the bargain. Zach had a feeling the man would, simply because people like that were too afraid of people with power. He would slink into someone else’s life and start anew with some other innocent.
“Thanks,” Zach said. “Make sure you let the P.I. know how much he is appreciated and that a hefty bonus will be added to his fees for his swift, efficient work. And make sure he knows to keep an eye on Miss Clark once this project is complete. I don’t want her or her mother bothered with this bastard anymore.”
He disconnected the call and pulled the syrup from the cabinet. Now he could greet Ana with a simple breakfast of pancakes and juice, a morning-after kiss and the good news about her father who would no longer be a problem in her life.
Zach loaded up the tray and headed back to the bedroom. Ana was just rustling beneath the covers.
“Morning.” He smiled and moved toward her with the tray. “I hope you like pancakes.”
She stretched, arms high above her head, and pulled the covers back up and tucked them beneath her arms. “You know I love food, so anything is fine.”
He settled the tray over her lap and leaned down to kiss her. “I like to see a woman who’s not afraid to eat.”
Ana’s wide grin spread across her face. “I’ve told you, you date the wrong women.”
Something settled deep in Zach’s chest at her subtle joke. “I’m beginning to see that,” he mumbled against her mouth before capturing it again.
He couldn’t explore his emotions, not now. Maybe never. This uncomfortable state that had been plaguing him for days, weeks, was confusing him, making him lose track of what was right before him.
Zach took the kiss deeper, and Ana cupped his face and parted her lips. How could he ever let this woman out of his bed? Out of his life? Was he seriously contemplating something long-term?
Zach pulled back, more than a little shaken at the smack to the heart from the sudden epiphany. “Eat before they get cold,” he told her.
“Aren’t you eating?”
He shook his head. “I had some juice and fruit while your pancakes were cooking.”
Placing the napkin in her lap, Ana picked up the syrup and drizzled it over her plate. “You seem off. Is everything okay?”
“Fine.” Zach eased down on the edge of the bed. “Just conducted some business this morning. I wasn’t expecting to wrap it up this fast.”
“You’re all work, Zach.” She cut into the pancake and lifted a forkful to her mouth. “I thought you were only working on the Lawson project right now.”
“This was something that couldn’t wait.” Zach scooted farther back on the bed and turned to face her more. “I’m glad it’s done and came through quicker than I’d expected.”
“So you can spend more time on…more important things.”
Zach smiled and leaned closer. “Absolutely,” he said, moving over the tray to capture her mouth.
He wanted her to know how much she meant to him, but at the same time he couldn’t tell her because she would read too much into it.
Zach eased back. “Finish eating. We can take Jake out to play later and let him run some energy off.”
“Can I grab a quick shower first?”
“Absolutely. You don’t have to ask to use anything here.”
Zach left Ana to go into his office on the other side of the house. He wanted to read the contract that his attorney had faxed to make sure there were no loopholes Ana’s father could jump through in the future.
Everything had to be in order down to the final period if he expected to move on. And he would move on. He had to. As soon as Ana was one-hundred-percent safe.
By the time he read over the document, he was more than satisfied that his lawyer hadn’t missed a thing. Of course, he had expected no less, but he wasn’t going to take even the slightest chance when it came to Ana’s future.
Zach filed the contract in his cabinet and strode back to his bedroom. He heard the shower shut off just as he grabbed the tray. He took the empty dishes back to the kitchen and left them on the counter. His housekeeper would be in later.
When he went back to his bedroom, Ana still hadn’t emerged from the bathroom. He’d just raised a hand to knock when the door whipped open.
Ana’s face was tear streaked and she’d donned his black silk robe that hung on the back of the door. Instincts took control as he stepped forward and grasped her shoulders.
“What’s wrong?”
She shook her head and brushed by him. “Absolutely nothing. Everything is perfect. That’s the problem.”
Zach turned, watching Ana pace back and forth across his white carpet. “You’ve lost me. You found a problem in my bathroom?”
She stopped, hands on her hips, a mass of wet, red hair settling around her shoulders. “No. I’m just so happy and I started feeling guilty while I was enjoying your party-size shower. I don’t think my mother experienced an ounce of the happiness I’ve had in the past few weeks. And that makes me sad.”
Treading into unfamiliar territory, Zach took a hesitant step forward. This was a shaky part where every word he said could give her false hope for a future. “Ana, don’t feel guilty. I can’t imagine your mother would want you to. I’m sure she’d want you to be happy.”
Ana’s shoulders relaxed, her hands fell to her sides and her head drooped. “I know she would. Which is what makes her so great. She always puts others first. I wish my father would’ve appreciated what he had and what he’s thrown away. He used his power to get anything and everything and where’s it gotten him?”
“I won’t lie and say money doesn’t talk, but people with power can’t let the power overtake their lives.” Feeling a bit more in control of this shaky situation, Zach closed the gap between them and placed his hands on her silk-covered shoulders. “Money and power have ruined many lives. You have to think more of yourself and be stronger than the power…if that makes sense.”
Ana looked at him as one tear trickled down each cheek. “If I didn’t love you before, I love you now.”
“Ana, I can’t…”
Her smile broke his heart. “I know,” she whispered, slipping her thumbs inside his boxers and sliding them down his legs. “Let me show you.”
The loose knot she’d tied at her waist came free with just one slight tug. She dropped her arms to her sides as he brushed the robe from her shoulders.
She moved into him, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing his stubbled jawline. He circled his hands around her waist and groaned at the slow pace she was dead set on keeping.
“Don’t ever doubt my feelings for you,” she whispered in his ear. “And don’t lie to yourself.”
; The little minx knew exactly what she was doing because just as he was about to ask what she was talking about, she covered his mouth with hers and ran her hands down his sides and around to his back where she massaged him from bottom to top.
“Enough,” he rasped.
Zach wrapped his arms around her waist, picked her up and walked over to the chaise in front of his French doors which he’d opened at sunrise. The ocean breeze slipped through, kissing their bare bodies.
Once he had Ana laid out, ready for him, Zach made quick work of protection and came back to stand between her legs. With no words, no kissing, he entered her. A moment later he stopped.
“Don’t stop,” she told him. “Don’t doubt.”
He clenched his teeth. “I can’t control myself around you, Anastasia. I can’t give you slow.”
“Then don’t.”
When she smiled, looking up at him with desire in her heavy-lidded eyes, he was a goner. He leaned over, bracing himself with one hand on the arm of the chaise, one hand at Ana’s side, and moved with her.
Desire overtook him and just as he was about to close his eyes, he saw hers. Nothing but love looked up at him and Zach knew if he could love anyone, it would be Ana. He wanted nothing more than to make her happy but he was broken and not willing to take the risk again.
So he closed his eyes and took them both over the edge.
When Ana came back to reality and Zach dropped her off at her condo, she discovered four messages on her cell from her mother.
She’d been so busy enjoying herself between the amazing wedding, the reception, but mostly the hours after. Had she really only spent less than twenty-four hours with Zach? So much had happened since she’d last been in her bedroom.
Her whole life had changed—not to mention her outlook on life.
She’d told herself, once she decided to sleep with Zach, that she wouldn’t expect anything in return…. And she wouldn’t have if he hadn’t looked at her the same way she’d seen Cole look at Tamera.
Her Innocence, His Conquest Page 14
