Embraceable You (Irish Hearts Series)

by Mary Tate Engels

  “Not to worry, George. We’ll get the cats,” Zach said.

  Siena gestured futilely at the roomful of lighthouses, lobsters and shell nightlights. “Gotta have cats, to go with all this, I suppose.”

  “Not just any cats, Maine Coons,” George corrected. "They're special. Big, like bobcats but are as gentle as can be."

  “Right. Good to know.” To go with the witches and gnomes and invisible powers hiding in the corners and around the stairs, she thought. Siena didn’t bother removing her faux fur coat. “Okay, I can’t live with frozen cats on my conscience. I’ll go find them right now.” She stomped outside, her boots crunched in the snow as she headed up the street. “Heeeere kitty, kitty, kitty!”

  “Wait up, Siena –” Zach followed close behind her. “You can't chase them down. George has a brilliant idea.”

  Yeah, so did she. Like turning around and going back home. What made her think coming here was the right thing to do? This trip back in time was worse than she imagined. Seeing Zach again and feeling what he did to her insides, just being near him. But this was no good, no good at all. Not the right time, certainly not the right place.

  She whirled around in the middle of the street to face him. “Zach, are you – ”

  He stopped, stared, and waited for her to finish.

  She blurted, “Married? Five kids? A lobster boat?”

  There was surprise in his expression. “Nope.”

  She blinked and turned away quickly, looking for a crack to disappear into. Why had she done such a stupid thing? She didn’t care what he was doing with his life. She was leaving soon. Closing up shop. Getting out of town. She had a list of goals and Zach wasn't on it.

  Siena’s head swirled. She was crazy with desire for Zach. It hit her hard, like an avalanche of snow and bucket of hot water at the same time, covering her, stopping her forward motion. She groped mentally for her mantra. Taking care of business, closing shop, leaving soon.

  What she really wanted was to grab him, to invite him up. To seduce him. Yes, to take the mayor to bed. And now, he knew it, too.

  “Did I pass?”

  She looked away, frantically searching for a snappy response. Nothing came.

  Finally he asked, “What about you, Siena? Husband? Kids? A place in the Hamptons? Another life?”

  She breathed out a puff of frosty air and turned to face him. Her words came with a little laugh. “No. No other life.” It was an admission to herself as well as to Zach. No life back there. This was it.

  Later the two rescued cats, Maine Coons the size of small dogs with thick fur and pointy ear tips, licked their wet paws and sulked in the corner of Aunt Addie’s apartment while Zach helped Siena haul everything upstairs.

  Siena stood in the middle of the living room-kitchen, looking around her aunt’s quaint, antique-filled apartment. There were two bedrooms, one bath, a view of the bay on one side and the town on the other. It was a typical Maine harbor town, small and about as picturesque as anything you could imagine. In fact, she remembered plein air artists flooding the place in summer, setting up easels everywhere and painting their hearts out.

  Memories and grief cascaded over her like a waterfall. Siena tried to shake it off and turned away from Zach. Then she was sobbing, shoulders heaving and face contorted in the ugly cry. He embraced her, strong arms sweeping them into a comforting circle.

  He waited until she calmed down. “Let’s find another place for you to stay tonight.”

  “No, no. I’ll be all right.”

  “Come to my place. Stay with me. I have room, an extra bedroom.” His voice was low, persuasive.

  She dabbed her eyes. “They’re really such good memories of being here, I don’t know why I’m crying.”

  “You don’t have to take this on by yourself, Siena.”

  She twisted away from him. “And just who do you think will do it?”

  “Well, your mother is Addie's niece, her closest relative . . .”

  Siena felt a twinge of pain and adjusted her arm in the sling. “Dana – my dear mother - is heading across country on a Harley with her newest boyfriend. That’s what my mother is doing. And I’m fresh out of a lousy fiancé and a really good job. I have a freakin’ strained arm, which makes job-hunting ever so clumsy, unless I can find someone who feels sorry for me and wants to hire me out of pity. So, I am the self-appointed one to close all this up. Please excuse me, because I’m an emotional wreck this week. It’s all just been too much.”

  She wanted to cry, to stomp, to scream. But that just wasn’t her way. It was Dana’s way, not hers. Siena was the strong one. She would do what had to be done. She would be responsible.

  Zach made no effort to reach out to her. He leaned against the kitchen cabinet, legs stretched long, hands stuffed in his pockets and pulling his jeans tight across his groin, looking sexy as hell. He waited. Then he gave her a slight grin. “Should I break out the violins now?”

  "What the hell. You don't know anything about me."

  In an instant, he grabbed her arms and held her close to his hard male body. "I know one thing, Siena . . . feel it? Something strong. Between us. And I know I care about you, care that you're so unhappy."

  She halted the rant in her head, stunned that he would be so insensitive as to make this whole journey about them. Their non-existing relationship. And sex. She took a deep breath. “This is not about us, Zach. I have a job to do. The quicker, the better."

  He released her and she stumbled backward a couple of steps. "I swore I wouldn’t bring my pity-party with me, but I’m afraid I did.”

  “Hell, if a job's all you want, I’ll hire you in a New York minute. In fact, I may have a spot for you soon.” He smiled broadly, sending a warm, caring essence over her. "In my office."

  She shook her head. "I don't think so. I'll just take care of things here and go back where I can find something in my field."

  "Which is . . ."

  "Marketing and communication."

  He nodded silently. “If you didn’t want to come up here to Haven's Point, why did you?”

  "Something about doing the right thing. I know, it sounds stupid. But with everything unfolding like it did . . . honestly, I don't know. I'm just here.” She tried not to notice that he looked like a Greek god in jeans and a leather jacket.

  “Being capable, and available, will get you in charge, every time.”

  She looked around and combed her hair back with her fingers. “Hey, I haven’t eaten all day. Can a gal get a bite in this town after dark? Anything open?”

  “Thought you’d never ask.” He moved toward her, leading with his shoulders as men sometimes do, a swagger declaring he was in charge of the moment. “Best damn clam chowder in the country is right across the street at the Cockle Burr.”

  They locked gazes for a moment. He was right about feeling something between them. She was drawn to him, feeling that old black magic that they had once upon a time. She gave him a small smile. “Clam chowder sounds great.”

  The Cockle Burr Bar & Grill was noisy with music and laughter, even though the crowd was small by her big city standards. In the back, men lined the bar watching a large-screen TV where the Bruins excited their fans with a bruising battle on ice. A skimpily clad waitress floated back and forth with trays of beer, burgers piled high and bowls emitting steam. Heads turned and Siena felt curious gazes sizzle over her. Was it the mayor they were ogling, or the strange woman with the mayor?

  When the waitress brought two huge steaming bowls of clam chowder to their table, Siena inhaled, savoring the delicate flavors. “Ahhh smells great. I've needed this.”

  “It’ll make you feel better. Guaranteed. Then you'll know why you're here. Our seafood is outstanding.”

  "Spoken like a man. All about food."

  "Mostly. Not all."

  They each took a few bites before she asked, “What are you doing here, Zach? Why are you back in Haven’s Point.”

  He gave a clean, concise update, w
ith none of the inevitable messy parts. “I was gone for over ten years. Military and college. Came back last year to help Zoey with Mom. This mayor-thing happened . . . and I ended up staying.”

  "Is your mom ill?"

  He looked down, and then said tightly, "Breast cancer. She's in treatment. Doing well. Good prognosis. But still… "

  “I'm so glad to hear she's doing well, Zach. Breast cancer's every woman's nightmare."

  He nodded and stared away silently.

  Siena felt the need to change the subject. Obviously Zach was very uncomfortable talking about his mother's condition. But he was here for her and that was a good sign. "I had forgotten how beautiful it is in Haven's Point, even under a ton of snow. Lots of good memories, too.”

  “Ah, for me, not so much. I saw this as an opportunity to make up for . . . lots of things over the years.” He took a drink of beer.

  “How do you do that, Zach? Can you ever make up for the past?”

  He laughed a low chuckle. “Hope so. That’s my intention.”

  “You mean, about your father?”

  “And me. I wasn't a model student, y'know.”

  “I am so busy tackling things as they happen, I don’t think about the past much. Except for you . . . and me. Those were good memories.”

  “Yeah,” he agreed, without any elaboration.

  A little band was playing country music in the corner. Siena and Zach finished eating to tunes of broken hearts, trains, and mama's love. “What do people do for a living around here? I don’t see how they make it, closing up shops all winter.” She took a drink of pale ale, which soothed all the way down.

  “It’s difficult, especially for families. I intend to get things going with year-round business opportunities so we won’t have to close down in winter. Jobs are our biggest need.”

  “What about the lobster business? And fishing,” Siena ventured. “That’s always been pretty solid around here.”

  “Ah, lobstering isn’t an easy job, and the state limits the number of lobster pot licenses. They closed the fish cannery five years ago. It sat empty for years until we built the gym there. Competition in the fishing market is stiff. I’d like to improve the fishing industry, but we need to bolster our economy in other ways, too. My intent is to bring Haven’s Point up to date and have a variety of businesses going. That’s what I’m working on.”

  His mouth was luscious and when he smiled, Siena felt a flicker in the pit of her stomach. She hadn’t seen that smile much when they were young. He didn’t have anything to smile about then, and she was too immature to fully understand. She watched him take another swallow of beer and craved a taste of his lips.

  Siena looked down, trying to think about something besides seducing the mayor. When she lifted her head, he was staring at her. Their eyes met and something caught fire. The magnetic attraction between them connected like two ends of lightening, zipping and zagging until it straightened into one strong electric pulse. The jolt was so strong Siena could hardly breathe. She tried to refocus on her chowder.

  When they finished, he helped her into her faux fur coat. They huddled together against the wind, and by the time they reached the sidewalk, his arm slid around her for support, clasping them together. Light snow swirled in the air and peppered their hair.

  For a magical moment, they were alone in their own world. In the background, there was music and laughter from the Cockle Burr. Siena looked up at Zach, taking in his deep brown eyes, his squared chin, his kissable mouth. Was it possible that they might pick up where they left off so many years ago?

  No, it was too much to expect or even to want. Apparently Zach felt differently. They stopped in front of Amazing Lace. He faced her, large hands framing her face, fingers lightly tracing her cheeks. His thumbs edged her lips. Warm. Secure. Strong. Just what she needed.

  His fingertips tilted her face gently upward, to him. Her body became electric, burning inside, and pressed to his. She felt desire rising inside her like a flame, licking and growing and encompassing. Their lips met in an explosion of passion. She couldn’t even claim that he kissed her, because she was so ready, so eager, so very needy that she more than met him halfway.

  The kiss was as delicious as she had anticipated. Even more so. They were both breathless when they finally, finally separated.

  "Sure you won't come home with me? I'll keep the ghosts away."

  She licked her lips, and sucked cool air past them. “Not tonight. Thanks.”

  “Siena . . .” His breath warmed her face and his voice vibrated through her. “I’m glad you came.”

  “Me, too . . .” She closed her eyes, hoping for more.

  “Don't leave too soon . . . ”

  “What we had back then, it’s just a memory,” she whispered.

  “But a damn good one.”

  “Thank you, Zach. For dinner. For helping me. For the strong shoulder.” She shifted.

  “Just for tonight? Spare bedroom. No one will know, I swear.”

  “I’ll be fine here.” Tonight she would be alone with memories and maybe a sweet ghost. And two huge furry cats. Not exactly where she wanted to be. Tomorrow, in the light of day, she could handle it. But tonight? She stumbled on the doorstep.

  His voice was a low rumble, repeating his offer with only one word. “Siena . . .”

  "Zach . . ." she reached out one hand to him and lunged into his arms.

  He lifted her in a circle, burying his face against her breasts, saying something she couldn't hear. She murmured a prayer of thanksgiving – begging forgiveness – for she knew how this would end. And when they got to his place, they didn't even bother with the spare bedroom.

  Siena woke in a bed with a naked man. A very muscular and beautiful man. Not Warren.

  It took her only a couple of blinks to remember what had happened and who she was in bed with. Oh damn! She couldn't blame the liquor. They'd only had one beer. Last night had been her choice. And his.

  Immediately hating herself, she tried to move and felt his bare leg draped over one of hers. Strong and rough. She melted a little inside just thinking about those legs stretched alongside hers, spreading her knees apart, and then – she took a quick breath and shoved that thought away.

  He turned toward her, pulling her close and encompassing her in the semicircle of his body. She could feel him hard against her. This was no dream. This was… Zach!

  She froze, stiffened right there in the bed beside him. OMG! What did I do? I must be insane! This was something Dana might do, but not me. Siena tried to scoot away.

  "Don't go," he muttered and held her, sliding one large hand to her breast.

  "Zach…I – no."

  "Hmmmm, yes."

  "I have to go. This should never have happened. I can't believe I did this. We did it. Why, you're practically a stranger."

  "Not anymore." He moved closer, hip-to-hip, and gently rubbed her nipple.

  She wiggled a little. "I don't know what I was thinking."

  He nuzzled her neck and muttered, "Good, Siena. So good. Don't think."

  She untangled their legs and pushed away from him. "No, not good at all. Well, I don't mean 'not good.' It was. But not a good thing to do." She bounded out of bed and began searching for her clothes. They were, of course, scattered.

  "Go back to the amazing part." He propped up on an elbow and watched her with an amused grin.

  "Zach, really, we have to… pretend this never happened."

  "Pretend? I'm not much of a pretender, Siena. And neither are you, if I remember correctly. You were superb last night, especially the second time. Why pretend otherwise?"

  She found her bra and fumbled with the catch. "Second time? Oh my God, I can't believe this. Please, Zach, forget I ever came to town. And please forget we were ever," she circled one hand, "like that, in bed together."

  He made a funny motion and pressed both palms together. "Why? It was perfectly natural and really good. Baby, you were hot!"

  She pus
hed and tugged one leg at a time into her tight leggings. "Stop. Just stop right there. We gave in to our base needs, our curiosity, our lust."

  "So…"

  "Well, I just don't function that way." She found her sweater all the way across the room. "I don't know what happened to me. I just –"

  "Couldn't resist."

  "Or didn't, which is worse. And it's not going to happen again." She pulled on her boots. "It's not. I can't. This isn't right, for me or for you. I was just … weak or something."

  "Hmmmm." He propped on one side and watched.

  She ran her fingers through her hair. It didn't help much. "Zach, I'm just here to close that place up. Then I'm out of here. Adios Haven's Point."

  He folded his hands under his head, looking like Adonis under a quilt. He just smiled at her. "I'd hate to see you go so soon."

  She shook off the sexy image. "Which way is Amazing Lace from here?" She knew they had walked here last night – or maybe floated on a cloud of pure lust.

  "Uh, aren't you even going to say anything to stroke my ego… like if it was good for you, too?"

  She shook her head and looked away. "Of course, it was - is… uh, wonderful to see you again, Zach. And last night was better uh, than I ever dreamed. Thanks for the invitation to share your house. And your bed. You knew we'd end up like this. You knew!"

  "That's a backhanded compliment if I ever heard one. Did you ever dream, Siena? About me?"

  She walked to the door. "Where do I go from here?"

  "Two blocks down and turn left. You'll see Amazing Lace on the corner by the bay."

  "Just please, forget this ever happened, Zach."

  "Will you, Siena? Will you forget?"

  She bolted out of the house without answering. She couldn't, and be honest.

  "No way, Siena," he muttered. "No way can I forget last night. We were better than ever together."

  Chapter Three