by L. P. Dover
“Gladly.”
Licking her lips, I knew what she was planning to do the moment she slid my boxers down my legs, and oh God, how much I wanted to feel her mouth on me, sucking me as hard as she could. But I wanted to be inside of her more than that.
She shrieked as I flipped us over and basically ripped off her underwear and unclasped her bra, taking it off as fast as I could. I bent down to suck on her perfectly taut nipples, one after the other, the tips getting larger the more I teased them. Moaning, Clara spread her legs wide and pushed her hips up against mine. I intentionally kept my cock as far back as possible so I could tease her.
“Please,” she begged, trying to move down in search of the friction she desired. When I pressed my weight into her and bit her bottom lip, she opened her closed eyes and gasped.
“Uh-uh, not yet,” I murmured. I trailed my tongue down her stomach, stopping between her legs. Right there in the middle was the sweetest taste of all, the one thing I craved. So wet and swollen.
I groaned in anticipation because I knew the first taste would be the best. Sealing my lips around her clit, I felt her body tighten. She moved her hips against my face as I moved down a little farther and fucked her with my tongue, burrowing as deep as I could.
“Zac, please,” she begged. “I need you. Make love to me.”
Ignoring her request, I pushed a finger inside of her, flicking my tongue on her clit. The wetter she got, the more I wanted. Spreading her legs wider, I sat up and rubbed my cock around the wetness of her opening, and without warning, entered her.
Gasping, she screamed out a pleasured cry and wrapped her legs around my waist. Reaching for me, she pulled me down. I took her face in my hands, and she gazed back at me with hooded eyes and lifted her mouth to kiss me. I opened her lips farther with my tongue, tasting her … claiming her. She was mine again.
Moaning in my ear, she dug her nails into my back and her body clenched so tight around my dick, I was close to exploding. The tighter she got, the harder it was to keep going. Her moans grew louder, and as soon as she let go, I pumped into her hard, filling her up deep inside. It was unreal how much I craved Clara’s touch. I spent years without it, and now I couldn’t get enough.
“I love you,” I murmured against her lips.
She smiled, and it was the sexiest thing I’d ever seen. “I love you, too.”
I brushed the hair away from her face. “I’m not going to let anything come between us this time. I can promise you that. I’ll never doubt you again.”
Her eyes glistened. “Same. We’re in this together.”
It all felt too good to be true, like at any moment she would be taken away from me. I didn’t want to be afraid, but dammit to hell, I was. That was the one problem to loving something so much. The thought of losing it would be devastating. I couldn’t go through that pain again.
21
Clara
Monday had finally come. It was time to get back to work, which meant phone calls for me and searching for employees for Zac. Luckily, I was able to work from the pool, floating in a very comfy float while soaking up the sun. I checked up on my dad, and he said he was feeling a little more energetic, but I knew he’d take another hit once chemo treatment was done tomorrow.
“How’s it coming along?” I shouted, waving at Zac.
He looked up from his laptop and leaned back in the lounge chair. “Not bad,” he hollered back. “I have two conference calls scheduled with potential employees later this week, and a couple different emails from clients who want me to design for them. One is in Colorado and the other in Montana.”
Hearing that made me smile, especially with how happy I could see it made him. “Will you have to fly out to meet those clients?” I asked.
He looked over at me and nodded. “You could come with me, but I know you want to go to your dad’s chemo treatment tomorrow. I’ll be home Wednesday afternoon.”
“As much as I’d like to go with you, I’m going to stay. It’ll give me a chance to catch up with my parents.”
Zac smiled in agreement and went back to his laptop.
In all reality, I could go with him, just like he could go with me anywhere, but I really did want to stay so I could go with my dad. Zac and I had yet to discuss how we were going to make our relationship work with him being in Wyoming and me based in San Francisco. All we knew was that it was going to work no matter what. Luckily, my job could mostly be done through my laptop or over the phone. I didn’t have to be in California. There were times when my clients invited me to go to parties and things like movie premiers, but I only went to those because I had nothing else to do. Being Trina’s sidekick to her elaborate parties brought a lot of unwanted attention my way. Guess it didn’t help that I dated Adrian Norwood and was in every tabloid across the nation. I preferred staying in the background, and I wanted to keep it that way from now on. I didn’t crave the spotlight; didn’t need it. I was happy managing the lives of the rich and famous behind closed doors.
Closing my eyes, I leaned back on the float and glided my hands through the water. I was just about to fall asleep when my phone rang. I’d floated to the other end of the pool, away from my phone, but Zac jumped up and grabbed it for me. His smile faded when he looked at who it was. Knowing my luck, it was Adrian.
Stomach clenching, I paddled over to the side of the pool and hopped out. Zac held out my phone. “It’s Trina.”
I grabbed it quickly and answered. “Hey. Where have you been?”
“What are you talking about? I got one voicemail from you.” She said it so innocently, but I didn’t buy it. I’ve been friends with her for a long time, and I knew all her ways.
“One voicemail, but a ton of calls and text messages,” I snapped.
“Geez, calm down. Haven’t you been busy with Zac?”
That caught me off guard. I hadn’t talked to her since the auction. As far as I knew, she had no clue that Zac and I had even made up. “How did you know about Zac? I haven’t told you anything.” The line went silent, and her gasp didn’t escape my notice. “Who told you I was with Zac?”
“Word travels fast in small towns,” she said, her voice rushed and impatient. “It’s crazy how I had to hear about it from someone other than you. Why would you do that when he hurt you?”
I was so confused. If she was really concerned about me, she would’ve called me back earlier. “Don’t turn this around on me,” I growled. “And I think we both know he didn’t hurt me.” I wanted to test her, and her silence confirmed it. Deep down, I hoped it wasn’t true. “Trina, why didn’t you tell me he called? It was the day after the photo. You knew I was trying to find him.”
“I … I don’t know what you’re talking about. I can barely remember last night, much less something that happened over a decade ago.”
My teeth clenched. I could see right through her lies. “If I had betrayed my best friend like that, I never would’ve forgotten. The guilt would have eaten me alive. Guess that’s what makes us so different. You don’t give a shit about anyone but yourself.”
“Clara, that’s not true,” she sobbed. “I never wanted to hurt you. It’s just …”
“Just what?” I was so mad I couldn’t see straight. “Why would you do that? Zac and I could’ve worked things out. Instead, I spent the past twelve years hating him for something he didn’t do.” I waited for her to explain, but all she did was cry and it infuriated me even more. “When you’re ready to talk, call me back. I’m not going to sit here and listen to you cry because I sure as hell don’t feel sorry for you.”
When I hung up, my hands shook. Zac hurried over and pulled me into his arms. “What the fuck, Clara? Did she admit it?”
Taking a deep breath, I laid my head against his chest. “Not in so many words, but I know she’s guilty. What I want to know is why. She said she didn’t want to hurt me, but then she stopped. Makes no sense.”
Zac rubbed a hand soothingly down my back. “What are you going to do?�
�
I huffed. “Not call her for one thing. She needs to come to me. It’s her job to make this right.”
“It is,” he replied, gently grasping my arms. He pulled me back and kissed me. “We can’t let her ruin the day. Let’s go inside, pack us a picnic, and then go for a ride. I’m sure Cooper misses you.”
The thought already made me feel better. I could definitely use a distraction. “Perfect. I’ll go make the sandwiches.”
22
Clara
It was my first time taking my father to his chemo treatments. The mood was pretty somber, especially with other cancer patients waiting around. I got to meet my dad’s oncologist and I was super happy with her. It wasn’t very often you could find a doctor that would go out of their way to help you. I was thankful my dad had one that devoted her time to him and making sure he was comfortable.
“What’s on your mind, sweetheart?” my father asked, his voice tired. I set down my phone and looked over at him. The room we were in had two recliners, one for him and one for a guest. They only allowed one person to join him during his treatments. My mother opted to work at the country club to give me a chance to be with him. He’d just had a bag of liquid Benadryl dumped into his system along with a couple of saline ones to get him ready for the chemo infusion. He stared at me and he could barely keep his eyes open.
“Are you even going to understand what I say?” I joked. “You’re too doped up on Benadryl.”
He waved me off, and it looked like he was trying to swat a fly. “I just feel a little drunk is all.”
There was so much on my mind, I didn’t know where to begin. Everything was going great, except for the unknown with Trina. She still hadn’t called me back to explain anything.
“Tell me,” he demanded lazily. “I know when something’s wrong. Your forehead gets those scrunched up wrinkles on it when you’re worried.”
I rubbed a hand over my forehead to smooth them out. He was right though. I was transparent when it came to my feelings. “Okay, fine,” I gave in. “I’m having issues with Trina. She lied to me about something and I don’t know why.”
His brows furrowed. “Did you ask her?”
I snorted. “Of course. She was too busy crying to explain.”
Reaching over, he patted my hand. “She’s your best friend, Clara. I’m sure she’ll tell you when she’s ready.” That needed to be now. We couldn’t turn back time, but she could definitely make things right. Keeping me in the dark just made things worse. “You and Zac seem to be getting along really well. He goes out of town for one night and you stay on the phone with him for hours.”
Giggling, I leaned back in the recliner so the foot rest would pop out. “We have a lot to catch up on. So much has happened in twelve years.”
He smiled. “Has he changed?”
I shrugged. “We all have in some ways, but for the most part, he’s still the same Zac. Being with him feels like it did before … only better. We’re older now, smarter, and definitely more ready to take on the world.”
“I bet,” he said with a laugh. “What about San Francisco? Are you still going back at the end of summer?”
I’d thought about this for a couple of days, but it didn’t really hit home until now. I hadn’t even told Zac yet. Deep down, I already knew the answer. I’d known it since before I arrived in Wyoming. Granted, San Francisco wasn’t a million miles away, but I needed to be close to my family. I didn’t know how much time my dad had left, but I wanted to be near him. Time was precious.
“I think I’m going to say for a while,” I answered.
My dad chuckled. “Now that Zac’s back?”
He was a huge part of it, but he wasn’t the only reason. “Actually,” I began, “I want to be closer to you … and Zac. I love you both and I don’t want to miss a moment with either of you.” Just thinking about Zac made everything in my life infinitely better. He was mine. I was going to need him more than anything when my dad’s time came.
My dad stared at me and his lips trembled. “Do you have any idea how long I’ve waited to see you smile like that?”
A tear slid down his face and my heart ached. “Oh, Dad,” I cried.
He held up a hand. “I don’t know how much time I have left in this world, and I pray it’s at least a couple more years. There’s so many things I don’t want to miss out on.”
Eyes burning, I tried to keep the tears from falling and failed. “Like what?” I asked. His eyes started to drift shut, but I had to know. “Like what, Dad?” I repeated, hoping to keep him awake.
He blew out a breath and closed his eyes. “I’m happy you found love, sweetheart. Zac is a good man. He loves you.”
“Yes, he does,” I murmured. “What else?”
His chest rose and fell with his deep breaths, and I thought he’d succumbed to sleep, but then his eyes opened slightly. “I want to be able to walk you down the aisle.” He closed his eyes. “I have … I have to be around for that.”
More tears rolled down my cheeks and I watched him fall asleep. “You will,” I whispered, squeezing his hand. “You have to be.”
The whole process at the hospital took six hours, and it completely wiped out my dad. My mother was by the door when we pulled up, and she helped me guide him to the couch.
“How’d it go?” she asked.
My dad kissed her cheek, his voice tired. “Not too bad. Just tired.”
He sat down, and my mother draped a blanket over his lap. “Hungry? I made you a sandwich.” She looked over at me. “I made you one, too.”
My dad’s lips pulled back lazily. “Perfect.”
I walked into the kitchen to grab him a bottle of water while my mom took him his sandwich. We all sat in the living room and ate together. My dad’s hair had started to thin but he still had color to his cheeks. After he finished his food, he closed his eyes and snored softly.
“Come on,” my mother said, “let’s go to the kitchen. You can fill me in on everything going on with you.”
“Sounds good,” I whispered. “I have a lot to tell you.”
We snuck away to the kitchen, and I sat down at the table where a platter of chocolate chip cookies tempted me. I grabbed one and took a bite; it practically melted in my mouth.
Moaning, I held up the cookie. “I swear, you make the best cookies ever.” It’d been months since I had them. When I was in France, she used to ship them to me.
Chuckling, my mom took the seat across from me. “I made them for you. Feels like I haven’t seen you much the past few days. You never told me what happened with Adrian.”
I pursed my lips. “Thanks, by the way, for telling him where I was. I literally thought there was going to be a brawl right in the middle of the tavern.”
Sighing, she clasped her hands together and looked down at them. “When he showed up, I didn’t know what to say. He needed to know that you’d moved on, Clara. It was only fair to him.”
She was right. I wished I could’ve done it over the phone instead of him flying all the way out here. “I know,” I admitted solemnly. “I’m just glad nobody got their ass kicked.”
She looked up at me and nodded. “And we both know it would’ve been Adrian. Zac’s got a healthy set of muscles on him.” That he did, and I loved them. “So what else has been going on?” she asked. “Anything new with work?”
I grabbed another cookie. “I think I’m going to step back from being Trina’s publicist.”
Her eyes widened. “Why?” Before I could answer, there was a knock on the front door. Brows raised, I looked at her and she shrugged. “I don’t know who it is.”
Getting up, I tiptoed past my dad and opened the door, figuring it’d be someone to see my dad. Instead, it was the one person I really didn’t want to see. Trina stood there with tears in her eyes and her hair a mess. Opening the screen door, I stepped out onto the porch.
“What are you doing here?” I snapped.
She held up her hands. “I know you’re ma
d at me and you have every right, but you need to know the truth. I didn’t want to do this over the phone.”
“So you intentionally kept me away from Zac, didn’t you?” I asked through clenched teeth.
Lips trembling, she closed her eyes. “Yes.”
I was so angry I could barely see straight. The level of betrayal sunk in deep. Trina was my best friend and she’d done the unthinkable. “You knew how angry and depressed I was over Zac,” I growled. “Why would you hurt me like that?” She broke down and slapped her hands over her face. The tears weren’t going to work on me. “Answer me,” I shouted.
“It wasn’t her fault.” Trina gasped, and I turned around to see my mother by the door. She closed it quietly and slowly walked toward us. They both stared at each other as if they were privy to something I wasn’t.
I stepped back. “What the hell is going on?”
Sighing, my mother crossed her arms over her chest. When she looked at me, there was guilt written all over her face. “When you started getting close to Zac, I knew it was only a matter of time.”
I didn’t like where the conversation headed, especially with it involving my mother. “What did you do?” I asked her.
Eyes glistening, she bit her lip. “Something I’m ashamed of.” Bile rose up the back of my throat but I swallowed it down. I was afraid to hear what she had to say. “I paid that girl to try to seduce Zac,” she confessed. “It was coincidence that Chelsea was there to snap the photo.” My heart stopped and I froze, feeling as if I could throw up. My veins burned like fire, but no words came out; it felt as if at any moment I would lose control. Tears fell down my mother’s face. “I didn’t want you to throw your life away, Clara. You weren’t ready.”
“Guess we’ll never know,” I growled. “Did you get that girl to steal Zac’s phone as well?”
She shook her head. “That was something she did on her own.”
