Chapter Three #4
“What are you thinking about so hard?” she blurted, wanting to know what was going through Zach’s head to make him look almost ferocious.
“How much I want to bash your brothers’ heads in.”
Marit blinked in surprise. Her lips quirking upward, she grinned, then she began to laugh.
Zach glanced at her. “I’m serious.”
“I know you are,” she said, still chuckling. “I was just sitting here thinking how lovely your family is. And then you come out with that.”
He shrugged. “For what it’s worth, it takes a lot to get me riled up. But make no mistake, Marit, I won’t sit back and let those I care about be abused in any way. Verbally, mentally, or physically. I hate that you had such a piss-poor experience with your family.”
Every word out of his mouth made Marit like him even more.
She’d already been impressed that he seemed to always say what he was thinking, didn’t play games, was loyal to the extreme.
This violent side of him didn’t scare her in the least .
. . because she had an innate feeling she’d never see that anger turned toward her.
As she stared into his hazel eyes, she felt her body stirring. She wanted Zach. Wanted to know how it felt to have all that intensity he demonstrated when he talked about defending those he cared about, centered totally on her.
Marit licked her lips and her nipples hardened as his gaze dropped to her mouth. He shifted just a touch closer, and she wanted his lips on hers more than she’d wanted almost anything in her life.
She leaned into him and lifted her chin.
Zach’s free hand came up and caressed her cheek in a barely there caress. “May I kiss you?”
Shit. She was a goner. All that other good stuff she already liked about this man, and now he was asking for consent? That feeling of being lucky came back tenfold.
“Yes. Please.”
Zach leaned closer, taking his time. Heightening the anticipation. He licked his lips, and Marit was almost panting with how much she wanted this. Him.
“If you go out with me, you’re probably going to see a lot of my brothers. My mom. I’m a mama’s boy. Is that going to be an issue?”
He didn’t need to warn her. She definitely understood that he and his family were a package deal.
She wasn’t sure she could do it when she’d first learned of his brothers, but now?
After spending the evening with them? After seeing everyone interact and not detecting one iota of the traits she’d observed in Max and Mav?
She decided it was about time she tried to get over her fear of family.
Logically, she knew that not everyone was like her brothers.
Most families were decent and loving. And Zach admitting he was a mama’s boy made her want to laugh.
She could see how much his mom doted on him.
He was the baby of the family, after all.
“Marit?” Zach asked warily, still inches away. His hand had come to rest on the side of her neck while she’d been contemplating his words.
“No, it won’t be an issue,” she whispered.
As soon as the last word was out of her mouth, Zach’s lips were on hers.
She thought he might take things slow. Instead, his tongue immediately demanded entry into her mouth, and as soon as she opened for him, he took control. Tilting her head, tightening his hand on her neck, and moving his other hand to her waist as he devoured her.
The attraction Marit had felt before bloomed into full-fledged desire. The man knew how to kiss. He wasn’t shoving his tongue down her throat, but caressing her possessively. Showing her without words how skilled he was when it came to satisfying a woman.
They were both panting when he finally pulled back. But he didn’t go far. He kissed her nose. Then her forehead. Then her cheeks. Then he went back to her lips as if he couldn’t get enough.
By now, Marit was more than ready to strip off all her clothes and let Zach take her right then and there.
It wasn’t as if there was anyone around to see them.
He could’ve done anything he wanted to her—and she would’ve let him.
But his hands didn’t stray past her neck or her waist. While his kiss communicated how much he wanted her, he obviously wasn’t going to attempt to go any further tonight.
One of Marit’s hands slipped under his T-shirt, and she dug her nails into his lower back. The other gripped one of his biceps hard as he continued to kiss her. How long they made out on the bench, she had no idea. She only felt regret when he finally stopped.
The smile he gave her was both wicked and tender at the same time.
Marit felt off balance. All this was so new.
She’d never wanted to sleep with a man on a first date.
But looking into Zach’s gaze, she swore she could see their future looking back at her.
He was as open with his reverence and desire as he was with his words.
This man had way more layers than she guessed anyone would suspect. And he was with her.
Just like that, her self-esteem rose. If he liked her, she had to be kind of special, right? He wouldn’t still be single at his age if he wasn’t picky.
“I like that smile,” Zach said, brushing a lock of hair off her forehead.
“You’re very good at kissing,” she blurted.
“It’s not me, it’s you. You inspire me,” he insisted. Then he turned serious. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For trusting me not to go too far. For letting me kiss you. For being open minded about my family. They’ll grow on you if you let them.
I’m not saying they can’t be annoying, because they can.
But my brothers are good people. Once you win them over, which I think you’ve already halfway done, they’ll have your back for life.
No one messes with a Lobsterite . . . that’s those of us who belong to Lobster Cove.
You need something and you can’t get a hold of me, you call Chad.
Or Linc. Or Knox. Or Walt or Barry, who work at the auto shop.
They’ll get what you need or get to you, no matter the situation. ”
That was intense, but the warm feelings continued to spread through Marit.
She nodded, overwhelmed. Yesterday, she’d been alone in the world, and today she felt as if she had a brand-new family.
It was strange. And Marit was very aware that this was only her first date with Zach.
Things could go south and she could lose everything he was dangling in front of her, but she wasn’t going to dwell on that right now. She felt too damn good.
“Shoot. Now I’ve freaked you out. Come on, let’s get you home so you can get your beauty sleep before having to get back on the water in the morning.”
Zach stood and reclaimed her hand before they began walking back toward the path.
“I . . . I’m not freaked out,” Marit told him as they walked.
He glanced at her and lifted a brow.
“Okay, maybe a little. But in a good way. Be patient with me. It’ll take me some time to get used to this. I’m used to being alone.”
“You aren’t alone anymore.”
They were four simple words, but they felt like a promise.
The trip back to Rockville seemed much faster than the one to Lobster Cove, probably because they were halfway back to town in the first place, but also because Marit was relaxed, and not stressed about meeting Zach’s family.
“I’d like to drop you off at your apartment, but if you aren’t comfortable with me knowing where you live, I’m not sure what to do.
I don’t want you to walk to your place from my apartment parking lot by yourself.
And before you say that you’ll be fine, I’m already sure you will be.
Rockville isn’t a hub of criminal activity.
But it’s not in me to let a woman walk home by herself. So I’m not sure—”
“It’s fine, Zach,” Marit said, interrupting him. “You had your tongue practically down my throat and we were completely alone. You could’ve done anything you wanted to me . . . and you didn’t. I trust you.”
He looked over at her. “Thank you. That means a lot to me. I’m not going to hurt you, Marit. You have my word.”
She swallowed hard, feeling emotional all over again. This night had been full of her emotions careening all over the place. She wasn’t sure she liked it. She liked her nice, predictable world.
No. She was lying to herself. Yes, she liked knowing what was coming and what to expect, and tonight had been out of her comfort zone . . . but nice all the same. She’d felt included, and that hadn’t happened in a very long time.
After she gave him directions, Zach soon pulled into the small parking area of the house where her apartment was located, and he met Marit on the passenger side of his Explorer.
He leaned in and kissed her as if he’d done the same thing countless times before.
“I’ll see you at the dock tomorrow afternoon? ”
“Yeah.”
“If you aren’t too tired, you want to do dinner again? I can make us something at the shack, and we can go down to the park to eat it. Or if you want something more substantial, we can go back to my place, and I can grill steaks or salmon or something.”
“The park sounds great. But can I go home and change first? Maybe I can meet you there?”
He gave her a look, and Marit remembered what he’d just said about her walking alone. It was kind of ridiculous, because this was Rockville and she’d been walking around on her own for years. But it also felt nice that he wanted to make sure she was safe.
“If you text me when you’re ready, I’ll come here and we can walk together,” he suggested.
“Okay.” She pulled out her phone, and they quickly exchanged numbers. Even saving his contact info in her phone felt like a big step. She didn’t have a whole lot of contacts, and seeing his name made her feel warm and fuzzy inside.
“I’ll give you my brothers’ numbers tomorrow.
And my mom’s too. But I warn you, she’s forever misplacing her cell, so if you want to talk to her, you should probably call her landline at the house.
Oh, and Walt and Barry too. And I’m sure Britt will want to text you as well.
She spends a lot of her time out at Lobster Cove and could probably use some girl talk.
My mom is great, but having someone closer to her age would probably be welcome. ”
Marit was proud of herself for not freaking out at the thought of having so many people added to her contact list. It was likely they’d never contact her anyway. Zach was just being nice in suggesting they’d want to have her number.
“I had a good time tonight,” Zach said, walking her toward the house. “Thank you for coming with me.”
“Your family’s . . . nice,” she told him.
“Remember that when they’re being pains in my ass,” he teased.
Then he leaned in and kissed her once more. He lingered a bit longer than he had when he’d kissed her after getting out of the car. But it wasn’t nearly as passionate as the kiss they’d shared on that bench by the water. Her belly still did somersaults though.
“See you tomorrow. If you want, text before you head out on the boat. I’ll be up.”
“I will. Good luck with the risotto tomorrow.”
“Thanks. Be safe on the boat.”
“Always.”
This was ridiculous, and Marit couldn’t help but smile.
They were both prolonging the goodbye, obviously neither of them ready to part.
But she needed some sleep. As did Zach. So she did the adult thing and took a step toward the stairs that led up the side of the house, to the apartment she was renting.
She wasn’t really surprised when she reached the top of the stairs and looked down to see Zach still standing there, watching to make sure she got inside all right.
She gave him a small wave, and after he returned it, she slipped into her place and shut the door, locking it behind her.
She leaned against the surface and found that she was still smiling. Huge.
Tonight had been nothing like what she’d expected. She’d experienced some pretty intense emotions, but overall it had been . . . awesome.
Moving to Rockville had been the right decision.
It was tough to leave Portland and a lobstering community she’d worked so hard to fit into, but Eliot was a great employer and Jonah a hard worker.
The other lobstermen in the area were a bit standoffish, but she hoped that would change when they saw she was serious about her profession.
And of course, there was Zach. It was hard to believe she’d just met him, but for once in her life, she was going to go with the flow. Try not to overthink things. Time would tell whether or not they worked out, but she was going to be cautiously optimistic for now.
Still smiling, she pushed off the door and headed to the kitchen to get a cup of water before heading to bed. Sleep came fast for Marit, and she drifted off with the same silly grin on her face.