Chapter 24
24
“Morning, Peaches. Time to wake up.” Warm lips kissed along her shoulders and down her spine.
She groaned and buried her head deeper into the pillow. “Why? It’s Saturday. And it’s stupidly early,” she protested.
“I want to hit the pool.” He trailed his lips from one dimple above her ass to the other.
“And you want me to leave my warm bed and come and watch you swim. What’s in it for me?”
He worked his way back up and nuzzled her earlobe. “A newly energized lover who may give you a poolside fuck if you come keep him company.”
She groaned again. “You just spent half the night fucking me, Zach.”
He paused at her neck. “Is that a complaint?”
She knew better by now, so she shook her head. “Throw in a coffee, and I’ll consider your offer.” Even as she said it, the smell of freshly ground coffee hit her nostrils.
He pulled away. She turned over to see him smiling and holding out a steamy mug. “I know how grouchy you get without your caffeine fix.”
Accepting the cup, she took a grateful sip. He got out of bed, naked and unashamedly magnificent. At the door, he paused and stared back at her. “You coming?”
She stared down at her naked state. “I need to throw on some clothes first.”
His mouth compressed. “You don’t need to, but if you insist, you can grab a T-shirt from in there.” He pointed to the dressing room and walked out.
She took another sip and set her cup down. Zach might have no compunction about walking around butt naked, but she’d never felt comfortable walking around in the buff. She didn’t think she ever would.
Walking into his dressing room was like walking into a shadow of Zach’s lingering aura. His smell and potency permeated the room, and she had to force herself to focus on finding a T-shirt instead of sniffing the air like an eager puppy.
By the time she got to the pool, his huge body was cleaving rapidly through the water. Watching him swim, much like watching him do anything, was a heady experience. The man was a fucking god amongst other men, with a stamina that defied reason.
He’d set a timer by the poolside and it read fifteen laps done already.
She made her way slowly to the side of the pool where he’d found her last night, took two steps into the water and perched on the edge. The water lapped her legs as she finished her coffee.
Setting the cup aside, she leaned back on her hands and continued to watch Zach.
God, he really was magnificent. The timer hit sixty laps and he continued to swim, his energy not showing signs of depleting.
Recalling him expending that energy on her last night, her belly grew hot. Heat arrowed between her legs, and she bit her lip on a soft moan. By the time he hit eighty-five, she was struggling to breathe.
Jesus, she was so pathetic. And helplessly addicted to everything about Zachary Savage—his inhuman strength, his determination, his body.
Her legs slowly slid open and water lapped against her hot sex. She rocked her hips and sensation built. Her eyes started to drift shut, and her breath grew shallower as memories of last night rushed into her mind.
He’d feasted on her like a man starved for a century. And she’d loved every single minute of it.
Dimly, she heard the timer beep. She opened her eyes to see him stroking toward her, his wet hair slicked back and his magnificent eyes taking in her shameless stance.
“I see you started without me.” His eyes lingered on her peaked nipples, visible through his T-shirt, before drifting down.
“Watching you swim made me hot,” she confessed breathlessly.
His eyes dropped to her open sex, and his nostrils flared. “And wet.”
His hands surged out of the water and traced her inner thighs. One thumb brushed her clit, and a cry ripped from her lips.
“I can’t get enough of you, Zach.”
Grey eyes grew molten hot and ravenous. “I never want you to. I want you to remain as insatiable for me as I am for you.”
Rising like an ancient sea god out of the water, he bore her back, parted her thighs wider and delivered the poolside fuck he’d promised.
* * *
The rest of the day passed at a steady pace of final preparations for the IL trip. Since she needed to do nothing on the actual flights, she concentrated on double and triple checking the arrangements for the ground events.
At about midday, Zach received another phone call from his attorneys. Her heart tripped over as his face hardened, and he walked away from where he’d been sitting next to her in the living room.
She forced herself to concentrate on her work, but when he remained locked in his study for two straight hours, her anxiety started to escalate.
What if he never found a way round the non-disclosure agreement? Zach had shown her in Paris that his integrity meant a great deal to him. She had no doubt that there was far more than his integrity at stake here. But it was still a major issue. Her heart ached, knowing he would hate himself if he ever had to compromise that in order to find a solution round the promise he’d made.
When he emerged mid-afternoon, his hair was in disarray from raking his fingers through it, and his jaw was set in a tight knot. Not that he looked anything less than jaw-dropping in his designer khaki shorts and white T-shirt.
She rose and went to him. He caught her in his arms and kissed her like she was his lifeline and he was near death.
When he reluctantly set her free, she looked into turbulent eyes. “On a scale of one to zombie apocalypse, how bad is it?”
One corner of his mouth twitched upward. “The fires have started and the bodies are stirring.”
The rock of despair, which had never really gone away since lodging itself beneath her breastbone that last night in Marrakech, dropped into her belly. The same anguish she’d witnessed in his eyes then filled them now as she smoothed back his hair. “Do you want to get out of here for a while?”
“Unless we’re using the chopper, it may not be wise. Philip tells me there are reporters downstairs.”
Her despair grew. “Taking the chopper to go get an ice cream cone wasn’t quite what I had in mind.”
He smoothed a strand of her hair behind her ears. “Sorry, baby. Can I arrange for the ice cream to come to you?”
She frowned and shook her head. “Not quite the same thing. But does that mean I won’t be able to go home to pack for the IL trip?”
“I have a service you can use. Or we can get you new things. Is there anything in particular you need from your place?”
She nodded. “My passport.”
He grimaced.
“I suppose I can get Keely to go get it for me.”
He thought for a moment and nodded. “It’ll give you girls a chance to catch up, too. I’ll even make myself scarce if you want me to.”
Her mood lightened. She gave him a quick kiss. “Thank you. I’ll call her now.”
He caught her hand as she started to walk away. “Does that win me brownie points?”
She smiled, feeling lighter than she had five minutes ago. “It does indeed, Savage. And you’ll gain even more when you answer my question of the day later.”
To his credit, he didn’t flinch or look uneasy. The only sign of his distress was the slight darkening of his eyes and the shallow rise and fall of his chest as he nodded. He kissed her fingers and released her.
Her smile widened as she walked away to call Keely. Her man was doing better. He was willing to attempt change in order to keep her. There were a great many things out of her control. Maintaining an open channel of communication was one she would fight tooth and nail to hang on to.
Keely was in a much calmer mood when Bethany called.
“Dinner at your rich boyfriend’s Upper East Side penthouse in exchange for a quick trip to your place? Why not?” There was mild snark in her tone, but Bethany chose to overlook it. Keely was still smarting, and Bethany didn’t really blame her. She would forgive her in her own time.
She gave her the list of things she needed and hung up.
By the time she returned to the living room, Zach was once more shut off in his office.
Trying not to let it affect her mood, she returned to the living room and continued working.
* * *
He walked into the kitchen as she was uncorking the bottle of red Keely had chosen from Zach’s extensive wine collection. He’d changed out of his shorts and T-shirt into a pair of slim black chinos and another indigo shirt.
He crossed over to her side, took the bottle from her and carried on with the task.
“Everything okay, Miss Benson?” His glance held a touch of wariness, which Bethany found cute.
Keely rolled her eyes. “It’s fine, Savage, you can call me Keely, I won’t bite. As to my state of being, it’s nothing a hot new interesting boyfriend won’t cure. The men I’ve been attracting lately bore me rigid.”
Zach nodded seriously. “I know a few guys. I’ll make some calls.”
Keely’s eyes widened. “Whoa, hold your horses there, Savage. I can find my own dates, thanks.”
“And I can put you in the position where you can assess and select your next… conquest.”
Keely’s head whipped to where Bethany stood at the kitchen counter. “Is he seriously trying to set me up?” Without waiting for an answer, she turned back to Zach. “I bet you can’t find me one hardcore nerd among all your high-flying friends.”
“Is that a challenge?”
Bethany groaned. “Oh, God.”
Zach lifted a brow at her, and Keely glanced between them. “What did I say?”
“He devours challenges for breakfast. And more often than not, he sees one where there is none.”
“Oh. Right. Well.” Keely smiled, and Bethany watched Zach’s reaction to her friend’s traffic-stopping smile. To his credit, he didn’t react. She released a breath she hadn’t realized was trapped in her throat.
“If your heart is set on winning some sort of challenge,” Keely added, “then by all means, have at it.”
“What are you doing next weekend?”
“Why?”
“We’ll be in Amalfi. I’ll fly you over, and you can join us for a dinner party. I’ll invite a few friends.”
Keely’s mouth dropped open. Bethany tried to keep hers from following suit. “Umm, I’ll check my calendar and let you know.” Her gaze met Bethany’s with a WTF just happened expression clear in her eyes. Bethany fought not to laugh.
Zach poured the first glass and offered it to her. Then he slid one to Keely and set the bottle on the counter. Going to the fridge, he took out a bottle of water for himself and walked over to Bethany. His kiss was short and sweet but no less mind-altering.
“Thai food will be here in forty-five minutes. Is that okay?”
She nodded. “Great. Thanks.”
He nodded to Keely and walked his fine ass out of the kitchen.
Bethany eyed her best friend. “Are we good?”
Keely rolled her eyes. “Of course. My diva fit needed to be thrown, but I’d never stand in the way of you going after what you want. You know that, right?”
Bethany nodded. “Thank you.”
Keely glanced back at her. “So,” she drawled, thoughtfully passing a forefinger over the rim of her wineglass. “He doesn’t really strike me as a ruthless killer of first wives.”
“He isn’t,” Bethany replied, the knowledge a rock-solid certainty in her gut.
Keely nodded. “Are we one hundred percent certain of this?”
“I’m in a relationship with a rich, powerful guy who wears his secrets like a second skin, Keel. Nothing is ever one hundred percent guaranteed. Do I think he’ll take a butter knife to my throat while I sleep? I’m certain he won’t. Am I terrified that I still don’t know him nearly as well as I want to and that I’m falling harder for him regardless? Fuck. Yes.” Her breath shuddered out.
Her best friend studied her for several minutes, then leaned forward and covered her hand with hers. “I hear you. But Aunt Keely wants to know, what now?”
Bethany clutched her glass tighter and tried to smile through the anxiety storming through her body. “Now, I stay the distance and see where this takes me.”