“It sounds like you’ve thought a lot about it. Why hadn’t you put your plan in motion before now?”
Her blue eyes left his. “Timing. But that’s changing.”
“You know what you’re talking about is a full-time job, right?”
“I’m not afraid of hard work. And I’ve made some crazy rich contacts over the last few years. Plenty of them have expressed interest in helping me fund-raise and pilot my idea.”
Zach could see her rallying an entire village on behalf of disadvantaged kids.
“You won’t be able to save them all.”
“But I can save a few…even one is worth it.”
Zach’s eyes fell on their clasped hands. He stroked the inside of her wrist, that’s when he noticed she’d taken off her wedding ring. He bit his lip to keep from asking why. Maybe the timing she spoke of was her pending divorce. With the pressures of being Michael Wolfe’s wife behind her, she could concentrate on what made her happy. Though he didn’t see his brother standing in the way of anything she wanted.
The waiter stopped by and refilled their wineglasses. Karen ordered a couple of pasta dishes to go for the kids and pushed her plate aside.
“I don’t think we’re going to find out what we need to do for Nolan and Becky this weekend. But we’re going to have to consider where they’ll live.”
“They can’t stay in hotels forever,” Zach said.
“Exactly.”
“Nolan talked about finding a place here in St. George and commuting.”
“Sounds stressful.”
“Lots of people commute. And the cost of living here isn’t as high as California.” Which, if Zach had to guess, Karen would suggest they move to so she could help them.
“An hour commute in LA is standard operating procedure.”
Zach laughed. “We can look into affordable apartments here. I’d be happy to cosign and advance Nolan some money.”
“You don’t have to do that.”
“I want to.” He turned his hand around hers and laced their fingers together. A small smile played on her pink lips and she squeezed his hand.
“I-I talked to Michael today.”
The mention of his brother’s name made him pause and look away. “Oh.”
“Zach?”
God he loved hearing his name come from her lips. He looked up to find her still smiling.
“I told him…about us. About our attraction.”
He waited for the boom.
“What did he say?”
Her smile was weak. “He asked me to fly you to Canada so he could kick your ass.”
She was still smiling and he couldn’t really tell if Mike’s words were a joke.
“He was shocked. I think. I had to tell him.”
Zach brought her fingers to his lips and kissed their tips. “It’s the right thing to do.”
“We’ve always been honest with each other.”
“How did he really take it?”
She glanced at the ceiling as if it held the answer. “Gracefully. But he thinks the world of you and we already knew about our divorce. So it isn’t as if there’s a wedge between him and me because of you.”
He kissed the place on her finger where his brother’s ring once stood. “You took off the ring.”
“It didn’t feel right wearing it.”
He sat there for several minutes just watching the color of her eyes and the sparkle from the dim lights reflect within them. He wanted to kiss her, hold her…make sure she was OK after what had to have been a difficult conversation.
The waiter dropped off their check. Zach quickly tossed a few bills on the table and led her out to his truck.
The parking lot was dark, and before he tucked her into the passenger seat, he took a moment and gathered her into his arms. She went willingly and tilted her head and lips toward his.
Her arms slid up and over his shoulders as he kissed her. She tasted like wine and smelled like passion fruit and flowers. Exotic flowers that made him think of vast beaches and warm sunshine. Her tongue sought his and he pressed her against the side of the truck. They were breathless when he pulled away. “I want to make love to you,” he whispered.
She shivered and clawed at his back. “I have my own room at the hotel.”
He chuckled against her temple. “Then why are we necking in a parking lot like kids?”
“Because it’s fun?”
Laughing, he pulled her away from the truck long enough to open the door for her. The trip back to the hotel steamed up as she slid across the bench seat of his truck and tucked next to him, her hand resting on his thigh and keeping his c**k on high alert.
They said very little as she led the way to her room. She stopped at Becky’s door, knocked, and then handed them the food she’d ordered. The kids thanked both of them and shut the door.
Karen’s hand shook as she slid the key card through the slot.
As soon as she closed the door behind her, Zach set the deadbolt, pressed her back to the door, and kissed her with an urgency he’d never felt before.
He couldn’t touch all of her fast enough. Their lips were on fire. Her breath came in staccato pants that matched his. He’d dreamed of being with Karen from the moment they met. Now, she was reaching under his shirt and fanning her hands over his chest, touching him with the promise of more. When she lowered her hands to his butt and pulled him closer, he groaned, lifted her from her feet, and swung her around to the bed.
They fell onto it together, his leg pressed between hers. “I should slow down, but I don’t think I can,” he said between kissing her and playing with the buttons of her shirt.
“This is crazy,” she said as she tugged his shirt from his shoulders.
“Reckless.” He managed to pop a button free and worked on the next while Karen’s hand slid into the waistband of his jeans.
“Sinful.”
The creamy white of her br**sts pushed from the maroon bra. He lowered his lips to her flesh, pressed his tongue against her for a taste.
“Oh, Zach. Yes.”
Finally, the last button was free, and he sent her shirt next to his on the floor. He filled his palms with her br**sts, buried his head between them, and inhaled. He knew without a doubt her scent would stay with him forever.
Karen arched her back as he slid a hand behind her to find the clasp of her bra. His fingers slipped once, twice. “I used to be good at this,” he told her.
Her warm laughter worked its way up his spine, or maybe it was her fingernails that were walking up his back and down over his ass.