head away, blinking her eyes to clear them.
“Is it all right?” he asked.
Forcing down a swallow, she nodded and pushed all emotion
from her voice, all yearning for the past from her heart. “It’s beautiful.” She
went to the bed, putting her saddlebag on it, and ran her fingers over a
rosette, determined to concentrate on the here and now. “You live here all
alone?”
Zach draped her jacket over the brass footboard and put her
helmet on the mattress. Backing up, he went to the door. “The bath’s in the
hall. Everything you need is in there.”
Not true. She needed a lot of years back, a place to call
home and, if she were very lucky, a guy like Zach. Defenseless against her
thoughts, Toni turned to him.
His tee fluttered with his deep, full breath, his gaze
traveling her features. He seemed to want to ask her something.
Toni ran her thumbnail down her cutoffs, barely able to hide
her arousal.
Zach’s attention moved to her hand and legs. “I was going to
grill steaks for dinner. That okay with you?”
For the first time in a long time, food wasn’t what she
wanted. Toni knew he didn’t crave it either. Even so, it was his home, his call
as to what they did. “Sounds good.” She crossed the room to him. “Anything I
can do?”
Zach glanced past her at the bed. His expression grew
distracted, wanting, his Adam’s apple bobbing with his swallow. He turned his
head to look down the hall. “Get settled.” His voice sounded strained. “Freshen
up if you want. I’ll see you downstairs.”
Backing into the hall, he left.
With one shoulder against the fridge, Zach tilted his head
back and took a long sip of his Coors.
Upstairs, water pounded in the tub with Toni’s shower.
Lowering the bottle from his lips, Zach’s attention drifted
to the ceiling. A bead of perspiration rolled from his neck to his chest. He
pushed his free hand down his thigh to dry his palm.
Images kept rolling across his brain, provocative, taunting.
Toni stripping off her stretchy tank top and bra, her full breasts wiggling
prettily as she dropped her garments on the floor. Her slender fingers
unbuttoning her cutoffs, the strings dangling over her knees and calves as she
pushed them off her, stepping out of them and what he guessed—or hoped—was her
thong.
With her pale flesh bared, the only color would be her rosy
nipples, the dark thatch of curls between her legs and her polished toenails.
He swallowed at his memory of her toe ring.
Did she take it off to bathe?
One of the pipes rattled.
Zach pressed the chilled bottle to his forehead, much as she
had done with the water he’d given her this morning.
You live here all alone? she’d asked.
For almost two years. Not that it had been anything close to
normal living. More like getting through each day. Working. Sleeping. Eating.
And occasionally dating women he liked but could never love.
No one had to tell Zach he feared risking his heart again
and because of it he’d held onto this place for too long, as if keeping it
would change the past. It couldn’t, of course. No more than he could flap his
arms and fly.
And now Toni was here, at least for a brief while.
Where in the fuck did she hail from? Where would she go? As
she’d glanced around the bedroom, he’d seen the expression on her face,
yearning so intense it stunned him to silence. It was as though she’d never
slept in such a nice place, decorated as it was for visitors to a
bed-and-breakfast that hadn’t opened. Not with Meg gone.
Upstairs, the water shut off. The pipes banged in momentary
protest.
Zach lowered his head, a part of him relieved that Toni
would only be here for a month, a part of him already considering how empty the
house and his garage would be without her.
A stab of guilt sliced through him, followed by wrenching
desire.
He was losing his mind.
With a prolonged sigh, he ordered himself to shake off his
feelings, to get through this night and the next and the next.
“Is it all right?” he asked.
Forcing down a swallow, she nodded and pushed all emotion
from her voice, all yearning for the past from her heart. “It’s beautiful.” She
went to the bed, putting her saddlebag on it, and ran her fingers over a
rosette, determined to concentrate on the here and now. “You live here all
alone?”
Zach draped her jacket over the brass footboard and put her
helmet on the mattress. Backing up, he went to the door. “The bath’s in the
hall. Everything you need is in there.”
Not true. She needed a lot of years back, a place to call
home and, if she were very lucky, a guy like Zach. Defenseless against her
thoughts, Toni turned to him.
His tee fluttered with his deep, full breath, his gaze
traveling her features. He seemed to want to ask her something.
Toni ran her thumbnail down her cutoffs, barely able to hide
her arousal.
Zach’s attention moved to her hand and legs. “I was going to
grill steaks for dinner. That okay with you?”
For the first time in a long time, food wasn’t what she
wanted. Toni knew he didn’t crave it either. Even so, it was his home, his call
as to what they did. “Sounds good.” She crossed the room to him. “Anything I
can do?”
Zach glanced past her at the bed. His expression grew
distracted, wanting, his Adam’s apple bobbing with his swallow. He turned his
head to look down the hall. “Get settled.” His voice sounded strained. “Freshen
up if you want. I’ll see you downstairs.”
Backing into the hall, he left.
With one shoulder against the fridge, Zach tilted his head
back and took a long sip of his Coors.
Upstairs, water pounded in the tub with Toni’s shower.
Lowering the bottle from his lips, Zach’s attention drifted
to the ceiling. A bead of perspiration rolled from his neck to his chest. He
pushed his free hand down his thigh to dry his palm.
Images kept rolling across his brain, provocative, taunting.
Toni stripping off her stretchy tank top and bra, her full breasts wiggling
prettily as she dropped her garments on the floor. Her slender fingers
unbuttoning her cutoffs, the strings dangling over her knees and calves as she
pushed them off her, stepping out of them and what he guessed—or hoped—was her
thong.
With her pale flesh bared, the only color would be her rosy
nipples, the dark thatch of curls between her legs and her polished toenails.
He swallowed at his memory of her toe ring.
Did she take it off to bathe?
One of the pipes rattled.
Zach pressed the chilled bottle to his forehead, much as she
had done with the water he’d given her this morning.
You live here all alone? she’d asked.
For almost two years. Not that it had been anything close to
normal living. More like getting through each day. Working. Sleeping. Eating.
And occasionally dating women he liked but could never love.
No one had to tell Zach he feared risking his heart again
and because of it he’d held onto this place for too long, as if keeping it
would change the past. It couldn’t, of course. No more than he could flap his
arms and fly.
And now Toni was here, at least for a brief while.
Where in the fuck did she hail from? Where would she go? As
she’d glanced around the bedroom, he’d seen the expression on her face,
yearning so intense it stunned him to silence. It was as though she’d never
slept in such a nice place, decorated as it was for visitors to a
bed-and-breakfast that hadn’t opened. Not with Meg gone.
Upstairs, the water shut off. The pipes banged in momentary
protest.
Zach lowered his head, a part of him relieved that Toni
would only be here for a month, a part of him already considering how empty the
house and his garage would be without her.
A stab of guilt sliced through him, followed by wrenching
desire.
He was losing his mind.
With a prolonged sigh, he ordered himself to shake off his
feelings, to get through this night and the next and the next.
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