Zack (Armed and Dangerous Book 1) by Cheyenne McCray Page A

empty.
    When he had spilled every drop, he placed both hands on either side of the shower door and let the shower spray pelt his relaxed muscles.
    Damn, but Friday couldn’t come fast enough.
    Sky might think she was only giving him one dance, but Zack would be claiming her, and to hell with everything else.
     

Chapter 6
    Sky finished applying her mascara, then studied her reflection.
    Sky. It had only taken a couple of days with Zack having returned to start thinking of herself as Sky again.
    Crap.
    And in a little under an hour she would be at the rodeo dance in Zack’s arms.
    She shivered and leaned against the sink. She must have been insane to agree to spend even one minute more with Zack, let alone agree to a dance. She would be pressed up against his big, hard body. Those thick, corded arms would be wrapped around her, holding her close. All it had ever taken was one touch from that man to destroy her, to lay her bare and strip her of all her defenses. She felt like she had barely survived that kiss he had laid on her.
    Sky’s heart began to pound and she touched her throat. She raised her eyes to look at herself in the mirror.
    “I can’t,” she told herself in a whisper. “I can’t do this.”
    Oh yes, you can. Or are you going to let him see that he has you running scared?... He’ll only chase you, you know.
    Sky felt light-headed. Zack on the hunt was even worse. Besides, she wasn’t a runner and she’d be damned if she let some man cause her to be one. Even if that man was Zack Hunter.
    She took a deep breath as she stood up straight, turned, walked into her bedroom, and looked at herself in the floor-to-ceiling mirrors of her closet door.
    Yesterday Sky’s capricious best friend, Rylie, had gone shopping with her in Tucson and they’d had a great time. It had been good not to think about real life—failed relationships, missing cattle, and the ranch’s dwindling resources.
    And they’d found the perfect outfit for the dance tonight. The ivory halter dress was gorgeous and made Sky feel slightly dangerous and very naughty. Sheer netting rose from just above her breasts to the neckline that encircled her throat like a choker. The dress completely bared her shoulders and back, all the way down to the top of her ass. She enjoyed the feel of the material, silky, and luscious against her skin.
    She usually kept her makeup light and natural so that it hardly looked like she was wearing any. But tonight she’d gone all out—her cheekbones appeared higher, her eyes wider, and her lips more full and sensual.
    She’d pulled back her hair and swept it up with a pearl comb, copper ringlets spilling out the top in a controlled mess. She smiled at the fact it gave her that just-got-out-of-bed look that she knew would drive Zack crazy.
    Whoa, slow down, girl. This dress was not about Zack.
    Sky turned and viewed herself from another angle, then shook her head. Who was she trying to fool? This dress was all about Zack Hunter and showing him just what he had walked away from.
    She pulled on the matching bolero jacket, then slid her feet into a pair of ivory sandals with three-inch heels. Her toenails were painted with dynamite red polish to match her fingernails. The new garters and thong underwear felt positively delicious beneath the dress. Too bad Zack wasn’t actually going to see what she had on underneath.
    No, it wasn’t too bad at all. She was just going to give him a taste of what he’d been missing all these years.
    She took another deep breath and grabbed the purse she’d bought to go with the outfit.
    After tossing her lipstick into her purse, out of habit she thought about slipping her S&W out of its hiding place. No. She’d be away from the ranch, and the very real threats weren’t likely to follow her there.
    She said good-bye to Blue and strode out the door into the gathering darkness, taking care not to stumble down the stairs in her sandals. The pinching around her toes was a good