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“You’re welcome. Has it helped?”
“More than you know. Just being with you helps.”
Her heart squeezed in her chest so tightly she almost couldn’t catch her breath. When she was with Zack, her feelings were all over the place but one thing she couldn’t deny was the strong connection they had. Not just physically, although that was powerful, but the emotional one, too. She was beginning to see his thoughts reflected in his expression even when he didn’t say a word. She could see if he was happy, sad, or angry by the set of his shoulders, and the way he shoved his hand in his pocket when he was frustrated.
She could spend all day with him and then into the evening, and it still wasn’t enough. She found him fascinating, wanting to listen to his voice and watch the play of emotions across his far too handsome features.
She wanted to know him deeply, and she wanted him to know her in the same way. For some strange reason, she wasn’t afraid to open up with this man. This was something she’d never experienced before in a relationship, but there was something about him that seemed solid. Even if she knew that he’d eventually leave town and go back to his regular life. That this was just a pitstop along the way.
But she wouldn’t be sorry for opening herself up to him. She’d been hiding out, playing it safe for too long. It was good to feel things again, even if it wasn’t all rainbows and kittens. Life wasn’t always going to turn out the way she wanted it to, but that didn’t mean it was a good idea to bury herself in the bookstore day after day, trying to feel some semblance of security.
Being safe isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be.
His fingers were stroking her palm, sending streaks of heat straight to her core. Such a simple gesture but her body had responded immediately. The chemistry between them was steamy and instant.
She wasn’t sure who made the first move, but they were kissing. He’d stood from the chair, his hands cupping her cheeks while his mouth ravished hers. She pressed her body to his, the heat from his skin searing through the thin cotton of her t-shirt. Gripping his wide shoulders, she held on for dear life as the world spun out of control. His lips had found a sensitive spot at the base of her neck, nipping and licking at the tender flesh.
His fingers slipped under the hem of her shirt, stroking the exposed skin before leaning down to press soft kisses on her ribcage. She was reclined back on the desk, her weight on her elbows as he placed a trail of open-mouthed kisses on her abdomen that sent arrows of pleasure straight to her core.
Her lids were heavy and she closed her eyes, sighing as his tongue snaked out and swiped at her bellybutton before nibbling at a hipbone where he’d pulled down the elastic waist of her shorts.
The temperature in the room suddenly seemed far too hot, sweat trickling down her spine. Her greedy fingers glided under his shirt, tugging it over his head and tossing it away, baring his golden skin with just a smattering of dark hair on his chest. Before long, they’d shed all of the clothes in their way, leaving them free to explore, touch, and taste to their heart’s content.
Their need was simply too urgent, however, to allow them to take their time. She whispered words of encouragement into his ear, and he didn’t hesitate to give her exactly what she desperately needed. He pressed inside of her and she was hot and ready for him, winding her legs around his lean hips to pull him in even deeper.
This wasn’t their first time. They knew the rhythm that would bring the most mutual ecstasy. This was no pretty and sweet coupling. They were pawing at one another like animals, their bodies slicked with sweat and the damp flesh slapping together with every stroke.
She clawed at his back to urge him on, harder and faster until they both burst into white-hot flames. If the entire store had burned to the ground, she wouldn’t have been surprised nor noticed until much later.
When it was over she clung to him, their bodies limp and exhausted. He pressed a chaste kiss to her temple and tucked back a clinging tendril of hair behind her ear, still holding her in his strong arms. Despite their wild sex only moments ago, his touch was tender and soft, and it was almost her undoing. She had to blink back tears to keep them from sliding down her cheeks. She didn’t want him to think she was the sort of person who cried after sex. She wasn’t.
But tonight…her emotions were far too big for the space inside of her. She was falling in love with Zack Winslow, and she didn’t think there was anything she was going to be able to do to stop it. She would fall for him, and at some point, he would leave.
And she’d have a heart broken into a million tiny pieces.
17
By the time Zack made it back to Cooper’s apartment in the morning his younger brother was there, but packing a bag. Had Cooper decided to go back to wandering the world? Was he that disgusted with their father?
“Was it something I said?” Zack tried to joke as he watched his brother pack a small duffle bag.
It was the same one that Cooper had used when he traveled constantly, beaten and worn.
“Not at all,” Cooper assured him. “You’ve been one of the best roommates I’ve ever had, although to be fair you haven’t been here long enough to truly get on my nerves.”
“But you’re leaving.”
“Not forever. Just for a few days.” Cooper tossed one last item in the bag and then zipped it shut. “Frankie is going with me. It looks like our dear old dad has been meddling again. I’ve called half a dozen private investigation firms in this county and a few others, and after they hemmed and hawed for a while, they all said they couldn’t take our case. By the time I got to the fifth one, I wasn’t a happy camper as you can imagine. I finally wormed it out of one guy that he’d been paid off by Dad. Our fine parent put every detective agency within a five-hundred-mile radius on retainer. Apparently, taking our case would be a conflict of interest.”
Shit and fuck. Zack had never imagined his father would go that far to keep them from looking into their mother’s disappearance.
“That’s a strange thing for an innocent man to do.”
The words were out of Zack’s mouth before he could stop them.
“I agree,” Cooper replied firmly. “Suspicious as hell. I told him off but he doesn’t give a shit.”
“That doesn’t explain why you’re leaving.”
