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***
Zack leaned against the porcelain sink and glared at his old friend. "What are you doing?"
"What?" Mike shrugged, palms up. "I thought you weren't interested in her."
Zack said nothing. Mike was partly right but that didn't matter—he didn't want him anywhere near Annie.
"Okay," Mike said, "I'll go. But, mate, if she's the one, then go for it."
"She's not. We're just...friends."
Mike snorted. "Well, I have to admit, she's not your usual type. That's why I thought there was something between you two. I thought maybe you were ready to settle down."
"No way. Never." Zack looked down at the grimy floor, avoiding his friend's knowing stare.
"Then let that girl go." He slapped Zack on the shoulder. "You're not being fair on her. She's a great girl—"
"I know that."
Mike shook his head. "Yeah, I can see you're really not interested in her." He opened the men's room door. "Maybe I should warn her what a—"
Zack slammed the door shut before Mike could leave. He placed one hand against the door above the Aussie's head and leaned close. "Don't say a word to her. In fact, maybe you should just leave."
Mike and Zack squared off, then Mike backed down with a casual shrug. "Since you're a good mate, I will. And I won't hold this conversation against you since you're in love and too stupid to realize it."
He left. Zack followed with a shake of his head. Love! Mike should know better. He should know that Zack didn't believe in love, not the ever lasting kind. But watching Annie, perched on her stool, beer in hand, he believed in desire.
And he desired to have Annie, very, very much.
***
Annie watched as both men resumed their seats. Mike gulped down the remainder of his beer then stood again. "I'm off."
"Already?"
"Yep, things to do, agents to suck up to, that sort of thing."
She smiled and waited for the kiss on the cheek that was de rigeur in LA. It never came. With a wave and solemn slap on Zack's shoulder, he left.
She tapped her fingers against the bar and glared at Zack. Eventually he glanced her way. "What?" he said.
"Since when do straight men go to the bathroom together?"
He shrugged. "I just wanted a quiet word with him."
"About?"
"Guy stuff."
She snorted. "You told him to stop flirting with me, didn't you?"
He shrugged again. "Mike's a great guy but he doesn't know when to let up."
"So what did he say in his defense?"
"That you encouraged him." Zack toyed with the glass cradled between his big hands and stared down at the liquid sloshing against the sides. "Annie," he said without looking up, "why did you flirt with him?"
"Practice?"
He sighed then shook his head. "Don't get me wrong, Mike's a great guy, but he's not your type."
She bristled. This coming from Zack DiMarco, the man who didn't want to have anything other than sex with her because she wasn't his type. What did he know? On the other hand, maybe he was in the perfect position to know.
"And what is my type?"
He hesitated. "Not him."
She rolled her eyes so far into the back of her head she nearly fell off the stool. She needed time to think. And since she was bursting to go the bathroom, she placed her glass on the bar and hopped off the stool.
She sat for a long time on the toilet with her head in her hands and finally came to a conclusion—she'd ask Zack to take her home. She'd got arrested and practiced her flirting—she'd accomplished enough for the day.
And she didn't want to be around Zack anymore. It was becoming way too painful.
He'd finished his beer by the time she came out of the bathroom, and unashamedly watched her approach through lowered lashes. The firm set of his mouth and penetrating gaze told her something wasn't right. When she got within reach, he grasped her wrist and tugged her gently to him. He touched her cheek with his fingers and kissed her softly but with a hot intensity that turned her stomach to mush.
When he pulled away she took a moment to catch her breath.
"I'm sorry," he whispered.
"For what?" she managed to ask.
"For wanting you."
Oh boy.
CHAPTER 14
Suddenly Annie's resolve to keep Zack at arm's length seemed juvenile. They were adults after all—two adults irresistibly attracted to one another in a purely physical way. Forget about long-term, Annie, just live for now.
For wanting you.
Those three little words sent goosebumps skipping across her skin in anticipation of what he'd do to her when they got home.
But the Ferrari wasn't heading home. At least, not her home.
Security fences hiding mansions belonging to the filthy rich slipped past her window at high speed as they roared through the streets of Beverly Hills. Finally, they pulled into a long drive hidden by trees and hedges. Electric gates closed with a clang behind the car.
Annie craned her head to catch a glimpse of his house. She'd been dying to see it ever since she'd read about it in House and Garden. Okay, if she were honest, she was more excited about being alone with Zack in his house than seeing the building and gardens. Who gave a flying fig about bricks and mortar when they got invited back to the house of a man of Zack DiMarco's caliber?
The house came into view around a bend in the drive. Surrounded by a lush garden, courtyard and pool, the sprawling Spanish style mansion made a statement. Rich. But Annie only saw fleeting glimpses of these as Zack half dragged her inside. She didn't even get to see the décor as he gently pushed her up against the wall of the foyer.
"I...can't...wait," he whispered into her ear before licking it.
That was okay with her. There was plenty of good wall and floor space right where they were. Who needed bedrooms? Especially when they could be on the other side of the massive house.
He unsnapped the fly on her jeans and ripped them down her legs. She stepped out of them as she undid his, then scratched at his T-shirt in her hurry to get her hands on that magnificent chest. He seemed just as eager to see hers as he pulled her T-shirt over her head. When he removed her bra and took her nipple into his mouth, she suddenly forgot what she was doing and let out a low, guttural groan that she didn't even recognize as coming from her throat.
The sound brought an answering response from Zack as he lifted her and entered her, powerful and hard. She wrapped her legs around his waist and greeted each of his thrusts with her own driving need to possess him. He held her easily with one hand as his other navigated down. His deft fingers played with her nub, sending shock waves crashing through her. Heads thrown back, sticky heat fusing them together, they reached the peak together then crashed to the floor.
Annie lay on top of Zack, breathing heavily. So much for not having sex with Zack anymore. That morning, she hadn't even wanted to see him again. Oh well, it was a girl's prerogative to be fickle. The need to get hot and naked with him had won out this time. So what's wrong with a little casual sex anyway? Hell, before last night she hadn't had any sort of sex in too long. She needed this. She deserved to be bad once in a while. It was her right as a citizen of a democratic society to have casual sex with a gorgeous man whenever she felt like it. To hell with commitment and relationships and love. She'd deal with those things when the time was more convenient. Right now, she just wanted to feel Zack inside her. She wanted him to sate the desire that burned her skin and turned her insides to a gooey mess.
He patted her bottom then stood, lifting her with him.
"Let's see if we can make it to the bedroom," he said, chocolate eyes caressing her body. He bent and licked a nipple.
"How far is it?" she murmured into his neck.
"Far."
"We might not make it."
"All we can do is try. We owe it to these tired old bodies to find a comfortable mattress."
"Who're you calling old?"
"Easy for you to say, you landed on top of me when we fell."
They made it as far as the kitchen bench.
Annie made a mental note to clean the bench in the morning before breakfast.
Afterward, Zack kissed her on the end of her nose as she perched on the edge of the bench. "So what do you want to do until we're ready for round three?"
She trailed her fingernails across his powerful shoulders and down his spine. "How long will that take?"
He grinned. "I should be asking you that question."
He was kidding. Wasn't he? "How about a tour of the house first?"
He hesitated, just slightly, then agreed. The tour took nearly half an hour. It was definitely a bachelor's house, with no pink, peach or peppermint colors, and not a floral in sight. It was understated style with lots of glass, wood and terracotta. She was surprised but delighted to see so many photos, mostly in black and white, decorating the walls.
