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Hell yes. And for the first time in his life, Zack realized he was ready for those things too. But only if he could have them with her.
He took a step toward her. She was perfect all right, and exactly what he needed. Wanted.
"Annie," he stood close, inhaling the scent of soap and shampoo. There were tracks on her cheeks from her tears and he touched them, wishing he hadn't caused them.
She turned her face away, but he knew what he had to do now. He touched her chin and made her look at him. Her eyes were deep pools, ready to spill at any moment.
"I'm sorry I put you through this," he whispered. "It's just I didn't know until now."
"Didn't know what?" Her voice trembled.
"That I love you, Annie." Her body stiffened as a tidal wave of relief flooded his. He'd said it—for the first time in his entire life, he'd used the L word.
But Annie just stood there, her lips slightly apart, staring up at him. His heart cracked. He'd blown it. He'd said the wrong thing. Or he'd said the right thing, but too late.
He brushed a damp lock of hair from her forehead. He wanted to kiss her there, feel her hot skin on his lips one last time, but he didn't dare.
"I thought you prefer busty blondes," she said.
God, she was beautiful—all damp curls and moist, pink skin. He barely controlled a shudder as she blinked wide-eyed up at him. "No. It was easier to date them because I'd never fall for that sort of girl."
"But you said yourself, you don't want a relationship."
He could hear the ache in her voice. He'd caused that. What a complete ass he'd been.
"I never wanted to end up like my parents," he said. Dredging up the past would open old wounds, but he needed to explain. "My Dad gave up his dreams for my mother. And because of that, he hated her. Not straight away. They were madly in love when they married. But with the jobs and the pressure of raising a large family, he lost his talent for song writing. He could have been successful. Bob made him successful after he died, but..." He shrugged, leaving the sentence hanging.
"And you don't want to end up like your father?" Annie nodded. "Me either. It seems we both have father issues."
"Yeah, well, you've come to terms with yours. Now it's my turn." He smiled weakly. "So be gentle with me, Annie. Outright rejection isn't easy on a commitment-phobe who's made up his mind to make a commitment."
Annie frowned, her eyes searching his. "So you meant what you just said? You love me?"
"Yes," he whispered.
She fell into him, pressed her body against his and suddenly the room spun out of control and Zack felt unbalanced. His grip tightened around her and he pulled her closer.
"Annie?"
She laughed into his chest. His heart did somersaults.
She pressed her fingertips to his lips and he kissed them. "I'm not like those other women. I want it all."
He grinned, relief wrapping around his aching heart. "I know. That's why I love you." It felt even more right the second time.
She kissed him. "I love you too," she murmured when they finally came up for air. "So does this mean you'll sleep with me now?"
"Every day." He grinned and bent to kiss her again, so eager to taste her lips, but she pulled away. Oh, hell, now what?
"I have a confession to make," she said.
"Unless you're going to tell me you're an alien, I don't care."
She grinned and dodged his lips. "My confession is that I wasn't really flirting with Rick the other night. I was just pretending to."
"I know."
She crossed her arms and pouted. "How?"
"Because I know you." He kissed the tip of her nose. "And you're a terrible flirt."
"Oh." She frowned. "I feel like I hardly know you at all sometimes."
"That's okay." It was now, anyway. A week wasn't long enough to know everything about one person, but it was long enough to know he was in love with Annie. "We're going to have the rest of our lives to find out everything about one another."
"As long as we spend the rest of our lives on your ranch in Montana. I think I've had enough of LA."
"Really? But you've lived here your whole life." He felt himself grinning. He'd wanted her to leave the city but he'd never force her.
"I've realized I don't quite fit the LA image. My idea of a great night is going to bed early."
He picked her up and carried her to the bedroom. "Sounds good to me."
THE END
ABOUT KENDRA
Kendra Little writes sexy romance and erotic romance. Read free excerpts at her blog: http://kendralittle.blogspot.com. Follow her on Twitter and Facebook.
For now, read a sample from BEDDING THE BILLIONAIRE.
CHAPTER 1
Tuesday the fifth was rapidly turning into the worst day of Abbey's life. She'd quit her job, discovered her boyfriend (who was also her boss) had slept with her friend, and she was about to have sex with a complete stranger.
In front of a hidden camera.
Surely it wouldn't come to that. Lucy had assured her she probably wouldn't have to go that far. But 'probably' was still too likely as far as Abbey was concerned.
Standing outside a stranger's hotel room wearing her shortest skirt, her highest heels, and laciest lingerie, Abbey suddenly wished she'd tried harder to find a job. She could wait tables, deliver pizza or clean houses—anything that paid her bills.
This job was paying her bills, she reminded herself. It may not be in her chosen career path, but it was easier than waiting tables and as Lucy had said, no experience was necessary. Besides, it was too late to think about getting another job now. She needed the money, and this was the best offer she'd had so far.
Okay, so it was the only job offer, and she'd only been unemployed for about ten hours, but money was so tight her credit card could hardly breathe. If only that bastard of a boyfriend and boss hadn't cheated on her, she wouldn't have been forced to quit and she wouldn't be standing outside a stranger's door in such a revealing outfit. This was definitely all his fault.
When Lucy, a private investigator and her best friend, offered her the job when her regular girl called in sick, Abbey jumped at the chance. It paid half of what Lucy would receive from her client and it might lead to another job, if she did it right. If she wanted another one.
At least Lucy had assured her she wouldn't have to get completely naked. Not if she didn't want to. All Abbey had to do was get the man into a compromising position long enough for Lucy to get some good shots, then she could get out of there.
Abbey took a deep breath and clenched her fist to knock.
Hell, what was she doing? This was insane. She wasn't a hooker. She wasn't even comfortable looking at her naked body in the mirror. And Lucy expected her to undress in front of this man? A total stranger?
Abbey sucked in a deep breath then let it out slowly to calm her nerves. She had to do this. She needed to do this.
She knocked. Waited. She hiked down her skirt, suddenly ashamed of its death-defying height, and mentally ran through her lines. Maybe it wasn't too late to leave...
The door opened and a disheveled man glared back at her.
Abbey gasped despite her nerves. He was gorgeous, and he was dressed in nothing but a hotel-issue towel wrapped around lean hips. His muscular chest was tanned and a sprinkling of black hair tapered down to into the towel.
Well. At least he was already undressed. That was half her problem solved.
"What?" It was a demand, not a question.
"Um," Abbey swallowed and tore her gaze away. "My name's Abbey." She turned on a bright smile. "I'm here to inform you, Mr. Vane, that you've been selected to receive a free massage, compliments of Le Miridian hotel management."
The man, Damien Vane, scanned her from head to toe, lingering over her bra-less breasts and her exposed thighs. Abbey felt her face heat up, but she didn't move.
This was good. From the spark in his eyes and the quick jerk of his Adam's apple, she could tell he liked what he saw.
But instead of inviting her in, he shook his head and began to close the door.
"Wait!" She pushed on the door. He waited impatiently. "It's free," she said weakly.
"No thanks. I just arrived in Melbourne, I'm tired and I want to get some sleep. I don't need a massage."
He began to close the door again and Abbey panicked. She wanted to get this over with and collect the money from Lucy's client. If she didn't...
Abbey didn't want to think of the alternative. Moving in with her mother was definitely not something she wanted to experience again. Ever.
