“I care what Josh thinks. After all, he’s the one who changed your mind about me.”
Zack laughed. “I already knew I loved you and you can believe Josh didn’t have a damn thing to do with it.”
“Right. So what was all that in the kitchen about?”
He shrugged. “I was just mouthing off, fighting the inevitable, posturing like any respectable man would do.” He eyed her and said, “Youought to understand that.”
She made a face. “I heard you, Zack. I’m not at all who you wanted.”
“But you’re who I love. You’re who I need.” He cupped her face and kissed her. “Ever since meeting you, I’ve been thinking about leaving the field, becoming an instructor. I even took steps in that direction.”
“You have?”
“And I’ve thought about moving Dani’s room farther down the hall to the guest room—something she’s mentioned before because that room’s bigger, but I always wanted her close and until you, I never considered having a woman in the house with Dani. Then I started thinking about privacy.”
Her brows lowered in thought. “You do get rather loud when you’re excited,” she remarked with grave seriousness. “You groan and if I touch you right here, you shout and—”
Zack drew away her teasing hand and quieted her with a mushy, laughing kiss. “Wynn, I know you won’t be easy to control—”
“Control!” She reached for him again and he pinned her down.
“—but the upside to that is we’ll get to spend lots of time wrestling.” He bobbed his eyebrows. “And now that I’ve made up my mind, you should know I’m not at all sweet. I’m actually ruthless when there’s something—or someone—I want.”
Wynn quit struggling and gave him a coy look. “And you want me?” He pushed against her, letting her feel his erection. She grinned. “Well, since we love each other, then I suppose we should get married.”
Zack collapsed on her. “Thank God. You do know how to drag out the suspense, don’t you?”
“There’s something you should know, though.”
He opened one eye.
“My parents have already told me that if we marry, they want my house.” Zack made a strangled sound, but she quickly continued. “I think they suspected this might happen, which is why they let you carry me off and why they’ve only been halfheartedly looking for another place to stay.” She pressed back so she could see his face, and with a crooked impish grin, added, “But I know how you feel about awkwardness with neighbors…”
He pinched her for that bit of impertinence, then grunted when she pinched him back.
Zack rolled so that she was atop him. “I like your folks and so does Dani. As long as you live with me, the rest doesn’t matter.” They kissed and it was long minutes later before Zack again lifted his head and looked down the long length of his future wife. “We’re going to need a bigger bed.”
Wynn immediately asked, “Do you think Dani would like to be a flower girl?”
Zack laughed. “At least it’d get her into a dress.”
* * * * *