Page 27 of A New Chapter

“ZACK!” Emma shouted. “I need you to get me in the house right NOW!”

He finally clued in on the urgency of the situation and rushed around to open the passenger door. Instead of waiting for Emma to step out, he reached in and lifted her into his arms with ease. “Key,” he demanded.

Luckily she had fished it out of her purse while he had been driving, and she quickly thrust it into his hand. Cradling her in one arm, he unlocked the front door in a flash and asked, “Where to?”

Emma didn’t open her mouth for fear of what might escape. Instead, she pointed frantically to the nearest bathroom, which Zack reached with a few long strides. He flicked on the light and gently set her feet on the floor, and she motioned for him to get out. Friends don’t need to share everything!

Once she had eliminated the majority of her rum and Cokes, Emma stood up, thoroughly rinsed out her mouth, and sheepishly cracked open the bathroom door. Zack must have turned on the light in her living room, and she carefully moved toward it with one hand against the wall for support.

Zack had discarded his suit jacket and loosened his tie, and he stood in the middle of her living room looking nothing short of… delicious. Oh God, and now I threw up in front of him.

The room started to spin, and Emma felt the blood rush out of her head. Zack flew across the room in no time and scooped her up in his arms before she hit the floor. “Let me get you up to bed,” he said firmly.

Even through the haze, Emma liked the way that sounded. Of course, in this situation, it didn’t hold quite the same meaning.

“Thanks,” she whispered and directed him to the master bedroom.

Zack flicked on the lights as he went, but he never loosened his hold on her. Emma leaned her head against his chest and marveled at his strength for the second time that night. The man was made of pure muscle!

He gently set her on the bed and propped her up against the mountain of throw pillows that she had collected. “You need water and aspirin,” he said.

“In the bathroom.” Emma pointed toward the doorway that led to the master bath.

Zack returned shortly and set the glass and pills on her bedside table. “Do you think you can handle some water?”

Emma’s hands covered her face, and she had kicked off her heels onto the floor. ”Light. Too bright.”

“On it,” Zack replied, and he jumped up to switch off the light. “Better?”

“Yes, thank you.”

The bed creaked as Zack perched on the edge. “Sit up for a sec and drink some water.”

He held the glass for her, and Emma sipped the cool, clear liquid.

“I’m going to hate myself tomorrow,” she moaned and leaned back against the pillows.

“Yeah, probably,” he affirmed and brushed her bangs back from her damp forehead.

They were silent for a few minutes, and Emma realized that she must have fallen asleep, because the sound of the bed creaking awakened her.

“Where are you going?”

“You fell asleep. I was just going to let myself out.”

Suddenly Emma didn’t want to be left alone. Being drunk was bad enough, but being drunk and alone was much worse. “Can you stay a little longer? Please.” In other circumstances, her plea might have sounded suggestive, but she was pretty sure she could get away with it in her inebriated state.

“Ok,” Zack said. “Scoot over a little.”

Oh boy, maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all.

“Don’t panic, Em. If I’m going to stay for a while, I just want to be comfortable.”

Emma moved over so that Zack could prop himself up next to her. She had exchanged the king-sized bed she had shared with Mark for a queen-size, because she wanted as few reminders of them as possible. The new bed gave her plenty of room to spread out, but with Zack’s large body lying next to her, the bed suddenly felt very small. She was afraid to move over too much lest she fall onto the floor.

“Emma?”

“Yes?”

“I can practically hear your brain working. You can relax. I’m not going to try and seduce you.”

“I didn’t think…” she stammered.

“Rest assured, if you and I ever have sex, I want you to be fully aware of it!”