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A tremble rippled through her. “No,” she whispered.
“Do you want to stay away from my bed?”
She was in over her head here. “I-I should.”
Gripping her face, Zach tilted her head up so she looked him directly in the eyes. “You won’t.”
She could hardly think for the way he was plastered so beautifully and perfectly against her. She shouldn’t sleep with him again. Once was enough to ruin her, because she was positive she could never, ever have sex with another man. How could she? She’d waited years to be with Zach, and he didn’t disappoint. He fulfilled every fantasy and then some. She’d become emotionally attached when she promised herself she wouldn’t.
Sophie pulled from his grasp and stepped away. Holding a hand to her tingling lips, she paced. How had this spiraled so far out of her control? Last night when she’d stood on his porch, she’d felt so confident and full of power. But the second he opened that door looking all angry and rumpled, she’d started losing the fight. The tight grip she’d had on control started sliding away.
And now here she stood in her office, wanting nothing more than to take him up on his offer, but knowing if she did, she’d inevitably have heartache and even more hurt in the end.
“I can’t be with you again.” She kept her back to him. If she had to turn
and face him, she didn’t know if she could be strong enough. “I promised you that I wouldn’t want more, that we just needed to keep this simple. If I’m with you again, I won’t be able to keep that promise.”
She had to stick with honesty here. Zach knew how she felt, he had to understand. She couldn’t afford for him not to, because if he opted to fight her on this . . . she’d lose.
“So what do you want?” he asked from behind her. “Are we back to friends? Were we friends before last night? I’m not asking for a label, but I want to know my boundaries. I said no relationships, but I can’t ignore the sex.”
After taking a deep breath, Sophie turned and smoothed her hands down her bright red pencil skirt. “We’re working on Chelsea’s house. I’m going to try to sell your house. We aren’t having sex. Well, not anymore.”
A corner of Zach’s mouth tipped up beneath his beard. He nodded as he crossed his arms over a most impressive broad chest. A chest she could still feel against her own.
No. She wasn’t allowed to still be feeling him. She wanted absolutely everything, but if she didn’t let him go now, she worried one of them would get hurt . . . quite possibly both of them. He was adamant he wasn’t looking for more.
“I think that simplifies things,” he told her. “So, does that mean no kissing either? Because I have to tell you, you’re one hell of a kisser.”
“Definitely no kissing.”
Kissing Zach was a stepping-stone to sex. Some men kissed with their mouths; Zach poured his entire body into a kiss.
“I’ll respect whatever you want,” he stated with a brief nod. “That doesn’t mean I have to like it.”
Yeah, well, she didn’t like her own rules, but they were necessary boundaries. She had to keep both of them safe.
“I may have someone who is interested in your house.”
Zach’s brows lifted. “We go from sex to you selling my house? You haven’t had it appraised yet.”
“No,” she agreed as she moved to her desk to lift the note Tasha had left. “There’s a doctor moving to the area and his specifications match closely to your house. But I haven’t called him because I wanted to talk to you. I want to make sure you are one hundred percent on board with this.”
His chest expanded as he pulled in a deep breath, blowing it out slowly. “I don’t really have a choice. This is moving faster than I thought.”
Those dark eyes darted around the room as he rubbed his palm over his beard. She could practically see the wheels turning, but she didn’t want him stressing over this.
“Nothing is done, Zach. He hasn’t seen the place and a price hasn’t even been mentioned. Don’t start worrying just yet.”
“I could store my things at the resort house,” he murmured, “until I find somewhere else. No storage fee that way.”
“You can store some stuff at my place too,” she offered. “Or Braxton’s. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind.”
Zach brought his gaze back to her. She hated that look of regret that passed through his eyes. Without a doubt, Sophie knew he didn’t want to sell and was only doing so for Chelsea. What would Chelsea have wanted? Would she be on board with Zach selling their home to pay for a dream?
“Just think about all of this.” Against her better judgment, she reached out and placed a hand on his tense forearm. “Nobody will think anything of it if you opt not to sell. We can find another way to get funding. I have some ideas.”
One dark, thick brow quirked. “You’re thinking of going to the historical society, aren’t you?”
