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And she was a woman.
He knew that now.
There was no way he could pretend otherwise.
There was nothing childlike in the way she was responding to his kiss.
Nothing childlike in her warm, womanly response which made his guts clench and his heart thunder in his chest. He was drugged by the taste of her, by the seductive touch of her lips, and he deepened the kiss, exploring every inch of her soft mouth.
Kissing Keely.
It was something he'd never even allowed himself to contemplate. She'd always been out of bounds. The baby sister of his classmates.
But she wasn't a baby any more...
Without breaking the kiss, Zach scooped her up in his arms and sat down on the sofa, settling her on his lap so that he could have better access to her body. He felt her shiver with reaction and soothed her gently, one hand stroking her arm, the other locked in her hair, holding her head steady for his kiss.
He felt her hand reach up and part his dressing-gown and then rest tentatively on his hard chest.
Still blocking out common sense, he mirrored her action, slipping his long fingers inside her dressing-gown and touching the soft swell of her breasts. He was surprised by how full she was for such a slight woman, and her body's immediate response to his touch made the blood race through his veins.
'Drink!'
Pheobe's cry was like a cold shower and Keely gave a soft gasp and wriggled off his lap, leaving him to fight for control.
Damn.
What had he been playing at?
He ran a hand over his face and shook his head slightly to clear it.
'She's not hot. She was just thirsty.' Keely didn't look at him and Zach could tell by the dark stain on her cheeks that she didn't know what to say to him. Which was hardly surprising, because he didn't know what to say to her either.
What the hell had come over him?
'I'll sort her out. Go to bed Keely.' His voice sounded rough. Rougher than he'd intended. 'I'll stay with her now. You need some sleep.'
Why had he done that?
Why had he kissed her when he'd known it was madness?
Because he'd lost control. And he couldn't remember the last time he'd lost control with a woman. He never lost control. Even when he had relationships—and he was becoming more and more choosy as time went on—he always managed to keep himself emotionally detached. In fact, since Catherine's death it was as if his heart had been replaced by a block of ice. He seemed incapable of feeling anything for anyone except Phoebe.
So why had he reacted so strongly to Keely?
Zach gritted his teeth and settled his daughter back in her bed. Maybe if they just ignored what had happened it would go away. They'd both been tired and worried about Phoebe, that was all. It hadn't meant anything. But he'd better make sure she understood that. The last thing he needed was Keely developing another crush on him. She wasn't the sort of woman to settle for a brief affair and he was in no shape to give anything more. He had nothing to offer a woman like Keely.
Keely walked hesitantly down the stairs the next morning . and then froze when she heard laughter in the kitchen. She couldn't do it. She didn't know what to say. Turning quickly, she started to go back up the stairs, but it was too late.
'Keely?'
Zach had obviously heard her footsteps. Bother. No escape.
Now what?
What did you say to a man who'd kissed you senseless the night before and then behaved as if it hadn't happened?
'Hi, there.' She flashed him a bright smile that probably looked as false as it felt and walked briskly down the stairs as though passionate kisses in the middle of the night were an everyday occurrence. 'How's the invalid this morning?'
