AllFreeNovel
Share Us
ANDREAUSUALLYWOKEup with a jolt, even without an alarm. She’d always been the sort to just go from sleep to fully awake. Out of bed. Start the day. But right now she was in a delicious half-awake state, and she wanted to stay in this soft, hazy place for as long as possible. She must be dreaming, because she was surrounded by warmth. A blanket over her. A warm body breathing deeply beneath her. Something strong around her waist, making her feel safe. What a nice dream.
But that sound... Was thatpanting? That didn’t feel very dreamy. She tried to hang on to the dream, but the sound of heavy breathing wouldn’t stop. She finally gave up and opened her eyes. And stared right into the face of a giant brindled grizzly bear, just inches from her face. She flinched backward with a cry, which made the warm body beneath her—wait, there wasactuallya warm body beneath her—move and mutter something. Whatever had been holding her relaxed, which started her sliding toward the giant bear, which was now whining worriedly. She grabbed for purchase to stop sliding, and the muttering under her turned to a yell of pain. But something caught her waist to prevent her fall.
Where was she and whose body was under hers?
She started to panic, pulling away as the dog—okay, it was a dog, not a bear—jumped backward. Wait...was thatDuke? Which meant...
“Zayne? What the...”
“Whoa, easy, girl. I’m trying to hang on to you.”
“Yeah? Well, you’d better let go of me right the hell now.”
“Okay...” He loosened his grip, and she began to slide again. She swore, and Zayne sat up in one smooth motion, catching her and bringing her upright with him.
“Jesus. Do you always wake up this salty?”
“What thehellis happening right now? Am I in yourhouse? Were we just sleeping together?”
She looked around the dark room. The only light came through the door from the kitchen, but she could see the living room was cozy and neat, with a large fireplace and lots of leather furniture. A man’s home, for sure, but comfortable.
Zayne scrubbed his hand down his face. “What time is it? Two? Ugh...go back to sleep.”
“I willnot.” She stood, doing her best not to stumble over Duke, who was watching with a great deal of interest.
“Be careful...” Zayne’s voice sharpened, and he reached out to hold the hem of her blouse. “Oh, you’re standing on your own. Good.” He smiled up at her. “You weren’t doing too well at that when I got home and found you passed out at the desk.”
She remembered sitting at his desk, thinking she’d just close her eyes for a minute as the data loaded. That was at seven. That washoursago. She covered her burning cheeks with her hands. Fragments came back. Being carried? She heard herself saying she could drive, and Zayne’s responding laughter. He gave her water at some point. She took a deep breath. At least they were both still fully dressed.
“I amsosorry. I have to go home...”
“It’s two in the morning. Lie back down and get some sleep. I’ll move back to the chair.” He stood, stretching with a loud groan. “Do you want more water to drink? Something to eat? When was the last time you ate?”
“I don’t know. A bagel at lunch?” She grimaced. “I was going to eat when I got home, but...”
“But you’d barely slept in twenty-four hours, you were dehydrated and you basically passed out.” He brushed her hair behind her ear. “You need to take better care of yourself.”
His hand stopped moving when his fingertips touched her skin. Her heart stopped moving, too. Zayne Rutledge was touching her, and she didn’t want him to stop. It didn’t make sense, but when had desire ever made sense in her life? And this was definitely desire coursing through her veins. It was exciting. Terrifying. And oh, so tempting...
She reached out and flattened her hand on his chest.Hewas why she’d felt so warm and safe and happy when she woke up.Hisarm had been holding her tight and secure,hisbreath moving in perfect rhythm with hers...just like it was now. She looked up and met his hooded gaze. His fingertips began moving against her skin, and she lifted her face toward his.
“Andrea...” Was he warning her away? Or begging her to come closer? His hand moved to cup her cheek.
“You carried me up to the house,” she said. It wasn’t a question. “You took care of me. You held me.” She curled her fingers to grab his shirt directly over his heart. “That’s a lot of caring for a guy who says he doesn’t.”
Zayne’s eyes went dark, the desire in them making her tremble. She hadn’t been celibate since Hudson was born, but it had been a while. Long enough to make her feel every sensation with more intensity. His fingertips were setting off sparks against her skin. And those sparks were floating through her body and settling like embers deep and low in her belly.
“When I care,” he answered, “I care one hundred percent.” One hand still cupped her cheek, and his other moved to the back of her head, pulling her closer. Their mouths were nearly touching now.
Zayne’s eyes fell closed, shutting off a little bit of the heat. His forehead touched hers, and his head rolled back and forth.
“You need to eat something, Andrea.”
That wasnotwhat she wanted to hear. It didn’t sound as though he liked that option any more than she did, but he wasn’t wrong. As if to put an exclamation point on the idea, her stomach grumbled loudly. His eyes opened, ocean blue again. She smiled.
“Food wouldn’t be my first choice, but I won’t say no to a sandwich.”
Zayne straightened, stepping free of her. She had to force herself not to pull him right back. He turned toward the kitchen.
