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“Wow,” Zane said as he, Bryce, and Danny trudged through the crowd. “I had no idea we’d have this many people here.”
“Word of mouth and Sophie’s magic touch,” Danny said.
At mention of Sophie, the burn to see her grew a hundredfold. He hadn’t found her earlier. “Any idea where she’s at?” he asked just before he was mobbed by eager fans. Fans he was grateful for. He took the time to sign, take pictures, and leave a voice message for a woman’s son in the military overseas. When finished, they continued the short distance toward the Cove.
A huge outdoor screen had been set up to show his film. Folding chairs were lined in rows. Chinese lanterns on tall iron stakes decorated the perimeter. Behind the screen, the steep mountainside that contributed to this spot’s name gleamed with the setting sun.
The first two rows of seats were roped off for his team of filmmakers, the cast, and special guests. Jon Waldron had arrived already. And he was talking to Sophie.
God, she looked amazing. The crown of orange-and-yellow light dipping below the horizon was nothing compared to the crown of light around her. He wanted to scoop her up and carry her to somewhere private so he could worship every inch of her. Starting with that mouth that had rocked his world last night.
Bryce and Danny must have noticed his focus zero in on Jon and Sophie because they deflected the two reporters who approached.
“Jon, hey,” Zane said. “Thanks for coming.” He turned to Sophie. “Hi, Sophie. It looks awesome out here. Thank you.”
She held his gaze and smiled wide. “You’re welcome. You’ve got a lot of fans anxious to see your film. I forgot to ask if you’d like to say a few words before the movie starts.”
“How about I let my director and producer do that?” They deserved just as much, if not more, credit than he did.
“Sounds good.”
“Sophie was just about to give me a little history lesson on bonfires,” Jon said.
“Not really a lesson, since I only wanted to share that the word ‘bonfire’ comes from the late fifteenth century. It originally meant a fire in which bones were burned.”
Jon gave a wink, the kind Zane imagined he gave to his grandchildren. “You’re a smart cookie, young lady.”
“She is,” Zane agreed. “Would you mind if I borrowed her for a few minutes?”
“Not at all.”
Zane slipped Sophie’s arm through his and led her away.
“Where are you taking me?” she asked, a little hitch in her voice he liked a lot.
“Somewhere I can show you how much I missed you.”
“And tell me how your meeting went? Mr. Waldron seems like such a nice man.”
Zane glanced down at Sophie’s bare feet, her dark capri pants, and hung a left. Wet sand met their steps, the low tide tranquil. “It went great. What you said to me helped. He’s got nine grandkids and is all over reaching a younger set of philanthropists.”
She wrapped her free arm around him for a quick hug. “I’m really happy for you.”
They rounded the jagged edge of the mountain and entered the tiny alcove that gave total privacy. He walked them away from the water until the sand’s grains turned soft and dry, and then damn the consequences, he brought her down with him.
“Zane!” She squirmed and tried to rise, but he kept her pinned beneath him. When her eyes met his, she relaxed. Her hands went to his face, and she kissed him.
He kissed her back. Kissed her with everything he had inside him. She had the softest lips, and they pressed against his with the kind of tenderness and playfulness he could easily lose himself to. When he nipped, she nipped back. When he let his tongue slide against her bottom lip, she licked back. And when she moved her hold to his shoulders and raked her nails down his back, he couldn’t restrain his groan.
She wrapped a leg around his and brought him closer. He shifted so their hips lined up, and when she moved against him, lust torpedoed through his veins. If there weren’t hundreds of people on the other side of the rock, he’d take her right here.
A tiny gasp slipped from her lips. She’d felt his eagerness, no doubt.
“Zane,” she breathed, and in the back of his mind, he thought,This woman. I want this woman to say my name on the caress of a kiss a thousand more times.“I need to get back.”
Pulling away from her felt like ripping the muscle off his bones. He took a minute to stare down at her to ease the pain.
“What are you seeing now?” she asked, the gentle tide almost drowning out her soft tone.
