Almost Home (35 page)
"Drink a magnum of champagne."
"After that," she said, poking him in the
ribs.
"Ouch. Okay, okay. I'm going to keep him in
training and try for the Triple Crown."
"And after that?"
"Jesus, Kat, I don't know. What are you asking
me?"
"What's your long-term goal—to have your own stud
farm, to travel around the world, what?"
Zach didn't say anything for a minute, and she
wondered if he'd really confide in her.
"I told you, I'd like to take over this place,"
he said.
Katherine stiffened. She didn't want to hear Zach talk
about Stanton Farms. She didn't want to talk about the
Unfortunately, Zach seemed oblivious to the turmoil in
her head, and the one time she wanted him to shut up, he surprised her by
talking about his life at the farm. She knew she had to tell Zach what she'd
learned, but she couldn't find the words. Zach thought he knew the
doubted he had any idea what secret they were harboring.
"Harry is one of the best people I've ever known,"
Zach added, stabbing her painfully with each innocent word. "He saved me,
Kat, saved me as if he'd gone into a burning building and pulled me out. Before
I met him I thought everyone was bad, liars, thieves, cheats. I had no one to
look up to, but he showed me a different world. He and Sam. They kicked my ass
into shape. If I could run this ranch for Harry, if I could make his legacy
into something special, it wouldn't be nearly enough of a thank-you."
"You're very loyal."
"To the people who deserve it."
"How do you know who really deserves it?"
she asked, a hard note in her voice as she thought about Harry Stanton sending
her mother away, alone and pregnant. How could she tell Zach about that? He had
so few heroes in his life. How could she take away the last one he had?
"Are you referring to someone in particular?"
Zach asked curiously.
"Never mind." She rested her head on his
chest. "Maybe we should go back to talking about that magnum of champagne
and whether or not you'd be willing to share it with a city girl."
"I might be convinced."
She lifted her head and sent him a wry smile. "As
long as I don't go getting any ideas, right?"
"I don't think I could stop you from getting
ideas. Judging by the look in your eyes, you already have at least one."
She saw the teasing light in his eyes and knew that no
matter what else felt wrong, Zach felt right. "It's never been like this
for me before," she said haltingly. "Not just the way you touch me,
but the way I feel when you touch me. It's almost like you know me better than
I know myself. How can that be?" She searched his eyes for an answer,
sorry she'd asked the question when the amusement fled his eyes. "Never
mind. I didn't mean to scare you."
"Kat…"
He touched the tip
of her nose with his finger and shook his head. "You're a very dangerous
woman."
"Me? I work as an investment banker. I live with
a cat. I make endless lists so I'll make the right decision. Not exactly mad,
bad, and dangerous to know."
His lips curved into a half smile. "So you made a
list before you came to visit me tonight?"
"No. If I had—"
"You wouldn't have come."
"You didn't exactly welcome me in the door."
"Because I knew where we'd end up."
"It's not so bad," she said, tracing his
mouth with her fingertip. She suddenly wanted to end the conversation, to stop
thinking, to kiss his warm, inviting mouth and lose herself in his arms. "Kiss
me, Zach."
He raised an eyebrow. "Kiss
me,
Kat."
Indecision ran through her, and even though she didn't
have a pen and paper handy, the pros and cons of kissing Zach ran through her
head.
"Do it," he ordered. "Don't think about
it. Don't worry what will happen next. Live in the moment."
"I want to," she said, contemplating his
mouth. "You know I'm not asking you for anything, no promises, no
commitment."
He stroked her hair with a gentle hand. "Don't
promise something you can't deliver."
"What do you mean?"
"I told you before. I can see it in your eyes,
everything you want. I just wish I could give it to you."
"Maybe you can."
"I don't know how."
"I could show you."
"Then show me. Show me all night long and then
again in the morning."
Katherine touched his mouth with hers, and the heat
touched off between them like a rocket blast. She explored his mouth with a
passion, a need, that would have shocked the hell out of her if she'd given
herself time to think about it. But she wasn't going to think, she was going to
feel and enjoy all the wonderful spine-tingling sensations that kissing Zach
Tyler created in her body.
She cupped his face in her hands and kissed him again
and again and again, until he groaned deep in his throat. He grasped her waist
with his big strong hands and rolled over, attempting to pin her beneath his
body. Unfortunately, his sudden movement landed them flat on the floor instead.
"Oops," Zach said with a wicked smile, as
his leg parted her thighs.
"Nice move. Did you practice that one?"
"How do you know I didn't want you here on the
floor?" he growled, tickling the side of her neck with his tongue.
"The bed, remember? You have one, right?"
"Too far away," he murmured.
And as his body covered hers, she could only agree
that the bed was much too far away.
* * *
In the early
minutes of dawn, Zach pulled Katherine's body close
against him as they slept together in the bed he'd finally gotten her into just
after
. The sheets
and blankets were a tangled mess around them, but Zach had never slept better,
never felt so warm, so complete, so satisfied. Even as he breathed, he could
smell Katherine, lilacs, lavender, gardenias. She smelled like a garden. She
smelled like a woman—his woman.
He rested his head on her hair, feeling the silky
strands beneath his rough chin. He splayed his fingers across her bare stomach
and felt her muscles clench even as she slept. He shouldn't want her again.
They'd already made love three times. It should have been enough, but it wasn't.
And the thought terrified him. He'd always been able to walk away from a woman,
always been able to say good-bye. Since
he'd been able to divorce sex from every other emotion, especially love. Now
the line seemed blurry, especially with this warm, soft, fragrant woman's ass
pressed right up against his
…
He felt an immediate response, a hardening, a need
that he couldn't hide. Getting naked with Katherine Whitfield took away all his
defenses. If she woke up now, if she felt how much he wanted her, he'd never be
able to convince her to go home. And maybe he didn't want to.
Maybe he wanted her to stay here, in his arms, in his
bed, in his life. Maybe he wanted to let down his guard. It was exhausting
trying to keep everyone out of his heart. Maybe he could trust her. Maybe he could
love her.
The thought shocked him to the core. He hadn't thought
about loving anyone in a very long time. And now it had to come to mind with
absolutely the wrong woman—a city girl hell-bent on changing her history as
well as her future.
Although he had to admit she wasn't what he'd first
thought. She was much more complicated. Cool and sophisticated at times, then a
mess of soppy emotions and vulnerable smiles. She'd grown up in the lap of
luxury, yet seemed as unloved as a lost kitten.
And he wanted her. He wanted her so bad he ached. It
reminded him of the times he'd gone to bed hungry with a hole in his stomach
that tortured him through the long, lonely hours of the night. It had been a
very long time since he'd felt so hungry, so needy. And it scared the shit out
of him.
He took several deep, calming breaths and tried to
relax. He could control his feelings, his needs. He could take what he wanted
and let the rest go.
"Zach," Katherine murmured. "Are you
awake?" He saw a smile cross her lips, even though her eyes were still
closed. "I can feel you."
"And I can feel you."
She rolled over to face him, opening her sweet blue
eyes, dusty with sleep and desire. "Do you always wake up this way? Or is
it me?"
"What do you think?"
"I think," she said, pausing to kiss him on
the lips, "that we should do something about your little problem."
He smiled against her mouth. "It's not so little,
sweetheart."
She slipped her hand between them and stroked. "You're
right. I underestimated you."
"A big mistake."
Katherine dropped kisses all over his chest, her
tongue tracing circles around his nipples as she pressed him against the
mattress. He ran his hands up and down her bare back, the curve of her
buttocks, impatient to sink into all that warm softness. He could fill this one
need right now. And maybe it would be enough—at least for a little while.
He urged her on top of him, and she willingly
complied, but instead of spreading her legs for him, she moved lower down his
body. He tensed as she cupped him, as he felt her warm breath, her mouth, her
tongue. She was somewhat awkward in her movements but incredibly willing,
incredibly generous. His body turned rigid as she brought him to a peak, a peak
that he didn't want to reach without her.
"Kat," he murmured. "No."
She looked up at him in surprise, her eyes
anticipating rejection.
"I don't want to be alone," he confessed,
not having any idea where the words had come from. He'd never meant to say
them. Never.
"You don't have to be alone," she promised
as she slid back up his body, straddled his legs, and pulled him into her
warmth.
He wrapped his arms around her and moved deeper and
deeper within her, seeking a satisfaction, a filling, a completeness that only
she could give him. He heard her cry out, "Zach," then whisper, "I
love you," as a thousand tiny lights exploded in his brain.
Katherine lay sprawled on top of him for long,
breathless minutes, then rolled off of him onto her back. He turned on his
side, throwing his arm once more across her waist. He wanted to reassure her,
but he couldn't find the words, couldn't relay the "I love you" back
at her, not yet, not now, not when he wasn't even sure her words had truly come
from her heart.
Maybe she'd just thrown them out in the heat of the
moment. She was affectionate. She liked to touch, liked to show she cared.
Maybe "I love you" felt as right to her as good morning, how are you,
happy birthday. But it meant more than that to him. He'd only said "I love
you" once to
the night before their wedding. And she'd said it back to him, probably knowing
even then she wasn't going to show up.
His mind continued to grapple with the situation.
Finally he knew what he wanted to say. Only then he realized that Katherine was
asleep, her breathing deep and heavy.
"Kat?"
She didn't respond.
He smiled in disgust. His timing, as always, was
impeccable. Oh, well, he'd tell her later. They had time.
Zach didn't know when he fell asleep, but the next
sound he heard was the ringing of the phone. He grabbed for it, knocking it
onto the floor. He swore as he bent over the bed, found the receiver, and
grumbled, "Hello."
"Zachary."
Zach woke up abruptly. Only one man called him that. "What
do you want?"
"You shouldn't have slept with her,"
Zach immediately looked over to the other side of the
bed, suddenly realizing that Katherine was no longer tangled in his sheets. His
gaze crossed to the digital clock. Seven-thirty. Jesus! He should have been
down at the training track an hour ago.
"Zach?"
an annoying bee. "Are you there?"
"I'm here."
"I saw her go to your house last night. Is she
still there?"
"Are you spying on me?"
"I was coming over to tell you something, but I
didn't want to interrupt."
"Tell me what?"
"She's not who you think she is."
"She's not my sister. Nothing you can say would
convince me of that. I want you to end this little game right now. Do you
understand? You are not to mess with Katherine. Leave her alone or else."
"Are you threatening me?"
The hard edge in
voice gave Zach a momentary pause, reminding him of all the times he'd looked
the other way. He wouldn't do that this time, not with Katherine's welfare at
stake. "I'll do whatever it takes to stop you."
