Expecting His Secret Heir (6 page)

Nope. Don't go there.

She plopped onto the bed then dropped back onto a mound of pillows. The minute her head made contact, she winced.

But her sleepy eyes met his defiantly. “See. I'm good.”

Yes, you are.
He smothered a smile. “Sure you are.”

She ignored him, rolling onto her side. He could have been offended at her presenting her back, except he knew from experience that was the side she slept on.

He stood for a long time in the middle of the room, almost able to pinpoint to the second when she sank into sleep. His gaze traced the familiar S curve of her body he was desperate to curl around once more. He looked out the window at the darkening sky, then at the alarm screen on his phone that told him when he would need to wake her next.

And finally, the laptop.

He didn't have to open it to know what was inside. Those pictures were imprinted on his brain. Mixed with the yearning he'd seen on her face when they'd stood in the alley this morning, he knew deep inside that Sadie still wanted him, too.

Then he stripped down to his boxer briefs and climbed into bed beside Sadie. At some point, his body made up his mind for him. He might be a selfish bastard, but if this was his chance to have one more taste of the only woman who had tempted his heart, he wasn't going to turn it down.

Seven

W
aking to the feel of strong arms and Zach's scent wasn't unusual for Sadie. He remained in her dreams no matter how many days they were apart. She let herself hover there between wakefulness and sleep, wishing the feel of him would never disappear.

Ever so slowly, the mist started to recede. “Zach,” she whispered, her mind still not comprehending. “Zach, is that you?”

“Yes,” he murmured. “I'm here.”

“Please don't leave me.”

“I didn't leave you. You left me.”

“But I never really wanted to.”

Only the sudden stiffening of the body beside hers awakened her enough to realize that he was real rather than a figment of her imagination. So warm and alive she could have wept in gratitude.

The confusion dissipated in a rush of fever as desire swept through her. She'd denied her need for too long.

His groan filled the air. The rough scratch of hair and smooth heat of skin graced her palms, telling her she had reached out to touch. To test whether the apparition of her dreams was indeed real.

And that's when reality returned in an unwelcome rush.

She shouldn't. She knew she shouldn't, that deep down it made what she was doing that much more despicable. Her betrayal then, and her betrayal now.

Her fingers curled, digging into the warm flesh as if to keep him with her just a moment longer. His quick catch of breath signaled a change in the air, a breach of a barrier that shouldn't be forgotten.

But it was too late.

Her mind cried out with joy as his body rolled against hers, sweeping over her to take control. He was the same Zach she remembered. His familiar scent and bulk enveloped her. Her need exploded deep inside. For this moment she would let go of the past, not worry about the future and do the one thing Sadie never did: enjoy the present.

For the first time in five years, she felt his lips against hers. Not the barely there brush from the mill, but a full meeting of lips that conveyed passion and want. Sadie's palms found the bare skin of his shoulders, tracing muscles bulked by years of true labor. For long moments his lips distracted her. It wasn't the tentative touch of new lovers, but the eager reunion, the rediscovery of each other.

Just as her hands traced sinewy muscle over his ribs, he dipped down. The heat radiating from him blanketed her, left her aching for more. She wanted freedom—freedom from her clothes, from her fear, from the secrets that stood between them.

The tips of his hair, much longer than the last time they were together, brushed her cheeks. It tickled, lightening her mood a little. She smiled against his lips. Her hands automatically burrowed into the silky strands, and she savored the thickness, the new weight that signaled his complete return to civilian life.

Her hands in his hair ramped up something for him, because his movements took on a frantic edge. A powerful purpose that plunged her into heaven.

He stripped her of her nightgown, then panties. His thighs settled between hers as he assumed possession. Then he traced her ribs with his palms, reminding her of the first time his hands had explored her body.

Time coalesced in a surreal effect, mixing this moment with a night five years ago when Zach had introduced her to an ecstasy she'd only ever dreamed of before. Now, as then, he touched every part of her as if committing her body to memory. Fingers kneading her muscles. Nails stimulating her skin. Palms controlling her hips.

From somewhere deep inside her a whimper erupted. His hands tightened at the sound, keeping her from lifting against him. The inability to move only ramped up her need. Her core melted in liquefied heat.

Suddenly his warmth receded as he crouched between her thighs. It took a moment of disoriented disappointment to realize he hadn't left her. Then he pressed his open mouth to her thigh. She tensed. Each sucking kiss brought him closer to the apex of her need, but never close enough. Her gasps filled the silence.

Just when she'd thought he would end her suffering, his mouth moved to her belly button, then out along her ribs. This time her breath caught, then she giggled at his touch. He growled, his approval obvious as he rediscovered every spot that made her laugh, sigh and moan.

Finally he stretched out over her once more. He buried his hands in her hair. The long strands wound around his fingers, and he took full advantage, tugging until her chin lifted. Sadie wanted to weep as control and guilt swept away from her. All she could do was enjoy.

His kiss against her neck was firm, demanding. This time there was no stopping her hips from lifting, her hands from clutching him to her. His mouth worked its magic while his other hand guided his hardness to her. The stretch right to the edge of fullness made her wince. It had been so long.

Too long.

But her nails dug into the cheeks of his ass, pulling him into her with devastating effect. Her entire body exploded into tingles as he moved within her. It was exactly as she remembered, and so much more.

His body demanded her response. She gave him her all. Hips clashing. Skin rubbing. Breath mingling. Until the night erupted into a million points of light and emotion.

Cementing her to him...forever.

* * *

Zach's eyes opened when he heard the click of the bathroom door the next morning...then the unmistakable turn of the lock.

In the military he'd trained himself to be instantly alert upon awakening, but the habit wasn't always beneficial in civilian life. For instance, at the moment, his clear mind began to play last night over and over and over again. Which wasn't what he wanted.

The feelings and memories urged him to get his naked ass out of bed and into the shower with her. If only he hadn't heard the telltale sound of the lock shutting him out.

So instead he covered his naked ass with a clean pair of jeans and headed downstairs for some coffee. At least he didn't run into the proprietress first thing—which was good for her. He wasn't in the mood to deal with Gladys before getting in a good shot of caffeine. The breakfast room was empty, though there were pans of fresh rolls and biscuits on the sideboard, and the dark smell of his favorite breakfast brew permeated the room.

The hot black coffee distracted him from what he would say to Sadie when she appeared, what he would do from this point onward.

Her agreement with the Blackstones meant he couldn't ignore her, couldn't get away. She hadn't been the clingy type—now or in the past. But he could honestly say this wasn't a situation he was used to being in with women.

His relationships since he'd been home from the air force had been few and far between. They weren't really relationships, per se. Life had been too full of obligations and change to indulge in something that required that level of commitment—and he'd never felt the urge for more than a good time.

Except with Sadie.

A flicker of movement in his peripheral vision had him looking to the doorway. Sadie straightened her gray sweater, smoothing it down over jeans-clad hips in the barest flicker of nerves. Then she continued into the room and joined him at his table. Her smile was artificial, but it highlighted the bow curve of her upper lip—the same lip that had felt so soft and hungry beneath his own the night before.

“Are you hungry?” Sadie asked quietly, tentatively testing the waters. “Gladys's husband makes some incredible cinnamon rolls.”

“I'm definitely not a man to turn down good food. My mama will testify to that,” he said.

She waved him back as he started to rise, so he watched as she filled two plates with rolls and some fruit. Then she lifted a large metal lid and the smell of meat filled the air. She added a couple of slices of bacon to his plate. She'd remembered. He was an avid bacon lover.

Had she learned that so well in the week they'd danced around each other before giving in to their passion?

She laid the plate before him in silence, then fixed her own cup of coffee, doctored with sugar and a liberal dose of cream. This was a natural rhythm that he'd noticed from her before. Just like at the mill, where efficiency in a large-scale task seemed routine for her, so he'd also found her to take charge of these little, everyday domestic tasks, too. Not in an overbearing way, but with a calm efficiency that matched her approach to life in general—at least, as far as Zach could tell.

And probably a way to make herself more comfortable around here.

After she was seated, she drew a long sip from the blue-glazed pottery mug. He munched on bacon, but theirs wasn't a comfortable silence. He sensed Sadie wanted to say something, and wondered idly if he was facing the Dear John conversation he hadn't been subjected to the last time. Odd how the thought bothered him.

He would have preferred not to care one way or another.

“I didn't plan on that, you know,” she said, her usual quiet, even tone belying the anxiety with which she stared at her food.

“I know.” He noticed the slight puffiness along her upper cheekbone and the fresh bandage on her cheek.

She took another sip, her gaze still trained on her plate.

The least he could give her was honesty. “Neither did I. That wasn't why I brought you home.”

Suddenly her gaze snapped up, and he found himself entranced by her brilliant green eyes. How could such a clear color hide so many secrets from him?

They both started as something heavy landed on the table. Zach had been so lost in their stilted conversation that he hadn't noticed the approach of Gladys. He glanced up, sure his expression portrayed just how much he appreciated her intrusion.

“Why, Sadie, you didn't mention you would have a visitor for...breakfast.”

The overly long pause told Zach that Gladys was fishing. She must not have noticed him making his way downstairs earlier—surprising for a woman who seemed to know everything.

“Sorry, Gladys,” Sadie said.

“Well, how lucky for me that it's Zachary Gatlin.”

Zachary couldn't imagine a time when Gladys had ever been that happy to see him, except when she hoped to get a juicy bit of gossip. He looked up with an arched brow. This might be more interesting than he'd thought. “And why would that be?” Zach didn't believe in beating around the bush.

“Why, I get to be the first to congratulate you.”

“On what, exactly?” There hadn't been a lot happening worthy of celebration lately.

“On being officially cleared for the cotton poisoning, of course.”

She tapped the newspaper she'd dropped on the table with a well-manicured finger. The top headline read, Founding Family Son Charged in Mill Bombing. Zach was still trying to put the pieces together when Sadie picked up the top section of the paper. Zach didn't need to read it. He already knew who was to blame. Which was a perk of being part of the inner Blackstone circle.

Sadie seemed to be devouring the text. Zach watched her for a moment, then glanced up at Gladys as she continued to stand next to the table.

“Isn't it great, Zach?” she asked with a gleam in her eye that said she couldn't wait to be on the phone the minute she had something to pass along. If he didn't give her something, she'd just make up something interesting. Of course, the fact that Zach was here, and had probably come down from Sadie's room, would be the first thing she'd offer.

“Yes, Gladys. It's very nice.”

Even though I shouldn't need the validation of being proven innocent.
His sister, his mother, Jacob and his new employers all believed in him, even when the evidence had been totally damning. Those were the people that mattered.

So he kept it simple.

As Gladys headed back to the kitchen with a disappointed look on her face, Zach turned to find Sadie's eyes on his. “Why blow her off like that?”

“Because she's looking for a scoop, something to share with the grapevine.”

Sadie nodded. Her guarded expression held a hint of sadness, as if she understood his need to protect himself. But what he really wanted to know was what she hid behind the mask...and whether he would regret last night if he found out her true secrets.

Eight

“I
'll finish getting ready.”

At least, that's what Sadie told Zach to get a few minutes alone in her room. She needed to make a phone call before Zach took her anywhere this morning. Since her car was still at the mill, she didn't have any choice but to get a few things in order and hitch a ride into town.

Luckily, Zach hadn't pushed anything after their conversation at breakfast. She'd had the distinct impression he'd just as soon step out in the parking lot and get out of ready reach of Gladys. Not that she could blame him.

She was well acquainted with people who blamed first and asked questions later.

Sadie also loved the people who pretended she didn't exist, because it was easier than having to be polite.

Not that she was in a position to judge. As she picked up her phone, she was all too aware of that fact.

“I need a new camera,” she said without preamble when Victor picked up.

He wasn't thrilled—not that she'd thought he would be. “What the heck does that have to do with me?” he asked.

Sadie explained how the camera had been shattered when she'd dropped it, then the falling debris had finished the job.

“My question stands.”

“A photographer has a camera. A nice camera.”

“Then I guess you should have held on to yours.”

Why did she bother explaining anything to this guy? “According to our contract, you are responsible for all business expenses, including a camera. I could have considered it a regular expense, but it's not, so I'm actually giving you the courtesy of informing you that you need to pay for it.” Sadie had covered every loophole she could think of in the deal with Victor. It was all completely spelled out in black and white. And he'd needed her, so he'd signed.

“So sue me.”

“If you don't pay, I'll just have to wait for the insurance claim. They'll take care of it...eventually. But it will mean a delay—”

“Fine. What am I getting for my generosity?”

Nothing he was going to like...but Sadie kept that thought to herself. Better not to antagonize him any more than normal.

“Unfortunately, nothing at the moment. My biggest lead was blown away this morning.” She explained how the newspaper article had laid out bombing suspect Mark Zabinski's connection to the local airfield and how his presence there would not have been questioned. This gave the police reason to look into his possible sabotage of the containers on Zach's plane. That meant Zach was innocent, and the crop poisoning couldn't be used to disinherit him. She'd have to find something else. Victor's curses rang in her ear even before she'd finished.

His voice rose in volume and ugliness with every word. “Then find something else. We're running out of time.”

The sound of him slamming the phone down made her wince, but to her relief he disconnected the call. Letting her eyelids drift closed, she took a few moments to breathe. Her body and her emotions had been through a lot in the past few days. She was exhausted. Her head hurt. And she had to face the fact that she'd had sex with Zach, knowing good and well she would betray him before her time here was over.

Having to deal with Victor on top of all that was more than she could handle, as evidenced by the tremble in her fingers as she opened her laptop and accessed the internet. By the time she went downstairs to meet Zach outside, she knew exactly where she needed to go next.

* * *

“Would you mind if we went out to Callahan's before heading all the way out to the mill?”

Zach threw a glance her way but quickly returned his eyes to the road. “Sure. What do you need there?”

“Mr. Callahan can order a replacement for my camera. I'd prefer to get it done as soon as possible.” Who knew what she might get involved in once she got to the mill? Plus, it was a long way from town. By the time she got there and got her car, it could be late afternoon.

If there was one thing Sadie wanted almost as much as Zach, it was her camera. Her fingers ached to curl around it once more. Only another shutterbug would understand the feeling, but it was there nonetheless.

“I was surprised when you dropped it,” Zach said, his tone more than conversational somehow. “I knew before that your camera was your baby. This one was really nice.”

She wasn't going to pretend she hadn't felt a twinge as it left her hands, because Zach already knew the truth in that. Still, she shrugged. “In the end, it's just a thing.” And she knew all too well how little things meant in the long run. “Compared to a person...at least the camera can be replaced.”

“Won't that be expensive?”

Goodness, yes.
“That's what credit cards are for, I guess. The insurance will eventually pay me back.”

Until then, Victor better have it covered.

“Why are we even having this conversation?” she asked, not backing down when Zach shot a glance her way. “Do you really view me as that heartless of a human being that I wouldn't value Mr. Bateman's safety over my camera?”

“No, but—”

“Wouldn't you drop whatever you were holding to push your sister out of the way?”

“Yes, but Bateman is a stranger.”

“Who still has a family he cares about and who would miss him if something bad happened to him. You may not approve of all of my actions, Zach, but I still think I'm basically a decent human being.”

“One who's grown a pretty decent backbone.”

“I told you I was sorry. But I'm not gonna dissolve into sackcloth and ashes or let you whip me with the past. That isn't good for either of us.”

She sucked in a breath, suddenly realizing the extent of her tirade. But she couldn't finish without saying, “It won't change it, either, much as I wish it could.” Because in the end, honesty was important to her, so she would honor that where and when she could without harming her own family...

Zach didn't respond this time. Sadie's nerves tightened with every turn of the steering wheel, but she wasn't backing down on this.

It wasn't until they reached the little camera shop on one side of the town square that he finally spoke.

“You're right, Sadie. My apologies.”

She'd have been happier if his tone hadn't been so formal, but in the end, it was for the best, wasn't it?

The store had a checkered awning that matched numerous others around the old-fashioned square, easily visible now that the leaves were mostly missing from the Bradford pear trees lining the streets. Sadie wondered what cute little Christmas traditions the town observed and whether those bare branches would be wrapped in holiday lights. She wished she could be here to see it, to walk along the sidewalks with Zach and soak in the atmosphere.

But her life was elsewhere. So were the people who were counting on her. She tried not to think about how quickly she might have to leave as she stepped through the door into a camera lover's paradise.

“Hello, my dear Sadie,” Mr. Callahan said. “What an unexpected pleasure.”

“For me, as well,” she said with a smile, allowing the dapper Southern gentleman to press a gentle kiss to her cheek.

She caught a glimpse of Zach's surprised look as she pulled back. Why was he shocked? She'd made more friends than just him when she'd been here before.

“That is quite a large bandage you have there,” Mr. Callahan remarked. “Did you, by chance, receive that yesterday?”

“Why, yes,” Sadie said. “A cut, but it will heal. What I'm really worried about is my camera.”

He nodded sagely, reminding her of a benevolent, skinny Santa. “Yes, I heard about that, too.”

Well, this was a small town... “I see.” After all, what should she say?

Zach wasn't having any difficulty coming up with words. “She was very brave, pushing Bateman out of the way of that falling debris.”

For a moment, Sadie wondered why he was so open with Mr. Callahan when he'd practically refused to talk to Gladys at the B and B. But she knew it probably had to do with Mr. Callahan's integrity. He didn't need gossip as a source of entertainment.

“I'm glad you came to see me,” he said. “Though there is no hope of repair?”

“Since the camera is sitting under a pile of loose plaster and two-by-fours, I doubt it,” Zach answered.

Sadie winced as she remembered her last glimpse of the camera. “I was able to get almost all of my pictures off, since I download them to my laptop every night. But I'll bring in the digital card and see if you can get the ones from that day for me.”

The gleam in the older man's eyes said he looked forward to the challenge. “It will be my pleasure.”

“Until then, I need to order a new one.”

Mr. Callahan moved over to a computer on the counter. “What kind?”

When she told him, he whistled. “You've stepped up in the world,” he said.

“And now I'm in deep mourning.” It was either brush it off or cry.

“Let's see if we can resurrect it,” he said with a wink.

“The Blackstones would appreciate it,” Zach said, surprising Sadie. “She's using the camera to create a visual history of the mill's resurrection.”

That had the older man's eyes widening. “Are you now? I can't wait to get a sneak peek at the digital card.”

“I can bring my laptop down here later this week so you can see what I have so far. The building and people down there make fascinating subjects.” Especially certain people. She'd have to make sure those photos were in a completely different folder.

“I imagine so,” Mr. Callahan said, even as his fingers continued clicking on the keyboard. “I've always been interested in the juxtaposition of all that steel and metal with endless fields of cotton. From what I saw yesterday when I drove out there, the damage is quite picturesque.”

He paused, staring into space for a moment. “Kind of interesting that James Blackstone's empire suffers ruin just over a year after his death.”

“Was he the original owner?” Sadie asked.

“The original dictator,” Zach scoffed.

Mr. Callahan agreed with a knowing look. “The original business was built several generations ago, and added to through the years, but it was James Blackstone who catapulted it into luxury quality linens.”

“So he was a good businessman?” Sadie asked.

Zach was quick to answer. “Yes. And a miserable human being.”

She studied his suddenly shuttered face. “That sounds like it comes from personal experience.”

He simply shrugged and walked away, leaving her to wonder as he strolled around the length of the old-fashioned, quirky shop.

She glanced over at Mr. Callahan. He gave her a half smile. “I'm not big on telling other people's stories,” he said, “but James was most definitely difficult. He ruled Black Hills with an iron fist and had definite views on how things should be done.” He, too, glanced over at Zach. “And he wasn't above using devious tactics to get what he wanted, either.”

He finished putting Sadie's package together on the computer, checked it twice, then rang up a payment on her card that made her slightly nauseous. If Victor didn't come through with that money in her bank account by tomorrow, she was going to ruin him for sure.

He was used to throwing around that type of money, but Sadie definitely was not.

They headed back out to the car, Mr. Callahan's promise that the camera would be delivered in forty-eight hours drifting behind them.

Hopefully it wouldn't be a moment longer.

There weren't too many things that made Sadie impatient, but waiting on a camera was like a kid anticipating the bike they just knew they would find under the tree Christmas morning.

The silence in the car on the way to the mill wasn't helping her nerves. “So the Blackstone men I've met,” she asked, “they're James Blackstone's grandsons?”

Zach nodded.

“You seem to know them well.”

“Not really...at least, not until recently. Different circles and all that.” The words were accompanied by a smirk, but at least he'd started talking.

“KC actually got involved with Jacob Blackstone first, months before I knew the family. Before that, I just knew
of
them. None of the grandsons lived here then. She met Jacob when he came home on a visit to his mother, and then she ended up pregnant with Carter.”

The scowl darkening his features turned fierce. “That was my first up close and personal encounter with the patriarch of the family. He threatened my sister, scared her so badly she left town. I'll never forgive him for that.”

Sadie recognized something in Zach's expression all too well. “Or yourself?”

He shot a quick glance her way before resolutely returning his eyes to the road. “She knew I wouldn't have held back. I've spent my life protecting my family. And I would have jeopardized my livelihood and my mother's bar to teach that son of a bitch a lesson.” His knuckles whitened from his tight grip. “So she made a decision and left alone. She didn't come back until James was dead.”

Zach took a deep breath, almost as if cleansing himself of the memories. “Jacob and KC were lucky. Their story ended in a happily-ever-after—but it never would have if James had had any say about it.”

Zach's stiff shoulders and furrowed brow suggested that he was still angry. But it was obvious from seeing Jacob and KC together that they were very much in love. From the sounds of it, they'd overcome a lot to get there.

Sadie knew how Zach felt, though. It was his job to protect his little sister. He hadn't said it outright, but he must feel as though he'd let her down.

The question was, would he understand someone else needing to do the same for their family?

* * *

Almost a week later, Sadie stepped into Bella Italia with more trepidation than she'd ever experienced over a formal event. Mostly because she was usually at these things as the help, serving, blending in with the decor rather than standing out like a peacock in a brand-new dress.