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He caught her to him with a jerky,
needy movement, as if having her so far away physically hurt him. His hands
curved over her ass, pulled her into sharp contact with his body. His cock was
hard. Dear Lord, when
wasn’t
his cock
hard for her?

The knowledge sent yet another potent
rush of powerful arousal through her. The knowledge that she, the woman whose
boyfriend had dumped her for another man, could affect a guy as hot and
sexually on top of his game as Zach, thrilled her and infused her with much
needed confidence.

Leaning down, he bit on her earlobe.
“It means you can have me whenever and wherever you want. Instant satisfaction.
We don’t have to wait. All you have to do when the mood takes you is to hop on
and ride.”

He laughed at the full-bodied shudder
that went through her and bit harder.

“Zach!”

He soothed the bite with his tongue.
“Does that notion please you? Does it turn you on?
Because
that’s what I want.
You, turned on for me twenty-four seven. The idea of
that blows my mind, baby. Does it blow yours?”

“You know it does.”

“Good. I’m glad.” He pulled back
slightly and glanced down at her, his eyelids heavy with a dangerously erotic
look. “Hey, I believe we’ve just had our first fight.”

“Hmm…I believe we have.”

“So can we now progress to the making
up sex?” He grinned.

Her breath hitched. “Right here?”

He caught her hand from around his
waist and placed it on his cock. Her fingers curled around him. His groan was
immediate and so heartfelt, she grew even wetter.

“This is as good a time as any,
Peaches. I’m dying for you. I crave you the moment I walk out of your presence.
Imagining your tight little cunt around my dick can only keep me going up to a
point. Then things start to unravel for me.”

Even as her insides melted at the
thought of having him, hot and thick inside her, a part of her still dwelled on
their conversation.

“Was she…Sadie…was she devastated that
you ended things with her?”

Zach hesitated for a moment. “Yes, but
it was the right thing to do. It was the only way I’d allow myself to be with
you.”

As someone who’d been dumped in favor
of another, she felt a twinge of pain for the other woman. Getting dumped was
most definitely
not
fun.

Impatient, his mouth started to descend
again. She stopped him with a hand on his chest. “One more thing.”

He growled. “Jesus, my fucking balls
are on fire and you want to keep talking. Fine.
One last
question.
That’s all you get.”

“Do you do this with all your
girlfriends? The medical report thing?” she blurted before she could chicken
out.

He froze then blinked slowly. “No.
You’re the first one I’ve wanted to do it with. It never even occurred to me to
do it with anyone else.”

Her shocked exhalation made him smile.
“Really?”

“Really. Do I get brownie points for
that, baby?”

“Like you have no idea.”

“Oh, one more thing you need to know,
Peaches.”

She loved that nickname, more than she
would ever admit to him. “Yes?”

“From here on in, panties are banned. I
want nothing to come between me and that fine, sexy ass of yours.”

“It’s that an order or a request?”

“It’s whatever you need to convince
yourself it is to make that reality happen. Disobey me and there will be
consequences.”

She knew he was being playful but she
couldn’t stop the shiver of delight that went through her at his masterful
tone.

“What do I get in return?”

“You can name when and where next
time.”

“That’s it? I get to choose the place
where you have your way with me?”

“Yes. It’s a great deal. You should
take it.”

With deft hands, he pulled the robe
free of her body and stared down at her for so long and so hard, her nipples
ached and her sex clenched and unclenched with needy pulls.

Strong, blunt-tipped fingers cupped her
breasts and squeezed. “You’re so beautiful, Peaches.” Lowering his head, he
feasted on her breasts until her fingers clawed desperately through his hair.

He took a condom out of his back pocket
and tore it open with his teeth.

Surprise made her eyes widen. “But…I
thought…”

Taking a step back he yanked his
joggers off and stepped out of them. Gloriously naked, heavily aroused, he
hesitated, his eyes hopeful and eager in a way that made her sway towards him.

“Nothing would please me more, Bethany.
But you get to say when that happens, okay?” he rasped.

She nodded. She’d never taken such a
risk before, never even contemplated it with Chris. And yet here she was,
almost on the verge of…of…

He reached out and cupped one cheek in
his large palm. “It’s okay to say no if you’re not ready.”

“I’m not ready.”

His eyes dimmed a touch but he nodded
and held out the condom.

She took it from him and slid it on
with sure, sexy strokes.

He stepped forward and his cock nudged
her entrance. “Take as long as you need, I can wait. As long as you're not
fighting me or holding me back from this, I can wait. Jesus, I'm just grateful
I get to have you any way I can get you. Are you ready for me?” One finger
brushed past her clit and speared her tight sheath. Then it was swiftly joined
by another. He fucked her with his fingers until stars dances behind her lids.

Desperate for more, she clawed at his
shoulders. “Now, Zach. I’m ready. Please…”

With a hungry grunt, he kicked her legs
wider apart and positioned the thick head of his cock at her entrance.

At the first thrust, she screamed.

Rough hands bit into her hips as he
held her still for his penetration. She didn’t last long.

Within a minute she was unraveling. “Oh
God! Oh—”

“Shit! Oh baby, I love the way you
squeeze me when you come. Fuck, yeah. Just like that. Just like…ah!”

He buried his face in her throat and
let out a loud keen as he pumped inside her.

Bethany held on as his release
prolonged hers.

When the thought danced in her head,
she let it in. Just how would it feel to take Zach Savage skin to skin?

Chapter Eleven

“Bethany, thank God! What the fuck is
going on?” Keely screamed in her ear the moment she answered the phone.

“Why? What’s happened?” Bethany’s eyes
darted to where Zach sat next to her, his fingers swirling dangerously up her
thigh. Even through the fabric of the white Capri pants she wore, his touch
electrified her.

There were several other seats on the
plane, but he’d chosen the seat right next to her. And of course he knew his
proximity was playing havoc with her thinking abilities because he was wearing
a smug, sexy smile.

“I had a case of vintage Dom Perignon
and the most gorgeous purple calla lilies delivered to my apartment this morning,”
Keely all but yelled.

“And that’s bad, why?”

“It was signed, ‘Thanks for my
Peaches.’ I have no idea where they came from or who the fuck Peaches is. But
it was signed with a Z…so…?”

Bethany’s eyes widened at Zach, and his
smile grew when she mouthed,
WTF?
When
her gaze promised hell, he answered by moving his fingers higher until they
grazed her mound.

The lack of panties made his touch
extra sensitive. Her breath caught and she bit her lip hard to stop from
groaning. He’d just taken her, with a condom, in his luxury bedroom at the back
of the plane barely half an hour ago, and yet she burned for him more intensely
than ever. The depth of the consuming need was terrifying her, hence her need
to connect with Keely. Her best friend brought a refreshing dose of sanity that
she’d felt slipping from her ever since she’d clapped eyes on Zach Savage.

“Hey, you there?”

“Yes, Keel, I’m here, but I’m on a
plane so I don’t know how good the connection is—”

“The connection is perfect,” Zach
volunteered loud enough for Keely to hear.

“Right…can someone with a good command
of English please tell me what’s going on?” Keely demanded, her voice crackling
with impatience.

Zach calmly held out his free hand for
the phone. Bethany raised a brow and pursed her mouth. He retaliated by
pressing his fingers harder between her legs. She quickly relinquished the
phone.

He tapped the speaker button and
propped the phone on his knee. “Keely, it’s Zachary Savage.”

“Hey.”

Zach’s mouth did that one-side tilt
thing that made her clit throb. “I wanted to show my appreciation in getting
Bethany to sign up for The Indigo Lounge tour and for getting her to Newark on
Sunday. I understand you had a big role to play in that.”

“Yep, it was
all
me,” Keely replied smugly.

“I hope you like the champagne and
flowers.”

“A case of vintage Oenothèque champagne
worth ten thousand dollars? What’s not to like? But what’s with the Peaches?”

He turned his head and watched her,
still with that smile. “Do you mind if I don’t divulge that?” His eyes raked
slowly over Bethany. When they reached where his fingers rested, they darkened
a touch before they rose to meet hers again.

He was aroused. Deeply, erotically,
hungrily aroused just by looking at her.

Bethany couldn’t wrap her mind around
that.

“Well, okay, sure. But promise me one
thing?” her friend demanded.

Zach rasped, “I’ll try.”

“Whatever you do, don’t fucking
graduate to calling each other
Honey Boo
Boo
. I don’t want to puke into my Dom P.”

“You’re welcome, Keely.”

She grunted. “You’ll keep, Zachary
Savage. Just look after my girl, or I’ll come after you with a blunt
instrument. Dom Perignon or no Dom Perignon.”

His grey eyes danced with merriment.
“Understood.” He took the phone off speaker and passed it back to her.

“You’re okay?” Bethany asked.

“As long as you are. I’m keeping Iron
Balls updated with news of Aunt Mel. She’s getting worse by the day.”

Bethany laughed then sighed. “As long
as you make sure my Aunt Mel makes a miraculous recovery before I come back,
I’ll let you run with it. Karma can be a bitch, and I’m not having my aunt’s
life toyed with.”

“Don’t worry, I told you I’ve got your
back. Umm, am I still on speaker?”

Her gaze flickered to Zach. He’d leaned
his head against the headrest but his eyes were still trained on her. “No,” she
said.

“So everything okay with you? Is he
treating you well? Are you having fun?”

“Yes, yes and yes.”

“Great. Keep it that way. And keep in
touch, for God’s sake. You know how much I hate to be left hanging.”

“I will. Bye, Keely. Love you.”

She rang off. Zach continued to watch
her. “What?”

“I like her.”

She looked a little closer to see if
that it was superficial like then berated
herself
for trying
to read too much into his words. “Good. She’s important to me.”

His gaze turned speculative. “How
important?”

“Are there categories of important?”

He shrugged. “I just want to know if I
have to compete with her for your attention once we return to the real world.”

About to answer in the negative, she
paused. “She’s been there for me every time I’ve needed her.”

His eyes bore into hers. “And how badly
have you needed her?”

“Very badly six months ago.
And a lot since then.
She’s been my rock.” Despite her
effort to not sound shaky, he heard the slight tremble in her voice. His
nostrils flared slightly, a sign she’d come to recognize meant he was seriously
pissed about something.

“Tell me what that asshole did to you.”

“Who, Chris?” She shrugged but the burn
of humiliation seared her insides. “He decided he preferred other assholes.
Literally. And of the male persuasion.”

Zach’s eyes widened. Then his jaw
tightened. The hand on her mound slid lower, gripped her harder, possessively.
That hold centered her, made her think of no one else, nothing else but him.

“He told you he preferred men?”

“He didn’t just tell me. He called me
after work one Friday night and asked me to meet him. I thought we were going
for our regular drinks and dinner. Instead he introduced me to his gay lover at
a bar we normally went to. Then said gay lover came with him to the apartment
we shared and helped him pack his belongings. Turns out they’d been
apartment-hunting for a few weeks—weeks I thought he was away for work.
They decided they wanted to make it official once they’d found a place to live.
They’re living together in a loft in Soho.”

“Fuck.” He cupped her nape and lifted
her into his lap. Once he’d settled her comfortably, his hand returned to its
position between her thighs. “You know what he is?” he grated out.

The tears that had gathered at her
throat made it hard to speak. She shook her head.

“He’s a coward and an asshole. Any guy
who needs moral support to break things off doesn’t deserve you. And any guy
who can't see what a priceless treasure you are didn't deserved to have you in
the first place.”

The rush of tears surprised the hell
out of her when it really shouldn't have. She was going through a whole new
level of experiences with Zach. Experiences that she knew would shock the hell
out of her before this thing was over.

Blinking back the threat of tears, she
tried to laugh but only managed a croaky cough. “You’re earning yourself
serious brownie points right now.”

He grimaced. “I’ll take them. But I
don’t need them to tell you how beautiful you are.
How
utterly gorgeous and sexy and generous and warm-hearted.
How incredibly giving and endlessly mesmerizing.
He couldn’t
see that, so it’s his loss.”

This time she couldn't stop the flood.
Cursing, he brushed them away with his thumb.

“Don’t cry, baby. Not for a dickhead
like that.”

“I’m not crying for him. I’m crying
because…because…” She shook her head. “Thank you.”

“For stating the truth? For wanting you
to see that you deserve to be worshipped? I intend to tell you that often and
consistently. Until you believe it.”

“You make me want to believe it. When
you touch me, I feel beautiful.”

“That’s because you are. Every. Single.
Inch.
Of you.
Every time I’m with you, I want to show
you how beautiful you are. Hell, Peaches, I walk around with my dick hard
enough to hammer nails. I’m surprised there’s enough blood left in my brain to
be able to put one foot in front of the other.”

She laughed, and the intensity in his eyes
eased but not the hunger. The hunger was always there. And the fact that it was
aimed at her turned her on so hard she trembled.

“You’re getting that look again,” he
mused.

“What look?”

“That glazed look that tells me you’re
thinking naughty thoughts.” His hand slipped from her nape and into her hair,
caressing her scalp before fisting his fingers in a possessive hold.

“Can you blame me? I can feel your
thick, beautiful cock underneath my ass. You’re saying beautiful things to me.
Between your mouth and your cock, I’m hopelessly lost and shamelessly addicted.
I want you so much, Zach. So very badly.”

He groaned and rested his forehead
against hers. “I want you, too. But as much as I want to do something precise
and pleasurable about it right now, we can’t. We’re landing in less than ten
minutes.”

She jerked upright. “Really?”

Craning her neck, she looked out of the
nearest porthole. All she could see was arid, hauntingly beautiful desert
interspersed with isolated clumps of greenery.

“Yep. And don’t look so disappointed. I
intend to satisfy every single craving you’ve ever had.” He returned her to her
seat, leaned across and secured her seatbelt. “Now repeat after me. Often and thoroughly.”

“Often and thoroughly.”

He smiled. “Good girl.”

***

Zach watched Bethany closely as she got
her first glimpse of Marrakech. It wasn’t for everybody. Certainly, when he’d
brought Sadie here, she’d complained long and loudly about the humidity and the
heat.

Whereas he didn’t mind. Growing up in Louisiana
had meant long sultry summers. And while he had wished himself away from his
birthplace long before he escaped, there was something about heat that he’d
found deeply arousing and almost spiritual.

The summers he’d spent with his mother
when she’d been lucid enough to function had been special.

Pain sliced through him, but he pushed
it away and concentrated on the woman next to him.

The woman he was beginning to suspect
could burrow under his skin if he let down his guard. The woman he couldn’t get
nearly enough of no matter how much they fucked.

And boy, did he love fucking her.

“Where are we now?” she asked as their
air-conditioned, partitioned Jeep drove through streets teeming with
jellebah-clad locals and eager tourists.

“We’re passing through the Old Town.
Over there is the Medina, the historical district.”

Her head whipped toward where he
pointed, her eyes wide with pleasure.

“You like it?”

She smiled. “I love what I’ve seen so
far. How far to your place?”

He nodded towards the snow-capped Atlas
Mountains that soared in the distance. “Half an hour away. The chopper would’ve
been quicker, but I wanted you to see the city up close.”

“Why Marrakech?”

Zach hesitated, ingrained self-preservation
triggers kicking in. The thought that perhaps Marrakech wasn’t the right
destination choice fleeted through his mind. When her smile began to dim, he
gritted his teeth. “I backpacked through Africa six years ago. Morocco was one
of my stops. It grew on me, so I bought a place down here.”

Her face brightened again and he
realized he’d been holding his breath. He released it and moved closer to her. It
certainly had nothing to do with the fact that he floundered every time he
revealed a little bit more of himself. Parts of himself he’d never revealed to
anyone he suddenly felt obliged to share, not because he wanted to but because
he saw how much it meant to her.

“I can’t imagine you backpacking.”

His smile felt tight. The backpacking
itself was no big deal. It was the reason behind it that he didn’t want to
reveal. “Well, I did. All the way down the flip-flops.”

“Hmmm, flip flops…sexy.” She swayed
toward him. He closed the distance and rubbed his thumb over her lips. When her
vivid blue eyes darkened he groaned and pulled back.

“Morocco isn’t a strict no-PDA country,
baby, but we need to watch it. Especially since I won’t be able to control
myself once I start kissing you.” He couldn’t indulge his need for her right
now, but the jeep’s windows were tinted enough that he could slide his hand
down her thighs to rest between her legs, in that place where he most desired
to be.