Wrapped in You (16 page)

Nodding, Zach turned to fully focus on Braxton. “He sent me a text just as you got here. He hasn't mentioned the sale of the house to me, but he said he was in on this. That will help financially too. Slowly things are clicking into place.”

As they should, because Zach couldn't handle his world falling apart too much more.

“I'm busy later, but if you want to reschedule with Sophie I could go with you.”

“No. I want to get it on the market.”

“What about the dogs? You find homes for the puppies?”

Zach finished his lunch and wadded up the papers. “Not yet. I'm focused on trying to figure out how to get some damn sleep.”

He'd figure something out with the animals. They were just too damn cute to be angry with. Still, he couldn't keep them.

“Let's get started on tackling that wall,” Zach stated. “I've got an appointment in three hours, and I'd rather not show up smelling like I've worked my ass off all day.”

“Heading home to get fancied up for Sophie first?” Braxton teased.

Zach flipped him the finger and headed from the room. No way was he responding to that, because he would have to admit the statement was too damn close to the truth.

* * *

When the door chimed in her office, Sophie's stomach flipped. She was technically closed, but had told Zach to go ahead and meet her at six.

Besides being a ball of nerves at the prospect of being with him after their heated encounter in her living room, she knew it was emotionally difficult for him to list his home. She was having a rough time as well, but she knew without a doubt that the Monroe boys were not taking this move lightly.

Liam had called her the other day and was angry and upset, but in the end he admitted Zach probably had the best plan. Not that the stubborn Liam would tell his grouchy brother such things, but Sophie knew. She also knew these boys loved each other more than they might ever admit.

Zach filled the space in her doorway, standing in the spot as if he were afraid to step inside. She knew his nerves were most likely all over the place as well. The man was so hardheaded but he cracked when he realized when he was at fault.

Sophie came to her feet and offered what she hoped was a reassuring smile. “You don't have to do this,” she told him. “We can figure out another way.”

Zach's dark eyes held hers a moment before he shook his head. “No. Let's get it over with.”

He crossed the office and sank down into the chair opposite her desk. He'd recently showered, if his damp hair was any indication. That wasn't sweat, because the man smelled positively sinful and absolutely yummy. His black short-sleeved shirt stretched across muscles that had been gifted to him after years of hard labor, and those kissable lips surrounded by sexy beard mocked her.

Taking a seat, Sophie rolled her chair up to the edge of her desk and picked up her favorite pen. “What I want to know first is the recent renovations you've done. I know the basics of bathrooms and bedrooms, so I've got that down already. Tell me everything that's been updated.”

Zach listed the rooms he'd remodeled over the years as well as the roof he'd replaced two years ago. He'd added a brick patio complete with pergola, and new landscaping in the last year as well. The more improvements he listed, the more Sophie knew they would get for this house. Added to that, knowing that a man who owned a construction company lived in the house would make buyers more apt to stay as close to the asking price as possible. With Zach's reputation, people in the area knew he did good work.

“Your house is twenty-two hundred square feet, right?” she asked, scribbling down the last of her notes.

“Twenty-four.”

“What year was the house built?” she asked.

When he didn't answer, she glanced up. Zach's focus was on the far wall, where her pencil sketches of various buildings around the town were hanging.

“Zach?”

“Your talent is wasted,” he murmured, still looking across the room. “Your talent is hanging on walls where people won't see it.”

Sophie gripped her pen. “I didn't do those sketches to gain recognition. I did them because it's relaxing, almost therapeutic for me.”

Okay, not almost therapeutic, they
were
therapeutic.

When his heavy-lidded gaze landed back on her, Sophie willed herself not to fidget in her seat. Those eyes could make a woman go weak in the knees, though, and she knew full well what that mouth could do.

“When did you take up drawing?”

So he wanted to get personal? Was this Zach extending that proverbial olive branch?

“After the accident.”

The silence in the room enveloped them and she knew he'd been instantly thrust back to that night, because he glanced down at his scarred hands. Those beautiful hands that had broken glass in the truck to get her and Liam out.

Those hands that had slid along her skin only days ago, leaving her aching for so much more.

Before she could say anything more, though she wasn't sure what she could say, Zach jerked and pulled his phone from his pocket. When he glanced at the screen, he closed his eyes and sighed.

“Everything okay?” she asked.

“Nothing I can't handle.”

He laid the phone on her desk without answering it and eventually the vibration stopped.

Sophie glanced between the cell and Zach, who had settled back into the seat as if moments ago he hadn't been silently dealing with his own personal hell.

The phone started vibrating once again.

“Ignore it,” he told her. “It's my neighbor.”

Sophie remembered the very voluptuous woman she'd spotted the other day. “Apparently it's an emergency.”

Zach shook his head. “No, it's not. She's starting to become a nuisance.”

Zach was one of the sexiest men Sophie had ever known. He had that mysteriousness about him, he had the body carved from perfection. It was no wonder women were literally begging him for attention. But Sophie wouldn't beg and she certainly was no match for someone so flawless and beautiful as Zach's very obvious neighbor.

When the cell vibrated again, Sophie reached across the desk. “Hello?”

“Um . . . I'm looking for Zach Monroe.”

Sophie smiled across the desk to a stunned Zach. Never in her life did Sophie recall a time when his eyes had been so wide with utter surprise as they were now.

“He's busy at the moment,” Sophie replied. “Can I take a message?”

“And you are?”

Sophie couldn't help herself. “The woman he's with right now. Are you a client?”

There was no response from the neighbor as Zach eased forward in his seat. Sophie sent him a wink, suddenly feeling a bit saucy. This wasn't her. She was quiet and reserved and didn't get in the midst of other people's issues.

But there was something about Zach that made her want to stake her claim. Not that she had a claim over him, but she sure as hell did over this woman.

“I can take a message,” Sophie stated when the silence stretched too long.

“No. No message.”

With a wide smile, Sophie disconnected the call and handed it back across the desk. “She didn't have anything to say.”

Speechless, Zach kept staring at her. Sophie didn't know whether to applaud her performance or cringe at her boldness. On one hand, the neighbor was beyond beautiful, but on the other, Zach had made it perfectly clear he wasn't interested.

“Did I go too far?” Sophie asked, biting her bottom lip.

“Not at all,” he told her, taking the phone and just barely grazing his fingertips along the back of hers. “I'm just . . . I have no words.”

Sophie shrugged. “I didn't think before acting. I'm sorry I grabbed your phone and just . . . well, implied things that aren't true.”

Zach shoved the phone back into his pocket. “Don't worry about it. Maybe she'll stop harassing me. I tried to steer her toward one of my employees, but that didn't last long.”

He wasn't addressing the fact that she'd pretty much told someone that she and Zach were together . . . as in,
together.
In this small town, if his neighbor started talking, everyone would know. Granted, Sophie hadn't identified herself.

This is why she preferred a game plan. She was the one to always think things through, looking at the scenario from all angles so she could choose the best option. And she truly wished she knew what was going on between Zach and her.

“You're overthinking this,” Zach chimed in, interrupting her wayward thoughts. “Forget the phone call.”

He obviously wasn't too concerned as he relaxed in the chair, fingers laced over his flat abs, so why was she?

“Okay.” Sophie blew out a breath and glanced back down to her notes. “We've got the basics down. I'll have an appraiser go through the house and get back to me. Then you and I can discuss the price. I'm sure you'll want to talk with Braxton and Liam about that as well.”

Sophie came to her feet, wincing when that familiar pain gave her pause. Zach instantly stood, reaching across the desk.

“No, it passed.” She stepped around the desk to face him. “See? Nothing to worry about.”

His eyes roamed over her, affecting her body just as if he'd actually touched her. Those beautiful lips thinned as his eyes narrowed in on hers.

“I'll call the appraiser tomorrow,” she told him, purposely trying to keep tension from settling between them. “I'll let you know what he says.”

Zach took a step forward, minimizing the space between them and effectively towering over her. “Are you always going to ignore the pain? Are you expecting me to ignore it every time I see you hurting?”

“I don't ignore it,” she replied, tipping her chin up to meet his gaze. “I'm used to it and it will pass. It's really nothing more than a twinge most times. Besides, you're pretty good at ignoring things. You've pushed aside your feelings for years, so just add this to the list.”

“I've not pushed them aside.” He leaned in, still not touching her, but his warm breath tickled her face. “I live with them every single day.”

“Well, you should be commended for your self-control. After what happened at my house the other day, I would've thought . . .”

Sophie shook her head and pursed her lips. After a moment of staring at each other in some sort of modern-day standoff, Sophie sighed. “Go home, Zach. Go to the Sunset Lake property or wherever. We're done here. The ball is in your court, so whatever happens next is up to you.”

Just as she turned, he reached for her shoulder. He didn't grip her or demand she stop, but that subtle touch halted her movements just the same.

“Soph.” His soft tone washed over her. She closed her eyes, absorbing his words. “The last thing I want you to think is that I'm rejecting you.”

“What am I supposed to think, then?” she whispered, her heart hurting for the years of angst that remained between them.

His hand dropped. “It's difficult to take something so precious from you.”

Sophie whirled on him. “I'm not a virgin, Zach.”

“Damn it.” He slid a hand along his jaw and smoothed his beard down. “I'm not saying that. I'm saying I know you wouldn't take intimacy so lightly and there's no way I would ever take that from you. You deserve more than . . .”

Sophie nodded. “You can't even say it. It's fine. Just go.”

After a moment's hesitation, he nodded and headed toward the doorway. Just as he started to leave, he slapped his hand on the frame and muttered a curse.

“Is it always going to be this push-pull between us?” he asked, throwing a glance over his shoulder. “Because I don't want you hurt. You have to know that everything I'm doing, I'm doing to protect you. I won't hurt you again, Sophie. It would kill me. I know you said this doesn't have to be anything more than what we desire, but that's not fair to you. I won't be that man to you.”

She said nothing. What could she say? She'd never heard such vulnerability in his tone before, let alone heard him utter such heartfelt words.

She didn't get to respond. Zach was gone and the front door chimed as he exited the office building. Easing back, she sat on the edge of her desk and stared at the doorway where he'd just been.

In the span of thirty minutes, so much had happened. Zach had opened up more than ever before, revealing that he truly did want her. Between the house going on the market, the untimely call from his neighbor, and Zach's comments on her sketches, Sophie really didn't know how to process all of this.

She did know one thing, though. She was done making this situation between her and Zach so complicated. It didn't have to be that way.
They
didn't have to be that way.

Now he could either listen to her or he could truly be alone, because he had one more shot.

If he were a drinker, tonight would be one of those nights Zach could get lost in the bottle.

But the bottle was what got him into this damn mess to begin with.

Zach fed the baby puppy, noticing the little guy was finally bulking up. He needed to take them into the vet's office for an official checkup and to get shots scheduled. That would be time away from work, but these fur balls had no one else, and he couldn't just abandon them. He knew what that felt like all too well.

Great. Now not only was he angry with himself over Sophie, he was equating himself to a stray dog. He was definitely sleep-deprived.

He had no desire to do anything but crawl into bed. Wow, it wasn't even eight o'clock yet. Wasn't he just a party animal?

Zach squatted down and played with the pups. One nipped at his wrist with those sharp baby teeth, another tugged on the shoelaces of his boots, while another tripped over the other boot and squatted to pee.

“Seriously? I just let you guys out and you piss on my boot?”

He stood up and glanced at the mom in the corner. She looked back at him as if to say
I can't control them
.

After Zach cleaned up the mess, washed his hands, and put out fresh water for the urinaters, he climbed over the child gate and figured he'd try to find something for dinner.

Nothing appealed to him, so he opted to make a list of materials he'd need Macy to order for him for the immediate bathroom remodel. He needed to run by her store anyway and apologize for his asshole brother interrupting the other night, and tell her he had some new ideas for her house.

Just as he'd settled onto his couch with pen and paper, someone knocked on his door. And not just a knock, but a pounding, like it was urgent.

Oh no. No, no, no. If this was Ms. Barkley again, he was seriously going to have to just be rude. There was no other way he knew to manage her.

Gearing up for a confrontation, and practicing a speech in his head, Zach flicked the lock and jerked the door open . . . and his guest wasn't his annoying neighbor.

Sophie stood on his porch, her eyes wide, her hand over her chest. “I wasn't expecting such a rough greeting.”

“I wasn't expecting an FBI knock.” Zach's shoulders relaxed as he gripped the door. “What are you doing here, Sophie?”

Seeing her over and over was both a blessing and a curse. It hurt to look at her, but he'd die if he had to go without seeing her.

“I-I'm not sure now.” On a soft exhale, she closed her eyes. “I was fine until you opened this door.”

Confused, Zach opened the door wider, reached out to take her hand, and eased her inside before closing the door behind her.

“You were fine before I opened the door,” he repeated. “So tell me why you came and why you look terrified now.”

Those bright eyes came up to meet his as she shoved her hair away from her face. “I talked myself into coming here and seducing you, and I wasn't taking no for an answer. I wasn't going to beg, but you admitted that you want me. This doesn't have to be any more than what it is.”

Her words registered quickly and Zach had to take a second and really think, because they were teetering on the point of no return.

“And what is it?” he asked, surprised his voice was strong.

Passion stared back at him. If he thought the tension between them was high before this, right now the air crackled with it.

“This attraction hasn't gone away,” she told him. “In ten years, even with ignoring each other, whatever this is between us has only gotten stronger. I know you're scared, you don't have to say it. You don't think I'm terrified? Coming here like this, risking rejection has me so nervous I can hardly stand it. But I'm willing to take that chance because I want this. I want you.”

Rejection? The second he'd opened his door and pulled her in he knew he couldn't turn her away. He'd pushed and pushed and there was no strength left in him.

She'd come to him. His sweet, unwavering Sophie had put aside her fears and landed on his doorstep. He knew she came here to put everything on his playing field. He knew she presented herself to him because she had feelings for him, and damn, if that didn't humble him.

Sliding his hands over her face, his rough palms against her smooth cheeks, his fingers fisted into her hair as he tilted her head back.

“Be sure, Sophie.” He stared into her eyes, so set with determination and desire. “Be sure of what you're asking for and know this is all I have.”

Could he actually do this? Could he selfishly take what she was offering and go into this so casually? He'd had casual sex before, but Sophie was different, special.

“It's simple.” She reached up, held onto his wrists. “You either want me or you don't. I'm not looking for a ring on my finger or a declaration of love.”

“What if you want more later?” he asked, needing to clear all the bases to avoid hurting her again.

A corner of her unpainted mouth kicked up. “What if
you
want more?”

Damn. Maybe that's what he'd been afraid of this entire time. Because he did want more, but there was no way he'd take it.

Right now, this was all they could have. And he was going to relish every single moment.

Zach backed her up against the narrow wall between the door and the window. “Don't say I didn't warn you.”

Capturing her mouth like a man starved for a taste of perfection, Zach aligned his body with hers. Sophie's hands slid up his arms to grip his shoulders as she opened for him.

Nothing else existed in his world. Sophie in his arms, in his home, was all he needed. How could every single thing in life be absolutely perfect when she was with him? How did all the anxiety and worry just fade to nothing with this vibrant woman in his arms?

As much as his body ached for her, as much as he needed her, Zach knew this was a night he didn't want to forget, and he sure as hell wasn't going to rush. Sophie deserved more. They deserved more.

When he pulled his mouth away, she let out a moan in protest. Without a word, he lifted her into his arms, a move he'd never made before because there seriously wasn't a romantic bone in his body. But holding Sophie like this seemed . . . right. That word seemed to keep popping up in his mind. He couldn't think of that now. He refused to let anything else take up space in his mind other than Sophie and the fact that he was carrying her to his bedroom.

As he started up the steps, she laid her head on his shoulder. “You don't have to carry me.”

Zach froze on the second step. Yes. He did. “I know you can walk, but I know you also hurt more at the end of the day. Let me do this.”

Lifting her hand to his jaw, she stroked her fingertips along his coarse beard. “Do whatever you want.”

Zach closed his eyes and willed his self-control not to snap. Did she have a clue what her soft tone, her trusting words did to him? Did she have any idea how sexy it was that she'd humbled herself and put her fears aside, coming to him with her eyes wide-open?

With his heart pounding a bruising rhythm in his chest, Zach continued up the steps toward his master bedroom. Had he even picked up the dirty clothes lying around? Not that anything could be done about it now, and he honestly didn't care about his underwear on the floor, but . . .

Damn it. He was overthinking again. He had the woman of his dreams in his arms and his thoughts had drifted to laundry? He needed to get a grip before he totally screwed this up.

Sophie's fingertips continued to stroke his beard. Just that slight tingling sensation shot waves of pleasure through him. He wanted those delicate hands on his body. He wanted them there now.

“You're trembling,” she muttered.

He hadn't even realized.

“It's me, Zach.” Her gentle hand went to the side of his neck. “Don't hold back, don't treat me like I'll break. I'm here for you, your needs. Because fulfilling those will fulfill mine.”

How did she have all the right words, all the comforting words, when he had a jumbled mess in his head? He couldn't even form a coherent thought because he was so damn scared right now. This had to be perfect for her. How could he not treat her like she'd break? Hadn't he nearly broken her before? He was a shattered man and she still wanted him.

Zach entered his room and winced at the disaster. “I, uh, wasn't expecting company.”

Gently he put her on her feet and she laughed. “I grew up around you guys,” she said, taking in the unmade bed and random clothes in piles. “I'm used to a little chaos.”

Sophie was in his bedroom. He couldn't wrap his mind around it.

“This is it,” he told her. “Your last chance to back out.”

Smile wide, she shook her head. “You think I came this far, waited all this time for you, just to leave?”

Zach slid his hands around her waist, his pinkies sliding under the waistband of her skirt to encounter smooth, warm skin. “I'm barely hanging on here, Soph,” he muttered as he rested his forehead against hers. “I want to do this right, but I'm about to snap.”

Sophie shoved her hands beneath his shirt and started yanking it up. “I've been wanting you to snap for years. Don't make me wait any longer.”

With her bold declaration, he helped her to jerk the shirt over his head and throw it onto a pile of other discarded clothes. When her hands went to the button on his jeans, he stopped her.

“I'll do this part.”

The last thing he needed was for her to touch him there right now. He wasn't joking when he told her he was hanging on by a thread.

Sophie slid out of her cardigan, sending it silently to the floor. When she reached for the hem of her silk tank, Zach gripped the material.

“I'll do that too.” No way was he going to miss an opportunity to undress Sophie.

He removed her hands from her tank and glided the flimsy material up and over her head. Zach swallowed at the sight of her standing there in a pale pink bra and her skirt. She was everything his fantasies were made of, and so much more that he didn't know he'd been missing.

“Stop thinking here, Zach.” She smiled and stepped out of her flats. “The way you keep stopping is making me nervous.”

Control snapped as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her flush against his chest. She arched her back, and Zach kissed a path down the column of her throat. Her hands fisted in his hair as she threw her head back. With a skilled move, Zach flicked her bra open and quickly removed it without taking his lips off her heated, silky skin.

This was the moment he'd been craving. Her chest against his with no barriers. Zach's hands roamed all over her, and in the process he found the tiny side zipper on her skirt and got rid of that problem fast. By the time he got her fully undressed, he was beyond the point of no return.

Sophie did her own exploring over his bare chest, and her touch was anything but gentle. This woman knew what she wanted, which just bumped her up another notch on the scale of sexy . . . as if she needed a boost.

Zach made quick work of his jeans, shucking those and his boxer briefs to the floor. Stepping out of them, he hoisted Sophie up, her legs instinctively wrapping around his waist, her arms around his neck.

“Tell me if I hurt you.”

Sophie kissed him. “You'd never hurt me.”

Now wasn't the time to start that debate. He followed her down onto the bed, resting his hands on either side of her head.

He couldn't get enough. He couldn't touch her, taste her, or explore her enough to satisfy this craving he'd had for so long. He wanted to take everything in all at once, but savor each second at the same time.

He rained kisses over her shoulders, her breasts, down her abdomen . . . where he encountered scarring.

He'd not noticed moments ago when he'd fully undressed her because he'd been kissing her. But now, up close, he couldn't ignore the sight before him.

“Don't,” she told him, coming up on her elbows. “They're in the past and we aren't. We're right here, right now, so don't go back there.”

Swallowing, Zach forced himself to remain in the present. He had to do this, for Sophie. Later, when he was alone, he could torture himself with what he'd done to her. His careless, ego-inflated actions had left her physically and emotionally scarred.

“I know they're ugly,” she went on. “I hope that—”

Zach placed a finger over her lips. “They're not ugly. Nothing about you is ugly.”

It was damn hard not to relive that night right now, but he wouldn't bring that nightmare into the bed with them. Zach traced the surgical scars across the skin below her belly button, then moved to the puckered scar along her hip. After he'd fully committed them to memory, he kissed each one.

Too many emotions pulled him in different directions. He could easily be overtaken by any of them, but he refused to allow hurt and guilt to steal this moment. Sophie was naked and trembling beneath him—nothing else mattered.

Crawling back up her body, Zach settled between her legs and captured her mouth. His hand trailed down her side, her body trembling beneath his touch. He loved the feel of her beneath him, loved knowing his sheets would smell like her long after she was gone.

When he reached for the bedside drawer, she gripped his shoulders. “No.”

Zach froze. “No?”

“If you're clean, I know I am,” she told him, her gaze darting away as if this was uncomfortable for her to discuss. “I've only been with two guys and that was years ago. I've had physicals since then. There's no risk of me getting pregnant, either.”