Wrecked (18 page)

A harsh, breathless scream echoed through the room as she clenched down, milking him as she started to come. Hard and fast . . . and so fucking sweet.

Once he knew she was falling, he let himself follow.

Always . . .

* * *

In the darkness of the room, Abby lay sprawled with
her head on his chest and he toyed with her hair as he stared out the window.

“Are you mad at Seb?” she asked drowsily.

Closing his eyes, he bit back the instinctive answer.
That
answer wasn’t complimentary, but he knew if he let her know just how pissed he was, she’d want to know why.

“Other than irritated about him having his head up his ass?” he said, keeping his voice easy. “Nah.”

Guilt tugged at him for lying to her and he knew he shouldn’t.
Well, I’m not. Not exactly. He does have his head up his ass, and that’s why I’m pissed. I’m just not clarifying what I’m pissed about
.

It was splitting hairs and he knew it, but this just wasn’t a talk they could have yet.

This was too new.

As she stroked her nail along the line of the tattoo over his chest, he rolled his head over to look at her. “You ever call the dickhead?”

She wrinkled her nose. “No. It just doesn’t seem as important now.”

Zach blinked. “But it’s in your journal.”

“Yes. The very
weird
journal.” She moved closer to the dagger where it pierced the heart. “I think if it’s a
very weird journal
that means I’m allowed to modify the rules as I see fit.”

“But you don’t
modify
rules.” He shifted in bed and tumbled her onto her back, pausing a moment to appreciate the shift in positions as her thighs parted to accommodate him. Then, before he could get distracted, he settled his elbows on the bed next to her head and peered down at her face. “You get locked on one certain thing and you have to see it through.
Tattoo
, check.
Affair
, check.
Stop worrying . . .
”
He paused and stroked a thumb down her cheek. “How is that part going?”

A grin curved her lips and she shrugged a little. “Zach, lately, you’ve got my head spinning around so much, I don’t have
time
to worry about anything. And I’ll have you know, I still plan to flip off the next photographer who snaps a picture of me.
Then
when they plaster
that
picture of me in the next gossip rag, they can talk about how I’m fat
and
angry.”

“You’re not fat,” he snapped. He shoved back on his knees and settled between her thighs, staring at her, the long, lush curves of her thighs, her breasts, the gentle curve of her belly. “You’re so beautiful, you make my teeth hurt.”

She blushed a little. Then she shrugged. “I’m not saying
I
think it. Although compared to what they want in Hollywood these days . . . baby, I’m an absolute cow. Which is probably yet another reason I’m glad I never plan to go back there.” She eased upright and settled on her knees in front of him.

The dark silk of her hair spilled down to curl around her breasts. “Seb’s so certain you miss it, although he never questions my choice to leave it. It’s funny, if you think about it. We both got into it at the same time, did it for the same length of time . . . and it ended at the same time for us.” She eased closer, wrapping her arms around his neck and studying him. “If it’s no big deal for me to walk away, why not you?”

Cupping her ass in his hands, he shrugged. “Hell if I know. Sometimes, I think he sees himself as the way I was when it ended for me. Maybe he thinks if I’m done with it, that’s what he faces. But I left because I wanted to. He doesn’t want to. I don’t know what his deal is.” Then he rubbed his lips against hers. “And, Abby, if you keep talking about other guys while I’m sitting here buck-ass naked with you, it just might hurt my ego.”

“Your ego, huh?” She laughed a little and reached between them, closing her hand around his cock, stroking up, then down. “This ego?”

“Yeah.” He flashed her a grin. “Matter of fact, I think you might have already hurt it. Maybe you should kiss it and make it better.”

“Hmmm.” She squirmed backward and eased downward.

And Zach shuddered as her mouth closed around him.

* * *

Breakfast was a lovely, luxurious affair at the table
where they watched the bay and Zach kept whispering in her ear about how he’d never see another dining room table with thinking about what they’d done on this one.

Consequently, she spent most of the meal red-faced and was so turned on, she jumped him in the shower when they were supposed to be getting ready to check out.

Which meant they were late for their lunch date with Marin.

Marin waved at them from her table with a glint in her eye and a wide grin. “You two, if I’d known you were going to be late, I wouldn’t have gotten up so early to head down here.”

Abigale rolled her eyes as she slid into the seat next to Marin. “Oh, be quiet. Like you sat here . . . what? Fifteen minutes?”

Marin laughed. “Actually, it was five. I was a few minutes late myself.” She slid Zach a look and smiled. “You’re looking nice and . . . relaxed there, Zach.”

“I had a nice breakfast,” he said blandly.

Under the table, he rested a hand on Abigale’s knee and she could feel the blush settling on her skin. But she didn’t knock his hand off, either. Instead, she covered it with her own. When he turned his hand around and laced their fingers, something in her heart tripped a little. Sighed . . .

Marin rested an elbow on the table and studied her. “Abigale Applegate, I have to tell you this. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that look on your face.”

“Ahhh . . .”

“Lay off, Marin,” Zach said easily, slumping in the seat. He pinned her with a flat, direct stare and while his tone was level, the look in his eyes was anything but.

The little round table only sat three people, tucked into a secluded little alcove where they had some privacy. Abigale flushed a little as he lifted their hands out and pressed a kiss to the back of hers and then eased in closer, resting an arm on the back of her chair.

Marin chuckled. “Laying off, although, damn, it’s going to be hard when you can’t seem to keep your hands off of her.”

Zach smirked a little as he reached for his water. “You’re just jealous.”

“No. I got over your cute ass years ago, Barnes. I can’t help but think it’s going to be fun to watch this.” Marin sipped from a glass of wine and gestured to the bottle in the middle of the table. “Would you like a glass?”

“Watch what?” Abigale asked, squirming a little. Then she shot the wine bottle a dark look and shook her head. “Absolutely no. I hate your taste in wine. That stuff tastes like shit.”

Marin chuckled. “That cab costs about seventy-five dollars a bottle, you know.”

“Then it’s pricey shit. Although I’ve seen you spend that much on just a
glass
of wine. So maybe it’s mediocre shit, depending on your point of view.” She reached for the wine list and sighed as she skimmed through it. Typical. The only kind of wines she could typically stomach at most restaurants were the ones they’d serve for dessert and it was too early. “I’ll just stick with coffee for now.”

“Hmm. Needing the caffeine boost and it’s only eleven.” Marin’s grin widened. “Didn’t sleep much?”

With a baleful glare, Abigale reached for the menu and resigned herself to an . . . interesting meal. Marin had gotten it in her head to mess with her and that was exactly what her friend was going to do.

* * *

“You tramp, you went and did it.”

Tucked inside the bathroom, Abigale sighed and leaned in closer to the mirror as she pretended to check her makeup. She’d barely put any on and she wasn’t overly concerned with how it looked anyway, but it was a way to keep from just glaring at Marin. A way to keep from fanning a hand in front of her face when she thought about how she’d . . . gone and did it.

With Zach. Wow.

Feeling the weight of Marin’s watchful eyes, she looked up. She pasted a patently false smile on her face and said, “Went and did what?”

“You’re having an affair with Zach.”

Affair
 . . .

Frowning, she pushed away from the mirror and turned to look at Marin. “We’re seeing each other, yeah.”

Marin’s blonde brows arched over her eyes. Her eyes were pale blue and they matched the fragile silk tank top she wore. And just then, those eyes were sharp with questions and so very watchful.

“Seeing each other,” Marin said slowly. “For some reason, I get the impression that’s different from
having a torrid affair
.”

Abigale leaned her hips against the long marble counter and stared down at the floor while she tried to figure out the right way to answer. Oddly enough, she didn’t find the answer on the rose-streaked black tile or the red polish she’d slicked on her toenails, and she certainly didn’t find the answer in the peep-toe black Jimmy Choos she’d chosen to wear with her dress that day.

“Abby.”

Swallowing the knot in her throat, she looked up at her friend. There weren’t any answers in Marin’s gaze, either, but she did find more questions. A lot of them. Swallowing the knot in her throat, she asked, “Yeah?”

“
Is
there a difference?” Marin asked.

“I . . .” She licked her lips and shrugged. “Yeah. There’s a difference. I just don’t know what it is yet.”

“Okay . . . well, let’s try this. When you planned to have a torrid affair, just how did you see it ending?”

Abigale rubbed her fingers against her temple. Now
that
question she could answer easily enough. “I imagined a guy, a hot guy, that I’d have a few hot and easy flings with, and then it would be over. No fuss, no muss, and no regrets when it ended. I’d have a wonderful memory, something I could look back on and smile about, but I wouldn’t regret that it had ended.”

“That sounds like a good description of a torrid affair,” Marin mused. She settled into place beside Abigale. She went to say something, but the door opened. As a lovely, sleek little blonde came bustling in, Marin and Abigale lapsed into a light, easy conversation that touched on anything and everything except the things that mattered.

Once they were alone again, Marin bumped her shoulder against Abigale’s. “So how are you imagining things with Zach?”

“That’s not so easy to answer.” She pressed a hand to her belly. Shoving away from the counter, she started to pace. Damn it, they didn’t have time for this. They’d already been in here five minutes. “You know . . . I was thinking about what I was looking for, back when I was having to deal with cancelling the wedding plans. Started thinking about what I
needed
. Did I need a guy to make me happy? I mean, I wanted kids, but did I need a guy? Not
technically . . .
I just wanted one. But I realized, even then, I’d been settling. I really wanted somebody who’d make me laugh. Make me think. Who’d be there for me for always . . .”

“That’s Zach,” Marin said quietly. “That’s always been him.”

Abigale lifted her head to stare at her friend. “I know. I even thought that very same thing. But Zach was a friend. Just a friend. That’s all he’d ever been. My friend. Now . . . hell, it’s like he touches me and my brain shuts down. And that’s wonderful. Lately, when he’s around, I can’t think about anything
but
him and it’s not just because the sex is so amazing.”

“Is it amazing?”

Abigale stopped in her tracks and just stared at Marin. Her heart skipped a little around in her chest and then banged a few hard beats against her ribs while her lungs worked to accommodate the sudden lack of oxygen. “Ahhh . . .”

A wicked grin lit her friend’s face. “Okay. I just had to know. I used to . . . well. You know. Hell, the guy is hot. But I’m over it. Really.”

“You better be,” she muttered, reaching up to toy with a loose lock of hair. “But it’s
not
just the sex. He’s—” Her belly jumped again and she pressed a hand to it, swearing as the butterflies there threatened to take flight. “He’s my best friend, Marin. I mean, the two of you are . . . but . . .”

“Zach’s always been there, Abby. I know that. We’ve established that, right? I know what the two of you mean to each other. It’s cool. Besides . . .” She wagged her brows. “No matter how close the two of you are, there are certain things you just need a girl for. Like this. So . . . but
what
?”

“Things are changing lately. He’s my best friend, and I’m scared because I can’t lose that, but this thing . . . it’s getting huge. I think about him all the time, and I want him more than I want to breathe and I . . .” She slumped against the counter again, staring at the floor. “I’m scared. What if it falls apart and I lose
everything
?
Not just this, but my friend, too?”

“Now I just don’t see that happening. The two of you have too much between you. You talk about how he’s the one who makes you think, makes you laugh . . . how he’s the one who is there for you. That’s a real thing between you and it won’t disappear, Abby.” Hooking an arm around her neck, Marin hugged her tight. “You’re falling for your best friend, Abs. That’s all it is. And to be honest, I think that’s pretty amazing. You’re supposed to be friends with the man in your life . . . and you two already are.”

“But what if it doesn’t last?” Abigale asked, her heart slamming against her ribs as Marin put everything into words. So plainly stated.
You’re falling for your best friend
.

Falling . . . yes. Hell, she’d already
fallen
, if she was completely honest with herself. She’d fallen hard.

“What if it does?” Marin returned.

Abigale groaned. She covered her face with her hands and then, because she had to say it out loud, she whispered, “And what if I do fall for him,
really
fall for him . . . and he doesn’t feel the same way?”

* * *

Oh, sweetie.
Marin squeezed Abigale’s shoulders and tried to decide on the best course of action.

You blind woman . . . he’s been in love with you for years
didn’t seem to be the right thing to say.