Luckily, he caught himself, opting to proceed with caution. If this new relationship with Summer was to work, hed need to reorganize his business, his entire life. Hed need an office in Manhattan for starters. That was okay. Hed worked all over the world; he could work anywhere.
He would have his people contact several knowledgeable Realtors in Manhattan. Hed tell them he wanted to shift the focus of Torr Enterprises, that they were to start searching for opportunities in the northeast. Hed buy Summer a penthouse with a view of Central Park.
Not that he would want to live there all year. But surely shed meet him halfway by living in Houston or even Louisiana for at least part of the year.
As they sped home across the black, glassy waters of the bayou, Zach seemed quieter, more withdrawn, and yet content.
Their speed wasnt as fast as it had been earlier, since it was dark now and there were patches of ground fog, but there was no way she could speak to him over the roar of the airboat.
Arriving home without incident, she watched as Zach secured the boat quickly and efficiently with the easy expertise of a man who knew exactly what he was doing. Nick had taught him all of that, she thought.
Then Zach pulled her close, and they walked across the lawn holding hands in the moonlight with no paparazzi to spoil the exquisite, shared moment.
He paused beneath the long shadows of the live oak trees to kiss her. She thought his kisses were different somehow, sweeter, and they filled her heart with joy.
Everything felt so right, so perfect-the way it had felt when theyd first fallen in love. It was as if theyd reclaimed their lost innocence and faith in one another. For the first time in years, it was easy to imagine them belonging to each other forever. A knot formed in her throat as she thought about the little girl shed lost. She had to tell him. But when?
For Summer the evening had been magic. It had been nice to bring Zach to Grams, so nice to share this man she cared about with her family, especially since her controlling stepfather used to force her to sneak out to see him.
Summer had learned not to stand up to Thurman. It had seemed smarter to maneuver around him. Still, shed felt like a spineless wimp not taking up for Zach. But if she had, Thurman would have gone ballistic. He would have stopped at nothing to destroy her relationship with Zach.
The only reason Zach had stayed in Bonne Terre that year after his graduation was to wait for her.
Her memories merged with her present need to find a way to tell him about the baby. But when he pulled her close and slanted his hard mouth over hers beneath the shadows of the oak, she sighed and wrapped her hands around his neck to better enjoy the kiss.
Time stopped. There was nothing but the two of them. Their bodies locked as they surrendered to each other in the magical pine-scented darkness. There was no Thurman to stop them now.
She could have kissed him forever, but she began to feel him, hard and swollen, pressing against her thighs. She opened her eyes and met the burning urgency of his gaze.
When he spoke, his voice was rough. Lets get the hell inside.
Quickly, he took her hand and they ran to the back entrance. When they were in the house, and hed locked the door, he kissed her again even more fiercely than before. Then he lifted her into his arms and carried her up the stairs into the enveloping darkness of his bedroom.
Now, where were we, sweetheart? Zach demanded as he set her on his bed. His eyes were intense as he began to undo the tiny white buttons on her dress.
I cant believe you want to make love to me after a big old dinner like that.
Well, I do. We played cards for an hour, didnt we? Besides, do you have a better idea?
We could sit outside on the upstairs veranda, enjoy the moonlight and talkmaybe about the past. About our baby
The past He frowned. Im in much too good a mood to want to go there. Trust me. Were better off making love, enjoying what we have now. We deserve some happiness.
But arent we hiding from things we need to think about and resolve?
You expect me to care about whats over and done with, when youre so damn beautiful I hurt?
But she felt so close to him right now, close enough to tell him everything Even tell him about the baby. It would take more than a single conversation, she knew. But she felt a profound need to share everything with him. He had to know the worst.
She wanted him to listen, to hold her, to forgive her, to grieve with her and then to make love to her. Had she been wrong about their special bond tonight?
He grazed her lips with his mouth with such infinite tenderness he soon sparked a wild conflagration.
But he was a man, and he was aroused. So, now wasnt the time to talk after all.
They could not get their clothes off fast enough. Then they took their time exploring each other. He took his turn kissing and touching her, and then she broke away and started kissing him everywhere, her tongue running down his body until she found his manhood, which was thick and engorged.
She took him into her mouth. He was too close to the edge to endure this for long. Soon he moved on top of her and slid inside.
That was all it took for her to explode.
He thrust deeply and then shuddered, too.
Afterward, as they lay in the darkness, while he held her close, she gathered her courage again. Wouldnt you feel better if you knew exactly what happened to me and why I might have failed you years ago?
What?
Perspiration glistened on his brow as he rolled over to brush his hand through her tangled hair. I cant believe youre bringing that up again. Now.
I just think we should talk. Its a perfect time, after our lovely evening.
No. Lets not tarnish tonight.
He sat up so he could stare down at her. Look, Im not blaming you for the past any longer, if thats why you want to talk about it. On Violas porch that first day we reconnected, I felt this terrible lingering sadness in you. It made it impossible for me to continue blaming you for everything. Thats all the explanation I need about the past. I hurt you, too. I know that.
But
Its over. Im trying to forget it. I suggest you do the same.
But theres something I really need to share
He ran a finger around the edges of her lips and shushed her. Dont ruin what we have right now. Its too special. I want to hold on to it. We can talk later. I promise.
When she frowned, he pulled her close and kissed her.
But he was so adamant, and she wanted this time with him so much, she let him have his way. So, when she left on Sunday, she still hadnt told him about what happened in New Orleans.
Why dont I come see you next weekend, for a change? he said as he put her on his jet. It just so happens I have a few things to do in New York.
That would be wonderful.
Ill come up on Thursday, rent a suite at the Pierre and take you anywhere you want to go.
That would be wonderful.
Ill come up on Thursday, rent a suite at the Pierre and take you anywhere you want to go.
So, you intend to spoil me hopelessly?
Absolutely.
Lucky me.
No. Lucky me, he said as he kissed her.
Ten
Something was different about Zach, and Summer wasnt sure what it was.
Their first three-day weekend together in New York was not as intimate as their previous weekends in Bonne Terre. But that was to be expected under the circumstances. He had business affairs to attend to and she the theater. Only at night could they make time to be together.
If his purpose in coming to the city had been to impress her with his grand lifestyle, he succeeded. His gilded suite was spectacular. Limos followed by the paparazzi whisked them to fabulous dinners and nightclubs where he knew people, some of them beautiful women.
Zach has a thing for blondes, Roberto, one of his top executives, whispered in her ear while Zach conversed with a beautiful woman during a business dinner.
Good thing Im a blonde, then, she quipped.
For the first time since their reunion, Zach hadnt shared details about his current project. She wondered exactly what hed done all day while shed rehearsed. When they were alone later, she grilled him.
Where were you all afternoon? What business exactly do you have to do here?
Im tweaking an important project.
Tweaking?
Ill explain everything when its all in order.
Does this project concern me?
I said Ill explain later.
Youre not bored with me and chasing another woman already? Another blonde?
Good Lord, no! Whatever gave you that idea?
She refrained from throwing Roberto to the wolves for one ill-advised remark. Ohnothing. Forget I asked.
Theres no other woman for me, and there never will be.
Youre a billionaire. You could have anybody.
Strange as this may sound, thats not true. Believe me, I have had plenty of time to discover that theres no substitute for the real thing. Youre the real thing.
Something twisted near her heart. Oh. Am I? Tell me more
But that was all she could get out of him other than a quick kiss on the tip of her nose.
He was hiding something. Just as she was.
The next weekend as Zach stood in a glamorous penthouse that had seventeen gloriously imagined rooms with high ceilings and tall windows, he thought of Summers cozy apartment. Was the penthouse too much? Would she like it? Women could be very particular about their homes. Maybe he should show it to her before he bought it, but he was too impatient.
She could call the marble and gold vulgar and rip it out if she didnt like it, he decided. She was too creative not to find a way to make it hers. The location was too stupendous to pass on, and he needed a place like this to impress the business people he dealt with.
All week Zach had been in a fever to ask her to marry him. Every time theyd talked, the question had been at the forefront of his mind. The pressure to wait until he had the ring selected and the penthouse bought and his new offices acquired and a contractor to remodel Thibodeaux House was making him feel explosive.
Shed looked so haunted when shed tried to talk to him about the past. Was he rushing into this because he knew he should wait?
What if she said no?