Page 47 of Keeping Her Safe

Shedding his boxers, he slid between the covers and turned off the lamps before pulling her into his arms again. He instantly felt her melt into his body, and he kissed her shoulder before resting his head on the pillow.

“I’m sorry your house burned down,” she whispered in the dark.

“It’s okay; it wasn’t your fault. And don’t say, ‘yes it was,’ because it wasn’t.”

“Are you upset?” she asked.

“Yes, but I have insurance. I’ll rebuild.” He actually hadn’t thought much about his house.

“But you’ll be homeless while you do.”

“No, I won’t.”

“Do you have somewhere else to live? Or you could stay with your girlfriend,” she said, but he suddenly felt her tense as if she hadn’t meant to say the words out loud.

“Actually, I think you’re right. I’ll be staying with my girlfriend.” He felt her pull away but held her tight against him so she couldn’t leave. “You see, my gorgeous girlfriend lives right on the beach. A little one-bedroom place. We can watch the sun kiss the ocean every night together.”

She was still rigid in his arms. Was she listening or just not getting who he was talking about?

“It’s you, Zephyr. I am moving in with you.” She seemed to relax a little but not completely.

“What’s going to happen when we get back to Florida?” she whispered.

“I’m going to move in with you, and you are going to edit your book. In a few months, I am going to ask you to marry me, and you are going to say yes. We are going to have a small wedding on the beach, and then we are going to raise some kids right there. We might have to add on to the house, though,” he said out loud the images that had been floating through his head for three days.

“Zachary, we barely know each other.”

“Really? I know more about you than anyone I have ever known. And the rest I will learn over time,” he replied, turning her so that she faced him. “I love you, Zephyr Connor Hart.”

“What? When?” Her eyes were large in the semi-darkness.

“You heard me, and I think that the love my father had for you was passed to me when he died.”

“That sounds … creepy,” she said, scrunching up her nose.

“It’s what happened. When I came into his hospital room, I took his hand in mine and knew he was gone, but I still held it for a few minutes. Then I looked up and saw you standing in front of the window with light bouncing off your hair. I instantly fell in love. I got up and walked to you and pulled you into my arms. I knew I wanted you there forever.” He smiled into the dark at her.

“That was two years ago. Two years.”

“Well, then, we got into this huge fight at the funeral, and I hated you again. You were the Zephyr I hated, and I couldn’t find the Zephyr I loved. Until this weekend.”

“We are the same person. How are you going to handle that?”

“When we fight, I’m coming back to you now. I’ll let you blow off steam, and then I am going to carry you to bed,” he whispered and pulled her closer to him.

“Do you think it will work?” she asked, snuggling into his body.

“I think that after a knock-down, drag-out fight, we will have knock-down, drag-out sex.” He laughed.

Her only answer was to giggle into his shoulder. He held her as she fell asleep in his arms, red hair spreading across his shoulder as he smiled into the darkness. He thought their future looked pretty bright as he fell asleep.

CHAPTER 18

With the speed of an old sloth, Zephyr slid out from under Zachary’s arm. Less than an hour ago, she had tried this move, but she had woken him up, and he had rolled her back under his sexy body to take her again. But now he should be asleep again, sated and exhausted.

But this was the time Zephyr usually got up, so she couldn’t lay in bed anymore. Her mind was racing with words and pictures that needed to be written. The next book had entered her head, and she would be unable to concentrate until it was on paper.

Success, she thought as she made it to her feet. He really did look gorgeous lying there in the moonlight. And if she crawled back in, he would gather her in his arms and make love to her again. Win-win.

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