Page 10 of Bound By Blood

She nodded. “My father taught me when I was a little girl.” She would never forget how much fun it had been to go swimming with her dad. Of course, they’d had to go at night, but she had never been afraid, not when he was there. Before she was old enough to swim, he had let her sit on his chest while he floated in the water. The most fun had been clinging to his back while he swam swiftly, effortlessly, from one end of the lake to the other and back again.

“What else do you like to do?” Zack asked.

“Oh, lots of things. I enjoy going to movies and plays and doing crossword puzzles. I don’t like to cook, but I love to bake.” She smiled at him. “I make a really wicked strawberry pie,” she said. “I’ll have to bake you one.”

Zack nodded. “Anything else?”

“I love to read.”

“Me, too.” He had spent many a long, lonely night in the company of a good book. “What do you like to read?”

“You’ll laugh.”

“Why would I laugh?”

“Because I like to read old fairy tales.”

He didn’t laugh, but he couldn’t hold back a grin. “You mean likeLittle Red Riding HoodandSleeping Beauty?”

“Yes, but my favorite isBeauty and the Beast.It’s such a wonderful story, the way Belle learns to love the Beast in spite of his gruff attitude and fearsome appearance.”

“I guess you’re really into those happily-ever-after endings.”

“What’s wrong with that?”

“Nothing.” He glanced out over the water, wondering if he would ever have a happy ending of his own. “I guess everybody wants one.”

“So, what do you like to read?”

“Murder mysteries. Arthur Conan Doyle. Dashiell Hammett. Mickey Spillane.”

“Blood and guts, huh?” she asked with a grin. “Death on every page.”

He had to laugh at that. She had no idea.

“What’s so funny?” she asked, frowning.

“I was just thinking how far apart our tastes are in books.” And in food and drink and sleeping habits, he added silently.

“So, Mr.Macho Man, what do you like to do?”

“Oh, you know,” he said, flexing his muscles. “The usual manly things. Watch extreme sports on TV. Gamble. Drink too much. Drive too fast.”

She punched him in the arm. “Be serious.”

“I know what I’d like to do right now,” he said, his voice soft and seductive.

A thousand butterflies took wing in Kaitlyn’s stomach. There was no mistaking the desire in his eyes. “Oh?” Her voice emerged as little more than a squeak.

His finger traced the curve of her cheek. “Shall I show you?”

She swallowed. “Will I like it?”

“I think so.” He drew her closer, his voice low and husky in her ear. “I hope so,” he said, and kissed her.

Her eyelids fluttered down as she turned into his embrace. Her arms went around his waist, and she hugged him tight as she lost herself in the wonder and magic of being near him, of having his mouth on hers. He smelled of sandalwood cologne and musk. The combined scents made her stomach curl with pleasure. A delightful warmth spread through her, leaving her feeling weak and exhilarated at the same time. She moaned softly when his tongue stroked hers.

Pulling away, she fanned herself with one hand.

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