Page 48 of A Summer of New Beginnings
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Zara served up two plates of the lasagne but she couldn’t eat. The feel of Lachy’s lips pressed against hers remained and she couldn’t shake the sadness that was weighing heavily on her shoulders.
‘Well, for all the talking-down you gave it that lasagne was bloody delicious,’ Lachy said as he pushed away his empty plate. ‘You’ve hardly touched yours.’ He frowned.
She shook her head but didn’tmeet his gaze. ‘No, I’m not really that hungry.’
‘Bloody hell, did my kiss put you off your food?’ He laughed.
She lifted her chin and was greeted by his handsome smiling face, tilted inquisitively to one side. ‘Why did you kiss me, Lachy?’
He leaned forward and rested his elbows on the table. ‘Because you were insanely gorgeous when you were fretting over your cooking skills. And like I said,I’ve wanted to kiss you for a while now.’ His smile disappeared and he straightened up. ‘I’m sorry if I overstepped the mark. I… I didn’t mean to upset you. I know there are boundaries and I kind of lost myself there for a minute.’
She shook her head. ‘You didn’t upset me… I just don’t really understand what the point was.’
His brow crumpled. ‘Point? I’m attracted to you, isn’t that obvious?I saw an opportunity to kiss you and I took it.’
‘But I’m leaving tomorrow. You and me… well, thereisno you and me. I live at the other end of the UK and you live in the middle of nowhere. Our lives are completely different.’
He grinned but his eyes contradicted the gesture. ‘Jeez, Zara, it’s not like I proposed marriage, for goodness’ sake.’
‘I know that. I just… I don’t usually kiss peopleunless it means something. And now I’m confused.’
He stood from the table. ‘Look, you’re reading too much into this. I kissed you. Maybe I shouldn’t have. I’m sorry. I don’t usually do things like that either. But… I’m drawn to you. You’re the complete opposite of every woman I’ve known and, even though you do my head in with your bloody stubborn ways, I’m attracted to you. I hoped maybe youmight be attracted to me too but clearly I put you off your food.’ He forced a laugh. ‘So let’s just put it down to experience, eh? Like you said, you’ll be gone tomorrow and so I suppose that’s why I took the chance.’ He ran his hands through the shaggy strands of his hair and his T-shirt rose up to show the bottom of his toned abdomen. She tried not to notice but failed. He huffed the air from hislungs. ‘I’m off to shower. I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable, Zara. It was honestly never my intention. I just happen to think you’re a beautiful, intelligent woman and I really wanted to kiss you. I hope you can forgive me.’ With a haunted expression of regret he turned and left the room.
Zara sat there and closed her eyes for a moment. She lifted her fingers to her lips and remembered thefeeling of Lachy’s hand in her hair. The kiss had been incredible but she could tell he had held back a little. If he could turn her blood to liquid fire when he was holding back, what could he do when he wasn’t?
She had fallen fast for Josh; she had trusted him and he had betrayed her so easily at the first opportunity. She wasn’t willing to make that mistake again but to feelthatheat thatLachy created was intense. The desire that burned within her made her want him. Even if it was for just one night. It could never be anything more, after all. The physical distance between them was too vast.
Even though she wasn’t a risk-taker, the urge to break free of her self-restraint was almost overpowering. He was a handsome, muscular man and he’d taken a risk to kiss her. But she had toadmit she wanted more. Just for one night she wanted to let go and know what it felt like to give in to lust.
She stood from the table and climbed the stairs.
As she walked into Lachy’s bedroom she could hear the hum of the en-suite shower and the pounding of the water, but it was only slightly louder than the hammering of her heart against her ribcage. Outside the closed bathroom door she tooka deep breath and removed her clothes, throwing them onto a chair in the corner.
It was now or never.
She reached for the handle and turned it. If it was locked, she would grab her clothes and run as fast as she could for the spare room. But it wasn’t. She pushed the door open and stepped inside. Through the steamed-up door she could make out the shape of Lachy’s firm, naked body and she swallowedhard.I’ve gone completely mad.But she didn’t stop. The old floor creaked and Lachy turned to face her through the glass.
He wiped the condensation away and opened his mouth to speak. ‘Zara?’
She inhaled a shaking breath. ‘If… if I join you in there would you promise me not to read anything into it?’ Her voice trembled with the fear he would reject her. But instead he pushed open the door andheld out his hand. She took it and stepped inside.
As soon as the water heated her skin Lachy’s mouth was on hers. His tongue slipped over hers and one hand slid down her wet skin to the curve of her bottom. He squeezed and pulled her closer, his arousal pressing into her belly. She smoothed her hands up his chest and into his hair as his kiss grew more urgent. He lifted his hand and toyed withher breast as she moaned at the pleasure and desire coursing through her veins. She didn’t care that this was out of character. She didn’t care that it was just no-strings-attached sex. She’d never had that before and, my God, it felt good. To be touched and explored by an almost stranger was exciting and exhilarating and she couldn’t get enough.
Lachy’s mouth moved to her neck, where he nibbledand sucked. ‘Can I take you to bed?’ he whispered huskily.
‘Yes,’ was her simple reply.
He slipped his hands under her bottom and lifted her effortlessly. She wrapped her legs round his waist and he pushed the glass door open with his foot before carrying her out of the shower room and over to the bed at the opposite side of the room. The chilled air made her shiver and every nerve ending stoodto attention.
He placed her down gently and kneeled between her thighs as he devoured her with his gaze. He didn’t need to speak. His eyes portrayed everything he was feeling and she had never wanted a man as much as she wanted him right then. He lowered himself down and kissed her deeply once again as she let her fingertips trail down the damp skin of his back. He lifted her so she wrapped herlegs round him again.
‘You’re not going to regret this, are you?’ he whispered as he fixed his penetrating gaze on her.
‘No,’ she whispered and he smiled.
‘Good, because I want youso much, Zara.’
‘I want you too,’ she breathed in reply.
He placed her down again, reached over to the bedside table and took something from the drawer. She closed her eyes; for some reason she couldn’t watch ashe sheathed himself. It felt a little too intimate in spite of what they were about to do.
The next thing she knew he was connected to her in the most glorious way, moving slowly as he breathed hotly into the crook of her neck. He kissed her everywhere his lips would reach and his fingers caressed and teased the places his mouth couldn’t.
He moved so that he could look into her eyes and shetried not to read what she saw there. She needed this closeness; to feel desired and wanted. She needed to lose herself in sensation and passion just for one night.
Pleasure, deep and languorous, began to build within her and she arched her back, gasping as Lachy moved over her and in her. No words were spoken. They weren’t needed. And as she soared with her climax he joined her, holding hertightly until she relaxed and a sated haze settled over their intertwined bodies.
