Page 77

She’d never met someone who could make her furious one minute and cause her to melt the next. Then Zane Wilder walked into her life.

She inhaled deeply, releasing the breath on a sigh. “What are you saying?”

He raised a finger to caress her cheek, and Bridget shivered. “Our lives are complicated, but I don’t want to use it as a reason not to be with you. I don’t know what the future holds, but I know I want to see where this goes. I want to date you and get to know your kids and have you get to know my family. I want more nights of touching every inch of that sexy body and having you fall asleep in my arms. You can tell me that’s not what you want, but I won’t believe you. The way you kiss me and respond to my touch tell a different story.”

She pulled his hand away from her face and held it in between them. “What happens when we get to know each other and our families, and then it doesn’t work out? My kids will fall in love with you only to be heartbroken when we break up. I have a feeling I would be kind of wrecked about it too. I’m not sure it’s worth the risk.”

“You weren’t sure about the other risks you’ve been taking with your life — moving to Grayson Cove, starting a new job, stopping to help Sydney when she was stranded on the side of the road, following your hunch about where to find the kids and my mom. Those all worked out. There’s no reason why this won’t work out too.”

“Other than the fact you’re in love with a woman who’s planning to marry your friend?”

Once the words left her mouth, she realized they were at the heart of her hesitation. Risk didn’t scare her, even if she often second-guessed her choice to take it. But dating a man who wanted a substitute for the woman he couldn’t have wasn’t a risk which interested her, no matter how irresistible the man was.

“I’m not in love with Sydney. She’s my best friend. There’s a lot I love about her, but she and I were never meant to be together. She opened me up to the possibility of being with someone. My life has always been my career or my family. Sydney helped me realize I want more. I want what she has with Panther. I’m not saying I think we’ll have that, but I can’t walk away from an incredible woman when that possibility is there.”

Then she was enclosed in his embrace again. His forehead rested against hers, his lips hovering so close she could tilt her head the slightest bit to kiss him. She breathed in the scent that was all him, a scent which haunted her dreams from the moment they met. Her resolve was weakening, and still she couldn’t give him what he wanted.

“You can tell me you don’t want this, but I’ll keep coming around. I don’t give up when it’s something I want. I want you, Bridget. I want you more than I’ve wanted anyone in a long time.”

She closed her eyes and whispered, “I’m scared.”

He smiled. “You wouldn’t be if you didn’t want this too.”

As the silence stretched between them, Zane began running his hands in slow even strokes up and down her back. The motion soothed her even as she felt lust pool in her belly and spread to her limbs. Her brain was muddled by the haze of desire his touch put over her. The urge to say yes to him was strong, but she had a commitment to her kids and the life she was trying to build for them.

“I have to go. Marlowe and Mathias are waiting for me at Cole and Sydney’s. Now is not a good time to be having this conversation.”

“This conversation couldn’t wait, so I called Panther already. He said to tell you, no worries. The kids are fine, and they know you’re with me.”

“What about your mother? Doesn’t she need you after what she’s been through?”

“I left her in my sisters’ capable hands. Plus if she knew what I was doing, she would wholeheartedly approve of me being here. She loves you and your kids. She wouldn’t hesitate to kick my ass if I let you go.”

Bridget giggled. “So are you here because your mother told you to be?”

“Hell, no. I’m here because I want to be.”

She gave into temptation and lightly kissed his lips. “I want you to be here too.”

He pulled her closer until their bodies were flush against each other. “What else do you want?”

She kissed him again. “You. I want you, Zane. I want everything you said — the dating, the getting close to our families, the touching and the kissing…and more.”

He crushed her mouth with his as he lifted her into his arms. She held him around his shoulders tightly as he carried her to her bedroom. He placed her in the middle of the bed, crawling onto the mattress until his body covered hers. His weight pressed her into the soft mattress, and she gave herself over to the moment. The feel of him was almost too exquisite to bear.

He devoured her mouth as a thirsty man having his first taste of water. Her hands snaked up his shirt, his skin warm to her touch. The muscles of his stomach flexed under her fingertips, and her hands found their way up to his chest, memorizing the feel of him. He broke their kiss long enough to whip his shirt over his head and reach to do the same for her. He made quick work of pulling off her bra. His eyes darkened with desire as he stared at her breasts, his gaze making her feel cherished and beautiful.

Knowing she affected him as much as he did her empowered her. She pulled him down to her, her breasts rubbing against his chest as she touched her lips to his, sweeping her tongue between them. He broke away to capture a nipple with his mouth. His tongue teased, and his mouth sucked until she was writhing underneath him, pleasure washing over her. He moved his mouth to shower the same attention on her other breast and continued to go back and forth until her moans filled the quiet bedroom. The sensation built within her until she thought she would die from sheer bliss, but she held his head to her breasts so he wouldn’t stop. When his hand fondled her free breast while his mouth made love to the other, she could feel the pressure building until she exploded, her vision blurring as she succumbed to the orgasm which took her on a ride she wasn’t expecting.

Her body usually required more than attention to her breasts for her to come, but Zane’s skillful tongue and strong hands showed her what was possible. He dropped feather-light kisses in the valley between her breasts as she rode out the wave of ecstasy, his eyes never leaving her face. She came down from her high, and her lips curved into a satisfied smile.

“Beautiful,” he drawled as he moved down her body. “I think you definitely need to do that again.”

“Are you trying to kill me?” she teased as he flipped the button open on her jeans and drew down the zipper in one deliberate motion.

“Would you like me to stop?” He yanked her jeans and underwear off, leaving her completely naked under his heated stare.

“Don’t. You. Dare.”