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“The idea is not without merit,” he finally said.“As long as the mindless fucking involves each other.”
She gasped.“Oh, fuck you, Zach.”
“Yes.Soon.Like yesterday.”Tension throbbed in his voice.“Last night, watching you… it nearly killed me.I don’t know how much more of this I can take.”
At the reminder of last night, her anger oozed out of her, leaving behind the sticky mess of misery and arousal.She bit her lip against the need to confess that it had nearly killed her too.
“Did you have a good time with your parents?”he asked abruptly as if he found the subject of sex, or the lack of it, as tormenting as she did.
“It was fun, yes.”
“I like them,” he said in that snappish voice that told her his tension was still riding high.
“My mother was charmed by you.”
He gave a short laugh.“But not your dad?”
“You’ll probably find him a tougher sell,” she replied and stopped.Zach would most likely never get the opportunity to sell himself to her parents.Lord knew where all of this was going, but there was no way she was exposing him to her parents and having a Chris situation happen all over again.Her mother was already half in love with Zach as it was.She sucked in a breath and tried to think of a safer subject.
“Did you find an apartment yet?”
“Yes.Would you like to see it?”he invited.
She yearned to say yes so badly that her vision blurred.But as bad ideas went, that would top the list.Besides, she had no desire to keep piling anguish on herself, and seeing Zach’s apartment would trigger a need to wonder what it be like to share the space with him.
“I’m sure it’s great, but no thanks.”
“Okay,” he replied.
Perverse hurt scythed through her at his easy acceptance.“Okay?”
“It’s not ready to move into yet.Not till the middle of the week.You can come see it then.”
“I won’t be able to.I’m going back to work tomorrow.”
“You can still take a lunch break.Or come after work.”That implacable tone was back again.Against her will, thrills of excitement spiked up her spine.“It’s not far from where you work.I can have you there and back in an hour.”
Again, it struck home hard just how much Zach knew about her life.“It’s my first day back.I’ll probably be inundated and won’t have the time.”
“Taking a break shouldn’t be an option.”She heard the frown in his voice.
“In an ideal world.But I don’t mind when there’s work to be done.”
“Dare I hope that statement applies to us, too?”
“There’s a Kenny Rogers song that I could sing to you right now, but I’m not sure you’d get the message.”
He laughed, and her heart turned over at the sound.“I’ve never heard you sing, baby.Bet you’d be good at that too.”
She sighed and shook her head.“I’m getting off this insane rodeo ride, Zach.”
“I’ll let you, for now.But it’s only a matter of time before you’re riding me again, baby.So saddle up.”
9
Her first day back at work was frenetic.Sheena Malcolm, her boss, asked about her Aunt Mel, then looked skeptical and anxious when Bethany gave the highly sketchy details of her aunt’s phantom illness.
Sheena tugged the sleeves of her Prada suit and lingered outside Bethany’s cubicle.“You won’t need to return there anytime soon, will you?”she asked with a thin sniff.