Chapter Twenty-One

Denise

Seeing him walk up the stairs with his suit on made my heartbeat race and my stomach tingle. When he made his way to me, I just lost every ounce of self-control I had, so when he lifted me, I wrapped my legs around him. “I wanted a good night kiss,” he says when I smile at him. “Good night.” That’s the last thing he can say because my lips crush his.

He steps into my loft, closing the door with his foot while I attack his lips. His hands around my waist, he lets my lips go so he can kiss my neck. I move my head to the side while he trails kisses down my neck. He sets me on the counter and stands between my legs.

The sweater falls from my shoulder, my hand on his chest as I feel his heart beat under my hands. “I can feel your heart,” I tell him, and he looks down at my hand on him.

He leans in and kisses my neck, exactly where my pulse beats. “Our hearts are beating just as fast.”

“I’m nervous,” he says, and I just press my palm harder on his chest.

“Why?” I ask him.

“I’ve never been this nervous before,” he says softly. “I’ve never wanted something so badly before.” He leans in. “I’ve never wanted someone more in my life,” he says and then slowly kisses me. My hands slide up his chest to his neck, and my head tilts a bit to deepen the kiss as my chest presses against his. My nipples perk up at the heat from his chest.

I throw my head back, letting my body feel everything around me. His hands at the side of my hips, his lips moving from my lips to my neck as I hang my head back, and he slowly trails his tongue down the side of my neck. “I,” he says softly, and I lean back on my hands now, my tits pointing up. “I,” he says and then leans forward, placing a kiss on the center of my chest. “Your heartbeat has slowed.”

“I trust you,” I tell him, my voice low as he slowly trails the kiss to one of my nipples that is trying to bust out of my camisole. I want to tell him more; I want to tell him that I trust him with my heart, I trust him with my life.

“Tell me to stop,” he says softly, looking at me, our eyes meeting in the dark. The moonlight shines in and I just watch him as he leans in, biting my nipple through the material; the pain shooting from my nipple to my core as I shiver in his arms. “Fuck,” he says, taking his hand and bringing my shirt down and sucking my nipple deep into his mouth. One of my hands comes up and holds his head.

“Zack,” I whisper his name as he attacks my other breast. “Oh, my,” I say, closing my eyes.

I’m ready to lean across the island and let him have his way with me. His beard is no doubt making little red marks on me as he bites down and then sucks in. I sit up straight now, his body standing up straight when I do.

“It’s not fair you get all the fun,” I say with my breast out in the open, nipples still pebbled. My hand goes between us as I turn my palm over and cup his cock, squeezing it in my hand. He hisses between his teeth. This time I lean in, kissing him where his top button is undone, his scent hitting me right away. “I love how you smell,” I tell him while my hand moves up and down on his cock, and I give his neck little kisses before I bite and suck the skin right under his collarbone.

He moves out of my grasp as his chest heaves. “I will not have you jerk me off and come in my pants like a twelve-year-old boy,” he tells me, and I just look at him.

“I can take you in my mouth, and you can come down my throat,” I say, and his body stills, his eyes get heated.

“That mouth is going to get you in trouble,” he tells me. “This weekend, pack a bag,” he says.

“Where am I going?” I ask him, and he steps closer but not close enough for me to snatch him.

“Jack is sleeping over at Michael’s Saturday night. I want you in my bed.”

“That is some offer.” I swing my leg a little, making my tits jiggle a little.

“Not an offer,” he says, this time coming back between my legs. His hand cups me while he twists my nipples. “You can come with me or I can drag you there. Either way”—he leans in—“the night ends with me in you.” He kisses my neck then and walks out of the apartment, leaving me all riled up in the dark.

I wait on the island for a couple of minutes to get myself together, tucking my breast in and going to lock the door. I walk back to my bed and fall right asleep. Waking in the morning, I wonder if I dreamed the whole thing, but after one look at my left breast and the beard burn on it, I know I didn’t. I smile to myself the whole time I choose my beige slacks with a black short-sleeve knitted sweater. Grabbing a couple of bracelets and then my watch, I pull a thermos out of the cupboard.

Grasping my jacket on the way out, I make my way to the hospital. “Good morning,” I tell Mallory when I arrive and walk into the lounge and take off my jacket. Grabbing my lab coat, I make my way out.

The morning drags by; it’s a slow day, which is perfectly fine with me. I do my rounds and then read a couple of charts when my phone rings and I look down and see it’s Allison.

“Hello,” I say and then lean back in the chair.

“Hey, you,” she says. “I haven’t heard from you in forever.”

I roll my eyes and laugh. “I spoke to you two days ago.”

“Which is forever ago, so what’s new?”

“What did you hear?” I ask her, laughing.

“Me?” she shrieks. “I heard nothing.”

I laugh. “What are your plans Saturday night? Want to come over?” she asks.

“I think I have plans.” I try to play it cool, and she just laughs.

“Yeah, you must have plans all right.”

“What are you getting at?” I ask her, looking around to make sure no one is around.

“Michael is having a sleepover on Saturday night. Jack is coming over.”

“Oh, really.” I feign surprise. “That’s nice.”

“Oh, cut the crap, missy. You are going to have your own sleepover, aren’t you?”

“Maybe,” I say finally. “I may have been told to pack a bag.”

“Pack a bag?” she shrieks. “You need to show up naked with no bag or clothes.”

I laugh out loud. “I’m going to the hockey game before, and I think there is a law about showing up in public naked. Not to mention my lady bits might get frozen.”

“Okay, fine, but you don’t need a bag. You need some kick-ass lingerie,” she says and then tells me to hold on. I close the file and hear her come back on the phone again. “I’m back. And I brought reinforcements,” she says. “Vivi, say hi.”

“Oh, Jesus,” I say under my breath.

“You rang,” she says, laughing.

“Denise is having a sleepover on Saturday, and he told her to pack a bag.”

“Pack a bag?” Vivienne says. “Of toys or condoms?”

“Oh, for the love of god,” I say while Allison laughs.

“I told her to forget the bag and show up naked,” Allison says, and Vivienne hums.

“She has the right idea,” Vivienne says. “What lingerie are we looking at?”

“I have no idea. I have to check my drawer.”

“Oh, Cherie,” Vivienne says, “with a man like Zack, you need something a little bit classy, a little bit sassy, and a lot slutty.”

“We should go shopping,” Allison says, and Vivienne agrees.

“How is tomorrow?” she asks, and Allison answers, “I’m free.”

“So am I,” I say, knowing if I don’t, she is going to get me anyway.

“Oh, this is going to be so much fun,” Vivienne says. “We should visit that sex shop that just opened.”

“Vivienne, no sex shops. Not after last time,” Allison says, and Vivienne groans.

“Fine,” she says, and we make plans to meet tomorrow afternoon. I put it in my phone when a text pops up from Zack.

Will you join us for dinner?

I smile, looking down at it, and answer.

Yes.

I finish my day, and Zack and Jack are waiting for me when I walk out the door. Both with big smiles, both wearing the same Stingers beanie.

“Well, hello, handsome,” I say to Jack, kissing his cheek as he smiles. “And Handsome’s dad,” I say, kissing Zack’s cheek.

We get into the car, and he makes his way to his house. We eat dinner again, just the three of us. Jack and I set the table; it’s kind of our routine now. And later that night, after he’s peeled my shirt off and I’m about to pull my hair out with need, he pulls away.

“Two days,” he says when I finally put my sweater back on. I have little bites now on my side and under my breast, yet he has stayed fully dressed.

“Two days,” I tell him. “Then I won’t be the only one naked.” He pulls me up and laughs with me. “I’m not kidding, Zack. I want you naked.”

“Why do I suddenly feel like a piece of meat?” He laughs at me, grabbing me and pulling me onto his lap.

“I’ve never really had this,” I tell him, settling in his arms.

“What is this?” he asks, leaning in and kissing my neck.

“Someone I wanted to come home to, someone to share a meal with.” My hand goes to his face as I trace his jaw. “Someone who makes me laugh.”

“I don’t think I’ve been this comfortable in my skin before,” he finally says, taking a piece of my hair in his hands like Jack does and twirls it. “It’s just easy.”

“What?” I ask him.

“Being with you is easy. I don’t have to jump through hoops, I don’t have to buy you gifts every second so you’re happy, and I don’t have to be someone I’m not so other people don’t talk.”

“Never,” I whisper. “I will never ever make you less of a man than you are.” I lean in and kiss him softly on his lips. “You’re one of a kind.”

“Well, it’s kind of easy,” he says, and we sit on the couch making out until it’s time for my Uber to take me home.

Two days later, I’m finally walking into the arena, wearing the tightest jeans I’ve ever owned in my life thanks to Vivienne. I don’t even think I can breathe in these, with a black V-neck loose shirt over the corset lingerie they had me buy yesterday. I keep the jacket closed securely because there isn’t much to the corset. And the shirt is almost see-through. I watch the game with Karrie in the lodge and then plan to meet Zack by his truck. I don’t even pay attention to the game; the only thing I can focus on is Zack. My eyes follow him the whole game.

He’s the first one out, and when he sees me, he unlocks the door. He doesn’t say anything to me until we get out of the parking garage. “This hiding thing is tough,” he says, looking over at me.

“Did anyone ask you questions?” I ask him, and he just shakes his head.

“No, but I sat there in the middle of the room and wondered if anyone would look at me and say you’re going to have sex with Max’s sister tonight.”

“Trust me, no one is thinking of you or me,” I tell him, leaning over as he pulls into a parking spot. I open the door, and he walks around to greet me by grabbing my hand.

“Where is your bag?” he asks, and I just shrug my shoulders.

“I figured I’d be naked the whole time.” He doesn’t walk gently across the street; he runs, and I laugh the whole way with him, and for the first time in my life, I can’t wait for what is to come.