Chapter Twenty-Six
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Leann tossed and turned, exhausted but not able to fall asleep. While her body might be tired her mind was going a mile a minute. She couldn’t stop the images that ran through her mind, keeping her awake. All her classmates, people she’d called her friends. Was one of them a killer? Would they come after her next?
She wasn’t afraid. Zach and her brothers wouldn’t allow anyone to get close to her, plus growing up with boys everywhere she’d learned early to defend herself and take no shit. She’d like to think she could handle herself if someone came after her but she was probably fooling herself. If someone surprised her she would be screwed.
Padding downstairs, she poured some milk into a mug and placed it into the microwave to heat. Zach had some packets of hot chocolate mix and although it wasn’t her mother’s recipe, it was close enough. Elaine Anderson had always sworn by warm milk when Leann couldn’t sleep. The chocolate was simply a delicious bonus.
“Can’t sleep?”
Zach’s deep voice had Leann jumping with surprise and clutching her chest where her heart raced way too quickly. “Holy hell, you scared me. Do you always sneak around like that?”
“How can I sneak around my own house?”
Pressing a hand to her forehead, she sighed. “I don’t know but you frightened the hell out of me. What are you doing up?”
“That was my original question.” The microwave happily chirped that it was done. “So I’ll ask again. Can’t sleep?”
Retrieving the mug, she poured the powder into the milk. “My brain won’t let me rest so I came downstairs for some warm milk.”
“And chocolate. Good plan.”
She stirred her cocoa and settled down at the table, wrapping her hands around the heated mug. “So we’re clear why I’m awake. What’s your story?”
“I woke up and you weren’t there, so I came looking for you. I’m supposed to be protecting you, remember?”
“Is that the only reason you looked for me?”
Chuckling, he sat down next to her. “There might be a few other reasons.”
“Such as?”
His fingers played with a long strand of her hair. “How about I’ve become used to you sleeping beside me in an obscenely short period of time? That I like the sound of you breathing and the smell of your shampoo? I even like the way you steal all of the covers, leaving me with nothing.”
Her heart tightened, almost taking her breath away. How could a big guy like Zach get away with saying such romantic words?
It was true, though. They’d become incredibly close in a short period of time. This week wasn’t the first time she’d met Zach, far from it. But it was the first time she’d allowed herself to get to know him and so far she liked everything she’d seen. When they were together, they had fun. When they were apart, she couldn’t wait to be with him again. She liked him, she respected him, and she craved him. His touch was addictive but so was his wicked sense of humor. He was settled and down to earth and he made coming back to Tremont very seductive.
Was this love?
She wasn’t a person who believed in love at first sight, which this definitely was not. But in the last week she’d spent more time with Zach than if she’d been dating anyone else three or four hours at a time. This was almost speed dating on steroids. Lock the two of them up together twenty-four-seven and see if they can survive.
Frankly, Leann wasn’t ready to put a name to the blossoming emotion inside of her. It felt too new, too fragile.
“I don’t steal the covers,” she retorted, sipping her cocoa. “You kick them off. As for the sound of my breathing, is that a nice way to say I snore? Because I totally don’t.”
“Whatever you say, honey. I’m just here to agree with you.”
Rolling her eyes, she stood and rinsed out her cup before placing it in the sink. “I know better than that.”
Zach stood as well, crossing the small kitchen to pull her into his arms, strong and solid. He made her feel so safe and cared for when they were like this. If only she could always feel this way, but that wasn’t how life worked.
“Are you sleepy yet?”
She shook her head. “No, but maybe if I lay down the warm milk will do its magic.”
“We can watch a movie,” he suggested. “There’s nothing worse than lying in bed but not being able to sleep.”
“Nothing with car chases or excitement.”
Laughing, Zach led her up the stairs. “One boring movie coming right up.”
* * *
The movie was as boring as Leann had hoped it would be but she still couldn’t sleep. Too many thoughts were racing around in her head like the Roadrunner and Wile E. Coyote. It was just going to be one of those nights. She didn’t have insomnia often but when she did it came on with a vengeance.
Cuddling closer into the warmth of Zach’s body, she tucked her head into the crook under his chin. His rough whiskers tickled her forehead and she reached up and ran her fingertips over his stubbly jaw, only to have him turn his head and nip at them playfully. Giggling, she pulled them away and sat up, leaning forward to give him a long, slow kiss. A delightfully naughty idea came to her.
If she couldn’t sleep, maybe she could find something to occupy her time…
One of his hands had tangled in her hair while the other slid up under the oversized t-shirt she was wearing to caress the bare flesh underneath, sending tingles straight to her lower belly. Zach apparently had the same carnal thoughts. Great minds think alike.
“Zach,” she sighed against his mouth, running her tongue over his lower lip. “Yes.”
“We’re going to miss the movie,” Zach growled, trailing kisses down her neck and making her tremble with the onslaught of pleasure his touch evoked. “We don’t know how this ends.”
Hooking her thumbs in the waistband of his boxers, Leann tugged them down over his perfect backside. “We can Google it tomorrow. Besides, I know you haven’t been watching.”
“True. Let’s get you naked.”
Her nightshirt and panties joined his boxers on the floor even as his lips unerringly found the pulse point where her shoulder and neck met. The temperature in the bedroom seemed to zoom higher as liquid fire ran through her veins.
Time seemed to slow down as Zach’s lips kissed every inch of skin from the top of her head to her ticklish toes. They had nowhere to be and all night to get there. With infinite patience, he learned every sensitive spot on her body and so did she. She’d had no idea that her instep or the curve of her hip were erogenous zones. That she’d shudder when his fingertips brushed the underside of her breasts or that his warm breath on her ear made her pulse pound. With every touch and caress the fire he’d started inside of her burned higher and hotter like a prairie fire out of control, consuming everything in its path.
His too talented tongue traced a line from her belly button to the valley between her breasts, sending shockwaves straight to her clit. Moving restlessly under him, her greedy fingers encircled his cock letting him know that she needed him now.
“Are you ready for me, baby?”
She’d been ready from the first moment he’d touched her. Whimpering at the loss of contact as he rolled on a condom, she welcomed him back to her with open arms. Her hands ran down his spine as he pressed inside of her, sweet and slow, just like their foreplay. When he was in to the hilt, he paused and gazed down at her, his pupils blown wide. There was such tenderness in his expression that she almost had to look away. It was intense and meaningful and her throat clogged with emotion so strong tears pricked the back of her eyes.
Leann didn’t know if it was a mistake but she’d fallen in love with this man. She might have found her soulmate or she might get her heart broken into a million pieces, but she had a feeling it was far too late to back out now. He was everything she’d been looking for and a whole lot she hadn’t even known she wanted.
Their foreheads pressed together and their gazes locked, he began to move out and then back in, leisurely at first and then faster to match their racing hearts and ragged breathing. With every stroke, he rubbed sensitive spots that sent her spiraling higher into the stratosphere. Leann was standing on the edge of a cliff, her toes hanging off, safe in the knowledge that when she fell she wouldn’t be alone. Zach would be there to hold onto.
When her climax hit, the room spun while the lights behind her lids turned bright white. Her toes curled and her body was awash in pleasure as she clutched onto his strong shoulders like an anchor in a storm. His own release came immediately after and she watched fascinated as his jaw tightened and his eyes closed with pure bliss. He was the perfect combination of fierce warrior and contented lover, although the latter was winning the battle. With a groan of satisfaction, he rolled onto his back, taking her with him. Leann laid her head on his chest, happy to hear the steady thump of his heart under her ear. They didn’t move for a long time, simply enjoying the quiet and the closeness.
“Do you want to watch the rest of the movie?” he asked eventually, his arm still wrapped around her, keeping her close to his side. His warmth was making her decidedly drowsy and after the mind-blowing orgasm she might just fall asleep after all.
A huge yawn sealed the deal. “Can we watch it tomorrow?”
“Of course.” He dropped a kiss on the top of her head. “Sleep tight, baby.”
She would but tomorrow she’d have to look herself in the mirror and admit she’d fallen in love. It was scary, handing over her heart to someone else. Trust wasn’t something that came easy, but then love hadn’t either until she’d met Zach. Everything was changing and she wasn’t sure she was ready for it. She only knew she needed him in her life.