“This—this isn’t Hannah.”
“Oh?” A definite question in that one syllable.
“No. I’m a good friend of Hannah’s. She’s not here at the moment either.” Katie felt a twinge, but she wasn’t exactly lying. What was she supposed to say, anyway?
“Oh, well then, can you give Mr. McIntyre a message for me?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Will you tell him that the ground has been broken on the women’s center? The construction company says that everything is on schedule; it should be up and running well before Christmas.”
“Women’s center?”
“Yes, dear. It’s just the newest in a long list of Zachary’s philanthropic endeavors. It’s a shelter for women, and he’s naming it after his mother, God rest her soul. You be sure and pass on the information to Zachary for me, and you and Hannah have a good time at the beach house. It’s a beautiful place, isn’t it? He insists on us using it several times a year. My grandchildren absolutely love it there.”
After she put the phone down, Katie sat on the sofa with her breath locked in her lungs as she tried to come to grips with what she had just learned about Zach. A new layer of his personality unfolded before her, and it only confused her more. As she had tossed and turned through the long, dark hours of the previous night, she had begun to understand what a complex personality he had. But she had never known about the depth of his generosity, and she’d never considered the extent of his wealth.
She thought about all the women he would be helping, and a frisson of tenderness toward him ran through her veins.
****
Later that evening, Katie reflected on the day past. Things had started out stilted between them, but slowly loosened up as the hours progressed. They spent a leisurely few hours on the beach, followed by dinner at a small restaurant on the bay in Port Isabel. Then they had driven back over the causeway and had walked the tourist strip, up and down the main highway, browsing through the beach shops and tourist attractions.
For a few hours she had felt just like any other tourist, laughing at the silly signs and trying on ridiculous hats. It felt good to forget about why she was there and she just went with it.
Zach seemed of the same mind, and very little serious conversation sprang up between them. They focused on the mundane, and by the end of the day, Katie’s mood was much calmer, and her skin glowed with the beginning of a light tan.
Now, as she sat back in the same spot as the previous night, watching Zach surf through Netflix movies, a funny ache infiltrated her system. Why couldn’t it always be like this? Why did sex have to stand between them like a waving red flag? Why did there have to be a contract?
Remembering the day they had spent, how he had quietly picked up her hand and held it as they strolled through the many tourists, brought a warmth to her. He had been gentle with her all day. It made her start wondering. Could she have sex with him? When this started out, and she thought she had no choice, anger had seen her through the first few days. Anger and a refusal to think about the inevitable.
She had never in a million years thought he could be gentle.
Amazingly, agonizingly gentle.
It was almost like he was a different person. The person Hannah had always described to her. Loving, caring, happy. The way he’d been before the accident.
She wanted to feel normal again. She wanted a life someday with a husband and children. It was obvious, if she ever wanted to achieve that, she would have to conquer the past. If Zach kept being gentle, maybe a normal life was a possibility for her.
****
The next morning, after a hurried breakfast, she and Zach were walking down the beach, looking for seashells when he picked up her hand and threaded his fingers through hers. She stood back up from where she’d been leaning over, examining at a broken sand dollar, and looked at his hand holding hers. He gave her a smile, and kept walking.
Katie felt a flurry of butterflies in her stomach as they continued to stroll down the beach, hand in hand. They’d exchanged heated looks, and he’d leaned in and kissed her lips a few times, and every time he did it, the butterflies got stronger. They were only simple kisses, closed-mouthed and quick, but they were enough to induce a heat that continued to make the blood pound in her veins.
They had walked for maybe ten minutes toward the hotels when they came across the crying girl. She was maybe six or seven, and her parents were nowhere to be found. It was still early morning, and she had wandered off from the hotel swimming pool—that much Katie got out of her between sobs. The little girl didn’t know which hotel it was; they all looked the same to her.
Katie distracted the child from her tears and sat with her on the beach while Zach went to get help.
Zach made the decision to bypass the first hotel when he saw the commotion in front of the second. There was a hysterical woman, and people were frantically running around and looking out over the water.
He had both parents calm in seconds, and began leading them back to Katie, where she sat playing in the sand with her new little friend.
They were thanked profusely, and Katie hugged both mother and child before turning around and walking back home with Zach.
“You’re good with kids.” Zach’s voice was deep.
Katie glanced up at him, her hand once again imprisoned by his. “That’s good to know.” She flashed him a smile. “Because I am a teacher.”
He squeezed her hand, but made only a noncommittal response that she couldn’t decipher. “Mmmm.”
****
Over the next four days, Zach took Katie to do all the things she wanted to do on the island. They went parasailing, snorkeling, and deep-sea fishing. She had the crazy feeling that she was being courted. He indulged her, spoiled her even, letting he choose everything they did and focusing all his attention on pleasing her.
The hours were spent in relaxation and easy camaraderie. But if the daytime hours were spent doing whatever caught her fancy, the evening hours were filled with a game of the cat tries to seduce the mouse.
The evening after the fishing expedition found Katie totally worn out. She had gotten seasick, and although she hadn’t thrown up, she was left weak and tired. Confounding her even more was the fact that she couldn’t rationalize that the chivalrous man who had pampered her for the last few days was the same man who had forced her to sign a contract giving him the next five years of her life. The same man who had threatened her mom and dad with foreclosure.
She pushed the inconsistencies from her brain and tried to relax on the couch and enjoy the same routine they’d been following for the previous evenings.
Zach chose the movie that night, a light romantic comedy that was only a year or so old, a movie he thought she might enjoy, and then set the remote down. He had enjoyed all the time he’d spent with her, but the constant arousal he felt in her presence was only growing with time. He admitted to himself he was trying to woo her, but so far, all he had earned for his efforts were long, drawn out goodnight kisses that set him on fire and left him wanting more.
Sitting with his back against the corner of the couch, he pulled her down in front of him, her back against his chest, his arms casually hooked around her, both of them facing the television.
The movie began to roll.
It took ten full minutes before he felt the moment when Katie trusted him enough to fully relax in his arms as she began to watch the movie.
Thirty minutes into it, Katie knew there was no hope of her caring anything about the film. Zach’s arms were around her, and for the last five minutes he had been nuzzling the back of her neck through her hair. She could feel him breathing in the scent of her hair, he was taking in deep breaths, his arms would get tighter, and his lips kept moving from the
crown of her head to her neck and back. Her eyes drooped closed.
His large hand turned her face towards him enough that he could nip at her lips. He took gentle kisses, with light touches.
He picked her up by the torso, and turned her in his arms. Her hands fell to his shoulders, her breath catching in her throat, her eyes on his.
“Katie.”
He was aroused. She knew it. He was aroused and several feelings infiltrated her at once. Panic, excitement, her own arousal.
His hand slid through her hair and cupped her ear. “I want my goodnight kiss now, sweetheart.”
His eyes were half closed, his concentration fierce on her mouth, making the blood pump heavily in her veins. He didn’t take the kiss; he waited for her agreement.
In that moment, Katie wanted his kiss. She gave a slight nod of her head, and closed her eyes, waiting for his kiss, like a sixteen-year old after her first date.
She didn’t have long to wait. His lips landed softly on hers, brushing against them gently. His hand slid to her jaw and lifted her mouth to a better angle. The movement made her lips part a tiny bit, and she tasted him. Her fingers climbed around his neck, and his lips pushed hers open all the way.
What happened after that had Katie shaking in her shoes. The deepest, longest, sweetest kiss she had ever received in her life. He drank from her mouth, not holding her anywhere except that one hand cupping her face. He kissed her softly, tenderly, in a way that made her think it was all he wanted in the world.
He didn’t push for more; he didn’t try to caress her in anyway. Just those kisses, over and over and over again. She knew he was aroused, she could feel his erection between them. His muscles had tautened, coiling into ropes that she could feel in the cords of his neck as she held on. But he never scared her, never attempted to take what she didn’t want to give, never brutalized her in any way at all. She never felt powerless. In fact, she felt like she had all the power. Over him.
It was a heady feeling.
He slowly lifted his head from hers. She watched his eyes open, slowly focus on her, and what she saw in the depths of his eyes had the breath snarling in her lungs. It was need.