“Already have. Baby, you saved my best friend’s life. And your own.”
A flash of the moment when Shark dropped to the ground threatened to destroy the happy moment. “I don’t want to talk about that now,” she said. “I just want you to fuck me.”
He didn’t respond for a moment and Toni held her breath. If he made her deal with it right then, she’d break down and cry. Slight mood killer.
“Okay, but we’re hashing it out later. Gotta make sure my woman is taken care of.”
She gave him a saucy grin. “So, take care of me, big guy.”
“My pleasure.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Zach stared down at the gorgeous woman spread out beneath him. Her brown hair fanned out across the pillow with the golden highlights catching the light and shining. The beautiful green of her eyes was deeper than usual, darkened by lust and something else. Openness, vulnerability.
For the first time, Toni was truly open to him. She was giving him her full trust and had dropped all her defenses. He wouldn’t let her down.
Zach had never made love before. Fucking was as far as it went, even with Toni. But tonight felt different. Significant in a way it never had before.
His brothers would rib him to his death if he admitted this out loud, but it had to do with the way he felt about her. He wanted to protect her, make her laugh and smile, make her moan and scream, but he also wanted to wake up with her, share coffee with her, listen to her complain about a rude tourist making everyone at the diner miserable.
He wanted a life with her.
And that meant more than wild sex.
It meant forging a bond that was more than just physical.
For now, he would honor her wishes to avoid talking about what went down with Shark, but they would revisit it.
And soon.
“Eyes open,” Zach said as he rubbed his unshaven cheek against the plump curve of her breast. She shivered and he kissed her breast to soothe away the slight rough sting of the stubble.
His cock was so hard, it hurt. The skin felt stretched and so sensitive, just the brush of her thigh had precum beading at the tip. Every primal instinct he possessed was screaming at him to shove into her and fuck her until she couldn’t crawl out of bed.
But the rest of him, brain included, wanted this to last. Wanted her just as out of her mind with need as he was. So, he bit the inside of his cheek, hard, to try and regain some control over his cock. The squirming Toni was doing didn’t help anything.
“Zach,” she said in a breathless voice as he briefly sucked a nipple into his mouth then blew across the damp skin.
He held her hips, anchoring her to the bed to keep her from rubbing all over his aching cock. Then he took a slow journey down her body, pressing an mouth kiss to each rib. Toni threaded her fingers into his hair and gave a little tug each time his lips landed on her body.
Did she even realize she was doing it? She seemed so lost in the sensation, it was probably an unconscious reaction. Regardless, he loved it. Even more if it wasn’t done on purpose. Just showed how caught up she was.
He licked his way over the slight swell of her stomach, pausing to circle her navel. With a soft gasp, she breathed out his name again. The entire time, she was trying to move, writhing against his hands, but he held her still. When he reached her hips, he sucked on the prominent bone that jutted out and Toni cried out.
“Shit, Zach. You’re killing me. Please. You’re so close to where I need you.”
“Hmm,” he said against her skin. “Where exactly do you need me? Here?” He pressed a kiss to her inner thigh.
“Very funny.” She sounded hoarse.
“Not it? Let me try again.” He kissed right in the crease of her groin. Her tangy aroma hit his senses. “Here?” If he wasn’t careful he’d be done in by his own game.
“No, damn it,” she said as she slapped a hand against the sheets.
He chuckled. “Okay, give me one more chance.” This time his mouth landed on her pubic bone, directly above her mound and she growled, eliciting a laugh from him.
“Zach! I swear to God…” Still gripping his hair, she shoved him down and lifted her hips. “There,” she said. “No more guessing. This is where you belong.”
Zach couldn’t help it, he burst out laughing. This was what it was like, being with someone he cared about, respected, someone who was a friend and lover instead of just a release. They could laugh, tease, have fun as well as hot as fuck sex. “I get it now. Thanks for the help.”