All You'll Ever Need (12 page)

Why hadn’t she said something sooner
?
Most importantly, why had she lied about being an outdoorsy person?

Facing the truck, Jada folded her arms against the vehicle and rested her forehead on her arms. Eventually, she peeked back at him. “I like you … God, I like you so much, Zack, but by now I thought you’d figure out the real me. Despite being a sheet metal worker, I’m a woman who enjoys … woman things. I get my hair and nails done at
least
once a week because I like to look good at
all
times. I only wear designer clothes, even to work, because I think it’s important to always look your best. I love my family more than anything in the world, and I enjoy working at the family business. But to be honest, I work there to support my shopping addiction.” She exhaled loudly, tears rolling down her face. “I’m clearly not the woman for you and I’m sorry for leading you to think that I am.”

Zack studied her. Disappointment descended on him like a two-ton boulder. He had opened his heart to yet another woman only to have her lie to him too, and over something so trivial. Had she lied about her feelings for him? Was their time together, their laughs and conversations all a lie? He could deal with a lot of things, but even if he did love her, he couldn’t deal with a liar.

“Zack, I’m so sorry. I should’ve been upfront with you from the beginning.”

“Why weren’t you?”

She hesitated. “Because—”

“No. You know what? Don’t bother.” He shook his head and walked past her and opened the passenger side door, not caring that the interior was going to be full of mud. “Jada, I don’t like games and I can’t handle any more lies, especially not from you.” From someone, he could see spending the rest of his life with, from someone he had fallen in love with.

“Zack please let me explain.”

“I’ll take you home and you’ll never have to see me again.”

Chapter Nine

Five days later and Zack still hadn’t gotten Jada out of his system. He hadn’t called her, and she hadn’t called him. Not that he expected her to. His only regret, well his main regret, was not giving her the opportunity to tell him why she had lied in the first place.

“You want another beer?” Craig, who was sitting on the bar stool next to him asked.

“I’m good thanks.” Craig had invited him to have a drink at their favorite downtown bar and grill. For the past thirty minutes, they had been hanging out talking while Zack signed a few autographs for fans in between conversations.

Craig sipped his rum and coke. “A few weeks ago, you were saying that Jada was the one. That she was special and filled a void in your life that you had been trying to fill for years. Now you find out she exaggerated the truth, and you’ve kicked her to the curb. Do you think that’s fair?”

“Zack Anderson!” A man standing a few feet away called out. “Great game Sunday.”

“Thanks.”

“Can I get your autograph?”

Zack absently signed the napkin that the guy handed him. He thought back on his and Jada’s various dates and the number of hours they had spent talking on the telephone. He’d gotten to know her. There were similarities between her and his ex, but unlike with Leslie, he had experienced Jada’s sweetness, kindness, and her compassion.

Jada is the one. But I can’t get pass the lie.

“Last one,” Zack said signing yet another napkin handed to him by a fan.

“You seem to be handling all the attention you’ve been getting better than you used to.” 

“Some days are better than others.” There was a time when Craig and Donny refused to go out in public with him, especially during football season, thanks to the number of fans who approached Zack wanting to take a picture with him or get his autograph. “Okay, let’s get back to our conversation. Are you saying that I should overlook the fact that Jada lied? Who knows what else she lied about?” He lowered his voice as the bar area grew crowded. “If it were Toni, you’re saying that you would overlook the deceit.”

Craig chuckled. “You do remember the hell Toni put me through don’t you?” They both laughed though there was a time when Toni and Craig’s issues weren’t a laughing matter. Toni was always getting herself into jams, some more serious than others. Yet, Craig never gave up on her. “Zack, I know you have trust issues, and your last relationship didn’t help, but Jada is not Leslie. Yes, she has expensive taste and wants to live a life of luxury, but she’s good people. She talks a tough game, but she wouldn’t intentionally hurt anyone, especially not you. Do you love her?”

Whew
. Zack turned back to the bar, wrapping his hands around his cold bottle of beer.
Do you love her?
Yeah, he loved her.

He lifted his head and stared into the mirror behind the bar. As if thinking about Jada conjured her up, she walked in with her cousins. He glanced over his shoulder, and his stomach knotted with desire.

Damn, she looks good
. The pink, form-fitting sweater showed off her perky breasts, and a wide black belt emphasized her slender waist. Zack’s gaze traveled lower. Seeing how the tight black jeans hugged her round butt and shapely thighs sent blood rushing from his head down to another part of his anatomy. Part of him wanted to go to her, but instead he admired her from afar, wishing he could hold her in his arms again.

Toni broke away from the group and made a beeline for the bar, which is when Jada’s gaze met his. Her eyes grew large, and her mouth gaped open. They didn’t break eye contact until one of her cousins nudged her and pointed to an empty booth.

“Here’s my baby.” Craig stood and watched Toni’s approach.

“Why do I feel like I’ve been set up?” Zack mumbled.

Craig gripped Zack’s shoulder. “Because you have. Man, talk to her and see if you can’t make things right between you two.”

“Hey, Baby.” Toni kissed Craig on the lips before turning her attention to Zack and shoved him in the arm. “The only reason I agreed to help with this little match-making scheme is because I think you’re good for my cousin. Hurt her,” her finger wagged in his face, “and you’ll have to deal with me.”

Zack smiled, trying hard to hold back a laugh. Toni stood about two inches shorter than Jada and the thought of her pint-sized self, causing any real damage, was comical.

Craig nodded his head toward the booth, where Jada and her cousins sat. “You need to make the first move. Talk to her. Admit to your role in all of this.”

Zack turned back to the bar and finished off his beer. In all of his efforts to get to know Jada and spend time with a woman who claimed to enjoy the outdoors as much as him, he failed to acknowledge the other side of her. The more feminine side. The girly girl side that looked damn good in everything she wore and always smelled like a bouquet of roses. The side that turned him on with very little effort.

Talk about selfish
. Zack could kick himself. Jada had been such a trooper with the activities that he had planned. Yet, he hadn’t thought about doing some of the things that women enjoyed. Hadn’t even asked for her input as it related to their dates. He shook his head. Yeah, he needed to make this right and hoped it wasn’t too late.

***

“Are you all right, Cuz?” Peyton put her arm around Jada’s shoulder. “You’ve been eyeing Zack since we sat down. Why don’t you just go over and say hi.”

Jada shrugged Peyton’s arm away. “Were all of you in on this? Tricking me to come here so that I could run into him?” The moment her gaze met Zack’s, heat rose to her cheeks. Knowing that he was angry with her didn’t squash the lust pulsing through her veins at the sight of seeing him across the room. She had hurt him. The ache in her heart made her want to hightail it out of the bar. She would never forget the pain in his eyes when he dropped her off at home after their 4-wheeling adventure.

“For the record, we didn’t know he would be here, but it doesn’t matter now. Your man is on his way over,” CJ whispered.

Jada’s pulse hammered in her chest when Zack stopped at their table.
God, he looks good
. She licked her lips at the way his navy blue, long-sleeved T-shirt hugged his wide chest and muscular arms. The dark jeans molded to his legs that went on forever were absolutely drool worthy. By the appreciative glances directed at him from other women in the room, she wasn’t the only one impressed with what she saw.

“Hello ladies.” Zack’s deep, baritone voice reverberated through Jada’s body, and it took everything she had not to leap from the table and jump into his arms. She held back a groan. His presence alone made her body hum.

I have it bad. I have it real bad.

“Hey, world’s greatest running back, it’s good seeing you again,” MJ said.

“Hi Zack,” Peyton and Christina said in unison.

“Jada, can I speak to you for a minute?”

Jada nodded afraid any words she spoke would sound like gibberish. Zack offered her his hand, and she grabbed hold, allowing him to help her stand. An electric charge shot up her arm, and a tremor gripped her body. His touch still had the ability to make her weak in the knees. He held onto her hand as he guided her outside and didn’t release her until they were several feet away from the entrance.

 “Now that I have you out here, I’m not sure what to say.” He shoved his hands into his front pockets.

“Well, just so that you know, I had nothing to do with all of this – us meeting up here. I told you my family was nosy, and I think they roped poor Craig into playing along.”

Zack laughed. The rich timbre of the sound made her warm all over. It had been a long time since a man brought her happiness, but with Zack, he had already proven that he also had the power to break her heart too.

“Don’t feel too sorry for Craig. I just found out he was the mastermind behind this plan.” Zack’s dimples made an appearance, weakening Jada’s restraint. She so wanted to wrap her arms around his neck and taste his sweet lips.

He glanced down at his blue hiking boots and kicked a rock with his foot. “I have to say,” he met her gaze, “I’m glad they butted in. Otherwise, I don’t know if I would’ve had enough sense to contact you and tell you that I’m sorry.”

Jada leaned back and frowned. “
You’re
sorry? What do you have to be sorry about? I’m the one who wasn’t completely honest with you.” She toyed with her large, sparkly belt buckle trying to find the words to tell him how she felt. “I should have been straight with you, Zack.”

He grabbed hold of her hand, stopping her from fidgeting. “I have to ask, why did you tell me that you do volunteer work and enjoyed the outdoors if those things aren’t what you enjoy doing?”

She started to pull away, but he held her tight, halting her retreat.

“I guess I wanted to impress you.” She lowered her lashes.

 “Jada?” He tugged on her hand.

“Huh? Oh sorry.” She paused, debating on what to say to him. “You … you were so fascinated that I worked in construction. And when you mentioned you enjoyed the outdoors and volunteering,” she gave a slight shrug, “I just went along with you. I guess I got carried away. I never expected I’d have to prove my love of those things. A date for me is an opportunity to wear a beautiful dress, enjoy a gourmet meal and an aged bottle of Merlot. And If I’m lucky an engaging conversation.” 

He caressed her cheek and goose bumps skittered up and down her arms. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner that you hated that stuff?”

“You made our adventures fun. Besides, I wanted to be near you. I wanted to get to know you better, even if it meant ruining my clothes and wearing those ugly hiking boots.”

Zack grinned. “I take it you weren’t feeling the footwear.”

Jada fought a smile, and she shook her head. “They remind me too much of my steel-toe work boots.”

Framing her face with his large hands, Zack lowered his forehead to hers. He didn’t speak right away, and they stood that way for the longest, staring into each other’s eyes.

“I messed up. I allowed my trust issues to get in the way, without giving you a chance to explain. I’m also a jerk for not realizing sooner how selfish I was being.”

“Zack, this was not your fault.”

“Yeah, some of it was, but I’m asking you to give me one more chance to prove I’m not the bonehead that you probably think I am. Sweetheart, I’m crazy about you. I want to show you just how much you mean to me. Have dinner with me at my place tomorrow night.”

His lips touched hers, before she had a chance to respond, and liquid heat shot through her body. Jada had thought that the last time she saw him would be the last time she saw him. His kiss radiated heat throughout her body, setting fire to every nerve ending along its way. She loved him. Loved him more than she ever thought possible.

I am in so much trouble
.

Chapter Ten

“Dinner was delicious.” Jada wiped her mouth and pushed away from the small, round table. “I can’t believe you went through all of this trouble.” Her gaze roamed around the intimate space of his sunroom and the wall-to-wall windows that overlooked his back yard. Lights hung from the multi-level deck, as well as every tree and a gazebo off in the distance, making the yard look like a winter wonderland without the snow. Even the in-ground pool, which was covered, had built in lights around its perimeter, shining brightly. “This is the most romantic dinner I’ve ever had. The candles,” she waved her arm around the room, “the wine, a meal befitting of a five-star restaurant, and great conversation – thank you. Everything was amazing.”

Zack scooted his chair closer, and his hand caressed the back of her neck. Her eyes drifted shut. If he was trying to seduce her, it was working. He had been touching her with such gentleness all night, and Jada knew that if he kept up the sweet torture, she was going to embarrass herself by begging him to take her right then, and there.

“I have a few more surprises for you tonight,” he whispered close to her ear, placing a soft kiss on her neck.

A moan rose to her throat. Her eyelids fluttered, and she stared into his dreamy blue eyes, lost in their tenderness. Her heart did cartwheels inside her chest at his nearness, his lips only inches from hers.