Beautifully Irresistible (51 page)

“I want you so much, Jennifer, and I always will.”

He unzipped me from my beautiful dress. I turned back around as Zack admired my lovely white underwear.

“Will you still want me when I look like a beached whale?” I asked him, giggling.

“I will always want you, Jennifer. Forever and ever, till death do us part. You do know what you mean to me, don’t you?” he replied as his beautiful blue eyes blazed hot with desire.

“You old romantic you. I have another surprise for you!”

I turned onto my front and showed him my new tattoo. He read the inscription at the base of my spine.

“Mrs Cole. I love it!” he laughed, kissing the artwork.

His hot tongue licked the script. A dull throb ached between my legs.

“Good job you didn’t jilt me at the altar!” I giggled as he kissed down my back after he had removed my lingerie.

“I have some new art work too, Mrs Cole.”

“Let's see!” I squealed as I unbuttoned his shirt.

On the inner bicep of his right arm were the words, ‘You are my forever.’

“Zack, that is beautiful,” I told him, kissing it and gently trailing my tongue along his soft skin.

I kissed his other tattoo on his heart and tugged gently on his nipple ring.

We made love for hours, enjoying each other’s bodies and whispering words of love.

It was amazing.

I had never experienced such absolute bliss.

I had everything I could ever want in a man I would undoubtedly always want.

Chapter Seventy Four

The following morning we said our goodbyes to our families and a car took us to the airport. Scarlett and Jasper were staying with Camille and Roger whilst we were away. We both felt awful leaving them but they said they were looking forward to being spoilt rotten at their grandparents.

“Excited?” Zack asked, smiling at me.

“Very! We have just got married and I am carrying our child, what could more exciting than that?”

We checked in at the airport and that’s when I found out we were going to Lake Garda in Italy. It would be beautiful. Excitement and happiness welled up inside me.

After our flight, we were picked up at Milan airport. I was tempted to suggest joining the mile high club on the plane but as it was first class I thought it would be frowned upon!

A car took us to a large four-bedroomed villa on the shore of the lake. We had our own chef and a maid. Our bags were taken in and we got out of the car to explore our gorgeous accommodation.

We investigated the sumptuous rooms and I stood on the balcony looking out over the lake. It was stunning and a dream destination for me.

“Do you think this place is alright for you, Mrs Cole?”

“It will do!” I teased him as he led me over to the bed.

“Well, that’s good because it’s your wedding present! I signed the documents last week!”

“Thank you! Oh my god. You are full of surprises, husband!”

I clambered onto the bed straight into his welcoming embrace.

“How are you feeling, baby?” he asked me holding me gently in his strong arms.

“We are both fine, thanks, but a bit tired” I replied, cuddling into his warm body.

I had been sick earlier on and he had been so sweet looking after me.

“Why don’t you have a little nap?”

“I don’t mind if I do.”

Zack got up and arranged the pillows on the enormous bed. Never mind king size, it must have been emperor size. We would have to text each other to communicate!

I pictured Zack lying sprawled out on it all naked and totally gorgeous. My mouth started to water and my cheeks flushed. I flopped onto the soft bed and fell fast asleep in no time.

When I woke up, Zack was sitting staring into space in a chair next to the bed. He looked worried about something. His body language was giving tension off in huge waves. He was fidgeting around, restlessly scratching his stubbly chin.

“How long was I asleep?” I asked, taking a welcome gulp of water.

“About an hour. I was just sitting here watching you, thinking how lucky I am to have you.”

He shoved a hand through his hair and sighed. It naughtily flopped back into his handsome face.

“Aw, you are so sweet, but you are the catch of the century, you gorgeous beast!”

“Do you fancy a nice walk?” he asked, still looking really tense and anxious.

His face looked so tired. Worry started to flood through me.

“Just let me freshen up.”

We strolled out hand in hand and took the narrow path to the stunning lake. People smiled warmly at us as we walked along like love’s young dream.

The scenery was breath-taking and we walked in silence, taking it all in for quite a while. I couldn’t believe that we now owned a villa on Lake Garda. We would spend some lovely time here.

What was eating at him? There was only one thing for it.

“What’s bothering you, Zack? Please tell me, love,” I blurted out.

“Jennifer, can I ask you something?”

He sighed deeply and took a deep shaky breath.

“Of course, fire away,” I told him, dreading with every fibre of my being what he was going to say.

“Do you think I should have taken the blame for killing David?”

Why on earth was he bringing this up now of all times?

“No, but I try not to think about it, Zack. Look, don’t beat yourself up about it. He was a scumbag who deserved it. I mean, he assaulted me and tried to rape me twice. Don’t forget about the poor girl he raped at university,” I told him.

“I am so glad I followed you that night. I was suspicious of David too and I wanted to confront him. I had a good idea that he was the one chasing you all over the place but I wasn’t 100% sure. It could have been Alex or a number of other people with a grudge against me. I looked for my gun but I couldn’t find it. I got the shock of my life when I walked in and saw him about to rape you! I have never been so mad in my life. I couldn’t bear anyone hurting you, Jennifer.”

“Well, it’s all over now. I don’t suppose Phoebe’s body will ever be found though. I had your gun. I found it in your study, taped underneath the desk.”

“You had it. That explains things. Her body might be found eventually,” he whispered.

He was staring at me intently with a strange pained expression on his handsome face. His mouth opened and closed again.

“I doubt it,” I said, “as David is clearly the only one that knows where she is buried and he can’t tell us.”

“But Jennifer, you do know why I had to kill him, don’t you? I had to protect them. You understand that, don’t you?”

His blue eyes flashed dangerously in the fading sunlight as we suddenly stopped walking. I spun around and faced him.

“Look Zack, darling, stop right there before you say anything else. I don’t want to hear what you are going to say, so please, I am begging you, just don’t!” I told him, meeting his stare.

My heart was pounding and my throat was dry. I gave him a look that told him I knew what he had done and I had accepted it.

Now was the time to move on and look to the future.

I had figured out shortly after David’s death that Zack was behind Phoebe’s murder. I reckoned that he had paid David off, made sure he had a water-tight alibi and moped around for a reasonable amount of time to make everything look as it should. She was against the merger and she was making his life a living hell with affair after affair. It also sounded like she was a lousy mother too.

David had dropped enough hints to me about Zack’s involvement. Zack had the motive and the means to kill Phoebe.

But at the end of the day, David had pulled the trigger, not Zack, and I focused on that fact. He had felt he had to silence David before he blabbed to the police. But if he admitted all of that to me I knew that I wouldn’t be able to turn the other cheek. It would go against the integrity I possessed as a policewoman. If he didn’t say the words out loud, I could just pretend that he wasn’t involved.

It was a bit like my abortion that I buried for six long years. I also should have told the truth that Zack was the one that killed David, but I hadn’t.

I was as culpable.

I was as guilty.

So there it was.

I had made a pact with the devil.

There was always the chance that I was completely wrong about the whole thing but if I wasn’t, I would bury this secret until the day I died.

I loved him far too much to do anything else.

“Okay, if you wish, baby.”

Tears formed in his tired eyes as he pulled me into him. I embraced him, stroking his hair gently as he started to cry quietly. I held him tightly to me.

Zack purged himself of his guilt as I silently told him to let it go. He needed to release himself from it and start over again.

I hugged him even tighter as he cleansed his soul. My dress grew wet with his tears.

“Zack, I love you so much and I understand. We need to close this chapter and start a new one. I want to start over with you. Please let me,” I told him, looking up deeply into his swollen bloodshot eyes.

My own face was soaking wet with tears.

“I love you so much too, Jennifer, and that means a lot to me.”

He wrapped his arms around my body. I stroked his hair gently and kissed his warm neck. We stood for some time as I felt the unbelievable burden lift from him.

“Come on, let’s go and get something to eat. Baby Cole is starving,” I laughed, looking up at him and rubbing my rounded tummy.

“Okay, baby.”

My love for him had set him free.

Chapter Seventy Five

Friday 27th September 2013

“You are nearly there, Jennifer. One last push and your baby will be born!” Julie the midwife shouted loud encouragement at me.

Jesus! Julie! Just shut the fuck up!

“Come on, Jennifer, you can do it, baby,” Zack told me as I squeezed his hand far too tightly.

His face twisted in pain as his wedding ring dug in but he didn’t say anything.

Oh my god! Why the hell did people put themselves through this barbaric torture? I had been in labour for six hours which I had been informed is quite a short time for a first baby.

It had been the longest six hours of my life!

“I told you a good fuck would bring your labour on. It’s all in the magic swimmers, you know,” he whispered to me, kissing my forehead softly.

“Ha! Doctor Cole, it was different that’s for sure!” I panted as another contraction took hold of my body.

It started to build up gaining strength. Taking a deep breath, I gathered myself up, gritted my teeth, thought of England and give one last almighty push.

“Jesus!” I screamed as our baby made its entrance to the world.

“Well done, Mrs C!” Zack shouted, kissing my sweaty brow.

“Brilliant work, Jennifer, and quick too. You have a baby boy!” Sally told us, beaming.

Just then he let out a loud cry. Bloody hell, he had a good set of lungs on him!

“We have a boy!” Zack shouted, clearly excited.

“He weighs 8lbs. I will just clean him up and wrap him in a blanket.”

Within a few moments, our beautiful baby boy was snugly in my arms.

“He’s gorgeous, Jennifer. He looks just like you,” Zack told me, beaming proudly.

He took a quick photo with his phone. Our son looked up at me and I noticed that he had the longest, darkest eyelashes I had ever seen and lovely deep blue eyes. His wispy hair was very dark like mine.

“He has your beautiful eyes, Zack! Oh my god, he is so perfect!”

“He certainly is, JB!”

“Well, what are we going to call him, Zack?” I asked, knowing full well that we couldn’t agree on any names. That was apart from William as a middle name due to it being my Dad’s name and Zack’s Grandfather’s name.

“You pick. You did all the hard work!” he told me, grinning.

“No, Mr Cole, we both have to agree on his name.”

“What about Travis?” Zack suggested with a deadpan expression.

“Are you shitting me?” I asked him, smirking.

“No. It’s very popular in the States. Err, yes I’m sorry I am!”

“Going with the initial ‘T’, I like Thomas. What do you think?”

“Thomas William Cole. I love it, agreed!”

He kissed me full on the mouth.

“Can I hold him now? Stop hogging him!” Zack laughed like a little boy.

I gently passed over our bundle of joy as Zack cradled our son in his arms. It was a sweet moment as he gazed lovingly at him. He smiled down at him and gently touched his soft round cheek. Zack brought him up closer and kissed his forehead.