Down by Contact - A Seattle Lumberjacks Romance (21 page)

Zach wrenched open the door, and she almost
fell out. Righting herself on the seat, she clutched the blankets
to her chest while smiling her lil-ol-me smile as if he were a
pageant judge. She faked a nonchalant yawn and rubbed her eyes.

Zach didn’t smile back or even react. “Let’s
talk in the house. I’m drenched.”

She raised one eyebrow in her best imitation
of a snobby English blue blood. “Please.”

“Please.” He didn’t say it like he meant it.
He said it like he’d love to strangle some sense into her, but she
ignored that small detail. She didn’t need a second invitation. Her
stalker was out there somewhere, watching her every move and
possibly plotting all sorts of evil deeds.

Gathering Scranton, Kelsie sprinted barefoot
through the rain into the house and didn’t stop until she was
huddled on the edge of the leather couch near the blazing fire
crackling in the massive stone fireplace. Zach sank onto the couch
next to her and dangled his hands between his knees, water still
dripping off him and forming a small puddle on the hardwood floor.
She stared at the dancing flames, not certain if the heat on her
face was caused by the warm fire or her own mortification.

“You’re sleeping in your car.”

Well, duh.
“Obviously. Can’t get
anything past you, can I?” She hated the sarcasm in her voice, but
it just slipped out.

He almost smiled. “You haven’t. You’ve been
sleeping out there off and on for several days now with the
exception of the week you took care of Ramsey’s horses.”

Okay, so, so much for assuming he was
oblivious to anything that didn’t involve football and sex. “You
knew?”

“Yeah, I figured you had your reasons, and
they were none of my business.”

“I’m trespassing.”

He shrugged. “It’s supposed to get down to
29 degrees tonight.”

Scranton crawled off her lap and onto
Zach’s. The traitor licked Zach’s impressive bicep, as if to thank
him for the rescue. Tentatively at first, Zach petted the tiny dog.
With a contented sigh, the little poodle curled up on Zach’s lap,
barely bigger than the large hand stroking Scranton’s back. A
second later he was snoring like a three-hundred-pound lineman
after a tough Monday Night Football game.

“We were doing just fine in the car.”

He glanced down at the dog. “Tell that to
Scranton. Besides, I thought you might want to sleep somewhere
warmer.”

“I’m just between places to live. I
apologize for not asking your permission, it’s just a bit of an
embarrassing situation to be in.” Embarrassment didn’t begin to
cover how she felt about her circumstances. Try demeaning.
Demoralizing. Humiliating. Hopeless. Desperate. Yet, given the
chance, she’d live in her car over going back to the stifling,
domestic cell in which she’d been imprisoned for ten years.

“It’s not safe for you out there, Kel.” His
kind brown eyes met hers. She so did not deserve his kindness.
She’d come here to apologize to him, not be rescued by him—well,
okay, maybe that wasn’t entirely true.

“I’m fine.”
Like hell
. She flashed
back to trench-coat guy standing outside the pub tonight. So far,
he’d never approached her. What if that changed? What if he wasn’t
a PI, but some nutcase stalking her until the moment he decided to
attack or worse?

“You can have one of the spare rooms. Take
your pick. The blue room has the best bed.” Zach’s voice buzzed in
her head as if far away.

“It has the only bed.”

“True.”

Did he expect her to share his bed? “Zach,
thank you so much for the offer, but I can’t stay here for free.”
She couldn’t take advantage of him any more than she already had.
This new, improved Kelsie didn’t use people. Especially not someone
like Zach.

“Then pay me to rent a room, whatever you
think is reasonable.” His chin jutted out with his usual stubborn
resistance to any opposition.

“I’ll be out of my present situation soon.”
Liar. Liar. Liar.

“Oh, did the Jacks sentence more players to
your tutoring?” He tried to smile but didn’t quite succeed.

She hugged herself tighter as the futility
of her situation settled like a dead weight in her stomach. “No,
actually the opposite.” There now, honesty might hurt but it also
made her feel as if a weight lifted off her chest. Incredibly
liberating, even though temporary denial might feel a hell of a lot
better in the short term.

The stark truth hidden in her words didn’t
go over Zach’s head. “Veronica fired you?”

Kelsie nodded and gnawed on her last good
fingernail, willing herself not to cry. God, she hated the
helplessness, but she would not let this situation defeat her. She
raised her head and looked him squarely in the eyes. He, on the
other hand, appeared torn.

“It’s because of me, isn’t it?” Guilt
flashed across his face like a neon sign.

She would not let him own the blame. “I
didn’t do my job. Actually, I failed miserably.” Kelsie forced a
smile and tapped his broad chest. “But don’t think you’re getting
out of your classes, buster. I told Veronica I was committed to my
task and to the gala.” Her finishing school wasn’t finished
yet.

He captured her hand and held it in his big
one. She lifted her face and met his troubled gaze. “You can’t stay
in your car. It’s not safe, and the weather is nasty.”

“Staying in your house is not an option for
me. I have nothing to offer in exchange.”

A flare of desire crossed his face, and he
looked away as if ashamed.

“Is that what you want?” Maybe an obvious
question, but she needed to hear the answer.

He shrugged, his gaze focused on the
fire.

Kelsie chewed on her lower lip and stared
into the fire, too. The flames danced wildly, mimicking the flames
inside her. It wasn’t like she was an innocent virgin or even an
innocent. She’d used her body to win a beauty pageant and a spot on
the college cheerleading team. Could she bargain her body for a
safe, warm place to stay?

After entertaining the possibility for a
brief moment, she kicked that idea out on its ass. She’d risen
above her past, never again would she sink that low. Not even for
her own personal safety and comfort. Which didn’t mean she didn’t
want to sleep with Zach. Oh, Lord, she wanted to be wrapped in his
strong arms more than she wanted to take a shower with soap and hot
water or sleep in an actual bed. This independence thing could be
exhausting. It’d be so easy to let someone else take charge for a
while.

No. No. No.

“I want you, too, Zach, but not in exchange
for rent. Not like that.” She needed to make him understand that
she wanted him for him—no other reason. She scooted closer until
their thighs touched.

He flinched and rose to his feet, backing
away from her. “I would never ask you to prostitute yourself like
that.” He stared down at her. His handsome face a kaleidoscope of
conflicted emotions.

“I know you wouldn’t.” He held her in higher
regard than she held herself.

He shoved his hands in his pockets, his jaw
working as if he was trying to spit out unspoken words.

Oh, Lord, she really did want him, not just
physically, but emotionally. She wanted to wipe the sadness and
confusion from his face and replace it with desire and pleasure.
She wanted to be the one to make him forget the pain of his past,
if only for a little while. It was the least she could do for him,
especially after what happened to his brother and her cruel role in
his agony.

She’d give herself to make him happy, then
she’d go back to sleeping in her car with her pride a bit tattered,
but still intact. She hadn’t been with a man except Mark in over a
decade, and her ex had been a selfish lover, putting his needs and
desires above hers. Instincts told her what kind of lover Zach
would be—kind, tender, caring, yet passionate. He’d take her to
heights she’d never reached, teach her what sex was really about.
She wanted that. Wanted his comfort, his kindness, his athlete’s
body. She needed to feel desired again, needed to feel the touch of
a man who cared about more than himself.

She needed to heal. And she needed to forget
about the stark reality of her present situation. Just for one
night.

Kelsie made her decision in the time it
takes to snap a finger. “That doesn’t mean I don’t want you because
I do. I really do. Right here. Right now. No expectations. No
strings.”

Zach’s nostrils flared, and he worked his
jaw. His heavy-lidded gaze told her all she needed to know. Even if
she
was
making a huge mistake. At least she was doing it for
all the right reasons.

* * * * *

When Kelsie stood and started walking toward
him, Zach stood stock still, as if the slightest movement might
drive him to his knees. Maybe it would. With his elbows locked and
his hands fisted inside his pockets, he didn’t pull her into his
arms.

His head pounded over the tug of war going
on inside it. Use her like she’d used him? Send her away with a few
hundred dollars? Be sucked into the vortex that was loving Kelsie?
Or run like hell while he still had a measure of sanity?

Fuck, what the hell was he doing? About to
jump in bed with the woman who’d caused shitloads of grief in his
life. Gary would be disgusted with him for being so weak. Neither
brother had ever liked Kelsie. They thought she played Zach, which
she did. Only this Kelsie seemed—different. Way different.

“I want you, Zach. Let me ease some of your
pain. Just you and me. No past. No future. Just here and now.” She
whispered in his ear, her voice all soft and breathless.

If he got any stiffer, he’d shatter. Putting
his hands on her shoulders, he pushed her away and held her at
arm’s length. “I’m not in pain.” At least not the emotional pain
she was hinting at.

She took a small step back. “I think you
are, and I’m the cause of a lot of it. Let me help you.” With
trembling fingers, she fumbled with the buttons on her flannel
nightshirt.

Zach, being a normal healthy guy, stared at
her breasts, like a kid anticipating the unwrapping of a Christmas
present. After the last button, Kelsie slipped out of the shirt and
let it fall to the floor.

He licked his lips and swallowed. Not once,
but twice. He sucked in a labored breath, and his loyalty to Gary
warred with his attraction to Kelsie. She was so beautiful it
actually hurt to look at her.

“Kelsie. Please.” His voice came out hoarse
and rough. He was surprised he’d managed to croak out the words. He
forced his eyes away from her luscious body, but within seconds he
was looking again as she kicked off her shoes, unzipped her jeans,
and pushed them down her long legs, stepping out of them. She stood
before him, naked except for a purple lace bra and a pair of black
lace panties.

He blinked and nearly laughed. He’d totally
expected her bra and underpants to match perfectly. Didn’t matter,
she’d look fucking incredible in anything. Or nothing.

Her gorgeous breasts rose and fell with each
breath she took, hypnotizing him, pulling him deeper to the point
of no fucking return. A lock of her blond hair tickled the edge of
her bra cup. He wanted to wrap that golden strand around his
fingers and brush his hand against the creamy white skin.

“What’s wrong? Am I still wearing too many
clothes for you?”

Too many clothes?

Ah, hell, she was wearing far too little. At
least too little for his shaky control. So why the hell was he
resisting? This was Kelsie, the woman he’d lusted after since ninth
grade. Unattainable Kelsie, with the incomparable beauty and charm.
Kelsie, offering her body to him.
To him.

He’d never had a problem taking from women
in the past, not that he did it often, but on occasion. Why the
hell did it bother him this time?

Pride? Fear? Or—

Gary.

Outside the house in the raging storm were
Gary’s ashes. Inside stood the woman he’d picked over Gary. Not
once. But twice.

Scranton barked, causing them both to turn
in his direction. Kelsie’s little foo-foo dog sat on his couch and
watched their every move as if recording it for all time in his
miniscule little pervert brain. Zach turned his back on the
dog.

“Now for you.” Kelsie looked him up and
down, her eyes clearly telling him she was ready to give him what
he’d dreamed of for almost two decades.

His turn? Like he could even get his fingers
to work if he wanted. He must have telegraphed the indecision. She
moved forward, all fluid grace with creamy skin that smelled of
flowers.

Her fingers touched the skin at his collar,
and he bit the inside of his cheek to stop the groan. She slid her
hand down and unbuttoned his shirt with excruciating slowness. He
held his breath until he thought he’d pass out from lack of oxygen.
She pushed the shirt off his shoulders, and he shrugged out of
it.

God help me, and Gary, please forgive
me.
He was a weak, weak man, but he wasn’t the only warrior
throughout history who’d sold his very soul for a woman.

Their eyes met, and there was so much more
there than lust. Or at least that’s how he wanted to see it, poor
lovesick sap that he was. Her vulnerability called to his
protective male instincts, and her sweet body called to everything
else.

She slid her fingers down his chest, with a
soft and delicate touch, and he trembled. His lungs emptied of air
and his heart fluttered like a fucking cherub’s. She bent down and
those dream-a-thousand-dream lips of hers closed around his
nipple.

Damn. Damn him to hell.

She licked the painfully tight nub then
sucked. Licked then sucked. He groaned and buried his fingers in
her hair. She sucked on his other nipple then sank to the floor on
her haunches. Unzipping his jeans, she hooked her fingers in the
waistband and lowered them—briefs and all—down his hips and freed
his erection—one very happy-to-see-her erection.