It Takes Two: Deep in the Heart, Book 1 (35 page)

Zach closed the door. A grin hit his face; then he laughed. “Oh, Annie. I’ve missed you so much. You’re so different from anything I ever thought I wanted, and yet…you’re exactly what I need.” He pulled Annie into his arms. “Where were we before we were so rudely interrupted?”

“Not
here
,” Annie said angrily, trying to pull away, but Zach’s grip was a gentle vise.

“Ah, yes. You were telling me how you could fight your own battles, weren’t you? Man your own cannon? Go toe-to-toe with snobby people?”

“That’s not funny, Zach,” Annie shot back.

“No, it’s not,” he said, smoothing a kiss along her shoulder. “It’s also not funny that you seem to think I paid for the privilege of holding your body, of loving you. I can’t help feeling some responsibility for your troubles, Annie, any more than you can help feeling some self-righteous anger that I do.”

Annie slowly ceased her struggles as Zach’s ministrations started weaving their effect on her. A warmth she remembered well began creeping through her body, a warmth that only Zach could create.

“You don’t want me—” she began.

He interrupted her with a mind-sizzling kiss. “I do want you. You’ve just come at a time when my life has completely turned upside down. I don’t know where the past has ended or the future is going. But, oh, Annie, if you think I don’t want you, you’re badly mistaken.”

His hands searched her back, smoothly undoing the buttons of her cotton blouse before finding the metal clasps that released her bra. Immediately, impatiently, he slipped underneath to encircle her breasts with his palms. Gently, he squeezed her nipples, which brought them to instant tautness. A moan escaped Annie. “I want you, too,” she whispered. “I just want it to be on my terms.”

Zach lifted her, carrying her down the hall to his bedroom. Laying her on top of the bed, he said, “I know. So do I.”

At first she thought he was agreeing with her, and then Annie realized Zach was talking about his own terms. But he was doing wonderful things to her, and she was returning every emotion she was experiencing to him, and somewhere along the way it wasn’t worth saying that they wouldn’t be making love in his big bed if they weren’t caught in a game where everyone wanted everything on their own terms.

Zach knew his life had been splintered, broken into jagged pieces until Annie had come to him. He looked at the sleeping woman beside him, tremulous lips full with sleep, ebony hair undone now and tangled over her pillow and his, and thanked his lucky stars she’d come to show him what he’d been in danger of forgetting. He’d needed to be touched by reality again, and Annie was that. Annie’s honesty and basic goodness had steered the desperation he’d been struggling with right out of his mind She didn’t allow herself to be ruled by money or status or any other thing—all factors that he’d nearly let suck him under.

Annie was real. And her strength brought him strength… And conviction. Lightly, he kissed those slightly open lips and was rewarded by the fluttering of her eyes.

“Hello, again,” he murmured with a grin.

“Hello, yourself.” Annie pouted teasingly. “You woke me up from the most wonderful dream.”

“Did I have a starring role in it?”

“No.” At his purposefully sad frown, Annie laughed. “But I give you top billing in bed.”

“Only in bed?” Zach raised his brows.

“For now.” She slanted him a provocative look. “But you’ve always been a hard worker. You’ll probably move up if you try enough.”

He gave her the gentlest slap on the rump before pulling her over and up on top of him. “I’d rather let you have top billing for now.” Lightly, he reached up to tease her nipples. Annie’s eyes glowed at his touch and, as she settled herself against him, every cell in Zach’s body came tantalizingly alive.
Just once more
, he promised himself,
before I let her go.

It was the sound of paper being pushed under the bedroom door that brought Zach unwillingly out of his sex-induced slumber. With one eye, he peered toward the stack of notes, realizing with regret that his wonderful escape into Annie’s arms was coming to an end.

“Okay, Pop,” he muttered to himself. “I get the message.”

Annie opened her eyes. “What did you say?”

He bent over to give her a quick but thorough kiss on the mouth. Reaching down, he grabbed up his clothes. “As beautiful as it’s been, I can’t stay a fugitive in here. It looks like I’ve got about thirty phone calls to return—and then I’ve got to go—”

Zach stopped himself from saying,
kick some butt
. “I’ve got to go talk to someone.”

“Oh.” She sounded disappointed.

Zach sat down on the bed, allowing himself to run a hand along her thigh. “I’m sorry, Annie. I’d stay in bed with you until Christmas if I could. But I don’t have anything to offer you until I settle some things.”

“I know.” She pulled herself into a sitting position, wrapping her arms around her knees, and gazed at him. Seeing her sitting there so unconsciously sexy in his bed nearly made Zach detour from his plans again.

But he couldn’t. Not if he was going to be earn this woman’s love forever.

“It’s not very romantic, me running off on you, but—”

She laid one finger against his lips. “I think we’ve re-established connections to my satisfaction.”

He smiled, wondering what he’d ever done to deserve this woman. “Thank you for understanding.”

Annie shrugged. “There’s not that much to understand.”

He thought there was, but Annie possessed essential backbone. Her breasts had swayed enticingly with her shrug, and Zach swallowed hard. “Okay. I’m going to shower now. If you want to sleep some more, feel free.”

She shook her head. “I really need to get back to Mary and Papa. Thanks, though.”

“You could always shower with me,” he suggested, knowing she wouldn’t accept but a part of him wishing she would, even though it would obviously mean another lingering, loving delay.

“Next time, maybe.”

“Next time,
definitely
,” Zach replied. He rose to head to the shower. “Help yourself to anything you need,” he called over his shoulder. “I think Pop’s got several different kinds of pizza in the refrigerator, if you’re hungry.”

Annie smiled, thinking her hunger had been appeased for the moment. She got up and dressed quickly. Glitter caught her eye, and she paused in the act of putting on her shirt. Feeling a little guilty, Annie walked over to Zach’s dresser. Her eyes widened as she looked at the stunning emerald earrings tossed down casually next to a snake jaw and an old, ragged box. Small shivers ran along her arms at the odd array. But it was the earrings that drew her gaze relentlessly. Zach must have really loved his woman at one time to buy her such a valuable gift. Shooting a look at the closed bathroom door, where Zach’s lusty baritone voice was pouring forth in song, Annie picked up the earrings.

They winked at her, their color bold against the earth tone of her palm. Slowly, even though what she was doing would be embarrassing if Zach were to come out and see her, Annie lifted the gems to her ears and snapped them on before staring at herself appraisingly.

Shaking her head a bit to set the smaller stones dancing, Annie was beset by the heavy feel of the earrings. They were like weights. And though the jet of her hair complemented their greenness, her hair was too long and too wild to look right with them. Hesitantly, she took her hair, pulling it into an upsweep on top of her head, imagining for a moment what she would look like if she were to ever accompany Zach to one of those fancy dinner parties he no doubt frequently attended.

With a sigh, Annie let her hair fall and pulled the clips from her ears. It was no use. She wasn’t the glamorous type, and nothing was going to change that.

But Zach had said she was exactly what he needed. Carefully, she placed the earrings back on the dresser and finished dressing.

Zach needing her was the reason she could return to Desperado, believing that there would be more between them. Eventually, anyway. Her heart much lighter than it had been when she’d first knocked on his door, Annie walked out into the living room.

“You must be Annie,” a sandpaper-rough voice said.

She jumped, turning jerkily toward the voice. A little old man, probably Papa’s age but not nearly so robust-looking, gazed at her stoically.

“I am,” she replied. “You’re Zach’s father.”

There wasn’t much family resemblance, she mused, not in looks or in bearing.

“Yep,” he replied. “You can call me George, if you want. Want some pizza?”

She shook her head. “No, thank you.” Pinning him with a stare, Annie asked, “Why did you tell me Zach was sick?”

“He is.”

“He seems in fine health to me,” she stated.

The old man shifted slightly on his feet before tapping his head with a finger. “His illness is up here.”

She shot him a suspicious look. “What are you saying?”

“I’m saying he was down, depressed, fighting but not kicking ass.”

“That’s not how you made it sound on the phone. Anyway, he probably would have come around without me.”

He crossed his arms stubbornly. Zach’s hearty voice boomed down the hall in a loud rendition of “Amazing Grace”. “Seems there’s been some kind of change since your arrival,” the man remarked. “Course, you’ll pardon me for causing you any trouble.”

Annie pursed her lips wryly; Zach’s father was perfectly aware that her trip hadn’t exactly been for nothing. But he wasn’t about to let her nail him down into admitting any fault for his actions. “Maybe I’ll have some of that pizza I hear you’ve been hoarding after all.”

“Sounds good to me,” he said. “Sit yourself down at the kitchen table.”

She did, listening to him open and close cupboards and turn the microwave on. Seconds later it dinged, and he brought out a plate with so many pieces of pizza she’d never eat it all and a glass of iced water.

“I’d offer you something else to drink, but all Zach’s got is beer and gourmet coffee. I don’t drink the hops anymore and I’m trying not to drink that damn coffee.”

Annie smiled in commiseration as he sat across from her. Taking a bite of pizza, she watched him watching her.

“He asked for you, you know. Maybe knowing that, you can forgive my little bit of stretching the situation.”

Annie raised her brows, not about to let him off the hook that easily. Zach’s Pop seemed pretty cagey to her.

“Don’t suppose you care to know that you’re not exactly what I was ’specting,” he told her.

“I’m not surprised,” she said, thinking about the earrings and the pictures of Zach’s ex-fiancée she’d received. “I’m not much like the woman Zach nearly married.”

“Thank God,” he replied with spirit. “What a shrew. What a she-troll. Ugh.”

Annie tried not to smile at the relief in his voice. “Thank you for your support,” she murmured.

“Support, hell. I want the same thing for my son that I had.”

“What is that?”

He paused for a moment, his eyes lowered, before he met her gaze fully. “You remind me of my Catalina, Zach’s mother.”

Annie hesitated. The memory of Zach sitting with Mary at the edge of the pond filtered back to her, misty and tinged with sadness. She remembered how gentle and soothing Zach had been as he’d rubbed Mary’s back.
I have a feeling neither one of them wanted to leave us that way,
he’d said.

Obviously, this was sacred ground she was treading on right now. “How do I remind you of her?” she asked softly.

“Well, you’re dark, like she was. You’re taller, though,” he said, squinting across the table at Annie. Her pizza lay on the plate, completely untouched now, as the old man glanced down the hall. Zach had finally quit singing, which somehow Annie missed. He’d sounded so lighthearted, it pleased her to think she’d done that for him.

“Course, she was a looker, my Cati,” George continued, lost in his own reminiscences. “You’re pretty, too, though I guess Zach’s told you that.”

Annie smiled. “Thank you.”

“And she was kind and gentle, but she had pride you couldn’t bust with a rock.” He was quiet for a few moments before speaking shakily. “And she loved that boy of hers.”

Annie was astonished to hear what sounded like a sniffle., “Ah, hell,” the old man said, getting up from the table. “I’m sorry I tricked you down here, Annie, but I ain’t sorry you came. Guess I’ll be off to my room, if you’ll excuse me, ’cause I’m embarrassing myself. Besides, nobody wants to hear the ramblings of an old man. Though I appreciate you listening,” he said, walking slowly out of the room. At the doorway, he paused. “Now that I’ve thought about it, you’re exactly what I should have expected, Annie.”

He disappeared and Annie took a deep breath. The pizza had turned cold and unappealing, but she’d lost her appetite anyway. She drank some water and got up from the table too, putting her dishes in the sink. Slowly, she gathered up her purse and keys as she thought about Zach’s father’s regrets.

Zach’s door opened and he came down the hall, nicely dressed in trousers and a blazer. Her breath caught at the sight of him, his hair still slightly wet but shining ebony in the light. He was so handsome it hurt. Somehow it was hard to believe that this man might one day be all hers.