Midnight Secrets (8 page)

The dress she wore tonight might be modest by most girls’ standards—he’d seen a lot more revealing ones. But there was just something about Savannah. Everything she wore, even if it was just a pair of jeans, hugged the curves of her beautiful body. Sometimes, Zach had the hardest time not just staring at her. What he liked most was she had no idea just how appealing she was.

Keeping his hands off her had become increasingly difficult. Savannah had never said, but he knew she was a virgin. She had been bluntly honest that she had dated very little. Their kisses had become more and more intense, and every night he went home aching for her.

“You sure you want to see this movie?”

Jerked out of his lustful thoughts, he glanced down at her. “Why?”

“You keep glaring at the marquis like you’re mad at it.”

“It’s just hard to concentrate with you looking so pretty.”

The delight on her face caused an immediate reaction throughout his body. Hell, what was he doing standing in line for a movie he didn’t want to see when this was their last night together for a long time? They would be in a theater, surrounded by droves of people, where he couldn’t hold her, touch her, kiss her, taste her. Was he crazy or what?

A slender hand touched his arm in a soft caress he felt to his soul. Her smile, still a little shy and incredibly sweet, curved her luscious mouth. “Can I ask you a question? And be completely honest with me, okay?”

Zach nodded. “Absolutely.”

“Would you mind if we didn’t see the movie? I really just wanted to spend the evening with you … alone.”

Needing no other encouragement, Zach grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the line. “Let’s go.”

As they turned to head back to his car, Zach spotted Daryl Yancey and his wife standing in line for tickets. Zach had worked construction with Daryl; he knew the family struggled for every penny. With four kids, it was probably a rarity for the couple to be able to afford a night out.

He left Savannah briefly and handed the tickets to Daryl, with the vague excuse of just remembering they had other plans. Finally feeling the night was going in the right direction, he said, “How about dinner at Mickey’s Steakhouse?”

Sunshine couldn’t be any brighter than the smile she flashed him. “Sounds great. I’m starved.”

Chapter

Six

Zach drove down the bumpy graveled road to Dogwood Lake. In hindsight, going to a movie before dinner had been a dumbass move. He’d always prided himself on being levelheaded, slow to panic, but the moment he’d seen Savannah tonight, his mind and his libido had gone into an adrenaline overdrive. His first and only concern had been to get her to a safe place with lots of people around. Now, though she was no less desirable or beautiful than she’d been earlier, he had himself under control. Protecting Savannah was his number one priority—he would do nothing to screw that up.

The dinner at Mickey’s had been a good choice. Medium priced, plenty of privacy, and the food was great. Savannah had probably had much better, but one of the many things he liked about her was her adaptability. Because of his budget, their dates had consisted of mostly hot dogs and hamburgers at the fast-food places on the outskirts of town or Captain Jimmy’s Seafood Emporium out on the bypass. Not once had Savannah ever acted disappointed. Another thing he liked about her was her appetite. She made no bones about the fact that she liked to eat. Most of the girls Zach had dated acted as if a french fry would ruin their life.

Tonight was a special occasion, so the meal had been pricier than usual. He’d been saving up for weeks—not only for the meal, but also for what was inside the jewelry box burning a hole in his pocket. He didn’t know how he was going to approach the subject. Pretty words weren’t exactly his forte. Savannah deserved them and a hell of a lot more.

Relieved to see that their favorite spot, a grassy clearing beneath several giant willows, was unoccupied, Zach pulled to a stop and shifted into park. It was already after nine o’clock and Savannah’s curfew was midnight. Time with her was rapidly clicking away.

As had become their routine, he pulled a blanket from the backseat and got out. Savannah usually waited for him to open the door for her, but tonight, as if she was just as eager to be in his arms as he was to hold her, she jumped out of the car before he could get around to her.

They spread the blanket onto the soft grass, took off their shoes, and sat down. The full moon cast a shimmering golden path of light on the lake. The wide-open expanse of the velvet black sky was lit with what seemed a billion brilliant stars. Water gently lapping at the bank and frogs and crickets competing in a nighttime chorus were the only sounds. The night felt surreal and intense, as if they were the only two people on the planet.

Savannah snuggled against him and Zach wrapped his arm around her, holding her close. His face buried in the sexy mass of gorgeous hair, he inhaled deeply, taking in her fresh, unique fragrance, committing her scent to memory.

Her soft voice broke into the stillness. “Sometimes I think this is the most beautiful place on the planet, and then I think that it’s only that way because you’re here.”

Chest tight with emotions and feelings he could barely comprehend much less communicate, he whispered into her hair, “I feel the same way. You make everything more beautiful.”

“What am I going to do without you?”

Zach lifted his head and shifted around so he could look down at her. “It’s only going to be a few months before we see each other. We’ll call, text, or email daily. It’ll be like we’re still together … except for this.” His mouth lowered to hers, covering it gently, thoroughly, devouring the sweetness he dreamed about nightly. She groaned and opened to him, allowing him entrance into the most luscious mouth that had ever existed.

Before he knew it, they were lying on the blanket and the gentleness disappeared, replaced by a heated, all-consuming passion. Savannah wrapped a long silken leg around his hip. Zach was more than aware that all he had to do was move a couple of scraps of clothing and he could be inside her. His hands glided up her leg, glorying in the satin softness of her inner thigh. He froze and shut his eyes tight. Denying himself what he wanted more than anything at this moment was one of the hardest things he’d ever done.

Breath shuddering, he rose up on his elbow and gently pushed her leg off him.

“What’s wrong?”

Unwilling to admit how tempted he’d been or how close he’d come to forgetting about his promise to protect her, he shook his head. “Nothing. Just want to look at you.”

Beneath the moonlight, her luminescent skin glowed ever brighter. “My hair’s probably a mess.”

Weaving his fingers in the wild tresses, he growled, “Your hair is sexy as hell.”

A brilliant smile was followed quickly by a nervous biting of her mouth. “Would it be terribly selfish of me to ask you to come to breakfast in the morning? We’ll make you something extra special.”

She had no idea how much he would love to say yes. Spending extra time with her was incredibly tempting. But he couldn’t. He had made a promise to his mother that he would have breakfast with her. And though he had issues with Francine, Zach prided himself on keeping his promises.

“I wish I could but I promised to have breakfast with my mother. I’ll still stop by on the way out of town. Okay?”

“I understand. I know she’s going to miss you.”

Zach nodded but stayed silent. Discussing his mother was taboo anyway. Talking about her tonight of all nights was impossible.

Reading his silence correctly, Savannah changed the subject. “I’ll fix you a lunch that you can take with you so you don’t have to eat at a fast-food place. Maybe you can find a roadside park on the way.”

He had to smile. Savannah was always trying to make sure he ate well. Zach searched for the right way to convey how much he appreciated that and what she meant to him. Words failed him but he trudged forward. “These last few weeks have been a lot of fun.” Bland and insipid words. As soon as they left his lips, he wanted to yank them back. They were an understatement of mammoth proportions. From the moment he’d met her, Savannah had treated him as if he was something special. And in all his years, he’d never laughed so hard or felt so good. Nor had he ever cared for anyone so much.

She tilted her head to look up at him, and her lips trembled for a second before she put on the smile he knew he’d dream about for the rest of his life. “I’m going to miss you so much but I’m so proud of you. I know your dad would be, too.”

Though they rarely talked family stuff, he’d explained to her why he had joined the army. About his dad, his service and sacrifice. And in return, she’d told him about her mother. What a fine and beautiful person she was. It had often struck him as odd that they were from completely different backgrounds but had so many similarities. Maybe that was one of the reasons they fit so well together.

He swallowed hard and heard himself say, “You’ve got a lot of big stuff ahead of you, too. College and law school. I know your mom would be happy about your choices.”

“I think she might be very surprised. Up until it happened, I never even paid that much attention in school—she was always encouraging me to study more.”

She always referred to her mother’s murder as “it.” Never able to say those words.

“I’ve no doubt she would be proud of you and what you’ve become,” he told her.

“I hope so.” Her fingers traced his face as if trying to commit it to memory. “What am I going to do without you? You always make me feel better about everything.”

“You’ll be so busy, you’ll probably forget about me in a few weeks.”

Deep down he knew that was one of his biggest fears. They had this unbelievable connection now but what would happen when they were far apart for months at a time? Would she meet someone else? What if she wanted to date other guys?

“If you wanted to date other guys, I’d understand.”

She froze in his arms. “Are you breaking up with me?”

Ah hell, he’d planned to tell her how much she meant to him and instead made her think he wanted to end things with her. “Of course not. I just don’t want to hold you back if that’s something you wanted to do.”

Green eyes searched his face, questioning and vulnerable. To prevent himself from saying more stupid things, he pulled her back into his arms and lowered his mouth to cover hers. She tasted like butterscotch and vanilla, both flavors from the dessert sundae they’d shared earlier. The memory of her taste would be with him until he died.

With a sweet moan of surrender, she sank into his arms. Seeking soft, firm flesh, his hands slid beneath her dress and traveled up her silken thigh. Because of the restrictions he put on himself, he kept his caresses on the outside of her thighs. Though his fingers ached to delve between her legs and plunge into the sweetness he fantasized about nightly, he couldn’t allow himself to go further. He had made a silent vow not to coerce her into having sex. No matter that every part of his body throbbed with need and an aching desire, he intended to keep that promise.

“Zach,” she whispered against his lips.

“Yeah?”

“Make love to me.”

Oh hell.
Everything, including breath and heart, stilled at her words. Grappling with his conscience, Zach searched for the right thing to say. He knew what he wanted to say, but his wants were way down on the list. Savannah and her needs came first. “Are you sure you’re not just saying that because this is our last night together?”

“Of course that’s one of the reasons, but not the biggest. I want you, Zach. There’s never been anyone like you in my life, and whatever the future holds for us, I want you to be my first time.”

Zach searched for the self-discipline, the iron will he’d held over himself. The aching need to be inside her, loving her, thrusting deep into her sweetness … He shuddered out a long breath and grabbed onto the best argument he had for denying them both. “I don’t have any protection with me, Savannah. As much as I want you, we can’t risk—”

Taking his hand, she dropped an unmistakable foil-wrapped packet into his palm. “I bought these at a drugstore in Mobile a couple of weeks ago.”

All available blood rushed south; sanity vanished, reason disappeared. Pulling her back into his arms, Zach went at her lips like a starving man, plunging his tongue inside again and again. As her tongue met and tangled with his, a growling groan developed in his chest. Only by sheer will alone did he keep from climbing on top of her, ripping away her underwear, and burying himself deep. The knowledge of how hot and tight she would be almost made him forget everything but his needs and just how much he wanted her.

A minuscule amount of sanity returning temporarily, he rasped against her mouth, “If at any point you want me to stop, you say the words and I will. Okay?”

Barely waiting for her whispered “Yes,” Zach gently pushed her until she lay before him. In all his life, he’d never seen anything more beautiful. Moonlight shone softly on Savannah’s face; her amazing eyes glimmered with need; her soft, slightly swollen lips beckoned.

Determined that she would know only tenderness and beauty for her first time, Zach came over her and began to slowly and gently make love to her. The small part of his brain that was still working told him that his life would never be the same again.

Reaching to unzip his pants, his hand instead hit a bulge that had nothing to do with desire and everything to do with honor—the jewelry box. Reason returned with painful, glaring clarity. He had claimed that his number one priority was protecting Savannah. Where was that protection now? Taking her on the ground like she didn’t matter to him, when she meant everything?