Stranger in Paradise (7 page)

Chapter Six

The shower didn’t help. And Kacey realized with a dismal thought, that she hadn’t bothered to purchase new batteries for her “vibrating companion” in months. After the nasty break-up with her ex, she hadn’t even wanted to look at another man, much less jump his bones. Which had made it even more of a challenge to write sexy, when she couldn’t remember what
sexy
felt like.

Which is why you rely on me, your muse, to keep those sultry thoughts brewing, right?

Kacey laughed at her muse’s interruption of her thoughts. She toweled dry and slipped into her standard bedtime fare of T-shirt and cotton boxers. She had no need of sexy attire on her writing sabbaticals--then again, she’d never before had reason, not that Zack was a good reason. Still, that kiss had made its mark on her loneliness, along with a smile that could melt bone, and a body made for sin. She glanced at herself in the mirror and chuckled. “Some famous erotic romance author you are.” She bit her lip and wondered if he’d returned yet from his appointed round. Swallowing, she fought her curiosity about whether or not he’d taken up her offer of using one of the bedrooms or was still bunking out downstairs. Her bet was on the latter. She carefully opened her door and peeked into the shadowy hall, tiptoeing to the top of the stairs. “Zack?” she quietly called downstairs. “Zack?”

Startled, she turned when she heard a door open from the end of the hall. Zack stepped out and, seeing her, hurried toward her, zipping up the fly on his jeans. “Are you okay? Did you hear something?” He strode toward her, took her by the arm, and moved her away from the steps.

“No, I didn’t hear anything. I was just curious…I mean, I didn’t know if you were sleeping down there or if you’d decided to--”

“Sleep in a real bed?” he finished. His fingers relaxed on her upper arms. He took a step toward her. She took a step back, bumping into the wall. It was cool to her heated flesh. She looked up at him and need took over where reason fled. He held her face, capturing her lips. His hot breath scorched her skin as he nuzzled the curve of her neck. His lips came down on hers, igniting her blood with fiery kisses as he slowly tugged her shirt over her head and tossed it aside. Caressing, teasing, his mouth followed his hands, creating an ache deep inside her.

Seduction gave way to hunger. Raw and unapologetic, his mouth covered hers, demanding. Ravenous. Unrelenting. She’d never known a man like him. Her body reacted as though on a dark and dangerous thrill ride.

He turned her toward the wall and pulled her against his hard body. Her breath caught as his hand stole beneath her waistband and slid between her thighs. She pressed her palms against the wall, grinding into him, delirious with need, suspecting he was commando beneath that denim.

“I want you,” he whispered, his teeth nipping her ear, the insistence of his fingers liquefying her bones.

“Yes.” She turned her face to his, his mouth melting on hers. A small cry escaped her throat when she came, and he sighed against her mouth. She faced him fully then and he licked his fingers. Heat blazed in his dark gaze.

“This isn’t going to be slow.”

She cupped his face, kissing him again, savoring the taste. “I know.”

“Protection,” Zack growled between his assaults on her mouth.

“It’s covered.” Her hands wrestled with his zipper, pleased to discover her suspicions correct.

His gaze hot on hers, he jerked her boxers down, stepped from his jeans, and lifted her, wrapping her legs around his waist. “Your bed or mine?”

Kacey wasn’t sure she’d make it to either room. “Mine.”

He carried her the short way to her room, his hungry kisses matching hers. Dropping her on the bed, he covered her body and claimed her again with his mouth. “Are you sure about this?” he asked, leaning his forehead to hers.

His hands slid down her thighs. Nodding, she accepted him, holding his dark eyes as shock gave way to euphoria, liquefying her bones. She locked her ankles around him, surrendering to the sublime explosions that rocked her body. His eyes held hers, driving deeper with each thrust, leaving her breathless, until her body shattered again with sublime bliss.

“Aw, sweetheart, Kacey,” he hissed between clenched teeth as he followed with his own release.

For a moment, neither was able to move, much less breathe.

“Krikey,” she whispered.

Amen to that, Sistah
, her muse concurred.

Struggling to catch his breath, he chuckled and met her gaze. A sexy smile curled his mouth. He shook his head and rested his forehead to hers. “I hope that you’ll still respect me in the morning.”

She laughed and hugged his neck. “If you promise me next time to slow down a bit.”

His smile vanished, but his smoldering gaze lingered. “Deal.”

Time, deadlines, stalkers—none of them mattered in the hours that followed. Much later, she watched him sleep, amazed by him, teetering on the dangerous precipice of falling in love. The gentle rain had started sometime during the night, leaving the room bathed in a shadowy dawn. She’d wondered if she’d awaken alone or find him there still. Yet here he was, even asleep able to stir wondrous emotions she hadn’t felt in a long time, if ever
.
Her body, though sore, felt remarkably recharged. Her muse…well, her muse was still reveling in the out-of-body experiences of the past few hours.
Be careful, Kacey. This kind of thing doesn’t last forever.

“So… what do you think, only adequate?”

She sat up, drawing the sheet over her body to cover her nakedness. In the throes of passion, it didn’t seem to matter much. The daylight and her lovesick thoughts about him had created a “what happens at the cabin, stays at the cabin” awkwardness, causing her to feel vulnerable, unsure.

He curled a finger over the sheet and pulled it down to her waist.

“You’re not a private guy, are you?”

He studied her a moment before propping up on his elbow. “Aren’t we a little past the being shy phase? If memory serves, I’ve sampled just about every inch of you—
inside and out
.”

Round two?
Her muse clapped gleefully.
Wait, what round is this?

Kacey actually felt the heat climb in her cheeks. The man was right, and lord in heaven, he’d been good—no, exceptional--at what he did. “Hey, I know this is going to sound strange to you, but just because I write erotic romance doesn’t mean I’m all that confident…you know, in bed.”

He snaked his muscular arm around her waist and drew her down beside him. “You are incredible.” He kissed the tip of her nose.

“Really? Because I have to tell you, what happened last night was, well…it was amazing.”

“Not just adequate, then?” He shifted and his arousal brushed her thigh. “Maybe you need to be reminded?” he asked, nuzzling her ear.

An odd sound came from somewhere in the house. “Is that an air raid siren?” Kacey asked, tilting her head to accommodate his exploration.

The odd-sounding siren blared again, vying for their attention.

“Shit,” Zack muttered, and tossed the sheet back. He climbed out of bed, unfazed by his naked state, and strode out the door with a determined gait. “It’s the office calling.”

Kacey watched in rapt fascination at his near-perfect backside, even better in the light of day. “Tell them thank you for calling.” She smiled and flopped back on the pillow, refusing to allow her thoughts to wander past the spectacular night. After a few moments, however, when it appeared he wasn’t going to return, Kacey showered, dressed, and decided to make breakfast. That alone was out of character. Cooking in her world was mostly by menu. Add that to the growing list of uncharacteristic aspects--case in point, her spontaneity in bed last night. He’d made her realize that maybe she should be a bit more adventuresome. “Think outside the box,” she said to her reflection as she slipped her hair up into a haphazard bun. After last night, she was ravenous, and her muse was eager to get started on the manuscript. Standing in the kitchen a few moments later, she heard his familiar gait coming down the steps.

“Oh…you made breakfast.” His steps slowed.

Kacey turned, toast in hand. “I thought you might be hungry.”

“Yeah, except that I have some work to do this morning.”

“Work? It’s starting to rain again.”

“Exactly. I need to get outside and check for footprints.”

“Oh, okay. Just let me clean up and I’ll come with you.” She had flipped off the burner of the stove when she felt his arms around her waist.

“Kacey, last night was incredible…you’re incredible.”

She faced him. “Why do I feel a
but
coming on?”

“Let me do my job. Don’t you have writing to do?”

“Well, yes, but--”

“Then write.” He leaned down and looked into her eyes. “Okay? Then maybe we’ll go for a nice supper. How’d that be?”

She chewed her lip in thought. He was right, of course. She wasn’t here to have a month of unbridled sex with a man who could put a Roman god to shame. “Sure,” she remarked, hoping to sound as casual as he seemed to be, considering she’d been walking on cloud nine all morning.

“Okay, see you later.” He plucked the toast from the plate, tucked his gun into the back of his jeans, and slipped on his jacket.

“Be careful,” she called after him.

He turned and gave her a salute and a sexy grin.

Kacey tossed the spatula in the sink, along with the frying pan. What had she expected, good morning, sunshine, and bluebirds? Grabbing herself a cup of coffee, she sat down and booted up her laptop. Glancing at her phone, she picked it up and called Harold, needing to find out what more he knew about the man he’d hired to watch over her.

“How’s the writing coming?”

Harold’s distracted voice and the sound of shuffling papers caught Kacey’s ear. “Is this a bad time?”

“On my way to a meeting. I have a few minutes. Everything working out okay?”

Kacey chewed her lip in thought. “What can you tell me about this man Zack Elliot that you’ve hired as my bodyguard.”

There was a brief silence. “Damn. I was assured that he’d be great for this position.”

Kacey smiled. And great at several others, as well. “No, no. He’s…we’re getting along just fine. I just don’t know a lot about him. My curiosity, I guess.”

Harold cleared his throat. “I don’t know much, really. My friend in charge of a special unit suggested him. He said something about the guy getting back in the field after the disappearance of his longtime girlfriend.”

The news sent a cold swirl of dread in the pit of Kacey’s stomach. He’d lost two people he loved dearly. What would that do to her?

“Everything okay there?” Harold’s voice revealed a tinge of concern.

She blinked away her thoughts. “Sure. Like I said, I was just curious.”

“I suppose you could always ask him yourself, if you really want to know.”

“Yeah, okay. You better get going. Don’t want you to be late.” Kacey wrestled with her misgivings that, despite his devil-may-care attitude, Zack had suffered through a lot and she wasn’t sure if she was strong enough to handle any more than what they’d shared.

“Writing coming along okay?” Harold interjected.

“Uh, sure. Getting a little bit done.”

“Okay, sweetheart. Don’t worry about a thing, just let the man do his job.”

“Take care,” she responded, feeling as though she’d already crossed that line.

Loaded with enough caffeine to run a locomotive, Kacey hadn’t paid attention to the time. Another storm had rolled in over the lake, darkening the skies with intermittent rain. A knock on the door jarred her from her writing, and she rubbed her eyes as she walked to the door and looked first through the peephole.

Seeing it was only Andrew, she opened the door. “Good morning. It
is
still morning, isn’t it?” She glanced up at the gray sky.

“Yes...uh, no, technically it’s after lunch.” He seemed more nervous than usual. He leaned around her as if to see inside the house.

The hairs on her neck stood on end, but holding her smile in place she reached up casually and locked the screen door between them. “What brings you out on this rainy day?” She eyed the large bouquet of flowers arranged in a vase that he held in the crook of his arm.

“These are for you. I wanted to bring them by personally. Is your guest still here?”

“My—oh, you mean Mr. Elliot?”

He swallowed hard and looked around. “Yeah.”

“He’s, uh… taking a shower,” she lied. “Did you need to speak with him?”

“Speak with whom?” Zack walked up behind the young man. “Someone looking for me?” He slowed when he saw the flowers. “Very nice. From a secret admirer?” He grinned and glanced at Kacey.

Andrew backed down the steps. He smacked the side of his head with his palm as though trying to remember something. “Oh, you know, I think I made a mistake. I think these are supposed to go to the next cabin. Sorry to have disturbed you.” He nodded his goodbye and hurried off. Kacey had a feeling those flowers hit the first dumpster out of their sight.