As Zack’s mouth closed over hers, Alexa gasped and then melted into him almost instantly. His lips were firm but gentle, warm and sweet as they moved against hers. His hands stroked her back, and as his tongue slipped into her mouth, she slid her hands up his chest, over his broad shoulders, and into his thick, soft hair. His tongue caressed hers, and a sparkling heat exploded over her skin. He groaned softly, and she opened more for him.
Never in her life had a kiss felt like this. It was so much more than a simple touching of mouths, of lips and tongues. It was need, and hunger, and lust. It was waking up after being asleep for far too long. Just this kiss was better than most of the sex she’d had, and the fact that it was Zack—the man she’d wanted for the better part of a year, the man she’d fantasized about and lusted after—took her breath away. She wanted more, wanted to somehow get closer, and she made a soft whimpering noise as she rocked against him.
Hot, heady desire spiraled through her when she felt his erection slide against her hip. So hard, so thick. God, he was huge. She shivered when he rolled his hips into her, sliding his hard cock against her a second time.
His hands slid from her back down to her ass, where he gave her cheeks a firm squeeze as he pulled her tighter against him. She clenched her thighs together, her clit throbbing and her panties wet as his mouth moved with increasing hunger against hers, the kiss morphing from warm and sweet to hot and demanding. She felt ready to burst into flame, everything inside her was so hot. She was kindling, and he was a match, sparking so much damn need through her she could barely stand it.
The door to the office opened, and Zack broke the kiss, still holding her against him. Joe stepped into the room and, as soon as he saw them, averted his gaze. She assumed Zack’s plan was to make it look as if they’d snuck off to make out, diverting attention from where they were and why.
“I’m sorry. Uh…dessert is served.” Joe quickly stepped out of the room but left the door open.
Zack’s fingers flexed against her ass again, and she trembled. She’d never been kissed like that before. She was aroused. Awake. Hungry. She clenched her thighs together again, trying to soothe the throbbing ache simmering low in her core. Her blood pumped hot and fast, lust and need and want all pooling together and shimmering through her, intense and vibrant.
“Alexa.” His voice was low and rough, and she forced herself to look up and meet his eyes. So dark they were almost black, they glittered down at her, and hot excitement swirled through her. “I’ve wanted to do that since the day I laid eyes on you. Fuck.” He dipped his head and buried his face in her neck, sucking gently just below her ear. “You taste so damn good, princess. I can’t stop.” His tongue grazed her earlobe, and she gasped, feeling that sweep of his tongue as though he’d touched her clit. He growled softly against her and did it again.
“I don’t want you to stop,” she sighed out, tipping her head back and giving him better access, and although she’d said those words before, this was the first time she’d ever really meant them. His teeth scraped against her earlobe, and she jerked against him, his hard cock rubbing against her stomach. Somehow she managed to get her mouth to form coherent words. “This doesn’t feel like pretending.” Her voice was shaky, her heart fluttering in her chest as she waited for his answer. She didn’t want to pretend. She wanted to be his, for real.
He raised his head and met her eyes, his hands caressing her face. “This was never pretend for me.” At the intensity shining in his gaze, she knew he was telling the truth. That somehow Zack wanted her. There was no going back. Not now.
“Me neither.”
In response he slipped his arms around her waist and brought his mouth back to hers, and Alexa moaned. His tongue stroked hers, the kiss hot and deep, and she felt as though he were claiming her. As though their shared admission had broken down all the barriers between them.
“Everything I said downstairs,” he said, speaking the words against her mouth, catching her lips in small, nipping kisses, “I wasn’t making any of it up.” Her heart beat faster, and she could feel her pulse everywhere, her entire body becoming one giant throb. He caught her lower lip between his teeth and tugged gently, swiping his tongue to soothe the bite and then kissing her again, deep and slow, their lips and tongues finding an easy, promising rhythm. His mouth felt so good, so right against hers, and she couldn’t think anymore. She could only bask in how good he was making her feel.
She broke the kiss, needing desperately to tell him the truth, even though they were wading into complicated waters. “I’ve…It’s been you, Zack. Since the day I met you, for me…it’s only been you.”
His eyes softened as his grip on her tightened. He pressed his forehead to hers. “I’m sorry.”
Her heart practically shuddered to a stop. “For what?”
“For choosing wrong a year ago.”
Up until now she hadn’t realized that he’d seen her as a choice at all, and while she wanted to know about everything that had happened a year ago, now wasn’t the time. Her heart resumed its rhythm, pounding so hard and so happily she thought it might shatter. The happiness filling her up was almost too much, so big and bright it hurt.
“You are so beautiful, Alexa. God, I…” He gazed down at her and then slipped his hands into her hair, kissing her again. She slid her arms around him, reveling in the feel of all those hard muscles hidden beneath his shirt. He groaned against her mouth as they tasted and explored, and she lost all sense of place and time as her entire world narrowed to Zack and his lips, his tongue, the warmth of his mouth, his body pressed against hers.
Her. He wanted her. He’d wanted her as much as she’d wanted him, this entire time. The realization felt like joy, except that joy wasn’t a big enough word.
“What’s going on here?” Her father’s voice came from the doorway, and they broke apart. Zack dropped his arms and cleared his throat, glancing sheepishly at the floor. “Sorry, sir. I…we…got a little carried away.”
Her father stared at them with his arms crossed and his eyes narrowed. His gaze moved away from them and scanned the room. Once he was finished with his slow sweep, he returned his disapproving gaze to them. “Dessert. Downstairs.”
* * *
Zack sat with his arm thrown casually over the back of Alexa’s chair, although he felt pretty fucking far from casual at the moment.
He’d wasted a year not going after Alexa. A whole fucking year he could’ve been with her because she felt the same way he did about her. He’d wasted a year pretending he wasn’t halfway in love with her.
He wasn’t going to waste more time, that was for damn sure.
He smiled politely at something her mother said and shoveled some crème brûlée in his mouth, replaying that kiss. Again. Yeah, he’d grabbed her and kissed her to protect her, but the second his mouth had connected with hers, he’d been gone. Done. Game over. It had been fucking perfect and sweet and hot and a thousand times better than any of the hundreds of times he’d imagined it.
But he wasn’t stupid. He knew that they didn’t face a smooth, obstacle-free path just because they’d shared a hot kiss and admitted their feelings for each other. There was the complicated matter of her family situation. He had a feeling that the fact he’d dated Taylor would weigh on Alexa. He had his fight to focus on. Not to mention that it wasn’t exactly kosher for a bodyguard to date his protectee. Despite the circumstances of how Sean and Sierra had gotten together, Zack knew Sean would boot him from the case if he thought their pretend relationship had crossed the line from fake to real. The idea of someone else taking over, of someone else protecting her, made him want to punch something. No. She was his to protect, and he wasn’t letting that go.
Probably all things he should discuss with Alexa. Alone. Preferably naked and sweaty and sated after he’d made her come half a dozen times. Given that they were staying with Sean and Sierra, that scenario wasn’t likely to play out in the immediate future, but he liked the fantasy all the same.
His still-hard cock jerked against his zipper, and he shifted slightly in his seat. Alexa reached up to where his hand sat on her shoulder and twined her fingers with his, tracing her thumb over his knuckles. They’d figure it out together. That much he knew for sure.
“Enjoy the tour?” Jonathan Fairfax leveled his gaze at Zack, his expression stony.
Doing his best to play the part of chastised boyfriend, Zack swallowed thickly and glanced down at his lap before meeting Fairfax’s eyes, knowing he had to play this right. “You have an amazing house.”
Fairfax’s eyebrows inched up slightly, as though he was surprised by Zack’s answer. After a second he tipped his head. “Mmm. Well. You didn’t seem terribly interested in the architecture.” Zack didn’t have time to respond, because Fairfax leaned forward, his hands clasped on the table in front of him. “What do you want? Money?”
Alexa’s eyes widened, and her grip tightened on Zack’s hand. “Dad! I can’t believe you!”
“Or are you just in it for the sex?” Fairfax took a healthy swallow from his tumbler, and Zack realized he might be a little bit drunk.
Zack shook his head and shot Alexa a reassuring smile. “It’s okay.” He turned his attention back to Fairfax. “I’m in it because I think your daughter’s a fantastic person. She’s kind, and funny, and smart, and, yes, beautiful.”
Fairfax rolled his eyes, and Zack ground his teeth as a wave of protective anger crashed into him.
“Well, honey, I think your acting skills are still intact, as you seem to have this one fooled.” Fairfax turned to Zack, his eyes like ice. He was trying to scare Zack off, he knew. Knew and didn’t care, because he wasn’t going any-fucking-where. “Alexa is a weak-willed doormat. She’s needy and not very good at much of anything. Her beauty is the only tool in her kit, and believe me, she’s used it. Even if she was too stupid to see it as a tool in the first place.”
“Jonathan!” Alexa’s mother cried out, slapping her open palm against the table. “That’s enough!”
Fury snapped up Zack’s spine, his nostrils flaring, his jaw aching he was clenching it so hard. He imagined slamming his fist into Fairfax’s sneering, corrupt face, but knew there was too much at stake. He wouldn’t do anything to put Alexa’s safety in jeopardy.
Alexa stared at her lap, and when she blinked, a tear slipped free and fell onto her skirt, leaving a small dark splotch. He didn’t know if Fairfax was trying to bait him or was simply a nasty drunk, but it didn’t matter. They needed to leave, and not just because Zack was dangerously close to killing him.
Zack stood angrily, tossed his napkin on the table, and helped Alexa to her feet, tucking her against him. “Thank you for dinner.” Turning, he led Alexa back toward the front door as an argument exploded between Jonathan and Melanie Fairfax. Zack pulled Alexa out into the cool night air, shutting away the sounds of the argument behind them as the door snapped closed. Alexa pulled away from him and practically ran to the SUV. He scanned the courtyard as he moved, looking for anything suspicious while keeping an eye on her.
She leaned against the body of the vehicle, hugging herself, her shoulders shaking. Finally, she looked up, mascara streaking her pale cheeks. “At least we got the job done. And I feel ten percent less guilty. Timely reminder of what an asshole he is.” She gave him a weak smile, and he brushed her tears away with his thumbs, aching for her. He kissed her on the forehead and then on the temple before pressing his forehead against hers, cradling her face in his hands.
“None of what he said is true. Not a fucking word of it.”
Fresh tears escaped, and she blinked furiously. “You don’t know that.”
“Yes, I do. I absolutely do.” He kissed her, softly and gently, wanting desperately to comfort her. “And I’ll tell you every damn day that you’re kind and smart and beautiful, inside and out, until you believe it. Until you know it like I do.”
She laid her hand on his cheek, her fingers rasping against his stubble. “I don’t deserve you.”
“Shh. Stop. C’mon, princess. Don’t do that.” He kissed her again, a gentle caress of his lips against hers.
“What are we doing, Zack?” she asked, and slipped her arms around his neck, holding him close.
“Starting something, I hope. I know it’s not simple. But I don’t want to waste more time. Not now that I know how you feel.”
She snuggled into him, rubbing her nose against his neck. “It’s anything but simple. But I want it too. I can’t…” She raised her head and met his eyes. “After tonight, I can’t go back.”
“I can’t go back either.” He kissed along her jaw, and she relaxed into him. “And I’ll take hard and complicated and messy, if it’s with you. But…” He tugged her earlobe with his teeth, and she pressed her hips into him.
Alexa has sensitive ears. He stored that bit of information. “If Sean finds out that this isn’t pretend, he’ll assign someone else to you. We’re not supposed to be involved with clients, and he’ll take me off the case. I don’t want that. I need to be here. I need to protect you.”
“I don’t want someone else,” she said, kissing lightly along his jaw. His cock jumped against his zipper, desperate for more. God, just the thought of her mouth on him was almost too much. “I want you.” Her lips trailed down his neck, and he had to focus on what he was trying to say.
“Then as far as everyone else is concerned, we’re still pretending.” He didn’t like it, but it was the way it had to be right now. He’d spent a year denying his feelings for Alexa. He couldn’t do it anymore.
“Okay.” She lifted her head, and her eyes were bright. “But what if Sean finds out? Aren’t you risking your job?”
“I’d risk a lot fucking more than my job to be with you, princess.” He dipped his head and kissed her neck, working his way back up to her ear.
“God, you make me feel so good.” She tipped her head back and sighed. “You have no idea how much time I’ve spent thinking about you.”
Satisfaction charged through him, lighting up his senses. “I doubt it’s half as much time as I’ve spent thinking about you.” He trailed his mouth over her skin, so warm, so soft. “Thinking about how beautiful you are. How good. How fucking adorable.”
“What else?” she asked. The tears and tension were gone, and the knot between his shoulders loosened.
“What it would feel like to kiss you. To hold you. To wake up next to you.” He pulled back and met her eyes. “To lose myself inside you.”
She trembled. “The other night, after my dream, after we almost kissed, I went to bed and imagined what it would feel like to fall asleep in your arms.”
An emotion too intense to name rocketed through him, almost tearing his heart right out. “Fuck, princess, I’m sorry.”
“Stop apologizing.” She pressed her hands against his chest, gently easing him away. “Let’s go home. I don’t want to be here anymore.”
* * *
What kind of fucked-up cat-and-mouse game were they playing?
Jonathan rubbed a hand over his mouth as he eased back in his desk chair, sitting alone in the darkened library, listening to Frank Sinatra. He swirled the scotch in his glass, watching the amber liquid slosh around. He’d had a bit too much tonight, and he set the glass on the blotter on his desk, staring at it as though it could somehow explain to him what the fuck was going on.
As calmly as possible, he went over what he knew. Alexa had begun distancing herself months ago, moving out when he hadn’t wanted her to. Then he’d found that damn earring here, in the library, after the dinner party, but there was no proof she’d overheard his conversation with Kramer. They’d searched her house and come up empty-handed, with no evidence she knew anything about the Golden Brotherhood. The break-in had spooked her, and she and her boyfriend, were staying with friends.
According to the tail Elijah had set on her, her daily routine was pretty much the same, with the addition of the boyfriend. She’d come when he’d asked her to, had brought the boyfriend when he’d asked her to, but something had been off tonight. And it bugged the ever-loving fuck out of him that he couldn’t seem to wrap his mind around what it was.
The boyfriend, maybe. Something about him wasn’t on the level, not at all. And he couldn’t shake the feeling he’d seen him somewhere before.
He didn’t know what Alexa knew, if she knew, or, if she did know, if that was the reason for how she’d been acting lately. He didn’t know who this boyfriend was. He still didn’t know where Crosby was.
And right now, what he didn’t know could be very, very bad for the Brotherhood. And what was bad for the Brotherhood was dangerous for everyone else.
Including that damn bartender. Including Alexa.