Now that I have Zane’s undivided attention, my nerves kick into overdrive. I take a long pull from the straw of my Diet Coke. The burn of the cola feels good and helps quench some of the scorching in my throat, so I quickly suck down the rest of it.
Zane grins at me as if I’m the most amusing being he’s ever encountered, before taking the empty glass and setting it on a nearby table. “We better talk before you need the restroom again.”
“Yeah, we probably don’t have long,” I agree.
We both chuckle lightly before going silent. My heart is hammering in my chest when I blurt out, “I’ve been a total jerk.”
Zane doesn’t hear me because he says at the exact same moment, “I’m so sorry for lying to you.”
“What?” We both ask at once.
After we share an awkward laugh, Zane says, “Ladies first.”
Suddenly, my throat is parched again. I swallow audibly and wish for more Diet Coke. Finally, I say, “I was startled to find out who you are, but I overreacted. Your actions make it obvious that you truly care about me, and I’m glad you’re the father of this little peanut.”
I hold my palm protectively over my belly. Zane steps forward and places his large hand over mine as he says, “Me too.”
In a deep voice that is filled with emotion, he adds, “I won’t blame you if you’re angry with me for not being completely honest with you, but please don’t cut me out of your lives. I’m not sure I could handle it.”
“I won’t,” I promise quietly. At his hopeful gaze, I add, “I don’t think I’d have the strength to, even if I wanted to.”
“Really?” he asks, as if he doesn’t quite dare to believe the truth in my words.
“Yes,” I assure him, before adding, “Oddly enough, it was my crazy Gran who made me see reason.”
“Well, I owe her a big one,” Zane says.
Deciding to be vulnerable and truly put myself out there, I say, “I have vague flashes of memories of the night we spent together, but that’s not nearly enough. Will you share your body with me, Zane?”
The look he’s giving me could melt an iceberg. His Adam’s apple bobs just before he says in a husky tone, “Nothing would make me happier.”
We both decide to seal it with a kiss at the same time. We tilt the same direction and knock foreheads.
Both of us lift a hand to our heads as we laugh over the silly mishap. Eventually, Zane gently angles my head the opposite of his before leaning in. This time our lips meet without a problem. The kiss is smooth and exhilarating. When we finally pull apart, we beam at each other before running hand-in-hand and giggling to the Jeep.
It’s all I can do to keep my hands off the impossibly sexy man beside me as he drives us to the hotel. Suddenly, my life has made a complete about-face in the right direction. I’ve gone from being pregnant and alone to giddily paired with the father of my unborn child. Now, it’s time for the two of us to make it official by proclaiming our intense feelings for each other through the melding of our bodies.
I’m so excited and anxious, I fumble with the key to my room. Zane takes it, but his hand is shaking, too. Eventually, he gets the door open and we lunge inside.
We stand close together, already breathing heavily. He gazes down at me as he says, “It feels like the first time, even though I vividly remember every detail of our actual first time.”
I nod my head, unable to find the right words to express the mixture of anxiety and delight swirling through my veins. When he lifts a warm palm to cup my cheek, I turn my head to the side and press my lips to it.
“Sweet, beautiful Holly, I can’t believe you’re mine,” he whispers reverently.
“I’m the one who can’t believe it,” I answer quickly.
When his eyelids lower slightly with concern, I add, “Because you’re too amazing for me.”
Relief floods his gorgeous gaze, just before he says, “Absolutely not. It’s the other way around.”
Not wanting to bicker with him in this moment, I merely smile up at him. This allows me to see the moment the shadow of doubt darkens his eyes.
I step forward to bridge the tiny gap of space between us. Pressing against him feels wonderful, but I don’t want him to have any lingering concerns about us, so I ask, “What’s worrying you?”
“Are you over Liam?” he asks, sounding truly concerned.
“Liam who?” I joke.
At his half-smile, I realize this is truly bothering him. Grabbing the sides of his face with both palms, I say, “Zane Alexander, you are the one and only man for me. I just need you to promise me one thing.”
“Anything,” he breathes out, sounding utterly sincere.
Giving him an ornery grin, I say, “Don’t ever call me Baby Cakes.”
He chuckles before saying, “Deal.”
Our lips find each other for a long, breath-hitching kiss. From that moment on, we are done talking. Clothing slips off and slides to the floor as we rediscover every nuance of each other’s bodies.
When we make our way to the bed and fall together onto it, I pull back from him just long enough to say, “We don’t have to worry about getting pregnant this time!”
Zane’s broad chest heaves with a laugh just before he places a possessive hand over my bare tummy and says, “I don’t think we were too worried about it last time either.”
“True,” I admit.
Ready to become one with this impossibly charming, sexy man, I wrap my limbs tightly around him in an intimate, naked embrace. Soon, we are fused together to the point where I don’t know where I end and he begins, and I don’t care.
We make full use of the suite’s entire king-sized mattress as we roll around and enjoy the silky, sweet friction as we connect our bodies, hearts, and souls. He swallows my frantic, ecstatic moans with his mouth, then gazes into my eyes as I come undone around him.
The vague, flashing memories I have of being intimate with him pale in comparison to the real deal, which is filled with a level of tenderness and passion that I’ve never before experienced. It leaves me breathless and constantly craving more of him.
After he groans into my neck and pumps his release deep inside me, I hold him tight as we both shake. He allows his full weight to rest on me, and it feels glorious.
Eventually, he murmurs, “That was…”
When he fails to find the right words, I let him off the hook by whispering, “I know.”
He tips back to look down into my eyes before saying, “Holly, I love you and our baby so much.”
I beam up at him, happier than I ever dared to believe possible before saying, “We love you, too.”