She felt his body pulse with need and her own body responded with a tightening deep in the most feminine part of her. It had been a long time since she’d been held by him this way and she felt as if she’d finally come home. Never had she felt such intimacy, such safety as she felt in Zack’s arms.
He broke their kiss to nibble his way down the base of her throat, past her collarbone, to the slope of her breast. She held him to her as he took the hardened peak into his mouth, and the intensity of sensations coursing through her at the feel of his lips on her body sent a need racing through her entire being so strong it threatened to consume her.
“Please,” she whimpered. “It’s been…so long.”
“Easy, darlin’,” he warned as he trailed his hand down her side to her hip, then lower still. “I want you, too. But I want to make sure this is as good for you as I know it’s going to be for me.”
He parted her then and at the first stroke of his fingers, waves of exquisite delight flowed through her. His intimate touch was driving her absolutely crazy and caused an ache she knew only he could ease.
“I…need…you, Zach,” she whispered, surprised that she formed a coherent thought, let alone words. “Now.”
“We’re going…to do this…a little differently this time,” he said, sounding winded as he sat up.
He lifted her to straddle his lap and held her gaze as he slowly, carefully, lowered her onto him. Arielle felt complete for the first time in months. As her body consumed his, she placed her hands on his wide shoulders and, closing her eyes, melted around him, reveling in the feelings of becoming one with the man who had stolen her heart all those months ago.
“You feel so…damned good,” he groaned through gritted teeth.
When he was completely buried within her, he crushed her lips to his. In spite of the problems they had yet to address, she knew for certain she was in danger of falling in love with him.
“We’re going to take…this slow,” he described when he finally broke the kiss. “And I want you to tell me if you have the slightest bit of discomfort.”
She could have told him that being with him again was the most comfort she’d had in the past few months, but the words died in her throat when he placed his hands on her hips and began to guide her in a slow rocking motion against him. Closing her eyes, heat filling every cell of her being, she knew as surely as she knew her own name that she’d never feel even a fraction of the emotions she felt for Zach for any other man.
As they moved together, his lips skimmed over the sensitive skin of her throat, accelerating the delicious tightening in her feminine core. Her mind closed to anything but the urgent need to find completion. She desperately tried to prolong the swirling sensations building inside her, but the hunger he created became a force she couldn’t resist and she gave herself up to the power of his lovemaking. Clinging to him, she moaned his name as the hot tide of passion washed over her and she found release. She heard Zach groan, then felt his much larger body go completely still a moment before he found his own shuddering reprieve.
As the intensity subsided and they drifted back to reality, he asked, “Are you all right?”
Arielle sighed contentedly. “That was amazing.”
“I couldn’t agree more.” He eased her down beside him, then collapsed back against the pillow. “But are you all right?”
“I’m wonderful.”
“I know the doctor said it would be okay for us to make love, but—”
“Don’t worry,” she stressed, yawning. She knew he was overly concerned because of the pregnancy. “I’m just fine.”
He chuckled as he pulled the sheet over their rapidly cooling bodies. Turning on his side, he then wrapped his arms around her and drew her close. “You do seem a lot more relaxed than when I first walked in here.”
“Barged.”
“What?”
She yawned again. “You didn’t walk in here, you barged your way in.”
“Whatever. I don’t think you’ll have any more problems with muscle cramps tonight.” Zach kissed her soft cheek. “Can I ask you to do something else, darlin’?”
“What?”
“Would you take the rest of the week off?”
She looked questioningly at him. “Why would I want to do that?”
“I’d like for us to spend some quality time together, instead of a few hours here and there before or after you go to the school and I head to my office.”
In Aspen they’d had an uninterrupted week of getting to know each other and that was exactly what they needed now. He needed to gain her trust.
“I just took over the school,” she protested.
“That’s true, but you’re also the administrator now,” he reminded. “You can take off any time you please.”
“Can you take time away from your business?” she asked pointedly.
He smiled. “Of course. I’m the boss, remember?”
When she nibbled her lower lip, he could tell she was contemplating his request. “If I did take the time off, you’d have to promise me something.”
“What’s that, darlin’?”
“I’d need your assurance that you wouldn’t bring up the subject of marriage one time during the next four days.” She raised her eyebrows. “Do you think you could manage that?”
He’d promise just about anything to get her to agree. Grinning, he nodded. “I’m pretty sure I can, provided you know I haven’t given up on that particular issue.”
“It never occurred to me that you would, Mr. Forsythe,” she commented, hiding another huge yawn behind her hand.
“Good. Now that we have that settled, you need to get some sleep, darlin’.”
When he realized that Arielle had already nodded off, Zach smiled as he reached to turn off the bedside lamp. Getting enough sleep was not going to be a problem for Arielle and one less thing he needed to worry about. Unless he missed his guess, Arielle could drift off to sleep anywhere, at any time.
As he lay there contemplating other ways to ensure she was taking good care of herself, he compared the differences between her and his ex-fiancée. Although Gretchen had told him how much she looked forward to having a baby, it hadn’t taken long for her to change her tune. Within a few days of learning she was expecting, Gretchen started acting as if she thought eating was the ultimate sin and became obsessed about gaining weight. And that was just the tip of the iceberg when it came to her irrational reaction to the pregnancy.