against the thin fabric of his pants.
I thought I had upset him, perhaps even angered him. But he was aroused?
Oh, he was so confusing.
I stayed silent, even as the car began to slow, and as Zach looked up from his phone. Sliding it back into his pocket, he looked at me with an unreadable expression on his face.
The car coasted to a stop. Peering out the window, I saw a massive garage door yawning open, and then we glided inside, pulling into line with another half dozen pricey-looking vehicles. I heard the sounds of the driver’s side door opening then closing, and then Charles opened the door to the area where we were seated. He helped me out first, and as I righted myself and smoothed down my skirt, again trying ridiculously hard to keep my underwear to myself, I heard Zach thank the man in a low voice.
“That will be all, Charles.” I looked up to find the chauffeur peering at me with his curiosity more apparent than it had been earlier. He nodded at Zach, then at me.
“Goodnight, Miss Reid. Mr. St. Brenton.”
And then I was alone with Zach. His expression still yielded no explanation for the sudden switch in his mood in the car, and I didn’t like being in the dark.
Where once I would have just kept my mouth shut, I now felt compelled to question him. Perhaps some of Zach’s brusque, confident demeanor was rubbing off on me.
“Why does Charles look at me that way?” Zach didn’t pretend that he didn’t know what I was talking about. Instead he sighed, ruffled a hand through his hair, and shoved his fingers down deep in his pockets.
“I’ve never brought a woman here before.” I wanted to be suspicious—Zachariah St. Brenton had surely dated scores of women—but the simplicity of his words told me that he spoke the truth.
“Why?” I’d come this far, after all. Why not poke the sleeping bear a bit more?
He raised an eyebrow at me, and the hint of a wicked smile played over the corners of his lips.
“I’ve never wanted to.” His eyes roamed over me, daring me to ask him another question. I felt the fire that had been banked by his mood change suddenly roar back to life.
“And you always do just what you want to?” I spoke before thinking, but I was still irritated with him, and at the same time envious.
What would it be like to live like that,
I wondered. Doing only as you wished, all the time?
“Always.” My question had been meant to provoke, but as Zach suddenly stepped toward me, I realized that I had pushed him in an unexpected way.
His eyes had darkened, and he looked like he was capable of devouring me. And even though all I had wanted for days now was to feel his hands on me, when he looked at me the way he was, I felt slightly—very slightly—afraid.
He closed his hand around the back of my neck and dipped his head. I closed my eyes, waiting for the kiss. Instead of the brush of his lips on my own, I felt the warmth of his breath as he whispered.
“Will you still stay the night?” My eyes flew open. His face was a study in seriousness, and I realized that the answer to this—my consent—was incredibly important to him.
Weighing my options, I let both the good angel and the bad berate me. Staying the night at some remote fortress of a mansion with an enigmatic stranger was not the brightest idea I’d ever had, and I was more than willing to admit it.
I also knew that if I said
no
, if Zach asked Charles to drive me home right then, I would regret it for the rest of my life.
“Yes.”
Zach exhaled loudly at my simple word, and I realized that he had been holding his breath. Before I could contemplate what I had agreed to, he clasped his hands at my waist and lifted me.
“Zach!” I let out a very undignified squeal as my bottom made contact with the hood of his car. The metal beneath me was warm in parts, since we had just driven in it, and bitingly cool in others. The contrast seeped though the thin material of my skirt, teasing my skin with its warring
I thought I had upset him, perhaps even angered him. But he was aroused?
Oh, he was so confusing.
I stayed silent, even as the car began to slow, and as Zach looked up from his phone. Sliding it back into his pocket, he looked at me with an unreadable expression on his face.
The car coasted to a stop. Peering out the window, I saw a massive garage door yawning open, and then we glided inside, pulling into line with another half dozen pricey-looking vehicles. I heard the sounds of the driver’s side door opening then closing, and then Charles opened the door to the area where we were seated. He helped me out first, and as I righted myself and smoothed down my skirt, again trying ridiculously hard to keep my underwear to myself, I heard Zach thank the man in a low voice.
“That will be all, Charles.” I looked up to find the chauffeur peering at me with his curiosity more apparent than it had been earlier. He nodded at Zach, then at me.
“Goodnight, Miss Reid. Mr. St. Brenton.”
And then I was alone with Zach. His expression still yielded no explanation for the sudden switch in his mood in the car, and I didn’t like being in the dark.
Where once I would have just kept my mouth shut, I now felt compelled to question him. Perhaps some of Zach’s brusque, confident demeanor was rubbing off on me.
“Why does Charles look at me that way?” Zach didn’t pretend that he didn’t know what I was talking about. Instead he sighed, ruffled a hand through his hair, and shoved his fingers down deep in his pockets.
“I’ve never brought a woman here before.” I wanted to be suspicious—Zachariah St. Brenton had surely dated scores of women—but the simplicity of his words told me that he spoke the truth.
“Why?” I’d come this far, after all. Why not poke the sleeping bear a bit more?
He raised an eyebrow at me, and the hint of a wicked smile played over the corners of his lips.
“I’ve never wanted to.” His eyes roamed over me, daring me to ask him another question. I felt the fire that had been banked by his mood change suddenly roar back to life.
“And you always do just what you want to?” I spoke before thinking, but I was still irritated with him, and at the same time envious.
What would it be like to live like that,
I wondered. Doing only as you wished, all the time?
“Always.” My question had been meant to provoke, but as Zach suddenly stepped toward me, I realized that I had pushed him in an unexpected way.
His eyes had darkened, and he looked like he was capable of devouring me. And even though all I had wanted for days now was to feel his hands on me, when he looked at me the way he was, I felt slightly—very slightly—afraid.
He closed his hand around the back of my neck and dipped his head. I closed my eyes, waiting for the kiss. Instead of the brush of his lips on my own, I felt the warmth of his breath as he whispered.
“Will you still stay the night?” My eyes flew open. His face was a study in seriousness, and I realized that the answer to this—my consent—was incredibly important to him.
Weighing my options, I let both the good angel and the bad berate me. Staying the night at some remote fortress of a mansion with an enigmatic stranger was not the brightest idea I’d ever had, and I was more than willing to admit it.
I also knew that if I said
no
, if Zach asked Charles to drive me home right then, I would regret it for the rest of my life.
“Yes.”
Zach exhaled loudly at my simple word, and I realized that he had been holding his breath. Before I could contemplate what I had agreed to, he clasped his hands at my waist and lifted me.
“Zach!” I let out a very undignified squeal as my bottom made contact with the hood of his car. The metal beneath me was warm in parts, since we had just driven in it, and bitingly cool in others. The contrast seeped though the thin material of my skirt, teasing my skin with its warring