Page 60 of Call it Fate

“Sure, buddy, if it’s okay with your mom.”

They both looked at me with the same expression, and I was powerless to say “no.”

I curled up in a chair while the two of them sat side by side, almost twin-like in their expressions, with their tongue stuck out between the corner of their lips while they concentrated on whatever game they were playing. They made it look so easy to be together. I wasn’t sure why I still struggled to accept Zach was now a part of our lives. Unlike Iain, I knew the challenges of trying to make this work. What would happen when it was time for Zach to leave? There were at least six hours between us; weekends would be challenging with that much road time, especially during the school year.

A burst of laughter pulled me from my thoughts. Zach was high-fiving Iain. “Good game, bud. Why don’t you play solo for a bit and let me talk to your mom.”

“Okay.” He was lost in the game again, his body already poised forward and twisting as he navigated the characters on the screen. It wasn’t hard to imagine that he’d love spending time here, and the thought made me feel lonely at the idea of our small space suddenly feeling large without his presence.

“Em?”

“Hmm?” I looked up to see Zach holding his hand out for me.

“Let’s go upstairs.”

I hesitated for a second, but I slid my hand into his. But instead of releasing it when I stood, he held on to it the entire way up the stairs and back into the kitchen. It felt too good—too right—to take it back, so I allowed myself to enjoy it for the moment.

“Can I get you anything?” he asked. “I’ve got some muffins that I happen to know are the best around.” He winked at me.

Damn it!It was like being the young girl back in the park when I’d first met him. I’d been powerless to say “no” to him then, and apparently, I still was. “Sure. I don’t suppose you have any coffee to go with it?”

While he got everything together, refusing my offer to help, I moved to the wall of windows in the living room. There was a large yard out back, and he had a gorgeous view of the mountains, with a glimpse of the valley below us.

“The real estate office in town sent a few choices over to pick from. That view sold me on this one,” Zach called from the kitchen.

I felt his warmth as he stood behind me. I turned to face him, not expecting him to be so close. His hands settled on my hips as our bodies brushed each other. I was caught in the snare of his darkening gaze. My breath caught as his eyes moved to my lips, which parted slightly of their own accord. My heart beat faster, and I wanted nothing more than for him to kiss me again. I didn’t have it in me to push him away.

“Sunshine,” he breathed as his fingers tightened their grasp.

I tilted my head up. Or was he moving toward me? His lips were just a whisper away as mine parted in anticipation. It must have been the encouragement he needed because suddenly, there was no more space between us, and his lips were pressed to mine. His hands left my hips only to encircle my waist and pull me closer. His tongue played a little game of seek and retreat, teasing until, with a moan, my hands slid upward along his shoulders and into his hair, holding his head close to mine.

I could feel his hardness between my legs, and I raised up on my toes to match it to the core part of me that needed him. His hands ran up and down my back before one tangled in my hair and the other slid across my backside and down my thigh, urging my leg up and around his hip. His leg pressed between mine, expelling a whimper from me as I shamelessly ground against his thigh without further encouragement.

“Fuck, Em. You’re so beautiful.” He growled low and deep in his throat while his fingers twisted almost painfully in my hair as his mouth left mine to trail a line of kisses down the column of my neck.

My movement seemed to ignite a spark because his teasing became commanding. He nipped at my lower lip, then soothed it with his tongue before it slid inside to tangle with mine, no more tasting but full-on consuming.

A shriek of victory came from downstairs, breaking the spell, and I jerked my head away. Zach’s grip lessened, and I let my leg fall, but he didn’t let go. He took a shuddering breath as I hid my face against his chest, sucking in short, quick breaths of air as I tried to regain a sense of control.

His chest rumbled against my ear. “I guess I better get used to not being alone for moments like this.”

I immediately stiffened. I hadn’t considered that Zach might have another woman in his life. I tried to pull away, but his arms were bands across my back. A finger tried to lift my chin, but I stubbornly refused to look at him.

“Em. Look at me. Please.”

I slowly dragged my eyes up to his handsome face. Why wouldn’t he have other women interested in him? He was gorgeous. Any woman would want him.

“Don’t pull away from me, sunshine. I’m not sure what’s got you all spun up all of a sudden. But I was talking about moments with you, just in case you had any other thoughts in mind.”

Oh. “I, uh, wasn’t sure. I mean, I’m here now, but someday, you’ll be back at your home, and maybe you’ll have a girlfriend—”

He stopped my words with a finger to my mouth. “Stop. I know you feel this between us. It’s stronger than ever despite the time we’ve been apart. I’m not sure how you feel, but let me be clear on my part for you. I don’t know why we’ve been given this second chance. Call it fate. Call it chance. Call it whatever the fuck you want, but I’ve found you, and God help me, I’m not sure I can let go again. So please, Em. Don’t we owe it to ourselves to see where this leads?”

“But how, Zach? Your life, yourreallife, isn’t here. Aren’t we just setting ourselves up for more pain?”

“We aren’t the young kids we were then. We know what we’re getting into this time. There are no more secrets. You and Iain are the most important things to me right now. Yes, it’s complicated. But if we’re as strong as I think we are, we’ll find a way. Do we really have to have all the answers right now? Let’s see where this goes. I don’t want to spend the rest of my life wondering ‘what if’ just because we don’t have all the answers up front.”

I stared at him, struck by the sincerity I heard in his voice and feeling more than a little guilty about the secret I was keeping. But that was still for the best. “You give a compelling argument, Doc Abbott.”

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