Page 57 of An Inconvenient Marriage
“Ernesto, thank you for keeping Natalie company.” Zach sidled in beside me and immediately put his arm around my waist. Fingers digging into my hip, he tugged me closer.
The older man took Zach’s hand and enveloped it in both of his. More Spanish words filled the air when the two men had a quick conversation in their mother tongue. I knew some of it was about me because Ernesto’s eyes kept flicking to me.
Ugh, I really had to learn the language.
Thankfully, the two men didn’t talk for long, and when they were done, Ernesto turned to me and bowed slightly. “It was a pleasure meeting you.” He gave Zach two smacks on the shoulder, and then he was gone.
And it was just me and Zach… alone in the wine bar.
Being alone together wasn’t anything new, so why the hell was I so nervous all of a sudden?
Pushing past it, I tilted my chin toward the photo of Zach and Javier. “When was this taken?”
Without letting me go, Zach moved closer and studied the picture for a few moments. “About a week before the official opening. We’d just finished some last-minute touch-ups when Ernesto told us to come outside.”
“You seem so happy.”
His lips curved into that sinful smile again. “I was. I made some of my best memories here.”
“It’s a beautiful place to make memories.”
My eyes were still on the photo of him and Javier, but I knew Zach’s gaze had turned to me. I felt it sizzle over my skin. He was studying me again. And this time I knew if he stared hard enough, he’d see right through every single wall I’d ever erected.
The weird part—the scary part—was that I wanted him to.
I was so caught up in my thoughts, I didn’t even feel him move until his voice was next to my ear. “Tell me about your happiest memory, Natalie.”
Happy memories… I didn’t have many of those. I was happy enough when my mom had still been alive, but even those memories were tainted with alcohol and my father’s rants. And when she’d died, she’d taken the little happiness I’d experienced with her.
Meeting Everlee had definitely filled a void and brought some joy back into my life. But even with her, there never was a time where I could fully relax or enjoy the moment. The fear of my father showing up or taking away her parents’ jobs always loomed over us like a dark shadow you couldn’t outrun.
Zach’s fingers slipped beneath my chin, gently guiding my attention to his. I didn’t want to, but I did it anyway. When our eyes met, my breath left my lungs in one big whoosh. I was used to him looking at me so intently but I wasn’t used to seeing concern in those dark eyes.
“Why is it taking you so long to find a happy memory?”
Because my father is a bastard and he sucks the joy and beauty out of everything he touches. I couldn’t say those exact words, or maybe I could, and they just wouldn’t come out. Heaven knew I’d been conditioned to keep my mouth shut for so long it came as second nature.
No more. I was done hiding. Done with that life. Even if I had to leave it behind by crawling away one sentence at a time.
“My life hasn’t had a lot of happy in it.”
He stared at me for a few seconds, then completely stole my senses when he lowered his mouth to mine again. This kiss was nothing like the first one we’d shared. It was deep and slow. With every bold stroke of his tongue over mine, I felt myself slip further and further away from the old me.
Zach’s arms banded around my waist, and I pushed my fingers into the hair at his nape. He yanked my body flush against his, and there it was, his long, thick erection trapped between us, twitching against my middle.
What would it feel like in my hands? Or against my core? Or… inside me? The thoughts drove me wild. So wild that I lifted my leg in the same way he’d lifted it on the dance floor. Zach’s hand immediately fell to my thigh, and since I was wearing a dress, his touch seared my bare skin.
I wanted more. I needed it. My entire body ached and throbbed for it.
Without really giving it thought, I bucked my hips and tried to rub myself against him. But because Zach was so much taller than me, the angle was all wrong. Just my luck, too. The first time I did something bold, and I ended up doing it all wrong.
But the man kissing me was no fool, and he knew exactly what I wanted. He moved fast. Picking me up, he walked to the nearest table and set me down on the edge. Then he stepped between my legs. His hands slipped under my dress to grab my butt, and with one hard tug, he smashed our bodies together again.
This time I felt him in the exact spot that’d been begging for his touch.
His fingers flexed against my skin, and he thrust his hips forward. Once, twice, creating the most delicious friction. Zach’s mouth was still on mine, the slow and lazy kiss from before forgotten.
Now he was kissing me like he couldn’t get enough. It was wild and frantic, and dammit, I loved every single moment of it.
