Page 53 of An Inconvenient Marriage
Zach burst out laughing. And not just a sexy chuckle, no, this was full-on laughing. One part of me wanted to smack him for finding humor in this situation, and the other part—the bigger part—never wanted him to stop.
Because a laughing Zach was something wonderful to behold.
There was no doubt about the amount of sex appeal that oozed from his pores when he was being broody and serious. It was enough to get any woman’s heart racing, but this man standing before me, laughing like I’d told the world’s funniest joke, he was dangerous.
This was the kind of man a woman lost her heart to.
With that absolutely ridiculous thought, I decided to get as far away from him as possible. Which wasn’t very far at all. I’d barely set foot in the bedroom when Zach’s fingers curled around my wrist.
One tug was all it took for my feet to stop moving.
“I’m sorry, Natalie.”
I didn’t know why, but his apology snapped something inside me. Fury mixed with shame bubbled through my veins and eradicated my brain-to-mouth filter.
“For what exactly?” I spun around and tilted my head back to meet his stare. “For laughing at me? Or maybe for treating me like crap?” I stepped forward, leaving no space between us. “Or is that apology for making me feel embarrassed and cheap?”
I hadn’t meant for my words to come out so venomous, but once they were said, I had no regrets. In fact, I felt great for finally standing up for myself. Even in such a small way. For all my life, I’d been taught to be quiet and to do as I was told. I wasn’t allowed to question anything, and I definitely wasn’t allowed to defend myself in any way.
So this—as small as it might have been—felt significant. And good. So, so good.
“You’re right,” he said. “About all of it. I haven’t treated you well.” He didn’t give me time to answer. His hand came up, fingers trailing along my jaw. “Especially the other night. As much as I wish I could, I can’t take it back.”
I couldn’t deny how much I liked it when he touched me. The way the butterflies in my tummy had suddenly fluttered to life was a testament to that. But now that I’d found a bit of my voice, I wasn’t going to stop.
“Which part do you want to take back?” I swallowed the sudden burst of emotion lodged in my throat. “Kissing me? Touching me? Or—”
“Never.” He drew in a breath as his fingers slipped down my neck. “All I can think about is having my mouth on yours and my hands all over your body.”
Heat rushed through my veins and set my pulse on fire.
“It’s my behavior that causes me shame,mi diosa.”
I licked my lips. "You callled me that before. What does it mean?"
"Goddess," he answered without hesitation. "Mygoddess."
He brushed his fingers over my shoulder and slipped one beneath the thin strap of my top. I couldn't breathe, my mind barely able to form a coherent thought. Did he really just call me his? I tried to make eye contact, to see if there was any emotion in his eyes but his gaze was stuck on the spot where he was rubbing the material of my strap between his fingers.
For a heart-quickening moment I thought he was going to push it over my shoulder, but then his hand fell away and those intense eyes finally found mine again.
“I’m ashamed of how terrible I’ve treated you, and it’s not much, but I’m sorry, Natalie.”
His words sounded genuine, and it just about knocked me over. No one had apologized to me before. I wasn’t sure how to respond. Did I thank him? Was I even supposed to say anything?
Before I could decide, Zach brushed his fingers along my jaw again. It was such a small touch but somehow caused a massive stir inside me. Even more when he leaned a little closer and lowered his voice to a gravelly whisper.
“Maybe I can make it up to you?”
Make it up to me? It took two seconds for my mind to go to a place where his hands and mouth were all over me. It took even less time for my lady bits to celebrate. That was why it didn’t even surprise me when I stuttered over my words, “Make it… How would…” I squeezed my eyes shut and shook my head.
Zach’s fingers moved from my jaw up over my cheek before his touch fell away. “Relax. It’s just me.”
Yeah, and that was the problem. He was the reason I was all out of sorts and flustered. He was also responsible for my heart beating ten times too fast and why my skin buzzed like a living thing.
Thankfully, I took a breath and opened my eyes. Only problem was, my words still came out all wrong. I’d intended to ask him how he wanted to make it up to me but that wasn’t what I said.
“What do you want to do?”
