Page 54 of Bad Boy Done Wrong
“Not appreciating the Neanderthal routine!” she hollered back, running to the bathroom mirror and hurriedly wetting down her hair. Her eyes were still swollen from the tears, her skin blotchy.
“Not appreciating waiting! I can pick this lock, you know.”
“Just hold on!” She quickly brushed her hair. Then she grabbed her toothbrush, squeezed out some toothpaste, and turned on the water.
“Are you brushing your teeth like a good girl?”
She froze. Those were fighting words. He knew she was trying to get away from the image that had held her back for so long. And of course she was brushing her teeth. She never neglected personal hygiene. She commenced teeth brushing without bothering to reply. Would a good girl be so rude? No, she would not. She could hear Ally trying to run interference, speaking in a cheerful tone. Zach’s response was a low growl.
Finally she finished, stalked across the room and opened the door. “I’m ready, okay!”
His surly expression softened the moment he met her eyes. He folded her against his chest and held her tight. Her entire body relaxed in the firm hold, the last of the tension seeping out of her.
“You know what?” Ally chirped. “I’m just going to pick up the pizza in person.” She left a moment later.
Zach finally released her. “You left without saying goodbye. I was worried about you.”
She searched his features, not quite believing him. “If you were that worried, you would’ve tracked me down earlier.”
“All right, I was pissed,” he said. “I needed some time to calm down. You cry like that for hours, I try to take care of you and then you just leave?”
Her heart squeezed painfully hard at the hurt in his voice. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking clearly. I headed home because I wanted to curl up on my own sofa and drown my sorrows in ice cream.”
He put his arm around her shoulders, led her to the sofa, and sat next to her. His eyes were sympathetic. “Did you drown your sorrows?”
“I guess. I’m not sure why it threw me so much.”
He grunted. Then he leaned forward, elbows on his knees, and stared at the floor. “Carrie, I want to keep seeing each other. Just a little longer. I know you’re starting grad school next week and you’ll be busy, but I’m still around for a few months.” He straightened and met her eyes. “I’m not ready to stop seeing you.”
Her heart thudded in her ears. He sounded so sincere, so sweet. How was it that one man could hold so much caveman in him and sweetness at the same time? She must’ve been worn out from her crying jag because she could feel herself softening toward him, considering the possibility of something more.
“But you’re leaving to go halfway across the world,” she said.
His hand slid under her hair, squeezing the nape of her neck in that way he had of firm possession and affection. “We’ll cross that ocean when we get to it.”
“But—”
He cut her off with a kiss and her resistance crumpled. She lost herself in him, pure joy radiating through her at the closeness after their brief separation that she’d feared was permanent. His hands slid under her shirt, his mouth hard and demanding, making her moan with wanton need. She reached for his waistband and he tore his mouth from hers.
“When’s Ally coming back?” he asked.
“Soon. She’s just picking up pizza.”
He stood, bringing her with him. “Come on. We’ll go to my place.”
She didn’t have to think about it. She craved what he could give her, craved their joining, even as she knew she was caving to baser need. Lust made her stupid and she’d probably regret it, but not today. Today she needed him.
They walked to his place, Zach’s hand on the small of her back. He stopped several times to kiss her passionately, almost like he wanted to keep her in a hyper-aroused state. Or maybe he was afraid she’d bail, but her body was already way ahead of her brain. They reached the short stretch of sidewalk that led to his door when he halted suddenly.
A tall, thin woman stood on his doorstep. Everything about her looked polished and professional and, frankly, uptight. From her dark brown hair in a smooth pageboy cut to the string of pearls around her neck to the conservative short-sleeve black dress and matching black pumps. Next to her was a large black suitcase.
Carrie’s mind scrambled to reconcile the man she knew, her bad boy, her wild man traveling the far reaches of civilization, and how he could know a woman like this—sophisticated and uptight—who seemed prepared for a long visit.
“Who is that?” Carrie asked, deliriously hopeful it was his sister since they were both tall and lean, though her suddenly clammy hands told her it was most definitely not.
Zach swore and strode up to the woman, leaving Carrie behind. Not that it mattered because the woman spoke in clear crisp tones as if she wanted Carrie to hear.
“Congratulations on your fellowship,” the woman said. “I also have an opportunity in Singapore. I can join you in May as soon as the semester ends.”
