Page 40 of Bad Boy Done Wrong
Chapter Eleven
Carrie had spent every night with Zach for the past twelve nights, keenly aware they were reaching the agreed upon two-week mark. Of course, that also meant she couldn’t waste a single night, which was why she dragged him along with her friends to an international beer fest at Garner’s on Thursday night. The event was the manager Josh’s idea to push more of the high-end beer and wouldn’t normally be the kind of thing her friends would attend, being more wine drinkers, but Hailey had decided it was the perfect time to finally put the rumor that Ethan was a sex addict to rest once and for all by showing everyone that she and Ethan were now a couple. This would be news to Ethan. Ha! In Hailey’s mind, putting Ethan with a classy lady like herself would instantly grant him high marks. Carrie had no idea how long Hailey would pretend they were together, but figured Hailey knew what she was doing. She was the queen of happy endings with her thriving wedding planning business. In any case, it should be a very interesting evening.
Of course, this didn’t qualify as a date for her and Zach. More of a two-birds-with-one-event kind of thing. That it was the second time she’d brought him along to hang with her friends was merely a matter of logistics—time crunch plus her own raging libido. She stifled a sigh. Okay, yes, she missed him fiercely when they were apart.
She glanced over at him in the driver’s seat on the way to Garner’s, looking all hot and sexy and alpha with his wild hair and beard, those wide shoulders, his big hand confidently steering. A traitorous warmth stole through her.
He’d gotten into her heart.
Dammit. Sheknewthe moment she learned more about him, she’d start getting attached. She wished she could be less sensitive, harden herself for what was bound to be a painful separation with the two of them on opposite sides of the world. Her only defense was ending things after her parents’ renewal ceremony. She knew prolonging things would only lead to a broken heart. Hers. Zach seemed tougher than that, a global traveler used to connecting with new people all the time. She was fairly certain that even though he might think back on their time fondly, he’d quickly recover. Things wouldn’t be as easy for her if she let herself get in any deeper.
Zach looked over at her. “What did you tell your friends about me?”
“Why?” she hedged.
“It’s the second time I’m meeting them and I’m wondering what they think I am to you. Did you tell them about the list?”
“Yes.”
He shot her a quick look. “Anything else?”
“I just said you made me happy. Don’t worry, I don’t kiss and tell.”
His lips curled in a small smile. He said nothing more, but she felt sort of giddy about that smile. He was normally so quiet and reserved that a smile was like a gift.
“If you want to hang with your friends tonight, I don’t mind,” Carrie said. “I just thought it would save time if we went together; then we could leave together and get back to business.”
He chuckled. “We have a lot of business meetings.”
“Such professionals!”
He reached over and squeezed her leg. “I came here for you, not my friends. I’ve been seeing them plenty.”
“Oh, okay. I should warn you Hailey doesn’t approve of our arrangement. It’s only a matter of time before she says something. She thinks I should get to know you and give you a chance for a happy ending.”
He didn’t reply.
“She’s a wedding planner. She can’t help herself.”
Another long silence.
She cleared her throat, dearly wishing she’d never brought it up. “She did make a good point about how it might be difficult, for me, anyway, to say goodbye after two weeks because I’m, you know, not used to this kind of thing.”
“Uh-huh.”
He said nothing more, which irritated her. Was it really just her that gave a crap about the fact that they only had three more nights and one family event left? Never mind that the time limit was her idea. Eyes hot, throat tight, she stared straight ahead. Every moment felt precious and fleeting and bittersweet.
She swallowed hard. “That’s it? Just uh-huh?”
He was quiet, pulling into the parking lot behind Garner’s. Finally he turned off the truck and turned to her. “What we do is between us. Not Hailey or anyone else.”
“Are you used to this kind of fling thing?” She hated how her voice sounded—choked and small.
He cradled her jaw, stroking her cheek with his thumb. “No.”
She took in a shaky breath. “So it might be hard for both of us to say bye after two weeks.”
He closed the distance, his mouth taking hers in a long drugging kiss. It was still light out—anyone could see them making out in his truck—and that excited her. Edward had been strictly lights out and only in the bedroom. She ran her fingers through Zach’s thick hair, loving the feel of the shaggy mane. She could never get enough of his kisses and never pulled away first. The kiss went on and on until she had to get closer. She undid her seatbelt, hitched up her dress, and attempted to climb into his lap.
