Page 113 of Keepsake
He went completely still in my arms.
“You’re so much more than part of a bad memory. I love you, and even if my life is kind of a mess right now, I still want you in it.”
When he inhaled, I felt its shakiness. And when his arms came around me, they wrapped tightly. “Say it again,” he whispered.
I turned my head to kiss his cheekbone. “I want you in my life.”
“No, the other part.”
“I love you?”
He nodded against my cheek, his stubble rough against my chin. “You’re the first one to ever say those words to me.”
Now it was my turn to freeze in astonishment. “Really?”
“Oh yeah.”
I thought it through and realized it was possible. He hadn’t told me much of his childhood, except that it was crowded and impersonal. “Then I’m honored,” I whispered. “Except I’m sure there are more people who love you.” The Abrahams and the Shipleys, for instance. “Maybe they just haven’t said so out loud.” They probably didn’t realize what it would mean to him to hear it.
“Maybe,” he said lightly. “Sure like hearing it from you, though.” He took another deep breath and let it out slowly while hugging me to his body. I kissed his throat and he made a low, happy sound.
“Thank you for driving to Boston tonight. I missed the heck out of you.”
He chuckled. “It was hard to wait. Every day I thought, ‘Not today.She’ll tell you when she’s ready.’ And then I got your note saying you wanted to see me, and suddenly I couldn’t wait another minute. I asked to borrow May’s car, and she didn’t even ask why.”
I pressed my lips to the underside of his jaw, and he smelled so good. So familiar. SoZach. I kissed his cheek. Then his ear. I dropped little kisses into his hairline. They said,Thank you for coming, my love. I rubbed his neck with my palm, and it said,You’re so special to me.
Zach lifted his gaze to mine. The kiss he gave me was slow, the way you’d play a carol slowly the first time through, because it’s been a while since you’d heard the melody.
But this was a song I knew well. I made a hungry little noise of approval and softened my lips beneath his. With a groan, he cupped the back of my head and deepened our rapidly escalating kiss.
It said,Show me to your bedroom.
We made out like teenagers. His tongue stroked mine, and I panted into his mouth. He tasted like espresso and hunger. It was completely intoxicating. The weeks I’d spent away from Zach had made me forget how much natural chemistry we shared—how well the heartbeat rhythm of our kisses were in synch, and how much heat we threw off together.
We were just like a bundle of fireplace starters I’d contemplated in a shop in Back Bay.Guaranteed For a Fast Blaze.
“Unngh,” I moaned into his mouth, and he laughed.
I’d forgotten how easy this was between us—how right. I could stop fretting now that I’d seduced Zach as a means of forgetting my pain. The reason I’d ripped off his clothes was that we wanted each other. Like, yesterday. I skimmed my fingertips over his shirt and downward, until they traced the waistband of his jeans.
He caught my questing hand and broke our kiss. “Time out,” he said with a smile. “I need to cool down.”
That was the opposite of what I wanted. “Or,” I suggested, “you could come upstairs with me.”
“Well…” He chuckled. “Are you home alone?”
“Yes, thankfully.” I tugged his hand until he got up off the stool. “Follow me.” I led him to the foot of the stairs. “Climb up to the third floor. My room is straight ahead at the top of the second set of stairs. I’ll be there in two seconds. I have to grab something.”
He lifted a questioning eyebrow.
“It’s a little surprise. Just trust me.”
Zach kissed me on the nose, then climbed the stairs.
35
Zach
