"It does." Ellie was starting to feel like anyplace was home for her as long as Zane was there with her.
"Good." He nodded. "I think it finally feels like home to me, too."
Stepping back, she dunked her head to completely cool herself off. She surfaced, pushing her wet hair from her eyes as she reminded him, "It's always been your house."
Zane followed suit, plunging beneath the water before answering. "Maybe. But it was never a home. Maybe that's why I never gave a damn how it looked. It was a place to sleep, a place to stay, a place to be near my family. But it was just a house then."
Ellie's heart pounded wildly. "But now it feels like a home to you?"
"It is with you here. It feels like us."
His comment was so endearing that she hugged him, and then clung to him, wrapping her legs around his waist. She savored that moment of intimacy as Zane hugged her to him, both of them bonded tightly together.
Finally, when she opened her eyes, Ellie's gaze caught the clock on the wall of the pool area. "Oh, shit! It's almost five o'clock. Chloe and Gabe will be here soon."
Gabe had texted Zane that they'd be over around six o'clock, but her friend had a habit of arriving early.
"Hey, don't worry," Zane said with some humor in his tone. "Just tell her you got tied up."
Ellie smacked his arm playfully. "That's not funny. Oh, my God. She'll know. Chloe always knows when I'm lying. She says I'm a terrible liar."
Zane laughed. "Then don't lie. You were tied up. You don't have to tell her that her brother was fucking you like his life depended on it, which it did by the way. I think I would have expired from a case of blue balls if I couldn't get inside you."
"Oh, God," Ellie groaned loudly. "I'm not sure she'll like the fact that I'm doing her brother."
"It's none of her business," Zane replied more seriously. "And I don't plan on stopping. So I guess she'll have to get used to it."
"It might be … awkward," Ellie warned him.
He shook his head. "No, it won't."
"I need to take a shower and get ready," she said anxiously as she disentangled her body from his and started back toward the steps.
He followed her, grabbing a towel to dry her off, and then swiped it over his own body before handing it back to her as she held out her hand. He gave it to Ellie, and she quickly dried off her hair.
Zane gestured toward the door. "Stop worrying, sweetheart. I can see that worried expression on your face. Chloe just wants to see you again. Let's go take a shower."
"I'm not showering with you," she said sternly. Ellie knew exactly what would happen if she stepped into the shower with Zane. They couldn't be naked together without wanting to touch each other.
"We are," he said nonchalantly. "There's no way I'll give up the chance to spend any time with you naked."
Ellie was secretly delighted, but she threw her towel at him. It landed squarely on his head. "Pervert," she accused.
"That's your fault." He put the blame on her with a sexy grin as he leered at her breasts.
She giggled like a young girl, surprising herself at how much she enjoyed his sexually playful side. Tossing the towel, she sprinted for the master suite bathroom. "I'll lock the door."
He followed, hot on her trail. "Bullshit!"
He chased her naked through the house. She made it to the shower, but didn't have time to close the door before Zane caught up to her.
Ellie never admitted it was a half-hearted attempt. She'd wanted him to catch her, and he did. However, she was hard-pressed to make herself presentable by six o'clock.
Blake Colter was just getting ready to get into his pickup truck when he saw Marcus's Ferrari 458 Spider cruising down his driveway.
"Shit!" he cursed, wondering if Marcus was slumming it today since he wasn't driving one of his most expensive vehicles. His twin appreciated doing everything fast: fast cars, fast planes-and fast women, because he never stayed with one for very long.
Blake wouldn't categorize Marcus as a rich snob. Granted, the guy liked the finer things, and Marcus liked to get to where he was going a lot faster than everybody else. In some ways, he understood why Marcus had a need for speed since he secretly worked for the CIA during his constant travels all over the world to manage the Colters' global interests. But Blake worried about him. Some of the shit he got himself into wasn't wise if he wanted to stay alive during his business trips.
Hesitating with the door of his pickup truck open, Blake waited for Marcus to smoothly step out of the low-slung vehicle and saunter up to him.
"Where are you going?" Marcus questioned curiously as he stopped beside Blake.
"I thought I'd swing by Zane's place. I'd like to see Chloe and Gabe."
Marcus lifted an arrogant brow. "Already? They just got back. Chloe and Ellie are just meeting for the first time since Ellie disappeared." He hesitated before adding, "You just want to spy on the reunion ."
Blake squirmed. What Marcus was saying was partly true. He did want to see how things were going when Ellie and Chloe saw each other for the first time in months. Chloe had presumed that her best friend was dead, so it wasn't going to be an easy or quiet reunion . "Yeah? So? Maybe I do want to see them together. They've both gone through hell. Other than Chloe marrying Gabe, it's the only good thing that's happened to either one of them." He knew he sounded defensive, but he didn't give a damn.
"What about Zane and Ellie?" Marcus questioned.
"What about them?"
"I think Zane's going to end up being the next Colter to get hitched."
"You think they've gotten that close?" Blake thought Zane liked Ellie, but he didn't think it was serious. His younger brother had always been the type to step in when somebody needed him. Underneath Zane's brilliant mind lay a tender heart.
"I think they're very … close," Marcus answered, sounding amused.
Blake brushed off Marcus's comment. If things were serious between Ellie and Zane, everybody would know. "Did you come over for something specific?" he asked.
Marcus motioned for him to get in the truck. "You drive. But be careful backing up. I don't want you to hit my car."
Blake watched as Marcus walked casually to the other side of the truck and got in. Hopping into the driver's seat, he glared at him suspiciously. "You were always planning on going, too. That's why you came over."
Marcus shrugged. "Maybe," he said noncommittally.
Blake was tempted to back his heavy truck into the sports car behind him just to get a reaction. Lately, Marcus had grown cooler and more distant. Maybe it was because of the work he did for the government. It had been gradual, but Blake could sense things with Marcus. The two of them had always been able to read the other's emotions. Sadly, Blake was starting to comprehend less and less from Marcus. It was as though he'd put up a shield to keep everybody from knowing what he was thinking.
"Do you remember when I did you that favor, pretending to be you so you didn't have to go to a party?" Marcus asked carefully.
"What party?" They hadn't done a switch since they were teenagers.
"The one you dreaded because you said the female host was as bossy as a drill sergeant."
Blake turned and looked at Marcus in surprise. "We were eight years old, Marcus, and I said she reminded me of Cruella De Vil, which definitely fit her perfectly."
Although the incident had happened a long time ago, Blake could still remember how disappointed he'd been because Cruella's sister wasn't attending the birthday party. And the last thing he wanted was to attend the party without Cruella's sibling as a buffer.
"I don't know. I kind of liked the little drill sergeant," Marcus mused. "Anyway, you said back then if you could repay me some day by doing the same thing, you would. You still up for that?"
"You want me to be you? We're in our mid-thirties. And you're asking for a favor I promised when we were eight? Hell, I pretty much forgot the whole thing."
"I never forget. And I don't need it right now," Marcus reassured him. "But possibly in the future."
"What are you up to, Marcus?" Blake would swear there was more to this question and answer session than he knew.
"I can't tell you that right now," Marcus remarked with a hint of remorse in his tone. "As long as you're a senator, my personal activities are off-limits to sharing."
"I already know what you do for the CIA," Blake reminded him as he turned the corner and headed toward Zane's house.
"It's not about them," Marcus answered thoughtfully. "Not directly anyway."
"Then what?" Blake was getting antsy. He wanted to know what in the hell Marcus was cooking up this time.