Maybe they'd stay busy enough that clothes wouldn't be necessary.
They definitely weren't necessary for what he had in mind. He glanced from the bed to the French doors leading to the balcony and hot tub. For the first time, Zach planned to explore every fantasy he could with a woman. Until now, he'd always held back. The intensity of his nature kept him cautious.
But tonight he was cutting the caution tape and diving in headfirst.
As he heard her footsteps on the stairs, a tremble started in his hands. Not hard enough to be seen, just subtle enough to be felt. He clenched his fists, unwilling to give in to the need to pounce the minute she strolled through the doorway.
But when she came in, she didn't look around, didn't inspect her surroundings with the curiosity she had downstairs. Instead her gaze rested solely on him.
Just as she had downstairs, she reached for him. Only this time, her touch wasn't intended for comfort. She moved in close. The faint scent of sugar drifted over him as her hands traveled across his chest to grasp the edges of his open flannel shirt. Slowly she pulled down, just hard enough for him to feel the weight. Then she let go and slipped her hands inside. The same feeling of need came over him, multiplied by a hundred.
But he refused to take the reins...just yet.
The light scrape of her nails against his ribs through the undershirt tested his resolve. His eyelids slid closed. A few deep breaths might help...
She pressed her mouth against the underside of his jaw.
...maybe not.
His heart raced as she nibbled and licked her way to his neck, then down along the sensitive skin of his throat. He growled a warning.
And heard her giggle.
With a quick move, he lifted her by her arms and tossed her lightly onto the bed behind them. A high-pitched squeal signaled her surprise. He stood his ground at the mattress's edge, staring down at her with the knowledge that the game was now his. He was in control. He would make the next move.
For both their pleasure.
"Strip."
The command sounded loud in the room, firm in its intent. Her eyes widened, and he didn't miss the catch in her breath. Slowly, as if to tease him, she crawled to her knees, then straightened. Her fingers traced up her sweater to the trio of buttons right below her breasts. He could almost feel the seconds tick out as she released each one with agonizing delays.
If she only knew just where that teasing would lead.
Next came the long-sleeved T-shirt beneath. How could a woman make pulling a shirt over her head so incredibly sensual? As she reached for the button of her jeans, the tremble in his hands became a reality.
The zipper traveled down ever so slowly. Just when he wondered how she would complete the move, she rolled confidently down onto her back. Holding his gaze with her own, she braced her knees and lifted her hips into his line of sight. She worked the heavy material down over her hips, then paused with her palms flat against her thighs.
Now it was his turn.
His patience at an end, he grasped the material and pulled. The jeans came off in one easy move. Sadie lost her balance as her feet were swept off the bed and fell back with a little bounce. The lamp on the bedside table left no shadows to hide her body. Zach was free to savor every inch with his gaze as much as his touch.
He took advantage as he systematically stripped his own clothes away. As he crawled onto the bed, a new feeling took hold of him. He didn't recognize it at first. When he did, he probably should have been ashamed. After all, this was the age when women weren't owned by men. But deep inside, the urge to brand her as his was undeniable. To cover her body with his own and take her until no other man would dare touch what was Zach's alone.
Primitive. Forceful. Necessary.
He could concede that this relationship wasn't forever as long as he wanted to...but his body would never believe it.
Straddling her stomach and arms, he bent low over her upper body. Just as she had earlier, he pressed kisses along her lower jaw. Only his were openmouthed and hard, drawing moans from deep within her throat. He moved lower, sucking at the base of her neck where the delicate indentation between her collarbones begged for his attention.
She squirmed, but he wasn't giving her the chance to distract him with her touch. As he traveled out to the delicate structure of her shoulder, he swept the strap of her bra aside. Then he stripped the bra itself down to reveal pale, trembling mounds of succulent flesh. Pressing them together with his palms, Zach admired their strawberries-and-cream color before lowering his head to drive her wild.
Because he remembered everything that made Sadie moan, sigh and cry out. And he used that knowledge to his full advantage.
As much as he wanted to hold out, to extend their loving to the brink of insanity, the throbbing pulse between his thighs insisted otherwise. He made quick work of her undergarments, then took immense satisfaction in lifting her legs and wrapping them around his waist.
She needed no prompting but immediately pulled him in tight. He barely had enough reach to snag a condom from the bedside table and cover himself. Then he slid home.
This time, there was no controlling his rhythm, no holding back. Their bodies strained in time with each other. Her cries filled the air. The feel of her fingernails on his back sent a sharp zing down his spine.
Almost over. Not yet. Not yet.
He buried his face at her throat, absorbing the vibration of her hoarse cries with his mouth. Her body tightened around him, a long, slow squeeze that pulled him in and sucked him dry.
It was many moments before Zach could open his eyes to the glare of the lamp beside them, even more before he could ease away from the tangle of their limbs. He made them both comfortable, then plunged the room into darkness.
A dim glow from outside permeated the French doors. Not the light of the moon, but maybe its shadowy reflection off the ever deepening snow on the deck. He lay on his side watching it, Sadie pulled close and secure against his chest. As he listened to the deepening of her breath, he had the same feeling he'd had on the nights before a few missions gone wrong. The sense that he'd made a mistake, missed something that was going to come back to bite him in the ass.
But he was too happy to care. If Sadie was a mistake, she was by far the best mistake he'd ever made.
* * *
"But I didn't bring a swimsuit."
The amused, calculating look in Zach's eyes told her he didn't care. Not in the least. "Well, I have one, but I promise not to use it."
Oh, she was in trouble. But she tried to protest anyway. "It's cold out there." The idea of the hot tub in the snow sounded romantic, but she'd have to actually go outside naked to accomplish it.
"So..."
As Zach tracked her around the bedroom, Sadie tried to think of another motive for staying inside. Normally, dawn was something she only saw for photo shoots. But this seemed to be her punishment for trying to ease out of bed and find a robe to cover her naked body. Now she attempted to both avoid Zach and keep the robe, which proved useless as he pounced.
Her squeal echoed in the room when he swept her into his arms and stalked for the French doors. The first blast of cold air on her bare bottom made her gasp.
Yep, exactly what she had wanted to avoid.
The Neanderthal carrying her didn't appear fazed. "Zach," she said. "I'm naked."
"And all the more beautiful for it."
Thankfully Zach had prepared the tub while she'd been in the bathroom. The cover was already off and steam rose in smoky tendrils from the water. After a few steps, he tilted her until her toes met the blessed warmth. Inch by inch he eased her in until the water covered her like a blanket. Then he slid his sleekly muscled limbs in behind her.
The water bubbled against her skin, reawakening the sensual needs that simmered below the surface whenever Zach was anywhere close. Zach's strong hands kneaded her shoulders, further weakening her resistance.
"See," he murmured. "This is worth the walk, right? Or rather, the ride?"
"Totally," she mumbled back. "And I'll believe that until the minute I have to get out and walk back into the house."
Zach laughed, the sound echoing around them. "Then I better make the interim worthwhile, huh?"
You always do.
But she didn't let herself say the words out loud. She let her body speak them instead.
It wasn't long before Zach's hands moved from working their heavenly magic on her shoulders back up into the wildly tangled locks of her hair. He alternated hands, squeezing and pulling one at a time, just enough to release the tension from her scalp.