Expecting His Secret Heir(22)

Sadie thought she might melt into eternal bliss.

Every touch, every word spoken became a treasure to hide in her heart.  The only gift she might ever be able to give herself, because once she  had to leave him, nothing else would ever compare to these memories.

Suddenly his hand in her hair was guiding her. A nearby seat hidden in  the bubbles became a shelf for her to brace against. The vista before  her swirled with dancing snow swept up from the forest floor, and the  saturated pinks and blues of sunrise reflected off sparkling icicles.

She felt Zach's warm skin against her back, forming a shield between her  and the cool air. Not that she noticed. Her mind was too focused on the  moment when he made them one, bringing their bodies together in a  connection as glorious as the beauty around them.

He moved inside her, all around her. The water splashed and bubbled in  an accompaniment to their harsh breath. His fingers continued their  ballet of tightening and letting go, building her anticipation.

"You're so beautiful, Sadie," he murmured with his mouth against her shoulder, only adding to the myriad sensations.

How could she ever let go of such perfection?

In response to the thought, her body clamped down, desperate to hold him  within her for as long as she could. She arched her back, trying to  take him deeper. To make him as much a part of her as she could.                       
       
           



       

He moved in and out, every drag and pull intensifying her response. The  low rumble of his voice added to the tingles, coaxing her into  submission, commanding her response. Finally, just as the sun peeked  over the horizon, her orgasm rolled through her, forcing Zach to catch  his breath. He held still, buried in her inch by glorious inch.

Her mind exploded along with her body, screaming the knowledge of her  love for this man. So loud, she had to bite down on her tongue to hold  the words inside. Instead tears fell, mingling with the steam  surrounding them.

Zach groaned, thrusting a few last times before he slowed down with a  sigh. He pressed firm kisses along her shoulder as his arms surrounding  her trembled ever so slightly. He murmured tender, soothing words  against her skin.

Something inside Sadie died at the thought that she couldn't have him  forever. But as her eyes drifted closed, she did her best to imprint  every second to memory.

Then again, how could she ever forget any of these incredible moments? She only hoped she never did.

* * *

There was a lot to be learned about another person when you spent  several days in a row alone together, just as Sadie did during their  time snowed in at the cabin. Sharing the same bed brought a whole wealth  of knowledge.

And not just about sex.

For instance, Zach was a side sleeper. He cuddled in close every night,  but her position didn't seem to matter. She could face out spoon style,  or snuggle her cheek against his chest. Either way, he almost never  moved more than the barest shift. He wasn't a tosser and turner, which  made sleeping with him a bit like having access to her own human pillow  that supported her body and didn't self-adjust after she'd made herself  comfortable.

It might have sounded uptight, but Sadie had learned after many  interrupted nights' sleep with her sister that she could only be  awakened so many times before her brain started to short-circuit. Sleep  was, quite frankly, important to her.

Tonight, their third here, started the same as both the other nights.  Sadie drifted off to sleep wondering how many more nights she would have  like this. Would they be going home tomorrow? Were the roads safe up  here? She hadn't had more than the briefest of glimpses out at the road  and wasn't sure that she wanted one.

Frankly, she didn't want their time together to end.

An adulthood spent in a sickroom had given her the unfortunate ability  to instantly wake up at the slightest noise or movement. Only Zach's  movements weren't slight.

First he flopped onto his back so that his side bumped against her back.  She rolled over to face him then snuggled up to a pillow instead. He  was probably trying to get comfortable. Then he jerked again, mumbling  something under his breath.

A little odd for the man who usually slept like a rock for six hours a  night. Reaching out, she laid her palm against his bare chest. His skin  was hot, with a light sheen of sweat.

A few seconds later, he jolted again. Then again, and again. It took her  a few minutes to realize that the man she thought couldn't be shaken  was having a nightmare. Seconds later he rolled over, this time throwing  out an arm that caught her unawares as it struck against her side.

Her gasp sounded loud in the room. Suddenly, Zach sat straight up, his  body at attention. Sadie froze, too, not sure whether or not it was safe  to reach out again. Who knew what Zach was reacting to-and she had a  feeling he wasn't entirely awake.

So she held still, counting the spaces between his breaths, waiting for  him to gain consciousness. As he did, the feel of the room changed. His  muscles loosened one by one. Then the sound of a ragged breath met her  ears, interrupted by a hard swallow.

When he turned to her, she couldn't see his expression in the gloom, but  she could hear the emotion in his voice. "Sadie? Sadie, are you okay?"

Now she sat up, automatically reaching out a hand to rest against his biceps. "I'm okay, Zach."

She barely made out the shadow of him shaking his head. "I think-I think  I hit you." His ragged breathing continued. "I'm damn sorry, Sadie."

"I'm perfectly fine," she assured him. "It was more like a bump. I was just in the way, Zach. No harm done."

"I still shouldn't have..."

That's when she realized there was a slight tremble beneath her palm.  Not a full-blown reaction. Something she suspected he was using all his  might to control. But it was there, all the same.

"That must have been a doozy of a nightmare," she said.

Even Sadie, who kept a lot to herself, would have wanted to talk  something like that out. If for no other reason than to rid herself of  the haunting images that could linger after a very intense nightmare.                       
       
           



       

Apparently Zach didn't, because he was silent. Which was fine. It wasn't  for her to decide what Zach wanted to share. But that didn't stop her  protective instincts from surging to the front.

Being protected, being taken care of, was as foreign to Zach as it was to Sadie. She wasn't going to let that hold her back.

Curling her fingers around his elbow, she pulled him in her direction.  He resisted at first, but she wasn't giving up. As he twisted toward  her, she reached for his other arm, then used them to guide him down  against her. She lay back against her pillow, positioning him along her  side.

"It's okay, Zach," she repeated softly.

Her heart leaped as he buried his face against her neck, but she held  still. It took time. Soon his skin was flush against hers, his breath  puffing gently along her collarbone and his arm heavy across her waist.  There were no more signs of the shakes, but she sensed a struggle for  balance. One she couldn't influence, but she could provide a safe haven  until he found it.

She embraced his shoulders, securing him to her. Then she closed her  eyes and measured her breaths. Soon his breathing matched hers, his  rhythm evening out. Only then could she truly relax deep down inside, no  longer worried that the nightmare would win.

He might not sleep well, but at least his body could rest.

But sleeping didn't seem to be what he had in mind. Just as she began  drifting toward slumber, his leg shifted over hers, sliding between her  thighs. Languidly his hand explored what flesh it could find.

And she was more than happy to welcome his touch.

She kept waiting for him to speed up, to channel the adrenaline from his  dream into a headlong rush for oblivion. Instead, he seemed to lose  himself in pleasuring her, drawing out every caress to gift her with the  ultimate in sensation.

Sadie found herself drowning in the unexpected sensuality that lasted  longer than she could have dreamed possible, until every inch of her  body was imprinted with the memory of Zach on a cellular level that  meant he would be with her forever.

She still wasn't sure if a forever without him was something she could survive.





Thirteen

Zach let Sadie sleep.

It was the least he could do after waking her up last night. The thought  that he could have hurt her during his dream hung like a chain around  his neck.

Something he wasn't proud of.

But he'd survive. He'd learned long ago that he could do this. He would do this. Healing just took time.

As did other things.

He remembered staring down at Sadie's back as he made love to her in the  hot tub. The flex and pull of her muscles fascinated him, because they  represented the strength and character of a woman who worked hard and  provided for others when she could. A woman he loved.