Always A Bridesmaid (Left At the Altar) (12 page)

"God, you're beautiful," he said.

She couldn't believe what he was saying, especially now that he'd seen her mostly naked. She blinked her eyes open and focused on him. He took her face between his hands, his expression both fierce and tender.

"You're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen. I want you to believe that."

Tears pooled behind her eyes making speech impossible, so she nodded, sensing he needed her to do so. He took a ragged breath and rested his forehead against hers, his hands kneading her shoulders.

"I really want to make love to you."

"Don't let me stop you," she said breathlessly, pressing herself against him once more.

He made a noise that was part laugh, part groan. "I don't have any protection with me. I didn't think things through very carefully before I landed at your door."

She touched his cheek. "It's okay. I'm on the pill."

He leaned back to look into her face. "Seriously?"

"I wouldn't lie about a thing like that."

"Thank God!"

In one swift motion he scooped her into his arms and carried her to the bed. She felt weightless in his strong arms, like a beautiful, light feather. She laughed, feeling ridiculously happy.

He set her carefully against the pillows, and then stripped off all his clothes. Her mouth went dry. She'd known he'd be beautiful, but the sight of him naked took her breath away. His body's strength and beauty, combined with the passion for her she saw in his wonderful blue eyes, made the flame of her desire soar to peaks she'd never felt before. She stretched out her hand.

"Come here."

He took her hand and came to the bed, covering her body with his. He kissed her once more, his tongue sweeping her mouth, tangling with hers.

She arched her back, desperate to get close to him, to feel him inside her. She thought she'd go mad if he didn't enter her, soon.

"What's your hurry, sweetheart?" He kissed the side of her face, then down her neck and behind her ear. She trembled with pleasure.

"You're making me crazy!" she whispered.

"Good."

A kiss at a time, he worked his way down her body to her breasts. He took each breast in his mouth in turn, gently suckling, slowly, languorously, as if he had all the time in the world. With licks and tender bites to each nipple, he drove her closer to the edge of madness. Just when she thought she'd break into a million pieces, he left her breasts to kiss his way down her stomach to her belly button. He tugged at her pajama bottoms, untying the cord that held them up.

Dani lifted her hips, only too happy to help him get rid of them.

He stripped them down her legs and tossed them to the floor. "So beautiful," he murmured.

He parted her thighs, and with his thumbs he spread open the delicate folds of her flesh, exposing them to his questing tongue. Each lick, each suck, each probing finger brought her closer and closer to the edge. She felt her climax building inside her, her legs trembling, her womb contracting, her juices flowing. Then it exploded inside her, white lights sparkling behind her closed eyes. Zach lapped at her come like a greedy cat.

For a moment she felt sated, complete, but then the coil inside her twisted again, begging once more for release.

"I need you now, Zach!"

She didn't have to tell him twice. He loomed over her, his cock teasing the entrance to her womb, driving her mad once again. Then with one swift motion he was inside her. She lifted her hips to meet his thrusts.

"Harder!" she breathed, clutching his buttocks, urging him on. The madness overtook her. "More!"

Zach looked into her eyes. He pounded into her with a fury that Dani needed and welcomed. Again, she felt herself on the edge and a moment later her climax threw her into the abyss. She cried out his name, clinging to him.

"Zach! Oh God, Zach!"

A second later he came as well, shouting her name. His body trembled as spasms overtook him. She held him tightly, their bodies still joined.

After some time, when their breathing had returned to normal, Zach rolled off her. She made a quick trip to the bathroom to clean up before returning to the bed. Slipping under the covers on the opposite side of the bed, she suddenly felt shy and unsure. Would he want to stay the night with her?

"Come here, sweetheart," he murmured sleepily.

He held out his arm, and she snuggled against him, breathing in the scent of him and their lovemaking. There was nowhere else she'd rather be.

* * * *

A weight pressed on Zach's chest when he woke.
Damn dog.
He pushed the weight away.

"Go sleep in your own bed, Rolf."

"What?" a sleepy voice next to his ear said. "You want me to go? Who's Rolf?"

His eyes flew open. An exploration revealed that the weight on his chest was an arm. A woman's arm. Dani's.

"Sorry. I dreamt my dog was hogging the bed again. Every time I let him sleep on the bed he wants to cuddle."

Her breath felt warm against his shoulder. "I can understand why. You're very nice to cuddle with."

He ran his hand up and down her arm. "So are you."

Her body tensed. "Are you going back to your own room now?"

"No." He turned to face her, intertwining his legs with hers and caressing her face with his fingertips. "I don't want to go. I want to stay right here. Even if you are a bed-hogger."

In the dim half-light he saw her smile. "I was hoping you'd say that."

Her skin was warm silk against his palms as he ran his hand down her back from her shoulder to her hip.

Trembling, her body bowed towards his. "I love when you touch me, Zach. You make me feel almost--" She turned her head away.

He lifted her chin, forcing her to look into his eyes. He wanted to see her eyes when he made love to her again. "I make you feel almost what?"

He felt her take a deep breath, as if gathering her courage.

"You make me feel almost beautiful."

"Daniella." He kissed her lips softly. "I wish you could see what I see when I hold you. I wish you could feel what I feel. You
are
beautiful. No almost about it."

"Zach." Her brown eyes were large and luminous. "Thank--"

He put his finger to her lips. "If you thank me for saying you're beautiful, I'm going to turn you over my knee and spank you."

Her smile grew mischievous. "You keep threatening to do that, and yet you never do. I'm beginning to think you're all talk and no action."

"No action, eh?"

In one swift move he flipped her onto her stomach and over his lap. She shrieked when he patted her naked bottom.

"Okay, okay, I give up," she said with a laugh. "I was wrong. You are definitely a man of action."

He ran his hand over the lush curves of her bottom, feeling himself harden as he ran his finger down her inner thigh and then finding the opening to her body. He heard her gasp as he fondled her most sensitive spot.

"Oh God!"

She convulsed around his fingers, her body shuddering.

His body tensed, demanding its own release.

"Come here." He pulled her up to face him, setting her on his legs, with his swollen penis pushing against her stomach.

She reached between them, holding it in her hand and gently guiding it inside her body. She was tight and slick, her moist warmth surrounding him. He dipped his head to suckle her full, luscious breasts. The taste of her in his mouth nearly made him come.

Dani threw back her head. "Zach!"

He began to move inside her, willing himself to hold on, to prolong the pleasure for both of them.

She picked up his rhythm, moving in sync with him. Clutching his shoulders, she stared into his eyes. A myriad of emotions swept across her face, from joy to passion to elation. Then suddenly her body shuddered and her release came again.

A second later his own climax burst out of him. Wave after wave washed over him as he held tightly to her. She was his anchor in a sea of turmoil and he never wanted to let her go.

She rested her cheek against his shoulder as she caught her breath. "Oh my," she said. There was wonder in her voice. "Oh my."

Oh my, indeed.

She lifted her head to look in his eyes. "That was incredible."

He kissed her forehead and, leaning back against the headboard, pulled her with him. What they'd shared had been incredible, but it was more than that. Much more.

It was magic.

Zach shook his head at his fanciful thoughts. Though she'd been on the periphery of his life for years, he'd really only known Dani for two days, not counting the moment they'd shared in the church in aftermath of his disastrous wedding ceremony. What did he really know about her? How could he be having such strong feelings for her? Where were they going with this?

Dani stirred inside his arms, craning her neck to look at him.

"You're very quiet. What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking you'd better not try to thank me again."

She grinned. "Maybe you should be thanking me."

She was adorable. Everything he needed to know about her was right here in his arms. He cupped her bottom, and stroked her skin from waist to hip.

"Maybe I should."

She started to move in time with his roaming hands. "We've got a long day tomorrow, or should I say later today. We really should get some sleep."

"Yeah, we really should."

She made no move to leave his arms. "Maybe later."

He bent to kiss her. "Yes, later. Much later."

The sunlight streaming into the bedroom window woke Zach from a deep, dreamless sleep. He blinked, at first disoriented, before remembering he was in Camp Campbell's rented house in Toronto in Dani's bed.

I'm in Dani's bed?

A glance to his left confirmed that he was indeed in her bed. She was still asleep, facing him on her side, one hand tucked under her cheek and the other resting on his chest, against his heart. It was as if she wanted to remain connected to him, even in sleep.

Tenderness swamped him. She looked adorably tousled, like a woman who'd been made love to all night long, which was pretty much the case. He relived the things they'd said to each other, the things they'd done to each other. It had felt
so right
.

Hard on the heels of that thought came the panic. What the hell had he done? He'd had no business sleeping with Dani. She wasn't the kind of girl a man casually slept with. She was a girl who needed commitment and forevers, and he was in no position to make her any promises.

Besides, they barely knew each other. Both of them got caught up in the roles they were playing and had let themselves get carried away.

Yet, as he watched her sleep, saw how her eyelashes swept over the sweet curve of her cheeks, watched her chest rise and fall with her breath, he was struck again by the conviction that he knew everything he needed to know about her. She was honest and kind, and not prone to playing games. She'd never lie to him.

A voice in the back of his mind asked if knew that for certain. What about her connection to Jonathan? He'd seen her in the other man's arms with his own eyes. Her explanation felt true enough, but he'd been dogged by the suspicion that there was something she wasn't telling him.

Had she lied? He couldn't bear if she'd lied to him.

He lifted her hand from his chest and gently placed it on the bed, careful not to wake her as he slipped from beneath the covers. He didn't want to disturb her sleep; they'd made love long into the night and he knew she must be tired.

Besides, he didn't want to have the "morning after" conversation right now. His thoughts were too jumbled to make any sense of his feelings. He needed time to process what had happened, to think about what to do next where Dani was concerned.

He couldn't stand to be someone's second choice yet again.

* * * *

Dani woke with a jolt. In an instant, the events of the previous evening and night flooded back, and she felt warm all over. Zach had made love to her so passionately. That had to mean he cared for her, even if just a little.

Didn't it?

She hadn't known him long, but she believed he was an honorable man. He wouldn't make love to her and then toss her aside. At least she hoped that was the case.

She glanced at the right side of her bed where he had slept. His pillow still held the indentation of his head. She touched it, wishing he'd stayed till she woke so they could talk things out. But what could she say? If she told him that last night had been the most amazing night of her life, that she wanted to repeat the experience every night for the rest of her life, that she was crazy in love with him, he'd run as far and as fast as he could.

She wouldn't blame him. She'd only known him a short time. That her feelings for him should have blossomed so quickly and with such strength bordered on pure madness. But they had, and they were true.

She hopped out of bed, found her dressing gown on the floor and headed for the shower. A smile tugged at her lips as happiness surrounded her heart. For today, she only wanted to enjoy being in love. Tomorrow she'd worry about what came next.

* * * *

Todd and Fiona's wedding went off without a hitch. Dani held back her tears while they recited their vows to each other, vows they'd written themselves. They promised to love, honor and cherish each other, and to always be each other's friend. Only by keeping her gaze locked on Zach's face was she able to stop herself from losing it completely.

When the ceremony was over, she walked hand in hand with Zach down the aisle, unable to take her eyes off him. As the wedding party formed a receiving line to greet the guests as they exited the church, she couldn't stop smiling. Her smile turned to laughter as the photographer snapped pictures of the bride and groom and the bridal party. And when she danced with Zach in the beautiful hotel ballroom, joy bubbled over in her heart.

"Isn't this beautiful?" she asked, taking in the flower arrangements and the spectacular chandeliers in the opulent ballroom.

"Gorgeous." Zach grinned down at her.

"I meant the ballroom," she said with a laugh.