Ordinarily someone with his good looks would have made her feel tongue-tied and self-conscious, but it was as if he didn't realize how devastatingly gorgeous he was, and he'd made her feel pretty and witty, too. Then, in the days that followed, he'd given her a rush that had simply swept her off her feet. They'd gotten married four short months later, and Christopher had promptly given up his apartment in Bellingham to move into the Beaumont estate and had exchanged his job for a post in the family business.
He walked over to stare down at her now, and when his golden eyebrows gathered over his nose she thought for an instant that he'd read her thoughts. But apparently that wasn't the case.
"So I'm repeating myself," he growled with a shrug of one muscular shoulder. "So sue me—I know how easily you allow Cassidy to undermine your confidence. But I swear to you, Jess, the instant I concluded my business call, my intention was to head down to breakfast like I told you I would. I didn't anticipate Cassidy waylaying me in the upstairs hall to moan about her dead BMW and an appointment she simply had to make."
"Yet, there she was at breakfast, with all the time in the world to insult our guest." And that didn't even address the sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach that Christopher's telephone call had given her. When he'd covered the mouthpiece and urged her to go down to breakfast without him, she'd had the uneasiest feeling that he didn't want her overhearing his end of the conversation.
But her husband had a way of allaying all her fears, and he did so now. "What can I say?" he asked smoothly. "It was typical Cassidy bullshit. As soon as I determined her problem was only a rundown battery because as usual she hadn't bothered to make sure the driver's door was fully closed, I offered to jump-start the car. But no; all of a sudden she's no longer in a big galloping hurry and decided she simply had to have breakfast." He ran his fingertips down Jessica's cheek as he gazed earnestly into her eyes. "We both know she's just trying to cause trouble."
And darned if it wasn't working, too, Jessica thought unhappily. She could literally feel all her insecurities kicking in, but she drew a deep, quiet breath, then slowly eased it out again, refusing to let them get the better of her. Helping with the breakfast preparations this morning had made her feel good about herself, and she wanted to hang on to the sensation, to experience again that boost to her confidence. She looked up at Christopher and changed the subject. "Lily said she could teach me how to cook."
"She did, huh? And that appeals to you?"
"Yes." She laughed. "Isn't that silly?"
"Hell, no. Not if it gives you pleasure." He studied her face. "You like her, don't you?"
"Yes, I do. She's nice, and she makes me laugh."
"There's not many who can claim that distinction these days." He sounded almost bitter, but before she could decide if she were imagining things or not, he asked, "What's your take on her relationship to Taylor?"
She looked at him in surprise. "They're lovers," she said immediately. Then hesitantly, "Don't you think?"
"Did she say as much?"
"Well, no, but look at her. Look at him. And there's that… electricity when the two of them are in the same room. I simply assumed—"
Christopher shook his head. "I don't know, babe. I don't deny the chemistry, but he has a way of looking at her that makes me believe they haven't actually done the deed yet."
And just like that, Jessica's feeling of well-being collapsed. "Well, perfect," she said flatly. Stepping back, she pushed her hair out of her eyes with both hands and stared up at her husband in frustration. "Once again my sterling ability to read people and situations shines through."
Bewilderment drew his golden eyebrows together as Christopher looked down at her. "Why would you feel an investment in their love life?"
She blew out a disgusted breath. "Because, helpful me, I arranged for them to be in adjoining rooms."
Braced for rejection, Zach took a moment to change gears. "What d'you mean, okay ?" he demanded, shoving back in order to stare down at Lily. "Okay, as in that's your response to my 'I get the rejection' comment? Or okay, as in yes?"
"Okay, as in yes. I'm curious, all right?" But even as bravado tilted Lily's chin up, she wondered what the heck she was doing. This was sooo not smart and immediately she tried to backpedal. "Look, just forget it. It was one of those impetuous speak-before-you-think things, but it's a dumb idea. An extremely dumb—"
"Oh, no you don't," he growled. "You said 'okay.' Too late to change your mind now." And hooking a warm hand behind her neck, he pulled her away from the wall, lowered his head, and rocked his mouth over hers.
Pleasure splintered through her in amazing abundance, considering it wasn't some deep, wet soul kiss.
Zach's lips were slightly parted, and his mouth worked hers masterfully, but he kept his tongue to himself. Even without it, however— boy , the man could kiss! His lips teased, and then delivered on every promise. They brushed hers lightly… then not so lightly… then firmly rubbed her lips apart. When his mouth suddenly sealed itself over hers and lightly sucked, she came right up onto her toes. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she offered up her mouth for more and impulsively skimmed the tip of her tongue along the slick, inner curve of his bottom lip where it adhered to her own.
Making an uncivilized sound, Zach slanted his mouth over hers with just the slightest hint of roughness and pressed her back against the wall. He spread his thighs and bent his knees until he was on a more equitable level with her much shorter stature, then plunged his hands into her hair to hold her head firmly. His kiss grew more insistent but still remained relatively chaste. Until, with a rumble of frustration, his hot tongue suddenly slid past her teeth to probe her receptive mouth.
Lily fell as if she'd plunged her fingers into a live socket—electricity shot from the damp thrust of Zach's tongue straight to her nipples, her fingertips, her toes. Muscles deep between her thighs tightened. She moaned and kissed him back for all she was worth, chasing the aggressive pump of his tongue with her own until the two slid and retreated from each other in a damp, fervent tango.
Lifting his mouth a moment later, he whispered a ragged curse, turned his head to come at her from another angle, then dove back into the kiss. His fingers tangled in her hair for a second, then slowly slid free to stroke down the sides of her neck, over the curves of her shoulders and along the hollows of her underarms. The heels of his hands lightly skimmed the sides of Lily's breasts, but before she could fully inhale the breath she'd sucked in, his clever hands had already continued on to smooth along her ribcage, to trace the dip of her waistline, then slide onto the fullness of her hips. There his fingers sank in, and he suddenly lifted her up as he straightened to his full height.
With a startled exclamation, she pulled her mouth free and tightened her grip around his neck. But Zach obviously had no intention of letting her slip, and the next thing Lily knew, she was pressed between the hard wainscoting and his even harder body, her feet dangling a good foot off the floor as he recaptured her lips. Not about to hang there like a rag doll, she wrapped her legs around his narrow hips.
He made a satisfied noise deep in his throat, and his hands slid around to grasp the full curves of her bottom. Continuing to kiss her senseless, he made minor adjustments to her position. Then all of a sudden the achy notch between her legs aligned with the hard length of his erection. Nerves sang throughout Lily's entire body, and involuntarily, her pelvis surged forward to maintain the delicious contact.
And control of the kiss abruptly went up in flames.