Dropping Lily's hand but bidding her to come with them, he followed his sister back into the foyer, where he found his friends standing by the front door talking to David. The group turned at their approach, and Coop flashed Glynnie a smile.
"You found him, I see."
"I did, but he's not acting like himself, Coop. After lunch I saw him flirting with David's cousin. Then just now, I found him in the kitchen holding hands with Lily." Looking up at Zach, she shook her head. "I don't think I've ever seen you flirt with one woman, let alone two. And for a guy who's a Mr. Grumpy Pants half the time, you"re frighteningly cheerful today."
"Yeah, Zach," John agreed. "You've gotta do something about this good mood you're in. You're scaring us."
Amid the laughter, Ronnie protested, "Hey, that's not fair. Zach has never been anything but easygoing with me."
"You tell 'em, sweetheart," Zach said, and adopted a look of injured innocence. "Why, I'm known far and wide for my cheerful disposition. Just ask Lily."
"You get to call him Mister Grumpy Pants?" Lily demanded of his sister. "Wow. That must be because you're related. He made me call him Master Sergeant Grumpy Pants."
"Hey!"
"But, come on, Glynnis," she continued as she nimbly dodged the fingertips he flicked at her butt. "Let's give credit where it's due here. If you find his behavior unusual today, you're the one who's gotta suck it up and he accountable. Because having you home safe and sound is what's got him—how did you put it a while ago, Zach? Feeling your oats?"
"My Wheaties."
"Yes, that was it, feeling your Wheaties." She flashed him a smile so brilliant it nearly stopped his heart in his chest. Then she turned back to his sister. "He's beside himself with happiness to have you back."
"I know." And grinning, Glynnis launched herself into his arms and danced them around the foyer. Stopping, she tilted her head back to meet his gaze and crowed, "I've got the power!"
She did, but he rolled his eyes in mock disgust.
"Power, schmower," he said. Waltzing her several steps up the foyer, he stopped abruptly and dipped her with theatrical drama. Then he snapped her back up against his chest, whirled her out in a fast spin that landed her in front of David, and turned her loose. "She's all yours, pal."
"Thanks." David tucked her under his arm. "I'll take her." The couple exchanged moon-faced-in-love smiles.
Shoving his hands in his pockets, Zach strolled over to his friends. "You just got here. Are you sure you have to leave so soon?"
Veronica nodded. "I promised my niece Lizzy I'd make her costume for her part in the spring program at school, and I only had it half done when we left."
"We could only get a single night at the B&B, anyway," Coop added. "And vacancies here on the weekends aren't exactly thick on the ground."
"There's a decent state park."
Coop snorted. "Ronnie's idea of roughing it is a hotel with no room service. There's no way in hell I could get her to camp out."
Lily beamed approvingly. "I knew there was a reason I liked you, Veronica. Why anyone would want to sleep in the dirt and do all the chores you do at home with none of the amenities is beyond me." She offered her hand. "It was so nice meeting you. I'm only sorry we didn't have more time to get to know each other."
"I told you," Coop said. "You come spend some time with us on your way home."
She shook hands all around, then touched Zach's forearm. "I'll let you say good-bye to your friends." But she gave them a final, friendly smile. "Have a safe trip."
Zach turned back from watching the swing of her hips as she walked away and found Coop regarding him.
"Hang on to that one," his friend advised.
He stared at Ice in surprise. "Whoa, buddy, you've got things all wrong. We're not—"
"I'm telling you, Zach. This one's got 'keeper material' stamped all over her."
"But, hey," John interjected cheerfully, "if you don't want her, just say the word. I'd be happy to take her off your hands."
His head snapped up. "Over my dead body, pal."
His friends laughed as if that settled it, and Zach just shrugged, unwilling to wreck his mellow mood with an argument.
But late that night, when he was hot and randy and seconds from making love to Lily, he gave his friend's assumptions a moment's consideration.
And wondered if there wasn't something to it.
He was shaking a condom out of the box she'd bought him when he noticed the rubber's dimensions written on the side. "What's this?" he demanded in mock indignation as he ripped open the foil packet. Rolling onto his side, he propped his head in his hand to stare down at her. "No Magnum extra large?"
She rolled her eyes. "Please. Do you realize the average condom has a stretching capacity of something like three liters? I read that somewhere." Taking the condom out of his hand, she pushed him over on his back, then bent to unroll it down his length until her capable fingers had him snugly protected. She held him in a firm, two-handed grip and pressed a kiss on the reservoir tip, then glanced up at him with small smile. "So unless you're Elephant Eddie and His Amazing Appendage, sizing is mostly a marketing ploy."
He'd never known a woman who could make him laugh even as she made the blood in his veins run hot enough to scorch from pure, unadulterated lust. And as he watched her swing a leg over his hips and felt her slowly lower herself down, down, ah, sweet Jesus , down on him, until his raging hard-on was seated deep inside of her hot, tight depths, he had to admit that Cooper had a point.
She did have "keeper" written all over her.
Chapter 22
ZACH GAZED BLURRILY AT THE FLASHES OF lightning outside the airplane window. His eyes felt gritty with fatigue, while his body ached from sitting. Glynnie slumped astride his lap, her arms limp at her sides and her head heavy on his chest. Every now and then a tiny snore rumbled out of her throat. She stank to high heaven, but since he wasn't about to risk waking her up to change her diaper he ignored it. They'd been traveling for thirty four hours straight, with five stops and four plane changes, and she'd been awake and increasingly cranky for most of them. She'd howled nonstop during the layover in Atlanta, and by the time she'd finally dozed off on this last leg of the journey he'd been pretty tempted to put his head down and do some serious bawling himself.
But he'd been charged with being a man and taking care of his sister, so he fought back the urge. Now, momentarily free of the need to be constantly vigilant, the desire to give in to his emotions suddenly roared back with a vengeance. Gritting his teeth, he blinked rapidly and stared out into the storm buffeting the plane.
Yet he couldn't seem to turn off his mind. Or stop wondering what was so wrong with him that his own parents didn't want him. In every village they'd lived in over the years, he'd seen evidence of the affection the various tribes held for their children. It was in the elders' voices and in their eyes. It was in even the most casual of their touches. Why didn't his parents ever tousle his hair as they walked by? Why had Father never swung him up onto his back? Or Mother rarely hugged him to her side ?
Resting his cheek against the porthole glass, he decided that there must be something wrong with him. And now here he was, being shipped to the total strangers that were his grandparents, to another continent where he wouldn't even have the survival skills he'd had on the veldt.
But he'd learn. He straightened in his seat. He wouldn't rest until he knew this strange new place as well as he knew the high plains of Africa. Staring out into the storm, he clenched his jaw tignt and vowed that while he couldn't control the actions of others or the way they viewed him, he did have power over two things. He could and would watch over Glynnie until he was certain she'd be all right. And he could take care of himself. As for his grandparents— well, the hell with them. He was done worrying whether they'd like him or not. From this moment on, he was through caring how anyone felt about him, through craving the things he couldn't have—like love .