Born to Be Wild (17 page)

Her back bowed beneath him, her strong hands alternately holding his head to her breasts and clutching at the sleeping bag beneath her.

“Zach … please.”

“Please what?” he mumbled against the damp skin of her stomach.

“Please stop torturing me.”

He looked up, his chin resting on her navel. “Torture? And here I thought I was making you delirious with pleasure.”

Dara’s laugh was more a sigh of disbelief. “Trade places and I could have you begging for mercy inside of five minutes.”

“Begging sounds good.” He pulled her pants off swiftly, making her gasp as the cool night air brushed her skin. “But I plan on being inside you for a whole lot longer than five minutes.”

“Zach …”

He grinned up at her. “Tsk, tsk. Naughty girl, not wearing any underwear. Imagine the sort of things that could lead a guy to believe.”

“Oh,” she panted, moaning as his mouth found her inner thigh. “I’m way past imagining.”

Dara knew the only way she was going to get what she wanted was to take it. Which she reached down and did.

Zach sucked in a deep breath, then released it on a shaky moan. “God, I love it when you get right to the point.”

“It’s going to end one way or the other,” she said, hardly believing she could possibly be having this much fun while being more turned on than she’d ever been in her life. “Personally, I know where I’d like this to be,” she said, her hand circling him, “but it’s your choice.”

In response, Zach grabbed her hands, stretched up over her, bracing his hands on hers, and, beginning with
his thighs, slowly pressed his full weight against her. He was reaching past her head for his duffel bag, then almost forgot what he was looking for when she hooked her legs behind his calves and lifted her hips.

“Yes,” he said, both to her and in response to the small box he’d finally uncovered. “Your treat or mine?” he said hoarsely. She kept rotating her hips under him, making the decision for him.

His hands were shaking so hard, he could barely tear the packet open, then swore under his breath at having to lift away from her for the few seconds it took to roll it on.

Her heels crossed behind his back before he’d even balanced himself over her, and he was sheathed deep inside her before he knew what hit him. The tight, hot strength of her slender body held him motionless for one long, incredible second after another.

“Zach,” she said, her voice husky with want, “move. Move inside of me.”

He did, starting long and slow, until her moans became cries and her cries became soft little gasps. By then he’d taken her hips in his hands and was moving deep and hard and fast, Dara matching him stroke for stroke.

He didn’t want it to end. Like an everlasting dive off the world’s highest cliff. He didn’t ever want to hit bottom.

He rocked back on his heels, dragging Dara with him, keeping her legs locked around his waist. The moonlight played exotic nocturnal games with her skin and her eyes.

He suddenly knew exactly how this was going to end. This time. This first, perfect, unforgettable time.

He slid one hand to the small of her back, bracing her
against him, then slid the other one down between her legs to where they were joined. He caressed, stroked, and taunted until she went wild.

“Yeah, Dara, that’s it. Go crazy on me. Lose it.” She started to buck against him, and he had to grit his teeth not to lose it himself. But he held on, needing to last long enough to witness what he wanted more than his next breath. “Yeah, that’s right,” he said as her gasps became little screams. “Look at me!” Her eyes flew open just as she convulsed around the aching length of him. “Now. Just … let … it … go!”

And she did. Zach reached for her and pulled her up to straddle his lap, holding her hips while she arched back, thrusting her small breasts forward into his waiting mouth. She was still convulsing around him when he came in a pounding, crashing fury.

Dara wrapped her arms around Zach, burying her face in the curve of his neck. Zach’s arms were like a straitjacket binding her to him, his face pressed against her neck.

Sound was the first sense she fully recovered, and she realized that they were both gasping and panting for breath like they’d just escaped the hounds of hell. For some perverse reason that made her want to laugh. She hugged him tighter as the first giggle escaped her lips.

Zach pulled back. “What, may I ask”—he paused for another deep breath—“is so funny?”

She smiled up at him, wondering what wonderful thing she’d done to deserve this moment. “Well, you were right again.”

“Not surprising. Ow!” Zach smiled and rubbed the nose she’d just tweaked. “What omniscient prediction did I make this time?”

“Well, this was certainly … explosive.”

Zach’s laughter joined hers as he leaned forward to lay her back on the sleeping bag, then scooted away.

Dara leaned up on one elbow, openly admiring how graceful and at ease he was in his own body. His beautifully naked body. “Where are you going?”

“To clean up.” Her disappointment must have shown. A hot grin slashed his features as he leaned back down and kissed her long and hard. He groped around for something next to her head.

“Here,” he said, pushing a small box into her hands. “Hold on to these.” He rolled off her and winked at her just before ducking out the door. “We’re going to need all of them.”

“You underestimate me, Brogan,” she yelled after him, but he was gone. She knew as she lay there, that Zach Brogan was the last man she should have fallen in love with, but somehow she’d managed to do it anyway.

Sometime around dawn, Zach lifted his head from her stomach. He reached across her and peered inside the small box.

“Damn. Only three left.”

Dara giggled and groaned at the same time.

He kissed her navel. “You want to explain that?”

“No. I think I went numb about an hour ago.”

He looked up at her, eyes gleaming. “Great. Then you won’t mind if I do this.” He leaned up and captured the tip of her breast in his mouth.

She gasped and involuntarily arched against him, her body long since acclimated to his demands. She lifted her head enough to stare into his smiling face. “Have mercy, okay.” She dropped her head back when he ignored what
she’d said and reached for her other breast. “I hate it when you gloat.”

Zach laughed and laid his head back on her belly, listening to the pulsing sounds of her body. Her heartbeat steadied into a regular rhythm, and he purposely let his mind drift, his hand cupping the soft swell of her stomach below his cheek. The resting place seemed comfortable and strangely natural.

Out of nowhere came the image of her stomach swollen with child. His child. He teased himself with the idea of what it would feel like to lie like this and hear two hearts beating beneath his cheek. His body’s instinctive response to that brief image was so instant and overwhelming, he had to shift positions.

Dara’s hand came to rest on his head, and she stroked a wild tangle of hair from his cheek.

“What are you thinking?” she asked softly.

That I love you
. He paused for a second, the answer ringing so clearly in his head, he wondered if he’d said it out loud.

“Zach?”

His mind and body raced in opposite directions, and it took him a minute to answer. “I—” He broke off as he looked up to find her staring at him, her features all dreamy and soft. A sleepy smile curved her lips in response to his own. But it was that same trace of vulnerability he’d detected last night that had him gathering her into his arms.

“I … what?” she prompted.

He wasted a second concocting a story, then gave up and told her the truth. “I was thinking about you.”

She draped an arm across his chest and nestled her face into the crook of his arm. “What about me?”

Zach raked his fingers gently through her hair, lightly stroking her cheek and forehead, lingering on the outer shell of her ear, then resting on the soft curve of her shoulder.

What about me?
Everything, he wanted to say. He had this sudden insatiable need to know everything about her, all the important things and all the stuff nobody else would care about. Nobody but someone who loved her. Nobody but him.

His arm tightened around her. “Tell me why you work so hard to grant wishes for these kids.”

Dara managed to escape answering Zach’s question until that afternoon behind the waterfall. They had hiked to the beautiful spot after a morning spent going over more of the technical aspects of the trip, followed by a lazy lunch during which another packet bit the dust. Dara smiled and leaned back against Zach’s chest, letting the spray of the water raging down in front of them mist her skin, not caring that it soaked the front of her T-shirt.

“Should have brought the other two condoms with us.” Even with his mouth pressed to her ear, he had to talk loudly to be heard over the pounding of the falls.

She tipped her head back and accepted his kiss, the motion as natural as if they’d been together like this for years rather than mere hours. She pushed that thought, and any others that could disturb this perfect day out of
her mind. “It’s just as well we didn’t. I still need to hike back down the mountain tomorrow.”

Zach’s chuckle rumbled against her back. “Yeah, pacing is everything.” He nuzzled her neck again. “Of course, there are other things we could do …”

Dara laughed, then choked on the sound as he rubbed his hips against her backside. “Zach, please.” She wasn’t at all sure what she was asking.

“I’ll make you a deal.”

She turned in his arms, wrapping hers around his waist. “You’re going to barter with me for sex?”

“That depends.”

“On what?”

“On whether the idea repulses you or turns you on.”

She furrowed her brows and pretended to give it grave consideration. “I’ve already made it abundantly clear how much you repulse me.” She squealed when he goosed her, then sighed dramatically. “Okay, so I’m turned on. What’s your proposition?”

“I’ll let you call the shots for the rest of the day if you’ll answer one question.”

“Oh, so magnanimous.” He ran his hands over her hips and cupped her bottom. She shivered, and not because of her wet clothes. “Okay, okay. What’s the question?”

His hands shifted to rest on her lower back, then he tilted her chin up. His expression grew more serious, and somehow she knew this was a side of Zach Brogan few people ever got to see.

“What do you want to know?”

“I want to know why you won’t tell me about what
got you started with the Dream a Little Dream Foundation. Is it too personal, too painful?”

“That’s two questions,” she stalled, knowing it wasn’t going to do any good this time.

“If you don’t feel you can trust me with it—”

“No.” She shook her head. “That’s not it.”

“Dara.” He dipped his head and kissed her, the feel of his mouth on hers familiar and yet different. More gentle? Caring? No, it was something … deeper, something—

“I understand,” he said roughly. He took her hand in his and started to lead her out from under the falls.

Ignoring the old protective instinct that had her automatically shying away from all thoughts of that part of her past, she tugged his hand, pulling him back around.

“His name was Daniel.”

Zach froze. He had no idea what he’d been expecting, but hearing another man’s name on her lips—and his reaction to hearing it said so reverently—was not it.

“Come on,” he said, gently pulling her behind him, leading her along the small ledge that ran behind the waterfall.

“Zach!”

He kept on walking. “Watch your step,” he said, keeping his mind on his feet. He realized that he was giving her time to evade the issue again. He wasn’t too certain that hadn’t been part of his sudden impetus to leave.

He didn’t stop until they reached a partially shaded flat rock that jutted out over the calmer end of the pool.

He jumped onto it, then turned to help her up next to him. He sat facing the rocketing white stream of water
and let out a breath he hadn’t been aware of holding when she sat down in front of him. He spread his legs and pulled her back against his chest, looping his arms across her stomach.

“You can tell me this is none of my business,” he said, giving her an easy out.

“When it wasn’t your business, I didn’t answer you.”

Zach stilled for a second, then forced himself to relax. “So, what’s changed?”

She tilted her head back to gaze up at him. “Before, you just wanted to know.” She shifted, facing away from him again, but suddenly that wasn’t enough. It wasn’t right.

He pulled her around until she was facing him with her legs resting on either side of his hips.

“And now?” She tried to look away, but he captured her face in his hands. “Dara?”

She sighed, a faint but incredibly sweet blush stealing over her cheeks. He almost told her he loved her right then and there. Only her words stopped him.

“And now … I don’t know.” She pulled in a breath and held his gaze. “I guess it seems like now you need to know.”

“Yeah,” he said, softly. “I think I need to know everything about you.”

He lowered his mouth to hers. He meant to stop at a short kiss, but it went crazy the minute her tongue touched his. Only when he felt her reach for the hem of his T-shirt did he find some semblance of sanity to stop her. “I want you, Dara,” he said, his voice ragged against her hair. “But we need to talk about this first.”

They both paused, then broke into pained laughter at the same time.

“Now I’m the sex fiend, and you want to talk,” Dara said on a groan. “God help us both.”

Zach grinned. “Honey, I’m beginning to think you’re as beyond redemption as I am.” He pulled her into a fierce hug. “But I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

He held her against him until their pulses slowed and their breathing was even. He didn’t want to pressure her or badger her about this. It was enough that she was willing to tell him, he didn’t have to hear it.

“You want to go back to camp? We can pack up and leave today. You’ve heard the whole spiel. This was the last place I needed to show you.”