Bounty (Walk the Right Road) (18 page)

Zac leaned down and pressed his forehead against hers, his warm breath brushing like silk across her skin. It was pleasant, minty, and she wondered for a moment if he was going to kiss her. It would be so easy to just look up, reach up, and give a sign, a hint, that it was okay. As she stared at his full lips, even with the mark at the corner extending to the scars on the side of his face, she reached up and skimmed her hand over the line and to the patches of puckered skin along his jaw. He went to pull back as if her touch hurt, but she didn’t drop her hand. Instead, she slid her flattened palm across his cheek, sliding her finger up and around his eyes and forehead to his clear hairline, over to the ridged skin and missing earlobe. “Does it hurt?”

He went to pull away, to lean away from her hand, but this time she held his gaze. He hesitated as if having to think until, slowly, he shook his head. “Don’t touch it. It’s revolting.”

Diane set both hands on each side of his face, one side perfect, the other marked with scars here and there. “There’s nothing revolting about you. How did you get the burns?”

This time he pulled away and walked across the room, putting distance between them. “You are so good at distracting me. No, we’re going to talk about Bounty.”

A knock on the door was her saving grace. Zac let out a sigh of frustration and then pulled open the door, and Sam strode in, looking tired and irritated.

“Everything okay?” Diane asked Sam.

Sam shoved his hand up the back of his head and groaned.

Zac and Diane exchanged a look.

“Marcie won’t take my calls. I’ve left a dozen messages. I know she’s listening but won’t pick up. I called Richard; he said he’d call her, and he did.”

Diane exchanged a worried look with Zac. “Did Richard talk to her?” Diane asked, because she didn’t like where this was going, sounding like things had gone from bad to worse for Sam and Marcie. She knew the mess Marcie had been in, crying, devastated, and broken, as she drove away. Sam had hurt her badly.

“He called me back as if we were in high school. Yeah, she talked to him. I can’t believe it. She won’t call me. Richard told me to get on a plane and go home now.”

Diane and Zac exchanged another look. She knew he was wondering who Richard was, what the story was, but he wouldn’t ask right now.

“Sam, you should go,” Diane said. “Zac and I’ll be fine, but you and Marcie…you have things to work through and talk about. Richard’s right. What did she say to him?”

He shook his head. “He wouldn’t tell me other than to get my butt back there, saying I have some problems on the home front that I need to look after.” Sam jammed all ten fingers through his hair and pulled. Anyone could tell how frustrated he was, as if, at any moment, he’d slam his fist through the wall. “Diane, I can’t leave you with this.…” He circled his hand as if it would be distasteful to say it: polygs and her dirty past and all. Frankly, she was surprised at Sam, but then maybe he couldn’t handle any of her stuff. It was too deep, obviously, and that hurt more than if he’d just walked away and ignored her.

She had to look away as a painful throb threatened to close up her throat. “Go home,” she said. She turned her back on him and flicked on the TV. “I don’t need your help, Sam. I’m a big girl, and if that’s the only reason you’re here, then that sucks. You should be with Marcie. You have some things to come clean about with her, as well, and you know how badly you hurt her. You were angry, and I hope you can see it now, but everything you said to her was because you felt that she had damaged your pride. She took care of business, and maybe you’re feeling unmanned because of it. You didn’t think to do what she did, make another deal to protect your friends.” She glanced up, and she could see how well she was pushing him away. He didn’t have a clue, because from the look in his eyes, he was about ready to tell her where to go.

“Diane,” Zac said in warning, but she ignored him.

“I mean, come on, Sam, sometimes you can be a real prick,” she said. “You say things so hurtful the damage can’t be repaired. Look at Richard and Maggie, what they went through. It was a miracle they found their way back to each other.” She picked up the remote and started flipping through the channels, from one news station to the next, giving him her back.

“Diane, turn off the TV,” Sam said.

Diane turned up the volume and sat on her bed, pulling her knees up, watching the image of a fire and a family who’d lost everything. It was horrible, and it should have bothered her, but she was so hurt and mad at Sam that she refused to look at him, wishing he’d take the hint and leave. Zac, too. She wanted to be alone so she could wallow in her sadness. She heard the door click and let out a sigh.

“He’s gone.”

She started, because she hadn’t realized Zac had stayed. He took off his leather jacket and draped it over the back of a chair.

“Move over.” He tapped her shoulder, and she slid her bum over on the bed. Zac set a pillow behind him and took the remote from her hand as he joined her. He turned off the TV, tossing the remote on the bedside table. He slid his arm around her shoulder, and she leaned her head in the crook of his arm. He made it so easy, but she still didn’t want to talk.

“Let it go, Diane. Sam’s not the bad guy here. Don’t start pushing all your friends away.”

“I thought he was my friend, but he can’t handle my past.”

“You can’t handle your past. He’s trying; give him a break. He is your friend.”

“Why is it so easy for you? You seem to know and understand what happened to me. I wonder if you know more about what I came from than I do, at times. What’s your story, Zac?”

“This isn’t about me, Diane. This is about you.” He slid his other arm around her to pull her closer, but some panic started to spill out of her, so she pulled away and scooted around on the bed, crossing her legs, facing him.

“No, I want to talk about you and why you seem to understand so easily what I’ve been through: investigating this girl’s death, the family I left so long ago…” She jabbed her finger between her and Zac. “I could barely stomach talking to the Quinns, and they surprised me. I couldn’t make sense of it, I’m still struggling, but you…you find it so easy.”

He didn’t answer but groaned and looked away.

“Zac, seriously, I want to know. Where do you come from?”

He moved off the bed so fast she almost tumbled onto the floor. “Why are you pushing this? You want to start a fight with me? Is that what you’re trying to do?” he shouted and started pacing.

Diane knew she had hit a nerve. It was like poking a lion with a stick: Any other person would be smart enough to walk, no, run away, but not Diane. No, here she was, enjoying this, and she had no interest in stepping back. She jumped off the bed and stalked right for him, and he gave her a warning glance, even raised his hands up to get her to back away, but she didn’t. She pressed her hand flat against his chest, feeling every hard, tight muscle. She could feel his heart pounding and the heat burning into her hands.

“You can’t scare me away. I want to know why you understand so much, why you care.”

She was getting loud, and Zac wasn’t happy. He wasn’t exactly frowning, but his eyes were shooting off a spark any sane person would have backed away from. She could feel the warning waves rolling off him, and they could have burned her, but she welcomed the warmth. Anyone else would have left the room, run, and been halfway across the county, but she had no intention of backing down any time soon.

It happened so fast. He grabbed her shoulders and spun her around, slamming her against the wall with his body. His lips claimed hers in a deep kiss. He pressed his hard, muscled body against her as his hand slid down over her bottom, lifting and pulling her closer. His kiss was so hard, nothing nice. No, it wasn’t weak and kind or pretty, but she didn’t want those things. She wanted this fierceness from him. He was all male and pushy and possessive, and he tasted every part of her. He took it as if he had every right, and she let him. She felt full of him as he explored her, and not for one second did she think of pushing him away. Her arms wrapped around his shoulders and her fingers dug into his back, and she opened her mouth wider. His tongue swept through her mouth, tasting and twining with hers in a kiss so powerful and possessive that she had to breathe through him to get air.

His hands were so large, running down her back and slipping under her shirt, under her bra, unsnapping the clasp. He slid his open mouth over her jaw, nipping at the skin and then her lower lip, then teasing the sensitive skin down her neck before lifting his head so he could rip her shirt and bra off and pin her topless against the wall. He was kissing her again, deeper, her hands running over his chest and pulling at his shirt, yanking at the buttons. She was so needy she couldn’t get close enough to him, and he was lifting her as she wrapped her legs around his waist, pressing every hard part of him into her. He was moving, taking her with him across the room to the bed, laying her on the mattress. He was on top of her and didn’t give her any chance to catch her breath as their hands touched and studied each other. She pulled at his shirt, which was tucked into his waistband, and then he pulled back long enough to rip off his own shirt and toss it.

He was on her again, pressing her into the mattress with his weight. She could feel the hard length of him as he covered both her breasts with his calloused hands. She didn’t have a small bust, just average, but he covered them and squeezed and took his time, skimming her nipples with hands that seemed to know exactly how to drive her wild. With shaking hands, she gripped his back, running her hands frantically over the smooth skin and down the side to skin that was puckered and ridged. She pulled him closer. He traced his tongue down her neck and took her nipple into his mouth, and Diane thought she was going to come off the bed.

“Zac!” It came out sounding strangled, and he shoved her legs apart with his, pressing his hips between them and grabbed her leg, lifting it over his hip, anchoring her to him.

Somehow he unzipped her pants. Frantically, she toed off her shoes, and the rest of their clothes disappeared, flung everywhere across the room. He ran his hand over her stomach, which wasn’t as flat as she liked, and for a minute she felt self-conscious of her average body, which was far from that of a cover girl, worrying that maybe she wasn’t pretty enough. She started to pull away, her arms covering her breasts, when he held himself up to study her with dark, shimmering eyes, breathing hard as if he’d sprinted a mile just to be here now.

Instead of pulling away, he moved both her hands above her head and kissed her again, deeply, his warm breath feathering against her lips. His hardness pressed into her, the size of him, and she worried for a second and broke away, gasping out, “Condom.” He reached into his pants pocket and slid one out, covering himself, when a knock sounded at the door.

“No!” Diane cried out. “Just ignore it.”

But someone pounded again. “It’s Sam,” came a yell from outside the door.

“For fuck’s sake,” Zac bit out. Oh, he was mad, and he pulled away. “Your friend’s timing sucks.” Zac ripped off the condom and reached for his pants, shoving his legs angrily into his jeans.

Diane lay on the bed, the chilly air cooling her down in a way that left her feeling empty. She sat up, pulling her legs up to hide herself, glimpsing the clothes scattered here and there.

“Here.” Zac tossed over her underwear and jeans. She couldn’t help feeling absolutely mortified. Her cheeks were burning as she pulled on her clothes, turning her back on Zac. He dangled her bra over her shoulder, and she snatched it from his hands.

Sam pounded on the door again. “Open up! What the hell are you doing in there?”

Diane pulled on her shirt and turned around seeing a look in Zac’s eyes that had her cheeks burning brighter. Reality really was a bitch, and she was angry at herself for what they’d almost done. With a quick roll in the hay, the awkwardness between them would have been worse. She couldn’t take it, so she hurried to the bathroom and slammed the door, turning on the tap, splashing cold water on her flushed face and then gazing at her eyes in the mirror. It was loneliness that gazed back at her. She shut off the water and could hear Sam talking.

She opened the door, and both men stared at her, Sam’s cheeks tinged pink. Of course he knew what they had been doing.

“What do you want, Sam?” Diane asked.

He glanced over at Zac and then back at her. “I was just telling Zac there’s an early morning flight I can take out of Sandpoint, but I can’t get a rental car this time of night to get there.”

Zac dug out a set of keys from the pocket of his leather coat. “Take the SUV. I’ll get another vehicle here in the morning.” He dropped the keys in Sam’s palm.

“You sure?” Sam asked. This time, he didn’t look at Diane.

“Yeah, we’ll be fine. Go.”

Diane then noticed that the lines around Sam’s eyes appeared deeper, as if the worry he’d been hiding and holding on to was now starting to beat him up. “Zac’s right, Sam. Go. You need to work things out with Marcie, talk to her, and fix everything between you two.”

He glanced at her sheepishly, and it was awkward. Diane couldn’t help her basic instinct of wrapping her arms across her middle. She forced a smile to her lips but felt not one twinge of the happiness and lightness she was trying to put out there. She hated this awkwardness between them.