Barbara Dunlop - An Intimate Bargain

And he wanted more.

He wanted her naked.

He wanted to make love to her so badly that he was nearly shaking with need.

But that wasn’t fair. He forced himself to pull back. He let her go, refusing to take advantage of the situation and risk hurting her.

“The west hall,” he managed to say.

She blinked at him in obvious confusion, her pupils dilated, lips parted, dark and moist. “Huh?”

He mustered his strength and focused. “We should go look at the west hall. See if it’s big enough for the restaurant. I like the high ceilings, and the archways. If it’s too small, we could include the mezzanine level. It wraps around the main hall, one story above.” Zach knew he was babbling, but it was either that or haul her back into his arms and make love to her on the stone floor, or maybe up against the curved wall, or on one of its long trunks.

Damn it. He had to stop letting his mind wander like that.

“The west hall?” he repeated with a steely will. “We can go down there and take a look.” He waited for her response, inordinately proud of his self-control.

She tipped her head to one side, her soft brows going up. “Or,” she proposed in a perfectly reasonable tone, “we can stay up here and have sex.”

His jaw dropped.

She eased in closer, coming up against him, a sultry smile growing on her face. “Come on, Zach. We both know that’s why I’m staying.”

“There’s more to it than that.” There was much more to it than that. Abigail wasn’t just about sex to him.

She leaned a cheek against the front of his shirt. “I suppose there’s the restaurant. That’ll be fun, too.”

“Abby,” he protested. “I’m not asking you to-”

“I’m just sayin’.” She walked her fingertips up his chest. “We can have a quickie now and then concentrate on the restaurant for the rest of the afternoon. Or we can pretend to work, while doing nothing but lusting after each other for the next few hours.”

Zach was honestly speechless. The woman was one in a million. No, one in a billion. How many people out there were so forthright and pragmatic? He’d swear she didn’t have a manipulative bone in her body.

He put his arms around her and tugged her flush against him. “My room?”

“What’s wrong with here?”

“Nothing.”

“Good. It’ll be more efficient.”

“Efficient? That’s your priority?”

“A girl gets more done that way.”

Chuckling, he popped the snap on her jeans, released the zipper and whisked the denim and her panties down her legs. Then he lifted her and set her on top of a waist-high trunk in one smooth motion.

“Happy to help this girl get things done,” he drawled.

She kicked off her boots and got out of her jeans, while he shucked his own pants.

As soon as he was done, she put her hands on his hips and pulled him between her legs. She met his lips in an openmouthed, carnal kiss that went on and on.

Then she wriggled forward, and their bodies met in intimacy.

“Condom,” she prompted.

“Wait a minute, don’t you want-”

“What?”

Didn’t she want foreplay, soft words, hugs and sexy whispers?

In answer, she braced herself on her elbows, and her legs slipped up to his waist, solidifying the angle between them.

Okay. Apparently not.

“You always this slow on the uptake, Lucky?”

He tore open the condom. “You always this impatient?”

“Never.”

“So, it’s just me?”

“It’s just you.”

“Should I be flattered?”

“Absolutely. I’m usually a very deliberate, methodical person.”

Taking her at her word, he pressed fully inside.

Her eyes fluttered closed. Her head tipped back, revealing her slender neck. She moaned.

“Good,” he agreed, his own voice guttural, mouth going to her neck to taste the delicate skin.

“So good.” She arched toward him.

Zach wasted no time. He cupped her bottom with his other hand, pulled her against him, moving immediately into a solid rhythm. Then he stripped off her T-shirt, popped the clasp of her bra and tore off his own shirt, scattering the buttons in his impatience. He needed to feel her hot skin against his, all the length of their bodies.

He inhaled her scent, tasted her sweet lips, cupped her breasts, bringing first one nipple then the other to a beaded point. Her nails dug into his back, her thighs tightened around him. Arousal was like a freight train inside his brain, moving at full speed. There was no stopping it, and there was definitely no turning back.

Abby obviously felt it, too.

He sped up, and she met him thrust for thrust. Her head sank back, and he kissed her neck again, her shoulders, her breasts. His subconscious took over, body arching and withdrawing in a primal rhythm. Her gasps grew higher and shriller, until the contractions of her body sent him completely over the edge.

He locked his knees, stabilizing them both, until the waves of pleasure dissipated. When the strength came back into his muscles, he lifted her, turning her onto his lap, perching himself on the trunk to give his legs a reprieve.

“That wasn’t exactly fast,” she gasped.

“Complaining?”

“No. But it’s a fact, once we get going, we don’t seem to want to stop.”

He touched his forehead to hers. “I don’t ever want to stop.”

Her grin was blurry so close to his eyes.

“Maybe long enough to plan a restaurant,” she said.

“Maybe long enough for a shower and dinner.” Forget the restaurant. They could plan it any old time. Right now, he wanted her in his bed as soon as humanly possible.

“Don’t be a slacker, Zach.”

A laugh rumbled through him, bringing him partway back to reality. “Nobody’s ever accused me of that before.”

“It’s barely four o’clock. We’ve got half the day left.”

“How late do you usually work?”

“Eight, sometimes nine. It depends.”

“You need to join a union or something.”

“I’m one of the ranch owners.”

“Well, the other ranch owners are taking advantage of you.”

“They’re working just as hard.”

“Most of them left, Abigail.”

“You mad at me?”

He drew back in surprise. “No.”

“You haven’t called me Abigail in a while.”

He gazed into her eyes. “I’m not mad at you, Doll-Face. I-” He stopped himself. What the hell had almost popped out of his mouth? “Like you a lot,” he finished.

It was true. He liked her. A whole lot. She was so fresh and fun and unpredictable.

“I like you, too, Lucky. But we have a restaurant to plan.”

“You’ll sleep with me tonight?” he confirmed.

She molded more closely against him. “I’ll sleep with you tonight.”

His body shuddered in intense relief. He might have missed sleeping with her even more than making love with her. Tonight, she’d lay naked in his arms for hours and hours. Her warm, supple body would wrap around his. He’d sleep deeply, and wake up to her scent, her touch and her voice, knowing she was safe, knowing she was cared for, knowing nothing could harm her as long as he was there.

Abigail knew she was being utterly self-indulgent. She’d been at Craig Mountain for three days now, sleeping with Zach at night, and undertaking what felt like a dream job of planning his restaurant during the day. He was busy with DFB work, either out in the brewery, with the construction contractor, on the phone with Houston or, today, working with Alex who had arrived in person last night.

She’d quickly figured out that Zach was content to leave the restaurant planning entirely in her hands. She dived into the research, contacting other theme restaurants across the country, even recruiting a manager, who’d suggested a head chef. From the west hall today, she was calling graphic design firms and interior decorators, looking for some expertise in putting together themes and branding.