Some Kind of Wonderful Page 22

  It was true that right at that moment Jaws spotted Zach and decided to declare his undying love by hurling himself across the pen.

  Zach winced and crouched down. “Easy now. Don’t do yourself more damage.”

  Jaws howled and looked at him adoringly.

  “He loves you,” Sara said delightedly. “He thinks you’re the one. Just so we’re clear, I’d let you adopt him if you wanted to.”

  Zach felt a flicker of alarm. “Then maybe you’re not such a great judge of character after all. I’d be the wrong home for him. He’s already had one bad owner. He doesn’t need another.”

  “What makes you think you’d be a bad owner? I think you’d be the perfect owner.” Sara studied him for a moment and then smiled. “But you can’t adopt a pet unless you really want to, and you don’t want to, so that’s fine. If you change your mind, let me know. I’d approve you in a heartbeat. In the meantime if you want to come and walk him with Brittany, she usually comes around seven in the morning on her way to camp.”

  Zach wondered why she was telling him that. “If she’s already walking him, then I don’t need to.”

  “I thought you might enjoy doing it together, seeing as you both brought him in and you used to— I mean you seemed to be— But what do I know? Forget I said anything. I match animals with humans, not humans with humans. I don’t know anything about relationships.” Blushing, Sara blew a kiss to Jaws and walked back towards the clinic leaving Zach to wonder how many of the islanders were speculating about his relationship with Brittany.

  Before going back to his cabin, he stopped at Harbor Stores to pick up some milk. As an afterthought he scooped up some beer.

  Dawn Parker was manning the checkout and she assessed his purchases with tight-lipped disapproval. “Guess you’re lining your stomach with one before drinking the other.”

  Zach could have told her that the milk was for his coffee and he kept the beer in case Philip stopped by, but he figured that what he did with his purchases after he bought them was his business so he handed over the money and kept silent.

  “You should know that my Mel is seeing that nice Carter Ashford, so if you’ve got any ideas in that direction, you can forget them. He’s got a college degree and he’s sensible.”

  It crossed Zach’s mind that if Carter Ashford was dating Mel he couldn’t be that sensible, but he filed that thought along with all the others he had no intention of expressing.

  He was about to bag up the milk and attempt to navigate his way through the fog of disapproval when he heard someone calling his name. He turned, and saw little Grace Green running towards him across the store, followed by a powerfully built man who was obviously her father.

  “That’s him, Daddy. That’s him.”

  Anticipating trouble, Dawn Parker stiffened. “If you have a problem you should take it outside. I don’t want any—oh—” She blinked as Grace threw her arms around Zach and squeezed tightly.

  “Zach—I mean, Mr. Flynn—this is my dad. I’ve been telling him all about you. How you saved me and how you told that poor dog he wasn’t to bite me.”

  Dawn, who had clearly been on the verge of dialing the emergency services, watched with her eyes popping out of her head. “Well, I don’t—”

  Ignoring her, Zach hunkered down in front of the child. “That dog? Sara is caring for him in the Animal Rescue Center. I saw him just now. His favorite toy is a squeaky bone. Once we cut that nasty wire off his neck and gave him some attention, he was just fine.” It was important to him that she knew the dog wasn’t vicious. That his behavior had been the result of fear. “You should drop in and see him, Grace. He’d be pleased to see you.” He gave her a smile, then rose to his feet and found his hand grasped tightly by Grace’s father.

  “I’m Michael Green. Gracie told me what happened. Can’t thank you enough for looking out for her.”

  Zach discovered that attention of any sort, even positive, made him uncomfortable. “She wasn’t in any risk.”

  “That’s not what Caleb told me. He said you put yourself right between my girl and that dog and that you almost lost your hand doing it.”

  “The dog had been badly treated. He was scared, not vicious. And Grace was brave and stood her ground.”

  Grace’s shoulders straightened. “I stood right where you told me to stand and didn’t move a muscle.”

  “That’s right, you did.” Zach gathered up his purchases. “It’s good to see you, Grace. Sir.” He nodded to Grace’s father and made for the door, wondering what Dawn Parker would make of that exchange.

  She was the type who put people into compartments, as if she were stocking the shelves of her store. He could imagine her roaming the aisles, searching for a suitable place to shelve him. No doubt her preference until now would have been to tuck him in a dark corner along with gasoline or fireworks, probably under a big label saying “handle with care.”

  Now she was confused.

  He smiled. No doubt she’d still find a reason to shelve him along with the dangerous goods.

  Noticing the blackening sky, Zach drove back to camp and went in search of Philip.

  He was in his office, but so was Brittany, seated on his desk among the half-empty mugs and the untidy piles of paper.

  She was wearing a simple T-shirt and a pair of denim cutoffs that showed off her athletic shape.

  Drowning in desire, Zach found it impossible not to look at her.

  All he wanted to do was throw her over his shoulder, take her deep into the forest and have sex with her until she could no longer walk straight, but that wasn’t what worried him most. What almost had him running for the door was the realization that she was virtually the only person whose company he preferred to his own.

  She threw him one of her blinding smiles. Philip said something by way of a greeting, but Zach couldn’t hear through the roaring in his ears.

  He thought his reaction should have been obvious but apparently it wasn’t because they carried on their conversation, which left him with nothing to do but simmer in the heat he’d created himself.

  Restless, frustrated, he strolled to the window of Philip’s office and tried distracting himself with the view, but it was impossible to concentrate on anything when Brittany was in the room so he gave up and let himself look.

  She was one of those people who wore every emotion on her face. When she was angry or frustrated, her eyes flashed. When she was amused she laughed, and it was such an infectious laugh that it usually had everyone around her laughing, too. Today, she seemed irritated as she sat on the edge of his desk, her legs swinging. “I spoke to three different people in the department and so far I can’t find anyone interested in running an archaeological activity.”

  Philip pushed his glasses up his nose. “I’m grateful to you for trying.”

  “I’m going to keep trying. It’s a great idea. It was fun and the children loved it. I can’t imagine why the department wouldn’t want to take that on. They could get some of the undergraduates involved.”

  She never gave up, Zach thought. Whatever she did, she attacked it with the full force of her personality.

  He was acknowledging just how much trouble he was in, when she glanced towards him. “Am I in your way? Did you want something?”

  Yes, he wanted her. He wanted her so badly it was driving him crazy and he knew he had to get out of there before he did something that couldn’t be undone.

  “It can wait.” Sexual frustration made his tone harder than he’d intended and he saw her eyebrows lift.

  “Hey, if there’s a problem, Flynn, just say so. Don’t give me passive-aggressive.”

  Passive? There was nothing passive about his feelings.

  He strolled towards the door, his fingers digging into his palms. She had no idea, no idea, what it was costing him to keep his distance. “I said it can wait.”

  “By the way, Zach—” Philip’s voice cut through the swirling clouds of lust in his brain “—I forwarded you an e
mail from Todd earlier. Take a look. You’ll be pleased.”

  “Good to know.” He couldn’t think about anything while Brittany was in the room.

  “Zach!” Her voice rang with frustration. “Why are you leaving? There’s no need—”

  He met her gaze, and saw her puzzled look melt under the fiery heat of sexual chemistry. The brief exchange was so intimate, so deeply personal, he was surprised Philip didn’t cover his eyes.

  Her eyes widened as she registered the reason for his tension.

  In under a second she went from confident to deliciously confused.

  “Right.” Her voice was a raw croak. “Well, okay. If you’re sure. Although I was pretty much done here anyway. Philip and I were just thinking through some options, that’s all.”

  He was thinking through options, too.

  Option one, tell Philip he was needed in the camp, lock the door and take Brittany right here on the desk without bothering to strip off her clothes.

  Option two, take Brittany back to his cabin, strip her naked and have sex in every position known to man and a few known only to him.

  Option three—

  “Zach?”

  Disturbed from a vision that was close to pornographic, he stirred. “What?”

  Her cheeks were a hot pink. “What did you want?”

  “Nothing.” Everything.

  But one thing held him back.

  He was the kind of trouble no woman needed in her life a second time, especially Brittany.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  GO STRAIGHT HOME. Straight home. Call Pete, take a cab.

  Do it now.

  You are not going to follow Zach to his cabin. That would be stupid.

  There was going to be a storm. The sensible thing would be to get home before it hit.

  Brittany stood with her phone in her hand and her finger hovering over the call button.

  Then she frowned.

  They were both adults and both unattached. And they both wanted the same thing.

  She’d seen the look in his eyes. If Philip hadn’t been in the room, that would have been it. It was a wonder they hadn’t set fire to all the stacks of paper on Philip’s desk.

  Heart pounding, she dropped her phone into her bag.

  Dusk was falling over the forest. Already it was cooler in the evenings, as if fall was trying to nudge summer to one side and take center stage.

  She walked across the clearing, exchanged a few words with a couple of the camp staff who were restocking the cabins to be ready for the training week, and took the path that led past the beach and along the bay towards Zach’s cabin.

  The sky was stormy, with black clouds threatening rain.

  Nerves fluttered like butterflies in the pit of her stomach and she snatched in a breath.

  She was an adult and she was making an adult decision. There was no reason to be nervous.

  All the same, she hesitated before walking up to his door.

  She knocked and waited, her heart in her mouth.

  He’d tell her to go away.

  He’d tell her it wasn’t wise, or sensible, to get involved a second time.

  And she’d tell him—

  She frowned and knocked again, but it seemed she wasn’t going to be able to tell him anything because there was no answer.

  As she turned away she heard a soft splash and walked to the end of the deck.

  He was the only person in the sea, cutting through the water with smooth, powerful strokes as he swam from one side of the bay to the other.

  She watched him without noticing the passage of time, absorbed by masculine power and sheer athletic ability.

  The sea had to be cold, but he kept up the relentless rhythm and she kept watching until finally he swam back towards the cabin and hauled himself onto the deck.

  Water streamed off his broad shoulders and turned his hair sleek and inky dark. He cleared his face with his hand, reached for a towel and noticed her.

  The way he stilled made her think of a sleek, dangerous jungle cat.

  His gaze met hers. “Is something wrong?”

  “Yes.” She pushed her hands into the pockets of her cargoes, nerves dancing in her belly and mingling with sexual awareness. When he reached for his sweats she shook her head. “Don’t bother getting dressed. I’m just going to undress you again so you might as well save me time.”

  His hand froze in midair. “Brittany—”

  “I’m tired of pretending, Zach. I’m tired of feeling this way and not doing anything about it. And don’t tell me you don’t feel it, too, because I know you’d be lying. We almost had sex in front of Philip back there, and that’s not good. There’s a reason you’re taking a long dip in the cold sea, and I doubt it’s all down to an interest in physical fitness.”

  His movements slow and steady, he looped the towel around his neck. “As I said the other night, you’re a smart girl. And you’re thinking of making the same mistake twice?”

  “Being with you wasn’t a mistake.” She spoke softly, her voice just audible over the soft rush of the sea as it hit the sand. “Marrying you might have been, but not the rest of it. And the marriage part was my fault. I pushed you.”

  “I could have said no.”

  “It doesn’t matter. None of it matters. It’s history. If we’d met for the first time a few weeks ago, we’d both have baggage, but it wouldn’t be with each other. The past isn’t relevant. That was then and this is now. I’m not eighteen anymore, Zach. I know what I want.”

  Somehow they’d moved towards each other, and now he was standing right in front of her. His height and the width of his shoulders almost blocked the glowing circle of the moon but there was still enough light for her to see the rigid tension in his jaw.

  “I’ll hurt you. I’ll screw up and break your heart. It’s what I do.”

  “That isn’t going to happen. And I don’t think it’s my heart you’re worried about. I think it’s your own.” She put her hand on his chest and felt the steady beat of his heart under her palm. A quick glance might have suggested his body was perfect, all smooth, taut lines and curving muscle. A closer look revealed imperfections, scars she knew were there, but that he’d always refused to talk about.

  She’d told herself that his past was his business. That if he didn’t want to talk, that was his decision. She’d told herself that everyone had a right to their secrets.

  But what if he simply hadn’t trusted her enough to talk?

  Guilt settled over her and she had a flash of self-insight almost too uncomfortable to examine.

  She should have kept asking.

  She should have—

  “What’s wrong?” His voice was rough and he lifted his hand and cupped her cheek. “Changing your mind? Are you afraid? Because you should be.”

  Ten years ago she would have assumed that comment was about her, but now she knew better. Now she knew it was about him.

  “I’m not afraid, but I think you are. I think you’re afraid to let anyone close because that gives them the power to hurt you. But I’m not going to hurt you. I’d never hurt you.”

  Sounds of laughter floated towards them on the breeze and she realized there were people on the far side of the beach.

  Zach closed his hand around her wrist and for a moment she thought he was going to push her away.

  For a breath-stealing moment they stood there, locked together.

  Then he led her into the cabin and kicked the door shut behind them.

  ZACH HAD SPENT every moment of the past few days trying not to think about her. When he did, he spent the time listing a hundred reasons why this was a bad idea.

  In the end he’d resorted to hard physical exercise in an attempt to relieve the simmering sexual tension that blocked any hope of rest or peace.

  And now here she was, in his cabin, with a smile on her lips and promise in her eyes.

  All he had to do was take what she was offering.

  The selfish side of him, th
e side that allowed him to focus on his own needs to the exclusion of others, the side that had developed from a need to survive, just wanted to ease the ache in the most basic way known to man and to hell with the consequences. Any consequences would be hers, not his. If she wanted to play with fire, why not hand her the match?

  But he couldn’t.

  And deep down he knew she was right. It wasn’t about her, it was about him.

  He was afraid. Not of being hurt, but of discovering that even with Brittany, he still couldn’t feel.

  That one brief occasion in her cottage had been easy enough to discount. It had been all about hot sex and nothing else. But this—this was different.

  “Why are you here?” Forming the words felt difficult because life had taught him to greedily snatch the good moments wherever you could find them. And one of them was standing right in front of him. “You need to leave right now.” Before the bad side of him overwhelmed the small part of him that was decent.

  “I’m not leaving, Zach.” Her voice was a smoky, soft invitation and he clenched his jaw and kept his hands by his sides.

  “You don’t want to do this.”

  Her eyes were clear and honest. “Why don’t you let me worry about my feelings and you worry about yours?”

  “I don’t have feelings.” His voice sounded strange. Thickened. “That’s what I’m trying to tell you. I don’t feel anything. I never do.” He didn’t understand why she didn’t see the danger, the futility, of getting involved with him again.

  “I know.” Her hand came up to his face and she touched him gently, soothingly, which didn’t make sense to him because he knew that if she had any sense she would be backing away.

  The window was open and he could smell the scents of late summer and the salty air. He could hear the rhythmic rush of the sea and the call of the gulls.

  He could hear the beating of his heart and feel the throb of blood in his veins.

  “And knowing that, you still want this?”

  She nodded. “I think you should stop worrying about not feeling and just be with me. It’s just us, Zach. We’ve done this before.”