orgasm. No matter how much she begged Zach to come inside her, he continued to love her with just his mouth. Three orgasms to his none was so wrong, but she was too weak and felt too wonderful to voice an objection. As he finally moved up and allowed her some rest, she tried again. Reaching for the part of him that she knew needed immediate attention, he once again averted her by grabbing her hand and holding it against his chest.
“Zach … why?”
“Because I wanted to show you how special you are to me. Your pleasure is mine.”
Her body a languid mass of quivering bliss, Savannah didn’t have the energy to argue with a gnat, much less two hundred and ten pounds of determined, sexy masculinity. Snuggling into his arms, she blinked sleepily up at him. “Your turn next time,” she whispered.
Pressing a tender kiss to her forehead, he said, “Our turn next time. Now sleep for a while.”
Feeling cherished and adored, Savannah closed her eyes and drifted. Zach was naked and hot against her body. Every part of him felt hard and unyielding. Never had she felt so comfortable or so safe. Being held in the arms of the man she adored was a dream she never thought she’d be able to realize again. She pushed aside the worry that all was not perfect. For now she would take what she could get. Reality would come soon enough.
CHAPTER
THIRTY-ONE
Savannah woke to darkness and the feel of Zach’s strong arms holding her close, his hard body warm and enticing against her. His scent was deliciously masculine, with just a hint of the musky aftershave he’d put on this morning. His shallow, even breaths made her smile. She had resisted sleeping but he had been right. They were both exhausted and needed the rest. Relaxed and sated, she closed her eyes on a peaceful sigh of contentment.
She felt the rumble of his voice against his chest as he said huskily, “Guess I’m sleeping over at your house tonight.”
She twisted around slightly to squint at the bedside clock. Almost midnight. They’d slept about four hours. Rolling over, she faced him, snuggling deeper into his body. “I don’t care where we are as long as I can wake up in your arms.”
“Agreed.” Though she couldn’t see his face, she heard the smile in his voice. “Feel like talking?”
Now? When she felt so relaxed and sated? When all she wanted to do was forget that there were still issues they needed to discuss and one very big secret she’d been keeping? Dread tightened every muscle in her body. “Sure.”
Though his arms still held her tight, she sensed his withdrawal and hesitancy. Even in the dark, she couldn’t hide her thoughts and fears from him. “What did you want to talk about?”
Yes, the words were cowardly. She’d winced even as she’d said them. Her conscience sneered at her lack of courage. Grow a backbone, Savannah!
His arms loosened around her. “You said you’d forgiven me. Were those just words?”
“Of course not.” She propped herself up on an elbow and tried to see him in the dark. “What are you talking about?”
“You’re still holding back from me, Savannah. I can sense it.”
“Zach, I—”
He swallowed hard. “Do you still not trust me?”
She was hurting him already and she hadn’t told him anything. “Of course I trust you. I just need—” Oh God, cutting open her heart and spilling her blood couldn’t be more painful than this.
“Dammit, I can’t apologize more than I already have.” Rolling off the bed, Zach grabbed his jeans, jerked them on, and stalked to the door. “Let me know when you want a real relationship and not just somebody to give you orgasms.”
That stung but was nothing she didn’t deserve. She’d been putting this off for much too long. Ten years to be exact. This was it … now or never. If she didn’t tell him now, there was no future. Sitting up in bed, she wrapped her arms around her legs and pressed her forehead against her knees. Raising her head, she took a breath and the painful words were wrenched out of her. “We had a daughter. I named her Maggie Rose … after my mama. She lived for three days.”
Pale moonlight allowed her to see only the outline of his body seemingly frozen at the door. Pained silence filled the room; even in the darkness, she could feel his anguish.
She heard him swallow hard and then he rasped, “What?”