“I’m sure glad I inherited my mother’s smarts and not my father’s, because it’s pretty damn obvious he’s a moron.”
Henson’s back only got stiffer and then he walked out the door. Zach gave a nod of satisfaction. Damned if he didn’t feel quite pleased with the outcome. The vandalism would stop, Henson would back off, and Dayton was no longer his deputy. All in all, a good night’s work.
Zach spent the next few minutes securing the building and covering the smashed window with some cardboard he found in the back. Locking the door behind him, he turned and then stopped suddenly when a slight scratching noise caught his ear. Seconds later he heard a soft, distinctly feminine sigh. What the hell?
Though he could deny it till doomsday, Zach already knew what he’d find when he rounded the building. Savannah stood against the wall, close to the back door. She was facing away from him, so he could walk up and grab her without any trouble. Before he took a step, he dropped his eyes to her hand. Hell, she had a gun in her hand. Never in his life had he wanted to spank a woman. This stunt might just change his mind.
A good scare would work just as well, and he went for a big one. With silent strides, he reached her in seconds. Wrapping both arms around her, he pulled her off her feet. She shrieked like a banshee and tried to kick backward.
“Quiet down, you little spitfire.”
She continued to struggle, either not realizing or not caring that it was Zach who held her. He shook her to get her attention. “Dammit, Savannah, what the hell do you think you’re doing?”
She froze. “Zach?” she whispered.
“Hell yeah. Who’d you think it was?”
“You scared the crap out of me.”
“Good. I meant to. What the hell are you doing here?”
“I’m watching your ass.”
“You’re watching my ass? You didn’t even know where my ass was until I walked up behind you.”
Savannah gritted her teeth, more than aware that he was right. Okay, so it’d been a lame-brained thing to do. Ever since he’d told her he was coming out here alone, she couldn’t stop thinking about it. He might trust Lindsay to have told him the truth; Savannah hadn’t been that gullible. She didn’t want Zach to be faced with what he’d gone through ten years ago. No way in hell was she going to allow him to be hurt again. The fact that he had handled the situation within minutes with barely a harsh word spoken was a bit humbling. Zach would no doubt get a kick out of teasing her.
“You handled that quite well.”
“Thanks. It’s my job.”
She couldn’t blame him for his cockiness. He was probably feeling downright smug. “Since the excitement is over, I guess I’ll go home.”
“Not without me,” he growled into her ear.
“What?” For the first time, she realized that she was still plastered against Zach’s body and he was very aroused. Savannah shivered. He was holding her so tightly, she could feel every hard inch of him against her. Of all the times to get turned on, this wasn’t one of them. Her body didn’t seem to care that it wasn’t appropriate, and apparently neither did Zach’s. It was all she could do not to rub herself against him.
Breathing out a shaking gasp, she said, “What do you want?”
“You.”
Just one word but she heard the longing. Her nipples peaked and a throbbing began between her legs. Yes, this was what she wanted, too. “Aren’t you on duty?”
“No,” he said bluntly. “Where’s your car?”
“A block away.”
“Mine’s closer.”
“Okay, let’s go.”
“In a minute. I need something first.”
Before she could ask what, he whirled her around. Moving with lightning speed, he took the gun from her now limp hand and shoved it into the small of his back beneath his waistband. Then, pulling her forward, he slammed his mouth against hers. Heat flooded through her, drenching her entire being. Long-dormant thoughts and feelings she’d once believed dead sprouted and unfurled as need, want, desire, and a million other emotions overwhelmed her senses. Wrapping herself around Zach’s big body, Savannah gave in to the intensity.
Apparently sensing her need, Zach pressed her against the wall of the building and built the fire. His hands roamed, one delving beneath her blouse, the other smoothing itself up her thigh, underneath her short skirt. His fingers hooked into her panties and tugged. She heard a slight ripping sound, knew and didn’t care that the delicate