Hot pictures? Oh yes! But were they worth it? Read and enjoy. Reviews & PM's are welcome and appreciated!
And as always...I, unfortunately, do NOT own anything HSM related, nothing with the characters or the actors and actresses who portrayed them, nor anything with the wonderful production crew that brought this generation-changing phenomena into our lives!
"Ness, I'm home!" Zac yelled as he walked into Vanessa's house. He had spent the last week and a half in Australia promoting his new movie. His girlfriend of three years had stayed home taking some well-deserved time off.
Zac had tried for the past hour to reach Vanessa. She wasn't going to meet him at the airport since it was always a paparazzi zoo. But, he thought she was going to be at home when he got there. Although they had separate houses, Vanessa's was the one they both knew they would eventually call home, together.
"Ness? Are you here? I tried your cell but it went straight to voice mail." Zac had tried her cell several times but only left one message on it. He saw there was one message on her home phone too. That would be the one he left as soon as he got off the plane.
He scanned the living room and the kitchen and dining rooms. Her keys weren't in her usual place and her purse was gone too. He wandered over to the garage and checked. Sure enough, her car wasn't there. So he did what any normal jetlagged human would do. He drug his suitcase upstairs to their bedroom.
He glanced around the spacious room, looking over the pictures that lined the dresser and walls. He smiled at the picture on the bedside table. He and Vanessa were dressed in red graduation robes, their foreheads pressed together. It had taken him nearly a half hour to get her calmed down before that picture was taken. She had been crying because they had just shot the last scene of their final HSM movie. Corbin had snapped the picture of them with Vanessa's camera once Zac had finally found a way to stop her tears.
As he flopped down on the bed it took him a minute to realize he was laying on piece of paper. He rolled over enough to see the note with his name scribbled on the front.
"Zac, I've gotta head out for a couple of days. Sorry I'm not home. I'll give you a call later tonight. Love Ya, Ness."
"Well that's weird," Zac commented to himself. "She didn't call to tell me where she was going…but I was on the plane."
He went with his first instinct and picked up the phone to call Vanessa's parents. When the other line was answered he started the conversation quickly. "Hey Gina, is everything ok? Is Nessa with you?"
The voice on the other end wasn't as friendly as normal. "No, she's not here and I don't think I'm supposed to tell you where she is." Vanessa's mom responded.
"Wh-what?" Zac was surprised.
"I suggest you get some rest Zac. Once the pap's know you're home, you'll probably figure out why Vanessa left for a little bit." Gina tried to toss him at least one clue.
"Gina, are you upset with me? What did I do? Is Ness upset with me?" Now Zac was worried.
"Just get some rest Zac. It's likely to be a long week for you. Welcome home." And with that Gina hung up.
Zac fell back on the bed wondering what was going on. He couldn't think of a single reason why Vanessa would be upset with him. Everything, as far as Zac knew, had gone like clockwork while he was in Australia this time. Hadn't it?
Within a half hour of being at home, the phone began to ring. The first time Zac answered it, hoping it was Vanessa calling him. Instead a strange voice started zinging questions at him. "Oh, Mr. Efron, you're there. Is Miss Hudgens home? What does she think about the pictures of you in the Magazine?"
Zac hung up without answering any of the questions. Two minutes later, a similar call came in. "Did Vanessa mind you taking pictures with the nude model? Will this be the end of your relationship? Does this bring back any bad memories of her photo scandal?"
Again, Zac hung up. He was beginning to figure out why Vanessa wasn't there.
Zac had rushed to Vanessa's house to share the news with her about his upcoming interview. The internationally-known writer had called him personally asking for an interview for the Magazine. He was so excited he couldn't contain his enthusiasm. He had to tell Vanessa.
He found her in the kitchen and wrapped her in a bear hug while she was simply trying to fix a sandwich. They had both laughed before Zac planted a firm kiss on her lips and sat her down at the table. When he told her about the interview Vanessa, too, was thrilled. This was a huge opportunity for Zac to move his career forward, something he was anxious to do.
There was one other part of this interview however that Zac was hesitant to share with his girlfriend. But he knew how much trust and truth meant in their relationship. So as the excitement died down he also told her about the photo shoot.
"One of the other people being interviewed is an international model. Since we're going to be in the same issue, they want us to do the photo shoot together. And there will probably be at least a couple shots of me and her together." Zac said.
"That shouldn't be a big deal…what will you be doing?" Vanessa asked innocently.
"Well, that I'm not sure of. But the model, she's, kind of, known…well…for her, um, nude pictures." Zac's eyes dropped to the table not wanting to see Vanessa's reaction.
Vanessa stared at her boyfriend intently. "So you said 'no' to the photo shoot then, right?" She felt a knot forming in her stomach.
"Ness…I can't. I can't say 'no' to this. It's just gonna be a picture or two. I don't even know if they'll want her to be nude or not. I won't be. I promise you that." He knew there was no way to convince her that this was a good idea.
Vanessa stood up from the table and stared out the kitchen window. She felt sick to her stomach and tears were burning her eyes. She couldn't say anything to him. She couldn't even swallow and her mouth felt like a desert. All she could imagine was Zac looking at another woman's body…the way he looked at her. It was a thought that nearly made her throw up.
She felt Zac's presence behind her, his hands pressing on her shoulders. She didn't have the strength to move away from him but his touch was like fire burning through her thin t-shirt. "Nessa, please, talk to me. I know you don't like this idea. I see that, I get that. But if I say 'no' to this…I just…I just can't."
Now Vanessa felt the tears stinging her cheeks. 'Damn it!' She didn't want him to see her cry. Not over this. He knew she was mad. She wanted to scream at him or hit him or curse at him, but instead he was going to see her tears. Still, she couldn't move.
"I need to think about this Zac." And that was all she could get out of her mouth comfortably. She finally commanded her body to move away from his touch and sought refuge in the bathroom. When he heard the door lock he knew it was time to leave.
He walked to the bathroom door and knocked softly. "Nessa, I love YOU. Only you. Please remember that, and think about this. I'm gonna head back to my place for a little bit to let you think. But I'll be back tonight. We have to sort this out before the night's over. We aren't going to bed mad, or hurt, or upset with one another. I won't let that happen.
He heard only a soft whimper as he turned away from the door. He knew she was crying and that alone nearly made him call to cancel the interview. But he also knew what this meant for the career that he so desperately wanted. He hoped he wouldn't have to choose.
After just a few minutes Vanessa found her way out of the bathroom and back to the couch. She had to think about this rationally. She needed to try and look at this from Zac's point of view, not just her own.
No one could say she was a jealous girlfriend – even though, in truth, she was. She had never stood in the way of Zac auditioning for any movie. Not even ones where she knew there would be the potential for another beautiful woman to attempt to steal him away. She had seen him kiss other amazing young actresses and felt something in the pit of her stomach, but she'd rarely said anything at all. So why was this getting to her so painfully? Because none of those other scenarios involved the other women being nude.
Vanessa's head knew Zac was right. He deserved this interview. The photo shoot was just a sidebar. And she knew that there would be a dozen people watching her boyfriend and this nude model together. It wasn't a porno film or magazine. It is a well-respected publication that features the talents of men and women from around the globe. Yes, her head was very aware of the situation. But her heart wasn't buying it.
This time around though, she knew she had to let her head win out.
Barely an hour had passed before she heard the key turn in her front door again. Zac found her simply sitting on the couch with a bottle of water in one hand and a box of Kleenex on her lap. He didn't hesitate to cross the room and kneel down in front of her. She still couldn't bring herself to look into his eyes, but she did allow him to take the bottle from her hand and move the tissue box aside.
"Nessa Anne, I love YOU with all my heart. That is the truth. Do you believe me?" Zac asked reluctantly. He watched as she nodded her head but still wouldn't look at him.
"When we were apart for months working on our movies you told me that you trusted me. Did you mean that?" Zac again watched as she nodded. "Has something changed to make you NOT trust me now?"
She had to think about that question. She shook her head slowly and finally started to speak. "Of course I trust you. I trust you with my life."
"Do you still love me?" He asked when she finally looked at his face.
"Of course I do." She answered.
"Then if you love me and trust me, please don't make me choose between pleasing you and doing this photo shoot." Zac pleaded with her. "We both know that we're going to do things that the other doesn't always like. But that doesn't change how we feel about each other, or how we trust each other, right?"
Vanessa looked at him but didn't answer right away.
"I want to do this Nessa. Not because there's a nude model involved, but simply because it's one of those lifetime opportunities. To me, this is like us going to Japan together. Even more than that, this for me…it's like what recording an album does for you. It's just an adrenaline rush, a chance to be recognized for something more than just being a teenage heart-throb. Does that make any sense?"
Vanessa loved his passion. She had been able to witness it several times, and it had nothing to do with their intimate times together. His passion was one of the many things that drew her to him. Zac saw what he wanted and he would go for it. He usually thought things through and weighed the options. But there were a few things in his life where his passion drove him forward. She could see that this interview and photo shoot was going to be led by that driving force.
Before he could say anything else she sat forward on the couch. "Can I be present for the photo shoot?" She asked sincerely.
"I don't know, but I'll be happy to ask. I don't mind at all if you're there. Matter of fact I think I'd feel better about it if you were." Zac wanted to start smiling, feeling that she had made a decision. But he didn't want to jump to conclusions as he looked at her still-stressed face.
"No kissing." Vanessa said directly. "And no touching her other than her side or arm or hip. No touching her breast or squeezing her butt."
"Yes ma'am." Zac answered diligently. "Anything else?"
"Hold me please?" Vanessa felt the tears in her eyes again as Zac climbed up onto the couch and took her in his arms. "I'm sorry." She said softly.
"Don't be sorry. You have no reason to be sorry. Neither of us have anything to be sorry for." Zac gently wiped the tears from her face and kissed the top of her head. "Now, when this woman jumps my bones and the interview is a total bust because I'm a blubbering idiot…then I'll come back and apologize for not listening to you. Deal?"
He heard Vanessa giggle through her sniffles. "Deal." She agreed.
The interview and photo shoot had gone well. Vanessa had not been allowed to come into the shoot, but had told Zac that she trusted him completely.
To make up for that one, Zac had agreed to play Prince Philip to Vanessa's Princess Aurora for a Disney fairy tale photo shoot several weeks later. Both the photos for the Magazine and the Sleeping Beauty portrait had been released while Zac was in Australia.
The questions coming at him from the random phone calls helped him understand which pictures were getting more publicity now that he was home. And it wasn't the publicity he had hoped for. He had to figure out where Vanessa was, and straighten out this mess.
"Ash, it's Zac. Is Ness with you?" He started calling their friends to try and locate his girlfriend.
"What were you thinking? I cannot believe she let you do that!" Ashley's tirade was not what Zac needed at the moment.
"Look, Ashley, I've been back from Australia for two hours now. I'm jetlagged and I can't find Vanessa. I don't want your sympathy, but could I please at least have your attention for a split second?" Zac protested.
"Men! Put a naked woman in front of them…" Ashley continued.
"Ash!!" Zac yelled into the phone. "Where's my fiancée?"
"Whoa, wait a minute…what??!! When did you guys get engaged? Vanessa didn't tell me you proposed. I didn't think she was coming home for a few days…" Ashley's voice finally became quiet.
"So you know she's not here. Where-Is-She?" Zac repeated the question slowly.
"I, I don't know for sure. She said she was heading out to get away from the paps for a few days. Said she would be in good hands and not to worry about her. I figured she went home to mommy and daddy since you weren't here." Ashley had finally said something that Zac needed to hear.
"Thank you, that's all I need to know." Zac tried to hang up the phone.
"Wait, wait a minute. Are you guys really engaged?" Ashley sounded a little hurt.
"Sorry, no…not yet at least. I was just trying to get your attention. I promise you can yell at me for that and anything else AFTER I find Vanessa." Zac finally clicked 'end' on that phone call.
He knew she wasn't at Gina and Greg's house. Gina's good at covering for her daughter, but not that good. If Vanessa was home with them her mother would've mentioned something about her being 'Daddy's Girl' or the fact that Greg was protecting her from the evil reporters. Greg's name was never mentioned in the conversation.
That left only one other place where she would be 'in good hands.' Zac hit speed dial #2 on his phone and waited for the answer.
"Mom, let me talk to Vanessa."
"Zachary, are you home?"
"Mom, let-me-talk-to-Nessa, please." He wasn't taking 'no' for an answer.
"Zac she's not here." Starla attempted to cover for the dark haired young lady who was standing next to her.
"Mother, don't lie to me. I know she's there with you. She's not with Gina and Greg and Ashley said she was 'in good hands.' So hand the phone to her, even if she doesn't want it." Zac was no longer in a mood to joke about this. His head was beginning to pound and he simply wanted to rest in Vanessa's arms. But apparently she was three more hours away from him.
He listened to the conversation on the other end of the line. "He knows you're here. Apparently Ashley made some comment that clued him in. Talk to him Sweet Girl, just talk to him."
Uh-oh, Zac thought, There's been a screw-up somewhere along the way. If mom's calling Vanessa 'Sweet Girl' then something has gone wrong. She only calls her that when she's comforting my girlfriend."
"Hello?" Vanessa's voice finally sounded through the phone line.
"Nessa? Thank God I found you. Why are you in Toluca Lake?" Zac asked frantically.
"I had to get away from the phone calls and reporters Zac. I'm not doing this again." Vanessa answered with no feeling in her voice.
"Not doing what again? I don't understand." Zac was genuinely confused. He knew it had to do with the pictures and the model.
"I'm not reliving the photo scandal again. I won't do it. We worked so hard to put it behind us, I'm not going through that again." This time Zac could hear the shakiness in her voice.
"Ness, I can't handle this over the phone. Please come home and talk to me about this. Okay, maybe not home…but meet me somewhere. Let's go to your parents house or somewhere else, but please come back down here." Zac couldn't stand to be away from her, knowing she was hurting…especially if he was the cause for her pain.
"No, Zac. I'm staying up here for a couple of days. I'll be back before you take off again, but I'm not coming home tonight or tomorrow."
"Fine then." Zac was feeling frutstrated. "I'll be there in three hours."
Before Vanessa could protest Zac had hung up the phone. Starla tried to call him back immediately but he wouldn't answer. That meant in three hours her son would be on the front doorstep wanting answers.
Vanessa leaned onto Starla's shoulder. It had taken Zac's mom an hour to get Vanessa past her last round of tears when she had first arrived at the house. Now the tears were flowing again at the thought of hurting Zac.
"I, he can't, I don't know…" Vanessa stuttered and stumbled as she cried into Starla's shoulder. "He's gonna wreck on the way up here cause he's exhausted from the trip. I gotta tell him not to come up here. He just can't."
Starla urged her future daughter-in-law back to the couch. "Vanessa, he's an adult. He's worried about you and he hasn't seen you in nearly two weeks. I know you're worried, but he will be fine. Now, my Sweet Girl, you go up to Zac's room and lie down. Try to rest. You know he'll be here in three hours. Until then, your only concern is trying to rest."
"Will you come with me, Mom?" Vanessa held her hand out to Starla. Zac's mom had become a comfort zone for Vanessa since the 2007 photo mess had occurred. Several times, Vanessa had turned to Starla for help and a bit of pampering. Starla had come to cherish the fact that she could console Vanessa, like a daughter, and the fact that this young lady would one day be part of their family officially.
So Starla took Vanessa's hand and walked with her up the stairs to Zac's former bedroom. Vanessa noted that there had only been one change in the room since she was last there. "You guys put a bigger bed in here." V commented.
"Yes," Starla answered. "After you and Zac stayed here last time, David decided that old single bed was a little too cramped for you to both sleep in."
Vanessa smiled, remembering their other trips to Toluca Lake. Yes, the single bed had been cramped, but it was comfy. "Oh, it wasn't that bad." She showed Starla her soft smile.
Starla pulled the covers back on the bed and waited for Vanessa to get comfortable before placing them back over her. "You rest. I'll wait here for a few minutes to make sure your comfy. It won't be long before Zac gets here."
Vanessa fell asleep more quickly than either of them expected. Starla knew her Sweet Girl was exhausted, frustrated and simply unsure of what to do next. She also knew that Vanessa would figure things out with time to think about the situation, but the solution would be found more quickly if Zac could help.
Starla made her way back to the kitchen and simply found chores to fill the time until Zac arrived. She was a little surprised when the doorknob turned nearly a half hour sooner than she expected. Vanessa, as far as Starla knew, was still asleep.
Zac wasted no time with pleasantries. "Mom, where is she. Don't tell me you let her leave this house, you both knew when I would be here."
"Zac, settle down." His mom's face hardened at her son's tone of voice.
"Where is she?" Zac asked again.
"She is upstairs asleep and you will NOT disturb her. Not with that tone of voice." Starla was ready to send her adult son into timeout with the way he was acting.
Zac softened a bit when he learned that Vanessa was in fact there. "Mom, what's going on? Why is she avoiding me?"
Starla could now see the tears in Zac's eyes. He had finally removed the sunglasses and she could tell he was exhausted, hurt and scared. "What have I done?"
Zac's mother took his hand and led him to the living room. She sat down beside him on the couch and looked him straight in the face. "You allowed yourself to be photographed with a nude model Zachary. In light of the trauma that you and Vanessa went through two years ago, you still allowed yourself to be in a photo of that caliber."
"But I talked to Vanessa about that, we…she…agreed that it was ok. It was one picture." Zac worked to explain to his mom. He knew that work was fruitless.
"I don't think she's angry with you Zac. I think she's disappointed with herself for not standing up to you more strongly about this. She didn't want you to be disappointed in her. And now this picture is bringing back the past issues. I don't know how to explain it to you, honey. Like Vanessa's pictures then, it's done…it's out there. How many other shots did they take of you with the woman?"
Zac thought for a minute. This was a lot to try and soak up at one time. His head continued to pound. "I don't honestly know. We weren't together very long, four, five minutes tops. I know the camera was clicking, but it didn't seem like the photographer moved around a lot…but I don't know. I know they said they were only going to publish one. Wait…are you thinking more of those shots are going to show up somewhere? I didn't do anything wrong!!!!" Zac put his elbows on the table and buried his head in his hands. He felt like screaming but he knew that would only make his head feel worse.
"Honey," Starla touched his shaggy hair. "You're exhausted. Go upstairs, lie down, sleep for a while. Once you and Vanessa have rested a little you can sort this out. Neither of you are thinking straight right now. Where's your suitcase?"
"I didn't even bring it." Zac admitted. He had grabbed his wallet and keys and jumped into his car and started driving. He hadn't even thought about clothes.
"I'll get a pair of your dad's sweats for you. Come on. Upstairs. Now." Starla ordered.
Zac followed his mom up the stairs and stopped outside his old bedroom door. He knew Vanessa was on the other side of that door and all he wanted to do was curl up with her and sleep. Starla grabbed a pair of sweats and brought them back to him. She quietly turned the knob and let Zac into the room. Vanessa had only shifted slightly on the bed, resting on her side, near the wall.
Zac looked at his mom curiously as he noticed that the bed had been switched. Now he understood why his mom was ordering him to come lie down. That action wouldn't disturb his sleeping girlfriend as much as it would've in his old single bed.
Starla put a hand on his cheek and pulled his forehead down to give him a kiss. "We'll get this worked out. Just rest for a while." Zac nodded and closed the door behind his mom.
He quickly undressed and debated climbing into the bed with just his boxers on. Instead he grabbed the pants that his mom had given him and pulled them on over his tired legs. He carefully crawled into bed beside Vanessa trying ever so hard not to disturb her. For a moment he laid on his side propping up his head in his hand just looking at her. She had no idea how much he had missed her while he was gone.
With the sudden dip in the mattress Vanessa instinctively rolled over toward Zac. He quickly let go of his own head and reached his arm out to catch hers. She never opened her eyes; never spoke a word. She somehow found her usual place on his bare shoulder and even kissed her favorite spot before putting her head down on him. She wrapped one arm over his chest and her right leg over his right leg, snuggling as closely into him as she could.
Zac also didn't say anything. Instead he wrapped his arms around her, closed his eyes and fell asleep.
_______________________________________________________________
When Vanessa awoke she was surprised to find those two arms wrapped around her. The feel of his skin under her face and her hand was like a security blanket. She finally felt warm and safe again.
She realized then that she wasn't angry with Zac. She wasn't angry at all, she was just so disgusted with the tabloids and all of the rumors. She was tired of being picked on and wanted an end to it. She lay still in Zac's arms for a few more minutes before attempting to move.
As soon as she unwrapped her leg from his and shifted her arm Zac's eyes opened. "Nessa, don't get up yet, please?" Zac looked down at her resting on his shoulder.
Vanessa looked at the clock. It was almost seven in the evening. She had slept for nearly five hours and, unbeknownst to her, Zac had been there for nearly half of that time.
"What have they been asking you?" Zac asked still holding her close.
"They want to know if I was asked to be the model with you. Why wasn't I asked to be it, since I've already been in nude photos? Why would I let you have a picture made with a nude model? How do I feel about the picture? And am I going to break up with you because of it?" She spat the words out of her mouth as though she had tasted poison.
"Are you?" Zac asked quietly while rubbing his fingers up and down her arm.
"Am I what?" Vanessa wondered out loud.
"Are you going to break up with me?" He stopped at that.
Vanessa leaned away from him and pushed herself up so she could look at his face. They stared at each other for a minute before Vanessa placed her hand on his cheek, bent down and kissed him.
She felt Zac pull her body up until she was lying on top of him. Then his hand went behind her head to continue the passionate embrace. They broke apart only for a breath with Zac's hands still clinging to the sides of Vanessa's face.
"No." She said breathlessly as she looked at his lips and ran her thumb across them. "I can't say anymore than that. Just, no." She left a small kiss on his lips and then put her head down on his chest listening to his heartbeat.
"But Zac, can I ask something?" Vanessa chewed on her thumbnail as she wondered how to pose this question.
"Anything Baby. You know you can ask me anything."
"When she was…above you…laying on you…what did you look at?" She kept chewing on her thumbnail and heard the pounding in his chest become faster. Vanessa wasn't sure if that was a good or bad sign.
"I looked at her lips. Once I made sure that my hand was in a safe place I just stared at her lips." Zac answered honestly. He had remembered every word, every demand that Vanessa had made of him before the photo shoot. She had told him specifically where not to put his hands. But he had to figure out for himself exactly what to focus on as the naked body was above him.
He remembered looking into the model's eyes and then quickly looking away. At that moment his heart had told him that he only wanted to look into Vanessa's eyes in a situation like that. After that Zac had just wanted the shoot to be over so that he could get back home to his girlfriend.
He realized he and Vanessa had never talked about how the shoot went. When he had gotten home that day V wasn't there. When she got home he never brought up the photo shoot. She had simply asked him how it went. He answered 'fine' and the subject was dropped.
Now he wanted to share with her more about it. "Ness?" She hadn't said anything since he had answered her question.
"Yeah?" she finally said.
"When we make love. I like to look into your eyes. I feel like I can see into your heart through your eyes. That's why I ask you to open them. I know that's hard for you sometimes. But looking in your eyes…it just sends me over the top!" He had to stop and take a breath just thinking about their experiences together.
"But when they made me lie down for the shoot. And she started to get on top of me…"
"Wait…" Vanessa interrupted. "I, I don't think I want to hear this." Zac could feel her cringe on top of his body.
"Please let me tell you. I need you to know this." Zac's heartbeat was nearly racing.
"Okay…I'm listening…"
"I looked at her body. I admit that. It was hard not to look at her. But when I got to her face and I looked in her eyes for just a split second…I knew I couldn't do that. Your eyes are the only ones I want to look into. There is no comparison in my mind between your body and her body. Yours is the one I want naked on top of me. Nobody else's."
Vanessa stayed still for a few more minutes. The room filled with silence as they both thought about the confession that Zac had just made. Vanessa secretly wiped at the moisture in her eyes. She wasn't sure exactly how to express to him the desire that he had just put into her heart.
Then came the soft knock on the door.
"Vanessa, Zac, are you awake?" Starla called gently through the door. She didn't attempt to open the passage. No need to embarrass herself or her children who were lying in the bed.
"Yeah mom, we're up." Zac responded for the both of them.
"Dinner's ready. I didn't know if you felt like eating or not. Your dad and I are getting ready to sit down. Do you want to join us?"
Vanessa raised her head slightly from Zac's chest. She didn't want to move. Even though she felt hungry, she just wanted more quiet time with her boyfriend. Zac's questioning eyes looked into hers and read her mind before she could even shake her head.
"Can we grab leftovers after while Mom? I don't think either of us feels like moving right now." Zac said as he brushed his fingers through Vanessa's dark curls.
"That's fine Sweetheart. I just wanted to check. Are you both ok?" Starla questioned.
This time Vanessa quickly put a finger to Zac's lips signaling to him that she would answer this question. "We're fine Mom. We're both, just fine."
They didn't see Starla's nod or her smile but they did hear her footsteps as they headed back down the stairs.
Vanessa looked back into Zac's brilliant blue eyes and smiled softly at him. "Have I told you that I love you?"
"Nope, not since I got home. I really, really missed you while I was in Australia. It's not the same when you aren't there with me." Zac pulled her in for another kiss.
"I do love you. And I'm sorry I wasn't home when you got home. I just couldn't deal with the interrogations and all the crap they were throwing at me."
"I understand. I really do. I'm just glad I found you and that you're ok. We'll handle this together Ness. There's no reason you should have to answer for a dumb choice that I made." Zac looked away from her face for a moment but Vanessa quickly put her fingers under his chin to bring his eyes back to hers.
"Don't let me hear you talk like that, ever again. You know we made that decision together. Right or wrong, dumb or smart, we made it together. I just wish we had talked about the shoot right after it happened. If we had I probably could've dealt with all their questions and the rumors."
Vanessa wrapped her arms around Zac's neck and pulled herself close to him. After the hug Zac urged her to sit up, straddling his waist. As she looked into his eyes yet again Zac had one request. "Make love to me, please." He whispered.
Their following motions were quiet but sure knowing they weren't alone in the house. It only took moments for Zac to pull Vanessa's naked body on top of his like he had wanted to do for the past week and a half. With her body hovering over his he made his last request of the moment. "Open your eyes Nessa. I need to see your eyes."
The next hour was filled with intimate touches and passion that they had both missed. The time was a much-needed renewal of the truth, trust and love between a young couple who was determined to spend the rest of their lives together.