Chapter 26
Zach reached out his hand and gently touched her collarbone. His fingertips slid up her neck and along her jawline to curve behind her ear. He reached out his other hand, and stroked her hair, weaving his fingers into the thick curls behind her other ear. He pulled her to him and kissed her. Kendall slid her hands up his shirt, marveling in the feel of the smooth silk against the contours of his chest. His kisses were gentle, yet she could feel the underlying passion, barely restrained. It fed her own response. His hands moved down her neck, and smoothed over her shoulders. As he ran his hands up and down her arms, he broke the kiss to move his lips down her neck, pausing to breath in the scent she had put behind her ear earlier. A sound rumbled in his throat. His lips continued down to her shoulders, and he curled his fingers through the strap of her dress, pulling it down. The delicate strap broke, and the decorative beads scattered. They both laughed, and his eyes sought hers in apology and exasperation.
Kendall raised one eyebrow and pulled down the other strap. The dress slid effortlessly to the floor. She now wore nothing but a bare wisp of underwear and her high heels. He breathed in very deeply, and admired her for a few moments. Then he swept her into his arms and carried her to the bedroom. He gently lay her on the bed. He leaned over her and whispered in her ear. "Are you absolutely sure you want to do this?" Her smile was mischievous. "I hope you're not going to warn me that 'Once you have Zach, you can never go back.'" He grinned. "I didn't think I had to say anything, it's pretty much understood."
He kissed her, settling his body next to hers, exploring her with his hands. She concentrated (or at least tried to) on unbuttoning his shirt. When she got his shirt off, she gaped. "Those suits you wear really don't do you justice." Then he did something with his lips that made her forget to ask where he worked out. When she came out of her fog, she realized that he was still wearing his pants. "Are you ever going to get naked?" He chuckled. "It's harder for the man. It takes more than a flick of the wrist for us, you know. Then there's the problem of being so easily distracted." He investigated what turned out to be a particularly sensitive spot on her torso. After purring for a moment, she pushed him onto his back so she could get his pants off. Having succeeded, she nodded in appreciation. "Boxer-briefs. My favorite. So am I going to do all the work here?" He glanced at her panties. "Well, I'd be happy to take care of those, but do you have to lose the high heels?"
She flipped her hair back. "Its your bed, you call the shots." His eyebrows shot up. "Are you sure you want to give me that much power?" Her smile was enticing. "Oh, I'm guessing I have some influence over you." He pulled her down on top of him. "I think you can feel the truth of that yourself." Kendall was unable to respond, because his action brought the vast majority of their skin in contact. Her head sagged against his. "I don't think I'm going to be able to keep up the witty banter." Zach rolled her over so that he was now on top. "Then shut up." He covered her mouth with his, while at the same time disposing of the pesky underwear problem that she complained about earlier.
Zach paused, wanting to preserve this perfect moment on the precipice. "Kendall?" Her eyes were closed, her expression dreamy. "Mmmm?" He smoothed a stray curl away from her face. "I was very surprised when you walked into that café this morning. And somehow I wasn't. Deep inside I knew we would cross paths again. Hearing you argue with Etienne was like Fate giving me a wink." She opened her eyes, and gave him a rather wobbly smile. "And all I wanted to do was slap that beard right off your face." Her eyes widened. "I just noticed…you shaved it!" He grinned. "First time in six months." She stroked his smooth jawline. He kissed her again, and this time there was no playfulness, no banter, not even coherent thought. There was only sweet sensation.