Chapter Two
Zach was a gambler by nature. As he approached the front door to her condo, he knew he was about to take one of the biggest gambles of his life. With heavy, labored breathing, he raised a cautionary hand and knocked on the door. 'Poker face on man!' He instructed himself. Kendall would sense his apprehension immediately.
The door swung open with force to reveal the radiant Kendall Hart-Slater. She was wearing a pale green sundress with a bandeau top that exposed her slender shoulders and neckline. Her curls were tamed into a ponytail high on top of her head. Zach preferred her hair loose and wild, but quickly re-focused his attention on the task at hand. He used the bulk of his frame to push past her into the half lit living room. Positioning himself against the arm of a comfortable chair near the fireplace.
"What's new, Mrs. Slater?" Zach goaded her.
Kendall closed the door and leaned her back against it, taking a literally defensive position. Dripping with contempt and mocking inflection, Kendall countered "How is Julia Santos-Keifer?"
Zach tried to maintain his ice cold demeanor. There would be no foreplay tonight, Kendall was trying to draw blood. Zach took into account the extra hormones ragging through Kendall's system. "It seems, Mrs. Keifer no longer requires my hospitality. She has left the safe house I arranged for her."
Zach was startled by how suddenly Kendall moved across the room and into his arms. Over the last several months, Kendall had found comfort in his embrace several times. Zach hadn't even admitted to himself how comfortable it felt to hold her. With her head pressed against his chest, the intoxicating smell of her hair washed over him.
Kendall had never felt safer than when she was in Zach's arms, and welcomed any chance to be in his embrace. His arms easily drew her form close to his chest. Kendall began softly, "Zach, I am sorry for my behavior. I was scared that you would be killed, and I…." she stopped speaking as abruptly as she started.
The stood in a silent embrace for several moments. Zach battled with his own thoughts, 'Be honest. Tell her you know. Just ask her not to go through with it. If you do this in deceit, how will she ever trust you again. What is the future for us anyway? Future and Kendall shouldn't be used in the same sentence.' Zach willed the inner voices to be quiet. He would let fate, or destiny, set the course for the evening. 'Who knows where we will end up. Could anyone have predicted that Kendall and I would be married?'
Zach placed his hands on Kendall's shoulder pushing her away from his chest. Zach inquiring "Have you eaten?"
Kendall was floating. The smell of Zach's cologne, the smoothness of his dress shirt, the weight of his arms around her body, the unconscious way he played her hair, all of these things combined caused Kendall to lapse into a recurring daydream. Several weeks ago, while fighting about Julia, Kendall thought for sure Zach would kiss her and was extremely disappointed that he hadn't. She kept thinking about the kiss that hadn't happened. How his lips would feel, how his five o'clock shadow would scratch her soft cheek. And now here in his embrace she longed for her daydream to come true. When he guided her body away from of their embrace, her heart raced, 'Was it going to happen now?' His question confused her, 'Who cares about food?' she thought becoming annoyed. But instead she shook her head, indicating she hadn't eaten.
Zach was gently tracing his fingers up and down the length of her arms. "How about this? I will go get some Take-Out, because I am sure you have no food here." Zach's comments were an attempt to be playful. "Change into something comfortable, and we'll spend a quiet evening together."
Kendall afraid of her voice, nodded and struggled to expel a husky "OK."
Zach leaned in, placing a soft, lingering kiss on Kendall's cheek, before heading for the door.
Kendall held her breath as Zach leaned towards her. His warm lips pressed gently against her cheek, then he glided past her and silently out the door.
Zach stood momentarily in the courtyard before heading to his car. His head was swimming with mixed emotions and thoughts. He had a clear plan and purpose before he knocked on Kendall's door. But now, after their near speechless encounter, he was "off kilter." Kendall had this amazing way of causing Zach to forget his place. Even her rants amused him and brought a smile to his face. Of course, Zach would never admit that to anyone. Zach headed out to retrieve dinner, without a clear direction of where the evening would wind up.
Kendall stood in the same place minutes after Zach closed the door. Anger grew inside of her. She thought 'How dare he walk away.' Kendall decided immediately, 'When Zach comes back,' Her inner skeptic interrupted, 'If he comes back.' Determined, she spoke aloud to herself, "When he comes back, he will have the surprise of a lifetime." Kendall headed with determination into the bedroom, her inner Kane-ness burning with the intensity of the sun.