Zane hugged her tightly and Ellie rested her head on his shoulder. He rocked her tenderly as he said, “I know you won’t. Christ! You’re the bravest woman I’ve ever known. And you managed to hold on until I found you.”
Ellie smiled against the soft material of his T-shirt. “I think I’ve spent my whole life waiting for you to find me in one way or another.”
“Not anymore,” Zane rasped. “Never again. I’ll never make you wait for anything again.”
“Mmmm…what about last night? I distinctly remember you making me wait.” In fact, he’d teased her until she was almost completely crazy with the need to climax.
Zane chuckled. “A different situation altogether. In that particular case, I was going to make it worth the wait. Was it?”
Ellie shivered as she remembered the way her body had come apart when Zane finally stopped teasing her and gave her what she needed. “Worth it, but completely unfair,” she admonished him in a faux-petulant voice. “I think it’s my turn to make you wait.”
He pulled her gently back by her hair so he could see her face. “Baby, I’d wait forever if I had to.”
The sincerity in his vow sent a wave of tenderness through her heart. He claimed not to be romantic, but his blunt words got to her in ways that nobody else’s ever had. She licked her dry lips as she stared into his earnest gray eyes. Every word he spoke was honest, every comment sincere. Her body clamored for her to take this man and savor him for a lifetime.
Zane was special.
And he was hers.
“I have to pack my orders,” she said weakly.
“I came down to help you,” he retorted. “But I also just got some pictures from Chloe.”
Getting on her knees beside him, she started feeling him up for his cell phone. “Let me see,” she insisted excitedly, rubbing a hand over the front pockets of his jeans to find his phone.
He stopped her marauding fingers by grabbing her wrist. “Jesus, woman. If you don’t stop that you’re going to find more than you’re looking for,” he told her in a husky, warning voice.
“Or I might find exactly what I want,” she told him in a sultry voice.
“How fast can we pack those items?” Zane asked desperately.
“Very. But can I see Chloe?” Ellie cherished every picture of her best friend. Occasionally, Chloe sent a video, and she looked so happy. “Where is she?”
Zane fished into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone. “They’re in the Bahamas. Their last stop. This weekend we can go home. She’ll be back at Gabe’s place by then. I’m sorry I couldn’t give you more warning. Gabe said they were both getting homesick and were ready to go back to the ranch.”
He brought up Chloe’s latest text message with a picture. Ellie smiled broadly as she saw her friend with Gabe, a man Ellie only knew very casually. She’d met him a few times, but every time she saw a picture of Gabe with Chloe, she liked him even more. It was clear that Gabe made Chloe happy, and for that alone, Ellie adored him already.
Both of them were smiling at the camera, holding their fancy drinks up as though they were toasting the world. Chloe’s lips were turned up in a large, genuine smile that made her eyes glow with joy. Gabe had his arm around her shoulders, grinning like he didn’t have a care in the world.
Ellie traced the outline of the couple lightly. “You can tell how much they love each other.”
“It’s even more obvious in person, believe me,” Zane answered, sounding amused.
“I can’t believe I’m finally going to see her again. It seems like it’s been forever. So much has happened.”
“Hey, you’re not nervous, are you?” Zane tilted her chin to look at her face.
“A little. I don’t want to spoil her happiness now.”
“God, Ellie. You won’t. Don’t you know how damn much she loves you? Seeing you will put the last piece of the puzzle back together again. It will make Chloe complete. She misses you so much, and she’s been mourning you even though you’re still alive. If anybody is scared, it should be me. She’s going to kill me for not telling her the truth. Gabe is probably going to be in trouble, too.”
“He knows?” Ellie asked curiously.
“Blake is his best friend. I have no doubt he knows, but he must have decided not to say anything. Chloe pesters me every day about you. I’m glad she’s coming home. I hate brushing her off and pretending like I’m accepting the fact that you aren’t coming back. Hell, I hate lying to her.”
Just the thought of seeing Chloe again after so long made Ellie’s eyes moisten with unshed tears. “I’ll warn you right now that I’m going to cry, but they’ll be happy tears.”
“I was pretty sure you would,” Zane said unhappily. “But don’t do it right now. We have plans,” he answered wickedly, plucking his cell from her hand as he stood up and pulled her to her feet.
“Yeah, I need to pack.” She turned to go back to her workshop.
Zane snagged her around the waist before she could get very far and picked her up and put her over his shoulder. “I’ll do it in the morning.”
Ellie found herself hanging upside down in a very undignified position over his shoulder.
“Put me down. You have to climb the stairs,” she squealed with both delight and just a little fear of him hurting himself.
He sprinted up the steps effortlessly, ignoring her feeble attempts to pound him on the back to let her loose.