She smiled into his chest and closed her eyes, feeling so out of her element and so at home all at once. And as she drifted off to sleep, willing herself to dream of her and Zach and tangled sheets, she thought she heard Zach’s phone ping on the nightstand.
15
Zach waited for Reagan’s breathing to even out before he reached for his phone. The screen lit up the dim room, and she shifted her head on his chest. He ran his hand over her hair, and she snuggled against him, letting out a little sigh. Damn, another text from Scazzoli.
Better come through, asshole or else. We’ve got a pre-lim offer for 6 fig and word is out.
Shit. Zach hadn’t exactly forgotten about the sole reason he’d agreed to start on this little adventure, but he’d certainly put it out of his head for the past hour while he got reacquainted with Reagan. He’d been forced to do some pretty sleazy things to make ends meet, things he wasn’t proud of and hoped never came to light: a little work for a private investigator to confirm a husband’s extra marital affairs, borderline stalking a B-list celebrity to prove she was violating the terms of her probation, and even taking some nude pictures of one of the models he worked with so she could put together a portfolio to get some potentially illegal jobs.
But he’d never sold someone out. In all of those situations he’d justified his actions by telling himself he was doing the right thing, helping an injured party, or in the case of the model, working with a fully-consenting subject.
Reagan had flat out told him she trusted him. That meant something. Trust didn’t come easy to her. Being able to admit it? That had to be incredibly difficult. He couldn’t abuse her faith in him, no matter how many zeros Scazzoli offered. She let out a moan in her sleep, and he set the phone back on the nightstand. Propping himself up on an elbow, he let his gaze travel over the complicated woman next to him.
Asleep, with her guard down, she looked the same as she did in high school: vulnerable and beautiful. The defensive wall she’d built around herself to keep everyone at a distance had disappeared when she closed her eyes. Would it be back in the morning? Or would she let him in, keeping the rest of the world at bay?
He felt a need to protect her, to keep the insatiable limelight away from her. She’d battled it so long on her own. He wrapped his arm tight around her waist, letting his fingers trace the soft skin on her hip. She nestled closer against him, and he breathed in her scent. He wouldn’t let anyone get to her. The poor woman deserved to have her brother’s wedding go off without a hitch. He’d get her to Miami and go on his way, even if Scazzoli made good on his threats and exposed Zach to his client.
There would be another way to get the cash for his business; another year of photo shoots and traveling ninety percent of the time would get him there. No need to sell out an old friend who had the potential to become something more.
Something more. Was he ready to think about moving beyond the world of one-night stands?
With Reagan, there was a real possibility.
Zach closed his eyes but couldn’t fall asleep right away. It seemed like he’d drifted off when he felt Reagan slide out of bed. He heard her footsteps head to the bathroom. Did she already regret what they’d done? The shower turned on. He threw the covers back and made his way to the bathroom. She hadn’t locked the door, so he opened it a crack and stuck his head through.
“You all right, Reagan?”
She shrieked then poked her head around the shower curtain. “You scared me.”
He gave her an apologetic smile. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to. Want me to scrub your back for you?”
“Oh, um, no. I got it.”
They eyed each other through the awkward silence, then Zach nodded.
“Let me know if you change your mind.”
“I won’t. I mean, thanks, but no thanks.” She bit her bottom lip. “Could you, uh, lock the door?”
He reached around and pushed the lock. “Yeah, no problem.”
“Thanks.” She waited, watching, for him to shut the door.
Instead of a passionate repeat of the night before, it looked like the wall was back in place. Damn. He went ahead and got dressed while he waited for Reagan to finish in the bathroom. His stomach rumbled, and he eyed the pink cupcake box on the dresser. Only a half dozen remained. With a huge amount of luck, she’d get to wherever she was going late tonight, maybe tomorrow. The cupcakes were already drying out. Probably wouldn’t last another day or two. As he lifted the cover, just to take a peek, the bathroom door opened.
“Zach! Get your hands off my box!”
He twisted around to face her. “They’re already getting stale. Don’t you think we ought to go ahead and finish them off?”
“No!” She stomped over and swatted at his hands. “I have to bring Teddy and Cal something.”
Her hair hung around her shoulders, drops of water sliding off the ends and plopping to the carpet. She held the towel around her with one hand. He let his gaze travel from her flushed cheeks, down the short towel, to where it stopped, skimming the top of her thighs.
“Well, if you won’t let me have Sweet Sal’s, can I have another taste of you, cupcake?” He parted the towel and slid his hands inside, circling her waist and pulling her up against him.
He’d hoped she’d melt into him but she stood still, ramrod straight.
“Reagan—” he moved a hand to finger a wet strand of her hair “Are you okay about what happened last night?”
Her eyes closed and she nuzzled her head against his chest, the moisture from her hair soaked through his T-shirt and onto his skin. “I feel weird about it.”
“Do you regret it?” He cupped her chin in his hand and prompted her to meet his gaze.
“No. I don’t regret it, it was…it was…nice. It’s just, I don’t do things like that. Ever.” She put her hands on his chest, but he didn’t let her go. “I haven’t had a date in two years. My dad—”
“You’re twenty-six years old. What’s your dad got to do with last night?” He released her from his grasp and tried to make sense of what she’d said.
She sat on the edge of the bed and pulled the sheets over her legs. “You don’t get it. Everything I do reflects on him and the family.” She lifted her head to look at him. “Everything. He screens the guys that ask me out before I can say yes.”
“That’s ridiculous. You’re a grown woman.”
“A grown woman who’s been asked to join her father’s campaign to run for Vice President. He’s been striving for this for so long. I can’t be the reason things don’t work out for him.”
Zach shook his head. “I still don’t get it. Why do you let him have such control over you? Did Teddy run it by your dad before he and Cal hooked up? I can’t imagine your dad giving his blessing on that first date.”
“No, he didn’t. And that’s exactly why I have to be more careful. My dad almost cut Teddy off when he found out he’d been seeing Cal. They didn’t speak for two years and, if he hadn’t been afraid of a lawsuit, he would have given Cal the ax. My mom almost had a nervous breakdown and didn’t leave their condo for a month because she was doped up on meds.” Reagan clamped her hand over her mouth. “Oh my God, I can’t believe I told you that.”