Page 25 of Unbroken

Fighting the Battle

Zanespentmostof Saturday trying, and mostly failing, to distract himself. In his experience, a woman who said she ‘needed to talk’ didn’t usually have good news to share. He lifted weights at the gym until he couldn’t feel his arms, then went on a long run in White Rock Lake Park but found that only gave him more time to stew over what Maggie wanted to tell him. He wasn’t remotely ready to let her go. He felt in his heart that they were starting something important. He just needed to get her to quit overthinking and giving into her insecurities. He needed to convince her that she was exactly what he wanted. Honestly, what he needed at this point. And he did need her, he realized, all of her.

He made his way back to his condo, sweaty, exhausted, and in no better of a headspace than when he started. He slammed his water bottle on the kitchen counter in frustration as he made his way to the shower.

Damn, I’m stressing like a teenage girl waiting to be asked to the prom.

He’d never used up any brain cells giving much thought or worry over a woman. Until Maggie. Her smile, her tinkling laugh, the way she was always caring for everyone kept her constantly in his thoughts. Not to mention what just the memory of her lips on his and the little bit of skin he had felt under his fingertips did to his body. Just the thought of her worked him up more than any of the women who’d actually been in his bed in the past. The brief encounter after the gala had just deepened his hunger for her. That peek of black lace across her back still made his skin tingle with the anticipation of more. More touching, more tasting. He wanted to devour her. The combination of her wholesomeness and that definitely naughty lingerie had his thoughts and body completely consumed.

Before meeting Maggie, a quick run through his contacts could always give him a willing woman in his bed within the hour. Dani had been right. He’d been well on his way to man whore status. That’s how he’d developed his Shawna problem. Fucking Shawna! Just the thought of the woman now had his burgeoning erection deflating; a cold shower managed the rest. Soon, it was time to head back to Gladewater. He had come up with a plan to get past the high walls she had constructed around herself. The key to getting past Maggie’s defenses was keeping her out of her head. He wanted to know what was going on in there, but also wanted her to feel and not overthink. He needed to break a little of that control she held onto so tightly. He was determined that he wouldn’t leave Gladewater tonight without fixing whatever was standing between them and their future.

Maggie had thought it all out carefully. She didn’t want to meet Zane at her house – too much JT and too many comfortable places to get distracted. And boy was he distracting with those lush, sexy lips that made flames of desire lick her skin wherever they met her flesh. And his hands – his strong, warm hands skimming over her body made her lose all good sense. Stop it, Maggie! This is exactly why you are meeting him here. In a business setting. We need to talk.

Once the cafe closed and she had convinced her aggravatingly nosy brother that she needed to stay to look over the books, she went to prepare herself for the meeting, as she was calling it to herself. Just like any other important meeting, she had prepared with well thought out notes for her remarks so she could be as clear and concise as possible with the emotionally fraught topics she needed to cover. She straightened everything on her desk and checked her watch. Perfect! He should be arriving any minute. Unless there was an emergency at the hospital, or a traffic accident, or a...just as she was about to get herself all worked up, she heard a knock at the back door.

She blew out a relieved breath. “Coming!” she called as she made her way down the short hall to the door to let Zane in. She forgot to breathe for a second as she opened the door wide and took him in. He had on the soft, faded old Levi’s that hung low on his hips, a black Chris Stapleton concert tee that also looked well-loved and black running shoes. She didn’t think she had ever seen him quite so dressed down before. She decided she liked it. A lot.

She nervously tucked her hair behind one ear. “Hi. Thanks for coming,” she said, stepping back and motioning him inside.

“Hi,” he said with a crooked smile but instead of simply striding down the hallway, he skimmed a hand across her middle as he passed and placed a brief kiss on the side of her neck just under the curve of her jaw. It happened so quickly, she thought she might have imagined it, but no, she could feel the heat blooming on her skin where he’d touched her.

She cleared her throat trying to regain her equilibrium after the fleeting exchange. “Um, let’s just go to my office,” she said, pointing to the doorway to the right of the hallway. Zane nodded and ducked into the doorway she had indicated. Maggie followed him in and quickly took a seat behind her blonde wood desk. She motioned for him to sit in one of the straight back chairs in front of her and clasped her hands on the desktop. Zane continued to stand, thumbs hooked in his belt loops, looking at her with an enigmatic expression.

He glanced around the room and gave her a wicked grin before he shook his head. “I’m feeling an awful lot like I’ve been called into the principal’s office here. Let’s sit over there instead.” He pointed to the small loveseat tucked in the corner and, without waiting for her response, made his way over to it. Maggie watched as he sat and leaned back into the plush cushions crossing one ankle over his knee, stretching his arm across the back. When she didn’t move, he patted the cushion next to him expectantly.

Maggie tried to hide her discomfiture. Snuggling up to Zane on the loveseat was definitely not how she planned this to go, but she didn’t want to seem churlish. She had apologizing to do after all. Slowly, she stood and smoothed imaginary wrinkles out of her pink, halter sundress. She picked up her notes and went to perch on the edge of the loveseat. She sat as far away from him as possible, but that wasn’t nearly far enough for her to miss his delicious musky cologne. Or was that just him. She wasn’t sure. She cleared her throat and tapped her notes on her lap, holding onto them like a lifeline.

“I really appreciate you coming,” she began, her eyes trying to look anywhere but into his. “I know how badly I behaved last weekend. You didn’t deserve that, but I’m sure you know that already.” She glanced down at her notes and twisted her pearls at her throat nervously. I feel really awful about it.”

“Maggie, sweetheart, you don’t need notes. Just tell me what’s going on.” He moved closer to her on the little sofa and put his palm over hers that was tightly clutching the sheaf of papers and rubbed his thumb rhythmically across her knuckles. “Tell me what really made you so angry at me that night. I know Shawna and her buddy said horrible things about you but...”he trailed off for a second. “But I hope that I’ve ever given you reason to distrust me or my feelings for you. Granted, I know Dani has told you about my past, and Shawna and her type were part of it. I’m not proud of how I’ve behaved in the past, but...”

“Oh, no, Zane,” she protested. “It was all me and my stupid insecurities. You’ve been nothing but wonderful to me. More than I could have expected or even deserved.”

His lips tightened into a harsh line. “Hey, I don’t want to hear you talk about yourself that way. What do you think? You don’t deserve to be treated well? How do you figure that?”

He regretted his harsh tone immediately when he saw her stiffen slightly. Damn, man! Chill out! The protective feelings she drew out of him kept surprising him. He moved his arm to encircle her shoulders and slid her across the short expanse of floral fabric and into his arms. He ran his hand up and down her bare shoulder. “I’m not upset with you. I just want to smash someone in the face for ever hurting you and making you feel like you’re anything less than perfect.” A small smile tugged at her lips with the admission. He grazed his lips against her temple. “Now just talk to me.”

She did. Maggie poured her heart out to Zane about her father leaving, her mother’s unreasonable expectations, her longstanding insecurities about men’s expectations of her. The entire time, he kept his hands on her, rubbing her shoulders, caressing her fingers, stroking her arm. Keeping her connected to him throughout her emotional upheaval.

Finally, she seemed to be all talked out. She slumped against him burying her head in his muscular shoulder. “I don’t blame you if you decide you can’t deal with all my crazy,” she mumbled. “I don’t want to deal with it myself.”

Zane gripped her shoulders and pushed her away from him until he could look directly into her eyes. “Let me tell you something, baby,” he said, his voice low and husky. “At this moment, I can’t imagine anything you could do that would make me care about you less. You’re special, Maggie. You’re the most remarkable woman I’ve ever met and I’m making it my mission to convince you of that.”

Before she could formulate a rebuttal, he ran his hands through her silky chestnut hair and clasped her nape, drawing her to him. He seized her lips, unable to continue being gentle in the progress he had been making on her senses with his hands throughout her confessions. He felt her reflexively tense, for just a second, before she melted into his warmth. Her lips parted easily at his mouth’s silent request and his tongue dipped into her silky warmth. He could taste coffee and chocolate and Maggie. Just Maggie.

She uttered a slight cry of protest when he drug his lips away a few moments later, but quickly subsided when he started to trace a path across her jaw, down her neck, landing on the collarbone that was laid bare to him in the halter dress she wore. She turned her head gifting him the smooth column of her throat, and he took advantage, encircling the creaminess with his fingers and stroking lightly before turning his attention to the tie at her nape. One quick tug and the halter fell from her neck.

She gasped when he pulled away from her. He saw the uncertainty climb into her expression. “Zane?”

He looked directly into the chocolate depths of her eyes. “Stay with me, baby. Focus on this moment. Just us. Here and now.”

When she gave short nod, he peeled down one side of the pink cotton exposing the lace cup of the blush, strapless bra she wore underneath. Her nipple drew up taut at the brush of his fingers over the delicate lace. Her sharp intake of breath made a wicked grin slide across his face before he dropped his head and closed his mouth around that one pouting pink bud. She was always so perfectly put together, so in control, it gave him a burst of pure male satisfaction that he could have her like this, decidedly not in control, with just his fingertips and his lips. He was going to make sure Maggie’s body had no doubts about his devotion to her so it could win the war with her mind later.

Without his body pressed against hers, the other half of her halter fell, baring her to the waist. His hand caressed her jaw, tipping it up to make sure she was looking directly into his eyes. “If you ever doubt that you are the most desirable woman I’ve ever known, I want you to remember this moment.” His eyes raked over her, his eyes gone the color of dark port. “You are fucking beautiful, and completely amazing. I can’t believe that I’m lucky enough to have you.”

He watched her expresso-colored eyes look at him in wonder at his declaration and she ran a hand over his cheek. He reveled in the contrast of her smooth palm against his rough stubble.

“I’m going to try very hard to remember,” she whispered into his mouth.