Free Best for the Baby by Ann Evans Page A

mist.
    Now he looked at her and knew he was as big a fool for her as he had ever been. He didn’t know why she had decided to watch these old movies, or why she wasn’t gone from the cottage as she had told Maggie she would be. But he didn’t care.
    A saner, more practical man might have called up all the grievances he had against this woman and found a way to stay right where he was. But he was not that saner, more practical man tonight. Instead, he crossed the room.
    He held out a hand to pull her to her feet. She rose in one fluid motion and came into his arms without hesitation.
    She stared up at him with stricken eyes. “Zack,” she said, her voice cracking. “Oh, God—Zack. I’ve missed having you in my life. So much…”
    In the dim light, he was aware of her tracing his jaw with her fingertips, tentatively, softly, barely grazing his skin. She smelled wonderful, as though she wore some delightful cologne, but he knew it was just her. A scent he had carried in his mind for years.
    His chest expanded with excitement as he pulled her even nearer. He searched her face for some sign that he should turn her loose. He couldn’t see one.
    “Zack—”
    “Shh.” He brought a finger to his lips. “Don’t say anything.”
    It shocked him how little conflict there was inside him at this moment. Swept by desire that was as swift and hot as it was untimely, Zack lowered his mouth to hers. All the pain and frustration and longing of years past were channeled into his kiss.
    Alaina’s lips were warm, welcoming. Sweet. A craving for more of her, for all of her, roared into his head, blocking out everything else.
    He deepened the kiss. He did not want to stop. He couldn’t.
    There was no other woman in the world he wanted to kiss more than Alaina Tillman. And this moment would be a fair price to pay for whatever came later.

CHAPTER SIX

    A LAINA COULDN’T FIGHT IT . She didn’t even want to try.
    Zack’s arms were tight around her, a warm haven. It felt so good to be held, to be cherished. He always made her feel so safe. There was no one like Zack, and there never had been. How could she stop touching him?
    She felt him wanting her. Eager for more than kisses, eager to draw her to a place without restraints or regret.
    His fingers caressed her face, tilting her chin upward so he could find her eyes in the darkness. “Do you know how long I’ve waited for this?” he asked, as though he had found a deep dream, a hidden hope.
    There had been a riot inside her, but suddenly, she was calm. She had been traveling to this exact moment all of her life. Unbelievably, she and Zack had never been lovers, but that was about to change. The sweet anticipation of it was enough to leave Alaina short of breath.
    He kissed her again, and her blood heated to a dangerous degree. He slipped her sweater from her shoulders, sliding it down her arms until she could shake it free. He helped her pull her blouse over her head. She yanked at the buttons of his shirt, clumsy in her haste to feel his bare flesh against hers.
    His hands rubbed along her back with slow, ardentstrokes, and moments later her bra had been tossed into a chair. She pressed her breasts against his chest, enjoying the soft, tickling feel of her nipples against his hair, the way it left them erect and sensitive. Under her palm, his heartbeat was like a fist, pounding to be heard.
    Zack lowered her to the rug. Alaina wasted no time in wiggling out of her jeans. When he didn’t immediately lie down beside her, her eyes sought his. She didn’t want him to stop. She didn’t want the world to come back.
    She rose on one elbow and realized he was favoring one foot as he tried to slip out of his khakis. He cursed, then he was free.
    “What’s wrong with your foot?”
    “Later,” he said.
    “But—”
    She lost her train of thought as he came down on top of her, deftly stripping away her panties with one hand. He was so much broader than she remembered, and yet there