Free Best for the Baby by Ann Evans Page B

had always been a tantalizing mix of strength and gentleness about him. A sliver of sound escaped her as he slipped his tongue into her mouth at the same time that his hand found the juncture of her legs. His fingers, hard and clever, went deep, and she pushed against that pleasure, hearing her breathing change, feeling her own trembling response. He stroked, soothed, finding her inner warmth until Alaina wanted nothing in the world but to go on like this forever.
    A sensual thrill went through her, lighting up every part of her. Zack sensed her response. She knew he did, because he growled low in his throat and shifted his body so that his erection lay hot and pulsing against her thighs. Then he slid inside her.
    He began to move, slowly at first, effortlessly, then with increasing haste as she followed him, raising her hips to meet every thrust. It was embarrassing how quickly her body became liquid, wanting nothing more than more. Tremors built within her, a wonderful, agonizing tension that wouldn’t turn her loose, and made her want to scream.
    Above her, Zack was clearly no better off. For just one second, the meeting of their eyes was as close as a kiss, then he was going over the edge, taking her with him. This feeling of being turned inside out and upside down was one they shared, as though they had melted together and re-formed into a single being.
    “Zack…” she gasped out.
    “I know.” He surged harder. “I know.”
    Just when she thought they could stand it no longer, Zack jerked against her. His release triggered hers. She cried out, shuddering beneath him as sensation after sensation swamped her uncontrollably. She had a momentary feeling of floating, of becoming unmoored from herself, but an instant later Zack’s arms were pulling her close, gathering her into his embrace as though he would never let her go.
    “Just give us right now,” he whispered against her ear.
    She knew she should get up, put some distance between them if she was ever to regain her senses. But it felt so wonderful here, nestled against his chest. How could she let this go? How could she let him go?
    What they had just experienced together was the fulfillment of a fate that had been chasing them since childhood.
     
    I F ONLY SUCH A STATE OF bliss could have continued indefinitely.
    By midnight, Alaina had slipped back into her clothes and retreated to the kitchen, while Zack still slept on the living-room rug. She made a couple of telephone calls, then stood over the sink, drinking the last of the orange juice from the fridge.
    Pearly shafts of moonlight streamed through the window. The view from the kitchen was lovely. The lake sparkled as the moon’s glow danced on the rippling water, as though spreading a carpet of diamonds.
    Alaina hardly noticed. She was too busy trying to figure out what had happened to her better judgment. Trying to piece together a plan. What could she do now? What should she do?
    It was just sex, Alaina. Don’t make a big deal out of it.
    She supposed there were some women who could sleep with a man and not think a thing about it an hour later. But in spite of her wild, unplanned flight with Jeffrey, she’d never been that kind of girl. What she and Zack had shared had been so special, and she knew she’d remember every gasping, heated, erotic detail forever. Even now, it made her stomach tighten to think of some of the things they’d done. But the problem was, none of it should have happened.
    All her fault, of course. Zack might have pulled her into his arms, but she hadn’t resisted for even a nanosecond. If anything, she’d welcomed his touch.
    How could she have been so foolish? By now, he must think she was certifiable.
    Being able to stay at the cottage these past two weeks had been a huge relief, but her personal situation hadn’timproved much. She still hadn’t worked up the nerve to tell her family about the baby.
    As for Jeffrey, his two weeks to adjust had come and gone, and not a