Page 39 of The Perfect Blend
“Well then, it would be my pleasure.”
He took my hand, and like the old world gentleman we were pretending he was, kissed it and looked up at me with eyes full of sinful promise.
“I hope so.”
Chapter Fifteen
We walked side by side back to the house, through the whiteness. With the lights shining overhead, glistening off the white blanket of snow covering the ground, it felt like walking through a film set. I couldn’t stop sneaking little glances towards Zach, he was just so handsome, he could easily play the leading man in a Hallmark film. We reached the door and Zach flicked on the hall lights and switched the outside lights off. The yard plunged into darkness, not even a sliver of moon to light the snow, so dense was the cloud cover.
“A proper Christmas,” I whispered, and we closed the door behind us.
Zach guided me into the living room, and I noticed straight away the changes he’d made. The fireplace was obviously the one from the Christmases of my childhood. It was a large open fireplace with a thick mantlepiece that housed a couple of old family photos. A fire sat in the centre waiting to be lit, which Zach knelt down to do. The antique pieces were still here - heirloom sideboards,tables and light fixtures, but the old sofas and chairs were gone, replaced by a gorgeous leather chesterfield with plush cushions and two matching armchairs. An ottoman completed the set. I would personally have added a few plants to bring the room to life, but I kept that to myself.
“Love the settee,” I said.
“Thanks. A necessary purchase, the other one was consumed by mice. One of the few pieces that unfortunately had to go.” The fire roared to life and he stood up.
“Drink?”
“Please.”
“What would you like,” he said, strolling over to the polished wood drinks cabinet Uncle Jim used to keep under lock and key when we were young. The doors opened easily now. I wandered over to peruse the selection. Three types of whiskey and some other spirits.
“Hmm,” I said. “Do you have any wine?”
He laughed. “I do actually, I got a selection in for you in case you didn’t like my first wine choice the other night.” My heart warmed at how cute that was. “Red or white?”
“White please, if it's chilled.”
He held a hand to his chest in mock horror, “I wouldn’t dream of serving lukewarm white wine!”
He went through to the kitchen and I spotted the green dial phone on a stand in the corner, just like it always had. I made my way over and on my second try managed to ring Sharon's number.
“Hello?”
“Hey, Sharon, it’s me”
“Hello, you. What’s up?”
“I’m just ringing to ask if you could look after Beanie tonight for me? I don’t know about down your way, but up here there’s a snowstorm. It’s a whiteout, so I’m not driving home.”
There was a short silence on the other end of the line and I could practically hear her struggling between wanting me to be safe and not drive in bad weather like this, or telling me to come home anyway and offering up dire warnings about my taste in men. I braced myself and decided to jump the gun.
“It’s all fine Sharon, I’m safe here and I don’t want to risk the drive home. I’m a big girl, don’t worry.”
“Alright, we’ll take care of Beanie, the kids will be over the moon. You stay safe up there and look after yourself. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.” Aha, she managed to get in her warning after all.
“Thanks Sharon, but I can’t make any promises.”
Before she could utter anything else, I hung up and prayed she wouldn’t call back. This made it twice in one day that I had left without giving her the last word. I’d get it in the neck next time I saw her.
“What aren’t you promising?” drawled Zach from behind me, his voice so close I could feel the warm whisper of his breath on my neck.
I turned and let out a little gasp, Zach was mere inches from me. He casually balanced two wine glasses in his right hand, whilst his left hand reached up to caress my cheek. I couldn’t help myself, I tilted my head slightly to lean further into his palm. His thumb slowly brushed over my lips before he bent down and placed a featherlight kiss against them. My body instinctively followed him as he took a step away, not wanting to lose that connection for even a second.
But Zach clearly had more willpower than I did. I felt a little lost at the loss of his body against mine, however I appreciated the nice view of his backside in those arsehugging jeans as he made his way across the room to the window. The view of his back muscles straining as he leant up to pull the heavy wool curtains closed, shutting out the icy blackness beyond, nearly made up for the distance between us. The room suddenly felt more intimate, the warm light and soft shadows from the fireplace the only source of light in the living room. I could have been forgiven for forgetting there was a whole world outside, because right now, it felt like Zach and I were the only two people in the world.
Finally Zach made his way over to the sofa and sat down, lounging, his long lean legs stretched out in front of him. My eyes trailed up Zachs body, from his arched feet, up his legs, resting on his toned thigh muscles, imaging those muscles straining to hold Zach's weight as he hovered over me, wondering how they would feel under me as I perched on top of Zach. My cheeks flushed and I continued with my imaginary exploration, visualising running my hands over his stomach, tugging on the light sprinkle of hair that covered his chest. Finally, I made my eyes flick past the column of his neck and rest on his lips. His full, perfect lips demanded to be kissed, and as I stared, his tongue snuck out, lasciviously licking his bottom lip. My breath quickened and my stare jumped to his eyes, knowing that I had been caught in my appreciation. He smirked at me, raising one eyebrow as he stared straight back.
