The Sparkling One (Marcelli #1)

Of course, that meant actually walking out of the hotel, not something she wanted to do. But before she could whip herself into a frenzy and try to move, Zach stepped into the ballroom and headed toward her.

“Do you ever plan on leaving?” he asked.

“Sure. Right now.” She handed him the paper with her scrawled figures. “If I can still add correctly, the fund-raiser was a success.”

“I already know it was. Come on.”

He collected her papers, her shoes, and her purse, then pulled her to her feet. She winced and they headed for the door.

“You’re too tired to drive,” he said. “I’ll take you home. We’ll deal with getting your car tomorrow.”

“Okay,” she murmured, because it was too much trouble to argue. “It was really nice of the hotel manager to put up my family for the night.”

“I’m sure he’s going to regret it. Last I saw, he and Granny M were drinking in the bar. I suspect come morning, he’s going to wish he was dead, while Grammy M will chuckle all the way home.”

Katie smiled at the visual. “I do have a great family.”

“Yes, you do.” He glanced at her. “They came through for you.”

“I know.”

“Were you surprised?”

She thought about the phone call she’d made and that her mother hadn’t hesitated. “When I was dialing the number, I would have told you I was terrified. But the second I heard my mother’s voice, I knew she’d do anything she could. They’re my family.” She glanced at Zach. “Like you and David are family.”

“Only yours is louder.”

They made it to the front of the hotel, where the valet had Zach’s car waiting. Katie climbed inside, secured the seat belt, then curled up in the seat and rested her head against the window.

“I think the party was really good,” she said sleepily. “I did a good job.”

Zach laughed as he started the car. “I agree. I’m happy to write you any recommendation you’d like.”

“Okay.” She sighed. “I’d never done a job that big before. I was a little scared, but then I got the hang of it. But when Jerome called me, I thought I was going to die. I could see my whole career going up in flames.”

“You don’t have to worry about that now.”

“I guess not.”

She didn’t know if they continued talking, nor could she remember what was said if they had. One minute they’d been pulling out of the hotel; the next they were turning into her driveway.

Before she could open her door herself (when exactly had door handles gotten so tricky?), Zach came around and helped her out. But instead of letting her walk to the front door, he picked her up and carried her.

The combination of floating and sleepiness made her head spin. Katie wrapped her arms around his neck and breathed in the scent of him. The man was clever enough to have fished her key out of her purse, because the door opened without her having to do anything.

She smiled to herself. She liked that Zach was clever. She liked many things about him. She—

“Thank you,” he said as he bumped the front door closed with his hip, then slowly lowered her to the floor.

“What?”

“You said I’m clever.”

She blinked. “I didn’t actually say all that aloud, did I?”

“I don’t know what all you were thinking, but you mentioned that I was clever and that you like that…along with other things. Care to talk about specifics?”

She chuckled. “Not even for money.”

“But I like it when you compliment me.”

“That’s because you’re the center of your own universe.”

“Absolutely. Yet another of my charming features.”

“Charming? You?”

“You adore me.”

She was saved from having to respond by his kiss. A good thing, because she did adore him. How could she not?

He’d turned out to be a whole lot more than just a pretty face. He wasn’t just smart, successful, and a great father. He was also warm and caring. Under that cool sharkskin beat the heart of a genuine nice guy, although Zach would be furious if he knew she thought that.

Whatever else happened, she would always remember how he’d stood up to her family for her, how he’d been there afterward. How he’d cared about her.

The kiss deepened and all rational thought fled. Her exhaustion faded, as if it had never been, leaving behind only growing desire. She curled her fingers against his head, feeling the cool silk of his hair. Their heartbeats seemed to be pounding in a rhythm of sensual desire. Her breasts swelled, and between her legs she felt the telltale ache of liquid need.

All this and he hadn’t even made it to first base. She had a feeling that if the man did something wild like touch her bare skin, she might actually start to unravel.

“Katie,” he murmured, then licked her lower lip.

He eased lower, nibbling his way to her jawline, then moving toward her ear. He licked the sensitive flesh under her lobe, which made her cling hard and forget how to breathe.

He traced the outside of her ear, which both tickled and delighted, then returned to her mouth, where he entered without warning. He claimed her with deep, passionate kisses that empowered her into responding in kind. She circled his tongue with hers and followed his retreat to claim him.

Somewhere along the way she remembered to breathe again, because when he broke the kiss, she found herself panting.

Tension filled her. Every place they pressed together made her want more. She felt the hardness of his erection and longed to slip her hand between them so she could touch him. She wanted to be naked, in bed, making love. She wanted the night to never end.

“So,” he said, cupping her face in his hands and staring at her with his deep, dark blue eyes. “This is where I stop so you can tell me you’re too tired?”

She kept her gaze on him. “I’m not wearing any underwear.”

Instantly his pupils dilated and his breath caught in his throat.

“Just checking,” she said casually, pulling free of his embrace and heading for her bedroom. “Actually I am wearing underwear, but I trust you’ll know what to do with it.”

Katie rolled over and blinked at the clock. Her eyes focused, but her brain was a little more reluctant to believe. One-thirty?

She glanced at the window, only to see bright sunshine. She’d slept until one-thirty in the afternoon?

She flopped on her back and stared at the ceiling. Considering she didn’t get to sleep until close to three, she was actually still pretty tired. But in a good way. In a talk-about-a-couple-of-hours-of-incredible-lovemaking kind of way.

A smile tugged on her mouth. She turned over and placed her hand on the empty side of the bed, where Zach had been. His body heat had long since faded from the sheets, but his scent lingered. She glanced at his pillow and saw a piece of paper there. She grabbed it and quickly read.

“Hey, gorgeous. You needed the rest, so I didn’t want to wake you when I snuck out this morning. Call me at the office when you wake up. Thanks for last night. I’m going to have a hell of a time concentrating today. Instead of clients, I’ll be thinking about you.”

She laughed softly, contentment filling her. Back when she’d first met Zach, she’d thought he was a player. A heartless, egocentric, all-around slimy guy. She couldn’t have been more wrong about him.

He was everything she’d ever wanted. He was—

Katie sat up and gasped. Everything she’d ever wanted? As in…as in…She flopped back on the bed and pulled the covers up over her head. No way. She could not possibly have fallen in love with Zach. It was impossible. It was crazy.

She was the closet romantic who had once kissed a frog in the hopes of attracting a prince on a white horse. She still had the very first Valentine she’d ever received from a boy. She was hearts and flowers and Zach was anything but.

Except when her entire family had turned their collective back on her, he’d been there for her. She might not agree with his tactics, but he was determined to keep his son from making what he saw as a mistake. He was ruthless, yes, but also giving and kind and holy shit, she had it bad.

All these years of waiting for “the one.” The right guy. The man who made her hear bells. Last night she’d heard at least a tinkle or two.

Katie pushed down the covers and studied the note. She had to call him and she certainly wasn’t going to say anything. What was there to say? “Hi Zach. Last night was great, by the way, I’m in love with you.” Yeah, right. Hardly a well-conceived plan.

She would say nothing, she told herself. She would act completely normal and keep her personal information to herself.

She supposed a case could be made for telling him the truth and giving him the chance to respond in kind. That was probably really mature. Except she wasn’t feeling especially grown-up and strong right now.

Four months ago she would have said that Zach Stryker had the emotional attention span of a gnat, that he wasn’t interested in anyone but himself, and that she would never fall for a guy like him. She’d been wrong on every count. But was she wrong about him wanting what she wanted? Could the cynical divorce lawyer ever find a way to believe in happily-ever-after, marriage, and kids? Was she more to him than just a flavor of the week, or would he walk away from her the way he’d walked away from everyone else?

Too many questions, she thought, and not an answer in sight.

After sitting up, she pulled on her robe and glanced back at his note. She rubbed her finger over his signature, then reached for the phone.

Dora picked up on the first ring. “Zach Stryker’s office.”

“Hi, Dora. It’s Katie.”

“Hi! How are you doing? You won’t believe what’s happening here. The phones are going crazy. Everybody’s calling. They loved the party and the food and your grandmothers. In Style magazine wants to get the ravioli recipe for a spread they’re doing. The partners are thrilled about the proceeds, and I’ve been fielding calls from dozens of people who are trying to get in touch with you so you can plan their next event.”

Katie’s head spun. “I can’t believe it.”

“You’d better start. I think you’re going to need a bigger staff. So, is working for an event planner more interesting than working for a lawyer?”

Katie laughed. “Zach would kill me if I stole you away.”

“Just between you and me, I wouldn’t leave, but I may hint a bit. Just to keep him humble.” Dora chuckled. “Speaking of His Nibs, he’s waiting for your call. I’ll put you through.”

“Thanks.”

There was a click, then Zach came on the phone.

“So you’re finally up?”

“Sort of. I’m awake, but still tired.”

“It’ll take you a couple of days to get back to normal.” His voice lowered a little. “How are you feeling?”

“Good.” She smiled. “Great. I got your note.”

“I didn’t want to just head out without saying something, but I hated to wake you. We have that history of running out on each other after sex. Oh, wait. Only you did that.”

She laughed. “Thanks for the reminder. So you’re not a forgive-and-forget kind of guy. That surprises me.”

“Oh, I forgive, but I don’t forget until I’ve gotten all the mileage I can out of it.”

“How like you.”

“Resourceful? I know.”

“Impossible was more what I was thinking. How’s work?”

He chuckled. “I have no idea. I should have stayed in bed with you. I’m not getting anything done.”

His confession made her feel all shivery inside. “Really?”