children, watched him study hard to get a scholarship to college, the first in his family to make it there. She could understand his need to indulge himself after that. But she also knew he had more to offer.
She needed to see what he was willing to give, because she was prepared to hand over her heart.
The kiss last night had been toe-curlingly romantic and sexy, and that he hadn’t argued when she asked him to stop gave her hope. It wasn’t enough that he see her as a grown woman. She wanted him to fall in love with her.
When the doorbell rang, she answered. Her breath caught to see him standing in the hallway dressed in a business suit, head dipped, just a touch of five o’clock shadow. His gaze slid over her and warmed appreciatively as he took in her flowy white dress and sandals.
“You look gorgeous,” he said in that voice that sent shivers down her spine.
“Thanks. So do you.” Okay, her breathless voice didn’t bode well for him seeing her as a grown woman. She reached for her purse on the table behind her. “Shall we go?”
“That’s not what happened,” Zach said with a disbelieving laugh, setting his wine glass at the far edge of his plate on the white tablecloth.
Paige couldn’t remember the last time she’d heard him laugh like that, and she hadn’t seen him so relaxed since they’d encountered one another again. She’d take responsibility for that—she hadn’t made life easy for him once she’d set her sights on him. Maybe he was worried about Adam and his reaction. She understood the whole big-brother thing, but she wasn’t going to let what Adam thought get in the way of her desire. And she wanted Zach more than anything.
“So explain to me why you were sitting outside my senior prom, hunkered down in your car.” She’d noticed his car the moment she’d walked out of the country club where the prom had been held. Her heart had done a little jump at the sight. Even then he’d been so gorgeous.
The corners of his lips turned down as he turned the wine glass on the table, his attention focused on the wavy liquid. “Adam asked me to look out for you.”
“Why wasn’t he there?”
“He was up on The Hill, waiting to stop you if you got past me.”
The Hill had been where kids had gone to park their cars and make out in those days. More than one person she’d known had ended up pregnant after a night in the backseat. Her friends had declared it cursed and never let their guys get their panties off after that. “What made him think if I was planning to sleep with Chris, that I’d do it up on The Hill? What about a motel room? Didn’t he think of that?” Which had been the plan, until she saw Zach’s car and had crossed the lot to show her displeasure at his imposition by banging on the hood and yelling at him for invading her privacy—though part of her romantic young heart had allowed her to believe jealousy on his part motivated his actions. Poor Chris. She’d been on a tear about nosey family members, and he’d ended up just taking her home.
“I think your dad had that angle covered, threatening any motel owners that offered Chris a room.”
She flipped her hair over her shoulder. “You were too late in any case. I lost my virginity way before senior prom.”
Zach snapped his gaze to hers. “You did?” His tone was sharp, fatherly. “With who?”
“Jordan, two days after my sixteenth birthday.”
He snorted. “Jordan was a dick. I’m sure it was very memorable for you.”
“I remember locking myself up in the bathroom afterwards.” The night before she gave in to Jordan’s pleadings, Zach had turned up at the house, home from college break, and hadn’t looked at her, though she’d teased him, practically begging for his attention. When he’d brushed her off, her fragile young heart had been broken, and she decided she needed to grow up, so she’d given in to Jordan. And for the two minutes he’d been inside her, she’d imagined he
She needed to see what he was willing to give, because she was prepared to hand over her heart.
The kiss last night had been toe-curlingly romantic and sexy, and that he hadn’t argued when she asked him to stop gave her hope. It wasn’t enough that he see her as a grown woman. She wanted him to fall in love with her.
When the doorbell rang, she answered. Her breath caught to see him standing in the hallway dressed in a business suit, head dipped, just a touch of five o’clock shadow. His gaze slid over her and warmed appreciatively as he took in her flowy white dress and sandals.
“You look gorgeous,” he said in that voice that sent shivers down her spine.
“Thanks. So do you.” Okay, her breathless voice didn’t bode well for him seeing her as a grown woman. She reached for her purse on the table behind her. “Shall we go?”
“That’s not what happened,” Zach said with a disbelieving laugh, setting his wine glass at the far edge of his plate on the white tablecloth.
Paige couldn’t remember the last time she’d heard him laugh like that, and she hadn’t seen him so relaxed since they’d encountered one another again. She’d take responsibility for that—she hadn’t made life easy for him once she’d set her sights on him. Maybe he was worried about Adam and his reaction. She understood the whole big-brother thing, but she wasn’t going to let what Adam thought get in the way of her desire. And she wanted Zach more than anything.
“So explain to me why you were sitting outside my senior prom, hunkered down in your car.” She’d noticed his car the moment she’d walked out of the country club where the prom had been held. Her heart had done a little jump at the sight. Even then he’d been so gorgeous.
The corners of his lips turned down as he turned the wine glass on the table, his attention focused on the wavy liquid. “Adam asked me to look out for you.”
“Why wasn’t he there?”
“He was up on The Hill, waiting to stop you if you got past me.”
The Hill had been where kids had gone to park their cars and make out in those days. More than one person she’d known had ended up pregnant after a night in the backseat. Her friends had declared it cursed and never let their guys get their panties off after that. “What made him think if I was planning to sleep with Chris, that I’d do it up on The Hill? What about a motel room? Didn’t he think of that?” Which had been the plan, until she saw Zach’s car and had crossed the lot to show her displeasure at his imposition by banging on the hood and yelling at him for invading her privacy—though part of her romantic young heart had allowed her to believe jealousy on his part motivated his actions. Poor Chris. She’d been on a tear about nosey family members, and he’d ended up just taking her home.
“I think your dad had that angle covered, threatening any motel owners that offered Chris a room.”
She flipped her hair over her shoulder. “You were too late in any case. I lost my virginity way before senior prom.”
Zach snapped his gaze to hers. “You did?” His tone was sharp, fatherly. “With who?”
“Jordan, two days after my sixteenth birthday.”
He snorted. “Jordan was a dick. I’m sure it was very memorable for you.”
“I remember locking myself up in the bathroom afterwards.” The night before she gave in to Jordan’s pleadings, Zach had turned up at the house, home from college break, and hadn’t looked at her, though she’d teased him, practically begging for his attention. When he’d brushed her off, her fragile young heart had been broken, and she decided she needed to grow up, so she’d given in to Jordan. And for the two minutes he’d been inside her, she’d imagined he
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