Padding barefoot down the hall, she'd just flicked the porch light on when Zach's broad, powerful frame mounted the steps. Her heartbeat kicked up as she freed the dead bolt and pulled the old oak door open.
The instant Zach lifted his head, that heavy-lidded gaze of his raked over her body, leaving her tingling in spots she didn't know could tingle from a mere glance.
Gripping the doorknob, she straightened her shoulders. “Come on in.”
“I'll stay on the porch.”
O-kay. She stepped outside, pulling the door closed behind her. Now in the pale glow of her porch lights, she shivered at the intimacy. Folding her arms over her chest, she forced herself to look him in the eye and not be intimidated by his masculinity, which threatened to make her knees buckle. Seeing him after what they'd shared in the tunnel was difficult. How could they ever go back to the awkward relationship that they'd grown accustomed to? Now they'd reached a new level of awkward, because just looking at him had her aching, had her staring at his mouth, wondering how those lips would feel on the rest of her body.
“Do you want to have a seat?” She gestured toward her porch swing.
“No.”
Sophie let out a sigh. “For someone who wanted to talk so bad you showed up at my house, you're not saying much.”
Those eyes continued to accost her. How could he just stand there as though this crackling tension wasn't the third party in this difficult meeting?
“I know I shouldn't be here. I'm sure Martin wouldn't appreciate it.”
Sophie took a deep breath. “Martin isn't an issue anymore.”
She shouldn't have said anything. It was hardly fair to say that to Zach when Martin didn't even know yet. But the words slipped out and she couldn't pull them back.
Zach blinked, obviously shocked. “Because we kissed?”
At least he wasn't avoiding the topic. “Partly,” she answered honestly. “But I'm not discussing him, because he has nothing to do with why you came over. Does he?”
Zach shook his head, the muscle in his jaw clenched. “I came by to apologize for the kiss, for how I handled things.”
Sophie could easily have let those words deflate her, but she was stronger than that. Something Zach would do well to remember. Because there was no way in hell a man who kissed like that was sorry that it happened. He hadn't acted sorry . . . he'd acted just as needy as she'd felt.
“Really? You're going to go that route?” She laughed, knowing that calling him out would irritate him. She was done coddling him and his self-pity. “Don't lie to me. You can't kiss me with so much passion and desire and be sorry for it at the same time.”
Those chocolate-brown eyes narrowed. “Fine. I'm not sorry I kissed you. I am sorry for the way I treated you.”
“Which time?” she countered. “After the kiss or all the years leading up to it?”
Crossing his arms over his wide chest, Zach shifted his feet and continued to glare. A portion of his tat peeked out beneath the hem of his gray T-shirt. Broad muscles stretched the thin material. Zach came by his spectacular frame the old-fashioned, hardworking way, with intense manual labor.
The man exuded sex appeal, but there was so much more to him than physical strength and an impressive exterior. Layers of emotions, some dark and some caring, made up the intriguing man.
“I didn't mean to hurt your feelings earlier,” he told her.
Sophie jerked back. She'd never heard him sound this sincere, this broken. What had that kiss done to him? Something wasn't right, and she wasn't quite sure how to approach it because the man was so closed off.
“My feelings weren't hurt.”
“Now who's lying?” he asked, raising a dark brow.
“Fine,” she conceded. She didn't want him hiding his feelings, so she wasn't going to hide hers. “You did hurt me. It wasn't the first time, and I doubt it will be the last.”
Zach raked a hand over his messy hair, glanced down to his scuffed boots, then back up to meet her gaze. “Hurting you kills me,” he whispered. “That's the last thing I'd ever want to do. But you're not the type of woman who gets involved with someone like me, Soph. You're sweet talking and dinners, I'm rough and one-night stands.”
His raw words washed over her, sending shivers racing through her as she rubbed her hands up and down her arms. Perhaps that was exactly what they were, but who's to say those worlds couldn't collide into something glorious?
Sophie didn't know what to say. Being around Zach had always been a battle of wills, and seeing him so vulnerable wasn't something she'd had any experience with.
“That's the main reason I came,” he went on. “I won't lie and pretend touching you didn't affect me. Judging from the way you kissed me back, I'd say you were just as affected. But that's where things have to stop.”
She started to reach for him, but he stepped back. Just like in the tunnels. Sophie closed her eyes and nodded, not accepting defeat but giving him the space he so obviously needed. “Why are you so difficult?”
Lifting her lids to meet his dark-as-night eyes, Sophie didn't know what to make of his pained expression.
“This isn't me being difficult. This is me saving both of us from a road that would only lead to destruction.”
“And you're so certain that anything we would have would be a disaster?”
“You don't get it.” He shook his head, throwing his arms wide. “I'm doing this for you.”
Sophie pulled her robe tighter and laughed. “Great, now you're going to fall back on the âit's not you, it's me' excuse? I took you for someone who could man up and not rely on lame comments.”
Zach took a menacing step forward. He stood within an inch of her, his warmth spreading through her just as surely as if he was touching her. Those eyes pinned her in place and she gripped the vee of her robe to keep from reaching up and touching that coarse, stubbled jaw so set with determination.
“For the first time in my life, I
am
manning up.” That growl-like tone did nothing to kill the desire she had for him. “I'm not running, I'm not hiding. I'm here, opening myself to you because I can't stand you to be hurt. Working on the house together is fine; I actually welcome your input. But I can't be that man you may think you want. That man doesn't exist inside of me.”
Now she did reach up, unable to help herself. She wanted him to feel comfort, to know that whatever internal demons he was battling didn't scare her. More than anything, she wanted him to know he wasn't alone.
“I'm glad you're done hiding.” Sophie stroked his jaw, not intimidated when he stilled beneath her touch. “But now you're lying to yourself. If you think we can work together on this project, spend a great deal of time together, and not be drawn even more strongly to each other, you're mistaken. We've dodged each other for nearly a decade, Zach. That kiss proved we have something.”
He gripped her hand, slowly lowering it from his face. “We have a past and now we have a mutual goal. There is nothing more.”
When he turned to go, Sophie couldn't help but get in one last word. “You say you came here to apologize and to tell me you're done running.” When he froze, without turning around, she went on. “You're still running, Zach. Which proves you came here for one reason. To see me. Because you know just as I do that something beyond our control is happening between us.”
Without another word, without waiting to see if he would even reply, Sophie went back in her house, locked the door, and flicked off the porch light.
Sinking back against the door, she willed her legs to hold her up. Her body trembled at the breakthrough that had just occurred.
Perhaps through all of this heartache, these years of suppressed emotions, there was a light at the end of this dark, lonely tunnel.
Chapter Seven
Zach wanted nothing more than to pound the hell out of something. Unfortunately, he'd done all the demolition on his current home and was now in the rebuilding stage.
He'd driven around for nearly an hour after leaving Sophie's house. The way she'd called him out on his emotions, the way she'd stood there so strong and vibrant, had nearly brought him to his knees. How was he ever going to make it through the renovations at the Sunset Lake property if she kept battling him? Because Zach was truly afraid he couldn't stand up to the new, fierce side of Sophie.
As he put his key in the back door, something rustled in the bushes. His first thought was that Ms. Barkley would be standing there when he turned, but as he came back down the steps to see what was causing the rustle, Zach realized it wasn't his overly deliberate neighbor with her cleavage up to her chin.
Nestled beneath his honeycup shrub was a dog, a very large dog, lying on her side. Zach knew the dog was a female because of the intense way she was breathing and the protruding belly that no doubt held puppies ready to be born . . . in his yard.
Zach muttered a curse. Not that he didn't love dogs. He actually loved animals, but what did he know about a dog in labor, or puppies? The only dog he'd had growing up was one the Monroes found on the street and brought home one night because it had a broken leg. They'd nursed it back to health and kept the stray for another eight years. No puppies involved, and the dog was a male.
Zach crouched down, squinting to get a better view. His back porch light offered enough of a glow, but the thick shrubbery shaded the dog.
“Hey there,” he said in a soft tone he barely recognized. “It's okay, girl.”
Was it? Hell, he knew less about labor than he did about puppies. Did he call the vet? Call an animal shelter? Was she delivering the pups now? Good grief, why his yard? What if he did something wrong and the pups got hurt or the mom died or . . .
Okay, he needed to get a grip because he was of no use if he was going to freak out. Dogs had puppies all the time . . . just not in his damn yard.
From what he could see, the dog appeared to be a yellow Lab mix. She let out a whine, and Zach raked his hands through his hair. Damn it, what should he do?
He jerked his phone from his back pocket and quickly looked up “dogs in labor.” The image section was not an area he needed to go right now. He'd be seeing it up close and personal soon enough. Scrolling through the articles, he found a promising, helpful site.
After reading and learning way more than he felt necessary, he went into action. As tired and frustrated with life as he was, he couldn't just go in and go to bed when there was a dog in need and innocent puppies about to be born.
Softly, Zach ran a hand over the dog's head, letting her know she wasn't alone, before heading inside to gather towels and a bowl of water. He was definitely out of his element here, but that dog had either him or nothing. What if the pups weren't born for another day? Was he going to sit up all night?
Yes, he would. Because no matter what a jerk he could be, he wasn't one to abandon anyone or anything when they were in need.
An image of Sophie lying in a hospital bed after the accident slammed into his mind. He'd not seen her because he'd been arrested, but he'd heard enough to know she'd been through hell . . . because of him. No, he wasn't going there. He'd been no use to her then. He sure as hell wasn't now, either.
Pushing Sophie and his emotions aside, Zach gathered all he needed and headed back outside. Dumping the towels on the ground, he pulled his phone back out and looked up the town vet.
Marcie had graduated with Sophie and Chelsea, but he'd never had a need to call her office before now. He waited for the answering machine to kick on and left a message, hoping they were checked often and she would call back soon.
Zach took a seat on the ground next to the bushes and kept searching through his phone for any information about what to do for this dog. As he looked closer, he realized she didn't have a collar on. He didn't recall seeing such a beautiful animal in the neighborhood before, either. Surely she belonged to someone. Maybe Marcie would be more help once she called back.
Every now and then the Lab would let out a whine or a howl. Zach hated that. Couldn't she have lain down in someone else's yard? Like maybe Ms. Barkley's? No, that wouldn't have been good. Zach couldn't imagine his stiletto-wearing neighbor catering to the needs of an abandoned, pregnant dog.
It wasn't lost on him that he was riding to the rescue of a canine and her unborn pups when he couldn't even figure out how to save himself from this mess he'd gotten himself into with Sophie.
She was obviously on to him, and she wasn't going to let him get away with lying to himself or lying to her. He had no clue how to approach her when he saw her again. All he could do, all he
should
do, was focus on finishing the renovations, focus on this asinine idea of opening a damn women's resort, because all of that was more than enough to make his head spin without adding Sophie into the mix.
Zach swallowed as images of Chelsea flooded his mind. When he'd come to live with the Monroes, the last of the four stragglers they'd adopted, Chelsea had been so sweet even when he'd been anything but. She would talk to him, that bright smile across her face as if her entire world were unicorns and rainbows. He'd hated the smile at the time. Hated how she constantly threw in his face how his pity parties were robbing him of his happiness.
But each time she came into his room, often late at night because they'd been insomniac partners, she would curl up on that window seat and just talk. Half the time he never said a word, but every single thing she said penetrated his thick skull.
Oftentimes she'd fall asleep in that window and Zach would take the blanket from his bed and cover her up. He almost felt as if she were staying with him, watching over him like some real-life guardian angel.
Chelsea had recognized a broken soul, having been one herself. But she'd turned that brokenness into freedom and had lived her life the way she wanted, through happiness, giving her darkened past the mental middle finger.
At first Zach had no idea how someone who had been basically abandoned could be so happy, so full of life. He'd endured nightmares he'd never wish on his worst enemy, and all he'd wanted to do was pick a fight or be alone. Chelsea hadn't let him do either. She loved him instantly, and he soon came to find out she was impossible to ignore. She was impossible not to love.
When Zach felt the sting in his throat, he muttered a curse and raked a hand down his face. He was tired. That's all. He wasn't going to break down. What would be the point? Crying wouldn't bring her back, crying wouldn't get him out of this emotional roller coaster he was on, and crying wouldn't help this current situation. Because if the way this Lab was shifting, as if trying to get comfortable, and the way she kept tightening her stomach, Zach had a feeling he wouldn't need to speak to Marcie once she called. The delivery would be over at that point.
* * *
Water aerobics always relaxed Sophie. Unfortunately, like the pencil sketches, nothing was really helping lately.
She'd gone through the familiar motions in the class, chatted with her regulars, and caught up on the latest town gossip. Her mind was still on her late-night visitor and his stubborn pride.
As she steered her car toward her office, her cell rang. She tapped on her steering wheel to answer her hands-free device.
“Hello?”
“Soph, I'm on my way to a meeting, but I wanted to return your call.”
Pulling into her parking spot, Sophie sighed at Martin's clipped, rushed tone. “I apologize for the last-minute cancelation, but this isn't a good time for me to get away.”
Silence greeted her on the other end.
“Martin?”
“Is this because of that Sunset Lake property and the Monroes?”
Gripping the wheel, Sophie stared straight ahead at the tall fountain in the middle of town. “I'm busy with several projects,” she answered. “Surely you understand.”
Once again he said nothing for a moment.
“We need to talk,” she told him. “In person and not in a rushed setting.”
There. She'd gotten that out. She seriously hated confrontation, but staying with Martin any longer just wasn't possible, and he deserved to know.
“I don't like the sound of that,” he said, his tone low. “What's going on, Sophie?”
“I'd rather speak in person. I'm showing a house this afternoon, but I'll be home all evening if you'd like to stop by.”
“I'll see what I can do.”
Sophie said her good-byes, not wanting to draw out the tension-filled conversation another minute. If Martin were in tune with other people's feelings, he'd most likely pick up on the fact that they'd grown apart. Even before Zach's bold step into her life recently, Sophie just wasn't feeling a connection with Martin like she'd had early in their relationship.
On a sigh, Sophie grabbed her messenger bag and headed into her office. She'd showered and changed at the gym after her class, so she was ready to go. With her assistant still out on vacation, Sophie was running the place single-handedly and was doing quite well, if she did say so herself.
After letting herself in, she punched in the security code and headed straight to her office. She had a few phone calls to make, then an open house that afternoon on a newly listed property. She fully expected to receive multiple offers, which would hopefully drive up the asking price.
Just as she booted up her computer, her cell rang again. Glancing over, she was actually relieved to see it was Liam. Relieved yet curious, because he rarely called her.
Sliding her finger across the screen, she answered. “Hey, Liam.”
“Do you have a minute?”
Surprised at the intensity of his tone, Sophie eased back in her cushy desk chair. “Of course. Something wrong?”
“No. But I want this conversation to stay between us.” Now she was really intrigued. What could Liam have to discuss that was so private?
“I won't say a word to anyone.”
Since the accident years ago, Sophie had always had a special bond with Liam. He'd been at the hospital with her and sat with her after her surgery. Even though he'd been patched up and hurting, he'd stayed by her side. Since that time, he'd call her, check on her and offer that silent support. She knew without a doubt that he would do anything for her, and the bond they shared over a tragedy could never be severed.
But Sophie had wanted to reach out to Zach after the accident. On that she and Liam disagreed. When Zach had been sent to prison for a year, he'd refused her visits. Once he got out, he'd been even angrier, more closed off than ever. More than once Liam held her as she'd fought back tears, and he never said a word. He understood her feelings, just as she understood his where Zach was concerned, but Liam never judged her.
And while Liam was very much closed off to the world, Sophie could always get him to open up to her.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
“I'm fine. I want to know more about this project my brothers are taking on.”
Sophie smiled.
So, the brother adamant on keeping his distance is now interested
. She truly hoped he'd get on board. Chelsea would've loved knowing her disgruntled siblings were working on a project in her memory . . . and a women-only resort and spa, no less. Chelsea was no doubt smiling down from heaven.
“Actually I want to know what's going on with the property now. With the payments on the back taxes coming due, can you tell me what the next step is?”
This was an area Sophie didn't want to get in the middle of. She didn't want to play both sides, or all three, technically, with the Monroe brothers. Everything she was doing now was for Chelsea.
“When Braxton was home he and Zach did a walk-through of the property. They made several notes on what needed updating to get the place up to code. I'm not sure what the final numbers are. Zach was going to do some figuring before they looked at costs for the cosmetic work.”
Even thinking about the day of the walk-through, the turning point with Zach in the tunnel, got her flustered. She hoped her voice remained strong and steady because every single time she thought about that moment when he'd kissed her so passionately, she seriously felt like a puddle of emotions.
“Why didn't you ask Braxton about all of this?”
“I didn't want a speech on why I should be contributing,” Liam answered. “I'm still not sold on this project and it could be a huge failure. The only reason I'd want in is because of Chelsea.”
Sophie swallowed the lump of remorse at the thought of how much they all missed the feisty, free-spirited friend and sister. There was a way to make her legacy live on, and Sophie desperately wanted all the guys on board.
“We're all doing it for Chelsea.” Sophie eased forward in her chair, pulling up her list of e-mails. “Do you honestly think Zach and Braxton had their hearts set on a resort and spa?”
Liam laughed. “Honestly, with those two, knowing it's for women only, I think that's their draw.”
Sophie didn't like the stab of jealousy that speared through her at the mention of Zach's interest in other women. She knew he didn't date much, knew he kept to himself. But he was a man, and there wasn't a woman around that could deny his sex appeal. Between the beard, the broad, muscular frame, and his brooding attitude, he screamed alpha, and Sophie knew she was completely out of her element to even think they were on the same level.