PassionsPoison (3 page)

He didn’t hide his disappointment fast enough, and she
steeled herself against the need to give in to him. He picked up a small pile
of paper from the living room and brought it to the table. As they sat, she
couldn’t help but remember the kiss they shared and her gaze riveted to his
lips.

They moved. “If you keep looking at me that way, I’m going
to have to kiss you.”

She jumped as if slapped and brought her gaze to his.
Desire, pure and simple, shone in his eyes. Her body started a slow burn as
moisture swelled her pussy and her nipples strained toward him. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. In fact, I’d rather you weren’t.”

She was in his house on business, but her brain refused to
focus because all her blood had rushed to the juncture of her thighs. She
licked her lips, trying to hold on to her sanity, but she wanted to touch him
so much that deep inside she ached.

A man could only take so much and Bea’s expression far
exceeded Zach’s breaking point. “All right, that’s it.”

He reached across the table with both hands and brought her
face to his. Her quick breath brushed across his lips, so when she didn’t pull
away, he kissed her. She moaned as he pressured her to open for him, and he
swooped his tongue inside to stroke hers. She tasted like fresh honey. Her
citrusy scent enveloped him. He wove his hands through her hair, bringing her
closer. When her tongue pushed between his lips, he growled in hunger.

She tugged away and he let her go, cursing himself for
ruining the moment.

She bent her head and stared at the pile of sketches.

Zach silently demanded she meet his gaze, but she didn’t.
Staring at her swollen lips, he repositioned himself in his seat to make his
growing cock more comfortable, if that were possible. It throbbed with wanting,
its tip already moist and ready to conquer. Taking a deep breath, he forced
himself to concentrate on his drawings and spread them out before her. “I
designed a number of variations on the theme we talked about the other day.”

Her flush faded as she focused on his work.

“Here is the basic premise with the state flower and
forsythia thrown in.” He pointed to the sketch on her left.

She appeared to study it, but he wasn’t sure she actually
saw it. Good. He hoped she had a hard time concentrating because he sure as
hell did. All he could think about was how smooth her skin felt. How much he
wanted to cover her curvaceous body with his and sink his cock deep inside her
pussy.

He counted to ten and moved another drawing in front of her.
“This one brings out the wildlife, so the focus is on the beaver and the woodpecker,
but I’ve also thrown in the Monarch butterfly, wooly caterpillar and a raccoon.
On this third sketch, I’ve kept everything in life-size proportion, but had to
leave off the insects because the chainsaw can’t do that type of detail.”

She perked up. “That’s the one. It’s perfect. And I just
know Sharon will love it.” She looked up at him, her eyes shining with
excitement.

He grinned. People’s reactions to his work still surprised
him. He was just a logger and it amazed him to find someone like her energized
by what he did for fun. Did she know her eyes sparkled when she was happy?
“You’re sure?”

She peered at the sketch again. “Oh yes, absolutely. Can you
really do this with a chainsaw?”

He leaned back in his chair, crossed his arms and raised an
eyebrow. “You doubt I can?”

She flushed. “No, I mean a chainsaw appears to be a bit
unwieldy for such small detail.”

“Actually, a chainsaw is an amazing machine if you respect
it. In comparison to the trees it can fell, it’s a small tool, yet it brings
down giants in the forest. Don’t get me wrong, it can be a pain in the���uh.
Jamming, not starting and kicking away can occur, which is frustrating as hell
and dangerous. But if you take care of it, watch where you put it to work and
prepare for the worst at all times, you can accomplish a lot.”

Bea focused on every word he uttered. Her absolute attention
caused a warmth to spread through his chest that he had experienced only a
couple times before. He leaned forward. “Some people see it as a loud,
cumbersome machine. Many lifetime loggers curse it. But my father taught me to
respect it. If you ignore its look and sound, you can use it as finely as a
paintbrush, though I admit I haven’t achieved that level yet.”

Bea touched his arm. The connection sent blood racing to his
groin, but she appeared innocent in her enthusiasm. “You may call yourself a
logger, but you’re an artist at heart. When did you start logging?”

He placed his hand on hers, needing to feel her bare skin.
“I was nine. That’s when my father first took me to the sites. I wasn’t allowed
to do much at first. Frankly, I was too small, but as I grew, he allowed me
more responsibilities.”

She sat back, pulling her hand from his hold. He resisted
the urge to take it back. She cocked her head. “How old were you when you took
down your first tree?”

He smirked. “Let’s put it this way, I was too young for it
to be legal.”

Her face flushed. She had to be as affected by their mutual
attraction as he was.

He pushed back his chair and rose. “I have a photo of me
with that tree. It’s not that impressive because the tree is down, but I
remember how tall it was.”

He walked into the living room to the corner between the
fireplace and great windows where a small photo in a black frame hung on the
log wall. He pointed. “That’s me and my first pine.”

She moved closer. “You look maybe fourteen. That tree is
huge. It doesn’t even fit in the photo.”

Zach stepped up behind her and pointed to another small
person in the left corner of the picture. “That’s Josh, my best friend. He’s a
doctor at a research hospital here in New Hampshire. He only did logging during
his summer breaks from school.”

His breath whispered past her ear and he witnessed a tiny
shiver flow down her skin.

She turned, boxed in by his body. “Why, um, did you stop?”

He gazed into her eyes and saw caution mixed with desire,
but he let her see his naked need for her. “I was made an offer I couldn’t
refuse.”

“Oh.”

He had to touch her or go insane. Lifting his hand, he moved
her silky hair off her shoulder before cupping her neck. Every inch of his body
tightened with anticipation, his cock no exception. He bent his head forward,
holding in check his raw desire. “I can’t refuse the invitation of your lips
either, Bea.”

She caught her breath and her mouth opened.

As his lips touched hers, she reached her arms up to twine
around his neck. Her hold set his body on fire. He wanted to consume her. He
enveloped her in his arms, pulling her against him. A heady sensation coursed
through him as he played his lips over hers, his teeth nibbling, his tongue
invading.

She wiggled, fitted herself to him, her breasts crushing
against his chest, burning him.

He moved his hand to behind her head, tilting it so he could
taste the side of her neck while his other found her ass and pulled her pelvis
tight against his granite-hard cock.

She sighed in surrender and played with the hair at the back
of his neck, caressing him.

He bent her backward, licking his way down between her
breasts. He could see hard nipples through her blouse and bra as they anxiously
waited for his attention. His blood pounded at the sight, straining his
control. He murmured against her chest. “Beatrice, I want you.”

Bea’s brain kicked into gear at Zach’s words. She wanted him
too, but not for just a night. Her pleasurable heat turned frosty. How could
that be? She didn’t even know him, but her heart already named him hers. She
pushed against his chest to break his embrace.

He let her go.

She staggered back, her knees shaky, her breaths coming
fast. “I’m sorry if you got the wrong idea,” she rasped.

He stared at her quizzically. “What idea would that be? That
you’re as attracted to me as I am to you? That this,” he motioned with his hand
pointing between them, “is great?”

She shook her head, trying not to look at the large bulge in
his jeans. “I-I don’t know. It’s too fast.”

He stared into her eyes. “You mean too hot, don’t you?”

She gulped as his words sent fire racing through her veins.
She nodded.

He took a deep breath and jammed his hands into his front
pockets. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. But it’s not something we can ignore.”

His gaze changed from polite to possessive. “I want you,
Beatrice Rappaccini. I want you naked in my bed. Once you’re there I want to
taste you, smell you, feel you and pump into you until I lose myself.”

At his words, Bea’s legs turned to slush and she sank into
the nearest chair.

He hunkered down in front of her and took her hands. “Bea,
is there any reason why we shouldn’t get together?”

Oh, was there. But none she could tell him. He wouldn’t
believe her if she did. Her last long-term relationship back in high school
ended with her boyfriend in a coma. Despite his eventual recovery, she still
carried a pile of guilt around with her. As much as she wanted Zach, she
couldn’t be happy with one night. This wasn’t about her need to cleanse the
toxins she produced. This was about the idea of having one special man in her
life. The only obstacle standing in her way was her deadly body.

Zach dropped her hands. “What is it? You hesitated for too
long.” He stood abruptly. “Are you already seeing someone?”

She jerked her head up, surprised by the anger in his tone.
“No, I’m not. It’s complicated.”

He walked away from her and stood behind the other couch.
“Why do people always have to make things complicated? This is simple human
nature, two adults who are attracted to each other. What’s so complicated about
that?”

She straightened her shoulders. “First, I’m supposed to be
here on business. I don’t think it appropriate to kiss a vendor on company
time. Second, I don’t know anything about you except that you can create
amazing statues with a chainsaw and you used to be a logger from Maine. I like
to know a lot more about a person before I have sex with him.”

How little she knew about her one-night stands stabbed at
her conscience, but she ignored it.

He grinned and came around to sit on the couch perpendicular
to her chair. He took her hand again. “If those are your only concerns, I can
work with that. You’re being very reasonable and I’m being impatient. Forgive
me. You’re so damn beautiful, it’s hard for me to control myself.”

Heat rose in her cheeks and she looked down to see his big
calloused hand holding hers. She wished it were so simple.

He raised her chin with his other hand. “Bea, I’ll try to be
patient if you’re willing to give it a chance.”

She stared at him, this incredible man who her body and her
heart seemed to crave. A man who would suffer if she gave in to her own needs,
but she was weak. Her head nodded of its own accord while her mind screamed no.

He leaned forward and brushed a featherlight kiss upon her
lips.

She wanted to cry at his tenderness and she silently cursed
her deranged ancestor again for the poisonous nature he had inflicted on her,
on so many Rappaccinis. “I better go.”

He stood with her hand still in his. “I’ll walk you to your
car.”

She let him help her up, wishing she could figure out some
way for a relationship to work, but a deep-rooted fruitlessness settled deep in
her stomach.

He let go of her hand to cup her face in his palms. “You
look as if you’re going to cry.”

She put her hands on his chest. “No, I—oh no.”

His brows drew together in concern and his hold tightened on
her face. “What’s wrong?”

She stared at the scene over his shoulder. “I don’t think
I’m going anywhere now.”

He turned toward the great windows, his arm coming around
her, but he remained silent. He squeezed her waist.

Outside the snow fell hard, and on his massive deck a foot
of the beautiful white flakes announced her imprisonment. The Tamwick roads would
be impassable. How could she stay in his house overnight without sleeping with
him? “Maybe, it’s not as bad as it appears. You must have gusts up here,
right?”

He raised his brow. “Study the snow. It’s falling straight
down. There’s no way you’ll make it back to Meriden in your vehicle.”

She stared at her silent jailer, unable to fault the large,
white flakes defined against the dark grayness outside. He was right. In his
home with the snow piling up, it was as if they were the only two people on
Earth. But if that were the case, he would be dead within the week.

She shook herself and the foreboding that flooded her body.
They weren’t the only two people in the world. In fact, she needed to call
Craig. “I better make a few calls. Let people know where I am.”

He stepped away, the energy in his body palpable. “Sure,
I’ll go downstairs and get wood for the fireplace. I’m thinking it’s going to
be a cold one.”

Zach gave her a reassuring smile that did everything but
reassure her. Then he headed downstairs, leaving her body in jitters, her heart
aching and her mind frantically searching for answers like a chickadee caught
inside a house, desperate to find a way out and accomplishing nothing but harm
to itself.

Zach reached the basement and went straight for the door to
look through its window. Flipping on the outside light, he grinned. The snow
fell faster than an eighty-foot pine. It must be fate. To have a beautiful,
passionate woman stuck with him for the entire night. He never believed in that
“meant to be” garbage, but tonight he’d won the jackpot. Poker with his friends
would never be the same.

He switched off the spotlight and strode to the pile of logs
in the corner. Heating with wood warmed a man three times. When he cut it down,
hauled it in and burned it. He would add a fourth to that list, getting hot
with a sexy woman on sheepskins in front of the fire. Yup, he could feel the
heat already.

He pulled four large logs from the pile. Balancing them, he
trudged upstairs and dropped them into the wood box next to the fireplace. He
paused to enjoy the view of the woman on the phone before heading back
downstairs. She was hot for him. He could feel it. And the feeling was mutual.
Hell, if she wanted to get to know him better, he’d tell her his life story.

Grabbing the log sling from the hook on the basement wall,
he piled it with smaller logs, branches and kindling, slung it onto his
shoulder and made his way back upstairs. He dropped his load near the hearth.

Bea faced the valley-side windows, so he walked to the edge
of the sliding-glass door and flipped on the spotlight above the deck. The
bright light lit up the falling snow, making it a sparkling, silent moving
picture against the black night, as if they were trapped within a snow globe.

Her eyes widened in awe as she gazed at the beauty outside
before turning her attention back to her conversation.

At least she could appreciate nature’s serenity. Many women
he’d known focused on how much his place was worth and didn’t get his world.

He returned to the fireplace and crouched before it to brush
aside the old ash. He piled on the wood according to size, lit the newspaper
and let the kindling catch flame.

Bea’s conversation drifted over to him. “But Mom, I can’t.”

Silence reigned as Bea listened to her mother. This wasn’t a
conversation he should hear. Standing, he resisted the urge to gaze at her and
jogged upstairs. His guest might need a few items for her unexpected stay
tonight, and he didn’t want to be a poor host.

Bea covertly watched as Zach left the room and breathed a
relieved sigh. She had a hard enough time concentrating on her conversation
with him in the room, but the huge logs he carried upstairs had brought back
the image of his naked torso, which silenced all other thoughts.

“Bea, are you still there?”

“Sorry, Mom. He’s such a distraction.”

She could almost see her mother smile on the other end of
the phone. “Honey, all I’m saying is don’t end it before it begins. It’s been
over fourteen years since the episode with Phillip and that was my fault. You
know what your limits are now. Get creative. I know in my gut you can have a
happily ever after.”

Bea pulled out a chair and sat at the table, her
grandmother’s words about her mom and marriage at the forefront of her mind.
“How can you know that, Mom?
You
didn’t get one. Unless you believe
long-standing relationships with four of my possible six fathers is happy.”

“It is, honey, but yours could be better. The poison in our
bodies dilutes with every generation. You have a chance.”

Bea rolled her eyes. “Yeah, so does my lottery ticket.”

Her mother sighed. “Just give it some time, that’s all I’m
saying.”

Bea stared as Zach’s jean-clad legs came into view on the
stairs, followed by his plaid shirt and big smile. “I have to go, Mom. I’ll
call you when I get home.”

“Okay, honey. Love you.”

“Love you too.” She ended the call and dropped her phone
back into her purse.

Zach crouched in front of the fire and adjusted the logs
with a poker.

How could she possibly have a relationship with him without
killing him? Even now she wanted to eat him up, body and soul.

He joined her and faced the window. “It’s stunning, isn’t
it?”

She tore her gaze from him and focused on the falling snow.
Though it came down fast, it fell in graceful disorganization like feathers.
“Yes, it is. It’s so bright in the lights compared to the darkness outside.”

“That’s why I throw on the spotlight. It makes the snow feel
like nature’s blanket instead of a menace.”

She stood, the need to be close impossible to resist, her body
destined for his as sure as the ice on the lake would melt. She stared at him.
This logger viewed snow in such unique ways. She’d never met a man like him and
she’d met many.

Zach must have sensed her scrutiny because he turned his
head. The green depths of his eyes were uncharted territory she hoped to
investigate. But at that moment, her stomach growled.

He gave her a self-depreciating smile. “I guess I’m being a
poor host.”

She averted her eyes and covered her stomach with her hand.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t have a chance to grab lunch today.”

“You do a lot of skipping meals, don’t you? That must be why
you’re so thin. Let me see what I can find for dinner. But I warn you, I’m not
a great cook.”

She shrugged. “That’s okay, maybe I can help.”

“Great.” He grabbed her hand and led her to the kitchen.

Her heart skipped a beat at the naturalness of his action
and warmth spread up her arm into her chest.

He released her as he opened the refrigerator and searched.
“I wasn’t expecting company. I’m not sure what we have to work with. I have a
few eggs and some shredded mozzarella. I have pepperoni slices, mushrooms,
tomatoes, carrots, but no lettuce. I guess a salad is out. I have more food in
the freezer, but I’m not sure your stomach can wait that long.”

Bea looked over his shoulder from the safety of the other
side of the island counter. “Hmmm, do you have any macaroni and cheese?”

He closed the refrigerator and squatted to open a cabinet.
“Just the Kraft kind. I also have some canned mushroom soup, tomato sauce and
applesauce. I think mixing those together won’t be very appetizing.”

Bea came around the counter. Zach’s position put his face
even with the juncture of her legs and her heart started to race. She stepped
back a few inches. “Perfect. Grab the mac and cheese box and the tomato sauce.”

He obeyed and rose with the items in his hands.

She stepped back farther in an effort to concentrate on
dinner instead of him, not an easy task. “Okay, I’m assuming you know how to
make that.” She pointed to the box of mac and cheese.

He raised a brow. “I did buy it so I can make it.”

She widened her eyes in mock surprise. “Really? Great. Then
you can get that started. We can make my mom’s favorite comfort food. Macaroni
and cheese pizza.”

“You’re shittin’ me.”

She laughed. “No, I’m not. Now if you have a long casserole
dish…”

In no time she had everything she needed. As she opened her
other ingredients, he stood at the stove. The whole domestic scene tugged at
her resolve. As she feared, her attraction to him far exceeded a simple
physical need. She liked him. A lot.

Once he finished his part, she put everything together and
stuck it in the oven. “It’ll need to bake for thirty-five minutes.”

He raised his brows. “Can you wait that long?”

She shrugged, feeling a little shaky from hunger. “I’m not
sure.”

He opened a door on the kitchen island to reveal a wine
cooler with a dozen bottles. “Red or white? I don’t know what goes with what. I
just drink what I like.”

So, her beer-drinking hunk liked wine too. He kept getting
better and better. “How about red then.”

“Red it is. And if you open the cabinet behind you, you’ll
find crackers.”

She brought out some wheat crackers and arranged them on a
plate. “This will definitely do.”

She looked up when he didn’t respond and found him watching
her. Her stomach tightened at his gaze, but he returned his attention to his
task.

“Good.” He uncorked the wine bottle and poured them each a
glass, then led the way into the living room.

She followed and made herself comfortable on the couch. The
fire spread a golden glow over the furniture and the warmth from burning logs
made the room inviting and cozy.

He sat on the couch next to her, but allowed her space. She
brought her leg up underneath her and took a sip of wine.

“You better have a few of these too.” He held out the plate
of crackers.

She nodded and took two.

“You wanted to know more about me. Ask away. This is a
perfect opportunity.” He sat with his forearms on his knees, angled toward her.

She swallowed hard. What she really wanted to know about was
his love life, but she might give him the wrong impression. “How about this
house? Did you build it? I mean, it’s huge and I didn’t realize loggers made
that much. I mean, that didn’t come out right. What I meant was—”

“That’s okay. You’re right, loggers don’t make enough to
build a house like this. I owned a logging company and sold it for a better
profit than most would get.”

She stroked the side of her glass. “Why? Was the buyer a
city person who didn’t realize what your company was worth?”

He smirked. “Not exactly. After I sold the company, I found
this piece of land and knew in my gut that this house had to be built here. It
took a year to complete, but it was worth the wait.”

Bea perused the room because looking at him distracted her
too much. “It really is a beautiful home. It’s almost as large as another of
the Larsen’s properties, the Boat House Inn.”

“Thank you, but it’s not quite that big. I kept it very
simple, large and open down here with smaller functional rooms upstairs.”

She glanced at the stairs. His bedroom would be up there.
Would he have a big, masculine, king-size bed? She could almost picture herself
naked, spread-eagled as he slowly licked his way up the inside of her thighs
before exploring the secret spaces around her opening and finally stopping to
play with her clit. Yes, he would play for a long time. She took a gulp of
wine, her blood heating.

He put his glass on the pine coffee table before he caught
her gaze. “What about you? How long have you worked for the Larsens?”

She loved the color of his eyes. They were happy eyes with
the appropriate lines in the corners. Her heart beat faster and she took
another sip of wine. “Um, the Larsens?” She tried to concentrate on the
conversation because the Larsens and her love life simply didn’t belong in the
same thought process.

She stared at her glass, stalling for time, trying
desperately to get her mind back on the right track. “Let’s see, it’s been
seven years now. When they arrived in town, they took me under their wing. They
taught me all they knew about the hospitality business and encouraged my
studies in that area. It took a long time and a lot of nights, but I finally
earned my degree from the university this past December.”

He leaned back on the couch, away from her.
“Congratulations, that’s quite an accomplishment. I imagine working and
studying is hard. Being a logger is more of a ‘learn on the job’ type of
career.”

She noticed a tensing in his jaw. There was something about
the experience he obviously didn’t like. “How did you start with the carvings?”

He shrugged. “After I finished the house, I got bored. One
day I was outside fooling around with my chainsaw and before I knew it, I had a
six-foot carved bear staring back at me. But he wasn’t very good company, so I
brought him to Bear Tracks Bar. Tracy, the owner, loved him and gave me free
beer for a month.”

Zach’s withdrawal concerned her. It was as if he wasn’t
concentrating on their conversation. “I would imagine the bear was worth a lot
more than that.”

He shook his head. “I don’t think so. After a year, I gave
her a better one. She had been telling people about me. With the roughed-out
bear standing next to the entrance, more people started coming in for a beer
and to find out how to get a bear. Next thing I knew, I was setting up shop and
built the little cabin out on the driveway.”

“Didn’t you like your bear?”

He leaned forward. “Let’s just say I got better with
practice. That first bear was put to good use. I donated him for the town’s
Fourth of July bonfire.”

She put down her wineglass. “It sounds as if he made the
ultimate sacrifice for his country.”

Zach chuckled. “Yeah, I guess he did. Never thought of it
that way.”

She liked his smile. He had deep lines etched around his
mouth, probably because he smiled so much. How wonderful it must be to laugh as
much as he did.

“Bea?”

She started, caught staring again.

“If you keep looking at me like that, you’re going to find
yourself naked on those sheepskins in no time.”

She glanced at the beige softness before the now-roaring
fire and shivered. She could imagine the feel of them against her naked skin.

“Come.” Zach stood beside her, his hand outstretched.

Did he want her to get undressed? A shiver of anticipation
raced across her skin. She took his hand, but didn’t look at him as his warm
palm heated her own.

He tipped her chin up. “We better check on dinner.”

She met his gaze as realization dawned. “Of course, it
should be done by now. I hope we didn’t overcook it.”

He led her into the kitchen, but instead of releasing her
hand, he boxed her in against the island counter. “Bea, you need to accept that
I will not take advantage of you. However, the chances of us making love
tonight are at about one hundred percent. Don’t you think?”

Her breath caught in her throat at the baldness of his
statement, but she couldn’t deny it. Her body completely agreed with him and
from the weakening of her limbs and the hardening of her nipples, it was ready
to prove him right—immediately. Slowly, she nodded.