Shaken (16 page)

“I see.” Tony cocked his head to the side and nudged her down the hall to the kitchen. Hands on her shoulder, he turned her around to face the fridge. Her heart did a little skip beat against her ribs.

A note with Tony’s name and two phone numbers scrawled on it sat between the kitschy magnets of coffee cups and wine glasses.

“And, apparently, I’m a bit of a jackass when it comes to looking at my fridge.” Stunned at her own stupidity, she grimaced. “Sorry?”

His sexy mouth stretched into a grin, and he shook his head. “You’re not a jackass. I stuck that up there the other morning because I kept thinking about your body and not your phone. Then I forgot to mention it. Forgive me?”

“Okay, that deserves a bit of a well, duh, but it’s not like I thought to get your number when I gave you mine.”

“I like this bit of a well, duh. It gives me a reason for this....” He crowded her right up to the counter and settled in for a slow, spine-tingling kiss that curled her toes inside her shoes. The nerves of the last twenty-four hours washed away as desire rippled through her. She dug her fingers into his shoulders, arching onto her tiptoes to meet his tongue, thrust for stroke.

“Hey,” she murmured with a sigh when he broke the kiss. Relief swamped the tension knotting her insides. She’d focused so hard trying not to think about him for the last day that it was all she could think about.

“I’m sorry I wasn’t at the bar, and I’m sorry I didn’t leave you a message. Everything happened so fast that I barely had time to breathe.” His words jolted her into the chasm of self-doubt.

“I know. I didn’t mean to be so demanding or to not say anything…. I guess we should slow down.” The last thing she wanted to do was slow down, but she buried that need and the declaration bubbling into her throat. Forcing her hands to let him go, she took a step back. “I shouldn’t have pushed so hard.”

“What are you talking about?” His eyebrows drew together and, instead of retreating, he ducked his face closer, his gaze locked on hers.

“You. Me. This. I was rushing. I’ve been having such a great time, and you were open and told me how busy your life is, and all your plans, and here I pushed for more.”

Tony slid back a step, his head canting sideways to study her. The wrinkle between his brows deepened, and his lips pursed. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but is this one of those woman things where you say one thing, but mean something completely different?”

Hesitation streaked through her. “No. I meant I didn’t want to pressure you.”

“Okay, so, let’s establish some Zip-to-Tony translations here…. When did you pressure me?”

Biting down on her lip, she raised her eyebrows helplessly. “When I said I had to think about it?”

“Are you asking me or are you telling me?” Tony eased away another step until he could rest with his back to the counter across from her. He folded his arms and gazed at her steadily, mouth quirked into what might be a smile—or maybe a keep-the-nutjob-happy expression.

Doubt tripped over her hesitation, and she spread her hands wide. “I don’t know. You…you said such beautiful things, great things, things I wasn’t really sure I was ready to hear until I couldn’t see you, and then all I could think about was you, and I wanted to give you a better answer than, ‘I need to think about it.’”

“Okay, so when you say pressure, you meant…?” He trailed off expectantly, and a muscle twitched next to his twinkling eyes.

“I meant I wasn’t sure I could be that girl, contracting a relationship based on what might be.”

“Can you tell me how that’s pressuring me?” The twinkle in his eyes seemed to wash over his face.

“I didn’t want you to think I was demanding more than that.”

“Okay, so you don’t want to give me one year.”

“That’s not what I said.”

“You do want to give me one year?”

Zip stared up at the ceiling, mentally counting to ten. “You’re teasing me, right?”

“Oh, hell, yes.” The laughter in his words punctured the bubble of fear inside her, and she glared at him.

“That’s not very nice.” It was her turn to fold her arms, but she couldn’t resist his unabashed playfulness.

“Zip, you didn’t pressure me. You said you needed to think about it. We’ve been together for two weeks. I’m totally down with you thinking about it. In fact”—he shoved away from the counter and stalked over until he boxed her in—“You can think about it every night for the rest of your life as long as I’m right there with you.”

“This is crazy, you do know that?”

“Absolutely insane. And I don’t care. Now, if you’re done worrying about what you may or may not have done, can I share some pretty big news with you?”

She covered her face with her hands, hiding her scalding cheeks. “Yes, sorry. I’m such a loon. I was worried when I didn’t see you at work, and then I thought all the wrong things, and Kaley pointed out I was being a dolt….” She fisted his shirt. “Please, tell me anything you want.”

“I adore you.” He dropped a kiss on the tip of her nose. “Don’t ever change.”

Her heart swelled at the words and the sweetness in his voice. “Ditto.”

Catching her hands, he tugged her out of the kitchen and led her out to the living room. He scooped the boxes of work off her sofa and set them carefully on the floor before urging her to sit down. Still holding onto her, he twisted sideways to face her. “Right after you left yesterday morning, I got a call from Derek. He’s my attorney. The judge wanted to see us.”

Her throat caught. She hadn’t even thought about his case, and she held her breath. He was in a jovial mood, so she crossed her mental fingers on the wish that it was good news, not bad. “And?”

“And, we proved our case, but more than that. He’d received an affidavit from Lindsey’s biological father: Nolan Simmons.”

Zip knew the name should mean something, but she squeezed Tony’s hands to urge him on.

“Anyway, Nolan told the judge he has no interest in pursuing his parental rights. He surrendered them if, and only if, the court would legally approve my adoption of Lindsey.”

“Holy cow.”

“I know, right? Robin was furious, but the judge pointed out I’ve been Lindsey’s legal father since her birth, and Robin put my name on the birth certificate. Essentially, he approved my petition and planned to fast track the adoption paperwork. He also lifted the restraining order and advised us to draft an equitable custody agreement.”

“Tony!” Thrill rolled through her, and she threw her arms around him, hugging him tight. “I’m so happy for you.”

His voice was damp with emotion. “Thank you. As soon as it was over, I got to go see Lindsey. I haven’t seen her in months, and I spent most of the last three days with her. She remembered me—I’d been terrified that she may have forgotten. Then Robin and I had a long talk last night…with our attorneys.”

“And?”

“And she’s on board. She won’t fight it anymore, and she’s accepted that Nolan’s not interested in her. She also accepted the idea we’re through, but we’re going to work on the parent-friendship thing.”

Zip grinned against his shoulder. “I’m so happy for you.”

“Thank you,” he repeated. “But this does change things a little.” His words sent a tremor through her.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. I have to get to know my daughter again. She was happy to see me, but also mad. Daddy was gone a long time, and she has no idea why. I have to make that right with her, but once I do….”

She braced for it, for the other shoe about to kick her in the ass.

“I want her to get to know you, too. I already told Robin I have someone amazing in my life. It could take a few months, months to get the new club open, months for you and I to work on us, and time for me to make Lindsey happy again. Is that good with you?”

Nearly dizzy from all the revelations, Zip couldn’t quite process all of it, and her eyes widened. She dug her fingers into his arms. So much to think about, so much to plan for….

“Don’t.” Tony rested his forehead to hers. “Don’t think about everything that can go wrong. Don’t worry about what it will take. Don’t plan for contingencies. Just jump…take that risk with me.”

“What if—”

“I don’t care about what ifs, I care about what is. I adore you. I’ve had a thing for you for months. If I hadn’t been with Robin that first night I worked at Coveted and saw you, I like to think I would have asked you out then. But I didn’t. Every time I saw you this year, all I’ve thought about was asking you out, talking to you, spending time with you. And these last two weeks have been the best in my life. Seeing Lindsey again was wonderful, but I missed every moment I wasn’t with you, too. Take this leap with me….”

“Maybe we should ask the Magic 8 Ball.”

He caught her hand and held it to his chest. “I have your answer right here. Do you want to be with me?”

“Without a doubt.” The decision brought the whole world into stark clarity. “But I have one condition.”

“Name it.”

Anxiety hammered through her, and icy sweat dampened her spine. Deeper, beneath the anxiety, was a current of excitement. It was insane. Impulsive. Over the top. And exactly what she wanted.

“You let me help.”

Epilogue

Zip sailed into Coveted at six p.m., straight up. She stomped the snow off her boots as Johnny held the door open with a grin. Rising on her toes, she deposited a kiss on his cheek. “Hey, Johnny.”

“Hey, Zip. Looking good.” He winked, and she sashayed past him and up the stairs. She didn’t carry a backpack, bag, or laptop tonight. Dressed in a silky soft cotton turtleneck, red leather jacket, and coffee-brown britches tucked into red leather boots with faux fur trim, she wore her freedom from the nine-to-five job like a sexy shawl.

At the top of the steps, she had to stop herself from skipping on her way over to the bar. As if sensing her presence, Tony glanced away from the customer he was serving, and his mouth stretched into a wide grin. He winked once and nodded to the corner table where her girls waited—amusingly enough, she’d been the last to arrive for a change. She resisted the urge to blow him a kiss, settling for a wink of her own before she strutted across the lounge.

“Hey!” Kaley swept out of the booth to give her a hug. “Spill. Tall, dark, and sexy has been positively glowing with happy vibes.”

“Well,” Zip evaded, wrapping an arm around Kaley's waist. “I quit my job today.”

Mouths fell open around the table.

“Why?”

“What happened?”

“Oh, honey!”

“Pfft to the job. What happened with Tony?” Kaley scowled, and Zip laughed.

“Well, let’s put it this way: the four of you are cordially invited to the opening of The Magic 8 Ball, six months from tonight.”

Babble exploded between her friends as the women demanded to know what was going on. Sliding into the booth, Zip met Tony’s gaze across the lounge. They were taking that leap into the unknown together, and it would be worth it—because they were doing it together.

Without a doubt.

The End

Don’t miss the next in the Martini Sisterhood series coming soon.

Recipe for Zanzibar Cocktail served during the first chapter

Though it’s winter when the girls meet, they need some cheering up and Tony blends together the taste of summer to brighten their evening. This recipe will make one serving, the perfect blended beverage for readers 21 and over.

Ingredients:

o
  
Several dashes of orange bitters

o
  
3/4 oz lemon juice

o
  
2-3 oz dry vermouth

o
  
1 oz Plymouth gin

o
  
1 tsp sugar syrup (or to taste)

o
  
lemon peel

Preparation:

1.
     
Pour the ingredients into a shaker or blender with cracked ice.

2.
     
Shake or 
blend
 well.

3.
     
Strain into a chilled hurricane glass.

4.
     
Twist the lemon peel over the drink and drop it into the glass.

A Thank you from Fated Desires

Thank you so much for reading
Shaken
! We’re so happy to be able to show you a hint of what is to come from our contemporary worlds and Heather’s Martini Sisterhood series. We do hope if you liked this, that you would please leave a review from where you purchased this or on anther platform. Not only does a review spread the word to other readers, they let us know if you’d like to see more stories like this from us. Heather loves to hear from readers and talks to them when she can. You can reach her on her website easily. You guys are the reason we get to do what we do and we thank you.

If you are looking for more stories like these, you don’t have to wait much longer! There are more books coming in Heather’s series, plus a few more treats from her coming up in something new. Also, we have a few new authors coming that will be sure to whet your appetite.

If you’d like to know more about
Fated Desires
, check out our website or email us at
[email protected]
.

About the Author

National bestselling author, Heather Long, likes long walks in the park, science fiction, superheroes, Marines, and men who aren’t douche bags. Her books are filled with heroes and heroines tangled in romance as hot as Texas summertime. From paranormal historical westerns to contemporary military romance, Heather might switch genres, but one thing is true in all of her stories—her characters drive the books. When she’s not wrangling her menagerie of animals, she devotes her time to family and friends she considers family. She believes if you like your heroes so real you could lick the grit off their chest, and your heroines so likable, you’re sure you’ve been friends with women just like them, you’ll enjoy her worlds as much as she does.