She heard the bitterness in his voice.

Zach picked up his coffee, but didn’t drink. “He never worked a day in his life. Maybe that was the problem-too much time on his hands. I guess the cheating was the price my mother had to pay for the good life. But eventually the price got too high. They split when I was fourteen.”

“Who did you live with?”

“My mother. After my father left, his money disappeared, too. She went to work, first one job, then two. She wouldn’t touch the trust fund my father set up for me. She kept saying that was for my future. Ironically, despite his millions, my father never paid child support and my mother wouldn’t take him to court to make him. So we went from rich to poor in short order.”

“Why wouldn’t she want him to pay child support? That was for you.”

“I don’t know. Pride? Shame? She was a hell of a woman-always there for me. Once I had David, she was a rock. She died my first year of law school.” He paused, then glanced around the kitchen. “I wish she could have lived long enough to see all of this, and so I could have made her life easier.”

“I’m sorry,” Katie whispered, not sure what else to say. His childhood was light-years from her own. “Is your dad still alive?”

“No. He died a few years back. Turns out he left David a nice trust fund and the rest of the money to me.” He laughed, but the sound had no humor. “Isn’t that a bitch? Every stinking penny to me. But in the end I walked away from it. The old man put too many strings on his dollars, and I didn’t need them that badly. So they went to some charity and I’m finally free of him.”

Ever the man in charge, no hint of pain flickered in his eyes. She wondered if it was still there, or if he’d made peace with the past. Whatever doubts she may have had about Zach changing his mind about Mia and David getting married had just been squashed. No wonder he didn’t think relationships worked.

He shrugged. “Okay, that’s my sorry past. Let’s talk about something cheerful. How about your dating history?”

She smiled. “Why is that a cheerful subject?”

“You being happily married would put a real crimp in my plans to seduce you.”

Katie was glad she wasn’t drinking. Had she been, she might have spit. “Okay, then. Thanks for making that clear.”

“You’re welcome. So tell me about all the Mr. Wrongs and how much more interesting I am than them.”

“There’s that ego again. I should have brought more food.”

“You’re stalling.”

“I have nothing to say. My dating history is pretty much like everyone else’s. I’ve dated men who are afraid of commitment, or men who want to commit for the wrong reason. Even some who should have been committed.”

“That sounds interesting.”

“Less so than you might think.” She considered her dating past. “There were guys who could drive me crazy in three minutes and guys who just weren’t as interested in me as I was in them.” She leaned forward and rested her forearms on the table. “In all of that I never found the one who was…”

“Perfect?” he offered.

“I wasn’t looking for perfect. Just a couple of bells.”

He frowned. “What?”

“You know. Hearing bells or music or something. A cosmic sign that I’d found the right guy.”

“You’re way too romantic.”

“I want what most women want.”

“A free ride and a pool boy for sex?”

She shook her head. “That’s cynical even for you.”

“Okay. You’re right. Not all women are on the take.”

“On behalf of my gender, allow me to be flattered.”

She rose and crossed to the sink, where she rinsed her mug. When she turned, Zach was standing right behind her. His dark gaze settled on her face.

“I never thought that about you,” he told her. “I mean that, Katie. You’re a class act.”

“Thanks.”

He was standing close. Too close.

He reached up and touched her cheek. Instantly heat spiraled through her, making it difficult to remember her plan not to react to him again. Somehow the importance of it all escaped her.

“What are you thinking?” he asked, his voice low and seductive.

“I, um, I’m not really thinking anything.”

Which was true. She was using the moment to get lost in his blue eyes. They were the perfect color, she thought. She also liked the stubble darkening his jaw and the way he-

His mouth brushed against hers. All her senses went on instant alert. The sensible part of her knew this was a really big mistake. Kissing the last time could almost be considered an accident. But if they did it again, it might have significance…although she couldn’t say exactly what that significance would be. And before she could figure it out, his tongue brushed against her bottom lip and she no longer cared.

He felt too good, she thought, surrendering to the moment. Her arms came up and rested on his shoulders as she took a step forward. Their bodies pressed together. He was hard to her soft-thick muscles and angles, unyielding where they touched. She liked that. She liked the scent of him, too. That heady masculine combination of skin and some unique elixir that was the essence of Zach himself.

He cupped her face, then slid his fingers into her hair. When he nipped her bottom lip, she gasped slightly, parting for him, wanting him to move inside of her. Her heartbeat quickened in anticipation. Heat flared between her thighs, and her breasts swelled. Every erogenous zone she owned prepared to party.

Their tongues touched in introduction, then circled each other. She dropped her hands to his back, where she could feel his muscles tensing. Was it suddenly hot in here, or was it her? She felt as if parts of her were on fire.

Zach must have read her mind because he tugged on the lapels of her suit jacket. She moved her arms to her side so he could push the garment over her shoulders. It slid soundlessly to the floor.

Her turtleneck suddenly seemed to be an unreasonable constriction. What had she been thinking? Wouldn’t a silky camisole have been better? Something with thin fabric, lots of lace, and a style that exposed plenty of flesh. Or better yet a-

Her mind experienced thought gridlock when Zach put his hands on her waist and began moving them higher. As there weren’t a lot of choices in the destination department, she had a good idea where he was headed. She also knew what was going to happen when he got there.

If his hot kissing was anything to go by, he would touch her with a combination of gentleness and experience that would rob her of several important abilities. So if she was going to stop things, this would be the moment. Right now. Right this second.

His fingers grazed the undersides of her breasts. Any master plan she’d had was lost, and she could do nothing but surrender to the sensation of his confident caress.

He cupped her curves, then brushed his thumbs against her already tight nipples. Even through the layers of clothing, she was exquisitely sensitive. Her breath caught and her pelvic muscles clenched.

As he gently squeezed her breasts, he drew back from her mouth. Before she could complain, he pressed his lips against her jaw, then moved lower to her neck. Soft, wet kisses made her arch her head back. He moved to the sensitive skin below her ears and gently sucked. She wanted him to keep going lower and lower, but her turtleneck was in the way.

She braced herself for the sensible fairy to burst into her brain and make her stop. She waited for Zach to come to his senses and stop making her whimper with the erotic pattern he traced over her breasts. Instead he dropped his hands to her waistband and started tugging on her shirt.

The first whisper of cool air should have made her reconsider. Under other circumstances-although she couldn’t say what-it would have. Really. Instead she found herself helping him drag up her turtleneck. She slipped out of the arms, then tugged the tight neck over her head.

Even as she tossed it aside, his mouth reclaimed hers. She parted as he plunged inside her. Tongues circled, stroked, danced. He moved closer still so that their bodies pressed together, her bare midsection rubbing against the softness of his shirt. His hands brushed her bare back, then moved up to expertly unfasten her bra.

She felt the slack in the band, then the straps fell off her shoulders. He eased away just enough to slip one hand between them. That large, warm hand moved under her bra cup and engulfed her aching left breast.

Need flooded her. Need and wanting and passion that made her wet and ready in a heartbeat. Every part of her throbbed, but most especially the swelling dampness between her legs.

She quickly pulled off her bra and dropped it to the floor. Her hands moved restlessly, first to his shoulders, then to his back where powerful muscles bunched and released. When he bent down and drew her nipple into his mouth, she groaned. When his tongue flicked against the tight tip, she shook.

Her fingers went to work on his shirt, but his arms got in the way. She managed to pull a couple of buttons free, but that was all. He licked and sucked on her breasts until a steady pulsing beat began between her legs, and she knew that she was already heading for the edge of surrender.

He abandoned her long enough to pull off his shirt and step out of his shoes. She kicked off hers as well, but that was as far as she got before he reclaimed her with a deep, wet kiss that left her shaken down to her melting bones.

“I want you,” he murmured against her mouth. “Katie, I want you. Now.”

Simple words, but powerful. He drew her close and her breasts flattened against his bare chest. The hair there tickled erotically. He cupped her rear and squeezed. She tilted forward until her belly came in contact with his erection. They both groaned.