Heartbreakers: Treat Her Right / Mr November

She lifted her head, as brazen as ever, and that was all it took. Zack had never been a man controlled by lust, never been a man to experience all that much lust.

But this...what else could it be called? Mere lust didn’t seem adequate for the bombardment of sensations on his senses. He felt her everywhere, on his body, in his lungs, in his head and his heart.

She licked his mouth, making a sound of excitement and acceptance and hunger. He caught her tongue and drew it deep, then gave her his own. Their heavy breathing broke the quiet of the night, mingling with the faint sounds of crickets and rustling leaves. He switched both her wrists into one of his and brought his hand down to wedge between their bodies, cuddling her breast.

In reaction to his touch, her hips lifted so strongly she supported his weight off the ground for a suspended moment of time. It took one rough thrust for Zack to crush her down again.

He kissed his way to her throat and heard her ragged whisper. “Zack... Let me go.”

“No.” He thumbed her nipple, stroking, teasing.

A raw groan and a burst of movement later, Wynn had him on his back again. The woman was forever taking him by surprise. Zack almost wanted to laugh.

Until her thighs straddled his and she became the aggressor. Her hands opened wide over his bare chest, she stroked him and moaned with the pleasure of it. She nuzzled at his throat, then bit before licking and sucking and making him crazed.

The open vee of her thighs cradled his erection, and made him strain for more. He caught her behind in his hands, relishing the resilient feel of her, her softness in contrast with her feminine strength. He explored her, sliding his fingers over the silken material of her panties, pressing inward to touch her from behind. He found her panties damp, her body incredibly hot.

Cradling her hips, Zack urged her into a rough, slow roll that simulated sex and brought him dangerously close to the edge.

He was ready to take her, more than ready to get the ridiculous man’s shirt off her body and touch her everywhere, kiss her everywhere.

Only he didn’t have protection with him. And...

Reality dropped on his head like a ton of bricks. He actually groaned aloud with his disappointment, with the awareness of his responsibilities.

They were acquaintances of only a day, and not even a full day at that.

They were outdoors, in the open, and if he’d seen her through his bedroom window, his daughter could see them both if she should wake up and look out. Granted, that wasn’t likely to happen, not the way Dani slept, but he didn’t take chances with his daughter, not ever.

They were on the wet ground, mindlessly entwined and it was so unlike him, so unlike what he wanted for himself as a responsible father and server of the community, he felt appalled and embarrassed and rightfully angry.

At Wynn.

He caught her wrists again and held her hands still to enable him to gain control of himself. “Wynn.”

His tone of voice had no effect on her. She wiggled free and attacked his mouth, kissing him so thoroughly he almost forgot his resolve. He turned his head aside. “No.”

“Yes,” she insisted. She grabbed his ears and held him still. Then, “God, you’re incredible. So hard and sexy and sweet.”

Sweet? Zack rolled to the side, literally dumping her off him, but the second she was flat, he stood. His chest worked like a bellows and his brain cramped at the effort it took to resist her. When he turned to look at her, his damn knees almost gave out. Her shirt had hiked up and he could see her panties, could even see her navel.

He stared—until she held out her arms to him and the sight of her offering herself, wanting him, looked so good, so right, he couldn’t stand it.

Jerking around, Zack said, “Get up.”

He didn’t watch to see if she did as he asked. He couldn’t. Finally he heard a slight creak and turned to see her perched sideways on the hammock, her feet on the ground, her hands beside her hips, her gaze direct and waiting and unapologetic.

Zack drew a deep breath. “I’m sorry.”

After a heavy beat of silence, she said, “Yeah, me, too.” She smirked and shook her head.

That drew him up. “Sorry for what?”

Wynn pushed to her feet and faced him eye to eye. “At the moment, I’m pretty sorry for everything.” She turned away. “Good night, Zack.”

He was so stunned by the dim sight of her wet back, the cotton shirt clinging to her behind and upper thighs, that he almost let her get away. He shook himself. “Wait a minute!”

“No point in waiting. Believe me, I understand.”

Zack caught her arm and whirled her around. In the next instant she was on tiptoes and huffing in his face.

“Don’t think for a single second that you bested me, buddy!” She poked him in the chest, making him stagger back a step. “The second I realized it was you, I went half-go. Besides that, you caught me asleep and sluggish. Now I’m wide awake and you’re done kissing and you’re acting all nasty and hateful again, so do not try manhandling me.”

Zack had at least a dozen questions for her, but what came out of his mouth was, “You actually think you could best me in strength?” He was so incredulous he barely knew what he said.

Wynn snorted. “I’ve trained all my life. I know exactly what I’m doing.”

And she thought...what? That he was a marshmallow? She’d called him sweet. What the hell had she meant by that? Through his teeth, Zack heard himself say, “No way, lady. Not on your best day.” Then he wanted to smack his own head for challenging a woman! What was he thinking?

With a look of utter disdain, she said, “You keep living that dream if it makes you happy, big boy.” And again she turned to walk away.

“Wynn.” Even to his own ears, her name sounded like a warning. But then it had been strained through his clenched teeth.

Arms spread, she whipped around to face him and demanded, “What?”

He was a reasonable sort, Zack reminded himself. He was logical and calm and a pacifist. He absolutely, under no circumstances, wrestled with women, not even big bold pushy ones.

One slow deep breath helped a little. The second breath pushed the red haze out of his vision so he could see her clearly, or as clearly as the night-dark sky allowed. “Why,” he asked, sounding more like a sane man, “were you sleeping on the hammock?”

She looked at the hammock as if to verify which one he meant. Then she shrugged. “I’d worked all day, I was hot and sweaty and after my shower I just wanted to rest my tired bones and get some fresh air. Only I nodded off. I didn’t mean to fall asleep.”

Zack clasped his hands behind his back to keep from reaching for her. Brows raised in inquiry, he said, “Do you, by any chance, know how risky that can be for a woman?”

“You mean with crazy neighbors lurking about ready to throw me on the ground and kiss me silly and paw me until I’m all excited and ready and then stop with no warning?” She gave him a smug, distinctly mean smile. “Yeah, I do now.”

“I meant,” he said, inching toward her, but watching her closely at the same time, “because of strangers who would do things to you without a second’s hesitation. Men who would rape or murder or...”

“Rape and murder about covers it. No reason to go overboard.”

“This is not a joke, damn it!”

She crossed her arms under her breasts and cocked one hip. It shouldn’t have been a seductive pose, but damn, it made him sweat.

“Did I just say it was an accident, that I didn’t mean to fall asleep? I thought I did, but given your attitude, I can’t be sure.”

Tension mounting, Zack flexed his shoulders and rolled his head on his neck. “It was irresponsible.”

“Well, thank you, Mother, for your concern.”