Page 38 of A New Chapter

“Yes, but hurry up. My arms are killing me.”

“Come down about an inch.”

“Ok, that’s it. The picture is going right here. Grab the pencil and put a mark on the wall.”

Zack and Emma stood on his bed in their bare feet. Zack’s arm muscles strained as he held the beach painting in place above his headboard while Emma awkwardly reached over him to place some pencil marks on the wall. Standing this close to him had her senses on high alert. Their arms brushed a few times while Zack struggled to keep the painting in place and maintain his balance at the same time.

“Aah,” he said when he leaned the picture against the headboard. Zack shook out his arms before he bent over to retrieve the hammer and nails from his bedside table. Emma tried not to glance at his backside but failed miserably.

What is it about a man holding a tool? What makes it even hotter is when he knows how to use said tool…

Emma looked up to find Zack staring at her intently. “You seem to be drifting off a lot today. Are you sure you’re ok?”

“I’m positive,” she snapped, irritated that she couldn’t get anything past him. “Let’s just finish this.”

Emma watched Zack pound the nails into the wall, his t-shirt rising up with each stroke of the hammer. He had dressed simply in a gray shirt and blue jeans, but it was impossible to ignore the way he filled out his clothes.

“Ta-da. What do you think?”

Zack stepped back to examine his handiwork and crash… fell right into Emma, and they tumbled onto the bed in a heap. He hadn’t noticed that she had been standing right behind him, and she had been so distracted by her daydreams that now they lay tangled together in the middle of his bed.

They both froze—their heavy breathing the only sound. Zack looked like he was about to speak, but Emma stopped him with a finger pressed to his lips. She shook her head and then fisted her hand in his shirt. Their eyes locked and shone with acknowledgement at what was about to happen.

Zack leaned in closer, but he hesitated until Emma gave him a nod. And then his lips were on hers, warm and soft, with just the right amount of pressure. Emma sank into the sensation and opened her mouth to greet his tongue as their kiss intensified. Zack’s hands cradled her head, and she arched into him even though it wasn’t easy, pinned down as she was under his large, hard body.

Emma’s hands had somehow found their way up the back of his shirt, and she ran them over his taut muscles. Zack’s right leg wedged between hers, creating a fabulous friction just where she needed it. She became vaguely aware that his right hand had begun to untuck her shirt from her jeans. The anticipation of where that hand would travel next had her squirming beneath him.

Zack pulled his lips away and gazed down at her as if to ask for further permission. Before Emma could respond, the sound of a car door slamming jolted them to an upright position.

Zack scrambled off of the bed while Emma hurriedly tucked her shirt back in and ran her hands over her hair. “Shit. It’s Gracie and Alicia,” Zack said.

Emma was already poised at his bedroom door, ready for flight. “What should I do?” she asked, hating the panicky sound of her voice.

“Let’s just go downstairs and act normal. You were just helping me put up a picture.”

Emma took a deep breath and followed him down the stairs. They made it to the bottom just as Alicia and Gracie stepped in.

“Hi, Daddy and Miss Emma,” Gracie said, seemingly unsurprised to find Emma there.

Alicia looked at Zack and Emma with an air of disdain, and perhaps a flicker of jealousy too. “Hello, Zack. Emma.”

Emma wondered if her face looked as flushed as she felt. “Nice to see you,” she said, hoping the lie would cover up her discomfort.

“Bye, sweetie,” Alicia said, and she bent down to hug Gracie. “Zack, can I talk to you outside for a moment?”

Emma flinched at Alicia’s condescending tone, but she knew that Zack would agree for Gracie’s sake. “Go ahead. I’ll keep Gracie company,” Emma said.

The door clicked shut behind them, and Emma led Gracie into the living room, where she spotted the Little Critter book that she had given her lying on the couch. “How about if I read to you until Daddy comes back?”

“Ok,” Gracie replied enthusiastically.

Emma sat down, and Gracie sidled right up next to her, just like she had the other night. As Emma opened the book and began to read, she pushed all of her worries aside. She could analyze what had happened between her and Zack later, but right now, Gracie deserved her undivided attention. Emma read slowly and varied her intonation to match the characters’ expressions. Gracie listened closely and giggled at Emma’s silly voices, blissfully unaware of any discordance between the adults.

Zack entered the room just as Emma finished the story. He wore a neutral expression, but Emma noticed the strain around his eyes. He opened his arms wide, and Gracie jumped into them. “Did you have fun today?”

“Yes, but I missed you,” Gracie said.

“I missed you too, sweet pea.” The minute he set her down, Gracie raced up the stairs.