Page 40 of A New Chapter

Chapter 20

That night, after tucking Gracie into bed, Zack debated calling Emma. In fact, he lay in bed with the phone in his hand and stared at her number on the screen until the light faded to black.

“Damn it,” he muttered and set the phone down on his stack of books. He had promised not to cross the line with her, and yet, just a few hours ago, in this very spot, he had kissed her. And of course, it hadn’t been an average kiss, a so-so kiss that could be easily forgotten. No, it had to be that kind of kiss, the kind that left him wanting another and another and… well, more.

What had stumped him was Emma’s reaction. The way she had looked at him with desire burning bright in her eyes. The way she had fisted his shirt and pulled him closer. Those weren’t the actions of a woman who just wanted to be his friend. He let his mind wander to what might have happened had Gracie not come home when she had. And then he felt like a total dirt bag!

Now was not the time to be selfish. After all, he was the one who’d told Emma that Gracie came first, and the last thing he wanted to do was hurt her. His little girl had been through so much already—more than a four-year-old should have to go through. First the divorce, then the move, and now… Emma.

The more time he spent with her, the more he wanted her. He liked everything about her: her laugh, the way she blushed when he got too close, her petite frame, curly hair, and crooked smile. Somehow she had become the first person he wanted to share things with, from the tiniest minutiae of his day to the big topics like divorce and parenting. He felt comfortable in her presence, yet energized at the same time. Of course, some of that was sexual energy, but still!

And now he had returned to the image of them kissing, which wasn’t going to help him get to sleep anytime soon. “Damn it,” he said again and crawled out of bed. “If I’m not going to sleep and I’m not going to call her, then I might as well work out.”

Zack quietly slipped down the hall and into the spare bedroom where he had arranged his exercise equipment. Pumping iron almost always made him feel better, so he attacked the weights with vigor.

He started with bicep curls and remembered how light Emma had felt when he had carried her up the stairs the night of his coworker’s wedding. He moved on to overhead presses and thought about hanging the beach painting over his bed while Emma had supervised. He did some squats and recalled Emma’s slim legs trapped beneath his. During his last set of flies, he remembered how soft Emma’s hands had felt when she had caressed his back and…

Ok, this is definitely not helping matters! Zack glanced at his watch—ten o’clock. It would be too late to call her now. She was probably already asleep, and besides, she hadn’t called him either. There was nothing to do but wait. Emma probably needed some time to process what had happened, and she might not have welcomed his phone call anyway.

Zack returned to his bedroom and picked up his phone on the off chance he had missed her call. Nope, nothing. He stripped and stepped into the shower, letting the warm water soothe his aching muscles. Maybe he would call her tomorrow. If not tomorrow, then definitely the next day. If it was time she needed, he would give it to her.

By the time he got back into bed, he was thoroughly exhausted. It had been a hell of a day. He wouldn’t give the kiss any more thought tonight, but he couldn’t promise himself not to think about it tomorrow…