already doing its evil work and speeding them towards that moment. His softening cock slipped from her. Ejaculate trickled down her thighs.
Zach stood behind her a moment, strangely quiet as he zipped up. She half expected him to tidy her clothes too. Maybe even produce a handkerchief and dry her off a little. Instead, he turned her around so they stood facing once more. Then he knelt on the pavement and dragged his tongue over her still smouldering sex.
Shock loosened her tongue. There was no way of holding back her cries, other than by biting down hard on the heel of her hand. She couldn’t come again. Not yet. It was too soon, but her body responded with aftershocks and she absolutely didn’t call him off from showing his appreciation. As his mouth soothed, Kara laced her fingers through the strands of his brown hair. He was going to scuff the hell out of the knees of his tailored trousers, kneeling down before her like this.
‘Kara.’
Zach gazed up at her, dark-brown eyes like molten pools of chocolate. The night sky and a million stars were reflected in their surface, overlaid by her own shadowy silhouette.
‘Yeah,’ she replied, stroking the line of his jaw.
‘I wondered…’
He broke off to wipe the back of his hand across his mouth, removing the smears of moisture there.
‘That is, I hope this isn’t too much of a surprise, but will you marry me?’
‘What? Don’t be silly.’
‘I’m being serious.’
He was too. His earnestness shone all too clearly in the twisted turn of his mouth and the worry-lines scrunching up his brow.
‘I know I’ve kind of sprung this on you, but…’
Holy fuck!
Kara clamped a hand across her mouth. The next minute seemed to stretch out infinitely long, before time snapped back on itself. Marry him! Where the damned hell had that come from? She’d been a runaway bride the night they’d met. When she’d made the decision to ditch Gavin, admittedly not quite at the altar, she’d sworn to herself that marriage was firmly off her life agenda. Given she now had two lovers, how could she even contemplate anything different?
‘You don’t have to give me an answer right now.’
Yes, she did. She absolutely did.
While Gavin had never understood her, and their union would have been an unmitigated disaster, she couldn’t say the same of her and Zach. They had everything in common to make such a binding work, including the one thing that made it impossible to say yes.
‘What about Ric?’
Zach bowed his head, seeming to focus on a spot on the pavement between her feet. ‘I guess I ought to have realised you’d prefer to have him over me.’
‘No,’ she insisted, shaking her head. ‘No, Zach. That’s not it. It’s not about me having a preference. I won’t choose one of you over the other. You both matter.’
Why did he even imagine she’d contemplate doing so? All she’d ever wanted – once they’d hurdled over the no-strings bit – was for them to be equals.
‘If I could marry you both it’d be different, but that’s not an option. Why are you even asking this? Did you think it through? Tell me you didn’t think it through, and that it’s just a stupid spur-of-the-moment thing.’
He raised his head, reached up and attempted to hold her hand. ‘I’m asking because I love you.’
Kara covered her ears. ‘You love Ric.’
‘And you.’
‘Stop it,’ she said, pushing away from the wall and taking two unsteady paces along the promenade. She dragged her skirt back into position.
‘Why is that so hard to believe?’
She swung around to face him, to find him rising to his feet.
‘Because I know how you feel about him. Zach, don’t do this. Tell me this is a joke. We’ve just found each other again, why would you want to break it up?’
‘I’m not trying to break anything up.’
‘Can’t you see that’s exactly what will happen if I agree to this? It’s like we’re all on a seesaw together and you’re trying to tip it in one direction.’
He dragged his hand across his mouth, scratched at the shadow already scuffing his jawline.
‘That’s not what I’m trying to do. I’m trying to keep us together.’
‘Drop it, Zach,’ she pleaded. ‘I don’t want to hear anything else about this now. I can’t hear it. I’m going to pretend the last few minutes didn’t happen.’
‘You wouldn’t be saying that if he’d asked.’
‘He has sense enough not to ask. But the answer would be the same. Tying that sort of knot would unbalance everything. It’d ruin everything.’
The sound of approaching laughter made them both turn to face the art gallery entrance. The last few stragglers were now emerging from the building.
Kara covered her mouth with her fingers to silence herself. This conversation was done with, over now. She didn’t even want Ric to know it had taken place. Ric led the parade of be-suited, cravat-wearing bohemians jogging down the steps. His long hair rested on his shoulders. His sleeves were rolled back to his elbows and the neck of his shirt was undone. Damn, he still had the power to steal her breath. Tears prickled in her eyes, but she blinked the sensation away.
Ric crossed the narrow road to reach her. Slid one arm around her back and drew her close. The scent of champagne lingered on his breath. ‘Ready to go?’
‘Sounds good to me.’
He made the couple of strides that separated her from Zach, tugging her along for the ride. ‘Zach, you’re coming too, right? Or did you book a room somewhere?’
Zach shook his head.
Shadows swam in his dark eyes, which Kara prayed Ric was too drunk to notice.
‘Thank fuck for that,’ Ric blurted. ‘I want you in bed next to me, not in some room halfway across town.’ He kissed his lover full on the lips. ‘Hmm, nice, somebody tastes of somebody else. Have you two being having fun without me?’
‘You seemed to be having fun without us.’ Kara nodded to the group he’d come out with, who were still chatting outside the curved, whitewashed walls of the gallery.
‘Good guys,’ Ric acknowledged, saluting the small congregation. ‘See you all around.’
They waved, then turned away and headed off in little groups.
Ric positioned himself between her and Zach. He hooked an arm around each of their waists and jogged them into motion. ‘Hotel? Or do you want to take in
