“Even better.”
Zach showed Teri to a seat at the table—next to him, across from where Joel would sit if he was here—and the generous bowl of Rocky Road waiting for her.
“Mmm,” Teri said, taking a bite. “This is perfect. I shouldn’t have this much, probably—my mom would be all over me about weight and calories right now—but ice cream is a serious weakness of mine.”
Zach remembered suddenly that Teri’s mother had described her as “needing to lose a few pounds” over the phone to strangers when she’d thought Teri was missing at the Park. He was struck by a wave of anger. “You look fantastic,” he told her. “And no matter what anyone looks like, they should be able to eat without anyone insulting them.”
Teri paused, pulling her spoon slowly out of her mouth. Zach tried very hard to focus on the conversation and not on the sight of it.
“You’re right,” she said slowly. “I suppose I never thought of it as insulting me. She’s my mom, she’s just giving me a hard time, I guess. But she does it by telling me I’m unattractive.”
“Nothing could be further from the truth.” Zach’s voice had a hint of a growl in it. Now that Teri was in their home, wearing that dress, eating their food, his leopard was really sitting up and taking notice. And it was smugly pleased that Teri wanted them enough to be here.
Teri blushed and laughed at the same time. “Thanks. You’re so nice.”
“It’s not nice, it’s true. You’re gorgeous. Your...uh, your body type is...”
How to say this without being crass? From Teri’s amused look, he guessed she’d figured out what his dilemma was, and she wasn’t planning on helping him out.
“Like an old-style painting,” he said suddenly, remembering a couple that he’d seen pictures of in textbooks or on the Internet. “One of those ones with all the naked women, the ones who are supposed to be beautiful goddesses? You look like that.” Was that weird?
Teri’s cheeks were bright pink, now, and her laughter had faded. She was staring at him.
Yeah, that had probably been weird.
“Wow,” Teri said softly. “No one’s ever said anything like that to me before.”
Was that good? “I mean it.”
Then her lips curved again. “I look like one of those naked women.”
“Well. Not that I’ve seen you naked. But...in general. Like a naked woman with clothes on. Please help me.”
“But Zach,” Teri said, starting to laugh again, “I am a naked woman with—”
And at that, Zach couldn’t help himself any longer: he leaned across the table to kiss her.
Her laughter fell away almost immediately, and she kissed him back. It was sweet and faintly Rocky-Road flavored, and the little noise she made went right through him.
God, he wanted her.
After a long moment, he pulled back, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. “I’ve wanted to do that since I met you,” he confessed.
Teri blinked. “Really?”
What did she mean, really? “Of course, really. Was it not obvious how much I’m attracted to you? What with asking you out...and also telling you straight-up a minute ago.”
“I—well, I wasn’t totally sure,” Teri confessed, biting her lip in a way that was incredibly distracting. “I thought you might just be trying to be nice.”
Zach stared at her. “Teri, when I’m nice to somebody, I act friendly, or I do them a favor like switching shifts or something. I don’t take them out to dinner, invite them back home for dessert, and tell them they look like a Renaissance painting. I might be nice, but I’m not that nice.”
Teri snorted at that, shaking her head. “Okay,” she said ruefully. “When you put it that way, it doesn’t make much sense. I guess I just—I haven’t dated in a while, and since the accident, everyone feels sorry for me all the time. I wasn’t sure if you were feeling sorry for me.”
“I am feeling a lot of things right now,” Zach told her. “Sorry isn’t one of them.”
She snickered. The mood was lightening, but Zach still wanted to make something clear.
“It’s awful that you were in that accident.” Zach leaned forward, catching her eyes. “I wish it hadn’t happened to you. I wish you weren’t stuck in the situation you’re in. I’m—I’m angry on your behalf. I’m sorry that you don’t have the options you need. But I’m not sorry for you. I hope that makes sense.”