Regan toed off her slippers and hiked up the robe as she stepped into the water. As it hit her ankles, a chill ran through her, but she braved it as she waded to the boulder in the center of the creek.

She sat atop the large stone and listened to the babble of the creek below her. The sun warmed her aching body and felt soothing on her face. It had almost been a year since Alexander Hamilton had tried to kill her. Never in her wildest dreams would she have thought two different madmen would attack her. It made her uncomfortable in her own skin.

She wasn’t weak. She wasn’t fragile. But the attacks had beaten her down. It had taken almost a year for her to regain who she was after Alexander Hamilton had left his mark. She wasn’t going to let that happen again. She was in love with a truly decent man who wanted to take care of her for the rest of her life. There were no monetary promises. There were no one-sided conversations. Zach cared about her, and she wasn’t going to let what Alexander Hamilton or Roger Byers had done to her hold her back. Today was a new day, a day for her and Zach.

Regan rested her head against the stone and basked in the sun’s warmth. She wasn’t sure how long she’d been there when she heard the sound of footsteps among the trees. Then there he was, standing on the creek bank, looking out toward her, his hair, still wet from his shower. The T-shirt he’d pulled on was old and faded. The hems of his jeans dragged on the ground, and his feet were bare. She laughed at the fact that he’d walked through the field without any shoes on. In his parents’ backyard he was absolutely at home.

He gave her a nod. “You wearing anything under that robe?” He watched her as though he were waiting for permission to touch her, and it just might kill him.

She loosened her belt. “Peeping Tom?”

“Peeping Zach,” he said as he crossed the creek.

“You’d better see for yourself, then,” she said, pulling one lapel down over her shoulder.

Zach climbed up the boulder and lay next to her. He gently touched her cheek and shook his head. She knew the look of guilt, and she regretted that he felt as though he’d had any part in her attack.

He slid his arm around her waist and gathered her in close. “I’m sorry for the way I acted this morning. It wasn’t right. Especially after yesterday. I should have—”

“I love you, Zachary Benson.” It floated from her lips like a sigh. “I love you.”

His mouth opened wide, and she watched his Adam’s apple move as he swallowed hard. “What?” His voice cracked like a teenager’s, and Regan grinned.

“Oh, for heaven’s sake. I have to repeat myself?”

Zach nodded, his mouth still open.

Tracing her fingers down his jaw, she said it again. “I love you.”

He blew out a breath. “I wasn’t expecting that.”

“I know. I was sure things weren’t going to work out. But I’ve decided it’s time to move on. It’s time to make them work out.”

Zach lowered her to the rock and slid his hand beneath the robe and over her stomach, trailing his fingers to her hip. “I’m glad to hear that.”

“One day at a time.” She covered his mouth with hers and parted his lips with her tongue. The deeper she took the kiss, the closer he pressed his body against hers. The thickness of the robe protected her as the contours of the boulder pressed into her back. Zach lifted his hand to her hair and brushed his fingers through it.

Regan opened her eyes. When Zach’s eyes locked onto hers, she cupped his face with her hands. “Make love to me here.”

He pushed away the robe and his explored her with his hands. His fingertips skimmed her stomach, her sides, and breasts. Beneath his touch, her skin came to life. Blood hummed through her veins as her body heat rose. He pressed his lips to her throat as he cupped her breast in his hand, gently running his thumb over her erect nipple. Regan arched back. When he replaced his hand with his mouth, the very breath from her body released on a sigh.

She tugged the T-shirt free from his jeans and pulled it over his head. His smooth skin molded under her fingers as she traced his long, lean muscles. The sun warmed his back under her fingers.

He unbuttoned his pants and slid them off, returning quickly to her body with his lips, tongue, and touch.

He cupped her hips and pushed her legs apart with his body. Eagerly, she wrapped her legs around him, urging him closer. The thought of making love to a man had never enticed her the way it did now. Every heartbeat was too long to wait to have him inside her, on top of her, to be wrapped in his arms forever.

Then he moved into her.

She arched against him, feeling him slide against her, inside her. His lips skimmed her throat, his hands cupped her breasts, and she felt the warmth of him on her and in her. God, she loved the man.

She felt the roughness of the rock beneath her, on her back through her robe. She clung to Zach tighter, pulling him deeper inside her as he kissed her mouth with a passion that breathed new life into her. Their tongues danced, their teeth scraped, and their hands explored the wonders of one another’s bodies. He trailed his fingertips over her exposed skin, and it tingled as he moved to each new area. Her heart beat rapidly, and she could feel his too as he pressed even closer to her. The sun rose higher in the sky and warmed their bodies as they melted together in unity. Every muscle in her body began to pulse as he moved against her, inside her, and his breath in her ear fed her life as she climbed toward that edge only Zach could drive her to. She held tight to him as he pushed deep inside her, and he moaned against her throat. Together they sighed and rode out the waves of their climax.

He lay heavy atop of her, and silently she willed him never to move.

Zach lifted his face and looked down at her. “I love you.”

“I love you. I want to be with you always.” She nuzzled her face into his neck and lay still, listening to the water move beneath them and the trees rustle in the wind.

Zach tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “Are you all right?”

“Never better.”

He gently brushed her lips with his. “Let’s go in and take another shower.” He smiled. “I have the strangest feeling my mother is going to call.”

Warm water ran over her already sensitive skin as Zach slathered soap over her body. She rested her back against his chest as he massaged soap over her breasts and then slid his hands down her stomach.