“Thank you.”

Arianna pulled Curtis into her arms and he hauled her off her feet. “You… you…” He set her back on the ground and looked her over. “Well, you didn’t suck.”

She punched him the shoulder then kissed him.

Arianna turned back to Regan. “What did you think?”

Zach stood to the side, Regan’s shawl over his arm. “She was bawling like a baby,” he said, saving Regan from giving her opinion.

“Zach.” She crossed to him and kissed him on the cheek. “Thank you so much for coming.”

“They’re right. You’re amazing.”

“You’re a keeper.” She turned back to her family. “Let’s go to dinner. All of us. And then, Daddy, maybe you can spin us all across a dance floor.”

They dined and danced together well into the night. Regan was thrilled to have the man she loved enjoying the company of her family. He fit. He wasn’t supposed to, but he did.

When Carlos bought him a drink and Arianna danced with him and laughed as he dipped her, her nerves unraveled. They had accepted him.

Zach pulled Regan from the table by her hand. “C’mon. You owe me a spin on the dance floor before they close.”

“I’m tired. I don’t want to dance.”

“Your father is out there spinning your mother in circles. I can’t be shown up like this,” he said, tugging again, and she laughed.

Regan’s parents danced as though they were forty years younger. It was a sight she would never tire of.

Zach led her next to them, and her father gave a nod. “Ready? Trade!” her father called out as each of them spun his partner off and collected the one that danced toward him.

“Well, Zachary, you sure do know your dancing,” Emily said on a laugh as Zach dipped her and pulled her back into his arms.

“Like I told your daughter, I was forced into it.”

“I doubt that.” She laughed again. “Men say that, but then when it comes time for them to show off on a dance floor, they are glad they know what they are doing.”

He removed his hand from around her waist and rested it over his heart with a nod. “My secret is no longer safe.”

Alan spun Regan away from her mother and Zach, and spun her until she was dizzy and began to protest.

He slowed down. “That’s for all the times you stepped on my feet.”

“You told me to step on your feet.” She laughed as he spun her again.

“I like him.”

Regan tripped on his foot and had to work to regain her balance. “What?”

“I like this new man of yours. He wants to take care of you. I can tell.”

“I think you’re right, Daddy. He’s not like the other one.”

“This I already know.” When he spoke from the heart, his German accent came through strong. “You never brought the other one around. You let him hide you away.”

Her movements became jerky, and it was hard to focus as she tried to keep her composure. “You’re right. I was wrong to do that. I’m sorry I hurt you and Mama by staying away.”

The music stopped, and the musicians began to put their instruments away. The dancers cleared the floor—all but Regan and her father.

“You are a smart girl. You did what was right.” He patted her cheek. “Don’t ever think I’m disappointed in you or that your mama is either. We love you.” He looked up and over at his wife and Zach watching them. “You take care of him too.”

Zach pushed the button for the elevator as Regan’s family gathered around. An awkward silence followed them. Their rooms were scattered throughout the hotel. Carlos and Curtis got off the elevator on the tenth floor, kissing their mother good night as the doors opened.

Zach stood to one side of her parents and Regan on the other as they rode to the fifteenth floor. The heat in the small elevator felt as though it was climbing when Zach noticed both Emily’s and Alan’s eyes on him. He shifted his gaze to the escalating numbers over the door, and the elevator finally came to a stop.

“Good night, Mama.” She kissed her mother as the elevator door opened. “Good night, Papa. I love you both.”

Zach shook her father’s hand and did not let the gentle squeeze of a warning go unnoticed. When the elevator door closed, he fell against the wall with a huff.

“What’s wrong?” Regan made her move toward him.

“How old is your father?”

“He’s seventy-six. Why?”

“He’s very old-fashioned.”

Regan wrapped her arms around his waist and placed a kiss against his throat. “Yes he is. Why do you say that?”

“He’s not very keen on us sleeping together.”

“What did he say?” She stepped back and looked up at him. Her face had grown concerned.

“Not one word. But the looks. The body language. The handshake.” He cleared his throat. “I’m not kidding, Regan, I think I’ll go down and see if they have another room available. If not, I’ll just bunk with Curtis and Carlos.”

“You’ll do no such thing.” She laughed as she took his hand and pulled him out of the elevator as the doors opened. “You’ll sleep in my room, in my bed. And by God you’ll make love to me tonight.”

“If you insist.” He smiled broadly as he adjusted his suit jacket and brushed his hands down his sleeves.

“Oh, tonight I’m the boss.” She winked at him as she slid the key card into the door.

Regan opened the door and quickly found herself pressed up against the back of it, Zach’s hands roaming over her. His mouth covered hers. His teeth nipped her lips. The dress she wore melted to a puddle on the floor.

She slid her fingers through his hair and down to the tie around his neck. Giving it a tug, she pulled at it until it lost its form and fell to the floor with her dress. The buttons on his custom-made shirt flew open when she pulled at them hurriedly, exposing his hard, sculpted chest beneath her fingers. The scent of his musky cologne washed over her and aroused every sensual nerve in her body.

Their bodies, tangled together, slid down the door to the floor. He ripped her panties from her hips, and her bare skin rubbed against the harsh carpet beneath her. They both fought the belt that cinched his slacks. Finally, he was free of them and he kicked them away.