CHAPTER EIGHT:
The day Zack's ship returned, the harbor was alive with celebration. Bells clanged, children ran along the pier, and families gathered to welcome fathers, brothers, and lovers home from the sea. Vanessa told herself she was only there out of curiosity, that she wouldn't let her heart leap at the sight of him.
But when the tall sails came into view and the ship eased toward the dock, her pulse betrayed her.
Zack was the first off the gangplank, moving through the crowd with hat same easy authority she remembered. His hair was longer, his skin darker, his grin even more roguish than before. But his eyes, those storm-bright eyes, searched the pier until they found hers.
The moment they locked, Vanessa felt the weeks of waiting crash into her like a wave.
He didn't stop to greet anyone else. He went straight to her.
"You came," he said, his voice rough, like he'd spoken the words a hundred times in his mind.
"I told myself I wouldn't," she admitted.
"And yet …." His hand reached for hers, calloused and warm, as though he had every right to claim it.
"And yet," she whispered, letting him pull her closer.
The kiss came fast, hard, hungry. It wasn't polite or cautious; it was months of absence, longing, and sleepless nights poured into one desperate moment. People cheered around them, but Vanessa didn't hear a thing. All she knew was the taste of salt and fire, the way her body fit against his as though the sea itself had meant for them to find each other again.
When they finally broke apart, breathless, Zack pressed his forehead to hers. "Vanessa… I thought of you every damn day."
She closed her eyes, heart aching. "You drive me mad, Zach. But I don't know how to stop needing you."
He smiled, softer this time. "Good, because I don't plan on letting you."
That night, back in her apartment, the passion between them flared even hotter. The distance had carved something raw in their connection, and now every kiss, every touch carried the weight of all they'd missed. It was fore and comfort, storm and anchor.
For the first time, Vanessa let herself wonder; maybe this wasn't just a fling. Maybe this was the beginning of forever.