Page 33 of Keeping Her Safe

“Who was the guy in the story?” He looked over at her.

The story had been exciting, and he wished it had been true. In reality, they had met at a fast-food restaurant when his father had said he wanted to adopt the girl. That meeting had not gone well, nor had any of the others after that.

“You. You were home from your first tour of duty. We ended up having a blow-up fight, and we ignored each other the rest of the weekend,” she said.

“I don’t remember it like that. You were what, fourteen?” he asked.

“Fifteen. I guess we usually ended up fighting, so what was one day compared to another?” She shrugged.

“I was a jerk.” He hated that his behavior was so bad when she was around. He was the one who had messed up so much for her.

“Yes, you were. I was too.” She squeezed his hand.

“Are you really terrified of the water?” he asked. That part of the story had seemed so real, and now he knew the entire story was true.

“Yep. I don’t go in beyond my ankles.”

“Really? You own a beach house on the ocean.” He had always pictured her swimming every day. It’s what he would do if he owned a beach house.

“I should give it to you. You love the place. I just live there,” she admitted.

“Dad wanted you to have it.”

“He only left it to me because I lived there. He let me move in when I aged out of the system, and I never moved out. I should have bought a place long before he died, but I felt comfortable there. Safe. I should have signed it over to you at the will reading, but you accused me of stealing it, and I got angry. I have a temper,” she stated as if he hadn’t seen that temper in action.

“I was just jealous, like always,” he replied, and the conversation died as they walked into the B&B. They had left the lights on when they left, and now after putting away the carrots and apples they had purchased from the Harts, they went upstairs.

It was still early in the evening, but when they got to their bedroom, Zephyr grabbed the T-shirt she slept in and went to the bathroom. Zachary removed his gun and holster from his leg and put them away. He was happy to be back in the warm house—the air had been chilly during their time outside.

When Zephyr came out of the bathroom, Zachary went in to take a warm shower. Under the hot spray of water, he let his mind wander to the feel of Zephyr in his arms. The sensations spread through his body as he just held her in his mind. When he had touched her bare skin, all the blood had rushed to his penis, and he had just touched her stomach. He had to hold her close in front of him so that nobody noticed.

As he turned off the water, Zachary stopped the thoughts of Zephyr as well. Hands off. Once this is over, you will not have to see her again for another couple of years. The thought of not seeing her made him a little sad. Would she go back to the lonely life she seemed to live at the beach house? Would he go back to working too many hours on the force?

He had taken off the bandage that had been wrapped around his gunshot wound but was finding it impossible to get another one on it. His arms didn’t bend that way. With only his boxers on, he walked out into the bedroom to ask for Zephyr’s help.

There she was, curled up in the chair, computer and headphones on. She was lost in the world she’d created. Her feet were tucked under her, and she was only wearing the T-shirt. Walking over to her, he sat down on the bed next to her chair and just watched her. He loved to do that.

The story was consuming her, and she didn’t notice him or anything that was going on around her. Her fingers were typing as fast as he had ever seen anyone type. Sometimes she would stop for a moment, then start up again. When she started to hum along with the song playing just for her, he smiled.

Reaching out, he slid the headphones off her head, and their eyes caught as he did it. The blue eyes that met his were big with surprise. The typing stopped, and she closed the laptop.

“Can you help me?” he asked.

“Sure. With what?”

“I need a new bandage put on. I can’t do it myself.”

Jumping up, she put the computer on the desk and grabbed the supplies he had with him. Sitting down next to him, she turned and said, “Hold out your arms.”

“Do you know how it goes?”

Zephyr nodded. “Of course. I saw it yesterday. You want it done the same way?”

“You saw it enough to know how to wrap it?” He doubted that.

“Naturally.”

By the time she put the last strip around his body, he was both amazed at her memory and aroused by her touch. The bandage looked the exact same as it did before he took it off.

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