Page 45 of Keeping Her Safe

The farmhouse had a few faint lights on as they drove up to it and stopped. As they gathered their luggage, Evie stood in the doorway, holding it open for them to walk in. She didn’t say anything. Zachary wondered how much information she knew, but figured she knew as much as Della knew.

When they were in the house and Gabe had excused himself to go home, they were alone with Evie and Jasper. Both couples were silent for a moment, looking at each other.

“So, one bedroom or two?” Evie asked. Yup, she’d heard it all, and she had come to the conclusion they were not actually married.

“One,” Zachary said. He was not letting her out of his sight again.

“Okay,” Evie answered, pushing away from the counter.

“Show Zephyr. I will just walk around outside for a few minutes,” he replied and walked out of the house.

As the cold air hit him, he started to take long, steady breaths. This guy was getting the best of him. He could not get his mind around who this guy was or what he expected to do with Zephyr’s book. Tomorrow they would head back to Minneapolis and take the first plane anywhere. Maybe he should even take her out of the country.

After he looked around, he went into the house, and Jasper gave him directions to the bedroom upstairs she was in. When he opened the door, he saw she was sitting on the side of the bed. She was still fully dressed; even her coat was still on.

Tears were silently rolling down her cheeks. Rushing over, he pulled her into his arms and said, “Don’t cry, Zephyr. It’s okay. I’m here. I will protect you.”

“I shouldn’t have come. I’m putting them all in danger,” Zephyr whispered.

“No, it was my idea,” he said, opening her coat and pulling it off her.

“I should have said no.”

“You did, and I didn’t listen,” he whispered into her hair. He loved holding her in his arms. It somehow made everything better.

“But I brought him to their door. He would have left if it wasn’t for me.”

“How do you think he found you?” He pushed her away from him so he could look into her eyes.

“Because they’re my heirs.”

“Heirs, as in you left them all your money?” he asked incredulously.

“Yes. I had nobody else to leave it to. They’ll enjoy it one day. Probably one day soon.” He watched her bite down on her quivering lip.

“So, one day out of the blue, they are going to get tons of money? I think they would rather have a new sister than the money, Zephyr.” He pulled her onto his lap so that she was straddling his legs.

“I don’t know if I know how to be a sister. Maybe they are better off not knowing.” Zephyr rested her head on his shoulder, and her arms went around his neck. Wrapping his arms around her, he knew her mother did a number on her youngest daughter.

“When this is all over, we are coming back here, and you will explain to them everything. Until then, you can lie to yourself all you want that they don’t want to know you, but you know you need to tell them the truth.” Her head stayed on his shoulder. His hand went up the back of her shirt to rest against her soft, warm skin.

Zachary didn’t know how long he held her like that, but they stayed that way until he felt the tension leave her. When her body had melted into his, he was able to relax.

She was still straddling him, and his body had noticed her proximity to his shaft. When her body started to wiggle in his arms, he sucked in a breath and said, “Quit doing that, Zeph.”

Pulling her upper body from his and leaving her arms around his neck, she replied, “What?”

Her blue eyes looked at him so innocently; he was lost for words when she wiggled again and then winked at him. With a growl, he flipped her over onto the bed so that he was above her. The motion was so fast that her legs had gone around him in the roll. He was worried that he had scared her, and his heart almost leaped from his chest when she started laughing under him.

Staring down at her face, he watched her stop laughing and bite her lip. “What are you thinking, Zephyr Hart?”

“Too much to bore you with,” she answered, almost too quietly for him to hear.

“You are never boring. You’re the most fascinating woman I know.” He touched her chin and swept his fingers up to her hair, tucking a wayward lock of hair off her face.

“Why do you always get mad when you touch me or kiss me?” Her blue eyes bore into his.

“Because when Ken said you were in danger, I knew I had to protect you. That’s what I do. But I didn’t know how I was going to be so close to you and keep my hands off you.” He felt her suck in a breath at his words. “I promised myself I wouldn’t touch you like this.”

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