Page 12 of Protecting Talia

After a few minutes, he walked them into the bathroom and got a cloth wet before gently wiping her cheeks. She stared into his brown eyes, wondering what he was thinking.

She was about to say something when his gaze met hers. No question, this guy was all gooey cinnamon roll. But did she deserve a cinnamon roll? He didn’t give her a chance to think as he bent, stopping when their lips were almost touching. Five seconds ticked past, with neither of them moving. Then she squeezed his side, and that must have been what he’d been waiting for.

When his lips came down on hers, they both moaned. The heat between them sizzled. They were molten and could easily get in trouble. She had to tell him. That thought cooled her off fast, and she ended the kiss and stepped back.

“We shouldn’t. You shouldn’t. It will be dangerous for you.”

He cupped her cheek. “I don’t care what we should or shouldn’t do. And I love danger. Come to my place after this. Not for sex. We won’t do that yet, but I want to spend more time with you.”

She stepped back, crossed her arms over her chest and squeezed her upper arms, trying to hide her body and make herself smaller.

“Spend more time? Is that code for fucking me?”

He shook his head. “No, it’s not. I won’t lie. I want you. But for some strange reason, I really want you. Not for one night, either.”

She shook her head, unable to believe him. “You don’t want me. I’m damaged goods. There’s nothing.”

He cupped her cheeks and leaned in so she had to look into his eyes. “Don’t discount yourself. You’re not damaged goods.”

“You don’t know what I’ve done.”

“I don’t care. Nothing can damage you. Not like that. You’re a good person, and I want you to remember that.”

Anger rose. “You don’t know.”

His lips thinned, and she could tell he wasn’t giving up. “No, I don’t. And it doesn’t matter. You don’t know what I’ve done.”

She scoffed. “There’s no way you’ve done anything as bad as I’ve done. I fucked up.”

“Babe, we all have stuff in our pasts, but you aren’t damaged.”

His blind faith in her added to his words was too much. She shook her head violently, trying to get him to realize he was wrong.

“You don’t know. I’ve done things that are unforgivable. I’m a terrible—” She couldn’t tell him, not now. She couldn’t stand to see the disgust on his face. She had to get out of there. It was too much.

She ran, glad she had her keys in her pocket. As she raced out the door, she yelled thank you, unsure if Ellis heard. She couldn’t deal with Zip thinking she was a good person without knowing the whole story. Telling him everything was too difficult. It was better to walk away before things got good between them.

7

Zip watched her drive away, trying to decide if he should go after her or go home. She was fighting against the getting to know him stage. Why? She seemed interested, but when things got bad, she froze him out.

“What are you going to do?” Trip asked.

Zip huffed out a breath. “I don’t know.”

“Sure you do. You’re going after her. I can see it on your face.”

“Am I that obvious?”

Trip nodded. “Yep. Go find out what’s bugging her. It sounds like she’s had a hard life.”

Zip let go of a heavy sigh. He could walk away. There would be no harm. But he would never forgive himself.

The idea of never seeing her again wasn’t pleasant. They may not end up together, but he wanted a chance.

He pulled in front of the restaurant and spied her car parked down the block. She was home. His palms were damp as his nerves increased. Being this nervous hadn’t happened in a long time. Even going in on a mission didn’t feel like this. The stakes were higher with Talia. He realized she had the ability to crush him.

He didn’t want to lose her. Not yet. Maybe this would be the end. They’d go their separate ways and never see each other again. That would be okay. No, it wouldn’t. He didn’t want this to be over.

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