Page 21 of Control Line

Chapter Eight

Fuck if his dick wasn’t hard enough to pound railroad spikes. Something about Zee’s confidence and knowledge out on the trail had him so turned on it was all he could do not to throw her over his shoulder like a Viking invader.

Inviting her to the bathroom wasn’t something he’d planned on. As a matter of fact, he had no intention of telling her he knew she’d watched him. Not after the clean-up event. He noticed how uncomfortable she was. It wasn’t like she didn’t know he knew, but having it thrown in her face was a different thing altogether.

But damn if her ass in those cargo shorts didn’t short circuit his brain. When she spoke about Sunnyville and the wildlife of the area, he damn near lost it. She became another woman when she was in her element.

Barney knew this was the real Zee, she just somehow lost that through the death of a loved one and her military buddies tearing her down. He was sure she tore herself up more than any of those things ever did. Watering herself down to be more palatable.Fuck that. Barney wanted her full strength.

People who say confidence is sexy underestimated the way Zee wore it. She had layers and man, did he want to peel those back slowly. One at a time.

In his experience, women who were smart like Zee damn sure didn’t look like her. And women who looked like her were fun to see naked but not have a conversation with. Not that they weren’t intelligent, but Barney didn’t like conceit. That thought caused a small laugh to bubble up from his chest. He was a conceited asshole, so he imagined women felt that way about him, too, when he was dressed.

That thought had never bothered him before but now it did. He wanted Zee to want him, but not just because of his looks.

“Whoa.” He stopped in his tracks. That was a dangerous path for the mind to travel.

“Whoa, what?” Grant asked at his back. “Was there a break in?” Grant stepped forward and checked the door. Of course, that would be where the cop’s mind went.

“No, just a Charlie horse.” Barney squatted down to rub his calf. If the look on Grant’s face was any indication, he wasn’t buying the whole cramp thing. Well, he didn’t give a shit. The ladies had caught up and Zee unlocked the door. Barney barreled in, dropped his gear, and headed out.

“Where are you running off to?” Zee asked. “We were going to have lunch. There’s plenty, and it’s included in the hike's price.” Her laughter settled in his soul. But it was the slight disappointment he detected that had him answering.

“Oh. I just need to check on something. I’ll be back in ten.”

Barney didn’t want to eat lunch with them. He wanted to slink back to his cabin and just forget the sexy redhead because she confused him. Caused him to have feelings and thoughts he wasn’t prepared for.

Sharing spank sessions with a door between them was different. It was disconnected. Reducing everything to sex. A nice, neat. . .acceptable package. That he could handle; emotions, not so much. His life or death was already stretching his capacity in the feels department. Letting Zee in might prove too much.

But then she made a silly joke about being included in a price he didn’t pay and gave him that smile, and he knew he’d honor any request she made.

So instead of a quick shower and maybe going to the day use area and passing out plastic fire helmets to kids, he headed right back over to Zee’s.

When he walked in, they weren’t in the office area, so he made his way to the living area. They were sitting, eating sandwiches and chips. Chatting as if they’d known each other their entire lives. Zee fit in Sunnyville like she’d been born here. Barney was almost jealous.

Hehadbeen born here, but he had gone away to college and when he’d come back, nothing was the same. The town embraced him, but it never felt like it used to. Barney loved Sunnyville. Talked about it non-stop while he was away because he couldn’t wait to get back home. His college roommate, Derek, was the only person who didn’t get sick to death of his Sunnyville stories. Derek had even dubbed his tales ‘The Sunnyville Chronicles’ and used some of his tales, names changed of course, for his creative writing classes.

Derek was an aspiring author, so he’d clung to every word Barney said and wrote it all down.I wonder what ever happened to him?He’d never seen his name on any lists or books, but he could’ve used a pen name.

But after college it was like he dropped off the face of the earth. Barney couldn’t find him, even with help from his friends at the PD. It was like Derek Morrison fell off the face of the earth.

It still stung that Derek had left without so much as a bye. They’d been as close as brothers. Barney had been there for him when no one else had. When he was sick and fighting for his life, Barney spent every minute in the hospital. He’d almost failed his finals, but his friendship was worth the risk.

Hell, if they’d ever gotten caught with what they had done, they’d have both ended up in a world of trouble. But in the end, it all worked out. Derek had beat the odds and Barney’s insurance company never found out it wasn’t him in the hospital bed.

Barney had to smile a bit at the thoughts swimming in his head. Whenever anyone from school would visit the hospital, Barney would hop in the empty bed and close the curtain on Derek. Yeah, he knew it was wrong, and if he could pay the insurance back without going to jail, he would, but he couldn’t let his uninsured friend suffer and die simply because he didn’t grow up with the advantages Barney had.

Barney had carried that same insurance policy for years, but never filed another claim on it. He held another policy he used. It was his way of trying to make amends. As of right now though, he didn’t have insurance because he was a dead man.

He stood there for way too long just watching his friends and his neighbor eat and laugh. They hadn’t noticed him and that was just fine because he loved seeing them this way.

Zamantha’s red hair shimmered in the light each time she tossed her head back to laugh at something Grant said. Her brown eyes sparkled with joy when she was unguarded. Barney hadn’t realized until that moment how guarded she kept herself all the time.

Earlier in the week, he’d been jealous when she’d emerged from the picnic area with the two rookies because he’d felt she had let her guard down for them. He was wrong. She’d still had those shields in place and was faking it. However, sitting with Grant and Emerson. . .ugh, and Norman, she had let her walls fall.

Now he knew what her genuine beauty looked like, and it was blinding. He was plotting a way to keep them down, especially as he pounded into her body while looking into her soul, when Grant noticed him.

“Don’t just stand there like a creeper, join us.”

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