Page 63 of The Boy With The Sharp Teeth
"Zach,don't forget we…Oh!" Sana's words stopped abruptly in surprise.
Zachturned to see Sana clutching the lapels of her emerald green robe tighteraround her chest as she swiped a nervous hand through her long, tangled hair.Tangled because of him, he had thought with savage pride. Just moments before,he had made love to her, rocking his hips against hers, listening to herdelicate cries as he brought them both to the edge of bliss. This soft,intimate state she was in was all his, and this stranger was intruding.
Zachhad to swallow the growl that began to vibrate through his chest when he turnedback to the man.
Theman, however, surprised him.
Standingstraight from his truck, he cast his dark gaze away from Sana and looked to theground as he introduced himself. "Sorry, Ms. Bhatt, I'm early, I know. Ifigured I would wait here until nine, as we discussed, and then come knockingon your door."
Zachhad listened and watched with narrowed eyes as Sana politely shook her head andwaved away the apology. Inviting the man inside to sit at her table as shechanged and got ready, she had turned back to Zach and gave him a soft, knowingsmile before shooing him away.
Everymoment since then, Zach vowed to make her pay later that night for thatdismissal. Images of her tied to the bed or bent over the kitchen table wherethat fucker had sat that morning played in his mind as he snatched his gazeaway from them. Practically ripping off the top of the box, Zach pulled out theneeded components for the wind turbine.
Todaythey were at Mrs. Carson's house, one of the few residents of Tarki whoactually lived within Druthers Forest. They would be getting the small windturbine instead of the solar panels initially promised to them on thesuggestion of Beranek. Childish, he knew, Zach had watched with a smirk at thedisappointment and frustration on the Carson's faces as Sana explained Beranekhad suggested the change due to their position in the forest. Unfortunately,the small amount of glee didn't last long. Beranek smiled at the older coupleand patiently reminded them that they needed this backup power source they wereproviding them due to the trees that surrounded their little clearing and theroad that led to their property. During storms, there was a high-risk factor oftrees falling and snatching the power lines that led to them, and drilling downand putting in underground cabling turned out to be too expensive just fortheir isolated residence. The wind turbine, something he claimed he used at hisown property, would be unencumbered by the trees casting shadows or flailing inthe storm. To Zach’s disgust, the Carsons ate up the man's words, walking awaysmiling and happy without another word or argument.
"Thankyou so much," Sana's whispered voice drifted to Zach's sensitive ears ashe and Kevin dug the hole for the turbine's support pole.
Kevin’slaughing eyes practically sparkled in the morning light as Zach's griptightened around the shovel's handle.
Sanacontinued to thank the man. "I knew the Carsons might have something tosay about the change. They had been telling any and everybody for nearly amonth now that they were getting their own solar grid and underground cablesout here, so I knew there would be some sort of backlash."
"It'sno problem, part of the job," Jax replied gruffly as he walked over tohelp Darrius with one of the heavy blades.
Seeingthat was all she was going to get from the man, Sana nodded with a smile andmade her way back to where the trucks were parked.
"Well,at least he isn't overly friendly," Darrius said, coming over to where heand Kevin worked.
"Yeah,I would hate to have to rip the guy's throat out on his first day," Zachsaid savagely.
"Speakingof ripping throats out, did you tell her?"
"Youreally took the time to work that in there gently, didn't you?" Zach askeddryly.
Darriusshrugged. "It's important. Too important to be pussyfooting around withyou. Adam and I are worried."
Zachdidn't say anything. Spearing the pointed end of the shovel harder into thesoft, clumping dirt, he shoveled out a big pile of dirt.
Notone to be ignored, Darrius threw him a demanding look. "Did you or didn’tyou?"
Wipinghis brow with the back of his hand, Zach slammed the shovel into the groundnext to him, allowing it to stand on its own, and stared back at his cousin,his gaze burning with warning. "No, not yet, dammit, and get the fuck offmy back about it."
Spearinghis own shovel into the ground, Darrius let out a warning growl under hisbreath. "You are going to wind up losing her—again—and I don't want tohear your fucking whining when you do."
Zachtook a step towards the man, but a hand on his chest stopped him. Standingsomewhat between them, Kevin gave Zach a worried look. "Sana willsee," he whispered.
Theyall turned their heads to where Sana stood with Mrs. Carson by the truck, bothwomen absorbed in their conversation, unlike her husband. The older man, Mr.Carson, who stood next to the two women, was dressed in a pair of starchedjeans and a soft cotton button-down shirt he had neatly tucked into his pants.Unassuming and genial, the older man's eyes stared at them both with a knowinglook, and he shook his head only once at them.
Feelinglike a chastised child, Zach turned away with a sigh. It was only a matter oftime before this incident made its way to his mother and uncle, he thought witha rueful groan.
Withthe turbine installed and tested, they all eventually said their goodbyes tothe Carsons. Waving goodbye to Beranek, Sana rolled up her window and sat backagainst her seat in the truck.
"Well,"she said, letting out a deep exhale. "We only have to do that four moretimes with the Jacobsens, your cousins at the north end of the forest, andthree more."
"Youknow, you don’t have to come to the other ones. Now that you’ve hired thefieldengineer," Zach couldn’t help saying the title without a sneer,"you can simply let us handle it."
Hecould feel Sana turn to look at him, but Zach kept his eyes on the road as hedrove. "True," she said serenely. "I just came today because Iknew how the Carsons would react, and I wanted to see Jax work."
Zach'slip threatened to curl in a snarl.Jax, he mocked her beautiful voiceinwardly. Must she be on a first-name basis with that bastard? Pulling up toher house, he stopped the car, and they both got out.
