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What if Shane showed up? The man obviously called her drunk, and, on a good night with clear roads, what would stop him from just coming over, forcing his way in? And now that she worked for Braden, Shane would see that as a betrayal. The man was that egotistical and warped.
“But I’m not sure a woman would be crying over a man if she was married to another,” Zara went on as she shifted beneath her covers. “I mean, I can’t imagine loving one man, let alone falling in love twice. Or maybe she’d just married the second guy so she wasn’t lonely. I’ll never be that desperate.”
Braden thought to his parents. They’d been in love, they’d raised a family and they’d had a bond that Braden wanted to have someday. His mother passed when Braden had been a pre-teen, and the car accident that claimed her had an impact on the entire family. They became stronger, more unified than before because they realized just how short life was.
Not now, but one day he’d have a family of his own. First, though, he’d have those scrolls back in his family’s possession and steer his family right. He refused to bring a family into his life when there were enemies, people who used loved ones as a weakness to exploit.
“You’ve never been in love? Never knew people in love?” he asked, easing up to rest his back against the headboard.
“I’ve never seen love firsthand, no.” Zara turned onto her back, lacing her hands on top of the blanket. “My grandmother loved me and I loved her, but as far as a man and woman... I’m not sure true love exists. Have you been in love?”
Even though he’d removed everything but his pants, heat enveloped Braden. Granted, it could be because he was in the company of a woman he wanted more than his next breath, but honestly, the logs were doing a great job, and with the door closed, the thick air was starting to become too much.
“Would you mind if I turned the logs down a bit?” he asked.
“Nice way to dodge my question.” She jumped up from the chaise and threw him a smile. “I’ll turn them down. It is getting a bit warm in here.”
Braden watched her move across the room. In her black, body-hugging dress she’d been a knockout, but in her sweatshirt and leggings with her hair in a ponytail, she almost seemed...innocent, vulnerable.
Damn it, he didn’t want to see her that way. He didn’t want this to become personal with emotions getting in the way of his quest to get her in his bed and search for the scrolls.
And when the hell had he officially added her to his list of must-haves?
Somewhere between dancing with her and settling in for their sleepover.
As she started back to the chaise, she gestured toward him. “If you’re hot, you can, um...you can take your pants off. I won’t look. I mean, I don’t want this to be uncomfortable for either of us, but I want you to be... Sorry, I’m rambling. Go ahead, take your pants off. I’ll turn around.”
She was killing him. Slowly, surely, killing him.
But the lady said he could remove his pants. So remove them he would.
Four
Just as Braden unzipped and started to lower his pants, Zara cried out in pain, followed quickly by words that would’ve made his mama blush.
With pants hanging open, Braden carefully crossed the space. “What is it?”
“Banged the side of my ankle on this damn chaise,” she said through gritted teeth. “Stupid scrolled legs on this thing.”
Without thinking, Braden dropped to his knees before her. His hands ran down the leg closest to the chaise, gently roaming over her tight, knit pants.
When she hissed, he pulled back and glanced up. The light was even dimmer now that she’d turned the logs down, but the miniscule candle flickered just enough of a glow for him to make out those heavy lids and the desire that stared back at him.
Keeping his eyes locked on to hers, Braden slid his fingers around her slender ankle once again. “Does this hurt?”
“Just tender.”
Trailing his fingertips to another spot, he asked, “How about here?”
“No.”
Weighing his next movement, Braden moved his hand on up to her calf. Zara sucked in a breath, and he knew it was for a whole other reason. Gliding over the back of her knee, he curled his hands around her thigh as he shifted closer to her. With his other hand, he slid beneath the hem of her sweatshirt to grip her waist. Satiny skin met his palm, and he’d swear she trembled and broke out in goose bumps right that second.
