AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Yeah, I’ve turned up nothing. But I’m not done yet. I’m hoping to loosen Zara up enough to get her talking. She may not even realize she knows something useful.”
“You sound crankier than usual,” Laney mocked. “No scrolls, no sex. I hope you’re not acting like a bear toward your hostess.”
Cranking the heat up, Braden dropped his head back against the seat. “Now that you know I’m alive and sexually frustrated, can we be done with this call?”
Laney laughed even harder. “Only because I love you am I letting you off the hook. Don’t think I won’t be discussing this with Mac.”
“I’ve no doubt you’ll do so as soon as we hang up,” he muttered. “Are you okay? You’re home?”
“I’m fine. Carter stayed over last night, which was a good thing because I couldn’t get my generator started.”
Well, at least Carter was good for one thing, but Braden still considered Laney’s boyfriend a prick.
Braden bit his tongue, because if Carter kept treating his sister as if she should be thanking him for a relationship, Braden was going to step in. He’d seen too many times how Carter would act as if he was doing Laney a favor by being with her. He’d even hinted once that she’d be lonely without him. No way in hell would Delaney O’Shea be lonely. She was gorgeous, she was successful and she was a member of the most powerful family in Boston. They were never alone.
He said his goodbyes before he said something that would drive a wedge between them. He’d much rather deal with Carter on his own terms. But, at least the guy had been there during the storm, and his sister was safe. Braden would keep that in mind when he actually confronted him...and that day was coming sooner rather than later.
Braden turned the heat down, now that he was thawed out and his feet weren’t so chilled. He quickly dialed Mac, only to get his voice mail.
“Hey, man. I’m stuck at Zara’s house, little cell service. I’ll call back when I can, but nothing has been found yet.”
He disconnected the call and stared back at the house. He wondered just how long he’d have to sit out here to avoid seeing her glowing, damp body from the shower all under the pretense of letting his phone charge. He had plenty of charge to go back in, but he figured he’d let it fill up.
He needed to keep a little distance from her because he was having a hard enough time controlling this ache. He didn’t like the unfamiliar need that seemed to grow stronger with each passing moment.
No need in going back in just yet, because he knew without a doubt that once he saw Zara partially nude again, there would be nothing holding him back.
Eight
Feeling refreshed after her shower, Zara found another pair of sweats and fuzzy socks. More armor to fight off the sexy man with seduction on the brain.
Okay, fine. Sex was on her mind, too, but she couldn’t let herself settle too far into that part of her brain because, honestly, the sex she’d had with guys in the past had just been...meh. And she wasn’t about to risk her job on some mediocre moment. Besides, if they had sex now, what if he was stuck here for two more days? Seriously. Talk about a new level of awkward. Added to that, would he expect a replay? Was he a one-and-done man?
Zara groaned as she took out her frustrations by towel-drying her hair. Why was she overanalyzing this? She wasn’t shedding her fleece, no matter what tricky moves he put on her.
Zara hung her towel on the knob of her closet door. No way was she going back out to the bathroom. While the water had been nice and hot, the room itself was an icebox. There was no master bath in this house, but the bathroom was right outside her bedroom door. Still, given she was damp and her hair was still drying, that would make for one cold walk.
Grabbing her brush from the dresser, she took a seat on her bed and crossed her legs as she pulled her hair over her shoulder and started working out the tangles at the bottom.
That kitten darted out from beneath her bed, and Zara just knew that thing was making a litter box out of the space. Once again the bundle of fur slid against Zara’s ankles and feet, purring as he went. Even though she’d never had an animal, she honestly didn’t mind that it was in her house. She may not have a clue how to care for a pet, but she didn’t want the thing outside freezing to death. Okay, and maybe she kind of liked knowing something was looking to her for care and support. She didn’t necessarily love it, but she had a kernel of like.
