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Braden rubbed the cat’s back before coming to his feet. He’d pulled on his boxers and pants when he realized Zara was still in bed, the sheet pulled up beneath her arms, covering all the delicious spots.
“What’s wrong?”
She toyed with the edge of the pillowcase. “What will your family say about me coming home with you? I mean, they know me as the events coordinator. Are they going to think I’m... I don’t know.”
He wanted to put her uncomfortable state to rest and move on. “Just say it. What are you afraid they’re going to think?”
Her eyes met his. “That I’m using you for this position.”
Guilt weighed heavy on him, but he brushed aside the unwanted emotion and crossed back to the bed, taking a seat on the edge and reaching out for her hand.
“First of all, you were hired long before we slept together. Second, it’s nobody’s business what we’re doing. And lastly, they would never think that.”
Zara’s eyes searched him as if she were trying to tell if he was lying or hiding something. He couldn’t very well tell her his family would never think she was using him because he’d been the one to use her in the first place. She could never know the real reason he’d hired her new company. No way in hell would he want her hurt in such a manner.
Because even if the scrolls were discovered in this house, Braden wasn’t so sure he wanted to give up seeing Zara. Suddenly the quest for his family’s heirlooms and the need to be with this woman were totally separate issues, both important and both he refused to back down from.
Fourteen
Zara walked through the hallway of the O’Sheas’ home. Unlike the other night when she was working and in the ballroom, now she was on the second floor, following Braden to her room...which she had no doubt would actually be his room.
In one hand he pulled her suitcase, in the other he held the kitten. Everything about this seemed a bit domestic, a bit too personal. Yes, sex was personal, too, but what they’d shared last night had gone so far beyond sex, but she had no clue about the territory she’d entered and she couldn’t spend too much time thinking on it or she may run screaming.
And had Braden asked her to come to his home when he’d been dressed and not rubbing all over her body, she could’ve used some common sense and told him this wasn’t the smartest of ideas. She was safe staying in her house with the gas heater. She’d eaten just fine, thanks to the stash of Pop-Tarts, and she’d been warm. What more did she need?
Zara adjusted her laptop bag on her shoulder. Braden had stepped into the house and promptly handed the mystery tube to Mac. They’d exchanged a look, and Zara knew they’d just had some silent conversation that only worked when such a deep bond was formed. She had no idea what was so important about this find, but whatever it was, she trusted him to clue her in since the item was from her grandmother’s house.
“You can work in here.” Braden stepped aside, gesturing for her to enter the room first. “There’s a desk in the corner by the double doors. I need to speak with Mac, and I could be a while.”
He pulled her suitcase over to the closet and turned to face her. “Will you be all right?”
Zara glanced around the spacious bedroom. The king-size bed sat on a platform on the far wall. The dark, rich four posters were masculine, matching the deep blue bedding. Of course a man like Braden would have his bed be the dominant feature in his master suite. The sitting area with leather club chairs and a mahogany coffee table only added to the overall masculine theme of the room.
“This is your bedroom.” She didn’t ask as her eyes met his.
Still holding the kitten in one arm, he crossed to her. Each step he took seemed to be in tune with her heartbeat.
“I told you this is where I wanted you. Nobody will bother you in here. The staff knows to stay away from my quarters, and Mac keeps a guest room on the other side of the house. We have total privacy here.”
Zara shivered at the veiled promise, but at the same time, the prospect of being totally alone with him, on his turf where she may be able to learn even more about him, held so much appeal.
“Go on,” she told him with a smile. “I’ll be fine. I actually have several things to work on, and now that I don’t have to worry about my battery, I can focus for several hours. Do you need to leave the kitten with me?”
Braden shook his head. “Nah. He likes me. Not as much as he likes you, but I’ll let him run around for a bit.” Stopping at the doorway, Braden turned, offering her a lopsided grin. “I’ll have dinner brought up later. I plan on spending the entire evening with you and no interruptions, so make sure you get that work done because you’re mine.”
