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She nodded and walked toward her bedroom without so much as a glance in Chris’s direction.
As soon as she was out of earshot, Zach tapped Louie against Chris’s shoulder. The asshole jumped like he’d been electrocuted. “Drop your computer and any flash drives you have here before ten a.m. tomorrow. You do that, you’ll never see or hear from us again. You come anywhere near my woman, and I’ll make a beating from my bat look like a day at Disney. Get me?”
Chris nodded.
“Good. Get the fuck out of here.”
The door slammed shut behind Chris and Zach dropped into the chair he’d been in when the man arrived. After cracking his unsatisfied knuckles, he rested his head on the back of the chair.
A few minutes later, a soft weight landed in his lap. “Better move it along missy. My woman is one possessive wench. She’ll rip the hair right out of your scalp.” He spoke without opening his eyes.
Normally, Toni would at least give him a chuckle for a joke like that so when she didn’t so much as huff, he popped his eyes open. She was staring at him, a stricken look on her face.
“What’d Mark say, baby,” he asked, tucking her hair behind her ear.
“He was looking all over for me. Back then. And found me during…” She swallowed and closed her eyes for about five seconds. “He walked in on that scene and there was a camera. Shark’s men were seconds away from throwing him out and probably beating him bloody when he offered one hundred thousand dollars for me and the recording.” She dropped her head into her hands. “Oh my God, Zach, he paid one hundred thousand dollars for me. How on earth will I ever repay that?”
“Baby.” With a gentle tug, he removed her hands from her tear-stained face. The sight of the wet tracks on her smooth cheeks hit him like an arrow to the heart. “There’s a reason you never knew about any of this. And it’s because you don’t owe him a damn thing. He doesn’t want your money.”
“I feel so guilty. How did I not know any of this? It makes so much sense now that I actually think about it. Shark never would have let me just walk away.”
“Listen to me, Toni. Mark did what he did because he loves you. And he made sure you were in the dark for this very reason. He knows you and knew you’d feel guilty and want to pay him back. And it’s not necessary.”
“But—”
He held her face between his palms.
“But it’s so much—”
“Yes,” he said. “It’s a lot of money. But you’re worth it, baby. You’re worth ten times that.”
“Zach,” she breathed.
“Hold, up. Let me say something.”
She closed her mouth and nodded, green eyes solemn.
“Never thought I’d have an ol’ lady. Just didn’t give a shit about letting a woman into my life. Never wanted to know a woman beyond—” a delicate growl came from Toni and Zach laughed— “Yeah, okay, you get it. Anyway, what I’m trying to say is that I want you, Toni. I want you in my days and I want you in my nights. I want you when you’re happy. I want you when you’re pissed. I want you at your best and I want you at your worst. Thank you for deciding to leave this behind and give us a chance.”
Her lower lip wobbled and her eyes shone glossy with unshed tears. “Zach, I have no idea why I fought it so hard at first, but I’m done fighting. I want you. I want us.”
Whether she was about to say more, Zach would never know. He sealed his mouth over hers and kissed until they were both breathing like they’d run a marathon. “Come on,” he said as he stood with Toni in his arms.
She shrieked and flailed her arms before settling against his chest with a smile.
“I need you naked and spread for me in the next two minutes.”
“Hmm,” Toni said, tracing a tattoo where it peaked from his shirt sleeve. “I love that plan.”
He kissed her once and stared into her eyes. All sorts of feelings he’d never be able to properly express to her were bouncing around in his chest. So, he’d show her. Hell, he’d spend all night, every night showing her just how much he needed her in his life.
Before he was done with her, she’d be drowning in pleasure so deep she wouldn’t be able to fathom leaving him.
Epilogue
“You done yet, babe?” Zach shouted into the diner’s kitchen.
“Keep your pants on,” Toni murmured as she shoved her arm into the gorgeous leather jacket Zach had given her a week ago.
“You know you don’t mean that. I do my best work with my pants off,” Zach said the moment she stepped into the dining area. He bobbed his eyebrows and smirked.
