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“Ways in and out.” His gruff tone is abrasive, but the concern behind it evens out the jagged edges.
“The backdoor. Is that what you mean?”
When he takes a step toward me, my heart races with excitement.
“Show me.” He crosses his arms over his chest and waits for me to respond.
I take a deep breath, then lead him down the hallway and into the kitchen at the back of the townhome. He follows right on my heels, tense and on high alert. At the back door, he checks the lock, securing it with a click. “How long has this been happening?”
“What do you mean?” I rub my hands up and down my arms, warding off a chill determined to keep me on edge.
“That’s the second time something’s spooked you.” His dark eyes search mine. The intensity of his gaze makes me suck in a breath. It’s like he can see right through me.
“Spooked me?” My voice trembles despite my effort not to break down in front of him.
He steps close. Mere inches separate us and the warmth of his body radiates all around me. He makes me feel safe, despite the weirdness going on.
“When I was here before and just now.”
Instinctively, I place my hand against his chest. I love the hard planes of his muscle. Touching him seems to let me draw strength from him in ways far surpassing the physical connection between us.
“It’s nothing.”
“Didn’t look like nothing.” His expression turns pensive.
When he covers my hand with his, my heart kicks into overdrive and the fluttering in my belly returns. I take a deep breath before responding, not entirely sure how much to tell him. We’ve known each other for less than a day, mere hours, if not minutes. And while he appears genuinely interested in what’s happening, it feels wrong to burden him with my troubles.
I hesitate, to be honest, not wanting to make Scott into some kind of villain. The man’s no saint, but he’s not the devil.
“Honestly, I just came off a rough relationship. Scott’s not taking it well.” I shrug, uncomfortable under Zeb’s scrutiny.
Not to mention it feels wrong speaking to the man I’m interested in sleeping with about the man I broke up with. There’s a disconnect there I haven’t fully realized.
Zeb takes a step back, robbing me of the heat radiating off his large frame. He examines me with an intensity that makes my skin itch.
“What does that mean?” Low and sincere, it’s almost as if he already knows, but he wants to know if I’m okay. “Not taking it well?”
I sigh and turn away from his gaze. It’s too much to process. Not to mention, I don’t want to see his reaction when I tell him the truth.
“He’s angry at me and wants me back.”
Silence stretches between us until it becomes painful. When Zeb finally speaks, it’s with zero emotion. The lack of tone and inflection makes his next words terrifying.
“How angry?”
A lump forms in my throat and tears threaten to fall. A Guardian and a protector, he’s wired to protect and defend. What does that mean when it comes to Scott? Am I going to make things worse involving Zeb in something I should be able to handle myself?
“Strongly worded texts.” I try to play them down.
His jaw tightens as he closes the space between us, towering over me. The thing is, I am scared. Scott’s escalating texts terrify me. The urge to throw myself into Zeb’s arms is almost too hard to resist, but I do. I resist the urge to snuggle against him and bury into his embrace.
“Has he done anything physical?” His fierce stare never wavers from mine.
“Scott wouldn’t do that.” I cringe hearing the lie spill from my mouth.
“Has he ever been physical with you?”
Before I can answer his question, Zeb pulls me into a hug that feels like heaven. In Zeb’s arms, no one can hurt me. They have to get through him first, and Zeb isn’t going to let anyone hurt me.
