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“I didn’t realize…” Probably because I’d been so distracted by the way Zeke was watching me, I’d been oblivious that it was only for my protection. “Could he come after you?”
“He won’t.”
I swallowed. His confidence was so strong, I wanted to just lean on it, but I was afraid. “And if he does?”
“Then I’ll deal with him, Kenzie,” he said and sighed. “The only thing that matters is that he’s no longer coming after you.”
My heart lurched. He had a life, a career, and a business. Protecting me shouldn’t be the only thing that mattered, but there was no question that it was.
We walked another few paces in silence, his body so close to mine, I could feel the heat radiating off him with each stride. The urge to tell him swelled in my throat. He should know. He would have to eventually.
Last week, I’d held back because I’d been afraid to trust him—afraid the way I was attracted to him could be clouding my judgment. Now, I realized it wasn’t him I was afraid to trust; it was me. I’d been fooled by a trustworthy man before, and the consequences almost killed me. This time, if I was wrong, it was my son who was on the line.
But I wasn’t wrong to trust the man who’d just risked everything in his life to protect me.
My lips parted, the words about to break free, when a bolt of lightning split through the sky. A second later, the quake of thunder sent rain spilling from the clouds like an overflowed dam.
“Come on.” Zeke took my hand, and we started to run.
We hugged as close to the building and awnings as we could, but the rain was merciless. Summer thunderstorms came on quick and forceful, not unlike the heat that radiated from his fingers locked around mine.
By the time we climbed the steps to the house and stopped on the large front porch, we were both panting and drenched. The relentless rain fell like a sheet over the front gutters, closing us in a cocoon of water.
“Zeke,” I murmured and faced him, and his fingers instantly slid from mine, taking their heat with them.
“Are you alright?” His big hand reached for the side of my face to brush away the wet hair matted to my cheek.
I shivered at the contact, a new wave of warmth working its way through my body. I wasn’t alright. Not in the slightest. My entire body was on fire, wanting this man—wanting to let him in.No man had ever made me feel like this before. Cared for. Wanting to be cared for. Stan had… bastardized the entire concept. But Zeke… no matter how hard I tried or rationalized, I couldn’t stop my body from aching to throw caution to the wind and give into wanting.
My head tipped up. Rain dripped from the ends of his hair and ran down the hard planes of his face. My inhale clung to the inside of my lungs, not wanting to let go as I savored the soft press of his fingers to my skin. But those eyes… their depths glittered as though studded with gold.Or maybe it was his heart of gold showing through.
I could trust him. I knew it in the marrow of my bones. And if I was ever going to be fully okay again, I couldn’t keep doubting every good man that came along, afraid they’d all turn out to be a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
Swallowing hard, my breath released and collided with his. We stood with no more than a foot between us, but I needed it to be less. I needed to be closer, so I tookasmall step forward, feeling Zeke’s sharp inhale and the way his arms brushed against my chest.
“Kenzie…”
Was itawarning? Was it a plea? A question?I couldn’t tell. All I knew was that he wasn’t pushing me away.The sound of the rain drowned out the rest of the world. It was only us. And for the first time in seven months, I felt safe enough to speak the truth.After what he’d risked for me tonight, I could risk this for him.
“His name is Jake,” I said so softly, the words might not have been audible over the storm.It’s okay. You can trust him.I urged myself, willing myself to be strong even as I blinked back tears. “My son. He’s eight. His name is Jake.”
Zeke’s gaze widened, the gold in them shimmering so warm and comforting like he could just absorb all my worries if I let him.And I wanted to let him.Zeke could do so much to help me, but I was afraid. Paralyzed. Conditioned to fear those the world saw as saviors.
“Jake.”The tension in my chest unknotted when Zeke said his name, and I fought back a cry of relief.“Thank you for sharing with me,” he added with a low rasp.
My lips parted.He was thanking me.Not asking for more. Not demanding explanations. Just… thankful.
For a single forbidden second, I wished my son could’ve had a father like him. One who knew the meaning of tenderness and compassion and loyalty and love. One who was selfless in the way he respected and cared for others. One who wasn’t twisted and deceitful and manipulative.
I rolled my bottom lip through my teeth. I wanted to say more, but I couldn’t. My son was one truth, but the way I felt about Zeke was another. I couldn’t tear my eyes from his face. His mouth. One forbidden second spilled into another, wondering what it would be like—feel like—to kiss him.
And I swore he wondered the same thing. His gaze locked on my mouth, his head slowly approaching mine as though drawn by a magnetism he couldn’t stop.
“Zeke…” I murmured, my eyes closing when I felt the warmth of his exhale on my cheek.
I held my breath.Just one kiss.One moment to want something in my life that I didn’t have to fight for or fear. One moment where I could know what it felt like to be kissed by a good man.
My lips tingled, feeling his hover right over them like an electric cloud.And that was the moment the storm let out another roar, shaking us and the whole house with its force.
