by Jodi Vaughn
Her breath hitched in the back of her throat as her heart thudded so loudly she was sure he could hear every beat.
His spicy male scent washed over her, beckoning her to lean closer. She didn’t fight it. It was like being drawn to the sun, knowing it was going to burn once you touched it but being unable to help yourself.
“Maybe,” she whispered.
“Maybe? That doesn’t sound very convincing.” His stepped closer and lifted a strand of her hair, teasing it between two fingers.
“Of course I thought about you. You were part of my life when I was little.”
A slow, wicked smile touched the corners of his lips and spread across his mouth. Her stomach heated as her gaze focused on those lips and the pleasure he could give.
“What about after you grew up? You’re not a little girl anymore, Skylar. Did you think about me then?”
She met his heated gaze and grabbed the hand that kept teasing that strand beside her cheek.
“Yeah. I did. I thought about you a lot, Zane,” she admitted.
“Hmmm.” His groan was dark and guttural, and it made her want to rip off his jeans with her teeth and take him in her mouth.
“I would be lying if I said I didn’t. Did you think about me?” She braced herself for the truth.
“I wondered what happened to the little girl I once knew. I asked Katy about you, but as you know, she’s always very vague when it comes to giving answers.” His pupils dilated as he looked slowly down her body. “But you can bet your ass if I had known you’d turned into such a beauty, I would have moved heaven and earth to track you down.”
She could smell his arousal and felt her own lust dampen her panties. A surge of disappointment zipped through her when she remembered he couldn’t smell her. If he could, would he still want her? Or was he just attracted to the visual?
He clamped a large hand around her waist and tugged her close. Her breasts pushed against his chest, and the heat from his body made her sink farther into his massive chest. The prickly hairs poked through her thin shirt and teased her nipples with each heavy breath.
His hand trailed up her back and cupped the base of her neck. He leaned down, angling his head for a kiss.
“Skylar.” The tiny voice was like cold water being dumped on her oversexed body.
She cleared her throat and stepped away from Zane as Sophia walked into the kitchen and rubbed her eyes.
“Hey, sweetie. How’d you sleep?” She knelt down in front of the child and brushed her tangled hair away from her forehead. With dark hair that matched her eyes, she looked like a doll.
Her cautious eyes went from Skylar to Zane before landing on her again.
“This is my friend, Zane.” She looked up at Zane, hoping he wouldn’t intimidate the girl with his size. In the dark he was big, but in the bright light of day, he was a giant to a little girl.
“Hi.” He squatted in front of the little girl and rested his elbows on his knees. “I think you might have mistaken me for a giant stuffed animal last night.”
Skylar scowled and slugged him playfully in the arm. He laughed and held out his hand to Sophia.
The little one looked at his large hand and looked back at Skylar.
“It’s okay. He’s my friend. He may be big, but he’s really nice.”
She carefully placed her hand in the middle of Zane’s larger one. An image of him cradling a baby to his chest flashed through Skylar’s mind.
Did he want kids? Had he ever thought about settling down and mating? Was that something he wanted? Or was his job his priority and the only thing he wanted out of life?
“What’s wrong?” Zane’s voice shook her out of her daydreams. “You look like you just saw one of those sappy beer commercials with the horse and dog.” He scowled at her.
“Nothing’s wrong.” She steeled her expression and smiled at the little girl. “Are you hungry, Sophia?”
“Where’s the doggie?”
“The doggie left this morning,” Skylar answered quickly. She decided that distraction was the best course of action. “Are you hungry?”
“I want pancakes.”
“I don’t have pancakes. But I do have eggs and bacon. How does that sound?” Skylar smiled.
“I want pancakes.” Her bottom lip quivered.
Skylar held her breath. “Maybe we could go out and get some . . . ”
“How about you help me make breakfast while Skylar gets a shower?” Zane cocked his head at the little girl.
“Zane, I don’t know.” Sophia didn’t normally do well around strangers. She was such a shy and introverted child who loved playing with her invisible playmates. Skylar had worried for the little girl ever since her mom had gotten pregnant with this last baby. What if she didn’t feel special anymore?
“You know that princesses eat eggs and bacon for breakfast every day, right?” Zane gave his full attention to the little girl.
The little girl’s eyes widened for a second. And just like that, her bottom lip stopped quivering. Instead of a frown, there was now a smile on her little bow-shaped mouth.
“Princesses know that eating eggs and bacon for breakfast helps the farmers make money. Every time you eat one of the things they raise or grow, it puts money in their pockets. Now if you had pancakes, well, that doesn’t necessarily help anyone but the company that sells the pancake mix. So basically you’re doing your job as a good princesses to help others.” Zane stood to his full height.
“I want eggs and bacon.” A bright smile filled her face.
Skylar’s mouth dropped open. Zane’s hand was at her back, guiding her into the bathroom.
“Now go get cleaned up and we should have breakfast on the table for you when you get out.”
He closed the door. She blinked at the closed door for a few seconds before shaking her head.
For someone so distant and in control, Zane was unbelievably tender with Sophia.
She’d thought she had him figured out, but now she wasn’t so sure. She’d just have to wait and see.
***
Zane kept his eyes on the child as she leaned closer to him from her perch on the stool. He’d pulled up the tall kitchen stool near the stove so she could help lay the bacon strips in the frying pan. Once the grease started sputtering, he’d covered the pan and pulled her stool to a safe distance so she wouldn’t get a grease burn.
“Easy. Not too close. Remember what I said about the cooking bacon?” He kept his voice soft so as not to frighten the child.
He remembered the frightened little girl climbing on top of his chest last night as the thunder boomed across the sky. He’d tried to explain that she needed to go back to bed with Skylar, but she was too sleepy and had conked out once her head hit his chest. With no other option, he’d resigned himself to being a human sleeping bag. It reminded him of the times Katy had come into his room when they were kids. She’d been frightened by a storm and had sought him out for protection.
Growing up as the child of Jonathan Steele, both Zane and Katy knew that once the lights were out in their parents’ room, they better not disturb them. So whenever Katy got scared, she sought out her big brother instead.
He would always pretend that she was bothering him. But in reality, he was grateful for the time spent together.
“Is it ready yet?” Sophia looked up at him with brown eyes as big as saucers.
“Not yet. We need to wait until it gets crispy on both sides.” He lifted the cover and turned the strips over with a fork. The meat sizzled in the pan, and the aroma made his stomach growl.
“Your tummy sounds like a dragon.” She patted her small hand on his stomach.
He barked out a laugh. “I’ve been called a lot of things, but a dragon is not one of them.”
He pulled out a white plate from the cabinet and sat it on the corner in front of her. He pulled some sheets of paper towels off the roll and handed them to her.
“I need you to put these on the plate for the bacon.”
She took them out of his hand and gave the plate a thoughtful look. “Why?”
“So the grease can drain off the bacon and soak into the paper towels.” He glanced at the bacon one more time.
“The bacon needs a diaper?” She looked up at him with a slight frown.
He didn’t fight the grin. “I’ve never heard it compared to that, but, yes. Like a diaper.”
Sophia wasted no time and lined up several pieces of paper on the plate.
“Perfect. Just in time, kid.” He lifted the lid off the skillet and picked up the bacon with his fork. He lined the bacon strips side by side and then turned his attention back to the empty skillet. Using his fork, he whipped the eggs one last time before pouring the liquid into the hot skillet. The eggs bubbled and popped in the hot grease as they cooked.
“I hope you like scrambled.”
She nodded and bent over the plate of bacon.
“How’s it going? Need a hand?” Skylar came out of the bedroom in jeans, a white T-shirt, and wet hair.
His chest ached with want. She was fucking gorgeous.
“We’ve got it.” He cleared his throat. Grabbing a spatula, he cut the eggs into pieces and turned them over to finish cooking. After a few seconds, he reached for a bowl and dumped the scrambled eggs inside.
“Sophia, what are you doing?” Skylar came up behind the girl and gave her a hug.
“Helping. It’s what princesses do.”
“What’s going on with the bacon?” Skylar asked.
“You don’t like crispy bacon?” Zane scowled. He couldn’t remember how Skylar had liked her bacon when she was little.
“That’s not what I meant. I meant, why does the bacon look all bundled up like a baby?” She looked up and met his gaze. A confused smile lingered on her face.
“What?” He looked over Sophia’s shoulder at the plate of bacon. He chuckled. Each piece of bacon was wrapped in its own paper towel.
“Well, I did tell her the bacon needed a diaper.” He shook his head. “I didn’t think she was so literal.”
“She’s four. To her, everything is literal.” Skylar grinned as she planted a kiss on the crown of the little girl’s head.
“Diaper or no, let’s eat. I’m starving.” He lifted Sophia off the stool. “How about you, princess? Are you hungry?”
She nodded and ran over to the kitchen island and crawled up on the stool.
***
Skylar couldn’t stop looking at Zane throughout breakfast. He’d been so gentle and sweet to Sophia. She didn’t remember him being so thoughtful when they were kids. But then again, he’d probably thought of her as his sister’s annoying friend.
As soon as they had finished their meal, she left Sophia at the island while she walked over to the stove. She set up a coloring book and crayons for Sophia to color while she cleaned up the kitchen and Zane took a shower. She was glad she’d remembered to get several changes of clothes for him. The way he kept shifting was going to have her at the store every day, buying him more clothes.
She froze with her hands in the dishwater and glanced down at Sophia.
What if he shifted in front of Sophia?
Or worse, what if he tried to harm her?
Sophia stopped coloring and looked up at Skylar.
Skylar forced a smile and kept washing the plate.
“Did you get enough to eat?”
Sophia nodded and continued coloring the chicken a shade of blue.
“I guess you’re excited about seeing your grandmother today?”
She nodded but focused her attention on staying in the lines.
Skylar would never know what having a grandmother was like. Her father had never mentioned any living grandparents. The few times she’d asked if she had a grandmother, her abusive father had flown into a rage and whipped her with a belt.
She’d been no bigger than Sophia at the time.
That was her first lesson in what her childhood was going to look like.
She patted her hands on the dishtowel and took the little girl by the hand. “Let’s get you changed out of your pajamas and ready to see your grandmother.”
***
“What’s up, assholes?” Damon strode into the diner and nodded at Jaxon and Lucien before easing his big frame into the booth.
Lucien’s stomach clenched as his fellow Guardian sat down across from him. He’d figured Barrett was going to send someone to check up on them. He just didn’t figure it would be Damon. The brother didn't like to stay away from his mate, Ava. Lucien couldn’t blame him. Ava Trahan was gorgeous.
“Damon, what are you doing here?” Lucien frowned and pushed his coffee cup away.
“Just seeing what’s going on in this neck of the woods.” Damon flagged down a passing waitress and ordered a coffee.
Lucien could feel Jaxon’s eyes on him, but he didn’t dare look at him. He knew Damon was here to find Zane.
“Where’s Zane?” Damon crossed his arms over his chest and glared. “And don’t fucking say you don’t know.”
“Shit.” Jaxon breathed out a heavy sigh.
Damon leaned forward and narrowed his gaze on both of them. “Do you two understand what the penalty is for keeping information from your Pack Master?”
“I’m guessing it’s not good.” Lucien shook his head and locked eyes with his fellow Guardian. “Look, man, you’re asking us to rat out our brother who we’ve pledged to be loyal to.”
“I’m asking you to be loyal to your Pack.” Damon growled low and deep. The patrons sitting behind them quickly got up from their booth and headed for the door.
Lucien’s heart dropped to his stomach. He was in a no-win situation. He was either going to keep Zane’s situation to himself and be disloyal to his Pack, or he was going to rat out his brother.
“What if it were Jayden? What would you do?” Jaxon ran his hand through his hair.
“I would do the right thing. That’s what I’d fucking do,” Damon countered.
“But what if both things are the right thing to do?” Lucien insisted. “What if no matter what we do, someone is going to get hurt?”
Damon settled back into the booth and looked between them with an assessing gaze. The scar on his cheek seemed to twitch under the café lighting.
“I’m not alone.” Damon cocked his head.
“Fuck.” Lucien held his breath. “So Barrett is with you.” Perfect. Fucking perfect. There was no way out of this shit storm now. Zane was lost, and now both he and Jaxon faced losing their jobs as Guardians because they’d been looking out for their brother.
“Not Barrett.”
“Damon, there you are.” Ava made her way over to their booth. “I thought you said we were eating next door at that restaurant?” She frowned and glanced over at his companions.
“Jaxon, Lucien. I didn’t know you guys were in Jonesboro.” She smiled.
“Hey, Ava,” they answered in unison.
“They had to bring some Guardians over here to get their tatts.” Damon kept his glare on them. “They decided to stay a little while longer.”
“Oh yeah?” She let Damon pull her down to his knee to sit. “Is there anything fun to do here? I heard there’s a club over on the other side of town.”
“I wouldn’t recommend it.” Lucien sniffed his leather jacket and winced. “It’s mainly college chicks who don’t take no for an answer. Plus, it’s smoky.”
“I’ll have to remember that.” She gave Damon a warning glare.
Damon chuckled and wrapped a hand around her waist. “You don’t have to worry about me.”
“I wasn’t. I was worried about some random bitch putting her hands on you and then me having to put my hands on her. Preferably around her neck.” Ava gave him a pretty smile.
“So what are you doing here, Ava?” Lucien asked.
“I’m here to check on the renovation of my home.”
“That’s right. I forgot you had a house here.” He remembered when her home had
been bombed after she’d been kidnapped by red wolves. “I didn’t know there was anything left.”
“It was bombed pretty badly, but a good portion of the house was still standing.” She shrugged. “After doing some research, I found out that it would be a good investment to have it reconstructed and put it on the market. It’s not like I have any plans to move back here, not now.” She glanced at Damon and grinned.
“That’s smart. I hope you found a good contractor. You know they are notorious for sticking it to you.” Lucien took a sip of his coffee and relaxed a little. This was good. If Ava was in the dark about why Damon was really here, then maybe they still had time to find and help Zane before Barrett found out.
He just needed a little more time.
And a whole lot of luck.
Chapter Eight
“What do you mean, you can’t take her? You know I have to be on the construction site today. Especially since you’re not going to be there and I missed yesterday.” Skylar had too many distractions going, and she couldn’t keep putting off her responsibilities. She needed to finish the house, get paid, and buy the apartment building before it got sold out from under her.
That had been the plan all along, and she wasn’t about to change it for anything or anybody.
“I can’t, Skylar. I can’t leave Maria yet. The delivery was complicated, and the doctors said I needed to be around.” His eyes grew wide with concern and the bags under them suggested he had not slept all night.
“Complicated? What do you mean?” Her stomach dropped.
Hector cradled his daughter to his chest and rubbed tiny circles on her back. She’d been happy to see her daddy when they’d arrived at the hospital and had run to him in the hallway.
“There was a lot of bleeding with the delivery. The bleeding has stopped for now, but they are keeping an eye on it. They ended up giving her a blood transfusion.”
“Oh, Hector. I had no idea. Why didn’t you tell me?” She was a horrible person. She was worried about a job while he was worried about his wife’s life.
“You’ve done so much for me already. I really hate to bother you, Skylar.”
