by Karen Deen
“Who knows, but all I can tell you is, it wasn’t one of his rants, he just seemed to be looking for you in a calm way, if that helps.” My cheeky brother still wore a smirk
“Gee, thanks. So where are you off to with the girls?”
“Just a few different bits and pieces. Sorry, bro, but I need to give Zoe all these jobs, so I can get out of here. Will catch up with you later, if that’s okay.” Well, if that wasn’t a brush off, I didn’t know what was. There was more to it, but I didn’t push it. I had to find big brother dearest and see what the hell had his white Y-front pants all in a twist.
“Sure, catch you later. Zoe, let me know if you need anything while wonder boy is out of the office. You know, if you need a real boss.” I turned and walked out of the office leaving her to mull on my words. She knew where to find me if she chose to see me. Work was off-limits, but that promise was getting harder and harder.
Although I had my whole day planned out, that got turned on its head as soon as Grant caught up with me. As per usual, he needed me out on site to co-ordinate the demolition crews that were inspecting the Branch Street site. He was going to be in meetings most of the day and needed me to run over the plans with the company whose job it would be to pull down the site and clear it in preparation for the rebuild. A lot of my job involved being hands-on at the job site, which I loved. I was never going to be one to sit quietly behind a desk all day. It just wasn’t me. I had too much energy for that to happen. Mom always said when I was younger that I had ants in my pants, whereas Grant was the quiet, brooding type, and Zach was the soft, compassionate peace keeper. I was the energetic and mischievous one of the three boys. My mind was as active as my body. Not much had really changed.
By the time I made it back to the office, there was commotion in the girls’ office with plenty of chatter and giggling. Zoe was in there with the three girls, all talking at the same time. I was unsure if I should join or avoid it like the plague. I headed to my office to off-load my things and grab a coffee before I was brave enough to enter the crazy house.
Inhaling the strong coffee aroma as it filtered into my mug, I remembered to call Andrew about the upcoming trip. I didn’t really want to go but he struggled to take no for an answer, so I would need to have a good story ready. Hearing footsteps approaching, I turned to see Zach looking rather sheepish.
“Are you trying to hide from the crazy house, man? They’re all wound up about something. I’m not sure it’s safe for the male variety to enter. It actually relates to me, so I’m staying far away from that office this afternoon.” I looked at him expecting more info, but he fell quiet.
“What’s going on, Zach? Is there something you need to share?” I leaned against the cupboard, patiently waiting for him to spill.
“I need a favor,” he finally looked at me with a determined look. “I have met one of the tenants from Branch Street who is a single mom with two really cute kids. She’s in desperate need of some help in life, so I have offered her a job as a housekeeper and the farm cottage as a place to live. I need help moving her on Saturday and I’m hoping you and Grant will give me a hand. I don’t want to hear any bullshit. She’s just a friend who I’m helping in a time of need. It also turns out, the girls know her, which is just as painful as trying to get them to understand she’s a friend.”
Processing everything, I took a really good look into his eyes. This woman was already way more than a friend. I saw deep longing that I too had every morning I looked in the mirror.
“No wonder the girls are going crazy in there. Poor you. There is no way they are going to let that go and leave you alone. What’s this chick’s name?”
“Emily, and she has seven-year-old twins, Samuel and Sophia who are pretty special. She has had a really hard time. Also lost her job the day I turned up to kick her out of her home.”
“Well, that sucks man. Of course, I’ll help. Are you sure you know what you’re doing, though? You don’t really know her, but you’re inviting her into your home? I’m not judging, I just want to make sure you don’t get hurt like last time. That was just shit.”
“As soon as you meet her and the kids, you will know. There’s not a bad bone in her body. She needs me. As a friend, of course.” Every time he said ‘friend’ he fidgeted.
“While we’re on the body subject, I’m guessing she is pretty hot then?” That comment earned me a punch to the arm. “What was that for? A bit protective of the ‘friend’, are we, Zachy boy?” I moved to the side, dodging another blow.
“You’re such an ass sometimes, Luke. I’ll message you what time to meet at Branch Street and can you bring the truck from the yard too, please?” He started to move but turned back with fire in his eyes. “Oh, and one last thing. Under no circumstances are you to upset or hassle Emily. Sammy is pretty relaxed. He actually reminds me a lot of you as a kid, but Sophia has issues with strange men, so stay clear until she’s ready. Because you definitely fit the bill for being a strange man.” Zach stormed out of the room, leaving me wondering how my brother had fallen so quick. I couldn’t wait to meet the little family that had Zach tied up in knots. Returning to my current situation, I questioned whether I was brave enough to enter the girls’ office, not because I wanted to get involved in their gossip, I just wanted to see Zoe in the normal relaxed work environment to prove it could work.
Taking that last sip of my coffee, I headed towards the girls who’d quietened down. I saw Zoe closing the storeroom door behind her. Perfect timing. It was time to pin her down with a time and place to sort this shit out.
12
Zoe
MY SIDES HURT FROM LAUGHING at Lilly. Her description of her morning with Zach and this woman, Emily, was hilarious. Mind you, I still worried about Zach. He knew nothing about her, other than she was the tenant he had to evict. When he asked me to look up her old address, he returned to the office with a swollen hand after dealing with her abusive ex-landlord. I just hoped she wasn’t carrying a whole heap of baggage that could see Zach get hurt. Zach was the closest thing I had to a brother and I felt protective over him. The day I met him, he was in a horrific state, and I never wanted to see a repeat of that. I never found out the reason, but I knew for sure it was because of a woman.
I’d never seen Zach with children but the way he spoke of these twins was pretty cute. I think they might have had him wrapped him around their little fingers already. Life was about to get very interesting. I wondered how Sophia and Mitch would react when they heard Zach’s news. Those poor kids wouldn’t know what hit them when Sophia got a hold of them and smothered them with kindness and love. Sophia had adopted me into her family as one of her own. I couldn’t imagine Emily and the kids being any different. If life was as tough as Zach described, then this family would be just what they needed. Even though no one knew my story, the family still saved me. That was why no matter what, I couldn’t afford to lose them.
Lost in thought, I didn’t hear the door open and close while I went about my filing. A hand ran up my arm causing me to jump, while another clasped over my mouth stifling a scream. I smelled his cologne before I saw him.
“Steady there, beautiful, it is only me,” Luke whispered in my ear, slowly removing his hand from my mouth which had kept the whole office from running in thinking I was being murdered.
“Luke, you scared the hell out of me. Don’t sneak up on a person like that. You gave me a heart attack.” My body relaxed again after being on high alert and I turned to face him. He wore his typical gorgeous, yet mischievous smile. “When will you ever grow up, Luke. Seriously. Plus, remember we agreed, no touching in the office. It’s out of bounds,” I reprimanded.
“Well, if you would stop running and avoiding me out of the office, then I wouldn’t have to corner you just to try and talk. We need to talk about this, Zoe. You can’t avoid it anymore. Christ, the last time we were together, I was so close to sinking my aching cock into you and now you’ve moved further away. It’s getting harder and har
der to stay away from you. I don’t care where or when. You name the place and time and I will be there,” he begged. I did feel terrible for stringing it out this long. I needed to be honest with him. It would hurt us both, but it was for the best.
“Agreed. We should talk, but not here. Tonight, I will call by your place on the way home from work. We will talk, just talk, okay?” His eyes lit up at the thought of having me at his home. I was deliberate, so I could leave when the time was right and knew he wouldn’t stop me.
“Perfect, not that ‘just talking’ sounds perfect but we gotta start somewhere.”
“Luke, I mean it.”
“Okay, kitten, calm down. “
“Don’t call me that here,” I whispered defensively.
He leaned closer, walking me backward until I was sandwiched between him and the filing cabinet. My heart raced and I held my breath. He was so close, parts of our body touching, sending tingles all through me.
“Okay, I won’t call you beautiful or kitten while we are here, but tonight, it’s game on. You drive me crazy whenever you’re close to me. Do you realize that? I can’t think straight. My brain might be telling me not to touch, no pet names, no signs of affection, but my heart and body take no notice. Every day, all day, I just want to do this.”
His lips crashed against mine, claiming me. His hand circled around my waist, pulling me closer. I could feel every hard muscle on his body. His other hand slid up my cheek, holding my head where he wanted, secure and on the perfect angle so he could devour me. Instead of fighting, my body submitted to him as soon as he touched me. I knew a very long time ago that I was Luke’s. No man had ever made me feel the way he did when he touched me. That feeling of peace that washed over me as the electricity rushed throughout my body. Luke was my home. My safe place. Oh God, I wanted this, to feel my rational thought being kissed out of me. My pants were wet as he pushed his pelvis into me. We were both heating up knowing we couldn’t take it any further.
“I want you so bad, Zoe. Can you tell? Can you feel what you do to me?” He placed my hand on his heart. “Can you feel what you also do to my heart? How hard you have it beating like it wants to jump out of my chest.” My own heart did a free fall hearing those words. No time in my life had anyone ever cared about me for more than what I could give them. No one ever involved a heart when they thought of me.
His name followed a moan. “Luke.”
“Fuck, Zoe. No talking. Tonight, you’re mine.” Again, he slammed his lips on me, his hand snaking down my back. He grabbed my ass and hooked my leg high so he could get further between my legs. My restraint was broken, hands through his hair pulling his head harder into our kiss. We both moaned while Luke practically dry-humped me against the filing cabinet.
I wanted him so much, my body was telling me to touch, feel, and to take what I could get.
“Has anyone seen Luke? I need to talk to him about today.” Grant’s voice drifted down the corridor. That had us both jumping apart as the footsteps grew closer. The door opened as I smoothed my hair and turned my attention back to the filing cabinet, Luke creating distance between us.
“There you are. What are you doing in the filing room? Surely you have work to do?”
“Fuck off, Grant. You aren’t my boss. I was just talking to Zoe while I searched for a file. What do you want?” Luke was clearly agitated. I was unsure if it was the way Grant spoke to him or the fact that he had been ripped from my body once again by his family and still hadn’t managed to make it to the finish line. I was too embarrassed to turn around, nervous that Grant suspected something That was too close for comfort. My head was spinning from Luke’s touch, but I was now crashing back to earth, reminding me why we couldn’t be a couple. I needed this job and I needed this family. What would happen if he’d walked in on us getting hot and heavy like we had been a few seconds earlier? It was okay for Luke not to be worried. This was his company and his family. He had nothing to lose. I, on the other hand, had everything to lose. It had taken me so long to get to this point in my life, I was not prepared to lose it now.
Quickly taking a file I had no idea who for, I turned with my back to Grant and headed to the door. Stealing a glance at Luke, he seemed pissed as I left him with Grant.
“I’ll leave you two boys to your little discussion.” Taking my exit, I ran to the bathroom. Leaning over the sink, I almost heaved my lunch. My body was on meltdown, anxiety starting to raise its ugly head. Trying to think of my calming strategies, I concentrated on slowly breathing in and out. Remember, you control your body, don’t let it control you. I repeated my mantra I’d been using for the last few years. Every day, I needed to remember that I was the one in control and it needed to remain as such, otherwise the panic started. It would only ever take me down a road I didn’t want to travel again.
I stood staring into the bathroom mirror, fixing my hair and making sure my face didn’t look like I had been kissed within an inch of my life. Thank goodness it was four o’clock so I only needed to get through another hour of work and then I could escape. The night would give me space to talk with Luke, then rebuild my strength ready to face a new day.
My desk became a safe haven because it was in a common area, and there was no way Luke could talk to me about anything other than work. I hadn’t seen him at all since I left the storage room. Hopefully Grant had him tied up with a project and I would be able to escape without any problems. It would give me time to head home and change. Also, time to work out what I was going to say to him. We needed to wait for the right time and he wouldn’t be happy hearing it. Maybe once he heard my reasons and plans, then he would agree. Who was I kidding? This was going to be a disaster, but I had no choice.
“I’m heading out, Zach. I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Thanks, Zoe. Today has been a bit crazy. I’m trying hard to fit as much into the next few days so that next week I can do some work from home while I get Emily settled in. In the morning, can you clear as much of my schedule as possible? Anything that we can’t cancel, move into the middle of the day. That would be great.”
“No problem. Is there anything you need me to sort out for tomorrow? I can come in early if you want and get a head start on getting you organized.”
“What would I do without you? I was blessed the day you walked into my office. Blessed you didn’t walk out and leave my sorry ass where I fell. But most of all blessed by you, your hard work and friendship. We make a good team.”
“I agree. I love working for you and the family. Well, maybe not Grant,” I giggled. “Just joking. He’s okay if you just ignore the grumpy exterior. Anyway, it goes both ways. I feel blessed to be here. Something I will never take for granted. Have a good night and I’ll see you early in the morning and we can get cracking. By the way, I can’t wait to meet Emily and the kids. They sound like they have really captured your heart. As friends, of course.” I laughed and walked out.
“I take back all the nice things I just said, you cheeky little thing. You’ll pay for that comment. See you tomorrow,” Zach yelled as I headed to the lift.
“Whatever,” I called over my shoulder.
***
The drive home, the hour trying to decide what to wear, the drive to Luke’s after he messaged to say he was home, had almost killed me. My heart hammered in my chest but not in a good way. I couldn’t eat because my stomach was doing somersaults. The thoughts in my head were so jumbled that I struggled just trying to concentrate on the road. Luckily, the Mercedes seemed to know its way home.
Sitting in his drive, I fumbled with the door. I needed my legs to function and get me out and moving. Before I had time to snap myself out of it, the door opened and I smelled his cologne before I even saw him. There was something so hot about the scent of a man. The mixture of their natural scent combined with cologne. Whatever Luke wore, it always smelled perfect to me. Not too powerful, not too sweet, a combination of the outdoors. It made me think of standing on a deserted beach, the bre
eze blowing across my face. Some days, I could picture him holding me in the middle of a wooded forest, filled with scented trees and bushes on a crisp cold morning. No matter what I saw, they both felt good.
“I thought I better wake you from your daydream. Or, stop you from starting the car and running away again. Come on, time to get out of your safety zone.” Luke’s hand took mine off the steering wheel and helped me from the car. “Let’s head inside and grab a drink so we can chat in front of the fire. It’s not that cold but it is always calming sitting watching it crackle.”
I still hadn’t said a word as he led me inside. It was like my brain was frozen in time.
“Sit, Zoe. I’ll get you a wine while you try to find your voice. I think you left it at home. Do you want me to go back and look in the car and see if it is there? Or maybe it’s a good thing because then I can just talk and make the decisions, and this can be over really quick, which would be awesome because there’s plenty of other things I can think to use our mouths for. Do you agree?”
Suddenly my words were pouring out. “You are such a comedian, aren’t you? Talking, remember. That’s what we agreed on. Now, hurry up and get me that wine. I have a feeling I might need it.” Luke walked to the kitchen laughing at my reaction.
“Told you I would find your voice. Nothing like the threat of my mouth on your body to get you babbling,” he yelled while opening the fridge. Smart ass. He knew exactly what he was doing to me. My nerves were rattled but his little act had snapped me out of it and had me laughing to myself.
“I know you’re driving and won’t want much, so I’ve poured you half a glass. Unless of course, you plan on staying the night, then I’ll get the whole bottle.”
“Wishful thinking,” I mumbled.
“Worth a try.” He looked up from his beer.
“What is happening here, Zoe? We need to work out where we are heading. I can’t stay in this limbo for much longer. I’m pretty sure you know how I feel about you. If my words haven’t said it, my touch certainly has. From your response alone, I’m fairly certain I know how you feel. I just haven’t heard the words from your mouth. Talk to me. Tell me what is worrying you.”
