by Evelyn Glass
As he walked back to the car, a pang of guilt tugged at his gut as he caught sight of Sophie’s large, frightened eyes. She looked so innocent sitting in the back of that car, the fear oozing from her.
He climbed into the passenger seat up front, giving Sophie a measured smile as he did. “Can you take us to Woodbrook?” he asked Toby.
“Really?” Toby asked, turning to look at Zeke with one eyebrow raised.
“Definitely.” He turned to Sophie and explained. “We’re going somewhere safe for a few days. Somewhere secluded that no one knows about.”
Sophie frowned. “This Woodbrook place... what is it?”
“It’s my safe house,” Zeke said softly, keeping his eyes on the road.
Chapter Eighteen
Sophie
Woodbrook was a wooden lodge in the clearing of a dense forest. It was completely camouflaged until the car approached a clearing on the bumpy, mud-encrusted road.
Zeke had barely spoken on the thirty-minute ride out, his fists clenched on the steering wheel the whole way. Sophie knew not to press for information. She’d learned by now that he was a private person. He never just offered information; details seemed to seep out slowly over a few days. She knew she’d find out Woodbrook’s back story once they were settled inside.
It was dark when Toby dropped them off, and they took their bags up to the porch. The wooden steps creaked. Sophie looked at the swing chair, big enough for two, which was rustic – clearly handmade. Even in the eerie darkness, the cabin had charm.
Zeke unlocked the heavy, plank door and gave it a shove to force it open. “Wood contracts and expands. This door is either tight, or it swings like Frank Sinatra.”
Sophie laughed. It was good to see the softer side of Zeke again.
Inside, he went around lighting gas lamps and putting logs and fuel bricks into a burning stove in the fireplace. There were woolen blankets over the backs of two sofas facing the fireplace and some rustic pottery on a shelf on one wall, but apart from that, it was bare. The walls were simple wood planks, and instead of curtains, there were green painted wooden shutters. Sophie liked it. It was modest.
Zeke made two steaming mugs of peppermint tea while Sophie watched from the sofa. She was intrigued. This was a situation she’d never seen him in before. He was calm, in control... relaxed.
When he brought the mugs over and sat with her, he let out a long sigh and blew the steam in curls over the top of his mug. “I think we should lay low here for a few days while we plan our next move.”
“So... this place....” Sophie said, looking around the room. “Is it a holiday home?”
“No. It’s more like... therapy. At least, it was,” he replied. “When I first came out of the military, I needed a project to keep my mind focused. My old man left me this bit of land in his will....”
“I didn’t know he’d passed away,” Sophie said, putting one hand on Zeke’s knee. “I’m sorry to hear that.”
Zeke shook his head. “It was years ago when I was fifteen. I got the deeds when I was eighteen, but I didn’t know what to do with it at that point. Suddenly it all made sense when I recovered from the explosion. I built this place by hand.”
“All of it?”
“Yes, all of it. That’s why it’s a bit rough.”
“It’s great.”
“Thanks. It really helped me get to a stable place, mentally. When so many of your friends are taken from you so suddenly, and so brutally, it’s impossible to process it all at once. Log by log, day by day, this place gave me the peace to get over it. I stayed out here for a few months after it was built. The solitude was so healing. But then I needed a life again – people, work, a purpose. I come out here every now and then to rebalance. It’s not on the grid and doesn’t have an address, so we’re safe here. We’ve vanished... for now.”
Sophie was impressed. She leaned her head on his upper arm and stared into the flames, which were now building into a nice blaze in the stove.
“If you don’t mind me asking.... where is your mom?” she asked.
“She’s in New York. She moved there a year ago with her new husband. Never see her. But I’m glad she’s happy. She spent all those years bringing my kid brother and me up, pretty much alone. Dad was never supportive. He had... other priorities. And then he went and died in a drink-driving accident. So... it’s her time to live again. I don’t blame her for that.”
“Wow. That’s...”
“Messed up?” He laughed. “You show me a family that isn’t.”
“True,” Sophie said, nodding. “What about your brother?”
“He’s in town. I see him a lot. He’s one of my closest friends.”
“That’s nice,” Sophie said and sipped her tea.
“You’ll meet him,” Zeke added with a grin.
Sophie smiled back. Another sign of his intentions. “I would’ve loved a sibling. I never had any family,” she said, staring into the fire. “I’d get close to some kids at the children’s home, but then they’d be relocated or adopted, and that was that. It was too painful to keep in touch with the ones who had been adopted into a family. It just reminded me of what I didn’t have.”
Zeke put an arm around her and rubbed her shoulder. It sent a rush of warmth through her. Her skin tingled with pleasure. This was the closest to feeling loved she’d ever felt. He kissed her hair and then moved down to kiss her neck, sending shivers down her back.
They put their mugs down on the chunky log table, eyeing each other as if passing a message without words.
He cupped her face with one hand and kissed her squarely on the lips with just enough force to show he really meant it. She responded by pushing into the kiss. Their tongues teased through the small gap in their lips and electricity surged through Sophie’s body. He had the ability to drive her wild.
She pushed him backward so he was sitting against the back of the sofa and she climbed over him to sit on his strong thighs. She could feel he was already hard through his jeans. She looked into his eyes, which were filled with lust, and began kissing and licking his neck.
“I’ll look after you,” he whispered, before grabbing her ass and pulling her in closer. While they kissed again, he stroked up and down the length of her spine. “I love the smell of you,” he said, pulling away and pressing his face into the space between her breasts. He pulled her top up and over her head. He kissed her shoulder so tenderly it sent shivers through her. She unclipped her bra, letting her breasts bounce free right before Zeke’s face. He licked his lips before taking one nipple into his mouth and gently sucking. He looked up at her at the same time, which was too much for Sophie. She let out a gasp and grabbed at his hard shoulder while rocking her pelvis on him.
He unfastened her top button and plunged a thumb inside her jeans, caressing her sex over her panties. Her breath quickened as the pleasure took hold.
She couldn’t wait any longer and stood up to shake off the rest of her clothes before pulling Zeke up and prying his clothes off too. He stood still, smiling as she pulled on the fabric, letting her take complete control. He stood in front her, completely naked, with tribal tattoos all up one arm and creeping across one pec. She sighed. He was perfect.
She pushed him back down on the sofa and sat on top of him again, this time, taking hold of his cock and guiding it straight inside of her.
“I can’t wait any longer,” she whispered. “I’ve never wanted someone so much before.”
He responded with heavy kisses on her neck. “I want you so much too,” he said in breathy tones. “I think about this – about you – all the time. I’ve never... You’re amazing.”
He thrust upwards and into her gently and rhythmically, causing her to gasp each time. She rocked her hips in response to his, riding him.
Suddenly, she gripped onto the back of the sofa and picked up the pace. “Faster, I need it. I’m going to explode.”
He thrust harder and deeper, grabbing hold of her hips and pulling her
down at the same time. It was like the perfect sexual dance. They moved as one.
With a low moan, she leaped forward, breaking the rhythm and panting, “Oh my God, oh my God,” as waves of pleasure engulfed her, sending her into a storm of bliss.
Zeke let out a deep groan and bit his lip as she maneuvered herself to face the other way, holding onto his knees for support, while he held onto her hips and lowered her back onto his hard-on. He kissed her back as they slowed the pace for a moment, and he reached round to grab hold of one breast. She turned her neck so she could look back at him, a naughty smile dancing on her lips.
He lifted his hips off the sofa in upward thrusts that caused her to let out a loud cry of passion as he began to move quicker and quicker. There was no stopping now. His fingers gripped tightly on her hips as he pulled her down on him in a rhythmic motion. He bit the flesh of her back lightly as he let out a moan, which sent tingles across her skin.
As he crashed over the edge of bliss, she could feel the gush inside of her. He kissed her shoulder blade over and over again as he tried to catch his breath once more.
As calm returned after the sexual storm, Sophie turned around and wrapped herself around him, burying her face into his neck. His chest rose and fell dramatically, and she could feel his heartbeats on her skin. He grabbed a wool blanket from the back of the sofa and draped it over her. They were wrapped in a warm parcel of love. She finally felt she could think that word – Love. She was pretty sure that’s what this was.
Had they just bared their souls to one another? And did he just make a long-term promise or was he just getting carried away with lust at the time? Regardless, it was a moment she would never forget. She felt loved, though neither of them had actually said it.
Chapter Nineteen
Zeke
They had been holed up at Woodbrook for two days in lustful bliss. They’d made love several times, chopped wood, listened to old blues albums on a battery-operated tape player, and eaten all their supplies.
“I’m going to head to the nearest grocery store for food,” Zeke said, pulling on his coat. “It’s part of a gas station in the middle of nowhere – completely safe.”
“Can I come too?” Sophie asked.
Maybe she didn’t want to be left here alone. Fair enough. “OK. Sure.” It was safer to keep her by his side at all times anyway, he figured.
At the store, Sophie wandered off, which caused Zeke to stiffen up and keep watch momentarily before he realized she was heading for the “feminine products” and told himself to loosen up and give her space. She didn’t have to be under his wing every second.
She bought something at the counter quickly and returned to his side with the items in a brown paper bag under her arm.
Zeke chose meat, vegetables, and pasta – enough for a few days’ meals – and they made their way back to the cabin. They’d been so loved up there, he’d almost forgotten it was a safe house and not a love shack. They’d have to get serious about making plans. They’d call Stephan and Nathan later and see if there had been any developments. He wanted to get back into the thick of it and get on with the case, but at the same time felt the need to keep Sophie away from it all, where nothing could harm her. But hiding out in the cabin wasn’t really getting them anywhere.
Later that evening, Zeke called to Sophie that dinner was ready. He placed steaming plates of beef stir fry and noodles on the table, but when he looked up to see Sophie in the doorway, he stopped and rushed to her. “Are you OK?”
She was pale and moving slowly. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just... tired I guess,” she said, smiling. He could tell it was a forced smile.
They sat in silence and ate. Well, Zeke ate, while Sophie pushed her food around on the plate for a minute before putting her fork down and sighing.
“Actually, I’m not OK,” she said softly. “I’m sorry to ruin this lovely meal. You’ve made all this effort, and I... I’m a mess.”
“What are you talking about?” he asked, leaning one hand across the table to touch hers.
“I took a test.”
He frowned. “What kind of.... Oh.” His mouth hung open.
“Yeah... that kind. And, it turns out... I’m pregnant.”
“Shit. I mean, wow. In a good way,” he said, his eyes wide. He dropped his fork on his plate and smoothed his hands down his jaw as he turned over the words.
“I don’t know what I expect you to do,” Sophie said, her eyes misting over with tears. “Run, probably.”
“Hell no,” he said, suddenly jumping out of his seat and kneeling on the floor next to her chair. “I’d never do that. I’ll stand by you.”
She rolled her eyes. “Cause you have to? You don’t have to.”
“No, not that. I want to. I know it’s not been very long but... I’m falling in love with you. I’m not going anywhere.”
Tears ran down her pale cheeks, and Zeke wiped them away with his thumbs. “In fact, I think you should be my wife. We should do this right.”
“Whoa,” she said, placing one hand on his chest. “Don’t be crazy. We barely know each other.”
“But we’re going to be parents,” he said with a grin. “We’ve already taken things that far. Shit, that sounds crazy when I say it out loud. But how can it be wrong? I know you feel it too – the connection. How many people go on to have kids who don’t feel half of what we feel already?”
“True,” she agreed, nodding and wiping her eyes with the napkin from the table.
“We would be a family,” he added, taking hold of her hands. “The family you’ve always wanted.”
She smiled. “Let me think about it before I say yes.”
“So, you’re going to say yes?” he said with a grin, which caused her to laugh.
He put his arms around her and hugged her so tight. He meant every word he’d said. He would rise to the challenge – be enough for her, protect her... and their child.
Chapter Twenty
Zeke
As soon as Zeke heard Sophie’s news he knew they had to leave Woodbrook and get on with facing their problems. He wanted the whole shitty ordeal over and done with so he could get on with planning his life... their lives.
Sophie went back to work, and the first thing Zeke did was visit Nathan.
The kitchen window was already replaced. It was as if nothing had happened. But a lot had happened.
“Your buddy Stephan had some interesting news from the coroner’s office,” Nathan explained before even sitting down. “Turns out, they had a visit from Troy just after Gary’s autopsy. They said he was quite unstable and refused to believe his brother was dead.”
Zeke listened in silence, his brow furrowed and his arms folded.
“They gave me some addresses, which I’ve used to track down his current address.”
Zeke stiffened and locked eyes with Nathan. “Shall we?”
Nathan nodded gravely. “232 Sanderson Drive, Davidson.”
Zeke called Sophie to explain where they were going. Something drove him to tell her every detail... in case something happened to him.
“I’m coming with you,” she said on the other end of the phone.
“No, Sophie, it’s not safe. Not now that... you know. I don’t want to put you in any more danger.”
“I’m coming,” she demanded. “I’ve been with you every step of this. I can help. I know the story so far. Plus, it might help to have a female with you, another dimension to the visit, maybe he’ll behave differently, or open up more to me.”
She had a point.
They went to pick her up at the shop. When Zeke arrived there, Sophie was waiting, already changed into jeans and a shirt.
“Hey,” Stephan said casually. “Be careful on this visit. You don’t know what state he’ll be in.”
“We will,” Zeke said gravely. “Has Sophie told you our news?”
Stephan frowned and looked from Zeke to Sophie, who was burying her face in her hand.
“What the hell?�
�� she muttered under her breath.
“I’m sorry, baby,” he whispered. “I can’t wait to tell people.”
She looked at him with narrowed, scornful eyes.
“Surely, we can tell Stephan,” Zeke continued, in hushed tones. “No one else, until you’re ready. I promise.”
She sighed and looked at Stephan with hesitation written all over her face. “We have some pretty big... news. Damned big.”
Stephan’s eyebrows shot up in wonder. “Well... who’s gonna deliver it then?” He looked at Sophie, then Zeke, then back to her. “Come on, don’t leave me hanging.”
