Page 40 of Bitten By Zombie

“Not to mention, there is clearly something between the two of you, or you wouldn’t have let her give you a handy right here in front of God and everyone.”

Shit, and the hits just kept coming.

“But to get physical? I thought you were…” Her voice practically disappeared but he heard. “Different.”

He was different. It wasn’t like him to hurt a woman, and he hadn’t intended to hurt Sherry, just remove her hands and lips from him.

“Rabbit—”

“No, you don’t get to ‘Rabbit’ me. I see now I was right when I wanted to hire the security company and keep things professional. I broke my own rule, and I’ll own that and the consequences.”

She took a deep breath, and he knew she would hurt his feelings even though it wouldn’t be her goal, it would still wound.

“I apologize for not dealing with you guys directly. It was wrong of me to expect to be treated like a client and kept in the loop about my own case when I wasn’t being proactive and professional about it myself. Forgive me. If you could please give me the details of what’s going on, I would greatly appreciate it.”

She was turned away from him and speaking to Wall Street and Virus. Zombie nodded to them behind her back, so they, in turn, nodded to her. He would be the one to tell her though. He owed her that.

When she turned back, he saw the anger give way to pain, and it gutted him. He’d done that.

Him.

That hurt was there because he had put it there.

“President Slater.”

He wanted to laugh at her use of his title and scold her for the use of his surname. But he wisely held his tongue.

“I thank you for everything you’ve facilitated for me thus far. I will remit payment first thing in the morning when the bank opens. For tonight, I think it’s best I stay at a hotel until you gentlemen have finished your…work.”

He choked on his protest.

“I have clearly come into a dynamic I do not understand, but I will not come between anyone else. If you’ll excuse me, I’ll gather my things and meet you down here to discuss ‘my shit,’as you so eloquently put it, and wait for a ride.”

She fled so fast Zombie’s brain didn’t even have a second to catch up before she was gone.

“Go the fuck after her, man. Now. You can’t head into tonight with whatever that was between you. If you don’t make her listen now, you’ll never convince her how wrong she is, brother.” Outlaw patted him on the back.

He felt horrible, not just for what he was putting Heidi through with his thoughtlessness, but also for Sherry. He had shoved her. Not with the intent to harm, but she ended up bleeding as a direct result.

Zombie was not the type of man to be okay with that. He never would resolve that in himself, it would continue to haunt him till they put him six feet under.

He prided himself on not being “that type of guy,” yet he’d just proved the opposite and in front of the woman he loved no less. A woman who’d been through enough for the week and he just showed her a side of himself he didn’t even know existed. Certainly not one he could ask her to love and accept. Lord knows he never will.

Either way, Outlaw was right about one thing. They couldn’t head into tonight with that between them. He wouldn’t try to convince her to give him a chance, he didn’t deserve one, but he did need to settle things so they could be effective tonight.

The way he shuffled down the hall, one would think he was going to his own execution rather than his bedroom and the woman he’d fallen head over heels for.

It shocked him that the door wasn’t locked. He still entered with hesitation, not that he feared her, he feared her words. Words that would destroy him.

“I know I’m the last person you want to see right now, but we need to talk.”

She spun from packing her meager belongings into the duffel they’d retrieved from her place.

“That’s not at all true.” Her words were laced with false sweetness. She turned back to her duffel and breathed words that felt like bullets. “That would be Stan, but you are a close second. Keep trending as you are, and you may just take the top spot.”

“Fucking stop packing and look at me.”

He was pissed about her words, but he used it as fuel to get him through the conversation instead of storming out.

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