Page 100 of Wicked Intention

“I remember. He wasn’t your type.” Finn winked at her and felt Zo subside. The anger had been on his behalf, not her own.

The rest of the evening continued on in the same vein, and by the time the valet brought the SUV around, Finn was drained. He figured Zo was in worse shape since she’d had the brunt of the disapproval launched at her. Reaching across the console, Finn took her hand and put it on his thigh. She needed contact, but he wanted both hands on the wheel.

The ride home was quiet, but Zo didn’t relax. The strain she felt was obvious in the way she gripped his leg. After an eternity, he stopped at the front entrance of the condo to let Zo and her parents out. He waited till they went inside, then drove around to the parking garage and pulled into his spot.

For a moment, he sat there.

Zo loved her parents, but she was defensive and reserved around them. She said they’d abandoned her when she stopped following the plan they laid out for her life. Then there was her mom and dad, who also clearly loved her but didn’t have a fucking clue how to relate to her in a way that didn’t make Zo more defensive.

I’m telling you this for your own good.

Her mom probably had pointed it out for exactly that reason, but Zo saw it as criticism, and given the totality of the evening, Finn didn’t blame her. There were so many corrections, so manysuggestionsof what she should do.

The amazing thing wasn’t that Zo had rebelled. What was surprising was it had taken until she was twenty-four.

With a heavy sigh, Finn pushed open the door to the SUV. He couldn’t leave Zo alone with her parents, not for long. She needed someone to run interference for her because she didn’t stand up for herself. Not with them.

Her mom and dad were talking in the kitchen when Finn entered the condo, but Zo was nowhere to be seen. “Where’s Zo?” he asked.

“I don’t know,” Adelina said.

Owen shrugged. “We’re heading off to bed.”

Neither of them said good night, but this was the least of Finn’s worries. He started the search in the bedroom. No Zo. He opened the bathroom door, but it was dark. The office was next, then the two guest rooms that shared the jack and jill bathroom. Still no Zo.

He returned to the great room and checked on the balcony. Nada.

Would she have gone down to the building’s gym? But her parents would have seen her leave the condo.Zo’s upset. She’ll hole up in the bedroom.

Finn went back down the hallway and looked around their bedroom more closely. He even checked the corners of the room, behind the furniture, their terrace, and in both their walk-in closets. Still no sign of his loquita.

He continued to the bathroom. It remained dark, but he stood there for a moment and tried to think where else she could be. A soft hiccuping sound caught his attention.

The bathroom had an odd layout, like the letter T. The shower and sinks were across from each other, right when he entered, but there was a tub at the far end near the windows. And it was at the center of the top of the letter with nothing on either side except some artwork Zo had picked up at a flea market. Neither of them were tub people, and they rarely went back there. Now, Finn walked to the top of the T.

She was huddled on the floor in the corner. Her feet were bare, but she still had on her pink dress. Zo had her legs drawn up to her chest, her arms wrapped around them, and she was rocking herself.

“Hey, loquita,” Finn said gently.

“Go away.”

Like hell. It was obvious she was crying. He’d lived with her for months and this was the first time she’d ever let tears fall.

When he settled beside her on the floor, she pulled in tighter on herself. He waited a minute, staring out the window at the lights of Los Angeles until she resigned herself to the fact he wasn’t leaving. Sliding an arm around her shoulders, Finn leaned over, rested his head on hers, and waited some more.

He sat there a long time before Zo let go of her legs and turned to wrap her arms around him instead.

Gathering her up, Finn settled her on his lap and rockedher, making soothing noises. Zo kept her face hidden from him, but he felt the wetness of her tears on his neck. He’d always thought of a family as the dream—it had been the only thing he’d wanted as a kid—but as he held his woman now, he wondered if maybe he’d been better off the way he’d grown up.

“It’s okay, Zo. I got you, loquita.”

“Don’t let go of me.”

“I won’t, I promise.” And his promise was forever.

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Alfonso Ramos’ Estate

---