Page 19 of Zale's Little Girl
How does he make everything better?
She lifted her head and stared at his handsome face. As her emotions swirled around inside her, she wondered what the odds were that he would happen to drive by at that exact time of the accident. It had to be astronomically low. She could be in an entirely different situation now. Suddenly, the pancakes clumped like rocks in her stomach.
“You’re safe, kitten. I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”
“The detectives think they’re really bad guys,” she suggested.
“I got that impression as well.”
“What am I going to do? I guess I could get a one-way ticket somewhere.”
“You’re not going anywhere. Do you have things that need to be picked up?” he asked.
“No. Stupidly, I followed their instructions. I sold and gave everything away. Supposedly, I have a furnished place. They took my sizes and measurements. Appropriate clothing and shoes would be provided in my new job as a caretaker for a small rescue farm. I was only allowed the one suitcase I told the detectives about.”
“You trusted the wrong person. We all make mistakes.”
“You’ve never made a mistake,” Pippa told him.
“You should ask my team about that. They’ll have a list to share with you of times I made the wrong choice. We’re all human.” He slid the hand rubbing her back up her spine to cup the back of her head. Drawing her forward, Zale kissed her thoroughly before easing back.
“Now that I have your attention, let’s go update my team. I have an idea.”
“What is it?”
“I guess we better get going so I can tell you.” Zale boosted her back into her seat. Along the way, she inadvertently brushed against his pelvis.
“Oh! Sorry.” Pippa stared at the erection tenting his pants. She’d thought the seatbelt buckle had been poking her.
“Staring at my cock isn’t going to help it settle down, kitten,” he said with a hint of amusement in his tone.
She glanced up at him and noted the smirk on his face. “It’s just that I don’t…”
“You don’t know all about male physiology? I’ll be glad to teach you, Pippa. That’s a good job for your daddy. Lesson one. If you’re close to me, my body is going to respond. You are a tasty treat I can’t wait to devour.”
“A tasty treat?” she repeated and covered her cheeks as they heated with embarrassment when she processed what he had said. Pippa knew she was blushing. The funny thing was she adored knowing he was attracted to her.
His wink went right to her heart. Falling in love with Zale would be so easy.
CHAPTER 8
“Work here?” Pippa repeated.
“It was just an idea,” Aspen said quickly. “If you were here during the time you weren’t at home with Zale…”
“I wouldn’t be alone. It’s hard to get on a base, right?” Pippa asked, catching on to the reasoning behind Aspen’s suggestion.
When Zale and Pippa caught up with his team, the hunky soldiers occupied a picnic table outside with Aspen. Pippa got the impression they had lunch together whenever possible. Zale had run through what the detectives had shared, and Pippa watched the men’s expressions change, revealing their concern. That hadn’t helped her feel any better about the situation.
“Everyone has to show ID at the gate. A lot of people pass through the gates each day—delivery people, contractors, visitors, job applicants,” Caden said. “The guards screen everyone. That’s more than the street that runs in front of your house.”
“They didn’t like my printed ID and called the police station to talk to the detectives,” Pippa told them.
“I could see that they’d question that,” Jerico said. “A job here would keep you safer. What kind of skills do you have, Pippa?”
“I worked in an office, running files all over the building and town,” Pippa reported. “I kept meaning to go back to school.”
“That’s something you could do in the future. We’ll check into some programs,” Zale assured her. “As a runner, you’re used to being on your feet. Let’s see what positions are open now. That is if you’d like to work here.”
