Page 18 of Wolfish Heart
She smiles sweetly. “Zoe. Nice to meet you.”
“What kind of videos are you shooting?” he asks.
She leans against the door frame, giving him a quick rundown. I notice that she’s not inviting him inside, though.
“If Zoe is still working for the day, we need to leave her alone,” I tell Kingston firmly, tipping my head toward his truck. “She’s on a deadline.”
He holds up his hands. “Okay. Sorry to interrupt. There’s just been some pretty wild rumors zipping around town. Now I can report that this nice, perfectly normal young lady is using your house as a video recording studio.” He chuckles, flashing me a wink. “I mean, nobody would ever believe that a girl this pretty would actually fall for you.”
I drop into a fighting stance with my fists lifted and an exaggerated snarl on my lips. “You wanna go, buddyboy?”
There’s a flicker of nervousness in Zoe’s eyes until Kingston bursts out laughing, walking right past me and clapping me on the shoulder. “I’ll get out of your hair. Have a good one.” He turns to Zoe. “Keep an eye on this troublemaker, okay?”
She waves goodbye, then we go back in. As soon as I hear his truck is gone, I pull Zoe into my arms, pinning her to the wall for a slow, deep kiss.
“Maybe next time it’s my turn to make the rounds, you’d like to come with me,” I whisper against her ear. “It’s a nice drive, with lots of birds and scenery…”
“It’s not top-secret?”
I shrug. “We usually only check some of the points, not all of them on the same day.”
“In case you’re ever followed?”
“You got it.”
Zoe gives me an adorable grin. “I wanted to get through a few more sections today. And…not that I mind… I’m going to have to fix my lipstick.”
That brings my attention to her lips, and I almost feel a growl simmering in my throat as I dive in for another long, steamy kiss. “Can you stay for dinner, baby?”
“Umm. I don’t know yet. I want to stay in the zone.”
“No problem. Carry on.” I step back, click my heels together and salute as she goes back to the office with an amused eye roll.
There’s a prickle in the bottom of my stomach. We’ve been spending almost every single evening together. It’s natural for her to need space, of course…
But I don’t like it.
12
ZOE
Maybe I should have stayed at Kaden’s last night. But it suddenly hit me that I didn’t want to appear clingy, or like I didn’t have my own life.
Oh, who am I kidding. I needed some space. Meeting Kaden’s brother so soon felt like everything was becomingsuperreal,superfast, and I still don’t know how I feel about that.
I shuffle my feet into a couple of yoga poses and roll my neck and shoulders while waiting for the coffee maker in Henry’s kitchen. Once I’ve given my entire body a quick stretch and the coffee’s ready I sit down at the kitchen table, staring out the window and making a mental pro and con list.
I love everything about Kaden: the way he makes me feel, the way he’s so encouraging. And don’t get me started on the unbelievable lust that’s blossomed out of nowhere.
I can feel my cheeks getting flushed just thinking about it.Everythingin that department is perfect, even the way he seems to adore my curves, which do look at little smaller next to his massive bulk.
But his family… How will they react to a total outsider being with their first born?
Not to mention, the town probably had ideas of who Kaden should end up with. Someone more interesting than me, and from around here.
And his brothers. How close are they? Kaden seems fairly tight with Kingston, at least – watching him challenge the guy to a fight was hilarious as soon as I realized he was kidding.
If the brothers don’t like me, I’m screwed. If his mother doesn’t approve, I’malsoscrewed. A deep shudder runs through me. If any of his friends or neighbors thought for one second that I was after him for his money, I would feel terrible.
