Page 21 of Ruined
CHAPTER TEN
The sound of my office door clicking shut had me looking up from the report I was reading over. Confusion pulled my brows together as Zoe strolled toward my desk, looking insanely sexy in a pair of black tights and white t-shirt. It wasn’t hard to miss the black bra hiding beneath the cotton either.
The closer she came, the louder my heart began to thud. What the hell was she doing here? I opened my mouth to ask her as much but, to my horror, no sound came. This was beyond ridiculous, I was a grown-ass man, I’d been with women before, so why did this one turn me into a gawking idiot?
“Morning,Sheriff.” The way my title rolled off her tongue had my body heating up and my blood rushing south.
Clearing my throat, I shifted in my seat. “Morning.”
One side of her sinfully luscious mouth lifted into a smirk. My eyes zeroed in on her index finger trailing along the opposite side of my desk. “What brings you here?” If I heard the strain in my voice, she probably did too.
As she rounded my desk, my heart went into overdrive, its frantic rhythm thundering in my ears. Oblivious to the way she was affecting me, Zoe sauntered even closer. She was so tantalizingly close I could merely reach forward, curl my fingers around her wrist and yank her on to my lap. Not acting on that impulse was almost impossible. Almost.
“You and I have unfinished business.” Her voice was as sweet as honey.I wonder if it will still sound as sweet when she cries out my name while I— Shit! I needed to get a grip on my thoughts.
In an attempt to seem relaxed, I rested my arms against the armrest and leaned back in my chair. “We do? I wasn’t aware.”
My eyes widened when Zoe parked her ass on the desk in front of me, she pulled her lips into a pout that had me thinking all sorts of things. “Ah, come now, Eli.”
She was close, too damn close. I needed space, I needed to breathe. Scooting my chair back, I pushed to my feet, but Zoe was faster. I barely had time to react when suddenly we were toe-to-toe, the warmth of her palms pressed against my chest searing me through the fabric of my shirt.
With every bat of her lashes, she was stealing my sanity, so much so that I felt my resolve slip. I brought my hands up with the intent to push her away; instead, I shoved my fingers into her hair. Unable to stop myself, I slowly and purposefully lowered my mouth to hers.
When our lips were merely a breath apart, Zoe reached up and held my face in her palms. “Eli.” My name fell from her lips in a whispered plea. My gaze snapped to hers, the same plea shining in her eyes. “Eli,” she said again, firmer this time. “You have to save me.”
My eyes flew open as I shot upright. Pressing the heel of my palm against my racing heart, I took stock of my surroundings. “It was a dream, a stupid freaking dream.” Tilting my head toward the ceiling, I dragged both hands through my hair, tugging at the ends.
Sure, the sexy blonde had featured in more dreams than I cared to admit, but not one of them had been like the one I’d had. I could still hear the prayer in her voice as if she’d just said it to me… and that damn look in her eyes sliced right through my heart.
My mind drifted to when I’d found her with Molly last night. So many emotions had washed over me — none of them recognizable—the one thing I couldn’t miss was how comfortable my daughter looked with her.
As bubbly as she was, Molly never took to strangers easily. It usually took her a while to warm up to new people. Hell, it was months before she agreed to a sleepover at Logan and Harper’s place. The fact that she was coloring with Zoe as if she’d known her for months had shaken me a bit.
I shook my head to rid it of all Zoe-related thoughts. I didn’t want or need her in the dark corners of my mind. There were bigger things to focus on, like that damn email from Melissa’s parents.
With a groan, I dragged myself out of bed and ran my frustrations off on the treadmill. After doing a few pushups and situps, I stepped beneath the warm spray of water. Planting my hands on the cool tiles, I dropped my chin to my chest, reveling in the feel of the water cascading down my back.
As she always did when I was alone, Zoe appeared behind my closed lids. This time she wasn’t doing something sexy, wasn’t trying to seduce me. No, this time she was looking at me with so much sadness in her eyes.
I couldn’t take it anymore. Smacking my palms against the tiles, the words “Get out of my head” tore from my lungs. Anger rushed through my veins as I stomped out of the shower to get dressed. I’d hoped that by the time I walked down the hall to Molly’s room that at least some of it would have dissipated.
It hadn’t.
Pausing in front of her door, I sucked in a few calming breaths. My daughter didn’t need to see her dad in a mood; I only prayed my patience would last until I dropped her off at school. I peeked into her room and immediately frowned. Her bed was empty.
Hurried steps took me to the kitchen; she wasn’t there either. Just as my stomach dipped and my heart started to pound, I spotted her little foot sticking out behind the couch. As I approached, her soft humming reached my ears. I couldn’t help but grin.
I peered over the couch and found her bent over, her arm moving at a steady pace. Resting my forearms on the plush cushioning, I leaned forward. “You’re up early.” Her head whipped up and when she faced me with a giant smile that went all the way to her eyes, the anger that had riddled my body mere minutes ago melted away. “Whatcha doing, baby?”
“Coloring Zoe’s butterfly, she never got to finish it last night.”
Stepping around, I dropped to my haunches next to my daughter. Carefully, I picked up the paper, and even though it was clear to see, I still asked, “Which part did you color, mmm?”
A little squeal of delight sounded from the back of Molly’s throat; with her pencil she pointed to the left half of the butterfly. “This side.”
“Are you sure? This is colored so beautifully.”
“Daaaddy,” she drawled. “That’s where I colored.”
