Page 69 of Ruined
She never missed a beat, “Hopefully making you fall as hard for me as I’ve fallen for you.”
Tucking a few strands of hair behind her ear, I declared, “Oh, I’ve fallen all right.” And because I could, I kissed her again. Slowly, deeply this time. When we finally broke apart, I helped her slip back into my shirt, groaning when I realized I had to send her back out there without any underwear.
Would it be bad to insist she stay in my office until my day was done?
“I had a meeting with Mrs. Crane today.” Zoe secured the belt before smoothing her hands down the shirt.
The day she’d told me she was looking into an art program for the kids, I’d had a hard time containing my excitement. Not only because the school was in desperate need of one, but because it meant she was serious about staying in Willow Creek, which in turn translated to her being serious about us.
“And?” The anticipation was killing me.
Her face held no emotion, then a breath-stealing smile suddenly broke free. “It’s a go!”
“What? Are you serious?” In answer she nodded excitedly, I scooped her into my arms. “I’m so freaking proud of you.” It finally felt as if all the little pieces that made up our lives were falling into place. All, except one. Setting her back on her feet, I took her hand in mine, “I gotta talk to you about something.”
“Uh oh, that doesn’t sound good.”
I led her to the two chairs in front of my desk. After I took a seat, I motioned for her to do the same. Her face was masked with concern as she slowly lowered herself onto the leather. Scooting to the edge, I placed my hands on her knees. “I have been obsessed with John Hammond ever since you told me about him.”
“Eli—”
“I know, I know.” I gritted my teeth, tension pulling my muscles taut. Sucking in air through my nose, I took a steadying breath. “He hasn’t bothered you again. But he’s still out there, sunshine. He could be planning something horrible for all we know.” For the first time, I could see in her eyes that she was worried about that, too.
“It’s my job to serve and protect. When it comes to the people I love, I tend to go a bit overboard with the protecting part.” She opened her mouth to say something again, but pressed her lips together when I shook my head. “That man is everything that is wrong with this world. The fact that he is free to do whatever the hell he likes ain’t right either.”
“Eli, what did you do?” Her voice was barely a whisper.
“Nothing yet.” Closing my eyes for a beat, I mustered up the courage to divulge the plan Holden and I would set in motion tomorrow. “I have a friend in TC, and he is going to help me teach John a lesson. That’s all you need to know right now.”
“The hell it is.” Zoe jumped up and started pacing. “Why can’t you let this go?”
“Because he hurt you, Zoe!” My voice reverberated through the office. Standing up, I stopped her by placing my hands on her shoulders. Softening my tone, I vowed, “I won’t let him do it again.”
She peered up at me, the emotions swirling in her eyes indecipherable. “What are you going to do?”
“Zoe, I can’t—”
She shook her head firmly. “You can, and youwill.”
Scrubbing a palm over the back of my neck, I released a long breath through my nose. “The short version? We’re going to frame him for drug dealing. He won’t get a lot of time, but that doesn’t matter. We only need him to getsometime in TC State Pen.”
I searched her eyes, looking for some kind of sign that she was angry or disgusted in me. I found none, so I decided to brave on. “Holden and I have a fewfriendson the inside who are dying to give John a taste of his own medicine.”
It was easy to see the moment realization dawned; her eyes widened as thick, hot tears rolled down her cheeks. “This is dangerous! You could end up in jail yourself if you get caught. Why? Why would you risk so much?”
That was easy to answer. I gently swiped at her tears, then moved to tuck my fingers under her chin, guiding her gaze to mine. “You wanna know why? Because I can’t stand the thought of a man like that walking the streets and possibly one day crossing paths with Molly.” Pausing for a second, I looked into her eyes. “Because you’reeverything, Zoe,everything.” I swallowed a few times before I finally confessed the words that’d been on the tip of my tongue for weeks, “And because I love you.”
More tears spilled from her lids. “Oh, Eli.” For a moment I wondered if I’d gone too far, but then she threw her arms around me. Her body shook, and I wasn’t sure whether she was laughing or crying. It didn’t matter which it was though; I got everything I needed the moment she twisted her head and whispered, “I love you, too.”
