Page 79 of Faith
“Zeke.” She took a step closer, pausing until he met her gaze. She moved toward him slowly.
His heart beat faster with each step she took. He wanted to carry her to his bed and show her exactly how he felt. He wanted her to forget every other man who fucked her and only feel him for the rest of her life. But possessing her wasn’t for her. It was for him.
“I want you, Zeke.”
He shook his head. “I don’t want your pity or guilt or whatever this is. I’m not that guy either.”
“Why are you making this so hard?”
Zeke sighed. “I’m not making anything hard, Nina. I’m trying to be honest with you. I’m trying to tell you who I am. I’m not involved with Berkeley. And if I was, I would have told you the first time you asked if there was someone else and I would not be involved with you. Mont was a dick earlier, and I was making sure she was okay. Because he can be that way with her. Especially when she talks about dating. I don’t get it, but tonight was worse than usual. I was asking her if she was okay.”
“I think my brother’s in love with her.”
Zeke shook his head. “That’s not it. He counts on her for everything. He’s not going to mess that up by getting involved with her.”
“I don’t think people control who they love. But what do I know? I’ve been an unpaid prostitute my entire adult life.”
Zeke inhaled sharply. He closed his eyes and tried not to picture Nina and Robert together.
He failed.
A hand on his arm had his eyes opening. Nina was right there in front of him, looking up at him. “I’m sorry I thought you and Berkeley were involved. You looked… intimate. Close. Like there was more going on than I knew, and after the way Monty was acting, I realized how little I know about either of you and yourlives since I’ve been gone. I… I’ve carried a lot of regrets. I didn’t think coming back was going to be easy, but I didn’t mean to blow up your lives.”
“You didn’t, angel. Having you here is the best thing to ever happen.” Zeke pulled her into his arms and held her close, absorbing the shudder that raced through her.
“I wish I’d never left,” she whispered.
“Me, too. But you’re here now.”
She nodded.
“As for Mont, I think he carried a lot more guilt than I realized. He blamed himself for not protecting you. He built Rose Protection Agency so others had someone there for them, like you didn’t.”
“I thought I did.”
Zeke nodded. “I get it. But we didn’t know that. You just didn’t come home. We thought something happened, and twelve years is a long time to wonder and worry, and he’s struggling.”
“Do you think I should do something? Is there something that would help?”
Zeke shook his head. “Just don’t give up on him. And stop saying you wish you’d never come back. It doesn’t matter what it does, we want you here.”
Nina nodded.
“What do you want to do with the rest of the day?”
“Don’t you have to work?”
Zeke shook his head. “I’m not leaving you. Things are being handled at work. It’ll be fine.”
“But you would normally be there?”
Zeke nodded. “Mont and I are both pretty much always at work. Neither of us had anything to go home for.”
A meow argued with his statement.
Zeke chuckled and looked down at Gene. “Did you enjoy your shower, you weird thing?”
“He does that to you, too?” Nina asked.
