Sunny

I jolted at the sound of someone banging on my front door. Putting my empty cereal bowl in the sink, I glanced down the hall to the door. Maybe it was Julia?

More knocking.

Shoving down the stupid nerves in my belly, I hustled down the hall and peeked through the peep hole. The wide chest I got an eye full of was a familiar one.

“It’s Zeke,” I heard muffled through the door.

And there was no mistaking his voice.

Crap.

Attempting a small smile, I unlocked the door and opened it.

Zeke stood there, stare intense. Despite my best efforts not to, I ate up the sight of him.

Stop it, Sunny.

His jeans were worn and sat low on his hips and his T-shirt was navy blue, firm across his chest, but looser across his abs. Abs I knew from personal experience you could do washing on, they were that defined. My belly did a whoosh then a flip at the sight of him. I forced myself to look away and at the man standing behind him. He was tall, with dark scruff on his jaw and piercing blue eyes. His shirt had “McBride Security” on it. I’d seen the business name before but I couldn’t pinpoint where. “Hey,” I said to both of them, though neither had bothered with a greeting.

“This is Cage,” Zeke said. “He’s gonna check out your security.”

“Right,” I said.

Then they both walked in, forcing me back several steps.

Van said he wanted to send someone over, but I hadn’t thought he meant the next day. I also hadn’t expected Zeke to show up at my door. And truthfully, I wasn’t prepared for it. I sure as heck hadn’t recovered enough from the impact of it. Coming face to face with him again after nothing for two months had been startling. I’d known nothing about him while we were sleeping together. Now I knew he was a private investigator. I didn’t know exactly what a P.I. did, but going by the scars on his body, their job was a lot more dangerous than I thought. I’d been sleeping on the couch ever since the break-in, but I’d been kept awake even later than usual last night. My mind wouldn’t shut the hell up. So many questions about the quiet, intense man who’d given me the best sexual experiences in my life. A shiver moved through me and I quickly shut the door on those thoughts.

Not helpful, Sunny.

I stood in the entry way, not sure what to do as I watched Zeke show Cage around like he lived here, pointing out what he considered “weak spots” and going over what they’d do to improve what I already had. I tried, but I couldn’t stop looking at him. He was lean and tall, cut like a perfect sculptured piece of art. His arms were muscled and bulging, and every time he pointed at something, my eyes were drawn to the veins and tendons running up his forearms. I forced my gaze back to his face and had to swallow the lump that formed when I took in his mouth surrounded by that sexy beard, remembering how his lips felt against mine, moving over my skin.

Look away, Sunny.

“Would either of you like a coffee?” I asked. If Zeke could act like nothing had happened between us, so could I, or I could fake it, anyway. But I needed caffeine first. Stat. Then I needed to finish getting ready for work.

They both turned to me, and it took a lot not to take a step back at the way those direct stares seemed burn into me. The pair of them in my house made it feel tiny. Zeke lifted his chin and Cage grinned. “Yeah, that’d be good.”

“Sugar, cream?”

They both shook their heads no. Somehow that didn’t surprise me.

I turned to go to the kitchen, and with my nerves on the jittery side, I managed to trip over my own feet. Someone grabbed me around the waist, stopping me from landing face-first on the hardwood floor.

“Easy now, Sunshine,” Zeke muttered against my ear.

I stood frozen in his arms. We seemed suspended in time, but then he released me and stepped back.

I mumbled my thanks, not wanting either of them to see my burning cheeks, and rushed off to make their coffees. When I walked back into the living room with their drinks a little while later, they were discussing sensors for my windows and doors. I felt Zeke’s eyes on me as I handed the coffees over, and I was pretty sure they were still on me when I headed back to the kitchen.

I grabbed my own drink and carried it upstairs to my room and into my bathroom. I needed to finish putting on my makeup and I hadn’t decided what jewelry I wanted to wear, out of the pieces I had left, with the fitted white top and jeans I was wearing. I put my coffee on the bathroom counter, came back out, slipped on blue stiletto ankle boots, then went back to the bathroom. I was putting on mascara and purposely trying not to think about the fact Zeke was in my house, during the day, checking out my security system, because he was a freaking private investigator, when I felt someone watching me.

I turned to the door and watched Zeke walk in, then keep on coming, crowding me, in what I thought was a decent sized bathroom, until he was in it with me.

He took the mascara wand out of my hand and put it down.

My heart started to beat faster.

In his usual style, he just stared down at me like he used to—and I was positive I felt the air crackle around me, damn near vibrate. I needed to get a handle on these feelings I had for him, and it wasn’t going to happen if I threw myself at him, like I was on the verge of doing now, and begged him to come back. To spend his nights with me again. To still want me like I desperately wanted him.

Pull it together, Sunny.

I moved back and his hands dropped to his sides. Tilting my head back, looking up at him, I forced a smile, to lessen the sudden tension in the small room. His eyes dropped to my mouth, and I knew he was looking at the way it didn’t move right anymore.

I shouldn’t care, but I hated him seeing that, the way I looked now. I stopped smiling. “Do you need something?”

His eyes slid back to mine. “You’re not sleeping up here. Why?”

I jolted. “I beg your pardon?”

“I came by last night, to keep an eye on the place until Cage could come sort shit out. The downstairs light was on nearly all night. Why?”

I blinked up at him. What the hell? “Where?”

The muscle in his jaw jumped. “Parked outside.”

Oh . . .

“Tell me why you’re not sleeping up here?” he asked again.

I’d come to his agency and now he felt responsible for me because of our past. I didn’t want that. “Zeke . . . you don’t need to take a personal interest in any of this because of our . . . history. Really. I’ll be okay.” The muscle in his jaw jumped.

“But you’re not okay now.”

I got the feeling he wouldn’t drop it until I told him. “You’re stubborn, aren’t you?”

“Yes.” Not even a grin, just those dark eyes locked on me.

I released a sigh. “I’ve been . . . nervous. I just feel safer sleeping downstairs.”

His chest expanded with a rough breath. “I’m going to be out there tonight, and every night, until Cage has everything sorted.” He moved back in, crowding me again. His hand lifted, then dropped to his side, fingers curling into a fist. “You sleep in your bed tonight. I promise I won’t let anything happen to you. No one’s getting to you again.”

I was pretty sure my mouth was hanging open. I was trying to work out what to say when Cage called for Zeke from downstairs. Zeke’s eyes dropped to my mouth for a split second, then he turned and left me standing there.

* * *

I pulled the curtain aside and looked down at the street below. Zeke’s black truck was parked down there again. That was three nights in a row. I hadn’t talked to him again since he came into my bathroom. Cage had been coming every morning, doing his thing. But there’d been no sign of Zeke. Until it got dark, then he’d park outside my place and stay there all night. I didn’t know what to make of it, of him. I wanted to tell him he didn’t need to do that for me, and I was relieved all at the same time. I’d like to say I was sleeping like a baby, knowing he was out there watching over me. I wasn’t. Oh, I felt safe—I also felt restless and hot and achy. I knew what it felt like to have his hands on me, and I missed him. Missed the way he made me feel.

But he stayed out there.

And I stayed in here.

* * *

The next morning when I opened the door, it wasn’t just Cage. Zeke was there as well.

I’d dreamed of him all night. Hot, sweaty, dirty dreams of him doing all sorts of wicked things to me, and looking at him now, it became obvious that I hadn’t yet recovered from those dreams. His stare moved over me when he walked in, taking me in from head to toe. I was in an old shirt and a pair of shorts that I’d pulled on when I heard the knock at the door. I hadn’t expected Cage on a Saturday morning for some crazy reason and I sure as heck hadn’t expected Zeke to be with him.

I greeted them and offered them both coffee. They both nodded.

“Should be finished today,” Cage said when I delivered their drinks. “Just a little bit to do this morning then you’ll be all set.”

“That’s wonderful. I thought the company I used knew what they were doing. I had no idea how much they’d missed.” I smiled, my hand lifting to cover the unmoving side of my mouth, which had become my habit. “Thanks so much for getting this all sorted out for me at such short notice.”

Cage just stared at me like I was nuts.

“You were broken into,” Cage said. “This shit should have been sorted for you straight away.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “You got a man?”

“A man?” I frowned, not sure what he meant.

“Boyfriend. You seeing someone?”

“Oh . . .” I swallowed, mouth suddenly dry, and shook my head. “No,” I said, and was pretty sure I sounded like Minnie Mouse.

“If you were my woman?” he said low. “No one would’ve gotten close enough to lay a fucking hand on you.”

I didn’t know what way to say, especially with Zeke standing there. He’d frozen, mug halfway to his mouth, and that muscle in his jaw was jumping again.

“No,” I said. “I don’t imagine they would.” What else could you say to a declaration like that?

He grinned.

I blushed harder.

Zeke growled.

My nipples tingled at the sound. He growled a lot, and that included when he was with a woman, when he was . . . inside a woman.

Cage frowned and looked between me and Zeke.

That was my cue to get the heck out of there. I pointed at the stairs behind me. “I’m just going up to grab a shower and get ready.” Then I spun and hustled upstairs to my room.

My skin felt hot, tight by the time I reached my bathroom. I shut the door, stripped off and climbed in as soon as the water heated. The water hit my bare skin, and I shivered despite the warmth, remembering that growl. My nipples tightened, and God, I just . . . I went up in flames. I hadn’t touched myself since the break-in. The last thing I’d felt was desire. I bit my lip, I shouldn’t even be contemplating this now, not with Zeke just downstairs. But after last night, the dreams, having Zeke outside my place for three nights, seeing him just now. I needed to get off in a bad way.

Images from my restless night mixed with the hot-blooded, raw, sexy-as-sin reality of my nights with him, filled my head. My hand slipped over my wet skin, toying with my hard nipples. Not for long, though, because I was already wet, desperate to orgasm. I stayed under the firm jets of water, imagining it was Zeke’s hands moving over my fevered skin, and slid my hand between my thighs, gliding my fingers over my swollen clit. It wasn’t enough, though, and I pushed one inside. This was so wrong, but no way could I stop.

A cry escaped my lips. Thank goodness I was upstairs. I needed to do this quickly, and the way I was feeling that wouldn’t be a problem. I pumped my fingers in and out a little longer, until my knees were close to giving out from under me, then slid my hand back to my swollen clit and took myself over the edge. When it shook through me, I hadn’t meant to scream Zeke’s name, but I’d been carrying around so much tension lately it had built to a peak . . . then seeing him this morning, finally feeling safe . . . his name, it just came out.

I slumped back on the tiles, face hot, hoping like hell he hadn’t heard me . . .

The door crashed in and Zeke flew into the bathroom, face like thunder, and gun drawn.

I squealed, hand flying to my chest. Oh God. I stared at him through the glass, blinking water from my eyes, humiliation burning me to ash. Cage came running in next. He only made it two steps through the door, though, because Zeke’s hand came out, and he shoved him back the way he came and slammed the door after him.

He was breathing heavily, his eyes still sliding over me. “You screamed.”

I quickly switched off the water and grabbed a towel to cover myself. “I’m sorry.”

He slid his gun into the back of his jeans. “Why’d you scream, Sunny?”

I didn’t think it was possible, but my face got hotter, I’d reached molten lava territory. “I . . . I got a fright.”

He looked around, trying to see what frightened me.

I wanted to crawl under the bathroom counter and never come out. “It was a . . . a spider.”

“A spider,” he repeated, voice impossibly low.

His piercing eyes did not waver, they stayed locked on mine, searching out my secrets. I bit my lip to stop myself from babbling anymore nonsense. Something flickered in his eyes and I knew he’d worked why I really screamed his name. His nostrils flared, and his eyes dropped to my lips again, then lower.

“You sticking to that story?” he asked when his eyes came back to mine.

He was breathing heavily now, chest pumping, fingers curling and uncurling at his sides. Did he . . . did he still want me? If I told the truth would things go back to the way they were? Would he start visiting me in the middle of the night again? How long for this time? Did I even want that? I thought I did. I mean, I wanted him, no question, but just how much I wanted him scared me. Losing him the first time hurt way more than it should, and I didn’t think I wanted to do that to myself again.

So I stared back and nodded my head. “Yes.”

He exhaled roughly then dipped his chin, but he didn’t leave right away. He lingered for several long seconds, like he was waiting to see if I’d change my story, then finally, when it became clear I wouldn’t, he turned and talked out the door, closing it softly behind him.

I stared at the door for a long time after he left, not sure if I wanted him to walk back in or not. Forcing myself out of the shower, I got ready, and headed back downstairs. My humiliation hadn’t lessened one bit, especially when Cage grinned at me when I hit the bottom of the stairs. But I couldn’t skulk around in my room hiding until they left, no matter how appealing the idea was. Thankfully he didn’t comment.

Zeke was nowhere to be seen.

“I’m all done,” Cage said. “Let me show you what you’ve got.”

He explained how everything worked, that my windows and doors now had sensors and if anyone tried to breach them, all holy hell would break loose. A signal would be sent to their command center, whatever that was, and they’d send someone out to make sure I was good. Then he instructed me on how to use my new control panel and gave me the codes. “This is how you change them. I want you to do that after I leave, yeah?”

“Okay.”

“I’ve also placed external cameras at the front and rear of your place.” I listened as he explained everything. “You have any trouble with this system at all, you call me.” He handed me his card. “And sorry if I came on a little strong earlier. I didn’t realize you and Zeke were an item.”

I blinked up at him. “Oh . . . we’re not.”

“No?” His head tilted to the side. “You sure about that?”

I slid my hands into my pockets and glanced at the floor then back up. “Well, ah, not anymore.”

He watched me for a few seconds. “That card I gave you? I’d love you to use it, and not just for a security emergency.”

“Right.”

“No pressure, I’ll leave that up to you. Zeke’s a friend. Don’t want to step on anyone’s toes.”

I frowned. They didn’t exactly seem friendly, especially after the way Zeke had shoved Cage out of the bathroom. Though, I couldn’t say I wasn’t thankful he’d done it.

Cage read my thoughts and burst out laughing. “I sure as fuck would’ve shoved Zeke out of the bathroom if it’d been my name you’d called out.”

My face heated again. I’d blushed so much today I was sure my face would be permanently red.

He chuckled, obviously enjoying my embarrassment, then packed up and left.

Under different circumstances, I might have taken him up on that. He seemed like a great guy. Unfortunately, he wasn’t Zeke.

I winced at those disturbing thoughts.

Crap.