49
Zoë was noisily putting dishes away when he entered the room. She slammed a cupboard shut, and then glared at him angrily.
“You’re real name is actually Caprice?” he asked cautiously.
She blew out a sharp breath. “Yeah, it is. My dad thought it was funny to give me a name I’d never embody.”
“I can’t see the humour in that.”
“Neither can I.”
He held his hands up, his palms out to her. “You’re right. We never should have talked about the situation as if you weren’t there. You should have the largest say in what goes on, this is all about you. So, what do you want to do?”
“It doesn’t matter,” she muttered.
“It does. What do you want to do about this?”
“Not about that,” she said with a wave of her hand, “I mean what I really want doesn’t matter. My dad will relocate me to some place I don’t want to be, with a name I don’t want, and a job I probably won’t want either.”
“What you want does matter,” he insisted as he drew closer to her. “If none of this was going on, if you weren’t facing this danger, what would you want?” When she didn’t answer him, he persisted. “Forget for a moment why your father wants that for you. If everything was going the way you wanted it to, what would you want?”
“It doesn’t matter because I can’t have it.”
“What do you want?” he repeated.
“You. But I can’t have you, so really, I don’t know why I’m so upset.”
“Why can’t you have me?”
Her brow furrowed. “Why are you asking that? I can’t have you because you don’t want me.”
“Says who?”
“You. You told me you didn’t want a relationship.”
“You told me the same thing,” he countered. She merely glared at him and he drew closer still but left a few feet between them. “Look, I know what I said, and at first, I meant it. Then, I don’t know, you got under my skin, you got into my heart. I didn’t say anything because I didn’t know how you felt, but now that we’re clearing the air, I want you. This situation is so fucked up, but I’m eager to get through it, to see you safe, and I hope when it’s all over, you’ll want to stay here. With me.”
Her expression softened, and he believed she wanted the same. “You know, just now your dad was talking about you and it sounded like he was describing a soldier, not his daughter. I don’t want to draw conclusions about him, and I have no idea how you’ve been raised, but I don’t see that in you. Yes, you’re skilled, and boy do I know how fearless you are. That’s what tipped me off that you weren’t who you said you were, by the way. That night, the first night we went to The Goose, I confronted you and the fear I saw in your eyes told me you were in trouble. Then you wouldn’t confide in me, and it pissed me off, but I was still drawn to you, and wanted to help you.”
Closing the remainder of the distance between them, he chanced taking her hand in his. She didn’t resist, and he smiled. “I still want to help you. Zoë. I don’t know Caprice or what she’s been through, but I know Zoë. She’s tough as nails, has a mouth like a sailor, is compassionate, so damn wonderful, and she fucks like a demon.” His last remark drew a tiny smile from her. It was enough. “You chose the name Zoë, didn’t you?”
“Why would you ask that?”
“Because it’s important. Did you choose it?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
She shrugged. “The umlaut is cute.”
“Stop being flippant,” he returned as he raised a brow, “this is important. I knew you chose that name for yourself. I’m about to say something that I’m probably not qualified to, and you might think sounds nuts, but I think there’s a reason you did. Caprice doesn’t suit you, and not because of its meaning, or because I’m not familiar with it. Zoë suits you, and not just because I am familiar with it. I think you chose the name of a woman you wanted to become, who led a life you wanted to live.” He ran his thumb over her knuckles, and then smiled again. “You played me well at first, you should know that. You had a good cover and you stuck to it. But it didn’t sit well with me. Not because you weren’t skilled enough to pull it off, or because I have some training in detecting deceit. No, your cover fell flat because the true Zoë, the woman you really are, she shone through that. I saw her, and fell in love with her.”
Her eyes misted and so did his. He lifted her hand to kiss her knuckles. “I’ll do anything I can to keep you safe, you know that. What you need to do is decide who you really are. Caprice wants to follow her father’s orders and relocate to a new place with a new identity. Zoë wants control over her life, and the ability to live it as she wants to. And me? I want Zoë to stay with me. I can’t offer her a fresh slate, but I can offer her me. She can have me.”
She kissed him with a ferociousness that stole his breath. Hard, insistent, her kiss delivered an answer she hadn’t spoken aloud. She loved him, too, and wanted to be with him. He hardened instantly, and she rubbed against him. After biting his bottom lip, her hands descended on his belt where she frantically pulled at the buckle.
“They’re in the dining room,” he reminded her, around her tongue.
“I don’t care,” she informed him, around his. “I need you.”
He stepped back as he unfastened his jeans. “Strip.”
With a saucy smile, she did, from the waist down. It was the first time she hadn’t fought him on a demand. He yanked his jeans to his knees and then grasped her hips to lift her and sit her on the island. Reaching behind him, he opened a drawer and pulled out a condom he’d stashed in there. Her wanton eyes followed his movement as he covered himself and joined her. Kissing her again, he reached between them to dip a finger into her, and then groaned at her readiness for him. Lining himself up, he drove home in one thrust, and they both moaned aloud.
He began to piston his hips, unable to go slowly. He wouldn’t last at the speed he employed and didn’t care. She bit her lip, and he bit his. Hoping they’d be able to keep quiet, he grabbed her hips securely as he thrust roughly. Her hands held his face, her eyes locked with his. All he saw was love in them and he grunted loudly as he climaxed, pulling her into hers.
Breathing heavily, he held her tightly, feeling her hot breath on his neck. They needed to get back to the others before someone came looking for them. They needed to plan their stand. He didn’t move though. For just a few moments he wanted to hold her, Zoë. He knew she’d chosen to be Zoë, she’d chosen to remain on the ranch, and he needed to feel the promise of a future with her. It was in the arms wrapped around his neck, the legs wrapped around his waist, and the soft lips that nibbled on his earlobe. She’d chosen him.