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TWENTY-THREE

SAVANNAH

I WAS EXPECTING Zeke to pretend like nothing happened between us last night. Figured he’d act as if everything was the same. That the line he tried to put between us would be wider and darker than before.

My expectation was incorrect, and I couldn’t be happier.

Zeke’s warm breath ruffles my hair, his lips moving against my skin as he says, “You smell so fucking good.” Strong arms curl around me, pulling my body closer. “How’d you sleep last night?”

My skin flushes hot. When I think of last night, sleep is not what races to the front of my mind. “I slept really well.” My breath hitches as Zeke nips at the spot just under my ear. “You?”

“Better than I’ve slept in years.” His hands drift across my stomach, staying irritatingly far from the areas that would really benefit from his attention. “Even though you drooled on me.”

I gasp, spinning to face him. “I did not.”

His usually flat mouth curves into a smirk. “You did.” One hand leaves my body so he can point at a spot on his uninjured shoulder. “Right here.”

I feel like I should be embarrassed about it, but I’m not. Instead, I find myself smiling along with him because he almost seems happy my spit was on his skin.

That flush from before slaps me in the face again and my eyes drop as I envision other places he might be happy to have my spit on his skin.

“Fucking hell.” Zeke scrubs a hand over his face. “I’m gonna need you to not look at me like that ten minutes before we have to get on a call with Pierce.” He turns me toward the bathroom. “Go finish getting ready before we end up late.” Then he swats me on the butt.

I jump a little, taking a couple steps before peeking back at him. Zeke is turning away, eyes lifting to the ceiling as he mumbles something under his breath. One big hand moves to the front of his pants, gripping his cock tight to shift it away from the zipper.

I lick my lips as my belly clenches. What would it be like to have Zeke at my mercy? To have him mindless and lost because of me?

I think maybe I would like to find out.

“Eight minutes, Savannah.” Zeke’s reminder sends a frustrated sigh sailing through my lips as I stalk into the bathroom.

Working quickly, I pull back the front of my hair, tying a ribbon around the band to hide it. Then I sweep on a little blush and bronzer, pencil in the upper arch of my eyebrows, and brush on a coat of mascara. I walk out just as Zeke is setting up his laptop, angling it on the desk in the corner. The upholstered chair has been pulled up to the desk beside the office-style chair.

Zeke motions to the plush, cushiony option. “You sit here.”

I take my place and notice the small table from outside is right next to me, with what remains of my coffee and a bottle of water set on top. Zeke settles into the office chair next to me. One arm starts to drape across the back of my seat before falling away as another window opens on the screen in front of us.

Pierce looks just as put together as always, but the lines around his eyes seem more pronounced. Like he’s tired. “I take it you arrived safely?”

I side-eye Zeke, happy to let him take the lead on this since he’s more experienced at dealing with Pierce. Especially since something seems off this morning. Not only with Pierce’s appearance, but also with the tight way he questioned the blatantly obvious.

“You know we did.” Zeke relaxes back in his seat, studying the owner of Alaskan Security, likely making the same observations I did.

We’re going to have a lot to talk about when this meeting is over, and I can’t wait to hear Zeke’s thoughts.

“I’ve scheduled a few showings for you this morning. The locations are varied and each would require different improvements, but I think they all have potential.” Pierce launches into his requirements for this perfect property he expects us to not only locate, but also acquire.

An hour later, Zeke closes the laptop, his annoyance written all over his face. “That was a waste of time.”

“Maybe he should have come here himself since he wants to be so freaking picky.” My head is spinning from the list of ‘must haves’ we’re going to be searching for.

“Remember what I said about not always doing what Pierce asks?” Zeke gives me a sidelong glance as he hooks on a holster. “This is one of those times.”

I tuck my chin as he starts strapping weapons to his body. “Umm. Are these properties in a war zone?”

Zeke’s gaze levels on me. “Anywhere can be a war zone.” He moves closer, his big body crowding mine. “Going out by myself is one thing.” After slipping a particularly deadly knife into a flapped sheath hidden in the construction of his pants, his hand comes to my face. “Taking you into the world is another.” His fingers slide over my cheek in a gentle caress. “If anyone wants to get to you, they’re going to have to fucking work for it.”

I don’t know how long it takes to fall in love, but I’m guessing it happens pretty fast when a man is ready to kill to keep you safe.

Zeke leans down, pressing a kiss to my mouth. When he pulls back, his eyes stay on mine as he inhales deep and long, blowing it back out through flared nostrils before asking, “What time did Pierce say our first appointment was?”

I’m a little dazed from the way he’s looking at me—like I’m the only thing he’s even remotely interested in—so it takes a second for my brain to output the information he’s requesting. “Eight thirty.”

Zeke checks his watch, irritation making his jaw clench as he sees the time. “Remind me to kick Pierce’s ass when we get back to Fairbanks.”

I nod. “Okay.” I remember him making a similar threat last night. “Do you want me to remind you to kick Isaac’s ass too?”

The hard line of his mouth softens a little, amusement sparking in his dark eyes. “No.” One hand curves along my hip, pulling me closer. “I’m not mad at him anymore.”

“IS THIS THE last one?” I stare up at the industrial building located on the outskirts of Nashville. I can already tell it’s not what Pierce wants. None of them have been. And now I’m thinking I might not remind Zeke to kick his ass. I want to do it myself for sending us on this wild goose chase in the freezing cold.

“Unless he manages to set up another showing, this is it.” Zeke gently grips my elbow, helping keep me steady as we traverse the unshoveled walkway leading to the entrance of the rundown building. “Not that we’d be able to get to it in a decent amount of time.”

We’re an hour outside of Nashville at this point, and Pierce hasn’t been kind enough to schedule our showings in an order that kept us from driving from one side of the city to the other, so we’ve gone back and forth all freaking day. I’m cold. I’m irritated. I’m tired.

And I have way more interesting places to be than this crap heap in front of me.

The realtor holding the listing opens one of the rusty metal doors, smiling wide as he greets us. “You made it.”

He’s not bad looking, but his overdone demeanor has me scooting a little closer to Zeke. All the realtors we’ve dealt with today have been nice enough—probably because they really want to make a crapload of money on a sale—but this guy’s loud voice and dramatic gestures have me gritting my teeth.

“Come inside. Take it all in.” He dramatically waves us deeper into the multilevel space, acting like he’s showing us the Taj Mahal instead of a deteriorating manufacturing plant.

As we cross over the threshold and onto the grubby cement, Zeke releases his hold on my arm. I wobble a little, not because I’m unsteady, but because I feel more grounded when he’s touching me. Especially in a place like this.

As if he can sense my unease, Zeke drapes a heavy arm across my back, one hand gripping my hip to pull me tight into his side. He leans close, lips brushing my ear when he asks, “You okay?”

I tuck my face close to his, keeping my voice low. “I don’t like this guy. He gives me the creeps.”

Not so long ago, I considered a man much like him charming. Outgoing and filled with personality. Open and amusing.

Boy was I wrong.

Zeke’s narrowed gaze moves to the realtor as he continues loudly listing off the property’s positive attributes. After a barely perceptible nod, Zeke straightens, one hand deftly unfastening the snap securing the flap covering the benign looking pocket holding one of the many weapons strapped to his body.

A little of the tension starting to bunch my shoulders eases and a small smile teases my lips. He didn’t even consider dismissing my concern. Didn’t ask questions or blow me off. He just trusted me.

Zeke continues holding me close as we follow Derek the overeager salesman deeper into the dark, musty building. The place is a wreck. It’s filthy. Windows are broken out. Icy patches are scattered across the cement floor, marking all the leaks in the roof.

But…

I can still somehow see the potential. Pierce wanted something outside the city and this fits that bill. He wanted a place that had an existing structure that could be used immediately, and while this particular building isn’t quite ready for occupancy, there are a handful of smaller ones on the same piece of property that look to be in better shape. The complex is also on a decent plot of land. Room for privacy and expansion—check.

It’s nothing fancy, but it might work.

“And the best part…” Derek strides up to a giant electric panel and grips a large lever, shoving it up.

Nothing happens.

His smile falters for the first time. “That’s strange.” He pulls the lever down then shoves it up again.

Nothing happens.

The realtor stares at the panel for a few long seconds, mouth pressing into a tight frown. “That should have switched all the lights on.” His face lights up. “I bet someone turned it off outside.” He spins away and goes back to the front of the building, the soles of his shiny shoes making echoey sounds as he walks away, leaving us alone.

“Let’s keep looking so we can get done with this guy as soon as possible.” Zeke’s hold on me tightens as we make our way toward the offices located at the back of the building. “Hopefully these look better than the rest.”

The first one is filled with old desks and rolling chairs, like they shoved all the furniture into one place and just left it. A slight mildew scent hangs in the frigid air, but it doesn’t look too terrible. The rest of the offices are much the same, minus the furniture, so we give them a quick glance as we pass. When we reach the back exit of the building, Derek still hasn’t returned, so Zeke and I venture out into the back lot on our own.

The heavy door makes a clicking sound as it closes behind us and I peek over one shoulder. “I think it locked.”

“Figures.” Zeke scans the snowy lot, scowling at the crisscross of footsteps tracking all around. His grip on me tightens. “Stick close to me.”

I swallow hard. “Who made all those footprints?” The sheer number of them has my heart rate picking up. A lot of people have come through here recently. “Do you think it was people like us who came to look at the place?” I can’t hide the hope in my voice.

Zeke’s eyes come to my face, looking it over before offering the truth. “No.” He takes a deep breath, his exhale clouding the air between us. “It’s probably people looking for somewhere out of the wind and snow to hunker down.”

A stab of empathy tugs at my heart. “I guess I can’t blame them.”

I open my mouth, ready to suggest we skip checking out the back lot, but before I can say a word, I’m thrown face first into the snow, Zeke’s big body covering mine as the building behind us explodes.