Page 123 of Gamble with Me

“W-what happened here?” he hushed, his gaze jumping between me and the sheets. “Did you…”

Only at that moment did I realize how absurd this situation was. Of course, he thought the worst.

“Are you nuts?” I hissed, shaking my head in annoyance. “Zara peed herself and doesn’t want her mother to know.”

“Oh, thank God,” he exhaled in relief. “I thought…”

“Shut up and work,” I barked, noticing regret on his face.

“Sorry,” he whispered, swiftly yanking off the dirty cover and checking the mattress. His hands worked quickly, and he was done in a few minutes. My help wasn’t required, so I waited for Zara to finish showering.

“I’ll bring everything to the laundry room,” Jamal announced, glancing around to see if he had taken everything. “Is there something else you need, boss?”

“No, thanks. And keep this between us.”

“Of course,” he confirmed and quietly left the room.

Zara exited the bathroom five minutes after he disappeared. Her eyes were swollen, and she was visibly tired. I would have picked her up and brought her to bed if it wasn’t for that damn injury.

“Let’s go to sleep, princess,” I said, my glance softening as I took her hand. She nuzzled into my side, melting my heart.

“Thank you, Zyon,” she whispered, resting her face against the side of my torso.

“You’re welcome.” I smiled under my breath, happy I had shown her she could count on me. It was a good start to our relationship.

“Can I sleep with Mom?” she asked, staring at me with doe eyes. I already knew I couldn’t deny this girl anything. Whatever she wanted, she would get, just like her mother.

“Yes, princess,” I agreed, leading her through the hall. Bluff followed us quietly, lying on the floor beside the bed when Zara climbed it.

Valeria shifted but didn’t wake up, and Zara cuddled close to her. I covered them both and attempted to leave when the girl stopped me.

“You won’t stay?” she muttered, holding her mother’s arm.

“Do you want me to stay?”

“Yes,” she whispered, patting the place next to her. “Stay with us.”

My heart missed a beat, and my eyes watered from the surge of emotions Zara’s simple request caused. Nothing could make me happier than to be with them.

-56-

Valeria

It was the best two weeks of my life. Zyon was at home the entire time because the public considered him dead. He ran the business as usual, spending a lot of time in his office, but I could check on him whenever I wanted. It eased my anxiety after the trauma I went through when he was shot.

The only person leaving the house was Zara. Zyon didn’t like the idea of her returning to school, but she had to. We didn’t know how long the situation around him would continue, and keeping her in the house when she needed to attend classes felt wrong. I wanted her to have an ordinary life. She was just a kid trapped with us.

Eventually, Zyon agreed, but I had to approve bodyguards for her, and she promised not to say a word about him. It was the only compromise my stubborn man was willing to accept.

Two tall, well-built, ex-military officers drove my baby girl to school daily, and she seemed to enjoy every second. At the end of the day, I was the only one objecting to a bodyguard sitting in the back of the class, watching over her.

“She is okay with it,” Zyon said at least a hundred times. He had endless patience with my constant complaints.

“She just wants to please you.” I frowned at him, knowing something had happened between them that had changed their relationship overnight.

Zara was absolutely in love with him. Not that I wasn’t happy she accepted my new boyfriend, but I thought it took off too quickly. If he had told her to jump under the train, I was worried she would have done it without blinking.

“Are you jealous, mon cœur?” Zyon teased, plopping in his black office chair. He looked relaxed and in a terrific mood. He hadn’t complained about any pain for the past three days, and Malin said he had excellent news when I saw him this morning. Obviously, everything had gone according to plan.