Page 51 of Protecting Peyton

“If you don’t mind, I’m going to turn in. I’ve got an early flight.”

I gave her a hug and took in the dishes to clean up after she left the table.

Keep an eye on her.I was definitely signed up for that.

After finishing in the kitchen, I turned off all the lights and stopped outside Peyton’s room for a few seconds. If light had come from under the door, I’d planned to talk with her again this evening.

But the light in her room was off, and when I didn’t hear any noise, I moved on to my room.

This was where my battles were fought, and I hoped to avoid one tonight. My phone didn’t have any messages about the fingerprint search or Peyton’s place. It was probably too much to ask that I get a quick answer.

When I was naked and ready for bed, I stooped beside the nightstand to get my bottle and glass.

The vodka went down with only a mild burn. This had become my crutch for getting to sleep before the demons arrived to keep me awake. I knew it wasn’t ideal, but the alternative was worse. I would eliminate the crutch someday.

Mom’s description came back to me—birthing hips. Yes, those were one of Peyton’s many desirable attributes, and I looked forward to getting my hands on them, and a lot more. She was a goddess I planned to worship. All I needed was the right battle plan.

The more I thought of Peyton, the harder I got. In no time, I was on my back, jerking my cock to an imaginary goddess I knew would be one of the biggest challenges I’d ever faced.

I grabbed the corner of the pillow with my free hand and bit down to keep from crying out when I came.

After the ropes of my release had painted my stomach and I’d come down from the high, I cleaned up and climbed under the covers.

With the aid of the glass of vodka, sleep came quickly.

CHAPTER 12

Zane

Gettingto sleep last night had been a bit challenging, but at least this morning, I hadn’t woken up to any damage.Knock on wood.

I rapped my knuckles on the wood of the doorjamb as I crept out of my room. Passing the door to the guest room Peyton was in, I halted for a second. Had she had the same difficulty getting to sleep, or had she merely been relieved to have paid her debt to me?

It seemed impossible to know. So I moved on and left the house silently, while Mom and Peyton slept.

During the drive to work, the same two questions nagged at me. What was Peyton running from, and had our kiss changed anything between us?

Arriving at the Hawk Securities building before anyone else, I hit the gym. Working the machines and straining my body always burned away anxiety. I was banking on Lucas being the first one in.

“What do you want from the boss?” Old Joe asked as he peeked into the gym.

“Eighteen, nineteen, twenty,” I gritted out as I finished my set on the chest press machine. “What do you mean?” I asked.

“People only beat him in here if they have something to ask.”

I grabbed a towel and wiped the sweat off my face and neck. “Guilty as charged.”

Joe checked his watch. “You can head up to his office now. You shouldn’t have to wait more than about five minutes.”

Grabbing an extra towel, I took his advice and went up to park myself outside the boss’s office.

Lucas and Winston were the next to arrive. It had been four minutes. Joe sure had the timing down.

“Morning, Zane. You don’t need to get in this early to impress me, you know.” The boss had his Dunkin’ Donuts coffee cup in hand.

This was classic Lucas Hawk. Where the rest of us tended to stop at Starbucks or Peet’s, he chose the low-cost option.

“I’ve got a request,” I told him.