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Z ip could feel the agitation and worry coming off Talia. He had to admit he would be worried, too. She’d had a rough life, been abused, and treated like shit. It would be easy to form such a hard shell no one could get in. He hoped she let him in.

He grilled steaks and vegetables and heated up mac and cheese while the steaks were on the grill. She tried to help, but he told her to sit and let him take care of everything.

When they sat to eat, the joy on her face was payment enough. After a few bites, her smile came easier.

“What do you want to do this weekend?”

Her eyebrows rose as she cut him a glance before turning back to her food. “Your friends potentially knowing about me hasn’t scared you off and you still want to see me.”

“Of course, I want to see you. I enjoy spending time with you.”

She took another bite, chewing thoughtfully. “I don’t have a lot of money, so whatever we do, it needs to be cheap.”

“How about a hike and then a picnic?”

“That sounds like fun.”

He didn’t want to bring up what had happened to her while working, but he did wonder if she wanted to do something else. People who had few choices in life usually didn’t have time to think about the future. Maybe she was happy with her job. He needed to get to know her better.

She insisted on helping him clean up the kitchen after they finished eating. He welcomed her help, enjoying spending time with her.

After drying his hands, Zip turned to face Talia. “Do you want to watch something on TV?”

“Funny enough, I don’t have a TV, so I haven’t watched anything in ages. I wouldn’t even know what to pick.”

“I mindlessly watch in the evenings. Sometimes, I mute the TV while I’m reading an article and forget it’s on. It’s a bad habit.”

“What movies have you liked recently?”

He shrugged. “A new Deadpool came out.”

She raised her eyebrows and shook her head. “Deadpool?”

“I take it you never saw the first one.”

“Nope. Never heard of it.”

“Would you like to start it?” He checked the time and shrugged. “I have three hours before I have to be in bed.”

“Okay. Sure.”

He grabbed a beer and poured her another glass of wine. He was happy when she sat close to him. Usually, he moved fast with women, but he was enjoying the slow burn developing between them.

The anticipation brewing inside was more exciting than picking up a woman at the clubs had ever been. Maybe he really was ready for a change.

* * *

Sitting beside Zip was nice. The movie started, and it wasn’t at all what she was expecting. The opening scene was a little too fast, and a lot happened. She almost wanted to watch it again but didn’t stop the movie since she was watching it with Zip.

When they got to the sex stuff, she felt a little uncomfortable because it made her aware of just how much she wanted to be with Zip. By the end, she realized she’d missed so much of popular culture just trying to stay alive.

The credits rolled, and she sat in stunned silence. Her life had been held together with gum and crappy hair bands. Jail, homelessness, being forced into porn, all of it had made it nearly impossible to live.

“Hey.”

She jerked her head up and met Zip’s confused gaze. He’d been trying to show her a good time, and now she was sitting on his couch almost in tears after watching a movie that was supposed to be fun.

“Are you okay? We shouldn’t have watched that movie.”

She shook her head. “No, it’s not that. It’s not the movie. It’s…” She stood and paced the length of the room, then turned back to him, noticing he was standing now, but she hadn’t heard him move.

“I’m sorry,” he said.

“No.” Agitation filled her. “There’s nothing for you to be sorry for. I just—it’s my past. I just realized how much I’ve lost out on. I’ve spent my life just trying to survive, and I feel like I’ll never get there.”

He moved fast and had his arms around her. “I’ve got you.”

This wasn’t how she wanted this night to go, but the good food, the movie, and now him being so kind brought more tears. She clung to him, sobbing against his chest as he smoothed his hands over her hair.

After a moment, he moved to the couch and pulled her down on his lap. She clung to him, hating that she was falling apart but loving that he was here for her.

When her tears finally calmed, she sat up and met his gaze. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. I’m happy to hold you and help you.”

She shook her head. “I feel like something bad is coming for me. You shouldn’t be close to me. It’s dangerous.”

He tapped his finger on her nose. “I’m dangerous as a fucking heart attack, and I give back more than I get. So there is no walking away from you. I’m here to stay.”

“They do bad things. You could end up in trouble.”

“Trouble? I eat trouble for breakfast.”

“One time, I tried to press charges against them, and I ended up in jail for four months.”

His lips thinned, and she swore the anger in his eyes could cut glass. “What do you mean?”

“They have cops, not San Diego police, but they have other officers in their pocket. They had me arrested and held. While in, they wouldn’t feed me but once a day, and they wouldn’t let me call anyone. I only got out because a group from the government came to tour the jail and found me.”

“I’m sorry that happened to you. I promise that won’t happen with me around.”

“But you can’t be around twenty-four-seven.”

“No, but I have interesting friends who don’t always operate in the bounds of what is legal.”

“That sounds like my family.”

“Except my friends work for good, not chaos.”

“What exactly are we talking about?”

“One of my friends can track you. You can wear earrings, or we can place a tracker in your clothing. It could be in a watch or something like that. Then if you haven’t been heard from at whatever time we decide, we track you. You can have an emergency button to send a distress call. Basically, we can get you security, which is usually reserved for heads of state, so you can feel safe.”

“I don’t know. I don’t like the idea of being tracked.”

“I get that. It would be for your safety and not to put limits on you.”

She shook her head. “Why would you do this for me? Why do you care?”

He cupped her cheek and ran his thumb over her skin. “I don’t know, but I do care about you. I care what happens. I don’t know if we’ll make it as a couple, but I still will care if something goes bad for you.”

She blew out a breath, wondering how she’d found such a good man. She hadn’t even been looking for someone to date, and now she had someone who cared about her.

“I don’t understand.”

“What’s to understand?”

“Why are you being so nice? No one is this nice.”

“People should be this nice. You deserve to be treated well.”

Her throat closed, and words failed her, so she hugged him again. She wasn’t used to anyone being this nice. She’d called him a cinnamon roll to razz him earlier, but it was the truth. He was a cinnamon roll. He was kind and sweet, and protective of her. She hoped he never changed because this felt so good. Having Zip in her life would be different from any relationship she’d ever had. He was different, and she liked it. Her past had a way of creeping in, but maybe this time was different.