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T alia slowly opened her eyes, and then the memory hit as she saw she wasn’t at her place. She’d been through too much shit, but she was safe right now. Zip had brought her to his home and had held her as she fell asleep. He hadn’t asked any questions, just held her as she drifted off.
She found a new toothbrush in the bathroom, then an oversized shirt and some sweats that kind of fit. When she stepped out of the bedroom, Zip stood and moved to her. He brushed his fingers against her cheek and then pulled her into a hug. She was grateful he didn’t ask questions.
After a moment, he leaned back and met her gaze. “What about breakfast? I have stuff to make pancakes.”
Comfort food sounded great. It was the kind of thing she’d always wanted someone to do for her but never had experienced. “That would be nice.”
“Good. Why don’t you sit, and I’ll get everything together.”
“You don’t?—”
“You have a concussion. The doctor wants you to rest. I’ll take care of the food.”
She wasn’t used to having someone take care of her. It was nice, much better than fending for herself. Before this, she’d never relaxed with a guy, but with Zip, it was easy to trust him. “I guess we’re not going on a hike.”
He shook his head. “We can watch a movie and take naps. I didn’t get much sleep this week since I had to go to base early. I’ll enjoy resting with you.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. I want to cook for you. I want to take care of you.”
His suggestions sounded perfect. They could spend the day hanging out here. At least that wouldn’t cost her much money. She sat on the couch, wincing as pain flared. Her rear was still sore, along with her shoulders and her head. It reminded her of her past and how she would end up being sore after a long week of filming.
Zip worked efficiently in the kitchen, not having any problems. She was impressed that he didn’t seem to have any issues cleaning as he went. That was also a first. Most people made messes when they cooked. It was nice seeing how Zip did things. The lack of clutter and mess was calming. Because she lived in such a small place, she had to keep her kitchen space and bathroom clean. Zip seemed like he naturally picked up after himself.
“The first batch will be done in a few minutes. I have syrup or honey.”
“Honey? Who has honey on their pancakes?”
He shrugged. “Being in the military, you get to see a lot of differences in what people like. I mean, in training situations, you eat what you’re given. But if they have time to pick and choose, you see the differences. Some people, not many, eat pancakes and waffles with honey. Just like some people don’t think pinto beans are real beans, but others think white beans are the best.”
“I like pancakes with syrup, and pinto beans are the best.”
“I agree. Now that you’re staying here, you get to see my weird food habits.”
She chuckled. “I’ll be surprised if you want to put up with me after a few days.”
His expression sobered. “I want you here and I will want you here as long as you want to stay. That place you were living, it’s not safe. You don’t have to move in, but I don’t think you should live there.”
She pulled off a piece of pancake and popped it in her mouth. It tasted great. “Did you add cinnamon?”
“Sure did. It’s a trick I learned from one of the wives. She has kids, and I was over there one day helping them replace their shingles.”
“You know how to shingle a house?”
He shrugged. “Not really. But I can follow directions really well. We did a great job with it. We all kind of help each other out when we can. I don’t know that we’ll ever shingle another house. It was hard work, but they needed an emergency repair, and we jumped in.”
“Wow. I’m impressed. I’ve never had people who cared enough to do anything for me. I can’t imagine replacing shingles on a roof.”
“Well, we’ve got a good crew for the most part. I mean, there are some guys who are assholes, but they are few and far between.”
She finished her first pancake and Zip put another one on her plate. “I probably shouldn’t.”
“You should if you’re hungry.”
She eyed the pancake and picked it up, dipping a corner into the syrup she’d poured onto her plate. Being with Zip felt comfortable. Anytime she’d lived with someone before, it hadn’t been a good situation.
He sat down across from her and raised his eyebrows. “You’re concentrating very hard.”
She shrugged. “I’ve never really lived with someone I liked before. It’s weird.”
“How so?”
“Like you have no agenda. I mean, I know you want to have sex.” Her gaze slid down his body, and when she glanced back up, his eyebrows were raised.
“Like what you saw?”
She rolled her eyes. “I would be stupid to think you didn’t want to have sex.”
He quirked up an eyebrow. “The question is, do you want to have sex?”
“Duh. Of course, I want to have sex with you. I just don’t know if I can.”
“We don’t have to rush. We can take time and get to know each other better.”
“So you can keep your hands off me?”
“I’m not a total jerk. If you’re not ready, I can wait.”
“I’m surprised.”
“We certainly aren’t doing anything while you’re injured.”
Laughter bubbled up. She felt lighter than she had in a while, though she’d just lived through something horrible.
“You’re laughing. That’s a good thing, I guess.”
“You make me feel better. I don’t know. I think it’s just you’re a nice guy.”
Zip threw back his head, and laughter boomed through the room. Smiling up at him, she felt better than she had in ages.
“I have a load of other people who would fight you about that.”
“You tried to convince me you were a jerk when we first met. But I’m right. You’re a soft, squishy cinnamon roll.” She stood and moved to him, putting her hands on his shoulders. She pushed him, and he dropped to the chair behind him. She was sore, but she straddled him, wrapping her arms loosely around his shoulders. “You’re sweet, and I bet if I licked up your body, it would taste like sugar.”
His expression changed to serious, and his eyes grew darker. “You’re pushing your luck.”
“I know, behave. But what if I wanted to be bad? We could be bad together.”
“Jesus, woman. You’re still black and blue. We’re going to take this slow and just hang out. Later, after you’re better, we’ll test out your theory that I’m a cinnamon roll. For now, we’ll hang out.”
She slumped against him, resting her head on his shoulder. “Thank you for being so nice. Thank you for giving me a place to sleep where I feel safe.”
“Of course. I wouldn’t want you anywhere else.”
She had to get off his lap, but him holding her this close felt nice. It was unfair, and she knew it. He wouldn’t have sex with her until she healed and she was pressed up against him, using him like a bed.
Though she didn’t want to, she pushed off his chest and stood. They both ignored his raging hard-on as she moved to the kitchen to grab more coffee and then started cleaning the space.
“Hey, you don’t have to clean.”
“Sorry, habit. I’m probably overly obsessive about the kitchen. Just had food poisoning too many times as a kid. I don’t even like letting coffee sit in the pot. It’s weird. Not the weirdest thing about me, but at least you know the kitchen will be clean.”
He moved to her and kissed her on the side of her head, giving her a loose hug before stepping back. “I like a clean kitchen, too. I just don’t want you wearing yourself out. I’ll clean. You go sit.”
She stared up at him, wondering if he would always be this nice. He wasn’t like anyone else she’d ever met. Living in the same space as Zip would be challenging, but at least she felt safe. Better safe than sorry. But would he be sorry he’d let her in? She had a history that could derail them, and that fact was painfully obvious after what had happened with her new landlord. Leaving the area would be best, but she wasn’t ready to walk away from Zip. Not yet.