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Z ip finished his shower and was pulling on his pants when Trip stepped into the room. The look in Trip’s eyes made him pause. “What?”

“You don’t have to do this, but Ellis invited Talia over for dinner on Saturday.”

A part of Zip wanted to tell Trip no way, but another part wanted to find out if they could make it sooner. She hadn’t called, although Ellis had given her his number. Maybe she wasn’t interested.

“Like I said, you don’t?—”

“I’ll be there.”

Trip slowly nodded. “Only if you’re sure.”

“I can’t get her out of my mind. Maybe seeing her will allow me to forget her.”

Trip chuckled. “Once they get under your skin, it’s impossible to get them out of your mind.”

He shook his head. Hopefully, he would be able to see her and forget about her. He had three days until dinner with her, and he wasn’t sure he could wait that long. That night, he had to jack off before sleep would come. She was doing a number on him, and he liked it. When he found hookups, he never thought of them after sex ended. There might have been one or two women he wouldn’t have minded seeing again, but only to fuck, nothing more. With Talia, he wanted to get to know her and find out what made her tick. He wanted to see if they connected.

The next few days seemed to drag by. On Saturday, he was so amped up he had to go for a second run and jack off in the shower before heading to Trip’s house. He got there early and was sad that Talia wasn’t already there.

“Hey,” Trip said as he opened the door.

The house smelled like an Italian restaurant. Ellis had upped their food game. She and Vera went to great lengths to improve the quality of what they ate when they got together. They still had hotdogs and hamburgers at the park, but when they got together at someone’s house, she and Vera made excellent food that they all appreciated.

“It smells terrific.”

“Thank you,” Ellis said as she came over to give him a hug.

“It’s good to see you.”

Ellis stepped back and nodded. “Same. How are you doing?”

“Good. How about you?”

Ellis chuckled. “Excellent. Trip is keeping me on my toes.”

“Don’t let her fool you, she’s the one keeping me on my toes.” Trip shook his hand and then leaned in and kissed Ellis’s cheek. Zip turned away, not liking the jealousy sliding along his spine. He was happy for Trip and Hop. They’d found women who were awesome, who didn’t back down from a challenge. He’d seen firsthand that Vera and Ellis had made his buddies better people. They were more relaxed when they weren’t grinding and yet also more focused on missions.

He heard a car outside, and his heart sped up. He turned to the door, wondering if he should step outside to greet her.

Ellis moved to the window, pulling back the curtain. “It’s her.”

Without even thinking, Zip moved to the door and pulled it open, his stomach tightening as she stepped from the car. Her lips spread into a wide smile as she moved to him.

“Hello, Zip.”

“Hello.” His voice sounded strained, and he hated that.

She chuckled and moved in close, giving him a quick hug. Her lips were at his ear. “It’s good to see you, Cinnamon Roll.”

Her breath on his neck made his dick twitch. She was going to push him to the edge of reason without even trying. He had to prove to her he wasn’t a cinnamon roll. If they got involved, she would be disappointed.

“Hey, Talia. Get in here,” Ellis called out from behind him.

He wished they were alone. He should have gone to her place and waited for her to get home. He could have stalked her and showed her that he wasn’t a good person. She would send him away because he wasn’t worth the trouble. Instead, he had to deal with eating dinner in front of his friends while sitting across from her. Trip would call him out for being a jerk if he acted like he knew he should so she would run fast away from him. The more time he spent with her, the harder it would be to leave. Even now, just a few minutes in, he was already thinking of ways to get her to see him again.

Talia getting close would wreck him. Already, he wanted her breath on his neck again. Having her close had stirred thick desire inside. She would fit perfectly underneath his body. But he felt this was more than just the sex. She would fit perfectly in his life. Now, he just had to get to know her better.

* * *

Talia almost threw up on the way over. This man had the ability to totally wreck her. Just being close to him set her on fire. It had been a long time since she’d felt this way about anyone. After the years she’d spent working in the sex industry, few guys turned her on. It was like her libido dried up more each time she had to have sex. How she’d put up with it for the years she had was a mystery to her.

The scent of the food hit her as she stepped into the house. “Wow, it smells terrific. What did you make?” she asked as she hugged Ellis.

“Lasagna and garlic bread. I have a salad we can eat now. The rest of the food should be ready to eat in about twenty minutes.”

“Well it smells great and I’m very hungry. Thank you for cooking for us. I brought cookies. I didn’t bake them, or we’d all get sick. Just so you know, they’re safe.”

“Thank you.” Ellis turned to her man. “This is Trip.”

Trip stuck out his hand for her to shake. “It’s nice to meet you, Talia. Thank you for coming to dinner. Ellis has been looking forward to this all week.”

She might have gasped as shock hit. Few people were ever happy to see her. She worked hard, and people at work were usually glad she showed up, but few people wanted to hang out with her.

On the plus side, neither of the men recognized her from the videos she’d been in. At least that was a good thing. She would have to tell Zip, or she could walk away and never look back. That would be the smart option, but it wasn’t what she wanted. Eventually, one of his friends would recognize her, and then it would get weird.

Back when she was a teenager, she hadn’t really known better. Her sister had forced her to work, but she’d enjoyed the attention. It had only been really odd when they’d forced her to work with old men. Having some grandpa doing things to her body had been disturbing.

She pushed thoughts of her past from her mind and focused on Zip. For now, until he found out the truth, she would enjoy whatever they had. Once he learned what she’d done in her past, he would dump her soon enough.

The guys served the salad while she and Ellis sat. It was the first time a guy had prepared food for her while telling her to sit down. She enjoyed listening to the men talk but had little to add to the conversation.

A timer rang, and Ellis hopped up. “Sit down, love,” Trip said. “I’ve got it.” He turned to Talia and lifted his eyebrows. “Are you really hungry, or just average hungry?”

“I’ll take a smaller portion for now.”

“Sure. You can always go back for seconds.”

Zip got up and took her bowl. She shook her head and met his gaze when he turned after putting their dishes in the sink. She hadn’t meant to say anything but couldn’t hold back. “This is weird. Why are you two doing this?”

“What?” Zip asked.

“Waiting on us.”

Zip shrugged. “Ellis spent the afternoon cooking, and you’re a guest.”

“But so are you.”

Trip moved to stand beside Zip, draping his arm over Zip’s shoulder. “Some people think it’s weird. Lord knows I know enough Navy men who think it’s the wife’s job to serve him, but we serve each other. If I cook, she helps clean, and it goes the other way. Zip is just a good guy who values people.”

She nodded. “It makes sense, but honestly, I’ve never once had any guy help me like you two are helping. So it’s not an act?”

Ellis laughed as she shook her head. “No, not an act. They do this. Hop, too. He’s with Vera.”

She shook her head. “I’m surprised. It’s not what I grew up with.”

Trip was back with a plate for her. “So, what did you grow up with?”

Her throat went dry, and she had to look down at the table. She stabbed the lasagna with her fork, wondering exactly how much to tell them. They wouldn’t understand.

“You don’t have to tell us,” Ellis said.

She looked up, seeing three pairs of eyes staring at her. Pressure increased in her ears, and the roar started. She dragged in a ragged breath, trying to keep from passing out. The world swam before her. It was a protection mechanism she’d developed over the years. Passing out changed situations and oftentimes saved her from more humiliation. But these people weren’t here to abuse her. They were just curious.

“It’s okay. Zip already knows my sister is awful. They did…things. I’ve worked hard to get away. I shouldn’t have gone to the bar.” She couldn’t tell them that her work had paid for that bar. It would only raise questions that she didn’t want to answer.

“Why did you go?” Zip’s voice was quiet and held no accusations.

She turned, swallowing at the lump in her throat from the concern in his eyes. “I heard someone putting a hit on the place. I tried to warn my sister, but she’s a terrible person and wouldn’t let me talk. She threatened to send someone after me in the parking lot, and I hid in the bathroom until I could get a car to come pick me up. Stupid move, I know.”

“Not stupid,” Ellis said. “You were trying to stay safe.”

“It didn’t work. Her goon found me.” She waved her hand at her face, where the bruises had faded to yellow with some green still left.

“I’m glad I was able to stop him.”

Talia nodded. “Yeah, thank you. No one else would have ever helped me.”

Zip shook his head. An intensity filled his eyes that almost scared her. “If I’d known it was that bad for you, I would have done damage that jerk wouldn’t forget.”

His words made her gasp. No one had ever stood up for her. Any progress she made, she had to fight and scrap for it.

“I’m glad Zip found you,” Trip said.

Her gaze shot to him. “Why?”

“Because you seem like a nice person. And Ellis likes you. That’s enough for me.”

She shook her head as heat rose. There was no way she could tell them what she’d done, but she had to warn them. “I’m not that good of a person.”

Elis reached across the table and took her hand. “Don’t let what other people said or did to you define you. You get to define yourself.”

The words hit hard, bringing tears to her eyes. She didn’t want to cry, but these people were being nice to her. No one had been nice in ages. To her horror, more tears slid down her cheeks. She couldn’t be in here. She stood, racing to the bathroom she’d spied earlier.

Zip’s strong arms caught her before she could make it to the door. He pulled her close, and she buried her face against his chest. Embarrassment and anger rose, but his arms around her made everything better.

“It’s okay, Talia. I’m here for you.”

His soft voice, along with his strong arms, brought more tears. She couldn’t believe this man wasn’t making fun of her or trying to force her to do something sexual. He was holding her like he cared. She should have pushed him away and walked, but she didn’t. Her fingers twisted tighter in his shirt, and she pulled him closer.

After a few minutes, he walked them into the bathroom and got a cloth wet before gently wiping her cheeks. She stared into his brown eyes, wondering what he was thinking.

She was about to say something when his gaze met hers. No question, this guy was all gooey cinnamon roll. But did she deserve a cinnamon roll? He didn’t give her a chance to think as he bent, stopping when their lips were almost touching. Five seconds ticked past, with neither of them moving. Then she squeezed his side, and that must have been what he’d been waiting for.

When his lips came down on hers, they both moaned. The heat between them sizzled. They were molten and could easily get in trouble. She had to tell him. That thought cooled her off fast, and she ended the kiss and stepped back.

“We shouldn’t. You shouldn’t. It will be dangerous for you.”

He cupped her cheek. “I don’t care what we should or shouldn’t do. And I love danger. Come to my place after this. Not for sex. We won’t do that yet, but I want to spend more time with you.”

She stepped back, crossed her arms over her chest and squeezed her upper arms, trying to hide her body and make herself smaller.

“Spend more time? Is that code for fucking me?”

He shook his head. “No, it’s not. I won’t lie. I want you. But for some strange reason, I really want you. Not for one night, either.”

She shook her head, unable to believe him. “You don’t want me. I’m damaged goods. There’s nothing.”

He cupped her cheeks and leaned in so she had to look into his eyes. “Don’t discount yourself. You’re not damaged goods.”

“You don’t know what I’ve done.”

“I don’t care. Nothing can damage you. Not like that. You’re a good person, and I want you to remember that.”

Anger rose. “You don’t know.”

His lips thinned, and she could tell he wasn’t giving up. “No, I don’t. And it doesn’t matter. You don’t know what I’ve done.”

She scoffed. “There’s no way you’ve done anything as bad as I’ve done. I fucked up.”

“Babe, we all have stuff in our pasts, but you aren’t damaged.”

His blind faith in her added to his words was too much. She shook her head violently, trying to get him to realize he was wrong.

“You don’t know. I’ve done things that are unforgivable. I’m a terrible—” She couldn’t tell him, not now. She couldn’t stand to see the disgust on his face. She had to get out of there. It was too much.

She ran, glad she had her keys in her pocket. As she raced out the door, she yelled thank you, unsure if Ellis heard. She couldn’t deal with Zip thinking she was a good person without knowing the whole story. Telling him everything was too difficult. It was better to walk away before things got good between them.