Chapter 8 #3
“While our guys were all up in the asshole bodyguard’s face,” Mandy continued, “the bartender tucked Carmen’s hand under his arm and led her away.
I think she assumed he was hitting on her—but instead, he escorted her to the door, opened it, and kind of pushed her out!
Told her that she wasn’t welcome here ever again, and to take her ‘skank Hollywood ass’ back to where she came from!
Said people around here weren’t interested.
“Her bodyguard probably would’ve stayed to get his ass kicked by our guys, but when he saw Carmen get that tiny little shove out the door, he busted his ass to get to her side.
It seems to me that if the bitch wants some dick, she should look to her sidekick to get her jollies.
Not a guy who obviously isn’t interested and who, in fact, is on a date with another woman. ”
Zita grinned. It was obvious Mandy was feeling the effects of the drink she’d consumed in the short time she and Sage had been outside. Then she turned to Laryn. “Are you okay?”
The other woman snorted. “I’m fine. Bitch didn’t touch me. But I kind of wish she had, because I would’ve kicked her ass. She might tower over me, but in those heels and that tight skirt, I would’ve had the upper hand for sure.”
“You’re pregnant,” Casper reminded her in a low, emotional voice.
“And?” Laryn demanded. “I’m not helpless.
Never have been and never will be. I’m also not fragile.
I’m not going to break if someone grabs me or pushes me around.
I love how protective you are, Tate, but I’m not going to be happy if you spend my entire pregnancy treating me as if I’m made of glass. ”
“I know, but—”
Laryn held up a hand, palm toward him. “No buts!” she declared.
Zita couldn’t help the small chuckle that escaped.
“Thanks, guys,” Sage told his friends.
“No need to thank us,” Buck said. “Besides, the bartender was the one who actually took out the trash.”
“Not that we wouldn’t’ve, but we were more concerned about making sure that fuckhead didn’t put his hands on Laryn,” Chaos said.
“Are you guys good?” Buck asked Sage.
“Yeah,” Sage told his friend.
“You going to have a problem on set after this?” Edge asked.
Zita wasn’t sure if he was talking to her or Sage, but she answered anyway. “I don’t usually see much of her. She’s either in her trailer or on set. Unless she falls and conks her head on the floor and requires medical attention, I should be able to keep my distance.”
“Good. What about you, Obi-Wan?”
“There’s no reason for me to be around her. I’ve mostly been talking to Logan and the set directors, script people, the director, and the costumers.”
“Hopefully she’ll be too humiliated to seek him out again,” Mandy said, a bloodthirsty kind of satisfaction in her voice. “I know I would be.”
Zita wasn’t too sure. Carmen was a product of Hollywood. She drastically overestimated her own appeal. The thought that Sage honestly wasn’t interested was a concept so foreign, she couldn’t comprehend it.
Unfortunately, she would probably twist everything that happened tonight into some sort of scheme on Zita’s part to keep her and Sage apart. She hoped not, but she wouldn’t be surprised if Carmen became even more desperate and determined to get Sage into her bed.
Doing her best to push the thought away—she’d never been the kind of person to stress about something she had no control over—Zita tried to relax. It helped that Sage’s arm was on the back of her chair, and she could feel the heat from his thigh seeping into her own leg, which was touching his.
They stayed another hour, laughing and joking with his friends. Several people sent over free drinks for the table, which Mandy and Zita ended up consuming most of, since the men were driving and didn’t want to be impaired, and Laryn was pregnant.
By the time everyone decided to head home, Zita was a bit unsteady on her feet but happier than she’d been in a long time.
She had fun tonight. She loved meeting and getting to know the people who were closest to Sage.
And Mandy and Laryn were fun to be around, and she’d clicked with them in a way she didn’t usually with most women.
After they’d all stood, Mandy gave her a long, heartfelt hug, which felt amazing.
Before meeting Sage and his friends, it had been forever since Zita had been touched by another human in a way that wasn’t casual or a part of her job as a medical professional.
Her family was very affectionate, but she didn’t get home to Indiana to see them often enough, something she made a mental vow to remedy as soon as she could.
When it was Laryn’s turn to say goodbye, she also hugged Zita, but it was a little more reserved, which went with the tough exterior the mechanic projected to others.
Zita couldn’t help but hold on to her a second longer as she said into her ear, “I’ll see what I can learn about live-in nannies, to help you out when the time comes.
I’ve got some connections, and I swear I’ll find you a good one. ”
When they pulled apart, Laryn stared at Zita for a long moment before nodding.
“It’s going to work out. How could it not when you have these amazing friends who all have your back?”
“Friends who’ll all be on the same deployment I will,” Laryn reminded her.
“Well, you’ve got me and Mandy too. And while I have no idea where I’ll be by the time you have that baby, or when you’ll be deployed for the first time after giving birth, I’ll do what I can from wherever I am to help you.”
“Why?”
Zita shrugged. The alcohol she’d consumed was swimming in her bloodstream, making her a little more mushy than she usually would be after meeting someone for the first time.
“Hell if I know. I just know that Sage is a good man. I respect him, and you’re someone he would obviously throw down for, which means you’re good people. So I want to help.”
Laryn smiled. “It sounds so weird to hear Obi-Wan referred to as Sage.”
Zita grinned back at her. “It’s weird for me to think of him as Obi-Wan. I haven’t even seen the movies.”
“What? Are you kidding me?” Sage asked from behind her.
Turning, Zita smiled up at him. “Nope.”
“Change in plans. Star Wars movie marathon is now on the agenda. We’ll order in.”
Zita giggled.
Laryn rolled her eyes. “Not everyone is a Star Wars freak like you, Obi-Wan.”
“She might love it, won’t know until she sees them,” was his response.
“Come on. We could stand here all night shooting the shit, and I’m tired,” Casper said, putting his arm around Laryn’s waist.
“Does that mean PT in the morning won’t be as stupid as it has been recently?” Pyro asked.
Casper grinned. “I believe I already answered that question earlier.”
“Shit.”
“Damn.”
“You just had to open your mouth, didn’t you, Pyro?”
Zita giggled at how disgruntled all the men sounded. They all made their way to the door, but at the last minute, Zita dropped Sage’s hand and dashed over to the bar to thank the bartender for helping to get rid of Carmen and her sidekick.
He smiled and winked at her. “My pleasure. I hope to see you again soon.”
“I think you will,” Zita said a little shyly, as she looked over her shoulder at Sage.
He was waiting by the door, giving her a moment to talk to the man behind the bar.
She headed toward him once again, waving at the girls at the table next to where they’d been sitting, who called out their goodbyes in drunken slurs.
Zita looked back at the bartender, concerned for the women. He correctly read her look right, because he said, “Don’t worry. They’re in here every other week or so, and their husbands take turns at being designated driver. They’ll text one of them when they’re ready to go. They’ll be fine.”
Nodding, and satisfied that the women were in good hands, she made her way back to Sage. His friends had all left the bar by then, and he immediately took her hand in his once more. It felt good. Right. As if they’d been holding hands for months rather than tonight for the first time.
They exited into the cool night air, and Zita saw that Edge and Chaos were still in the lot. They were standing by their cars, shooting the shit.
“They haven’t left?” Zita asked Sage.
“After what happened to Mandy, we’re all sure to never leave anyone alone in the lot again. Just in case.”
Zita felt sad about Mandy’s assault all over again, but she loved that the men had changed their routines to look out for each other. Again, that proved what good men they were.
After settling Zita into the passenger seat of his Jeep, Sage gave his friends a chin lift, which he got in return, before getting behind the wheel. As they headed down the road toward her motel, Zita leaned against the headrest and turned to look at Sage as he drove.
“You good?” he asked, obviously feeling her gaze on him.
“More than. You?”
“Perfect.”
“I hope things will be okay on set tomorrow. And after that,” she mused.
“They will be. I don’t do drama. Carmen most certainly got the hint tonight that she’s barking up the wrong tree with me. It’ll be fine.”
Again, Zita wasn’t so sure, but she kept her mouth shut, not wanting to ruin the mellow mood. All too soon, Sage pulled into the parking lot of her motel, and she told him what room she was in instead of making him drop her off at the lobby.
She trusted him. Some people would think she was making a mistake, but she’d seen firsthand exactly how trustworthy Sage was. If she couldn’t trust him, she was going to become a nun and move to the mountains of Switzerland and live the life of a recluse.
“What’s put that smile on your face?” Sage asked as he pulled into a space in front of her room, and she unfastened her seat belt.
“Nothing,” Zita said, not sure how she could explain how funny the thought of her becoming a nun and wearing a habit was.
“I had a good time tonight. Thanks for being a good sport about the group date thing.”
“It was great. They put me at ease. Let me have the confidence to get out of the rut I’ve been in. Thank you.”
She stared at him as he leaned forward. Had he leaned forward? Was she imagining it? No, he’d definitely moved closer.
Feeling bold, and thrilled that he wanted to kiss her, Zita leaned toward him.
His hand came up and touched her cheek almost reverently, before his lips covered hers.
It was a sweet kiss…at first. But all too quickly, it morphed into something more.
Their mouths opened and they devoured each other. As if they’d known each other for years and this was their first time back together after a long separation.
Zita couldn’t get enough. He tasted faintly like beer and all man. He smelled awesome, probably like the soap he’d used before picking her up tonight. His facial hair brushed against her cheeks, giving her already overloaded senses something else to focus on.
He pulled back way before Zita was ready but kept his hand buried in her hair. She hadn’t even noticed that he’d gathered her loose strands in a fist at the back of her head as they’d kissed.
“I love your hair,” he murmured quietly, slowly loosening his fist, letting the silky strands fall from his fingers.
“It’s too straight,” she complained.
“No such thing,” Sage countered. He stared at her for a long moment, then licked his lips.
The action made her want to kiss him all over again, so she did. The next kiss wasn’t as long or as passionate, but it was no less intimate.
Excited butterflies swam in Zita’s belly. She hadn’t felt like this in years. Probably since she’d made out in her date’s car in a well-known spot after Homecoming her senior year.
“It’s late,” Sage said, after she pulled back to take a breath.
“Yeah.”
“You still want to go out with me again?”
“Yes.” He’d pretty much already asked her out, but she liked that he was making sure they were both on the same page.
“Star Wars movie marathon at my place? If anyone unwanted shows up, we can just refuse to open the door.”
“Sounds perfect.” And it did.
“I’d say I’ll cook for you, but I suck at it. So we’ll order something takeout. I have a whole drawer full of menus of places we can choose from.”
“Okay.”
“And if you hate the movies, we can watch something different.”
“I won’t hate them.”
“We aren’t going to be able to get through them all in one night.” He sounded nervous, which was kind of adorable.
“Okay.”
“Okay.”
“I’ll see you on set in the morning.”
“You will. I’ll have your coffee as usual. I’ll find you.”
Zita smiled at him. Jeez, he was a good man.
She hated when his hand left her hair as she sat back in her seat. Then she reached for the door handle. She felt as if she was floating as she walked to her door. After unlocking it, she looked back at the car. Sage hadn’t pulled away yet, was watching to make sure she got inside safely.
She gave him a little wave, then forced herself to close and bolt the door instead of walking back to the Jeep and inviting him into her room. It was too soon for that, and she was enjoying getting to know him little by little.
But there was no doubt the two of them had explosive chemistry. She couldn’t see the future, but she hoped he didn’t do or say anything that would prove everything he’d shared with her so far was a farce. That he wasn’t as genuine as he seemed.
Smiling, Zita dropped her purse on the floor and headed to the bathroom.
It was late, much later than she usually went to bed, and morning would come very early.
She needed to get some sleep, but even after she’d changed, brushed her teeth, and gotten into bed, the events of the night replayed in her mind.
She could only hope that Carmen wouldn’t be a bitch for the rest of the shoot. It would make things extremely uncomfortable, but Zita wasn’t going to apologize for something Carmen had brought on herself.
It wasn’t too much longer before Zita finally fell asleep, with the memory of Sage’s lips on hers running through her head.