Chapter 19
It took a long moment before Heath’s heartbeat went back to normal. Zoe was incredible, and the way she snuggled into him after they’d cleaned up sent happy feelings flooding through his body.
He didn’t want to let go.
Ever.
But it was too soon for such announcements. She was still dealing with everything that had happened to her. He kissed her forehead, and she stretched lazily.
“That was amazing,” she declared.
“You’re amazing,” he countered. He hadn’t been planning on getting her into his bed so quickly. He had a whole picnic planned, some time to talk, to get to know each other better. Though how a person reacted in a crisis told him a lot about them, and Zoe had reacted admirably.
He hesitated, not quite sure what to say.
Zoe kissed his cheek and shuffled onto her elbow to look at him. “I feel like I should apologise.”
He frowned. “Why?”
“You had this lovely picnic organised, and I jumped your bones before we could have any of it. It wasn’t my plan when I asked to come here,” she admitted. “I just wanted to be alone with you.”
Heath chuckled as his heart warmed at her phrasing and confession. “I have no complaints,” he said. “Jump my bones any time you want.” He kissed her again because he couldn’t help himself and sat up. “If you’re hungry, I can bring the picnic in here.”
Her eyes widened. “In bed?”
“Sure.”
Her grin made his heart sing. “All right.”
“Be right back.” He brought up Rambo’s video of Nisha on his phone and handed it to Zoe before striding out of the room. He placed a hand on his heart which felt like it had swelled to twice its size. He definitely had it bad for her.
He collected the basket and returned to his bedroom where Zoe was sitting up with the sheet pulled up over her breasts.
Shame.
She glanced at him, her eyes damp with tears. “They’re all safe, thanks to you”
He smiled. “Thanks to us. You did as much work as I did.”
She brushed away the tears and nodded. “Us.”
He liked the way that sounded. Quickly he spread the picnic blanket over the cover and pulled out the food he’d brought. He’d decided to go with fresh bread, cheeses, dips and more finger food, with a bit of barbecued chicken in case she wanted some meat.
“This looks incredible.” She helped herself to the cheese and biscuits. She glanced at him. “I managed to eat some fish last night.”
He smiled. “That’s great.” He settled next to her and helped himself to some baguette with paté. “You might like to talk to Dobby’s partner, Mila. We rescued her late last year. She had a different experience, but she’ll understand a little.”
“That would be great,” Zoe said. “I’ll call Aggie and the therapist on Monday as well.”
He squeezed her hand. “Good. It will get easier, and I’m always here if you want to talk about it.”
She stared at him, her expression serious, and he saw the same hesitation in her eyes as he had when she’d been debating about asking him about the kiss in the airport. “What is it?”
Zoe sighed with a smile. “You always seem to know what’s going on in my head.”
“You’re an open book, darling.”
She screwed her nose up and then blurted, “I really like you, Heath. Is that crazy considering we’ve only known each other a few days?”
“It’s been an emotional experience,” he said carefully.
Her face fell, and he hurried to continue.
“We’ve seen each other react in a heightened situation, and that brings a bond that we will never lose.
But I really like you too. I want to spend time with you.
I want to get to know who Zoe is when she’s not running from bad guys, and I want to help you find what’s next for you. ” He paused. “If you want me to.”
“I’d like that.” Zoe smiled.
He leaned over and kissed her. “Then we’re in agreement. So why don’t I warn… sorry, tell you about my teammates who all really want to meet you?”
Zoe grinned, though some concern crossed her features. “I can’t wait to meet them.”
He handed her another biscuit with cheese. “Settle in. This might take a while.”