Chapter 7 Zeke
Zeke
Imoved around the kitchen using cooking to shake off the lustful leer Orion gave me after our training or the way my body reacted to his muscular form.
Getting involved with him would be incredibly unwise, even if he was objectively hot as fuck.
The man had been through serious emotional trauma.
The last thing he needed was me developing an ill-advised crush.
After stuffing the chicken, I slid it into the oven on the same rack as the potatoes.
Once I cut the broccoli, I could put them in to roast and it was just a matter of waiting for everything to cook.
The planning worked out perfectly as everything would be done at the same time.
I hadn’t worked as a chef in more than fifty years, but the familiar acts of prepping a meal came back as if I’d never stopped.
Originally, I’d planned dinner to be a peace offering, but after all the back-and-forth ogling, the peace talks had concluded and we were making alliances now.
The change was good and bad. We needed to work seamlessly for the mission to succeed, but if we got too close, my hormones were sure to distract me.
Locating the source of the Drevlin technology had to be my priority, but now I didn’t know which route was better.
Orion’s footsteps announced him before he spoke. “I looked over the plans you left in my room for setting up detectors.”
I glanced up from my cutting to see he’d changed into black slacks and a crisp, blue, button-down shirt after his shower.
The dressy attire seemed out of place for a casual dinner, making me wonder if he was trying to make an impression.
I quickly diverted my gaze before my perfidious eyes lingered too long.
“You had some good ideas for blanketing the area,” Orion continued. “But I think we’ll need more widespread coverage. Maybe set a few up farther out to triangulate.”
“Good point.” I turned toward him, keeping my eyes firmly focused on his face. “Can I assume you’ve had experience with this type of operation?”
“I can go over my thoughts after we eat.” Orion leaned against the counter, seemingly oblivious to the effect his broad shoulders stretching the fabric of his shirt had on me. “Whatever you’re making smells delicious.”
A small thrill went through me at the compliment. It wasn’t my most elaborate meal, but it was quick and tasty. “Thanks. We’re having chicken stuffed with wild rice, rosemary potatoes, and roasted broccoli.”
“Sounds amazing and nutritious. Hats off to the chef.” His dark eyes roamed over me in a manner I couldn’t quite interpret before he straightened up. “Can I help with anything? Set the table, maybe?”
“Sure, that’d be great.” I tossed the broccoli florets with olive oil, salt, and pepper, keenly aware of Orion moving around behind me.
I told myself to breathe and get a grip.
He was completely off-limits. Pushing aside any unprofessional thoughts, I spread the broccoli on a baking sheet and readied it for the oven.
Orion opened and closed cabinets searching for what he needed.
I knew the feeling. It was odd working in someone else’s kitchen.
We finished the last few tasks in not as awkward as I expected silence, seemingly in sync despite our rough start.
Whatever Gabriel said or did to Orion, it was as if a switch had been thrown and he was a different angel.
This was the angel Dad talked about when I was a kid.
Kind, thoughtful, big hearted, and the best fighter he’d ever trained.
In many ways, it would be easier to not like him and keep him at arm’s length. He was insanely hot and sexy, and if there wasn’t any reason to dislike him, it was going to be a daily struggle not to fall for him hard.
Shaking my head, I slid the vegetables into the oven.
Not fall for him? I was pretty sure I had and very sure Orion had caught me staring.
He’d been kind not to say anything, but I saw the way he looked at me.
I was a dumb kid who had a crush on a legend.
He was probably trying to think of a way to let me down without jeopardizing things.
Christ on sparkly pink scooter, if I let my dick fuck this up, how was I ever going to face Dad or the rest of the family? I’d have to try harder because failing wasn’t an option.
“The table is set, Chef Ezekiel,” Orion said with an outlandishly over-the-top bow. I laughed because he was trying to be funny, and he’d succeeded. If we maintained this level of detached teamwork, maybe we had a chance at success. I just needed him to stop being so . . . so everything.
I was so fucked.
After dinner, we settled in the living room to go over the map and files. I sat cross-legged on the floor, surrounded by the printouts and images I’d compiled. Orion took a nearby armchair, leaning forward with interest as I handed him the thick binder containing my research and plans.
“When did you have time to put all this together?” he asked, flipping through the pages.
I shifted, trying to get comfortable on the hardwood floor. “The past two days. Once Michael gave me the assignment, I wanted to be thorough.”
Orion looked up with an arched brow. “I’d say that’s an understatement.”
Bracing my hands on the floor, I groaned as I pushed myself upright.
A dull ache radiated from my shoulders and lower back.
I needed to not let Orion dump me on my ass or figure out how to fall without bruising my back.
Probably best to concentrate on the latter because Orion was a dozen leagues ahead of me.
I stretched to work out the kinks, and Orion stood up and put his hands gently on my shoulders. The act took me by surprise. “What are you doing?”
“I can help work out the knots.” He kneaded my muscles for a second, before pulling his hands back like I was on fire. “Did I cross a line?”
“No, why would you think that?” I asked, before I thought about my answer.
“I should’ve asked before I touched you,” he said.
He resumed work and his fingers dug into the tense muscles of my neck and shoulders.
A shiver raced down my spine at the intimate contact as he kneaded with firm pressure.
Despite my best efforts, I couldn’t stop thoughts of his hands roaming further.
I told myself not to go there, but it didn’t work.
“You’re incredibly tense,” Orion murmured, working his thumbs in small circles. “When was the last time you had a proper massage?”
Too long. Way, way too long. I bit back the words, my face flushing as my body betrayed me, arousal stirring embarrassingly in my khakis. Clearing my throat, I tried to keep my voice level. “Uh, it’s been a while, but you don’t have to do this.”
“Don’t be silly, you’re a mess of knots.” His hands slid lower, palms gliding over my shoulder blades. “I feel like this is partly my fault. Plus, I’m a trained massage therapist.”
Of all the things he could have said, that ranked up there with the most unlikely. “You are?”
“Go figure,” he said, continuing to work my muscles into a glob of goo. “I needed something to do with my free time.”
He said it so quickly, I think he was embarrassed by the idea. Maybe as embarrassed as I was going to be if he noticed what his ministrations did to my body.
“Honestly, a massage will relax your muscles and help them heal quicker.”
The thought brought a new rush of blood southward. As amazing as his hands felt, there was no way I could hide my arousal if he went further.
“I, uh, I should probably pass,” I said quickly. “I might . . . embarrass myself if you keep going like that.”
Orion’s movements stilled, and for a horrible moment, I feared I’d said too much. But rather than pulling away, he surprised me by giving my shoulders a gentle squeeze.
“Then lie down on your stomach,” he said matter-of-factly. “That way your virtue will remain intact, and I can still do my job of making sure you recover properly from training.”
I should’ve protested. Angels had healing powers that would fix me up before I woke up. The more primal part of my brain, however, leapt at the chance to have those talented hands on me again. Orion seemed to read my hesitation.
“Don’t make me insist,” he added, a hint of a smile in his voice. “You need this. There’s a table in the basement. Get undressed, wrap a towel around your waist, and lie face down on the padding. Once you’re ready, call me. I promise not to perv on you.”
The problem was I totally wanted him to perv on me. Now that he’d put it that way, I couldn’t get the image of him taking me however he wanted out of my head. Fuck. Shit. Damn.
“Insist?”
“I’m supposed to protect you. If you’re too sore to fight, I’ll have failed.”
It was totally logical, except he didn’t know what he did to me. I nodded because if I tried to speak, words wouldn’t come out.
The black massage table was in the corner. A stack of towels rested on a shelf to the left. I slowly stripped off my clothes and wrapped the oversized white cotton fabric around my waist.
Slowly, my hands trembling, I lowered myself onto the table and got settled.
I’d gotten massages before, and they didn’t arouse me even when the masseuse was drop-dead gorgeous.
I reminded myself this was a clinical massage not meant to offer happy endings or even erotic touches. Just relax and repair.
“Orion. I’m set.”
He started down the stairs immediately, and I turned my head toward the wall so he couldn’t see how ashamed I felt. I tried not to tense up as Orion started on my calves. His touch alone sent a jolt through my body. This was going to be torture.
True to his word, Orion kept things professional, his palms and fingertips working methodically over my back and shoulders. But those hands. Callused yet gentle, he found every knot and tight muscle with unfailing accuracy. I bit my lip, but it didn’t stop the small groans of pleasure.
By the time he finally stopped, I felt utterly boneless, my body a puddle of relaxed contentment. Orion stepped back, dropping a chaste pat on my shoulder.
“Better?” he asked.
I turned because I owed him the respect of looking him in the eye. “That doesn’t begin to describe how much that helped. Thank you so much. I owe you.”
“That was the point,” he said with a smile. “And you don’t owe me. Dinner was wonderful, but I should have realized you’d be sore and stopped you from cooking.”
He needed to go back to being a jerk. “It didn’t hurt until I sat on the floor. I—”
The light flickered and the odd tingling sensation of alien energy fluttered across my skin. I sat up as a second flicker disrupted the house. An old incandescent bulb popped and didn’t come back on. I looked at Orion and his expression matched mine. Shit just got real in a hurry.
“Get dressed and meet me back in the living room when you’re ready,” he said. “We’ve got work to do.”
He didn’t wait for me to answer before he bounded up the stairs. All the inappropriate thoughts of Orion vanished in a whisper of Drevlin energy brushing our skin.
Until that moment, everything was abstract. Words on a page, something that would happen in the future. No more.
I quickly got dressed, happy in a way for the distraction of hidden danger. I had a feeling things were about to accelerate rapidly toward a climax. Time to get serious.