Chapter 13 Zeke #2
Orion finished his third helping of the butter basted sirloin tips I whipped up after we showered again.
He was sweet when he tried to help, and while washing and peeling the spuds wasn’t exactly cooking, the garlic mashed potatoes had been delicious in no small part due to his efforts.
I finished it off with roasted asparagus drizzled with olive oil and lemon zest. The meal, while not terribly fancy, was special enough for our first date night.
It might be a bit premature to call it a date night, but the way Orion looked at me, I had no doubts we were more than friends. There was a lot for us to work out, but he’d been clear I could ask him anything and he’d tell me.
I watched him over the rim of my wine glass as he put his knife and fork down. The expression on his face said he enjoyed the food, which was totally satisfying. Food porn was one way to a man’s heart.
“That was incredible, Zeke.” He held up his wine glass to toast me. “How did you do this in such a short time?”
The compliment, offered so freely and sincerely, made me glow inside. The heady feeling of finally being open and honest with each other did nothing to diminish the electricity between us. If anything, it heightened the sense of intimacy. I felt lighter, unburdened in a way that made me brave.
I took a sip to make the moment last a little longer. “Cooking isn’t as hard as people think. It just takes practice and training. A trained mechanic can easily fix something I couldn’t with days to try.”
“Can you teach me? I’d like to be able to make you dinner sometimes but don’t want to poison you.”
The request took me by surprise. I could teach him, but did I want to?
It was something special I could do for him.
Did I want to give up my one unique talent?
The way he watched me, I realized how foolish such thinking was.
I’d never be as good a fighter as Orion, but his training made me better.
“Sure, but not because I’m worried you’ll kill me with your cooking.
It takes more effort to create something toxic than delicious. ”
“You’ve never tasted my cooking.”
I hadn’t, but his wanting to learn left me eager to see how he did. “Maybe not, but it’s sweet of you to want to learn.”
Orion’s watch ruined our moment by pinging with an incoming call request. He glanced and almost frowned. “Gabriel.”
With obvious reluctance, he accepted the transmission. A crisp holographic image flickered to life in the middle of the table. Gabriel was seated in what appeared to be his office. He smiled before he spoke.
“Did I interrupt dinner?”
“Yes,” Orion said. “But we’d mostly finished.”
“I remember going to your restaurant in Paris, Zeke. If you’re putting that skill to work, Orion is a lucky angel.”
I felt the tips of my ears burn, but I didn’t turn away. “Yes, he’s quite lucky. Having an appreciative guest brings out the chef in me.”
Gabriel cleared his throat. “Excellent. I’m glad to hear you’ve gotten past your rocky start.”
“Gabe, I assume you called not just to see how we were getting along.” Orion’s tone made it clear Gabriel was interrupting us.
“Yes, of course.” He twisted and tapped something to his left.
Admittedly, I hadn’t been around Gabriel too many times in my life, but I’d never seen nor heard of him being rattled. At that moment, however, he was quite flustered.
“We’ve, ah . . . analyzed the data you transmitted. It’s perplexing to say the least. I’ll send you the conclusions, but the bottom line is we need to neutralize it before it becomes a threat.”
I sat up straighter. We couldn’t disable it long range. “You realize we’ll need to capture it to make sure it isn’t used.”
Orion stiffened beside me. “Gabe, we’re talking about engaging Lael and his team directly. We only saw three others, but even that’s too many for the two of us. It’s too dangerous.”
I put my hand over Orion’s. Gabriel’s eyes followed where my hand rested. “You two need to lead the team. You’ve both been to the property, and Zeke has seen the operation firsthand. Frankly, none of the other scientists are trained for a field mission.”
“Neither is Zeke!” Orion slapped the table with his free hand.
“Yes, I am.”
Orion tore his attention from Gabriel’s image and fixed it on me. He never asked the question I knew he wanted answered.
“Dad trained me since I was twelve. Not like he did Jax and the others, but I can hold my own. You said I was better than you expected, and that’s because I’ve had some practice.”
“There is a big gap between ‘some practice’ and being mission ready.”
Breathing steadily, I kept my cool. His attitude came from the best place, but it still needed to be adjusted. I reached toward the image. “Excuse us, Gabriel.”
Without waiting for Gabriel to agree, I paused the transmission. “Ori—”
“It’s too dangerous. Lael’s good. Not as good as me, but I can’t fight him off and protect you from three or more of his accomplices.”
I didn’t need affirmation of his feelings, but this shouted them loud and clear.
“Thank you. I appreciate you care about me. But . . .” I held up my hand hoping he’d let me finish.
He squeezed his lips shut and nodded. “I’m not agreeing to go if it’s just you and me.
You’re an amazing fighter, but I won’t risk your life, either. ”
I put a hand on his cheek. “I love that you’re worried for me, but trust that I have a healthy streak of self-preservation. I’m agreeing to go, and so are you, but Gabriel needs to send us a team or both of us are staying home.”
“Telling me what to do, are you?” His smirk gave away his true meaning.
“Sometimes, but only when I’m wearing clothes. Once I lose those, I prefer you give the commands.”
He snickered and shook his head. “You’re going to make my life interesting, aren’t you?”
Despite the moment, a deep feeling spread through me. He’d already accepted we were an us. “For as long as you let me be in your life, you should count on it.”
Orion surprised me by pulling me closer so he could kiss me. “I already am.”
Before I could respond, he resumed the call. “Fine. We’re in, but we need to talk resources.”
Gabriel held up a placating hand. “Relax. I’ve ordered a team to support you and secure the area once it’s clear. They’ll be there in the morning.”
The idea of deliberately walking into what amounted to the perfect suicide situation made my heart thunder. Not just out of fear for myself but also the thought of Orion being hurt trying to protect me. Dad had warned me about the staggering risk of having someone you care about exposed to danger.
“That’s a good start,” I said, keeping my voice as level as possible despite my inner turmoil. “But we’ll need a plan to mitigate the danger Lael and his machines present.”
“Of course,” Gabriel said. “I’ll have our people work up a full tactical assessment overnight and we can discuss it in the morning.”
I wasn’t a warrior, so I wasn’t used to these types of situations. My hands were clammy, and I felt that tingling in the pit of my stomach that I got when I was anxious as all get out. When this was over, I needed to have a long talk with Dad about the experience.
“Can they be here by 9:00 a.m.?”
“That’s workable,” Gabriel said. The serious expression he wore most of the conversation changed in a heartbeat. “And congratulations. For what it’s worth, I think you are perfect for each other.”
He flickered out, leaving me and Orion to stare open-mouthed at each other. Ori recovered first and started laughing. “I’m going to kill him.”
I lacked the homicidal tendencies, but I wasn’t above putting a colony of fire ants under Gabriel’s house. “At least we don’t need to worry about how to tell everyone.”
Silence hung heavy for a long beat. Then Orion let out a low breath. “You’re okay with that, right?”
I couldn’t figure out what he asked because all I heard was he agreed we were a couple. He didn’t say it outright, but the implication was clear. And that made me extremely happy. “Not really. I wanted to tell them ourselves.”
“I meant us. Are you okay with us being a couple?”
I moved so I could kneel beside him. “Yes. Unequivocally, without any doubts, yes.”
“Much as I like you on your knees before me, this conversation requires we face each other.” He stood and pulled me to my feet.
“I might have been too stupid to let myself acknowledge it, but you woke something in me I thought I’d lost a long time ago.
I feel more alive than I have in centuries.
” He smiled ruefully. “Maybe Gabe and Michael were onto something when they hoped putting us together would spark something.”
A surprised laugh bubbled up from my chest. “You think they orchestrated this?” I ran my free hand between us.
“I wouldn’t put it past them.” Orion chuckled deep in his throat. “Especially Michael. He’s never been shy about meddling. But it doesn’t matter if he did, my feelings are my own.”
My heart soared at his words, at the naked emotion shining through. Shifting, I slid my arms around his solid frame and rested my head against his shoulder. “Mine too.”
We stayed locked together for several seconds. Orion’s embrace tightened, and he kissed the top of my head. I reluctantly let go.
“Let’s clean up. I’ll wash the pots. No offense, but I’m gonna need to give you lessons. I don’t cook in dirty pans.”
“I think I’m going to need to have you get naked a lot. Otherwise, you’re going to be ordering me around.”
My dick swelled at the thought of being naked and on my knees waiting for him to take control. I groaned and turned on the cold water. Running my hands under the tap, it only helped marginally. “You’re awful. You know we can’t do that tonight.”
“You act like those thoughts don’t affect me, too.
If I had my way, I’d strip you naked right now and not let you get dressed until morning.
” The lascivious leer on his face was filthy and undid all the good the cold water had done and then some.
“But tomorrow is too dangerous for us to not be at our best. The clothes stay on tonight.”
He was right, but I wasn’t giving up all my needs. “Can we sleep in my bed together? I want you to hold me tonight. If that won’t be too much.”
Orion grabbed the dish towel with a flourish. “I was going to ask the same thing. We both need to promise to be good. That way one of us will hopefully remember.”
He talked a good game, but I was positive he wouldn’t let us do anything he thought would put me in danger.
That made me even happier than the idea of him taking control during sex.
“Sounds like a plan. And speaking of plans, we need to finish this so we can review the data Gabriel sent. I’m not saying I think we’re smarter than them, but I want to be sure we’re both on board before it starts. ”
“Agreed.”
I handed him the pot, and he dried it with a stupid grin. It reminded me of my parents and how they always smiled at each other doing the littlest things together. I knew Ori and I didn’t have anything close to their level of connection, but it was a very good beginning.