Chapter 15
CHAPTER 15
R ing , ring , ring
Zain blinked and rubbed his eyes. He’d just lain down in bed and had forgotten to turn off his ringer. Sitting up, he picked up his phone.
Dana’s name on the screen had him surging to his feet. “Hello?”
“Z-Zain. It’s me.”
The fear in her voice shook his senses.
Without a second thought, he turned on the lamp, reached for his jeans, and pulled them on. “What’s wrong? Where are you?”
A shuddering inhale. “Someone attacked me in my apartment.”
His blood turned to lead. “Are you hurt?”
“N-No. I knocked him out.”
Pride welled in his chest, but he didn’t waste another second. “Where are you exactly?”
“In my car. I just left my building. I should call the police. I don’t know what I’m doing. I—”
“It’s okay. Just keep driving. Stay on the line with me, and I’ll get to you. Can you head toward Evergreen Point bridge?”
“Yes,” she said, steel entering her voice. “I can do that.”
Goddammit, he just wanted to hold her. To let her come unglued. He should’ve been there. Fuck. He should have stayed with her. If he hadn’t been such a pussy and asked to stay with her, he could have protected her. He swiped his keys from the dresser and ran from his room.
In seconds he was out the front door and shielding his head from the rain. He was a good fifteen minutes from the bridge. Which was fifteen minutes too fucking long. He peeled out of the driveway, probably waking his mom from a dead sleep. Bluetooth kicked in, and he heard Dana’s soft breath over the speakers in his truck. “Did you get a good look at him?”
“Um, no.” Her voice was hoarse, making the ache in him run deeper. “It happened so fast. I knew something wasn’t right when I went to unlock the door. But nothing seemed out of the ordinary, and—”
“It’s not your fault. Can you remember anything that might identify him?”
“He wore a ski mask. All black. And—” She made a choking sound. “Gloves. Latex gloves. He was going to kill me.”
Zain muttered a curse. Obviously killing Dana was the asshole’s motivation, but hearing her come to that realization undid him. He’d murder the bastard with his bare hands. “What about a tattoo? Piercing?”
“Not that I saw.” She exhaled. “Wait. He had a scar through his eyebrow.”
“Okay, good. That’s something.” He kept her talking as he drove through the city on autopilot, grateful as hell he’d grown up in Seattle and didn’t need to plan his route. Dana had already parked near the bridge and was waiting.
A few minutes later he pulled into the concrete boardwalk lot that hosted food trucks in the summer. A few cars were in the lot, but Dana’s sedan stood out like a beacon. He pulled up next to her vehicle and hopped out.
He was at her door before she even had it open. Catching her around the waist, he lifted her into his arms and held her to his chest. Her fragrant scent tickled his nostrils. He smoothed his hand down her back, and she shook in his arms.
Pulling away, he lowered her to her feet and cradled her cheek with his palm. Tipping her chin up with his thumb, he examined her face. A streetlamp illuminated her smooth, pale skin, accentuating her bruise. He couldn’t wait for it to vanish.
Tears filled her blue eyes, and his heart twisted. “I’m sorry I wasn’t with you.”
She sniffed. “It’s not your fault. There was no reason for you to be with me. ”
He clenched his jaw. “There is now. Someone’s after you. Probably because of me. And until I find out who, you’re staying with me.”
She lowered her gaze to his mouth then slowly dragged her eyes up to meet his again. And damn if that look didn’t stir his desire.
“Is that okay?” He should’ve asked, not told her, but he also wasn’t letting her out of his sight whether she liked it or not. He could at least be polite about it, though.
She swiped a tear from her cheek. “Where will we go?”
He dragged his thumb along the slant of her jaw. So fucking pretty. He wanted nothing more than to kiss her again. To tell her he hadn’t stopped thinking about that kiss at Ali’s, and that he needed to know if she felt the same.
He swallowed the words before he said shit he couldn’t take back. Right now, she needed to feel safe, not poached by a sexually depraved dick.
“Let me figure that out, okay? We’re gonna leave your car here for the night, though. Come on.” He caught her arm, and something warm and sticky touched his palm. She winced and let out a sharp whoosh of air.
Lifting her arm, he froze. Blood dripped from her forearm down to her wrist. A thick gash, probably two inches in length, split her skin. “Shit. You’re hurt.”
She twisted her arm to look at it. “He tried to stab me. I blocked it.”
He locked down his expression, fighting the urge to put a hole through her window. Rage rattled his muscles, but he forced a composure he didn’t feel. “I have a first aid kit in my truck.”
He led her to his vehicle and lifted her into the front passenger seat. She probably could’ve gotten up there herself, but he couldn’t stop touching her. He’d carry her around all damn night if it meant no one would hurt her again.
But that was stupid. She was in danger because of him, not despite him. It might be his fault she’d been attacked, but he wouldn’t let it happen again.
The fierceness of this realization made his hands shake. He’d never trembled over a woman. Never worried so much about anyone else’s life. When his unit died, he’d been shaken. Distraught. Furious.
But this was different. Maybe because the blame fell on him. Maybe because she was a woman. Or maybe because his heart was getting in the way and Dana was a lot more dangerous than her dazzling blue eyes let on.
***
In the truck, Dana watched as Zain methodically cleaned up the blood coating her arm. Strange, but she’d forgotten about the gash until Zain pointed it out.
Now it hurt like a bitch .
“This is gonna sting.”
She cringed and turned away as he squirted liquid fire—alcohol—on the wound. She let out a sharp hiss as the astringent disinfected her as effectively as bleach.
“Sorry.”
At least he sounded apologetic. A second later, a cool breeze lessened the sting eating at her flesh. She opened her eyes. Zain held his lips close to her cut, blowing gently over the injury. “Okay?”
She nodded because she couldn’t do anything else but wish those lips would linger in other places.
Before she could haul her mind from the gutter, he had a laceration bandage on her skin and gauze wrapped around that. “How’d you get away?”
She swallowed, and the dry walls of her throat nearly stuck together. “I hit him with a heavy lamp. Knocked him out.”
Zain blew out a breath. “Must’ve been a heavy-ass lamp.”
“Porcelain.”
“You’re tough as nails. I’m sorry you’ve been through all this.” He smiled, and if she didn’t know any better, she wouldn’t suspect there was fury burning behind those glittering eyes. Not at her. The anger had flashed in his tightened face the moment he asked about her escape.
He quickly collected her phone, purse, and shoes from her car and returned. They were on the road a minute later. Part of her needed to know where they were going, but she was mostly too tired to care. The adrenaline crash was making her brain mush.
“Should we call the police?” she asked.
He grunted. “I don’t think they’re going to help. Besides, I’m sure he’s long gone. I’ll call Maxine when we get settled. She’ll know the best way to handle it.” He covered her knee with his large, warm palm. “We’re gonna get a hotel for the night. I’ll have Rami bring me some clothes, and we’ll stop at your place tomorrow.”
“Okay.” She rested her head back against the seat. Nothing mattered right now except getting to a bed as fast as possible.
Half an hour later, they had checked into a ritzy hotel downtown with a view of the harbor, and Dana sat in the one-bedroom suite while Zain spoke low on the phone in the living room, on the other side of the door.
Hearing him relay the details of her attack told her he was speaking to either Rami or Maxine. Her body hummed with the need to lie down, but now her brain fired with activity. Her mind kept replaying the memory of the man lunging at her, knife inches from slicing her throat.
She pressed her fingers to her closed eyes and tried to focus on her breath.
You’re okay. He’s gone. He didn’t kill you .
This time .
She shuddered and got to her feet. She desperately wanted to get out of her clothes, the feel of the attacker still fresh on her skin. Breezing to the closet, she pulled out a housecoat and then went to the bathroom. She stripped and pulled on the robe. A shower would make her feel better, but she was too damn tired and probably shouldn’t get her cut wet.
After tightening the tie, she scrubbed her face clean, rinsed her mouth with the complimentary mouthwash since she didn’t have a toothbrush, and finger-combed her hair.
When she exited the bathroom, Zain was just entering the bedroom. “Hey,” he said, his voice smooth as he scanned her from her toes to her hair.
A little thrill swarmed in her tummy as she sank onto the bed. “Did you talk to Maxine?”
He folded his arms across his chest, his expression murderous. “Yeah. She sent agents to your apartment. She’ll give me an update when we speak in the morning.”
She nodded slowly, lowering her gaze to her bare feet. “Thanks for coming. I’m sorry.”
He sat on the bed beside her, cupping her neck. His hands were so thick and comforting, she could melt into them for hours. Lifting her lashes, she met his stare.
Determination blazed from his irises. “Don’t be sorry. I shouldn’t have let you leave by yourself earlier. It’s my fault this happened.”
She frowned and gave a light laugh. “How? You had no reason to stay with me. It’s not like we expected this to happen.”
Something blipped across his face, and the hard, chiseled planes softened. “No, I didn’t expect you’d get attacked. If I’d thought for one minute you were in danger, I would’ve gone with you.” He shifted his gaze toward the window, his hand twitching on the base of her neck.
Then he pinned her with his unwavering stare again. Some of the rage that always seemed to burn at the edges of his demeanor had diminished. The anger was still there, but she sensed it more than witnessed it. He was unraveling from his mission. And maybe, just maybe he’d reveal the true Zain to her.
“I should’ve stayed with you because it felt wrong when you left.” The words rasped out on a hungry whisper. “I don’t know how else to say it. You left and part of me stayed with you. It was a fucked-up feeling.”
His words engulfed her heart. She bit down on her bottom lip as warmth spread through her. But she reminded herself that he was being protective. He’d guarded her from the moment he rescued her from the prison cell—that’s why he had those feelings. He felt responsible for her.
Nothing more.
Still, she leaned into him. “I wanted to stay with you too.” Her voice cracked as she spoke.
If Zain had been with her, nothing bad would’ve happened. He’d have caught the man, and they’d have answers. But that was only part of it.
The other part was that she wanted him. She wanted him to hold her. To kiss her like he’d done. To not be afraid to touch her because god, she needed him.
Soft breaths came in and out through his nose. His fingers toyed with the sensitive strands at the back of her head, and she rested her hand on his shoulder. “You make me feel safe, Zain. It’s not your job to protect me, but...” Words failed her.
She sniffed as a rush of emotion flooded her, stealing the resolve that’d kept her trauma at bay.
Zain pulled her to his chest, tucking her face into the crook of his neck. “Shhh. You don’t need to say anything else. I’m not going anywhere.”
With her snuggled in his arms, he stretched out on his back. She let her body mold to his side, let his arms envelop her like a cocoon. His broad length was the only solidity in her life right now. And so help her, she’d cling to him until she reached stable ground.
She wanted out of the robe. His body against hers. His flesh touching her. She propped herself up onto her arm and stared down at him.
His black T-shirt stretched over his stacked chest. He bent one arm behind his head and lifted a thick, quizzical eyebrow.
She kept her hand on his pec. She shouldn’t do this. Shouldn’t touch him. But for some inexplicable reason she couldn’t stop. “I owe you a thank-you.”
The corners of his mouth dipped. “You don’t owe me shit.”
Dammit. She was screwing this up. She wanted more than to thank him. Zain did something to her. His touch brought her to life, and his kiss had detonated her. She wanted more of that. Even if just for one night. Casual sex wasn’t her thing. She’d never been about that. But she needed to feel connected to someone, needed to feel Zain’s hands on her again. She’d die if he thought she was only doing it to say thank you, though. And he surely wouldn’t want an appreciation fuck.
She slid her hand over his stubble. The short, coarse hair tickled her skin and sent a rush through her core. “Yes, I do. You saved my life, Zain. You were there when I needed you and—”
He caught her wrist and rolled into a sitting position. His fast movement brought her up to sit before him. His grip on her arm was firm and urgent. “I mean it. I don’t want to hear that. You came looking for me. At the time, I thought you showing up was trouble.” His jaw rocked. “I didn’t save you, Dana. You saved me.”
Tears burned her eyes. His words surrounded her heart. From the moment she’d learned he was missing, she wanted to help. Wanted to bring the wounded, tortured soldier home. But he hadn’t been what she’d thought. That miscalculation had hurt her pride more than she wanted to admit, but his risking his life for her time and again had been her biggest failure.
She shook her head. “If you hadn’t killed Rakesh and those other men, I’d be dead. If you don’t think that’s worthy of my gratitude, then you need your head examined.”
His frown morphed into a grin. He chuckled and rubbed his beard with the back of his fingers. There was a spark in his golden eyes that hadn’t been there before. She loved watching him come to life. Every emotion he expressed was like another layer peeled off an onion, and if she’d done anything this whole mission, she’d helped with that.
“Honey, if it’s your gratitude you want to give me, I’ll take it. But nothing more.”
Her stomach hardened. She curled her fingers away from his face and tucked her hair behind her ear. “Of course. I didn’t mean it like that.”
Heat blasted her cheeks, and shame kept her from looking at him. Zain’s hand caught her chin firmly. “Don’t think for a fucking minute I don’t want you. It’s not that.” Fire blazed from his brooding face. “I don’t want you to feel obligated to... be with me.”
He expelled a breath through his nose, his nostrils flaring. “I don’t want to hurt you, Dana. It’s been a long time for me.” The confession came out softly but as loud as bullets hitting metal.
“You’d never hurt me.”
His eyelids flickered. “I haven’t been with a woman in over three years. And I don’t want to screw up our first time.”
She wrapped her fingers around his wrist, and his thumb twitched near the corner of her mouth. She brought his palm to her lips and placed a kiss on the meaty, calloused part of his hand. “I’d rather you try it out with me than anyone else.”
The fire in his eyes turned to an inferno of desire, burning its way to her loins.