Chapter 5
CHAPTER 5
P ippa considered the things she’d unpacked on the bed. Aspen had included her freshly laundered clothes as well as all sorts of things for her—the rest of the pack of underwear, another sports bra, a pair of leggings and a couple of T-shirts, the toothbrush she’d used, a blue bath pouf and some body wash, some small tubes of lotion, shampoo, and conditioner, even tampons and a couple of disposable razors.
What a kind woman! She’d obviously put thought into what Pippa would need and gathered supplies for her. When Pippa was back on her feet, she’d think of something to repay her thoughtfulness.
Gathering all the toiletries, Pippa carried them into the bathroom and set the shower things on the inner ledge of the bathtub. Some male toiletries were already there. Pippa figured those must be for when Zale’s brother visited or if one of the team showered there.
Leaving the bathroom, she heard the shower go on and heard a melodic, deep voice. Zale sings in the shower? She grinned as she walked back into the bedroom. Pippa peeked into a drawer in the dresser and found it empty. She stowed the clothing inside to keep everything tidy.
Turning in a circle, she checked out the bedroom. There wasn’t a speck of dust anywhere. She vowed to clean up after herself. Her natural preference for convenience over neatness would clash with Zale’s perfectly ordered life. She needed to be the ultimate guest and follow his ways.
The doorbell rang. Pippa froze in the guest room. Who would that be? She listened to see if Zale had heard. The sound repeated. After grabbing Toothie, Pippa scanned the room, searching for a hiding spot. She didn’t know what gave her bad vibes, but everything inside her was on high alert.
“Go to the back of my closet, little girl. Don’t come out until I call.”
Zale’s voice sounded harsh—so much different from when he usually spoke to her. He didn’t pause but continued to the door. Pippa fled across the hall into the master bedroom and into the back of the closet, hiding herself behind his clothes. She gasped when her arm hit an open metal door. Barely visible in the light from the bedroom, Pippa checked inside an opening, noting a box of ammo and some metal rectangular things. It didn’t take a genius to put the pieces together. Zale was armed.
“Who is it?” his voice called from the front of the house.
She could barely hear him. Leaving her spot wasn’t an option. Pippa slid the clothes apart a fraction, trying to follow what was happening.
After a second’s pause, Zale spoke again. “I don’t recognize you. Show me some identification.”
Again, a few heartbeats later, Pippa heard the door open with a slight squeal. She strained to hear.
“Hi. What’s up?”
She cursed inside, not being able to hear both sides of the conversation. How well did she know Zale? Could she trust him?
Yes. Zale won’t put me in danger.
Needing to trust someone, Pippa leaned back against the wall and tried to calm her pounding heart. It was ridiculous, but she had more faith in Zale than in anyone else.
“Gotcha. I’ll be more careful next time.”
Did she just hear him close the door? Footsteps approached.
“Pippa, it’s okay. Just my elderly next-door neighbor’s adult son. He didn’t like the way I mowed his dad’s yard. Asshole.”
The last of her tattered courage evaporated, and she slid down to the floor. Tears cascaded down her cheeks. Her body shook and she couldn’t stop it.
“Pippa? Oh, God, sweetheart.”
She heard a clunk, and the metal door slammed quickly above her. Zale lowered himself down next to her. He gathered her into his arms, drawing her away from the wall, and lifted her onto his lap. Wrapping his arms around her, Zale rocked her.
“It’s okay, Pippa. I’m not going to let anything happen to you. You’re going into shock. I think everything has collapsed in on you. Focus on my voice and touch. You’re not alone.”
She buried her head into his shoulder and looped her arms around his neck. Pippa pressed herself against his hard form, absorbing his heat. She’d never felt so cold. Her teeth chattered.
“Baby girl. You’re frozen. Can you talk to me?”
She shook her head. Pippa couldn’t form words to tell him how terrified she was. She’d kept herself from panicking for hours in that car as she tried to think of something she could do. There had been nothing. She’d even considered running once when he’d stopped on a deserted road for her to pee, but there’d been nowhere to go. Just open fields.
“I couldn’t get away.”
“You survived, little girl. You waited for your opportunity, and you ran. I think you were smart and brave.”
“I don’t feel very brave,” Pippa whispered.
“You get to feel however you want. I’m very proud of you.”
She couldn’t believe how good his praise felt. Pippa didn’t know why his approval meant that much to her, but it did. Tightening her arms around his neck, she wiggled closer.
“Still cold, kitten?”
Pippa nodded. “Is this ever going to get better?”
“It is. We’re going to make it better.”
“How?”
“Tomorrow morning, we’re going to the police station. We’re going to tell them what happened and make sure whoever is involved in your abduction pays,” Zale said with steel in his voice.
“I-I don’t want to do that,” she stammered, leaning back to meet his gaze. The fear in the pit of her stomach rekindled.
“That’s the only way to stop your fear, Pippa. You can’t keep looking over your shoulder. You take back your life.”
Hope battled fear inside her. Could she ever feel safe? She couldn’t live with this paralyzing terror. Pippa jumped as his fingers slid through her hair, interrupting her spinning mind.
“You’re okay, Pippa. I’m going to make sure of it. Will you trust me?”
Pippa couldn’t think of anyone she’d trust more than Zale. Even after less than twenty-four hours, she knew he was rock solid. “I trust you.”
“Thank you, kitten. Let’s get out of this closet. Okay?”
“Okay,” she whispered.
“Good girl.” He reached to the side for the fierce alligator stuffie that had fallen out of her arms when he’d scooped her onto his lap. “You hold on to Toothie.”
Zale slid a muscular forearm under her legs and powered his way to his feet in a move that made Pippa aware of his strength. He carried her into the bathroom and set her on the vanity. Grabbing a washcloth from the towel rack, he wet it and wiped the traces of her tears from her face.
“There. I bet that’s better.”
She nodded and watched him open a drawer to pull out a hairbrush still in its packaging. Zale opened it. After discarding the plastic shell, he picked up a section of her long hair and ran the bristles gently through the lower half. When he had that section tangle-free, he started on another.
Zale never rushed or seemed bored with his task. Pippa relaxed as he proceeded to untangle the top section just as cautiously. Her scalp had always been tender. He didn’t hurt her at all.
“You’re good at that.”
He winked. “For a guy with no hair,” he teased.
She considered his military short hairstyle and said, “You have hair. It’s just abbreviated.”
“That word is longer than my hair.”
Her gaze met his. Her heart lurched in her chest at his twinkling eyes. Zale made everything better. Those dark eyes could be frightening when he was in protector mode. Now, they danced with humor and enjoyment of the smallest of things.
“Thank you for taking care of me.”
“You’re welcome, kitten, but caring about you is easy. Now, let me show you my patented braiding technique.”
In a short time, he had her wavy hair tamed into a thick plait at the back of her head. Holding the ends together, Zale opened the top drawer and considered the contents. He grabbed a small square dispenser of dental floss and ripped off a long piece. She held back her laughter as he wrapped it around several times before tying the white strand into a bow.
“Perfect!” he announced.
“You’re really good at what you do, aren’t you?”
“Good? Nah. I’m awesome,” he corrected her modestly.
That made her laugh out loud. “You are. Totally.”
A thought crossed her mind. “Did you get to finish your shower?” She scanned his body and yanked her gaze back to his face when she noticed his shaft displayed against the gray sweatpants. He obviously had not had time to pull on briefs under that thin fabric. If he’s that thick at rest…
“I can finish later if you’d rather,” he told her. “Need me to put on more clothes before dinner?”
“I won’t look.”
“I like knowing that you’re attracted to me. That blush is the cutest thing I’ve seen in a long time. You’re a beautiful woman, Pippa. May I kiss you, kitten?”
“Please.”
He braced his hands on the edge of the vanity on either side of her thighs and leaned in to press his lips to hers lightly. That was definitely not the kind of kiss Pippa had expected. She circled his neck with her arms and pulled herself closer.
“More, please,” she requested.
“So polite,” he praised and lowered his mouth to hers again.
This time he wooed her mouth into opening under his and deepened the kiss further by sliding his tongue into her mouth to taste her. Daringly, Pippa sucked on his tongue lightly as she slid hers underneath. His deep groan of enjoyment rumbled through her, igniting the desire building inside her. When he lifted his head after several seconds, they were both breathing heavily.
“You are going to be dangerous, kitten,” he growled as he looked down at her with a hungry expression.
“We could finish your shower together,” she suggested.
“Not going to happen.”
“Why?”
“You’re recovering from a traumatic event. When we make love, it won’t happen because you want to think about something else. I want you completely focused on us.”
Pippa wanted to argue with that, but he made complete sense. She nodded. “I want that, too.”
“So, we wait until we’re both ready. Now. I’m going to sit you on my bed with my tablet and you’re going to play a game or order a book to read while I make sure the soap is rinsed off.”
He lifted her from the vanity and carried her to the king-size bed. Pulling a modern, large iPad from his nightstand, he said, “My code is an L pattern,” and showed her how to open the tablet. As she leaned over the device, he bent down and kissed her head. “Be back in a minute, kitten. Don’t miss me too much.”
It only took a couple of minutes for the singing to resume in the shower. The temptation was strong to go peek into the bathroom. She could probably see through the clear shower panels from the doorway. Instead, she forced herself to choose an app. Opening a word game, she laughed as she instinctively hummed along with the song currently on the shower mock radio station Pippa decided to call Hot Soldier Daddy FM.