Fifteen
ALYSSA
“YOU REALLY THINK they’re going to be able to pull it off?” I ask Sarah, pointing to the bathroom door where Holly and Reilly have just switched clothes with each other.
Reilly says she needs a quick escape from the building to avoid, in her words, all that is Bray. She wouldn’t elaborate on why she was avoiding him, just that it was for the greater good.
“It works on everyone but us—it will work. Not sure why she wants to avoid that piece of delicious cucumber though. I mean, are they just breeding them tall, dark and handsome in this family? If so, please tell me there is another brother hiding somewhere.” Sarah looks hopefully towards me.
Laughing, I give her the bad news. “Nope, only two brothers. Sorry you were too late to the party.”
We’re both laughing as the door opens and Zac strolls in, eyes locked straight to mine.
The intense look in his eyes has both Sarah and I suddenly quiet, waiting in anticipation for his next move.
He walks straight up to me. Bending down, he cups my face in both of his hands before bringing his lips to mine.
I can’t help the moan that escapes my lips.
Just as I wrap my arms around his neck, pulling him closer to get more of him, Holly and Reilly step out of the bathroom door, not so quietly.
Zac immediately sits up, looking behind him towards the bathroom. Squinting back and forth between Reilly and Holly, he asks, “Why have you switched clothes?”
I watch as both of their jaws drop. No one has ever been able to tell when they pretend to be each other. Sarah is gobsmacked, pointing at Zac as she questions, “Wait, how the hell can you tell they switched? It took me three months of knowing them before I could tell when they did that.”
Zac shrugs his shoulders. “I’m observant. They also have very different mannerisms.”
Holly looks petrified. Pointing a finger at Reilly, she says, “It’s not going to work. Oh god, why did I let you talk me into this?”
Reilly grabs Holly’s hand, tugging her towards the door. “It will work; it always works. Let’s just go.”
On her way out, Reilly says, “Lyssa, call me if you need anything.”
I nod my head and thank her.
Once Holly and Reilly are gone, Sarah looks between Zac and me. “Well, I know when I’m the third wheel. I’m out too. Will you be okay?”
I look over at Zac. He tenses, holding my hand a little tighter. Nodding my head, I tell Sarah, “I’ll be fine here. I’ll head home a bit later when Zac goes to work.”
Zac then declares, “She’ll be staying here. I’ve taken the night off. I’ll be here all night.”
Sarah raises an eyebrow at me in question. I just shake my head. “I’ll be fine. Thanks for coming. I will call you tomorrow.”
“Okay, but if there’s anything else—”
I cut her off before she can finish the sentence. “Sarah, go. I’ll be fine.”
With a nod, she walks out the door. Before the door even closes, Zac has me wrapped up in his arms. This feels like the safest place on earth.
“Mmm, I could get used to this,” I say as I snuggle into his chest further.
He chuckles. “I sure hope you do, sunshine, because there ain’t no way I’m letting go.”
Why does he always know what to say to reassure my racing thoughts? Breathing in his scent, I bury my nose closer and sniff. Yep, all Zac, woodsy with a mix of citrus.
“You always smell so damn good, GQ.”
I feel the vibration of his silent laugh. Kissing the top of my forehead, he says, “I’m sure you’d think otherwise if you got a whiff just after I did a gym workout.”
Of course he works out. How else would one get a body like this? “You really took the night off work. Can you do that? You know I can always just go home if you need to be there?” As much as I would hate to leave this spot right now, I also don’t want to be a nuisance to him.
“Sunshine, I own the place. I can do whatever the fuck I want. And you are staying put. We’re going to play a game.”
“A game, like a board game, cards?” I look up at him with questions. He shakes his head no.
“I was thinking a getting to know each other game. Let’s start with twenty questions, shall we?”
Oh, that actually sounds fun. I’m hungry for all things that are Zac. I can’t wait to know more about him.
That’s how we spend the night and the whole of the next day and night. In his bed, in his bathtub, in his kitchen. Getting to know each other, both inside and out.
Our game of twenty questions turned into twenty positions.
I, for one, did not know I could contort my body in so many ways.
Zac ended up taking another night off work to stay in with me.
If it wasn’t for me insisting that I was, in fact, going into work and he should do the same, we would still be tangled up with each other in his bed.
It’s been two weeks since I received the roses.
As much as he didn’t want to, Zac finally told me the cryptic message that was written on the card.
Neither of us could figure out what it meant.
I’ve tried hard to put it out of my mind, but the whole thing freaks me out.
What future loss could I possibly be facing, and who would be planning this loss?
I have that feeling of being watched again and I don’t like it.
I was doing so much better… I am doing much better.
I stopped looking over my shoulder a while ago; to be reduced back to the skittish scared woman I was two years ago is nerve-wracking.
So far, I’ve held it together. I have Zac to thank for that.
He has been there for me in ways I could never have imagined.
Whenever I needed to go into work, he would drive me, then he would pick me up and take me back to his place. The one night I put my foot down and said I was sleeping in my own bedroom, he relented.
He then showed up on my doorstep at two a.m., begging me to let him stay with me.
Because, according to Zac, he wouldn’t get a wink of sleep if I wasn’t beside him.
I had to admit I was tossing and turning in my bed alone, until he turned up.
Once I had his arms wrapped around me, I slept like a log.
I can’t think of anything better than climbing into bed and sleeping for a solid ten hours.
I’ve just finished a twelve-hour shift and am waiting out front of the hospital for Zac.
It’s the first time that he hasn’t been there before I walk out.
I pull my phone out of my bag and double check that I haven’t had any missed calls from him.
Just as I unlock my phone, I hear his car pull in.
A huge grin plastered to my face, I start towards the car, only for my smile and steps to falter when it’s Bray who steps out of the driver’s side and walks around to the passenger door.
Immediately, I think of all the worst-case scenarios: Zac was in an accident.
He was hurt. Where the hell was he? I needed to get to him.
“What’s wrong? Where is he?” My voice comes out panicky as I try to slow my racing heart. Bray squints his eyes at me before coming up and wrapping an arm around me.
“He’s fine, Lyssa, just stuck at the club. I am under strict orders to deliver you to him, without a scratch or hair on this pretty little head out of place. His words, not mine.” He opens the door and does a sweeping motion with his arm. “Your chariot awaits.”
“He’s okay, really?” I ask, still not moving.
“Yes, you can call him if you want. I’m sure no matter how busy he is, he will always answer your call.”
Shaking my head, I hop into the car. “No, it’s fine. I just… I don’t know what came over me. I’m sorry.”
Bray shuts my door and walks around to the driver’s side. Looking over at me, he says, “Lyssa, you don’t need to apologise to me for being worried about my brother. It’s endearing, really. I’m glad he has you. Just wish I had seen you first.”
I laugh. Bray has that effect on people, always able to get a laugh. “No, you don’t,” I tell him.
Starting the car, he pulls away from the hospital. “You’re right. I just wish every woman was as willing to own their damn feelings like you do.”
I suspect he’s referring to Reilly. I know he likes her and has been trying to get her to agree to a date.
Reilly, however, is not having it, which means she likes him a lot more than she’s letting on.
I haven’t managed to get Bray to talk about her with me though.
Anytime I try to bring it up, he changes the topic.
“Anyone I know?” I pry.
“Yep,” he says, looking out at the road. “Care to share who she is?”
“Nope.”
“Want to talk about it?” I give it one last try before I drop it.
Bray shakes his head and says, “Nope.”
Well, okay then, subject dropped. I spend the rest of the trip zoned out and eager to see Zac. I know I only worked twelve hours, but twelve hours is a long damn time without his arms around me. We get to the club at 1:30 a.m. It’s a Friday night, so I’m assuming it will be crowded.
“Is it busy in there?” I ask Bray as he opens my door, a little nervous about having to walk through the crowd and a nightclub in my damn scrubs.
“A little, but don’t stress, sweetheart. You’re walking through with me. You’re about to make every woman in there wish they could be you.” He winks.
I raise my hand to knock on Zac’s office door. Bray laughs, grabbing my hand away from the door, before he opens the door and lets us in.
“You don’t need to bloody knock, Lyssa.” He laughs.
I swat him in the arm. “Well, it’s polite to knock on a closed door,” I say, defending my actions.
Bray rubs his arm like my swat actually hurt him. “Ouch, I thought we were friends, sweetheart. You know I need to fight with this arm. In about thirty minutes, actually. I might have to forfeit the fight now,” he pouts at me.
I’m about to respond when I hear that deep rumbly voice wash over me. “Are you done being a moron?” Zac asks Bray as he walks up to me, engulfing me in his arms before planting his lips against mine. I vaguely notice Bray say something before I hear the door close.
Zac breaks the kiss. “Hi, sunshine.”