37. Zeb
ZEB
“Zeb, I’m sorry to interrupt, but could you come over to my desk? There’s something I need to show you.”
It’s highly unusual for Ember to interrupt me when I’m working, and my first reaction is concern about what the issue is—but then I notice the way her eyes keep darting between me and my client. The way she looks down when she catches me noticing confirms it: she’s jealous!
I’m surprised… and pleased … and then surprised by how pleased I am.
I’ve never wanted a woman to feel possessive toward me. I’ve rarely stuck around long enough for that to even be a possibility, but Ember feeling like I’m hers? Something about that makes me smile.
I tell my client to take a break and follow Ember back to reception, trying to hide my smirk. “What’s up?”
“I, um … needed to ask you something about your schedule for next week.”
“Sounds incredibly important,” I say with a heavy dose of skepticism.
Standing behind her desk, she opens her laptop and pulls up the scheduling software. Funny how it wasn’t already open on her screen.
“You don’t have to pretend, Ember.”
When she looks up, her eyes are big and her cheeks are flushed pink. “What do you mean?”
“Was she making you jealous?” Keeping my voice low, I tip my head toward my station. “I was barely listening to her.”
“I’m not jealous!” Her whispered response comes quickly, but her eyes tell me she’s lying.
I lean in close. “It’s okay. I like it.” When she bites her lip, I steal a quick kiss, because I can’t help it. My hand finds her ass and I give it a good squeeze. “In fact, it turns me on.”
“Zeb, you can’t do that here.” She puts a few inches between us, her blush deepening.
“We can talk more about it in bed tonight,” I tell her. “And I’ll show you just how much I like you being possessive.”
It’s work to wipe the grin from my face as I return to my station. I’m always happier on the days when it’s my turn to spend the night with Ember.
As I finish the tattoo, I half listen to the blabbering client, and half process what Ember’s jealousy means. Would she want commitment?
I could easily promise her that I’m not interested in anyone else—haven’t been for a while, especially since we started working together at this new location. Commitment is more than fidelity, though.
There’s everything that goes into a relationship, and I’m crap at all that. I don’t do relationships, but maybe something about our crowded situation could fill in the gaps.
Frank and Griffin being involved takes the pressure off me. Because of them, I have space—often more space than I want, on nights when I’m aching for Ember. Maybe I don’t need to be the perfect boyfriend when Ember has two spares.
Boyfriend. Is that what I want to be?
I let out a long breath and glance over at the woman who’s turned everything upside down, and she gives me a smile that parts the clouds, making it all clear.