Rascal

by Lea Hart

  “Guess I pissed off the right people.”

  Zach lifted his left hand and offered a fist bump. “Sorry, man. A little too beat up to shake your hand properly.”

  “Guessing something happened before you got to the bar and got yourself into a scuffle with a patron.”

  “Flew in this morning from an assignment overseas.”

  Lee took a seat and pulled out his tablet. “I thought the gossip about you and the pop princess was complete bullshit, but it seems I was wrong.”

  Zach flipped him off and laid his head back. “You know I have better taste than that.”

  “Not so sure about that, since I’ve only ever seen you with showgirls.”

  “Nothing wrong with a showgirl. In fact, a lot of them were educated and smart as hell.”

  “Which is a lot more than I can say for you,” Lee replied.

  “Ain’t that the truth.”

  “I thought you and your brother’s security company only operated locally. How did you find yourself on an international assignment?”

  “We do operate locally, and the assignment was with a government group that Seth works with.”

  “And which alphabet agency managed to talk you two into something that resulted in a bullet hole.”

  “The kind that’s off the books.”

  Lee sat back and shook his head. “You boys didn’t have enough excitement during your time in the Marines?”

  “I did, but Seth still has a taste for the life.”

  “That’s a damn shame,” Lee responded as he tapped his tablet. “So how did you end up in a fight with a one,” he checked his tablet, “Ford Helm?”

  “He was making a move on my woman and talking shit.”

  Lee snorted and crossed his arms. “No really, what happened?”

  “Exactly what I said.”

  “No shit?”

  “Did you see the beautiful brunette in the waiting room?”

  “Yes.”

  “That’s Cecily.”

  “There is no way a woman like that is your girlfriend.”

  “What the fuck does that mean?” Zach yelled as he tried to sit up but found himself unable to. Sucking in a deep breath, he willed himself not to pass out from the pain from his broken ribs.

  “Take it easy, man. It was a joke.”

  “Not in a joking mood, man.”

  “I can tell.”

  “I’m still jacked up from the month I’ve spent chasing terrorist assholes, so don’t push me.”

  Lee sat up and raised an eyebrow. “You really want to be saying that to me?”

  Zach ran his hand over his sweaty forehead and groaned. “No!”

  “I don’t need to ask you anything more, because I can see how you got into a fight.”

  “That asshole kept saying shit, and it triggered me enough to lose control. I know it wasn’t right.”

  “Bet you just wanted to see your girl and make sure she wasn’t pissed off enough to drop your ass after being gone.”

  “In a nutshell.”

  “The guy is likely going to press charges.”

  “Let him.”

  “I bet if you offer to pay for his hospital bills, he won’t.”

  “I’m guessing he still will once his lawyer figures out how much I’m worth.”

  “Guess it’s possible.”

  “I’ll come make a formal statement on Monday morning if that’s okay.”

  “That will work for me,” Lee replied.

  A nurse walked in and checked the monitors. “Looks like we’re taking you to x-ray in about fifteen minutes.”

  “I don’t need another set of pictures of my broken ribs.”

  Crossing her arms, she gave him a slow shake of her head. “Did something I say make you think it was a choice?”

  Standing, Lee let out a laugh. “I’m going to leave you in the very capable hands of this fine professional.”

  “Good idea, Officer Kimora,” the nurse said.

  “Can you send Cecily in for me?” Zach asked.

  “Will do,” he replied before walking out the door.

  Zach turned to the nurse and gave her a faint smile. “Any chance of some pain meds soon?”

  “Depends on how well you behave in x-ray.”

  “I’ll be a perfect angel.”

  “Doubt that’s possible,” she replied before walking out the door.

  “Definitely not my day,” he mumbled to himself as the door opened and the sound of Cecily’s heels click-clacked against the floor. There was no hesitation in the sound, and he knew it reflected her mood, which meant he in was in deep, deep shit.

  Would playing on her sympathies be too low a move?

  Sinking further against the pillows, he let out a small moan and decided everything was fair in love and war. And since getting her to love him was going to be a war, he mentally allowed himself the full range of moral turpitude.

  “Hi, baby.”

  “I see the nice officer didn’t feel it was necessary to cuff you and haul you down to the station.”

  Affecting a wounded expression, he tilted his head. “Is that where you’d like to see me?”

  Sitting down carefully, she let out a breath. “No, but…”

  “You’re a hundred kinds of pissed that I disappeared for a month and then fucked up our reunion.”

  “I wasn’t planning on any sort of reunion, so that’s not what I find frustrating.”

  “But you’re my woman.”

  Sitting back, she slowly rolled her eyes. “I wish I could’ve had a glass of wine before this conversation.”

  “Isn’t that what you were enjoying with that douche Ford before I broke onto the scene?”

  “I was having a business conversation.”

  “He was looking at you like…”

  “What?”

  “Like you were fucking available, and he had the right to look at you in any way.”

  “Who says I’m not.”

  Groaning, he pushed his head against the pillow and closed his eyes. “Is that what you want?” When he didn’t hear an immediate response, he opened an eye and saw her misery. And it was totally his fault. “I know we’ve got some shit to work out, and I want a chance to do that.”

  “I hate the way you call me your woman, like I’m a possession or something.”

  “I don’t mean it that way. It’s more of a…” Zach’s head pounded, and he couldn’t come up with an answer that was acceptable.

  “Let me answer that for you.”

  “That’s not necessary.”

  “Oh, but it so is.”

  “No it’s not, Cecily. Men haven’t evolved much past the whole Cro-Magnon, caveman phase and when we find our mate, our brains tell us to claim her, protect her and make sure no other male can get near her because if they do, our DNA dies out and the species will end.”

  “And yet so many men have managed to actually evolve past that and walk into the twenty-first century where ideas like that are considered abhorrent.”

  “They may pretend, but deep in their hearts they feel the same way I do.”

  “Doubt it,” she replied as she brushed her hair over her shoulder. “Possession doesn’t mean you want to keep me. You’re like a kid who doesn’t want anyone else to touch his toy until he’s done.”

  The nurse walked in and looked between them and sighed. “Young man is that your blood on this lovely young woman’s dress?”

  “No. There was a man trying to make a move on my girl and it’s his blood.”

  “You should be ashamed.”

  “Hah!” Cecily crowed. “Finally, a voice of reason.”

  “I’m usually referred to as the voice of doom, so I’ll take that.”

  Standing, Cecily smiled. “I’m so happy you’re in charge of his care.”

  “Did he misbehave?”

  “Probably, though I don’t have the details yet.”

  “Well, I’ll torture him as best I can in case he did you wrong.”


  “And I appreciate that.”

  “Hey, who’s on my side?” Zach asked.

  Cole walked in and looked around. “This isn’t the plan we talked about.”

  Cecily picked up her purse and smiled. “He’s all yours.”

  “I’d rather leave him in your care.”

  “Probably not a good idea.”

  “Still pissed?” Cole asked.

  “Absolutely.”

  “Any idea how long it’s going to last?”

  “Not a clue,” Cecily replied.

  “Seems reasonable.”

  Zach groaned and thumped his good hand against the bed. “I have a freaking gunshot wound, broken ribs and a girlfriend who wants to see me suffer. Is it too much to ask for one person to be on my side?”

  “Yes,” Cecily replied as she straightened out his blankets. “I’m going home and having that glass of wine.”

  “Now that’s a good idea,” the nurse responded. “Your man needs to get to an x-ray and won’t be discharged until tomorrow. So go on home and have a couple of glasses of wine so you can get yourself ready for whatever he has in mind.”

  “I like the way you think,” Cecily replied.

  The nurse nodded and folded her arms over her ample bosom. “Honey, most do.”

  Cecily kissed Zach’s head and gave him a long stare. “Behave.”

  Before she moved away, he snagged her hand. “We’ve got a lot to talk about.”

  “I suppose we do, but it’s not happening until I’m ready.”

  “Any idea when that might be?”

  “No.”

  “Okay.” He pressed her hand against his mouth and kissed it firmly. “I’ll just stop by every day to check in.”

  “Lord have mercy,” she replied as she slipped her hand away and walked out.

  “That went well,” Cole commented.

  “Better than I could’ve hoped for,” Zach replied. “She gave me a sweet kiss, and that’s a hell of a sign.”

  The nurse shook her head as she unhooked him from the monitors. “And that’s why women should be running the world.”

  Zach ignored the comment and gave his brother a thumbs up, because as far as he was concerned, he was on the winning side. The woman kissed his freaking head and that meant there was a tiny chance that he hadn’t fucked up his chances as completely as he’d first thought.

  How that was possible, he had no idea.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  Cecily looked around her new home and knew she needed to begin the awful chore of unpacking. She filled her mug with coffee then looked out at the view of Red Rock Canyon, and wondered if Vegas could ever become home.

  Feeling more melancholy over the move than she’d expected, she let out a sigh. Maybe moving ten days before Christmas hadn’t been such a good idea after all. She loved the holiday season, and felt like she was missing out on it because she hadn’t decorated or participated in any of the usual activities.

  At least she had the trip to see her family to look forward to.

  Maybe once she arrived at her mom’s house and did some cookie decorating with her nieces, she would feel better. And Christmas carols in the meantime certainly couldn’t hurt.

  She picked her favorite holiday song list on Spotify, then cranked up the volume, put her sad feelings away and attacked the first of many boxes.

  Once the top shelf of the built-in bookcases was full, she felt a smidge better and decided another cup of coffee couldn’t hurt. The sound of the doorbell ringing through the house made her stop and suck in a breath.

  Who would show up on a Sunday morning at ten a.m.?

  Zach would.

  Fixing her ponytail, she told herself it was better to get the conversation over with once and for all and walked down the steps. She squared her shoulders and instructed herself to be strong as she opened the door. “Hello.”

  “Hi, baby.”

  “You should call me by my name, Zach.”

  “I am,” he replied before kissing her cheek. “I brought the fixings for breakfast. I figure you have a lot of unpacking to do and wouldn’t want to go out to eat.”

  “I’ve already had my morning shake.”

  “Well now you can have breakfast.”

  “Fine,” she replied as she stepped back and noticed his color had improved. “How are you feeling?”

  “Better.”

  “Are you going to bleed on any of my furniture or have they stitched you back up.”

  “Don’t plan on bleeding on anything.”

  “We’ll see.” She watched him mount the stairs and knew he had to still be in pain, because he sucked in a breath with each step. Stubborn man probably wouldn’t ever admit to being anything less than a hundred percent.

  Once they were standing in the living room, Cecily took the bag from his hand and walked into the kitchen. “When did they let you out of the hospital?”

  “Yesterday afternoon. The ribs are going to take time to heal, and there isn’t much to be done to speed up the process, so I’m supposed to take it easy.”

  “And the bullet hole?”

  “Stitched up and should be good as new before the end of the week.”

  “Why don’t you have a seat, and I’ll get you a cup of coffee.”

  He looked around and then walked over, taking her hand. “I’m going to take care of you.”

  “No, you’re going to sit down before you fall over.”

  “I’m fine and am more than capable of making you breakfast.”

  “You are injured and need to take it easy.”

  “But…”

  “Sit down and behave.”

  “What happens if I don’t?”

  “Do you really want to find out?”

  “Guess not,” he replied as he sat at the island. “I came over here to do something for you, though.”

  “Don’t keel over and need a ride to the hospital and I’ll call it a win.”

  “Okay, but let me cook the bacon.”

  “And why would I do that?”

  “Because I’m an expert.”

  “A fine skill to be sure.”

  Sitting back, he accepted the coffee she handed him. “It takes patience and low heat.”

  “I’ve never seen you demonstrate either of those things.”

  “Because you make me burn hot and greedy. All I ever want to do is consume you, and I’m not expecting that to change.”

  “So many responses,” she replied as she unpacked the groceries he’d brought over. “I can’t decide which one would be best.”

  “Better to have a man who knows what he wants than one who can’t be sure.”

  “And which one are you, Zach?”

  “The one who absolutely knows what he wants.”

  “And yet there is so much evidence to the contrary.”

  “I’m never taking another pop princess protection assignment.”

  “Meaning?”

  “I’m not giving any woman the chance to use me for her own disreputable purposes. I’m done with that shit and will not be held hostage by it ever again. It’s 2018 and I will not put up with people hanging on me because it serves some plan they’ve got in their heads.”

  “No one is going to let you join the #metoo movement.”

  “Don’t expect they would. But, Polite Zach is gone, and the only woman who can put her hands on me is you. End of goddamn story.”

  Laughing, she leaned against the counter. “Poor six-foot-three of you having to put up with women’s wandering hands.”

  Slapping the counter, he let out a huff. “I’m an asshole if I do anything, and as much of one if I don’t. I didn’t invite Danielle to plaster herself against me, but if I’d made a big deal about it, I would’ve been a dipshit with no sense of humor.”

  “Women have been dealing with that since the dawn of time, so you’ll get no sympathy from me.” She ran her hand over the counter and let out a breath. “But your size precludes you doing much if a woman d
oes something you don’t want.”

  “Exactly,” he replied as he took her hand. “I’m not saying I couldn’t have handled it better, but I never had any intention of disrespecting you.”

  “And the pop princess?”

  “Her publicist wanted something to happen that night so they could drum up hits on her social media accounts. Since I shut down the fight on the floor of the arena, they decided to use me instead and make it look like we had a thing.”

  “Hard to see you as a victim, Zach.”

  “I’m not a victim. I’m just a guy who landed his ass in the wrong place, and that won’t happen again. From here on out, only single operators will handle the celebrities for the UFC fights.”

  “Is that a new company policy?”

  “Sure as shit is. Do you think Cole would put himself in a position that would allow Kelly to have any questions about his behavior?”

  “No, but is that because he’d be tempted?”

  “I’m not even going to answer that question, because I know you’ve spent a lot of time around the two of them.”

  “Fair enough.”

  “I’m so fucking happy you moved to Vegas.”

  “Had to,” she replied as she looked around the boxes in her kitchen. “I don’t know where my skillet is.”

  “Feel like going out to breakfast then?”

  “I have so much to do.”

  “Bet it will be here when you get back.”

  “I’m leaving on Thursday for Seattle and wanted to have everything done.”

  “Bet if we do it together, it will be a snap.”

  “Why would you want to help?”

  “Because I need to show you that all my words mean something, and so far I haven’t done that. As much as I’d like to haul these boxes over to my house and have you move in with me, I know that’s not possible. So whatever helps you and makes your move to town easier, I’m going to do.”

  “And then you say something so freaking perfect.”

  “I’m going to do the perfect thing, Cecily. Because I know I’ve said a lot of things and haven’t followed through. You’re going to see my actions, baby, and learn I’m a man you can trust.”

  “I guess you could buy me some pancakes.” Seeing his bright smile, she let out a laugh. “And nothing more, Zach.”

  “If I have to buy you pancakes for the next hundred years just to get one kiss, then I’ll consider myself lucky.”