“Why?” he asked.
“I’ve got to get home. I haven’t been there in more than a week, and I’ve got things to do.”
“Zoe, are you sure it’s safe?”
“I have to find out at some point.” I pulled my pants on, staring down at my torn white panties sitting next to them.
He shot up off the bed. “You’re going to wait and see whether or not he tries to hurt you? Is that your plan?”
I sighed and sat down at the edge of the bed. “You’re right. I’m being dumb, but I can’t hide out forever.”
“Stay tonight.”
“Okay.” I laid down next to him and rested my head on his shoulders.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Archer
Zoe was hesitant to stay any longer than a day. She was anxious to get back home, and I didn’t blame her. But I couldn’t let her go back with Mr. Beetle still running around. I needed to know that she was safe, so the next day I stopped by the bakery with the promise of dinner and took her back to my place, where I sat her down in the living room.
I took the armchair across from her. “I need you to understand something,” I began.
“What’s wrong?”
“It’s this guy, Mr. Beetle. He worries me.”
“He hasn’t been back at the bakery since you hired the guard.”
“That worries me even more. He’s obsessed with you. If he can’t get to you at the bakery, he’ll go to your apartment if he has to. It’s not safe for you to go back there, not until we find him and send him to jail.”
“I know, but I can’t stay here forever.”
“And I can’t sleep knowing that you’re not here and that you could be in danger. I want you close to me. Can we look at this realistically?”
“Yeah, I’ve been thinking about it. I love it here, and I love being with you and the boys. I know I should stay. I’m just not used to being away from home for so long. It makes me feel like I don’t have any control of things. I have to rely on you for everything, and I’m not that girl.”
“I understand, but I don’t want you to get hurt. Can you commit to staying for a little while longer?”
“Yes,” she said.
We went back to her apartment so she could get some of her things while I guarded the door. Then we came back to my place.
It became easy and natural having her there. As the days went by, we slipped into a schedule. We ate together, slept together, and left for work at the same time together. We even took turns putting the boys to sleep.
I was in a comfortable spot, living with the woman of my dreams and sharing the burden of taking care of the twins. I never wanted it to end. I wanted to lock her up and keep her there with me forever.
By the sixth day, I’d slipped so deep into the experience that it became normal. Having her there wasn’t just a treat. It was the way things were supposed to be. Even with Cara, I couldn’t get used to having a girl living with me. When I woke up the next morning, it felt like the most natural thing in the world to have Zoe at my side.
She was sleeping in her spot, between my arm and my shoulder. I lifted my arm up slowly so that I didn’t wake her and pulled on a robe so I could go down and check on the boys. They were asleep when I walked in, but they needed changing. I had to be careful.
I picked Andrew first. He was starting to stay asleep longer without waking up. I lifted him up the way Mona taught me and put him on the changing table as carefully as I could. He shifted around and wiped his eyes, but he didn’t wake up until I took his diaper off.
The second he caught sight of me, his face bunched up and turned bright red. The sound of him howling woke his brother up.
“Hey,” Zoe said as she walked in. She pulled Abel out of his crib. He stopped screaming right away. “It’s okay, little guy.” She sat down with him on the rocking chair.
“Thank you so much. You didn’t have to do that.”
“You know I love it.”
“I still don’t get it. I swear one of these days I’m going to buy you an island or a star or something. I don’t know, but it won’t be enough.”
“I don’t want, either. I just want to be here with you and the boys.”
I finished changing Andrew and set him back down in his crib. He sniffed, then sat down. “They aren’t waking up as much anymore,” Zoe said.
“I know. I blame you.”
“Really?”
“You’re really good with them. Sometimes it takes me ten or twenty minutes to put them to bed, but with you, it’s completely different. They stop crying as soon as you pick them up.”
“I’m just glad to be able to help. I know it’s been hard on you having to take care of them yourself.”
“Remember what happened the night we first met?”
“You mean when you fell asleep halfway through my striptease? How could I forget?”
“They had kept me up all night. They gang up on me. One will cry and wake up his brother. Then as soon as I get his brother to sleep, the other one will wake up. Abel’s the instigator.”
She laughed. “You’re not doing it on purpose, are you, Abel?” She swept her hand over his cheek.
“Hello,” Mona called from the bottom of the stairs.
“I should go meet her.” I walked downstairs. Mona was wearing a pair of black leggings and a purple tunic. Her hair was the perfect shade of blond, and she was wearing cherry red lipstick.
“Well?” She turned around with her hands stretched out. “What do you think?”
“You look twenty years younger.”
“You think so?”
“Oh, yeah. You’re a cougar.”
She growled and clawed at the air. “How are the boys?”
“They woke up and cried for all of two seconds when I started changing Andrew. Then Zoe walked into the room and pulled her human tranquilizer trick.”
“I told you they needed a woman’s touch.”
“You did, and thank you.”
“Don’t thank me yet. You still haven’t heard my surprise.”
“I don’t like surprises.”
“Then I’ll tell you quick. I’m kidnapping the boys.”
“Did I say you could take them?”
“No.” She started walking up to the nursery. “I decided to take the initiative. You two have been holed up in this house for too long. You need a weekend together. Get your groove on.”
I stopped on the stairs to think about it. “That’s not a bad idea. I think I can live with that.”
“You never had a choice.” She walked into the nursery to check on the boys. When I walked upstairs into my room, Zoe was smoothing out the covers and tucking the ends of the bed spread underneath the mattress.
“You’re picking up on my military bed making skills.”
She stood up to admire her work, then pulled a nickel out of her pocket. She dropped it onto the bed, and it bounced. “I think I’ve mastered the art of bed making.”
“You have.” I came up behind her and kissed her neck.
“Mmm.” She pulled away and started walking to the bathroom. “I have to shower.”
“Can I come with you?”
She shook her head and walked inside. I let her take her time while I chose my clothes for the day. When I walked out of the shower, butt naked, she was pulling her pants on with her back turned to me. I slapped her on the butt and collapsed onto the bed with my legs open. “I wish we didn’t have to go to work.” I grabbed my cock by the base and swung it around.
“I’d gladly quit my job for a full day of lovemaking, but I have to live somehow.”
“How about two days?”
She pulled her shirt on. “Two days?”
“Mona told me that she’s keeping the children for the weekend, and there’s nothing I can do about it. You should see her. She got a makeover. She looks good.”
“I have to see that.” She pulled on her socks and grabbed her shoes out from under the bed.
“It’s surreal.” I went back to getting dressed.
There was a group of Navy men coming to the warehouse that morning to watch the feed from the Palantir. I hated standing around, answering all their questions. They wanted to know everything, and they expected me to know the answer to every question they asked. I decided to throw Rick to the wolves and let him handle it. After the Navy guys left, I went down to the warehouse.
He was sitting in the office, drinking coffee, when I walked in. “Where were you?” he asked.
“You know the Palantir better than I do. I figured my presence would be redundant. How’d it go?”
“They wanted to know the entire molecular makeup of the device down to the atom. One guy spent twenty minutes grilling me on the placement of the heat sensor. He had no idea what he was talking about.”
“I’m sorry.”
“You owe me.” He took a drink of his coffee and poured himself another cup from the coffee pot sitting next to his desk.
“Another bonus?”
“That, too.”
“And?”
“A night out. And I’m not taking no for answer. You’ve been way too stuck on that girl. You’ve got to diversify before you get whipped.”
“I’m not cheating on Zoe.”
“Cheating? What’s next? You going to give her your credit card?”
“I’m not discussing the legitimacy of my relationship. If you don’t understand love, that’s not my problem, and I’m not going to keep moving from one girl to another. I need some stability in my life, and so do the boys.”
“You just met her, and you’re talking about stability.”
“I get it. You’re worried that I’m rushing things.”
“You are rushing things.”
“But you don’t know what this is like. If you were in my shoes, you’d understand.”
“You’re crazy.” He downed his coffee and poured himself another cup. “You’re going to get tired of her eventually, and by that time, it’ll be too late, and you’ll have to sneak around on her.” I walked out without saying anything else.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Zoe
I loved looking out at the city from the limousine window. People would stare and point; some would take pictures. My entire life, I’d dreamed of what it would be like to be successful. I wasn’t there yet, but at least I got to feel what it was like.
I pretended that I was a dignitary, driving to the UN headquarters, or a starlet, hiding from the paparazzi. At that moment, I was somebody, and people were watching me. I never liked being spoiled by men. I refused to allow them to do it, but it felt nice to have a little luxury.
Archer made me feel like a queen. To him, our relationship was all about appreciation. He was constantly thanking me for taking care of the boys, and he made sure I had everything I needed. Every night was another romantic dinner, another fiery session in bed, and then there were those few precious moments when we’d bask in the afterglow of lovemaking and hold each other until we fell asleep.
When we pulled up to the bakery, Chloe was out back, trying to hide the fact that she was smoking a cigarette. I humored her and gave her a moment to snuff it out before I grabbed my keys and got out. She glared at me while I shuffled around trying to find the right one.
“Okay, what is it?” I asked.
“You’re living with him.”
“I’ve had it.” I opened the door and walked in to pull on my apron. “I don’t want to hear another word about him. I want to be with him. I’m happy, and that’s all there is to it. If you have a problem with that, keep it to yourself.”
“You’re moving way too fast, Zoe.” She pulled her apron off the hook and tied it on. “Real friends will tell you when something’s wrong. If I didn’t care, I’d stay quiet.”
“I think you care too much. It’s starting to get to you.”
“He’s got you living in his house, taking care of his kids, making him dinner, and putting him to bed every single night.”
“So?” I asked.
“So, you just met him. Please, be logical. It’s not healthy, Zoe, and somebody’s got to say it.”
“It’s intense, but it’s not about how long we’ve known each other. It’s about how I feel.”
“That’s what sixteen-year-olds say. When relationships get this intense, this early, you run. Do you know what intensity turns into?”
“No, I don’t.” I pulled a crate of blueberries out of the cooler. “But I’m sure you’re going to tell me.”
“I am, because you need to know. Eventually, those things will get the better of you. You guys will get too close. Then reality will set in, and you’ll find those little things that all couples fight about, and one of you will start to pull away. It will hurt the other one, and you’ll be stuck dealing with jealousy, even hostility. Maybe even violence. In the end, you’ll be ready to stab him. I’m trying to save you.”
“Violence? What makes you say that?”
“The incident with Mr. Beetle.”
“That’s the only time I’ve ever seen Archer get angry and violent, and he had good reason to be.”
“That anger is still a part of who he is. If he’s capable of losing control like that, then you’d better watch out. He might turn on you.”
“That’s ridiculous.” I poured the blueberries into a pot, then put the pot in the sink to fill it up with water.
“It’s scary is what it is. I know what’s going on. You might not talk about it much, but you’re starting to act like a mom to those boys.”
“So?”
“So, you’re not their mom. They didn’t come out of you. He probably just needs a replacement.”
I turned off the water. “I doubt that. He didn’t even want to tell me about the boys. He’s not using me to replace their mother.”
“He’s got you waking up in the middle of the night to take care of them. Don’t think I haven’t noticed how tired you’ve been.”
“I like helping.”
“And he likes you helping. Those boys are going to lure you into a relationship that you know nothing about. By the time things start to get ugly, it’ll be too late. You’ll already be too attached to them to leave.”
“All right, maybe I should take things a little slower than I have been, but I’m not going to write Archer off just because he has kids.”
“I agree. I’m not completely opposed to you being with him. I just don’t think it’s healthy for you to be spending so much time together. You have to set boundaries. If you don’t, you’ll slip into co-dependency, and I’m not about to watch you get into that situation. I’ll physically drag you out myself.”
“He did say that he wanted to spend the entire weekend alone with me.”
“That’s what I’m talking about. You’ve got to have some time to yourself.”
“You’re right.” I threw my hands up into the air. “I haven’t been thinking logically.”
“You’re blinded by your feelings, and you know better than I do just how dangerous that can be.”
“God,” I groaned, “I’ve been so stupid, and I’m so sorry for the way I’ve treated you, Chloe. I’ve been so mean.”
“I’m just glad you finally came around.” Chloe pulled a knife off the rack so she could cut the apples. I put the blueberries on the stove.
“I don’t even know what happened to their mother.”
“You didn’t ask?”
“No, it’s kind of a touchy subject.”
“That’s the kind of thing you need to know.” She finished one apple and moved on to another.
“I know. I know, but I didn’t want to upset him.”
“He probably has a complex about it. He’s trying to replace her. That’s why things are moving so quick.”
“You’ve already said that.”
“And I’ll keep saying it,” Chloe shot back. “At least until you start listening.”
I considered it. “He does mention how good I a
m with the kids all the time. And how he’s so glad I don’t mind being around them. And his nanny told me that the boys needed a woman’s touch. All those things keep coming up. You might be right.”
“I’m certain of it now. You need to step back and look at this rationally before you get into a bad situation and you end up getting hurt.”
We didn’t talk much about it after that. It was too unsettling. I’d already gotten so invested in this relationship, but now it felt like I’d been wrong to do that. I felt like I was being reckless. I needed to slow things down and make sure this whole situation with Archer wasn’t a huge mistake.
After work, I went out back to call Archer while Chloe finished cleaning.
“Hello?” he answered.
“Hey.” I was doing my best to avoid sounding distressed.
“Zoe. How are you, gorgeous?”
I could hear his smile through the phone. He was happy to hear from me. It was beautiful, but as hard as it was, I couldn’t allow myself to get caught up.
“I’m good,” I said. “But I’m tired.”
“Would you like me to make you dinner?”
“I don’t know. I think I’m going to head back to my place tonight.”
“Is something wrong?”
I hated the way he went from excited to disappointed. “No, I’m fine. I just want a quiet night to myself.”
“What about Mr. Beetle?”
“I haven’t heard anything from him. I don’t think it’ll be a problem.”
“Maybe you’re right. I’ve been thinking the same thing, but I don’t like taking the risk.”
“I can’t abandon my apartment.”
“You’re right. I’m going to miss sleeping next to you, though.”
I rested my head against the back wall. I was going to miss sleeping next to him, too. I wanted to tell him that I’d be right there. We’d have dinner together, make love, and fall asleep in each other’s arms. I could practically feel him wrapping his arms around me. But it was a trap, a beautiful, intoxicating trap. I couldn’t let myself get caught in it. “I’ll give you a call.”
There was a pause. I was certain that he’d picked up on my detached attitude. After a moment, he said, “I’ll be waiting by the phone.”
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