Running Scared

by Shannon K. Butcher

Page 31

 

  He was tense, rigid. “I should never have left you alone. ”

  “Don’t ruin all this goodwill I’m feeling toward you by turning caveman on me. ”

  He hugged her tighter. Voices faded as the men left to scour the grounds for more monsters.

  Lexi didn’t want to have any part of that hunt. She was still shaking and needed to relax. “Can we go inside now? I’m feeling a little vulnerable out here in the dark. ”

  “Anything you want, honey. ”

  He pulled away enough that he could look down at her. His pale green eyes were lit with concern, giving her a much needed distraction. He was such a beautiful man with such a beautiful mouth. The muscles under her palms called out to her, making her want to touch his body until she knew it better than her own. She wanted to soak him up, absorbing all that strength and confidence.

  He said something, but she didn’t hear the words. She was too busy fighting the urge to kiss him and take back up where they left off in that cabin. Everything about him called to her on a deeply feminine level. If she ever did get those jeans of his off, she knew they would be good together, totally explosive.

  A warm grin curved his mouth and Lexi reached up to run her finger over his bottom lip. He took her hand and pressed a soft, hot kiss into her palm. “When you look at me like that, I don’t care whether or not you’re listening. ”

  “Listening to what?” she asked, hearing the dazed drone in her voice.

  “I said I have a surprise for you. Wanna see?”

  Against her will, her eyes slid down his body to his crotch.

  Zach let out a bark of laughter, and lifted her chin with his hand. “You’re killing me, woman. Come on. ”

  He threaded his fingers through hers and led her on a winding path through the trees. They came out into a clearing, and from here, she could see the back wall of the main building and a bustle of activity in the exercise area.

  She tensed up and Zach squeezed her hand. “No one here is going to hurt you. They’re just all anxious to meet the new girl, that’s all. ”

  She took a deep breath and forced it out. She wasn’t used to being around so many people, especially not ones as massive and powerful as the shirtless men pumping iron only a few yards away.

  Zach led her through the group without mishap, but she could feel the intense stares of too many eyes on her. She felt like prey when they watched her like that, and she couldn’t help but suffer through a little spurt of fear that urged her to run and hide. She’d been doing that all her life, and standing her ground now was harder than she’d ever imagined.

  Strong, comforting fingers slid up and down her forearm. Zach’s low, soothing voice slid into her ear. “Just a little farther. ”

  Even once they were through the glass doors, she was sure they were still watching her. She didn’t need to look back to check.

  “You hungry?” he asked her.

  She had been before the attack, but not as much now. Her stomach had tightened up, making hunger flee. “I can’t sit here and let them watch me eat. ”

  “I was thinking something a little more private. Dinner for two. ”

  Lexi nodded. Anything to get away from all those eyes. “Okay. ”

  “Good. It’s part of your surprise. ”

  Zach led her into a hallway, and the noise of the people in the dining area faded behind them. Lexi pulled in a breath, then another. Finally, she was able to fill her lungs and exhale some of the tension inside her.

  She focused on the doors sliding by them, counting them as she went. She probably should have been paying more attention to the twists and turns along the way, but her nerves were too raw for anything so complicated.

  Zach pulled her to a stop outside of a doorway and pointed to his right. “Helen and Drake’s suite is two doors down. I thought you might want to be near her. ” He took her hand and put a plastic card key in her palm. “This is for you. ”

  Lexi looked at the key. There were no markings on it, just white plastic with a wide magnetic strip running along one side.

  “Go ahead,” he told her, grinning. “Open it. ”

  Lexi slid the key in, and the light switched from red to green. She pushed the door open and stepped inside.

  The first thing that hit her was the smell of freshly baked bread. She sucked the scent into her lungs, groaning as her hunger came back in full force.

  Zach was right behind her, so close she could feel the heat of his body. She handed him his key and went to find that bread. Before she could move away, he grabbed her wrist and put the key back into her hand. “It’s yours, Lexi. This whole suite is yours. ”

  Lexi blinked up at him, waiting for the too-good-to-be-true daydream to fade. “What?”

  “This is your new home. ” Zach curled her limp fingers around the card and gave her a smile so sweet she found herself tearing up.

  “Home?” She repeated the word, trying to wrap her mind around the concept. She’d never had a home without wheels before.

  His arm swept out, motioning to what lay behind her. “What do you think?”

  Numb from shock, and with a layer of thick suspicion to protect her, Lexi turned around. She took three steps down the short entry hall until she could see the whole place. The living area was huge, with high ceilings and towering windows overlooking a swath of trees lining the lake’s glistening edge. The walls were painted a soothing green that blended perfectly with the comfortable-looking leather furniture. A giant TV hung on the wall and empty shelves stood by, waiting to be filled with books and trinkets.

  None of which Lexi owned.

  A miniature kitchen was tucked into one corner, already stocked with a coffeepot and a table for two. Candles burned between two covered plates of food, and a deep, red wine glowed inside delicate crystal glasses.

  On weak legs, she moved forward to where the bedrooms were. Two of them. Each with a private bathroom and closets big enough for her to park her car inside.

  “Two?” she asked in disbelief.

  “In case you want to invite a guest to stay,” said Zach.

  “Or you could use it for an office or computer room or something. Whatever you like. It’s yours to do with as you please. ”

  Hers. She still couldn’t grasp the concept.

  The bedrooms were both completely furnished with king-sized beds, piled high with thick down comforters and mounds of superfluous pillows, glowing in silken fabrics she had no names for. One was decorated in a rich, deep blue and the other was done in pale, buttery yellow.

  They were both more beautiful and luxurious than anything she’d ever seen in real life.

  “You can pick whichever one you like, or you can sleep in them both. It’s up to you. ”

  Lexi rushed inside, scoping out the bathrooms. One of them had a giant tub big enough for two, and the other boasted a large walk-in shower with body jets and enough nozzles to make her feel like she was in a car wash.

  “Wow. ” She couldn’t form words. She couldn’t even think straight.

  She stood there, in the yellow bedroom, shaking. Zach came to her, a warm smile on his face. He took her shoulders into his hands and asked, “Do you like it?”

  Lexi opened her mouth, realized she was beyond speech, and shut it again.

  His thick thumb wiped tears from under her eyes. She hadn’t realized she was crying until now, but she couldn’t seem to stop the flow.

  She swallowed and pulled in air. She knew how to speak; she just had to gather the strength to do so. “It’s . . . amazing. ”

  Zach’s grin widened.

  “But I can’t accept it. ”

  His smile faltered and he pulled her a little closer to his warmth. Her thighs brushed his and his hands were gentle against her face. “Why not, honey?”

  “It’s too much, Zach. Way too much. ”

  “It’s just a suite,” he said with a shrug.

  No. It was so mu
ch more than that. It was a home—a place of refuge, of hopes and dreams. It was a mythical concept that, until now, Lexi had never even dared hope to obtain. And Zach was just handing it to her.

  The urge to accept his gift was nearly overwhelming. This was the one thing she wanted more than anything else. Walking away from it was going to rip her apart. “I’m sorry. ”

  “But why? Everyone here is given their own home. Why shouldn’t you have one, too?”

  “I can’t pay for it. ”

  “We don’t need money. We need you. I need you. Believe me, you’ll earn your keep and then some once I teach you how to use your magic. Just ask Helen. ”

  “Helen doesn’t have her own place. She lives with Drake. ”

  “Because she wants to, not because she has to. Besides, we have all these vacant suites just sitting around. You don’t want them to go to waste, do you?”

  “Sitting around? Fully furnished and decorated?” she asked in disbelief.

  Zach gave her a sheepish look. “Well, no. We took the best stuff from several different suites and put it here for you, but that’s not the point. ”

  “The point is that, as much as I wish I could accept your generous gift, I can’t. We don’t even know if this thing between us is going to work out. ”

  His jaw bunched with a pulse of anger, but then disappeared as if he’d forced it away. “I have to believe it will, Lexi. ”

  He needed her to survive. Deep down, Lexi knew she’d never let him die. Regardless of whether or not she stayed with him, she’d wear the luceria and keep him alive until it was her turn to go, or until he found another woman to take her place.

  Another woman. A deep, ferocious surge of jealousy rose up inside her, striking her blind for a brief moment. She didn’t want him to find another woman. As selfish as that was, she wanted to be the only one in his life—the only one who could save him.

  It linked them together, made him almost like family. She wouldn’t give that up without a fight. But neither could she mislead him into thinking she could ever be the kind of woman he wanted. That level of trust he asked of her just wasn’t part of her makeup. Lexi didn’t think she’d even trusted her mother enough to let her roam around in her mind.

  She took Zach’s rough hand in both of hers, reveling in the strength and power radiating out of his body. “I want things to work out, too, but still, this is too big a gift for me to accept. ”

  She could see a shadow cross his features and tighten his dark brow. She’d hurt his feelings, but that couldn’t be helped. She’d lied to him for so long, she owed him as much honesty as she was capable of giving.

  “Fine. Don’t accept it yet, but don’t turn it down, either. Just stay here for now. If you want to keep it, it’s yours. If not, no pressure. Okay?”

  Lexi looked around at the luxury and comfort this place had to offer. Living here was going to be easy. Not falling in love with this place was going to be hard.

  “Okay. I’ll stay, but just for now. We still have a lot of things we need to work out between us. ”

  He stroked her face, his fingers achingly gentle as they glided over her skin, like she was made of paper-thin blown glass. “I know. But we’ve got time. For now, let’s just share a quiet meal. You need some time to adjust, and I’m starved. ”