by Jennie Marts
The only way he could describe the way she turned to look at him—with love shining in her eyes like she couldn’t believe he was here. And here to save her.
As worried as he’d been chasing her down, he couldn’t help the corners of his mouth as they lifted in a grin. She looked so beautiful. His chest tightened at the ache of love and responsibility he felt for her, and in that instant he knew. He knew that his earlier behavior was bullshit. That there was no way he was going to let this woman go.
That he would do anything—lay down his own life—to protect her.
He would do anything to see her look at him like that. Like that very moment.
Except that moment changed, and her expression went from love to terror. “How did you find me?”
“I tracked Edna’s cell phone.” He took a tentative step toward her.
Her eyes were wide with fright. She looked like a deer caught in the headlights. A beautiful deer wearing a twinkling blue dress.
She took a step back, holding her arms out in front of her as if to ward him off. “Stay away from me. Don’t come any closer.” Her eyes darted to a handbag on the counter.
He recognized the bag as Edna’s and knew it could contain any number of items she could use against him. “Zoey, what’s going on? Why are you acting like you’re afraid of me? Why did you run from me in the hospital?”
“As if you didn’t know.” The shelf next to her held props, and she reached toward the closest item, coming away with an oil can.
He hated that answer. Why did women always think they already knew? And what the hell was she planning on doing with that oil can? Fixing a squeaky hinge? “I don’t know. Why don’t you tell me?”
“I heard you talking. Outside my room in the hospital. I heard you say that you were there to take care of me.”
He took a step closer, and she threw the oil can at his head. He deflected it with his forearm. Shit. She had a great arm. At least the one that hadn’t been shot. “Yeah, of course I said that. I was there to take care of you. I tried to stay away, but I got worried that one of Leon’s men would show up and try to hurt you.”
She grabbed for another prop, this time coming up with a giant lollipop. She threw it tomahawk style, but it fell way short of its mark—his head. “One of Leon’s men did show up. You. And I heard you say that you had to hurt me, then your so-called friend told you to do it quick.” She lobbed a picnic basket at his head.
“He’s no friend of mine.”
She stopped, her arm raised, her hand poised to throw what appeared to be a large yellow brick. “Why not?”
“Because I think he’s somehow involved in all of this. I think he may have been one of the men who came out to the cabin to attack us.”
She lowered the brick, her eyes full of suspicion and doubt. “I know he was.”
He’d figured as much. “How do you know?”
“Because I recognized his voice. I’d heard his voice twice before. Once in my apartment the night the two men broke in, and once in the woods, right before he shot me. When I heard him talking outside my hospital room, I knew it was him right away. But I couldn’t figure out why he was talking to you.”
“We’ve known each other since we were kids, but I hadn’t seen him much the last couple of years. And I had no idea he was connected to this. In fact, now that I think about it, I’ve seen him more in the last few days than I have in the last year. And now it makes perfect sense. He’s been digging for information on this case all along.”
“And you’ve been giving it to him.”
His shoulders slumped, and he let out a heavy sigh. “Yeah, I guess I have. I guess I’m an idiot. He called me earlier tonight, offered to take me out for a couple of beers. I was in a shitty mood, so I went. I had a few too many and started talking about you and how much I liked you. And how I’d just broken your heart.”
He snapped his fingers. “Actually, he was the one who suggested we go to the hospital to check up on you. He must have known I could get him close to you. And I led him right to your door. That son of a bitch.”
Zoey took a tentative step toward him. “How do I know if I can believe you or not?”
He shook his head and stared at her in disbelief. “Seriously? If you truly believe that I could hurt you, then maybe we didn’t have the connection I thought we did.”
“I didn’t want to believe it, but what was I supposed to think? You were outside my room chumming it up with the guy who has been trying to kill me and talking about hurting me.”
He grimaced. “I guess I can see your point.” He moved a little closer. “Zoey, please believe me. I had no idea Pat was involved in any of this. If I’d known he was the one who tried to hurt you, I would have killed him myself. I still might.”
She set the brick down and approached him warily. Stopping in front of him, she looked up into his eyes, as if searching for answers there. “You also conveniently broke things off with me right after I’d been shot.”
“I’m sorry about that.”
“Why? Why did you leave the hospital without talking to me? Why did you tell me not to call or contact you?”
“You know why. It was tearing me up that I hadn’t protected you at the cabin. We’d just been talking about all of that stuff with my old partner, so it was on the surface, like a wound I’d just picked open. And then those guys broke in, and it was like I had to live it all over again. I couldn’t do anything to stop them. And you ended up getting shot. Just like her.”
“No, not just like her. She was shot and killed. I was shot in the arm. And just barely.” She peered up at him, a grin tugging at the corners of her lips. “It’s really only a flesh wound.”
His expression stayed sober, and he lifted a curl of her hair and pushed it behind her ear. “I couldn’t bear it if something had happened to you. I know we haven’t known each other that long, but I felt a connection with you from the first time I met you. I couldn’t stop thinking about you. About wanting to be with you. The last few days have been amazing. Well, not the running for our lives part, but the part when we were together. I don’t usually let people in so quickly, but with you it was different.”
“Different? How?”
“You walked in and completely captured my heart. After I met you, I knew I didn’t stand a chance against falling for you.” He looked into her eyes. “I am in love with you. Utterly hopelessly in love with you.”
She reached up and touched his face. He caught his breath, and a sensation of desire ran down his spine.
“I am utterly hopelessly in love with you, too.”
He bent his head forward, touching his forehead to hers. “I know. That’s why I couldn’t take a chance on you getting hurt. I’m sorry for the way I went about it, but I cared about you too much to risk having you get hurt because of me.”
“You leaving hurt much worse than the bullet that grazed my arm. I can recover from that. I can’t recover from you breaking my heart.” She peered up at him. “Listen to me, Michael Mac McCarthy, I don’t need you to step in front of a bullet for me. I don’t need you to protect my body. I want you to protect my heart.”
She leaned forward, her lips grazing his cheek as she spoke softly into his ear. “If you want to protect me, then do everything in your power to not break my heart again. You can shield me from insults and harsh words. You can defend me against feelings of self-doubt, and you can shelter me from stormy days. But you can protect me by guarding my heart. By loving and cherishing me. That’s what I need from you. To protect my heart.”
She kissed his cheek, then grinned up at him. “And I also need you to protect me from spiders. I hate spiders.”
He laughed. Sliding his arms around her waist, he pulled her to him. The blue gown crinkled against his chest. “I can do that. I’m excellent at killing spiders.” He leaned in, and captured her mouth in a kiss.
A sudden thought occurred to him, and he pulled back. “Where’s Edna?” He ducked his shoulders as he
searched the darkened theatre around them. “She’s not going to come after me with a loaded gun, is she?”
Zoey laughed. “No. She dropped me off and went to pick up Johnny.” Her laughter died as her expression sobered. “Edna was worried Leon’s guys would go after them to get to me, so she dropped me off, then went to pick him up. They’re coming back for me.”
He grimaced. “Damn it. I’m sorry any of you are involved in this. And I feel like an idiot that I trusted that guy. That I didn’t see through him earlier.”
“It’s not your fault. How could have possibly known? And up until tonight, he may not have even realized that we meant anything to each other.” She ran her finger lightly along the edge of his chin then softly touched his lips. “And you do mean something to me.”
She leaned in, replacing the pad of her finger with her lips against his. A tender kiss, but filled with meaning. “You mean everything to me.” She deepened the kiss, pressed herself into his chest as she wrapped her arms around his neck.
The tightness in his chest loosened as he gave himself to her. Gave his heart. No conditions, no restrictions. His breath came in ragged gasps as he spoke between kisses. “I love you, Zoey. With everything in me. I belong to you, heart and soul.”
“I love you, too.” She pulled him into a tight embrace.
He pulled back, cupping her chin in his hand and tried to convey his feelings in his gaze. “I mean it. I’m in this thing. When I’m with you, I feel like I’m home.”
She blinked. “There’s no place like home,” she uttered softly before he kissed her again.
Chapter Nineteen
Zoey felt his kiss all the way to her toes. Her pinched toes.
She kicked off the ruby red slippers. They had already worked their magic. Now they were just hurting her feet. And she didn’t want anything to distract her from the way Mac’s lips felt against hers.
His arms wrapped around her waist, pulling him to her. The dress cinched around her waist, and her breasts practically popped free of the low-cut bodice. Who would have thought a sparkly dress with poofy sleeves could make her feel so sexy?
He wore jeans, a snug black T-shirt, and black motorcycle boots, and he was so damn handsome, he almost took her breath away. The sleeves of his shirt stretched around the hard muscles of his biceps, and she ran her hands up his arms, awed by their strength.
Looking down at her, his gaze lingered on her lips, and her knees threatened to buckle with the intensity of the emotions she felt for this man. Everything about him and their relationship had been messy and chaotic, so unlike the structured way she led her life. But she was okay with it.
In fact, she found that she was starting to like it. To enjoy a little chaos and spontaneity. Being with him also felt daring and exciting in a way that an organized sock drawer could never compare to.
He kissed her neck, her throat, then the tops of her breasts. Soft, sweet, agonizingly slow kisses that she felt all the way to her core. She caught her breath, clutching his back as ripples of desire coursed through her. She wanted him, needed him.
It didn’t matter that a few hours ago her heart had felt like it had been shattered into a million pieces. He’d found a way to repair it. And it felt whole again.
He drew back and grinned at her. “I’ve never kissed a princess before.”
She laughed. “I’m not actually dressed as a princess. I’m dressed as a witch.”
“Oh, well, I have kissed one of those before.”
“Very funny. This dress belongs to Glenda the Good Witch. From The Wizard of Oz.”
“Ah, that makes sense now why you were holding that yellow brick.” He smiled. “Thanks for not throwing that one at me, by the way.”
She laughed again. “It was made of styrofoam. I don’t think you were in too great of danger.”
He narrowed his eyes and tightened his hold on her waist. “I feel a little like I’m in danger now. It scares me how much I care about you.”
Caressing his cheek, she laid a gentle kiss on his lips. “I know. Me, too.”
“Do you think if we follow the yellow brick road, the Wizard would grant me a wish?”
She peered up at him, her voice soft. “What’s your wish?”
He offered her a naughty grin. “For Glenda to take her dress back.”
“But then I would have nothing to wear.” She batted her eyelashes innocently at him.
“Exactly.” He leaned in and took her mouth in a hungry kiss. He held her cheek gingerly with one hand as he ran his other through her hair, then cupped the back of her head.
She loved the way he kissed her, gentle and forceful at the same time. She parted her lips, letting his tongue in, letting him taste her. Heat curled in her belly. She wanted him. All of him. And she wanted him now.
He reached his hands down under her bottom, lifted her against him, then set her down on the makeup table. She wrapped her legs around his waist as his hands skimmed under the dress, his fingers lightly caressing her skin.
His kisses became more fevered. Pulling her closer, his hands slid along her thighs and under her rear, then stopped. His lips curved into a grin and he spoke against her mouth. “Are you not wearing any underwear?”
She laughed. “I am. But just barely.”
His hands slid up and found the elastic band of the thong undies. He gave it a gentle tug. “I can fix that.”
Before he had a chance to fix anything, the melodic tones of “All About That Bass” filled the air.
Mac chuckled. “Is that your phone?”
“No, it’s my grandma’s.” Edna’s bag sat beside her. She dug through it, looking for the phone, as she tried to catch her breath.
“Of course it is.”
Finding the phone, she checked the display then held it to her ear. “Hello. Grandpa?”
“Zoey, are you all right?” her grandfather asked.
“I’m fine, but I’m worried about you. Where are you? Did Grandma find you?”
“Yes, we’re right out front. Can you let us in?”
“I’ll be right there.” She hung up the phone and looked up Mac. “My grandparents are outside.” She slid off the makeup table and rearranged her dress as she started down the stairs of the stage. “Come on.”
She raced up the auditorium aisle, out of the theatre, and hurried to the front doors. Praying they didn’t have an alarm connected to them, she pushed one open, and her grandparents slipped inside.
“I’m so glad you’re okay.” Johnny folded her into his embrace. He smelled like toothpaste and that blue soap that he used.
Edna gave her a quick hug then eyed her suspiciously. “What in the world have you been doing? Your face is all flushed, and your hair is a mess. And why the hell are you wearing that dress?”
Mac stepped out of the theatre behind her. “She….”
Before he could say anything, Edna pulled a can of pepper spray from her pocket and held it out toward him.
“Get back. I’m not afraid to use this. I won’t let you hurt my granddaughter.”
Geez—how many cans of defensive spray did Edna have? Was she buying it in bulk at Costco? Zoey held her arms out in front of Mac. “It’s okay, Grandma. He’s not trying to hurt me. It was a misunderstanding. He didn’t know it was his friend that tried to kill me.”
Edna lowered the pepper spray. “Oh, good. I told her you couldn’t be in on this. I always liked you. It’d be a shame if I would’ve had to shoot you.”
Mac arched an eyebrow at her. “I’m assuming you mean with the pepper spray?”
Her grandmother looked at the floor. “Uh—yes, of course that’s what I meant. It would be a shame if I had to shoot you with the pepper spray.”
“I agree. That would be a shame.”
“Well, now that we know you’re not in on this crazy scheme,” Johnny interrupted. “What are we going to do about it?”
“First we’re going to find someplace safe,” Mac said. “Then we’re going to devise a
plan to catch the sons of bitches.”
Edna nodded. “Agreed.”
“But where are we going to go that’s safe?” Zoey asked. “They know where my grandparents live so we can’t go back to their house. And I don’t want to risk showing up at any of the Page Turners.”
Mac shook his head. “No, and I don’t think it’s safe going back to my place either. Pat knows where I live.” He touched Zoey’s arm and looked down at her with an expression of concern. “But we can’t stay here. You need to get some rest. You look tired, like you’re about to drop.”
Oh, good. That’s just the look she was going for. Nothing more attractive than looking dead-tired. “I’m okay.”
“I hate to state the obvious,” Johnny said. “But if we’re looking for a place that’s anonymous where you can also rest, we should just check into a hotel.”
Edna nodded. “Good idea. The Travel Inn is out by the highway and it has parking in the back so my car would be hidden. Plus, that’s where Scooter works the night shift. He’d probably let us check in under an assumed name.”
For once, Zoey was glad her grandmother watched so much crime television. She would never have thought of that. Although at this point, she could barely think at all. Suddenly all of the stress of the day settled on her shoulders and she was tired. So incredibly tired. “Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. Let’s go.”
“Are you going to wear that dress, Cinderella?” Edna asked.
She looked down at the sparkly dress and her bare feet. “I probably shouldn’t. Otherwise whoever’s playing Glenda’s going to be pretty upset when they go to look for their costume. Give me a minute to change.”
Five minutes later, the small group headed for Edna’s car. Zoey had changed back in to the scrubs and collected her grandmother’s purse.
She and Mac climbed into the back seat amidst a frenzied greeting from Havoc and Bruiser. The two little dogs climbed all over them, licking their faces.
Edna pulled the front door closed. “We didn’t know what else to do. We couldn’t leave the dogs alone at the house.”