by Sasha White
Zach held her to him with one hand, and stretched up to release her wrists. When she was free, she let her legs fall and he lowered her back to the ground, slipping from her body.
“Teal?” he questioned as he straightened up.
“Shhh,” she pressed a finger against his lips. “Let’s go to bed now.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
The sharp shriek of the phone jarred Zach from a deep sleep. Trying not to wake Teal, he stretched out an arm and snagged the phone before it could call out again.
“Zach? I’m sorry to wake you, but is Teal there? She’s not answering her home phone or her cell.” Brina Jo’s voice was slightly panicked.
“Yeah, she’s sleeping. Is everything okay?”
Her sigh came through the phone lines loud and clear. “Well, I’m glad to see you two are working things out…you are right? This is the start of something and not just a two night stand or something, right?”
“Brina Jo? Is this why you called?”
Teal lifted her head and looked around. “Brina Jo?”
He rubbed her back with one hand. “She’s on the phone, sweetheart.” The endearment slipped out naturally as he pressed the unit to her ear.
“What? Brina? What’s wrong?” Her voice was groggy and the frown heavy on her forehead when she sat up and took hold of the phone. His woman was clearly not a morning person.
Okay, maybe five thirty was a little early for a lot of people, but still, she looked real cranky. Good to know for the future.
“What?” Her body tensed and she snapped the word out dragging his attention from her naked breasts. “Nooooo. They caught him? Okay. Yes. I’ll be right there.”
She jumped from the bed and threw the phone into his lap. “I’ve gotta go.”
He put the phone back in its cradle and threw the sheets back. “What happened?
“Someone broke in to the gallery and trashed it. Well, Brina Jo said their plan was to trash it, but the cops got there before too much damage was done. I have to go. Where are my clothes?” She threw her hands up. “Fuck!”
She dashed from the room and her footsteps thumped down the stairs to the basement.
A white hot flash of anger went through Zach at the thought of someone deliberately doing damage to all that Teal had worked for. Closing his eyes he took a deep breath, then another. Now was not the time to be angry, now was the time to be there for her…for the woman he was in love with.
He tugged on a pair of jeans, and t-shirt in hand, he met Teal in the living room.
“What more can fucking happen? Why me? Why now? This gallery is a good idea, damn it, and I can’t even get it opened!” She was cursing fiercely while she fought with a shoe and he couldn’t handle it anymore.
“Hey, hey, hey.” He reached out and pulled her against his chest. Stroking his fingers through her hair he tried to soothe her. “It’s okay. They caught whoever it was and Brina said there wasn’t much damage right? We can fix whatever it is in time for the opening.”
She pushed back from him. “What do you mean we can fix the damage?”
His chest tightened at the anger in her eyes and he had to remind himself that it wasn’t him she was angry with. “Just what I said. I’ll come with you, help you get things cleaned up.”
She shook her head and avoided his eyes, putting her shoes on. “That’s not necessary. It’s my place not yours, and I’ll deal with it.”
“I know it’s not necessary, but I’d like to do it.”
She straightened up and started for the door. “Just because I let you be in charge when we get naked doesn’t mean you are in charge of everything I do. This is my place and I said I’d handle it.”
“I know it’s your place, and I’m not trying to control you, I just want to help you.” Impatience and hurt crept into his voice and she snapped at him.
“Really? You want to help me? Then get out of my way so I can leave.
Pain knifed through his chest. This was why she was trouble. This was why he’d known he shouldn’t get involved with her. He thought he was standing beside her, and she thought he was standing in front of her, blocking her way.
He took two steps and opened the front door for her. Trying one last time as she walked past him and out the door. “You don’t have to deal with this alone, Teal.”
But she just kept walking, without saying a word.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Teal was just starting to think she’d overreacted. That she’d taken her anger at the vandals out on Zach because he was closest when she walked in the gallery, and saw Dominick talking to a police officer at the reception desk.
“Teal!” Brina Jo called out from the middle of the gallery. She left her husband, who she’d been hugging, and came rushing over. “I know it looks bad, but I’ve looked around and it looks lots worse than it is.”
She stood still while Brina Jo wrapped gave her a hard and fast hug.
The beautiful cream walls were decorated with the words ‘sinners’, ‘slut’, ‘whore’, all in neon green and yellow. The corner section where she’d placed the glass dildo, along with some stained glass frames of couples in the throes of passion was smashed apart. There was toilet paper strewn from one end of the room to the other. She saw a hole in the north wall where someone had thrown the heavy brass plated sculpture that now lay on the floor.
“Not that bad huh?”
Small but firm fingers gripped her chin and forced her to look into Brina’s face. “It really isn’t. Nothing a little paint and elbow grease won’t fix.”
Afraid that if she let herself feel relief, she’d burst into tears, she gave Brina Jo a sharp nod and a small smile. Then she turned to face her brother. With every step she took towards the reception desk Teal became more aware of her rapidly overloading emotions.
“What are you doing here, Dominick?”
“Lacey called me when they caught the kids in here and they couldn’t get a hold of you.” His dark eyes flashed but his lips curved up in a smile for the female in uniform leaning against the desk. “I called Brina Jo and came down to check on things.”
It was a reasonable explanation. She hadn’t been at home, and her cell phone had been with her clothes in Zach’s basement. Except, it was Brina Jo’s name listed on everything as her assistant for the gallery.
Teal glanced at the pretty young police officer that only had eyes for Dom. She crossed her arms, trying to hold her temper in. “So she’s your friend that told you about the graffiti, huh?”
The cops posture straightened and the happy light in her eyes dimmed. She held out her hand for Teal and spoke up for herself. “I’m officer Young, Ms. Jamison. I just want to let you know that the two guys responsible for this are in custody and that, judging by the tags on the walls, it’s the same ones that were decorating the outside of your building lately. You shouldn’t have any more trouble because they won’t be back.”
“Thank you. Although I’d appreciate it if, in the future, there is ever a need to contact me about my business, you do it yourself, or through my assistant. Not my brother.”
“Yes, Ma’am.”
“Did you need anything else here?” Teal asked.
“No, Ma’am. Your assistant has a copy of the police report, and she assured us she’d get a list of the damages in the next day or two.”
“Thank you then.” Teal spoke briskly and the girl got the hint.
With a smile and a wave at Dominick, she said good-bye. “I hope your day gets better, Ma’am.”
“You were a little hard on her don’t you think?” Dom walked around the desk to stand in front of Teal. “After all, it’s not her fault she couldn’t get a hold of you right away.”
“No, it’s not,” Teal snapped. “But it is her fault that she called you instead of doing what she should’ve done, what a professional would’ve done, and called the name on the business contact sheets.”
“She was doing me a favor, Teal. I asked her to keep an eye on the pla
ce, to see if you were right and it was just punk kids, or if there was someone more sinister harassing my little sister.”
“And I was right wasn’t I? It was just punks getting a cheap thrill.” She threw her hands up in the air, wanting to smack him. “I can look after myself, Dominick. I don’t need you babying me all the time!”
“I wasn’t babying you, damn it! I was just concerned!”
“Well, I don’t need your concern either.”
His brows drew down in a fierce frown and he glared at her. “That’s right, you don’t need anyone or anything do you Teal? How the hell did you get to be such a selfish control freak? Mom and Dad raised us to be a family, to care about one another, and that means being there when someone is hurt.”
“It’s not selfish to want to run my own life my own way! Or my business for that matter!”
“Have I tried to tell you how to run your life or your business? No! I just wanted to make sure you were safe. Jesus, Teal, relax would you?”
Teal stood there, hands clenched in fists as she faced off with her brother. They both had tempers, and fighting was nothing new to them. But this time, it seemed she was the only one fighting.
“I’m sorry, Dom.” She took a deep breath, shook out her hands and tried to smile at him. “You know I love you, you’re my family. I’ve just been a bit tense lately. I’ve built a lot of businesses from the ground up, but this is the first one that’s mine. It’s really important to me.”
“I know it is.” He grinned, pulled her against his chest in a hard hug and kissed her forehead. “God bless the poor sap that falls in love with you because he’s going to need the patience of a saint.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
It took less than an hour for Teal to realize that she just might be able to get everything cleaned up and ready for the Gallery’s opening on Friday. It would be a lot of work, but mostly it was grunt work that anyone could do.
Two of the display shelves Zach had put in had been ripped out of the walls, but the wood was undamaged and after the walls were patched and repainted, they could be reinstalled.
She just needed to call Zach and ask him if he’d do it.
“Have a nice day.”
Teal gave her head a shake and pasted a smile on her. With a polite thank you, she picked up the party box full of donuts and muffins, the tray of gourmet coffees and headed out the door. Five minutes later she pulled up in front of the gallery and tried to calm her heartbeat as she stared at Zach’s truck, already parked in the lot.
Throwing back her shoulders, she strode into the place like she didn’t want to run straight to him and apologize for her outburst that morning. She saw him immediately, standing in the south corner of the room with a full bag of trash between him and her brother.
They both looked her way when she arrived, but neither waved or said anything. Teal’s gaze slid away from Zach’s unreadable one to see a shit-eating grin on her brother’s face. The sinking sensation in the pit of her stomach made her want to run and hide.
“How long have they been like that?” Teal asked Brina Jo, who’d joined her and was already munching on a Boston Crème.
Brina eyed her and swallowed before answering. “Since Zach got here.”
“And that was how long ago?”
“About five minutes after you walked out the door.” There was a beat of silence as the women stared at each other. “I’m a bit surprised he didn’t show up with you earlier, actually.”
Heat crept up Teal’s neck. “He wanted to, but, I, um … told him to back off.”
Her friend frowned and picked up two of the coffees. “I can’t say I’m surprised. Disappointed, but not surprised.”
Teal stood there, her heart pounding and her throat tightening as Brina carried the coffee’s over to her husband.
Doug had canceled his own workday to help out. Dom, like Doug had gone home and showered, before giving up his appointments to stick around and do clean up.
They all knew Lush was her baby, and they all cared about her enough to help her get it back in shape. She hadn’t even had to ask.
Finally, Teal let her gaze rest on Zach.
He looked good. Calm, cool and collected as he talked to Dom. His hair was in it’s natural slightly mussed state, and he was dressed to work. As if nothing had happened.
Something grabbed hold of Teal’s heart and started to squeeze. He had let her walk out that morning. He’d let her deal with the immediate crisis, without trying to take over. She knew now, that he’d only wanted to be there for her, the same way her brother was. The same way her friends were.
Despite Zach’s admitted fondness for sexual domination, he’d never once tried to force her into anything, or take any type of choice away from her. She glanced back at the photo behind her. It was miraculously untouched, and she was thankful, because now she could see something she’d missed before.
That photo matched what Zach had said to her in the basement. The submissive one was the one ultimately in control. The man wasn’t dominating her so much as she was gifting him with her submission.
Zach didn’t dominate her, or try to control her. He just accepted what trust she gave. And he would never take something she wasn’t willing to give.
Zach tried not to stare when Teal strode into the gallery. She looked amazing. But something was missing. The magic that was her, the attitude that had both caught his attention and warned him away, was gone. Heaviness settled in the pit of his gut when their gazes met and hers skittered away quickly.
Was she pissed off to see him there?
“You have got your hands full, don’t you?” Dom laughed at him in a way that only a man who’s never been in love could.
Zach met Teal’s brother’s gaze. It hadn’t take five seconds for Dominick to put two and two together when he’d walked in the gallery only to find Teal had left to shower.
“So you’re the reason no one could get hold of my sister this morning, eh?” Had been the way Dominick had greeted him.
He’d looked him straight in the eyes and said, “Yes. Do you have a problem with your sister having a private life?”
At first he though the guy was going to swing at him, but he was pleasantly surprised when instead, Dom had grinned and clapped him on the shoulder.
They’d gotten started cleaning up, working side by side with Dom grilling him not so subtly about himself and his relationship with Teal. Zach had answered the questions about himself, but stonewalled him when it came to Teal and their relationship.
But this time he just answered with the simple truth. “I’m in love with her.”
He saw Dom’s eyes flick over his shoulder and he knew Teal was standing behind him. Before he could turn to her, she was at his side.
“Take this and get lost,” she said, holding out a steaming paper cup to her brother.
Dominick took the cup and walked away without a word. Zach turned to Teal, bracing himself for her anger. She could yell at him all she wanted for being there, but he wasn’t leaving.
Shoving her hands in the back pockets of her jeans was the only way Teal stopped herself from grabbing Zach and kissing him. Sure, he’d shown up, but for all she knew it was because he still had a podium to finish for her. The closed look on his face was one she’d never seen before, and she really didn’t like it.
Unsure of exactly what to say, she started at the top. “Thank you.”
His eyes widened and his mouth opened to speak, but she put a hand out to stop him. “Please, let me say what I need to say before I lose my nerve.”
His jaw snapped shut and he nodded, a small light flickering in the depths of his eyes.
“Thank you for letting me go this morning. For letting me come here alone, and for showing up now. It means a lot to see you here.” She took a deep breath, shaking her head at him when he opened his mouth again. “Also, I want to say I’m sorry. I was a bit of a bitch this morning, when all you were trying to do was help.”
Wh
en she didn’t continue, he raised his eyebrows and she nodded.
“A bit of a bitch?” His eyes sparkled and lips twitched.
“Yeah, well, I’m not much of a morning person.”
He chuckled and pulled her to him in a hug. “I gathered that.”
Teal relaxed into him. She couldn’t believe it had been that easy. That Zach wasn’t going to make her beg for his forgiveness. He felt so good, so solid and comforting. His cotton t-shirt was soft beneath her cheek. His clean, crisp scent filled her lungs and his heartbeat thumped steadily against her ear.
Being in his arms felt so right and she finally accepted that, yes, being together could be that easy. That was the whole thing. Zach truly only wanted what she was willing to give.
She leaned back and looked up at him, stilling his arms. “I have more to say.”
His arms tightened around her, but he nodded. “Okay, go ahead.”
“I was scared.”
Her insides trembled and she locked her knees, hoping she wouldn’t collapse if he pulled away. He didn’t pull away. In fact, he pulled her closer, so their bodies pressed together from knees to chest. “I know,” he said softly. “But I don’t want you to ever be scared of me. In any way.”
“Enough already you two. Get to work, would you?” Dom’s voice echoed through the gallery, followed by Brina Jo and Doug’s laughter.
Before Teal could step back Zach sank his fingers into her hair and pulled her head back. His eyes shining with emotion, he brought his mouth down on hers and kissed her thoroughly for all to see. When he lifted his head again her knees were weak and the look in his eyes made her heart expand with emotion.
She’d finally found her niche.
“Everything looks perfect.”