Zoe started to laugh, then paused with confusion. "When did you talk to her on the phone?" She looked over at Zeke. "How did you know what happened today?"
Zeke grabbed her hands. "She was worried, honey. She told him what happened because she was concerned you wouldn't have told me. Were you going to tell me?" He glanced at the long sleeve covering her arm.
Zoe bit her lip in guilt. "I don't know. Probably...maybe. I was scared, okay. You probably would've noticed it anyway."
"Zoe, please don't be mad at her. She felt bad calling. She was only worried like Zeke said. She had your best interest at heart. I forced it out of her," Ben said.
"Forced it out of her? She called you, Ben," Zoe said matter-of-factly.
"Very true. But please don't be mad at her," Ben insisted.
"Because you like her," Zoe said with a grin.
Zeke chuckled as Ben dropped his jaw. "Wow, you two are perfect for each other. It's sickening."
"So, that was a yes?" Zoe asked.
"Why are we having this conversation? We have a man to arrest. Come on, Zeke," Ben said, gesturing his hand toward the door.
Zeke pulled Zoe into his side, grinning like an idiot. "My sweetheart asked you a question."
"I hate you both. I really do." Ben shook his head as he walked toward the door, then he turned back around. "What? Does it matter? Come on, Zoe. You're honestly going to tell me a gorgeous, sweet, silent-violent woman like that is available."
"Silent-violent?" Zoe asked curious.
"Yes. I told you, her quiet demeanor could peel paint off the walls when she's upset. I would hate to tango with her in a real fight. She'd rip me apart, scaring my pants right off," Ben said with a shudder.
"You like her. Like I said the other day, we can double date," Zeke said happily. He turned to Zoe, kissing her on the mouth, relishing in her sweet, delectable taste for a brief moment, then pulled away reluctantly.
"We should go. We have a lot to do. I'll be gone for a while dealing with this. Maybe you should call Rina...and Dee." Zeke hesitated that last part. "Have them come over and keep you company. Tell them to keep quiet about me. I don't want anyone at your company suspicious. I know it was someone there who killed those two. I don't have physical evidence to support that, just my instincts. I can't ask you to quit your job so I'm asking you to pretend—at least at work, I'm not dating you. No one will think to look for you at my house, especially if they don't know we're together."
"I can do that. I would hate if Mark hurt you. I need you—in more ways than one," Zoe said, rubbing a hand over her belly.
Zeke grinned as he bent down to kiss her belly. "I love you in there, my little monster." He stood back up. "Nobody's going to hurt me. Or you. Order pizza or something. Stay inside with your friends until I get home. Take it easy on Rina. I've got a funny feeling she'll have a lot on her plate with that nut over there."
Zoe grinned at Ben, who turned red and looked away. "I'm not asking her out. Let's go, Zeke." He headed for the door. This time he kept going, pulling it open, and walked out.
Zeke gave Zoe another light kiss. "I hate leaving you. When we solve this case, I'm taking some time off so we can laze around."
"I'd like that. You should go," Zoe said, glancing at the door as she rubbed her belly.
He placed a comforting hand on top of hers. "I already love this little monster inside you. I did the minute you told me even if I freaked out a bit." He paused a moment, inhaling a deep breath. "Just like how I love you. I know it hasn't been long for us. I can't explain it. I just know. I can't imagine my life without you. That tells me it's love because I've never felt this way before. Never in my life. I'll be the best father to our little monster and the best man in your life as well. I swear that to you."
A lone tear rolled down Zoe's cheek. Zeke swiped away the tear. "I didn't mean to make you cry. Please don't cry. It tears me apart. I should have—"
Zoe kissed his lips to quiet his words. She always had to interrupt him. Would he ever get used to that? Of course, he didn't mind this kind of interruption.
Zeke grabbed her ass, pressing her into him, groaning into her mouth with the passion he felt. His feet stumbled a bit as she backed him up to the wall like that one disastrous night, assaulting his tongue in a fervor. He almost wished she had on his favorite dress so he could inch his hands up her beautiful body, feeling nothing but sweet, silky skin.
He broke the kiss briefly, whispering against her mouth. "I have to go, honey. Ben's waiting for me in the car. The things I want to do to you right now, you have no idea."
Zoe grabbed his head in response, pulling his mouth back to hers. She fought with his tongue, pulling back slightly, biting his lip in sweet delight. He groaned as she pressed into him, bringing her hands through his hair, down his arms, sliding them in between their heated bodies to grasp at his belt buckle.
Zeke grabbed her hands, breaking the kiss. "I can't, Zoe. I swear I want to. You're killing me here."
"I can't help myself. You do things to me." Zoe lightly nipped his lip again. "I'm scared, Zeke."
He placed his hands gently on her face. "Why?"
"Because you love me. Because I should say it back," Zoe whispered.
"You don't have to say it back. I won't rush you. Please, trust me from now on. Call me the minute something happens. I can't stand to think if something happened to you."
"I will."
"Swear?"
"Yes." Zoe grabbed another kiss, pressing lightly into him again. "You should go now."
Zeke pulled her deeper into him. "Yeah, I should. I want to say don't wait up for me, but—wait up for me."
Zoe grinned, backing away. "I can see that as a possibility."
"Call your friends. Have some fun. Say good things about me to Dee. I really need her to start liking me." Zeke grinned as he headed for the door before he changed his mind and wrapped Zoe up in his arms, taking her to his bedroom.
"I've already been trying," she said with exasperation.
"Try harder," he said with a grin as he opened the door. "I love you."
He waited for a brief second, waiting for anything, receiving a small smile in return, then closed the door gently behind him.
***
"Ugh. This is disgusting," Zoe cried as she threw her piece of pizza back on the plate.
Dee raised a brow in disbelief. "You love sausage and pepperoni pizza. What's going on? Are you...no, please tell me it didn't come back positive. I will kill that man with my bare hands."
Zoe sighed. "Please, Dee. Please like him. Try to give him a chance. We've both made mistakes in this relationship as weird and crazy as it's been. I'm pregnant. I'm excited. He's excited."
"So you talked with him? Because earlier you said you didn't think he wanted the baby," Rina said tentatively.
Zoe smiled at Rina. "Yeah, we talked right before I called you guys to keep me company. It was a misunderstanding. It's something we both want, not that we asked for it, but we want it."
Zoe looked down at her arm, lightly rubbing it, wincing, as it still hurt to touch. "I know why you called him, Rina. I'm sorry I made you think you had to do that. I should've called him myself right away. I'm not mad at you." Zoe looked up. Rina shyly grinned with relief.
"I was afraid you would be mad, but I had to do it. If Mark did something even worse—I wouldn't have been able to live with myself." Rina looked over at Dee, who chewed her pizza with silent, angry vibes rolling off her. "Give him a chance. He does care for her. Not all men can express their emotions right away. These two are meant for each other. It was destined."
Dee looked annoyed. "Destined? Rina, get the stars out of your eyes. He could still hurt her. Leave her with a baby without a glance goodbye. He—"
"Loves me," Zoe finished for her, glancing back and forth between the two, watching as the surprise splattered all over their faces.
"Just because he shows sweetness, slick words that run off his tongue, does not mean he loves
you, Zoe," Dee said wryly, covering her shock up quickly.
"He loves me because he told me right before he left. I feel it every time he places a soft hand on me, or the way his eyes glance at me, and even the way his slick words slide over my body. I believe him. I want you to give him a chance because I can't handle any more nerves running through me. You two not getting along brings those nerves out full force. Please, Dee."
"I don't want to like him or give him a chance." Dee scrunched her lips up in a measured manner. "I'm sorry. I don't want to see you hurt again like you were a month ago, but I'll try."
Zoe blew out a calming breath, the sudden anxiety slowly releasing from her body. "Thank you, Dee."
"So, you love him, too?" Dee asked with a funny face.
Zoe shifted in her seat, rubbing her belly faster. "I never said it back. My emotions are haywire right now. I do trust him with my life, but my heart is still a little leery. I'm so used to rejection from the men I date that I'm afraid. I'm going to try, though. I'm not giving up on us."
"Take your time, Zoe. You both have the rest of your life to figure it out," Rina said softly, the happiness shining in her eyes mingled with relief.
"Yeah, I know. He understood. He said he wouldn't rush me." Zoe glanced over at Rina with a sly grin. "So, you talked to Ben today?"
Rina glanced away. "Yes, I did. Zeke wasn't available, so I had to tell Ben."
"Who's Ben?" Dee asked.
Zoe smiled brightly. "Zeke's partner. Remember the other guy in Mills's office that day they delivered the news he was murdered. He was also with Zeke knocking on doors in the neighborhood when my house was broken into. He's cute, don't you think, Rina?"
Dee bawled out laughing as Rina blew out a nervous breath. "Do you like this man, Rina?" Dee teased. "Where's my hunky detective? This suddenly doesn’t feel fair."
"I don't like Detective Stoyer like that. He seems like a very nice man, though," Rina said, shyly, glancing at her nails.
"I'll ask Zeke who would be perfect for you, Dee, don't worry," Zoe said.
"You better. I feel left out," Dee pouted with a twinkle in her eye. She glanced at Rina, who was still poking at her nails. "Rina, I've never noticed you to blush over a man before. You always quietly brush them off with ease. You like this guy. Don't lie to us."
"I don't brush anyone off because men don't like me like that," Rina said as the other two scoffed at her with disbelief. "What? They don't. Men make me nervous."
"Give me a break. I've never once seen you nervous around a man. Unless you never really liked them as you do this Ben guy," Dee said with a crafty smile.
"He seems nice, but I can't say I like him." Rina bit her lip lightly, glancing at Zoe. "Why? Did he say something about me?"
"Oh, he was just as nervous talking about you that you are talking about him. Getting red in the face, denying liking you, raving about how smooth your voice is over the phone. He likes you," Zoe said matter-of-factly.
"Man, you both are falling like rocks. I'm sitting over here taming my hair so I can hopefully see a man through the mess of it all," Dee said with misery slightly pouring out of her eyes.
"I don't have a man," Rina said.
"But you could with one simple, delectable moan from your mouth. I dare you to try it and see if he ravishes you silly," Dee said with a sexual gleam in her eye.
"Dee, stop saying things like that," Rina said embarrassed. "I don't moan."
"No, not even while you're having sex? You do make these silly sounds sometimes when you're eating something delicious. He might even take you over the table if you went out to dinner with him," she replied deviously.
Zoe started laughing. "Oh geez, you two are too much. I couldn't ask for better friends. Dee, leave the poor girl alone. I was teasing." Zoe glanced at Rina. "I think he likes you, though. Maybe you should give him a chance if he asks you out. You rarely date when you could probably have any man you want."
"I don't like dating for a reason," Rina said quietly.
"Yeah? What's the reason? Dish already," Dee demanded.
"Men make me nervous. I told you that already. I need another refill of my tea. Excuse me," Rina said, standing up.
Dee turned to Zoe. "I didn't mean to upset her. She can be so sensitive sometimes. And she's not even pregnant like you."
Zoe sighed. "Give her time. Ben seems like a great guy. Maybe she just needs the right man to open her eyes." Zoe picked up a piece of pizza. "Let's talk about something else. No need to upset her anymore." She took a small bite as she glanced at Dee, who nodded in agreement.
Rina walked back into the room, sitting quietly down on the sofa. Dee glanced at her, then turned her attention to Zoe. "So, what's going to happen to Mark? I hope they slam the book on the jerk for hurting you today. Zeke's going to beat his ass I hope."
Zoe laughed lightly. "He wants to. I almost forgot to tell you guys that he doesn’t want anyone at the office to know I'm dating him. If it isn't Mark who killed Mills and Murphy, he thinks it's someone else there. He wants it a secret where I am so no one can find me. They're going to arrest him for the assault and question him about the murders."
"I told you he could have done it," Dee said with certainty.
"I thought you were kidding, Dee," Rina pointed out.
"Well, I was kidding—kind of. Look at what he did to Zoe. Repressed violence like that is just asking to be released. He's totally capable of it. He's always been a little douchey—we all know this. I never understood why you dated him in the first place, Zoe," Dee said as she scrunched her face like she was revolted by the thought.
"I would've never met Zeke if I hadn't. That's what I'm telling myself. I don't have any other excuse except insanity," Zoe said sadly.
"I'm glad you met him. Especially now that he's here to protect you from Mark, so he can't hurt you again. He scared me today. I saw the violence, the rage in his eyes," Rina said quietly.
Zoe and Dee glanced at Rina in a new light for the first time. Then they shared a look, silently communicating that maybe they missed something in Rina's demeanor the whole time they'd known her.
"Well, there are two hunky detectives on the case to thwart any further violence. Let's all cheer to that," Dee said jokingly and picked up her drink, holding it out for the other two to clink glasses with her.
Rina gave a halfhearted smile, raising her glass to meet Dee's. They both glanced at Zoe, who started to pick up her glass, then changed her mind, throwing her pizza down on the table, nearly missing it by inches.
"I think I need to throw up again. I hate pizza," Zoe exclaimed as she stood up quickly from the couch, rushing to the bathroom.
"Whoa. Not sure I ever want to be pregnant if that happens frequently. She loves pizza," Dee said.
"I guess the baby doesn't," Rina said with a small grin.
Dee glanced over at Rina. "Well, cheers to you then. We're going to be aunties. That's good enough to cheer away. Let's baby shop one of these days."
"That's a nice idea. She would enjoy that," Rina said, clinking her glass one more time with Dee.
Chapter 9
"So tell me, Mr. Johnson, do you like hurting women—people in general?" Zeke asked as he scowled at Mark from across the desk in the interrogation room.
"I have no idea what you're talking about or why you even arrested me. You made me look like a criminal in front of all my colleagues. This is ridiculous," Mark growled, slamming his handcuffed hands on the table. Zeke didn't flinch by the outburst, although his rage simmered below the surface to pound the guy into the floor.
"I would watch your violence with us, Mr. Johnson. We know how to fight back," Ben said straight-faced as he stood slightly behind Zeke near the door with his arms crossed.
"I want my lawyer. I'm not saying anything else until my lawyer gets here because I didn’t do anything wrong," Mark said smugly, leaning back in his chair.
Zeke smiled menacingly as he opened a folder, took a photo out, and laid it on the
table in front of Mark.
"Sure, we'll get your lawyer. Have a quick look at this picture first. You don't need to say anything because we all know you did do something wrong. You put your filthy hands on a woman, bruising her arm. In my book, that's called an assault. In the law's book, that's also called an assault."
Mark's eyes glazed with rage staring at the picture of Zoe's arm. Zeke had called Susan after he left his house to take crime scene pictures of Zoe's bruise. He wanted all the evidence he could to nail the bastard. She had responded right away.
Looking at the photo himself, he could feel his fury bubbling rapidly to the surface, but he squashed it down, not wanting to ruin the case in any way. Mark was going to pay for what he did. The correct way.
Mark started to get red in the face as he leaned forward, resting his clenched hands on top of the table, staring threateningly at the picture.
"Still nothing to say, Mr. Johnson? No excuse why there's a bruise there. You threatened her. You told her not to call the police or she'd regret it. What did you mean by that? What would she regret? More physical harm?" Zeke edged further, trying to break the dam waiting to burst within Mark. He could see the intensity pouring from his eyes, wanting to reach inside the picture and inflict more pain on Zoe. Over his dead body would Mark ever lay another hand on her.
"I didn't hurt her. She's a damn liar. Zoe's nothing but a liar. She did that to herself," Mark yelled, slamming his hands on the picture, shoving it away.
Zeke grabbed the photo before it went flying to the floor, slamming it down in front of Mark. "Look! Take a good look. I see only a picture of an arm. I don't see a face. Who in the hell mentioned Zoe? You're the liar."
Zeke shoved it closer. "She upset you because she wouldn't go back to your filthy self. She knocked down your insecurities, making you look pathetic. You don't like it when a woman does that to you, do you? What other rage do you have simmering inside? Did Mr. Mills and Mr. Murphy upset you somehow, too? Did you unleash some anger on them and kill them? Are you planning on showing her the regret by killing her? Tell me, damn it."
One Taste of You (One Taste #1) Page 11