Wicked as Lies

by Shayla Black

  Zy didn’t think twice. “Sure. I’m not picky about where I sleep, and noise doesn’t bother me. I’ve got my stuff on my bike. If we’re a go, I can bring it in.”

  While he figured out how to resist coming on to the intriguing blonde who probably didn’t have sex on her mind.

  Tessa let out a sigh of relief and smiled. “Great.”

  The colonel stood. “Why don’t you grab your gear so you and I can board up this window? Then I’ll leave you two alone.”

  Ten minutes later, the window was boarded up and the colonel had gone with a wave and a promise to check in. The moment Tessa locked the door after him and turned back to Zy, the room felt too small, the air somehow hard to breathe. Not just because he loomed tall, though he did. Not just because his probing blue eyes asked a thousand questions without a word. Not even because his massive shoulders filling out an athletic shirt above his obviously strong body made her realize how unnervingly male he was. It was everything about him. The tribal tattoos that peeked out under his sleeves. His large, capable hands. The hawk-eyed way he watched her. Even the stitches on the side of his head and the dark bruising that flared from his temple down to his square jaw.

  The last thing she needed or wanted was to be attracted to any man, especially a hot one seeing her at her unbathed, sleep-deprived worst. And he would be here for nearly a week.

  “So…” She gave him her blandest smile. “Thanks for coming to help me.”

  “No problem.” He sent her a concerned stare. “You okay?”

  His gaze, like his question, felt too perceptive.

  The longer Tessa stared back in silence, the more tongue-tied she felt. He stood too close. Her nerves buzzed. Even her skin tingled. “Cash rattled me a little, but I’ll be all right.”

  “You sure?”

  “Yeah,” she assured him as much as she assured herself. She had to stop being ridiculous and think responsibly. Think like a mom. “Um, make yourself at home. Have you eaten dinner? I was just cooking and I’m sure I have enough for two.”

  Sharing with him was only right since he’d come to help her. Besides, she couldn’t starve him, especially after he’d been so recently injured.

  All true…but eating with him meant she’d have to stay close to him.

  “My stomach would appreciate it,” he accepted. “I couldn’t bring myself to eat Chinese takeout leftovers.”

  “How does meatloaf and mashed potatoes sound?”

  “Like heaven.”

  “Good. Since it’s a little chilly tonight, warm comfort food sounded good.”

  “Warm comfort food always is. And unless you count hospital food—which I don’t—I haven’t had a home-cooked meal in forever.”

  “It won’t be much longer. Feel free to get yourself settled while I finish up.”

  “I can do that later. Need any help?”

  He wasn’t too macho for domesticity?

  “Mind setting the table?” She gestured to the little nook beside the kitchen. It needed to be done, and it would put space between them.

  “I’ll take care of it.”

  Tessa turned back to her potatoes and started the burner. She couldn’t deny that she was pleasantly surprised. Then again, Zy wasn’t Cash, and she shouldn’t have assumed that if her ex would shirk a simple task, the big, bad warrior would as well. After all, she and Zy worked for the same man, who would probably threaten to peel his hide from his body if he was anything less than polite.

  From the holder on the counter, she plucked up a pair of napkins, then grabbed a couple of forks from the drawer before setting them on the kitchen island between them. “Salt and pepper shakers are in the sideboard next to the table, along with the placemats.”

  He scooped everything up. “On it.”

  “I don’t have a beer or anything hard to offer you. Sorry.” She wasn’t drinking while she was breastfeeding, and after what happened tonight, she didn’t really want to encourage any man imbibing.

  “I’d rather have water.”

  Zy worked with relative speed and stealth. Tessa couldn’t deny that having him nearby made her feel a lot safer. And strangely content. She’d grown accustomed to the only sounds in the house belonging to her, Hallie, or the TV. Hearing another adult made her feel less lonely.

  But the fact she couldn’t tune out his all-male, all-warrior vibe rattled her. Then again, what woman could ignore any six-foot-four man full of buzz cut and muscle?

  Less than two minutes later, the table was set. His competence shouldn’t surprise her. Cash had been a talker. Zy was seemingly a doer. And the colonel only hired the best.

  “Where’s your baby?” he asked.

  “She fell asleep shortly after Colonel Edgington arrived. I expect we’ll have just enough time to sneak in a meal before she wakes. At least I hope. Mind pouring us each some water for dinner? Glasses are to the right of the sink.”

  “You got it.”

  By the time he finished and they danced around each other in the small kitchen, she pulled the meatloaf from the oven. She’d made it big, hoping she’d have leftovers tomorrow. Wishful thinking now, but she was safe tonight, and she had Zy to thank. If Cash made the mistake of coming back, the sight of her temporary bodyguard would have her ex pissing his pants.

  She laughed.

  “Something funny?” Zy asked.

  Tessa looked up from whipping her potatoes. “I was just thinking that if Cash returns, he’ll be mighty surprised.”

  “He won’t find me very welcoming.”

  “I’m pleased as punch to hear it.” She put a heap of butter on top of the potatoes, added a bit of pepper, then stirred, grabbed a pair of plates, and dished up their dinner. “Honestly, I don’t know why that man thought I’d welcome him back in the first place.”

  “Some men have difficulty with the word no. But if he turns up and struggles to comprehend, I’ll set him straight.”

  She believed he would, and his protectiveness made something in her belly flutter.

  Oh, hell. Don’t start that business. Giving in to flutters over a fine form and a pretty face is how you became a single mother in the first place.

  “Thank you.” She set the plates on the placemats, then reached for her chair.

  Zy sidled beside her and pulled it out. “Let me.”

  As Tessa sat, she couldn’t seem to unglue her stare from him. That flutter strengthened to something more like a kick. “Thank you.”

  Just because the man has manners doesn’t mean he likes you. And you don’t need another Romeo.

  He sat beside her and dropped his napkin in his lap. “Everything looks and smells fantastic.”

  “Dig in,” she encouraged, doing the same.

  He forked in a bite of potatoes, then moaned. The sound was so sexual it sent a shiver down her spine. “This is amazing. I’d forgotten how much I love good mashed potatoes.”

  “You didn’t eat them much in the service?”

  “Their version, sure. But comparing yours to those would be like comparing a da Vinci to a kindergarten art project.”

  Tessa laughed. Zy had a sense of humor, too? Where had he been when she’d had the misfortune of meeting Cash?

  In retrospect, she couldn’t be altogether sad about that. Without him, she wouldn’t have Hallie, and she loved her daughter almost more than her heart could contain.

  “I don’t know if I’ve mastered potatoes the way da Vinci mastered art, but I appreciate the compliment.”

  He took a bite of the meat and shook his head as pleasure spread across his face. “And I might have to compare your meatloaf to a Shakespearian sonnet because it’s that damn good.”

  “Now you’re just buttering me up. If you were hoping for dessert, sorry. I didn’t make any. I’m still trying to lose baby weight.”

  He lowered his fork and stared. “You look good to me.”

  Tessa turned hot all over. “Thanks.”

  The moment hung between them. Silent. Still. Full of a
wareness. Or was that in her head?

  It doesn’t matter, girl. Stop making eyes at the man. And remember the rule about fraternizing with the operatives? The colonel had it written into his employee contract, so he must take that seriously. You need this job. Don’t screw up. Besides, Zy can’t possibly find you attractive when you’re dirty and half-awake.

  She cleared her throat. “So where are you from?”

  “California. Bay Area. You?”

  The way he spit out the words suggested he had no intention of going back, but she didn’t pry. “Never been there.”

  He shrugged. “There’s some good stuff, but mostly…you’re not missing much. Where are you from? Where did you get that soft drawl?”

  The caress of his voice made her shiver. “Rocky Top, Tennessee.”

  “Never been there.”

  Tessa couldn’t help but smile. “It’s beautiful, and I have to be honest. You’re missing a lot.”

  “I probably am.” He shoveled in another couple of bites. “Tell me what I need to know about your ex.”

  She hated talking about him, but Zy should know the basic facts in case Cash wasn’t in the mood to give up. “We met at the post office. The colonel asked me to mail some things for him, and he was picking up a package. We got stuck in the same line…”

  “So you started dating?”

  She nodded. “I hadn’t lived here long, and he seemed nice enough. It probably sounds stupid now, but the fact that he knew a lot of the locals and always had a wave and a smile convinced me he was a decent guy.”

  “How long before you suspected he wasn’t?”

  “That happened over time. I didn’t like the way he treated waitstaff. He was dismissive, like they were beneath him. I waitressed a lot in high school, and I knew the type. But I made excuses for him. In every other way, he seemed all right.” And she’d been so lonely, the pain of being a stranger when she’d always had so many friends had made her vulnerable to Cash’s smooth words.

  “What then?”

  “After we’d been out a few times and…I’d spent a couple of nights with him, he stopped calling as much. I was out to dinner with one of my neighbors, and I saw him pick up a redhead. When they left together, I knew where they were going, and sure enough, her car was parked in front of his apartment for the next few hours. Cash and I weren’t exclusive or anything, but…” She shrugged. “I’d convinced myself what we had meant something. Clearly, it didn’t. I called him the next morning and left him a message not to call me anymore.”

  “Did he?”

  “Yeah, but I didn’t answer. And he didn’t come around. It seemed fine, until I realized I was pregnant. So I had to call him again. He didn’t say much when I told him, but he promised he’d be there for me.”

  “Was he?”

  “For a while.” He’d certainly stayed for the hormone-induced sex at the beginning of her second trimester. In fact, he’d been so there for her then, she’d convinced herself that maybe they had a good relationship after all. “He disappeared for good around the middle of January. Hallie was born February fourth. I hadn’t seen him again until today.”

  “He just showed up? Wanting what?”

  “To see Hallie, according to him. But he seemed all too happy to tell me that he’d left because, by the end of my pregnancy, I looked like the side of a barn. But lucky for me, I’d got my body back and he wanted to pay particular attention to my breasts.”

  Zy scowled. “What the…”

  “Fuck? You can say it.”

  “Since he sounds like a first-class asshole, I don’t know how to avoid saying it. The colonel said he threatened you?”

  “Vaguely. ‘I’ll be back and I’ll make you pay.’ That kind of stuff.”

  “Is he mean enough to follow through?”

  Tessa considered the question. “Mean? I don’t know. Vain? Yes. I kicked him out and had him arrested. There’s one thing that man can’t take, and that’s an insult to his pride.”

  “I know his type. He’ll be back.”

  “I expect so. But you’ll have to be careful.”

  “I will. I heard about Cash’s uncle, but all I have to do is get the bastard to throw the first punch.”

  They finished their dinner, and just as she pushed her plate away, Hallie started to fuss. “I’d better go get her.”

  “Do what you need. I might have seconds.”

  Tessa smiled back at Zy. Despite the fact she was feeling awkward and too aware in his presence, she found him surprisingly easy to talk to. Easy to be with. But that only made her more aware of him. And she wouldn’t make the mistake of underestimating him. He might seem polite, but under his facade, he was all warrior.

  If she weren’t a single mother who shared office space with him, she’d be damn interested in unleashing him between the sheets. But that was impossible.

  “Help yourself.” She eased away and headed into her bedroom, where Hallie lay in her lacy bassinet, little legs kicking and tiny hands flailing as she gave her lungs a workout.

  “Hey, sweet pea. Good nap? You hungry?”

  The sudden dampening of her shirt with Hallie’s next cry told her it was definitely time for her daughter to eat.

  After scooping up the infant, she kissed her forehead and sat in the glider in the corner, opening her shirt and nursing bra as she settled in and flipped on the TV. As Hallie latched on hungrily, Tessa held her tighter and changed channels until she found a semi-entertaining cooking show.

  Twenty minutes and a good burp later, she changed Hallie in her attached bathroom, then peppered her baby’s soft face with kisses. “You want to play?”

  Hallie’s big eyes lit up. They were still blue, but a hint of green was creeping in. Tessa hoped her daughter got her eyes, but she still saw bits of Cash in Hallie’s darker hair and wide mouth. In fact, her baby was changing more every day, at a pace she could hardly believe. It was almost too fast for Tessa to keep up with.

  She spread out Hallie’s favorite activity mat for newborns and positioned a few strategic pillows around, just in case, then set her daughter down, tummy first. “Have fun, sweet pea. Mommy is going to take a quick shower.”

  Hopefully, she’d feel less dirty, but it seemed that no matter how often she grabbed a quick rinse, she still felt grungy all the time. Given her leaking breasts and having a baby who spit up more often than not, she wasn’t surprised. Throw in sporadic sleep and an unseasonably humid day, and Tessa felt positively grimy.

  A few times during her shower, she peeked out to make sure Hallie was happy and okay. As usual, the baby seemed fascinated by the pink elephant with the teething ring around its neck and the bright page of the cloth book.

  Funny how perspective changed everything. In college, a hot shower had merely been something she’d taken to get clean. Often, it had been her first step in getting ready to hit the bars with her girlfriends. Now, it was a lovely luxury she looked forward to each night. Hair-washing day was an extra special twice-a-week treat. But tonight, she reveled in massaging her scalp and a slow combing of her deep conditioner. The experience was almost soothing and sensual.

  How much better would this shower be with Zy?

  The thought blindsided Tess, and after the ridiculous thought, she rushed through her rinse.

  He wouldn’t be interested in her. Hell, she didn’t recognize her own body anymore. Her breasts were heavy and subject to gravity in a way they hadn’t been before. During her last two weeks of pregnancy, the cocoa butter had quit working. Now, a handful of stretch marks spread low on her belly. Her middle looked doughy, and she still had nearly ten pounds to drop. At the follow-up appointment with her obstetrician yesterday, she’d gotten the green light to start exercising again. Now she needed to find the time and energy. Unfortunately, when Hallie went down for her evening nap, Tessa often needed one, too.

  How would she find the energy to go back to work next week?

  She sighed. That was a problem for tomorrow. Things
would get better eventually, right? And if she never got back the kind of body that looked great in a clingy Lycra dress while she danced the night away… Well, the time to grow up had come, and she wouldn’t trade her little life with Hallie for anything.

  Sure, she’d pictured having a husband and children while surrounded by her family and friends. That would have made everything so much easier and happier. Not having her mother to rely on as she’d become a mother herself had left a hole in her heart. But she couldn’t change what was. She could only start over with Hallie, and together, they’d trek this adventure called life.

  Tessa prayed it would be a good one.

  A few minutes later, she stepped from the shower and wrapped herself in clean towels. Hallie squealed in delight as she played on her mat, making Tessa smile. Yeah, everything would be all right. And if Zy unnerved her… Well, he wouldn’t be here for long. Not nearly long enough to make an impression in her life, much less a dent in her heart.

  She slipped into the pajamas on top of the clean pile—pink cotton with a V-neck trimmed in soft lace. There was nothing sexy about them.

  As she braided her wet hair, she sighed. Zy probably dated hot women. The sort people used to consider her. The ones in those stretchy dresses that clung to every sinful curve. The kind who could pull off false lashes, red lipstick, and stilettos.

  Yeah, that wasn’t her anymore.

  Not that it mattered. He was a temporary bodyguard and a future co-worker, period.

  Once she’d secured her braid, she scooped Hallie up and kissed her pink cheeks. Her baby returned her big smile, which turned Tessa’s heart upside down. Then she took up the activity mat so she could set it in the living room while she did dishes.

  But when Tessa opened her bedroom door and glanced into the kitchen, she stopped short.

  Zy stood at the sink, washing her potato pan. The table had been cleared, the flower arrangement back in the middle, the overhead light off. The stove was spotless. The island, too.

  “You didn’t have to do that,” she said, settling Hallie on her hip.

  Zy flipped the water off and set the pan on the drying rack. “No sweat. You looked like you could use an extra pair of hands, and I’ve got them, so why not? Besides, if I sit too much, I get itchy.”