He rested his hands on her shoulders, his stupid heart working on a drum roll at her innocent position. Any other time...
She gave the zipper a mighty tug and up it came, along with everything else down yonder.
"There," she said as she met his eyes, her fingers still working on the troublesome b.u.t.ton. "Got it."
"Thanks." He changed the subject as the b.u.t.ton fastened. "Where"s Song?"
"She"s with her very first babysitter."
"Let me guess." He blew out a slow deep breath to clear what was left of his brain. "Bet that"s Kelsey."
"Your boss is very persuasive. He and his wife have stopped a couple times to visit while you"ve been in the hospital. Todd and Ember set up LiLi"s old baby bed in my room at the safe house. Kelsey has a way with babies. Song almost smiled."
"If anyone can get that little girl to smile, it will be Kelsey. She loves children." Zack focused on Kelsey to keep his mind off Mei.
A hearty knock at the door interrupted them. "I hear there"s a grumpy-a.s.sed Marine in here. The nurses want him the h.e.l.l out of their hospital," Todd groused as he and Ember came into the room. "Oh hey, Zack. Are they talking about you?"
"Shut up, Ranger Rick," Zack muttered, glad to see Mei had bodyguards with her, but thankful they hadn"t been immediately on her six.
That Todd and Ember showed up to help him was cool. That it looked like they were getting serious was an added bonus. Ember was the creative, free spirit in the office. A man never knew what color hair she"d show up in, what crazy getup, or what new tat or piercing might grace her voluptuous movie star persona.
Today she was blonde, her hair soft and natural for a change. Her body was definitely her canvas, and judging by the way Todd never took his eyes off her, he was into art. The crazy woman should"ve gone to Hollywood she was that gorgeous. It made Zack smile. Ember had always seemed a little lonely. She deserved a good man in her life. And Todd? For an ex-Army Ranger, he wasn"t so bad.
"Want me to grab a wheelchair for you, old guy?"
"No. I"ve got this." Zack stood for a moment, testing the truth of his words. There is nothing like the threat of a wheelchair ride to motivate a man. "And what"s this "old guy" c.r.a.p? You"re what, five years younger than me?"
"In dog years," Todd teased.
"Let"s move." Zack put an end to the banter. He was tired already. After the latent s.e.xual tension with Mei, the bed in the safe house was calling his name.
"Yes, let"s get you home," she said.
Zack glanced down at the little lady"s hand resting on his forearm. Did she just say "home"? Judging by the shy smile on her mouth, she"d heard the slip, too. If it was one.
He made it all the way into the hall before the head nurse intercepted his plans.
"Where do you think you"re going?" she asked sternly.
"I"m outta here," he answered, straightening to his full height, minus those few inches he needed to stoop just to keep breathing.
"Not like that you"re not." She glowered.
"Yes, ma"am. I am," he argued, knowing full well what she was getting at. Just then an orderly barreled down the hall with the d.a.m.ned contraption known as a wheelchair. Todd snickered.
"Sit," the nurse commanded, her index finger pointed at the seat of the wheelchair. What was it that made her think she could take on a Marine?
"No, ma"am-"
"The wheelchair is not negotiable, Mr. Lennox." Her pointy finger stabbed the plastic seat. d.a.m.n, she had the whole alpha dog thing down to a science. "Either I escort you to the curb, or you will not leave the hospital. Am I understood?"
There was no way around her. When her toe started tapping, he knew he"d met his match.
"Yes, ma"am," he muttered, relinquishing his pride much to Todd"s delight.
"Shut it, Chandler," Zack warned as the nurse adjusted the footrests and took her position behind the wheel.
Everything got worse. Todd had his cell phone out. "Smile!"
Not long ago she"d been buying formula for LiLi.
Now Mei was filling her cart with something a toddler would eat. Claire said Song would need formula to supplement her diet. They"d given her a thorough physical and found her underweight and malnourished. The child"s condition worried Mei, so she bought anything that would boost the baby"s weight. Claire had provided food stamps, special vitamins, and diapers. All Song needed now was love.
Ember and Todd were on the other side of the market, shopping for necessities like meat, potatoes, bread, and b.u.t.ter. Zack rested comfortably at the safe house with two other bodyguards until they returned. Alex certainly meant business when he said she"d be safe.
She paused at the wine aisle, looked at the blushing shades of zinfandels, merlots, sauvignons, and roses. Once upon a time she might have lingered, but not today.
"Look." Ember held up a bag of tangerines from the checkout line where she and Todd waited. "Do you think Song will eat these?"
"She might," Mei said, scanning their full cart. These two knew how to shop. Packages covered with white butcher paper told her they"d bought plenty of meat, but she also noticed a bag of potatoes and lots of fresh vegetables, not to mention a box of glazed donuts, several bags of snacks, and a tub of red licorice. Her stomach growled at the sight of all the food. It had been a long time since she"d had junk food in her house, but it looked more like these two were ready for a party.
Ember and Todd chattered like a couple kids. These two were very touchy feely with each other. Ember"s hand was comfortable on Todd"s waist like they knew each other well. Mei looked away, her feelings a slippery slope of past promises broken, the pain of her missing daughter, and one handsome man who"d stood by her. The question waswould Zack stay?
She"d seen his choice of women. Everything about the man oozed ego and s.e.x appeal; from his muscular body, the confident way he walked, and even the car he drove. She couldn"t wrap her mind around the abuse he"d taken-for her and from her. His pa.s.sionate response to holding a motherless child seemed to have awakened the dead part of her soul. She hadn"t seen that coming. The sight of the innocent baby in his big hands had jolted her universe. And yet....
LiLi is still missing. What on earth have I done?
She paid for her groceries while the bag boy filled two grocery bags with what she"d bought for Song.
"You ready?" Todd scooped her bags out of her arms and into his cart. "Come on, ladies. Time"s a-wasting."
Ember circled her arm through his while they walked out the automatic doors together, her head on his shoulder and a definite glow in her eyes. With her blonde hair and his red, they made a charming couple. Their appeal was further enhanced by the fact they both had green eyes, hers more vivid, his calmer. Mei walked behind them, feeling like an old woman compared to their youthful enthusiasm. She caught the way his hand smoothed over Ember"s b.u.t.t when he unlocked the tailgate of his Tundra. They had it bad for each other.
Todd made short work of stowing the groceries in his vehicle. Ember ran the shopping cart three parking stalls down to the cart return rack. In no time they were back at the safe house. He delivered the groceries to the kitchen while she and Ember put everything away.
"You want to see something cute?" Ember nodded toward the living room. There lay Todd on the floor with Song sitting square in the middle of his chest and a pink sock monkey in his hands. Each time he snuggled the monkey into her, making silly animal noises, she turned away.
"She never smiles," Mei said quietly. "It"s like she doesn"t know how."
"Poor little munchkin," Ember said. "She hasn"t had anything to smile about until now."
Mei and Ember stood at the kitchen doorway, watching Todd play with the baby.
"Are you two done putting stuff away?" Zack asked from his p.r.o.ne position on the couch. The minute he spoke, Song twisted around to see him.
"Wow. She sure knows you," Ember commented, "and yes, the food"s put away."
"Hi, Baby Girl," Zack said tiredly to Song. "Who"s the funny guy you"re sitting on? Smack him once for me while you got him pinned down."
Instantly, Song lifted her arms for Zack to come get her. He rolled to his side, but Todd beat him to it.
"Stay put. No need for you to move." He settled Song alongside Zack. "Here you go."
"Thanks." Zack pulled Song into the crook of his arm.
"Looks like you"ve got white boxing gloves on."
Zack lifted one hand. "It does, doesn"t it?"
"That"s what happens when you beat the h.e.l.l out of your car."
"Can it, Todd," Zack muttered.
"Okay. We"ve got work to do." Todd held his arm out to Ember.
She ducked into him, giggling. "We"re installing a few more Tattle Tales around the place. Want to be sure you kids are safe and sound."
Todd paused at the front door. "Just so you know, Song"s baby bed is in Mei"s room. Ember"s room is next to hers. Yours is the other side of Mei"s, and mine"s across the hall. I put your gear bag in your closet. Any questions?"
"Thanks, guys," Zack said.
Mei followed behind them and locked the door. When she turned to Zack, her breath stalled. He looked so right sprawled on the living room couch, especially holding his baby. Mei let her eyes scroll over his chest, stomach, and down his long legs to his stocking feet. The man was built of muscle and iron. A sudden heat flamed to life inside her when her eyes met his. Instantly, her practical side took over. Stop this foolishness. Get a grip.
"How are we doing?" She tried to sound stern, but the contentment in the room enveloped her. Being with this man and this particular baby brought another feeling into the safe house; the happy sensation she used to have with LiLi. It seemed so long ago.
"You said "we"." His deep, soft voice rumbled, and her practical grip evaporated. The man who"d risked life and limb for the baby in his arms looked exhausted and irresistible at the same time.
"Song looks happy, doesn"t she?" Mei changed the subject as she knelt beside the couch. A new world of possibilities pounded in her heart at every word from his mouth. The instant her hand brushed the hair on his arm, desire ignited. The poor man was bruised and battered, but his eyes were dark and hazy. She knew a man in love when she saw one. Whether he"d said the L word yet or not, the practical, determined side of her was losing ground. Fast.
"I like that word." He stroked her cheek with the back of his bandaged fingers, barely making contact. "We. It has a nice ring to it, don"t you think?"
Thinking was not her strong suit right now. Even through tape and gauze, his gentle touch had coaxed the flickering ember inside of her into a raging inferno. His deep, s.e.xy, baritone voice was doing some very fine stroking, too. Every ragged nerve-ending in her body calmed at his velvet touch.
She brushed his flirtation aside. "I think you"re on pain medication. That"s what I think."
He would not be put off. "After we find LiLi, would you let me take you out for dinner, say, in Hawaii? I know a little place-"
"We"ll have this conversation when you"re not on drugs," she said with firm conviction, but her cheeks heated under his attentiveness. Her fingers trembled. Whatever was going on between them, it had to stop. "I"m putting Song to bed. Then I"m going to bake some-"
"But we"re finally alone and I want you." He pulled her against him, his hand encircling her waist. She stiffened. All of her very dead erogenous zones sprang to life. If his mittens strayed too far south, she"d combust. Too far north, she"d ignite.
His eyes zeroed in on her mouth. This can"t happen. Her fingers rose to his lips to intercept, those poor st.i.tched lips that looked like they needed a kiss to make them feel better.
"You"re supposed to be resting," she whispered, every stern admonition gone from her very sensible head and her voice nearly too hoa.r.s.e to be heard.
His ragged lips claimed hers hesitantly. The heat of the moment exploded inside her. He pulled her against him even as he breathed his need into her, like that was in anyway possible. Her whole body responded to the feel of his hip against her stomach, the length of his hand along her ribcage. Practicality flew out the window, while all those delicious feelings surfaced with a heated rush.
When he trailed moist, hot kisses into the crook of her neck, her plans for dinner faded away. Her heart pounded wild, wanting, and so tempted. He was the masculine soul her feminine soul craved, the rugged complement to her softest places, and the steel to her weakness. Every fiber in her body ached for his touch. Desire coursed from his lips to hers and all the way to her toes until...a soft little hand patted her cheek.
Mei leaned back to see Baby Song yawning from her comfy corner of Zack"s other arm. Embarra.s.sed she had gotten lost in his arms, Mei caught her breath and a thin shred of common sense. Their amorous moment had been pre-empted. Just in time.
Zack released Mei long enough to kiss the top of Song"s head. Then he kissed Mei again as pa.s.sionately as his tender lips allowed. "I want a rain check," he breathed, his voice husky and low.
Her own desire burned on her cheeks. She looked up into hooded eyes that regarded her with so much raw emotion it took her breath. She trembled, suddenly saved and more frightened than ever.
"I don"t know how it happened. One minute we"re strangers, and the next...." What could she say? We"re living together? We"re in love? We"rewhat? Nothing felt right. Her words to him in the abandoned warehouse came to mind. Did he remember she"d blurted her feelings, that she"d told him she loved him? Had she spoken too soon? Could she really trust him? Her heart said yes, emphatically yes, but it had played her wrong before.
"And the next thing you know, I"m living with you," he said, his face filled with tenderness, his brown eyes pulling her in like a magnet she could not resist. "You"re going to regret saving my life because I"m not leaving, Mei. You know that, don"t you?"
She shook her head, wanting so much to believe. "No," she whispered. "I don"t know anything of the sort."
"It"s true," he declared. "Get used to it. I"m here to stay if you"ll let me."
Mei nestled into his arm. Okay. He might not have said he loved her, but what he said helped.
"I have to ask you something," she said, still struggling to stifle the hope blossoming inside. "That day in Anacostia. You were talking with, umm, a woman."
He tipped back from her, grinning. "You followed me?"
She should"ve been embarra.s.sed, but before she risked any more of her heart, she needed to know. "Who was she?"
His grin deepened. "Are you jealous?"
"No. I just...want to know."
"Mabel Magee," he answered, not a note of hesitation in his voice. "She"s a CI, a confidential informant of mine. I"ve got a few in the area, a couple more in downtown D.C. Why?"
"She looked like, umm-"
"A hooker." He said the hard word for her. "She is."
"How do you know her?"
"She"s a friend of my buddy, Jake." Zack tipped farther back, his arm still around her but the smirk on his face full of warmth. "She"s been around. Jake, too. I can always trust them to tell me the truth if anything"s going on I should know about."
"Who"s Jake?"
"A Marine, only not as lucky as me." His arm tightened around her. "That okay with you?"
She couldn"t meet his eyes. Of course she was jealous. It just surprised her she"d been jealous then. She"d hardly knew him.
"I"ve had a few girlfriends," he admitted. "I"m no saint, but Mabel"s not one of them. No way I"d bring someone like her into my home. She"s trouble."
"It"s okay, you don"t need to tell me anything else."
"Not unless I want to." He pulled her into his face again, planting a kiss on her cheek. "And I want to."
Baby Song chose that moment to latch onto his nose, twisting it like it belonged to her sock monkey. Mei smiled as this darling baby girl studied the big people in her very different life. How strange everything must seem to her. And then it happened. Song wiggled one big wiggle from the top of her head to the tips of her ten little toes. A tiny smile split her all too serious face. She made her first baby sound, a soft little coo. One syllable of angel-speak, but it was enough.