Defending Zara (Mountain Mercenaries #6)(68)

Chapter Twenty-One

One week later, Zara listened as Meat made arrangements to pick up Arrow in about forty-five minutes. He’d called him to make sure they were still set for their trip to Castle Rock that morning. They were headed up to the small town between Denver and Colorado Springs to visit a friend of theirs who had previously been a member of the Mountain Mercenaries.

Ryder “Ace” Sinclair had moved up to Castle Rock to be closer to his half brothers, and because he’d met and married a woman named Felicity. He’d started working for his brothers’ company, Ace Security, and they were currently embroiled in a case that involved what they suspected was human trafficking. They’d asked for a consult with the Mountain Mercenaries.

From what Meat had told Zara after his phone call with Arrow, his friend was reluctant to leave Morgan. She’d encouraged him to go, since it was a work thing and not merely a social visit. Arrow was still nervous, it being only a week from Morgan’s due date, but she’d insisted she’d be fine—that if something did happen, he’d still be close enough to race back to Colorado Springs to be there for the birth.

Meat tried to ease his mind, pointing out that first children usually took longer to get there anyway, and Arrow had reluctantly agreed. He was still a nervous wreck. Not that it was surprising; after Gray had missed the birth of his son, they were all a little on edge.

Meat explained that none of the other women could hang out with Morgan because they were otherwise busy. Either working or stuck in obligations they couldn’t get out of.

It had been just over a month since Zara had arrived back in the United States, and since she’d been living with Meat. She’d needed the time alone to acclimate to her new circumstances. To come to grips with the fact that she could shower anytime she wanted. That she had clean clothes every day and as much food as she could eat.

Renee had insinuated that she was being held prisoner in some way, but in reality that couldn’t be further from the truth. She’d been hiding out. Not ready to face the world. Afraid she’d be found lacking. Meat had given her a place to feel safe. Now, she was finally beginning to feel the need to connect with others. To find her place in this new world she was living in.

Renee was trying to be a good friend, and Zara had enjoyed talking to her, for the most part. She’d met up with her again a few days ago, and Renee had trimmed and styled her hair. It was now in what she had called a pixie cut, and Zara loved it. She’d also filled out a bit since living with Meat, and didn’t look quite so skinny anymore . . . despite Renee’s continued teasing about her size.

All in all, while she liked Renee, the connection they’d had when they were younger wasn’t really there anymore. They’d grown into very different people. Zara was still thankful to have her back in her life, but she missed the kind of connection she’d had with Mags and her friends down in the barrio.

The bottom line was that she wanted to try again with Meat’s female friends. She owed it to Meat as well. And Morgan was a perfect place to start. She’d been wanting to talk to her about how Morgan had been able to reintegrate back into her old life, and this was her chance.

“I could go with you and stay with Morgan while you guys are up in Castle Rock,” she told Meat. “If you think Arrow would be okay with it.”

Meat was sitting on the couch lacing up his sneakers, and when he was done, he got up and came straight to her. His hands slid into the hair on either side of her head, and he tilted her face to look at him. “Really?”

She nodded.

“Arrow and Morgan would love that.”

When he didn’t move away from her, Zara asked, “Are you going to call and ask if it’s all right?”

“It’s all right,” Meat confirmed.

Zara rolled her eyes.

“I love seeing you do that,” Meat told her.

“What? Roll my eyes?” Zara asked in amusement.

“Yes. Those first few days you were here, you didn’t talk hardly at all. You were hesitant in everything you did. You asked permission to get a drink, to sit outside, to do just about everything. But you’ve come into your own quickly. And I love it.”

“It’s because of you,” Zara told him honestly. “You made it so easy to just . . . be me.”

“I try. You need to grab anything before we go?”

She shook her head.

“Good. Then we have time for this.”

Zara opened her mouth to ask, “For what?” but his lips covered hers, cutting off her question.

Her eyes closed, and she wound her arms around him, digging her nails into his back, trying to pull him closer.

Thankfully, there was still hardly any time they were together when Meat wasn’t touching her in some way. Holding her hand, putting his fingers just under her shirt at the small of her back, kissing her. And she loved every second. It had been fun to experiment at first, going slow, but she was already getting impatient.

She wanted more but didn’t know how to tell Meat she was ready to move their physical relationship to the next level. Every night, he left her with a kiss at the door to the guest room that made her bones weak, and every night, she couldn’t find the courage to invite him in.

But she was quickly losing her shyness. She wanted him. Wanted to know what sex was all about. She just had to find a way to tell him.