Before Grace hit the ground, Zach had her scooped in his arms. Ignoring the sense of belonging he felt with her there, he strode to a bench outside the building, then put her down. “Grace?”
Why the hell did she almost faint anytime he touched her? His heart sped up double time. Her scent wafted into his nostrils and charged up his libido. He could see her helpless and spent underneath him and the idea held appeal to him.
He shook his head. What was wrong with him? More importantly, what was wrong with Grace?
She sat up without his help and her color returned to her cheeks. He didn’t think she went completely unconscious, though she’d been limp in his arms. Relief washed over him.
“Grace?”
For such a busy parking lot, no one bothered to stop.
Until one of the secretaries walked by. “Is she okay?”
She fainted. “Get a glass of water. She’s coming to.”
The woman scurried into the building and was back with a drink before Grace fully recovered. Grace’s eyes were wide open when he handed her the drink.
They snapped even further open when she looked up at him. As if she had a secret.
Not the same one she’d been hiding from him all along, but this one was embarrassing by the look of the extra color on her cheeks.
“I’m okay,” she stammered out.
With slow sips, she finished the water in the mug. But didn’t hand it back. Was he that repulsive that she couldn’t risk brushing his hand?
She flinched when he reached for it, but he managed to extricate it from her without her passing out.
After thanking the secretary, he sent her on her way. He sat next to Grace on the bench. “What happened?”
“I just passed out.”
“You seem to do that a lot. Have you seen a doctor?”
She giggled. Was she delirious? “Why’s that funny?” he said.
Rubbing a hand down her face she said, “No doctor can help me. Look, I need to get to Dolores. I promised her dinner.”
She rose and Zach held out his arms in case she toppled.
Her glare knifed through him. “I’m fine as long as you don’t touch me.”
“Why can’t I touch you?”
He feinted a hand in her direction. She moved out of his reach, her hands up in a defensive posture. “Just don’t.”
“We aren’t done.”
She visibly sighed. “Yes, somehow I know that.”
He blinked. “What?”
“Never mind.”
She walked away, but over her shoulder she said, “Watch that game tonight.”
***
“What did he say?” Dolores asked, when Grace brought her dinner of soup and a sandwich.
Despite her face being flush with color, Dolores’ eyes still looked tired as she devoured the food.
“He threw me out of his office.”
“Was Zach there?”
“In the parking lot.”
She bit her lip as her cheeks went warm. The vision had been so clear to her as if she was suddenly clairvoyant. But she’d never been before.
But, then, her attraction to Zach was out of the ordinary, too.
Dolores cocked her head. “You have feelings for Zach?”
Grace looked out the bedroom window. “Uh, no.”
The bedridden woman laughed. “Please. It’s so obvious. Look, he wants nothing to do with me. Go for it.”
How could someone toss another human being away so easily? As if she were lending out a hat or a book. “It’s not that simple. I have a job to do because you’re in danger. I can’t be distracted by. .” She waved her hands. “Men.”
“Oh, honey. Life is too short not to be distracted by men. I think he feels something for you. The last time the three of us were together, before this miscarriage, he didn’t even see me.”
Grace’s heart leapt in her chest, but her rational side tamped down the enthusiasm. She still hadn’t prevented Dolores’s death.
And until she did, her feeling for Zach, or lust for him, had to wait.
No matter what her wacky visions were telling her.
Zach came to her in a dream that night. He said all the right things. He touched all the right places, but as soon as she was ready to climax she awoke.
“I’ll be disappointed if he’s really that way in bed.” She blew hair out of her face. “Not that I plan on finding out.”
This time she put on clothes before she looked outside.
As she expected, that man stood there. Without turning on any lights she dialed 9-1-1, then Zach. With as much stealth as she could muster she opened her front door, then slipped down the steps to the driveway.
He heart pounded double time, hurting her chest.
The man looked in her direction, then ran into the neighbor’s bushes. The patrol car pulled into the driveway at that moment. The cop had seen the man and took off on foot after him.
Zach raced down the driveway almost running into Grace when a cloud obscured the moon. He grabbed her so she didn’t topple. The kaleidoscope of colors began, while his warmth soothed her. She might pass out. She struggled to get away from his touch.
“You okay?” he asked.
As soon as he let go relief warred with disappointment. She had never wanted anyone to touch her, but been so confused by that same touch. “Yeah, the cop went that way.”
Through the bushes the cop dragged a disgruntled man that Grace recognized.
“Mark?”
“You know this guy?” Zach asked. He stepped closer to her as if marking her as his. Me, Tarzan. This my Jane. It had a distinct appeal to belong to someone, but Grace knew it was only an instinct on Zach’s part. She didn’t think there were any personal feelings behind it. Too bad, in some ways, she thought.
She looked from Mark to Zach. “He’s a friend.”
“Huh? That lurks outside of your apartment?”
Grace shrugged. She had no idea why Mark was there. “What are you doing here?”
“Tell them who I am, Gracie,” Mark said.
“If you tell me why you aren’t in California and why you’re on my driveway.”
“Uh, Long story.”
“I’ll put on some coffee. You can tell us all,” she said.
Zach eyed the rumpled man with coiffed blond hair. No one should spend that much time on their looks. Especially not a guy. Mark sat on Grace’s couch as if he owned it.
Grace gave out coffee all around then sat looking at Mark expectantly.
Zach had convinced the patrolman he could leave. He’d take all responsibility for the prowler.
Grace owed him for this one. She avoided filing police reports as if she were allergic.
Zach stared into his coffee hoping that Mark and Grace weren’t that close. Mark looked at her the way a lover would look at another. His own frown at the idea they were a couple hurt his face.
“So what were you doing lurking outside my apartment?” Grace asked.
“I think I should handle this,” Zach said.
Her glare bounced off of his stone facade. He promised himself he wouldn’t let her bother him tonight. She wouldn’t get past his defenses again. No kissing. “I’m taking responsibility for him. I get to interrogate him.”
“Interrogate?” Mark licked his lips and sat straighter, the belligerence out of his posture.
Zach concealed his delight that he had the young man off balance. “Then talk.” He smiled, knowing he looked like a shark when he did. “Why were you outside Grace’s apartment the last three nights?”
“Three nights? I just got in town,” Mark said. He shifted in his chair, then sipped his coffee. His eyes darted around the room.
“Can you prove that?”
“No, I drove.”
“From California?” Grace’s face registered disbelief. “That takes a few days. I just talked to you.”
“I was on my way here,” he explained.
Something about his story didn’t ring true to Zach, but he resisted the urge to call this guy a liar. Maybe if he could get him alone.
Grace set down her coffee and leaned towards her friend. “Why? And why didn’t you tell me?”
At least she was dressed tonight and Zach couldn’t be distracted by imagining her without her robe. The bulky sweatpants didn’t do anything for her petite figure. The opposite could be said for the midriff-baring white t-shirt. And she hadn’t bothered with a bra.
This was worse than Grace in a robe.
He took a sip of his coffee to cool himself down, or at least distract himself.
“I wanted to surprise you.” Mark’s gaze flicked to Zach then back to Grace. “I wanted to talk about our last conversation. Say it was all okay.”
“But you were on your way before we had the conversation. This doesn’t make sense Mark. You know I’m in the middle of something.”
What was she in the middle of? This thing with Lors? Murder? Zach didn’t want to believe that.
“Why didn’t you knock on the door?” Zach asked.
“I wasn’t sure if I wanted to wake her.”
Reasonable on the surface. The hairs on Zach’s neck still stood in response to this guy. Something was not kosher with him.
After two full days of work and two nights of interrupted sleep, Zach’s fatigue took over. “You going to be okay with this guy, here? I can drive him to a hotel.”
Say, “No.”
Grace nodded. “We’ll be fine.”
Zach rose, put the cup in her sink and left them to whatever they planned to get up to tonight.
Zach’s distrust for Mark propelled him to do some research on him. He sat in his office, his computer screen the only light.
Footsteps clomped down from the apartment above. He braced himself.
Celia wore a bright red sweat suit. Her hair told him she’d been asleep.
“Did I wake you?”
“Not really. I had a dream. Were you in some trouble?”
Zach shook his head and went back to his search. He found out who Mark’s parents were and where they lived. He hoped Celia would just go away.
“I don’t mean any harm,” she said.
He didn’t look at her. “But you always cause it.”
“You’ve always been embarrassed by me.”
He couldn’t deny her accusation. “You wear your ‘gift’ on your sleeve.”
She sat in his chair reserved for clients. “You’d think I wore a turban and told fortunes.”
“That’s about how much people respect what you do.” The pained expression on her face had him wishing he could take back his last statement. “I’m sorry.”
She rose. “You’re not, but I’ll forgive you anyway. That’s what I do.” She walked towards the stairs. “Beware of someone named Mark.”
She disappeared. He only half heard her as he realized where Mark had gone to high school. Even worse, where he’d been a year ago and who had been there, too.