8. Zara

Groggily, I open my eyes, having slept in the armchair again to make sure Mia was comforted and felt safe and secure. I stretch and check the phone, still resting on the arm from where I placed it last night when I came back up after dinner. It's early morning, but not the crack of dawn. Leaping up, I glance around and hear the sounds of someone moving around the kitchen.

Heading down, pulling a hair tie from my pjs pocket, I scrape my hair back into a messy bun and enter the kitchen to see Benjamin making coffee.

I knew it! The bastard.

"Coffee?" he asks with a smirk, knowing he's busted.

"I'll have tea," I reply, just to be obtuse.

He snorts. "Okay, well, you know the drill with tea."

Narrowing my eyes, I set about making a cuppa as he moves on to the toaster.

"I'll be going in today," he says casually. "Maybe half a day. See how it goes."

I nod encouragingly. "Good stuff. We'll be here happy and safe when you get back."

He gives me a look that screams we'd better be, or there's going to be a storm raining down shit on my head from a dizzy height. I give him a bright smile that he scowls at. He is not a morning person.

Scratch that. He isn't an any time of day person.

"I would appreciate it if you let me know before you take her out. The garden is fine, obviously, but you know, for a walk."

"Of course."

"All the numbers are on the fridge." He points it out. "My mobile, the office, my parents and their work, Henry, Liam, the doctors, the nearest hospital, which is an hour away, so you know, anticipate, and 999."

"Anticipate?" How in the fuck am I supposed to do that? Buy a crystal ball?

He grunts.

"I changed my number. I've texted it to you and your parents."

"Yes, I saw. Why is that?"

The question is innocent enough, but I don't want to answer it, so I shrug. "Fresh start and all that."

"I'm going to shower," he murmurs and disappears upstairs with his coffee mug and toast in hand.

Seeing as he didn't make me any, I set about making my own toast and jump when the front door opens. I grab the nearest knife from the counter and stand poised to attack any intruder, but it's just Liam, sauntering in like he owns the place.

"Do you have a key to this place?" I snap.

"Yeah, and what are you going to do with that? Slather me with butter?" His green eyes light up, and that flirty smile adorns his face.

I glare at the used butter knife in my hand and haughtily place it down. "You wish."

"Maybe I do," he murmurs. "Where's Ben?"

"Showering."

Silence.

I turn to see if Liam has disappeared, but I see him still standing there, a curiously amused expression on his cute face.

"Oh? And you know that because…?"

"He told me he was going to shower. You just missed him," I snap.

"Okay, keep your pants on. Or not, you know, whatever makes you comfortable."

"How about you shutting the fuck up?"

"Ohh, feisty. I like that." He approaches and reaches over to snatch a piece of my toast and bites into it with a big grin.

"You are an ass," I mutter, but the fluttering feeling in my stomach at his closeness is hard to ignore. His scent is like hot earth after a summer rain, and it makes me want to leap on him and bury my face in the crook of his neck.

Flushing deeply, I turn from him and berate myself. This isn't like me. I need to keep it professional.

But Liam isn't a fool. He knows exactly what he's doing to me. "Fancy going out sometime?"

"What?" I stammer, turning back to face him to see if he's joking.

He's not. His face is serious. Contemplative and a bit wary.

I blink, unsure how to navigate this unexpected development. I'm here for Mia, not to get tangled up in whatever charming web Liam is spinning. But he's impossible to ignore, with that smile that could coax the sun from behind the rain clouds.

"Out? Like a date?" I question, and there's an edge of disbelief in my voice.

He nods slowly. "Yeah, like a date."

I chew on my lip, weighing the pros and cons. It's clear there's an attraction, but things are complicated enough without adding romance. Then again, I can't deny the spark of excitement at the idea. I don't know anyone up here apart from Benjamin and his parents. The prospect of a friend, someone to chat with about something other than Mia, is enticing.

"Think about it?" he murmurs.

"I don't think Benjamin would approve," I mutter back.

"Who says he has to know?" Liam asks and, with a saucy wink, leaves me to contemplate that very dicey situation.

Tea in hand, I circle the kitchen, my mind a whirlpool of Liam, Benjamin, and the offer that hangs in the air, tempting but with an undercurrent of danger.

Moments later, Benjamin strides into the kitchen, now dressed for work in a smart shirt that shows off his well-muscled frame. He's an alpha through and through - all imposing presence and barely restrained power. His navy blue pants are well cut and expensive.

Benjamin pauses and for a moment, he looks like he might say something. But then he just nods and grunts a goodbye before heading out, apparently meeting Liam in the lounge on his way out.

I'm left standing in the silence of his absence, my internal debate about Liam's invitation growing louder. Deciding to push it aside for now, I head back upstairs to Mia.

Liam and his date proposition can wait.