Chapter Seventeen

Zeke saw the flush of desire cover her face and wanted to ask what she was thinking about in the worst way, but he needed to get them back to the office.

He held out the fry in front of her mouth and watched her bite on it, grazing his fingers with her teeth.

“That’s another one,” he growled. Damn, the woman knew how to drive him crazy.

“Can I get you two anything else?” Olivia asked.

“No, just the check. Thank you, Olivia. It was nice to meet you.”

Olivia set the check on the table and smiled. “You, too, Sheriff. You both have a great day.”

He watched her give Kayla a look he could only guess meant she wanted answers. When Kayla grinned at her friend, she rolled her eyes, turned, and walked off.

He picked up the bill, pulled his wallet from his back pocket, and set down several bills for the food and a hefty tip.

He stood and held out his hand to Kayla. “Come on, Baby. Let’s get back.”

She took his hand. The feeling of her tiny hand in his hand made his protective instincts rise. He thought he couldn’t have gotten more protective of her, but he was wrong.

Zeke let his eyes scan the area constantly but acted relaxed and happy. He caught sight of one of his men on a rooftop and relaxed a bit. He knew he wouldn’t be able to see his friend unless he wanted him to. They were all too well trained to be seen.

They made it into the building and stopped at her desk. He bent and kissed her lips. I’ll take you home tonight, so don’t leave.”

She nodded.

“Good girl.”

He scanned the area and saw a few men stare at them, curious. After scowling at them, they all turned away and got busy. He walked into his office and shut the door. He dialed his phone as he sat in his chair.

“Yo.”

Zeke rolled his eyes. “I thought you were going to work on that, Dillion.”

“What?”

Zeke snorted. His friend knew what he was talking about but let it go. “Have you seen anything?”

“Not yet, but you two made a stir when you walked down the sidewalk holding hands.”

“What do you mean?” Zeke asked.

“Several people stopped and stared.”

“Did anyone seem angry?”

“No,” Dillion said. “A few even smiled.”

Zeke didn’t give a shit if people liked him and Kayla together or not. He wasn’t going to give her up.

“Your little woman is beautiful. Any chance you’ll share?”

“I’m not sure yet. She’s special.”

“Oh, I saw that. I’ve never seen you look at a woman like that before. You’re a lucky bastard.”

“I agree.” He hadn’t thought about it yet and didn’t know if he could. He’d shared women in the past with his friends, but with Kayla, he wasn’t sure if his possessiveness would calm down after a while. Maybe if she showed signs that she might want to try it, he’d do it because he wanted to give her everything she ever wanted.

“The guys and I have talked. We like what we’ve seen of your town.”

“Enough to move here?” Zeke asked.

“Maybe.”

“I think that would be great. I want to take you to the kink club four men opened a while ago. The men are ex-military.”

“We’ll see about moving, but I’d still like to check out the club.”

“You’re on. I’ll give you the address when you call back. Talk to you later,” Zeke said and hung up.

The afternoon passed. Zeke hadn’t gotten any calls, so he knew nothing suspicious was happening. He stacked papers and slid them off to the side to deal with in the morning before he got up.

When he walked out of his office, he saw his nighttime dispatcher sitting down and talking to Kayla.

“Are you ready?” he asked when he stood next to her.

“Yes. Bye, Betsy,” Kayla said and took his hand. They walked out the back door.

He unlocked his car and scanned the area. He helped her into the passenger side before walking around and sliding into the driver’s seat.

They made it to her house in a few minutes and parked.

“I’ll come in with you, but I won’t stay,” he told her. “I want to check in with Darrell before I meet up with my friends.”

He loved how disappointed she looked because it matched what he was feeling.

After helping her from the car, he wrapped an arm around her waist and walked her to her door. Once inside, they turned on the TV for sound before meeting with Darrell.

“Hey, guys. How did today go?” Darrell asked as he came out of the bedroom.

“There was nothing from our end, and I haven’t heard from my men, so I know they hadn’t caught any action,” Zeke said.

“Can you stay for dinner?” Kayla asked.

“Damn, I wish I could.” He pulled her into his arms when she looked so sad. “Remember, this won’t last forever, and once we catch Harold Mason, we can be together all the time.”

She hugged him back. “I hope it’s soon.”

He kissed the top of her head. “Me, too. Try to get some sleep. I’ll be here to pick you up in the morning.”

“Okay.”

He released her and waved to Darrell. “Take care of our girl.”

“Always,” Darrell said and smiled.

****

Zeke made it home, pulled into his garage, and closed the door before turning off his car. He wasn’t surprised to see all three of his friends sitting around the dining table, going over maps and eating pizza.

“Where the hell did you get the pizza?” he asked.

Tony grinned. “I drove over to the next town and found a place. It’s damn good pizza.”

“I hope you left me some,” Zeke said.

Tristen reached under a large map and pulled out a box. “Here, we got you your own.”

Zeke grinned and reached for the box. He opened it and hummed when the scent of cheese and tomatoes hit his scenes. One piece after another went on until there was only one left of the large pizza.

“What have you guys got?” he asked.

The three went over what happened that day and their thoughts on the next move.

Later that night, he lay in bed, aching with the need to have his sub under him and his cock as deep inside of her as it could go. He wanted to be able to say that everything about her was his and no one would ever take her away from him.

He reminded himself this thing would come to a head soon, and he’d solidify their relationship. He just prayed no one got hurt.