Chapter 37

"How did I end up at a bleeding mall?" Rory asked

Zeke gave him a smile and glanced at Maura who was getting a pretzel. "Not much you won't do for her, huh?"

His smug tone irritated Rory. There were several things about Zee that drove Rory crazy—and not in a good way. Zee had never seemed to question his own feelings for Rory or for Maura. He also had one of those work ethics that had him up at six in the morning while he was on vacation. And, worst of them all was that Zee liked being right. He always made sure to remind Rory of the times he was right.

Sure, Rory practically wearing his heart on his sleeve with the woman. Last night had been overwhelming, even for a degenerate for him. It had been the first time in days there had been no real play in the bedroom. He didn't realize it until that morning, and it scared the fucking hell out of him.

"Oh, now I know she has you by the short hairs because you won't even say anything about it."

Rory gave him a mean look but Zee shook his head. "Not scaring me, boy-o. I know what last night meant."

"Yeah, why don't you enlighten me, Einstein?"

Zee wasn't deterred a bit by his nasty tone. "There was no play, none. You don't do that with women."

"Apparently I do because I did last night," he said trying to quell the unease in his stomach.

"Exactly. Face it, Rory, you're falling for her."

He said nothing as he watched as Maura charmed the little Hawaiian woman behind the counter. This wasn't just worry about last night. There was plenty there to keep him on edge, but this was something that had his other senses on high alert.

"What did she say about feeling like someone was watching her?"

"Don't change the subject."

He glanced at Zee, then back at Maura. "I'm not changing the subject. And it doesn't matter. Here she comes."

He still couldn't shake the weird feeling. He'd been off since last night, but it had only gotten worse as they approached Kahala Mall.

"Face it, love. You're in deep. That's all that's bothering you."

He shrugged as he looked around the area trying to detect if there was someone watching them. It was afternoon on a weekday but that didn't mean anything there. Tourists flocked to areas like this in the heat of the day. Kids screamed and ran through the area and there was always a motley crew of teenagers around.

"Rory?"

He shook himself out of his funk and realized Maura was standing in front of him holding a piece of pretzel out to him.

He forced himself to smile. "Thanks, love."

She smiled as she sat down. "I got cheese," she said as she sat down.

"Woman, please, cheese on a pretzel? Did you get mustard?" Zee said.

She tossed a packet his way along with the pretzel she bought for him. "I have no idea what you have against cheese."

"That's not cheese, love. That's processed crap."

"And it tastes delicious."

She dipped a piece of pretzel into the cheese and offered it to him. Rory took it without thinking.

"I told you I didn't need anything, love."

She grinned. "I don't mind sharing, but then you know that."

For a second he couldn't believe she said that out loud. Then, slowly the humor of the situation hit him and he smiled, and then chuckled. All the worries he had dissolved and he leaned forward and gave her a kiss.

"That you do, love. That you do."