Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty-One

Strolling into the den Saturday morning, Dane frowned when he caught sight of me slumped on the sofa. “You’re sulking again.”

I tossed him a miffed look. “Not feeling in the mood to be judged right now.”

He came to a stop in front of me. “What’s wrong?”

“I want to go to the zoo.”

“And, what, you’re eight-years-old?”

“Hey, it’s not just for kids. Adults go too, you know.”

“So what’s the problem?”

“There’s no one to go with me.” I folded my arms across my chest. “Simon is working, Ashley has plans with Tucker, Hanna’s spending the weekend with her sister in Long Island, and my foster parents are going to the mall with Heather and Junior.”

“Why are you so eager to go to the zoo?”

“There was an article online that said they’ve just brought in Pallas’ cats. I love them; I’ve never seen any in real life.”

“I don’t even know what they are.”

I brought up the article on my phone to show him the picture. “There. Aren’t they adorable?”

“Not even a little.”

I felt my lips thin. “You know what? I don’t need your negativity right now.” I pushed to my feet. “See you later.”

“Where are you going?”

“The zoo.”

“By yourself?”

I headed for the door. “Yep.”

A heavy sigh. “Give me ten minutes to get a few things sorted. I’ll come with you.”

“Funny.”

“I don’t joke, remember. Ten minutes.”

I came to a halt and turned to stare at him. “Wait, you’ll go to the zoo?”

A line formed between his brows as he crossed to me. “You think I have something against animals?”

“No. But you don’t do good ole regular fun. You do fancy restaurants and galas and wine tasting events.”

“Yes, and I suspect I’ll be bored out of my mind, but I don’t want you going alone.”

Was he honestly serious? He couldn’t be. “But you’re uber busy.”

“The company won’t crumble if I come away from work for a few hours.”

My back straightened. “Okay, now you’re starting to freak me out. You’re not sick, are you? Because I don’t make a good nurse.” He didn’t look ill, but the symptoms weren’t always visible.

He shot me a droll look. “Get your things together.”

“This is for real? You’ll go to the zoo with me?”

“I already said I would. Ten minutes,” he reminded me.

Walking toward the zoo entrance, I smoothed a wrinkle out of my long-sleeved tee. “I like that the light breeze is cool. The animals tend to hide inside the buildings or in shady spots when it’s too hot, so you don’t get to see as many then.”

Despite being a grown woman, I couldn’t help but feel excitement bubble in my stomach. I loved the zoo. Loved the sights and the smells and the sounds. Loved the relaxed atmosphere and that there were so many things to do, leaving you the option to do as little or as much as you liked. And having Dane with me, wearing jeans that hugged his fabulous ass and a tee that stretched tight around the muscles in his chest, made it even better.

He was not at all keyed up like me, of course. That he expected to find himself bored out of his mind only made his offer to come with me all the sweeter.

“Is this really necessary?” he asked, looking at the disposable cooler bag he was carrying. “Surely they sell food.”

“They do, but we’re better off taking our own lunch. The queues for the restaurants are often super long. Want me to carry the bag?”

The dark look he gave me was all offended alpha. Like I was trying to emasculate him or something.

I raised my hands, fighting a smile. “I was just asking.”

My offer to pay for the price of our admission was just as quickly rebuffed. Ignoring my protests, he paid for both our tickets.

Once we’d passed the security checkpoint and were walking toward the turnstiles, Dane threw me a sideways frown. “Why do you keep looking at me funny?”

“I’m still not convinced that you’re not sick,” I replied. “You sure you don’t have a fever or anything?”

He gifted me with another droll look.

Finally inside the zoo itself, we moved aside and consulted a map that he’d swiped from a tiered stand. “Where are those things you want to see?” he asked.

“They’re not things, they’re wild cats. Pallas’ cats, to be precise. They’re at the southern side of the zoo.” I pointed to the correct spot on the map. “We’ll make our way around to them eventually. I also really want to see the bush dogs, leopards, and red pandas.”

“I didn’t think they’d have bush dogs in zoos.”

Something about the way he’d said it made me ask, “Have you ever been to a zoo before?”

He didn’t look up from the map. “I went to one on a school field trip when I was about seven, but I don’t remember much about it.”

I swallowed hard. Compassion welled up inside me. He might have come from a wealthy family who could afford to take him and his brothers to all sorts of places, but I often got the impression that there’d been no “family time” like daytrips.

Knowing any display of sympathy wouldn’t be welcome, I asked, “What about you? What animals do you want to see?”

“None.”

“Come on, there has to be at least one animal you like.”

He shrugged. “Rhinos.”

“I can see why. They’re just you all over. Formidable and determined and moody.” I turned left. “Come on, this way.”

We walked along the sidewalks, passing enclosure after enclosure. It wasn’t always easy to get a good look inside them or to snap decent pictures, since so many people gathered near the plastic fences. But Dane had a way of getting crowds to part—people just tended to move out of his way, like they sensed a predator coming or something—and then he’d usher me to the front, which was ace.

Some animals dozed. Some paced or sat eating. Others played and ran and swam.

Dane and I, well, we had an eventful morning. We held our breath while walking through the pungent-smelling monkey house. We shivered in the cold air of the penguin house while watching them get fed. We did a fast tour of the bat cave, which stunk like a rancid ass. And, little by little, Dane began to loosen up.

Instead of just staying at my side like a bodyguard, he pointed things out, read information signs, asked questions, found the difficult-to-spot animals for me. I wouldn’t go as far as to say he was having fun, but he was engaging. He didn’t even complain when I took a few selfies of us here and there.

Although I was saddened to know he’d only ever been to a zoo once and that he barely remembered the experience, I kind of liked that I got to see his expression when he saw some animals properly for the first time. Seeing them on TV wasn’t the same.

“Aw, look at the baby meerkats.” I snapped a few pictures of them. “Dane, I can’t take this level of cuteness. You can’t tell me your heart isn’t melting right now.”

“Can’t I?”

“No. Even the adults are cute.”

“Hmm.” There was something strangely endearing about the way he looked at them as if he didn’t really know what to make of them.

“Did you know that a group of meerkats is actually called a mob?”

“A mob?”

“Yep.” Noticing that a little toddler with pigtails was looking up at Dane like he was a fairytale prince, I felt my mouth twitch. “A little girl is staring at you all starry-eyed,” I whispered.

“And the man behind you keeps looking at your ass.” Dane palmed said ass, the bold bastard. “Let’s move before I kill him.”

“One more pic—”

“You’ll have no memory left on your phone before this day is over. Come on.” He took me by my wrist and began leading me toward the next enclosure.

I gasped. “Look over there, zebras! They’re—oh. Oh.” I turned away. “I’ll take photos of them later.”

Dane glanced down at me, his eyes smiling. “When two of them aren’t mating, you mean?”

“I’m no prude, okay, but I can’t watch animals go at it. It feels weird. I like to pretend the storks deliver the babies. Ooh, I see flamingos. Did you know they’re not naturally pink? It’s their diet that causes them to turn from white to pink.”

“Thanks for clearing that up. The mystery’s been bothering me for years.”

I blinked. “Did you just make an attempt at humor?”

His brows drew together. “If I wanted to make you laugh, I could make you laugh.”

I clamped my lips together as I fought a smile. “Of course you could.”

Sighing, he shook his head. “Just keep moving.”

My heart did a silly little flutter when the fingers he’d curled around my wrist slid down to thread with mine. We walked around hand in hand, peering at more of the many animals.

I was downright thrilled when we finally reached the Pallas’ cat enclosure. I’d watched a documentary about them once, and they absolutely fascinated me. They’d been branded the most expressive cats in the world, because they made the oddest faces.

One was curled up on a rock, staring at everything and everyone as if they were completely beneath it. No one could do “disdain” like cats. “I want to take it home.”

Behind me, Dane settled a hand on my hip. “You’ve said that about almost every animal you’ve laid eyes on.”

Someone knocked on the plastic fence, and the feline peeled back its upper lip.

I chuckled. “How amazing are these cats?”

“They’re odd.”

“That’s what I was thinking,” cut in the woman beside us, eyeing Dane with sexual interest. “Their eyes are so humanlike they freak me out.”

I sniffed and started snapping photos of the cat, ignoring how the woman kept talking to Dane like she’d known him for years, even though he completely blanked her.

Was it annoying to have to deal with this crap? Oh, yes. But I had the comfort of knowing he’d never respect anyone who’d flirt with a man who was taken, so I didn’t have to worry that she’d snatch his interest.

“I can’t see any of the other Pallas’ cats,” I said. “Can you?”

Shuffling closer to me from behind, he rested his chin on my shoulder. “No. They’re probably inside. Are you finished taking pictures of this … are you sure it’s a cat?”

“I’m sure. I’ll bet it’s called Dane.”

“What?”

“It’s the perfect name for cranky creatures.”

He snapped his teeth at my ear. “Ready to eat now?”

“Yep. Then we’ll go find the rhinos and the red pandas.”

We settled on the grass in the outdoor picnic area and dug into our lunch. It was only sandwiches, potato chips, bottled water, pots of fresh fruit, and mini chocolate muffins, but it all went down well.

Done, I stuffed our rubbish in the disposable lunch bag. “I didn’t realize how hungry I was.” I looked at my fake husband, who was lying on his side, propped up by his elbow. “You’re enjoying yourself. Admit it.”

“Watching your reactions to the animals is interesting. You blushed when a chimp flashed you. You shivered from head to toe when a praying mantis moved one leg. You squealed when a bat flew at you in a rage … even though it didn’t really fly at you, let alone in a rage.”

“I felt its hatred.”

He shook his head. “Only you, Vienna. Only you.”

“Come on, be honest; you’re not as bored as you thought you’d be.”

“Hmm.”

It might be a non-committal sound, but … “I’ll take what I can get.” I cocked my head. “Did you mean it when you said the New York trip didn’t have to be all about work, or did you just say it for Simon’s benefit?”

He eyed me suspiciously. “Why? Where do you want to go?”

“The Museum of Natural History. I’m not asking you to go with me—I know you won’t want to. I was just hoping you’d agree to free me up a few hours so I can go.”

His brows pulled together. “You can’t go strolling around New York on your own.”

“Why? It’s not a warzone, it’s a city.”

“Where any number of things could happen to you while you’re alone. If we can find the time to go, we’ll go.”

“We?”

“We.”

I put a hand to my mouth. “Oh, God, you really are sick, aren’t you? How bad is it? Should we be picking out eulogies?”

He tugged on my hair. “Brat.”

Once we were ready to continue our walk around the zoo, I threw our bag of rubbish in the trash. “I need to use the bathroom. You?”

“No, I’m good.”

“According to the map, the closest restroom’s over there,” I said, pointing to the nearby restaurant.

He walked me to the entrance. “I’ll wait here. Don’t be long.”

Like I planned to paint my toenails in there or something? I just shook my head and went inside. Just as I’d anticipated, the place was packed with people ordering their lunch and searching for empty tables. Yep, I’d made the right choice by bringing a pre-packed lunch.

I made a beeline for the bathroom, where I quickly did my business, and then walked back into the restaurant. I carefully shouldered my way through the throngs of people, not wanting to crash into someone who might be holding a tray of food or drinks.

“Excuse me,” I said to one particular man, who was tall and heavily built. He slid out of my way with an apology, and then my stomach sank. Because Owen stood mere feet away, and he was staring right at me. Shit.

“Vee,” he said in surprise and swallowed hard.

I gave him a curt, awkward nod. “Owen.”

“You … you look good—”

“Daddy, I need the fork.”

I twisted to see a little girl sitting at the nearby table with a plate of food in front of her. The same little girl whose picture Owen had once shown me.

“Sorry, honey.” Owen handed her the plastic cutlery and then gave me a weak smile. “This is my daughter.”

“Hi,” I said to her, feeling super uncomfortable.

She used her fork to wave at me, her expression curious.

I forced a bright smile. “Well, you two have a good day.”

“Wait, Vee. Who are you here with?”

I sighed. “Owen, just focus on having fun with your little girl. Okay?”

“Have you realized it yet?” he asked when I tried to shrug past him.

“What?”

“That marrying Davenport was a mistake,” he said too quietly for his daughter to hear. “Because if you haven’t, you will eventually.”

“Forget about me and what’s going on in my life, Owen. Concentrate on fixing your own.”

“Did he tell you that he had me banned from o-Verve? I went there to see you a few weeks ago. I didn’t even get past the security checkpoint. He didn’t tell you, huh? Well then, he probably also didn’t tell you that he called me later that day and said he’d make sure I lost my job if I ever tried to get near his wife again. Not ‘Vienna.’ His wife. Like you’re a thing. A possession.”

I rubbed my temple. “Owen—”

“He’s going to hurt you, Vee. He probably won’t mean to. He probably won’t even particularly want to. But he’ll do it, because that’s what people like him do. They hurt. They betray. They don’t think past their own wants.”

“This again? Seriously?” I shook my head. “I’m going to go now.” I pushed past him, but he grabbed my arm.

“Wait, I—” He cut off, his lips thinning as he caught sight of something.

I tracked his gaze to see Dane heading our way, his eyes hard, his expression cold.

Owen dropped my arm and took a step toward the table at which his daughter sat, as if to protect her from the newcomer.

Dane stopped in front of me. “I came to see what was taking you so long,” he said to me, but his eyes were on Owen.

I fisted Dane’s tee and gave it a little tug to get his full attention. “His kid is sitting right there,” I told him, my voice low. “For her sake, can we just walk away?” He hit me with that unblinking hunter stare, saying nothing. Tension thickened the air, winding me tight. “Please, Dane.”

Something flickered across his face. He reached up and untangled my fingers from his tee. Instead of dropping my hand, he clasped it tight. “Come on.”

Thank fuck for that. Without a backward look at my ex, I let Dane lead me out of the restaurant.

Outside, he turned to me, his expression still cold. “What did he want?”

“To tell me it was a mistake to marry you. Did you really have him banned from o-Verve?”

“Yes. I didn’t trust that he wouldn’t harass you there. You should be able to do your job without worrying people will turn up and talk shit to you. I want you to feel safe there.”

I always had felt safe there. Until recently. Not that I’d thought I was in physical danger but, yeah, certainly at risk of being bugged by dumbass people. Thinking of said dumbasses, I asked, “Did you have anyone else banned?”

“Travis, Hope, Heather, and Owen’s soon-to-be-ex-wife.”

“Why Tiffany?”

“I doubted she’d bother you, but I didn’t want to take the chance.”

“Have any of them tried to enter since you gave their names to security?”

“Only Hope.”

“I’ll bet she was furious when they refused her entrance.” And probably embarrassed as all hell.

“She was. But I’d told her to stay away from the building. If she’d listened, it wouldn’t have happened.”

I tilted my head. “You wouldn’t really try to get Owen fired, would you?”

Dane put his face closer to mine. “You already know the answer to that.” He tugged on my hand. “Come on. You still want to see those red panda things, don’t you?”

“They’re not things.”

“Well they’re not pandas.”

True, actually, but whatever. I was disappointed when we finally reached their enclosure, because only one of them seemed to be outside, and it was so high up a damn tree I could only see part of its head.

I tried zooming in on the panda with my phone to get a better look, but the effort came to nothing. “I’m bummed I can barely see it.”

Dane slid his hand up my back and rested it on the crook of my neck, probably unaware that it sent a pleasant chill dancing along my spine. “Be still.”

“Why?”

“Because you have what looks like a mosquito on your nape.” He moved my ponytail aside and flicked off whatever insect had landed on me. His thumb brushed over the back of my neck, making the skin tingle. “Doesn’t look like it bit you.”

I cleared my throat. “Thanks.” Plastering a blasé smile on my face, I turned to him. “Let’s go find your spirit animals, shall we?”

“My what?”

“The rhinos.”

It turned out that there were quite a few of them. Two were awake and walking around—one of which was a baby, and my heart just melted into a pile of goo. I really had no idea baby rhinos could be so freaking cute.

I leaned against the fence, fascinated by it. Apparently, I watched it a little too long, because Dane eventually curled an arm around my waist and bodily moved me away.

After that, we meandered around the reptile house. I wondered if the snakes might react to the presence of their evil master, but no. We paid a brief visit to the petting zoo before then following the themed animal trails and checking out the interactive exhibits. It took some convincing, but I managed to coax Dane into watching a sea lion show in the outdoor amphitheater. He didn’t seem particularly entertained, but he did enjoy his ice cream.

Later on, as we walked through the gift shop, I swept my gaze around the large space, checking out the plentiful merchandise. I did a double-take when I noticed a magnet with Pallas’ cats on it. I took it from the display and flipped it over to check the price.

Dane sighed. “You want that, don’t you?”

“Who wouldn’t?”

He all but snatched it from my hand with a put-out sound and crossed to the checkout desk. Having paid for the magnet, he shoved it into my hand. “There.”

Not in the least bit bothered by how gruff and rude he was acting, I smiled. “That was kind of you.”

He tossed me a frown. “I’m not kind.”

“But the deed was kind. Come on, your terribly plain fridge is waiting for its new decoration.”

In the parking lot, we headed to his Aston Martin and slid inside. I was so used to Sam chauffeuring us around that it was strange to have Dane drive us places, but I liked it. I didn’t know what it said about me that I found it hot to watch him drive but … it was just the way he looked so focused, at ease, and in complete control. I dug it.

“Thank you for coming with me,” I said as he reversed out of his spot, his arm curved around my headrest.

His eyes met mine. “Maybe I want something.”

I tensed. His ideas of “favors” could be extreme. “Like what?”

“I said maybe.”

“You like keeping me off-balance, don’t you?”

He switched gears and drove forward. “Vienna, I like doing that to everyone.”