Total pages in book: 47
Estimated words: 44932 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 225(@200wpm)___ 180(@250wpm)___ 150(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 44932 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 225(@200wpm)___ 180(@250wpm)___ 150(@300wpm)
“You trusted the wrong person. We all make mistakes.”
“You’ve never made a mistake,” Pippa told him.
“You should ask my team about that. They’ll have a list to share with you of times I made the wrong choice. We’re all human.” He slid the hand rubbing her back up her spine to cup the back of her head. Drawing her forward, Zale kissed her thoroughly before easing back.
“Now that I have your attention, let’s go update my team. I have an idea.”
“What is it?”
“I guess we better get going so I can tell you.” Zale boosted her back into her seat. Along the way, she inadvertently brushed against his pelvis.
“Oh! Sorry.” Pippa stared at the erection tenting his pants. She’d thought the seatbelt buckle had been poking her.
“Staring at my cock isn’t going to help it settle down, kitten,” he said with a hint of amusement in his tone.
She glanced up at him and noted the smirk on his face. “It’s just that I don’t…”
“You don’t know all about male physiology? I’ll be glad to teach you, Pippa. That’s a good job for your daddy. Lesson one. If you’re close to me, my body is going to respond. You are a tasty treat I can’t wait to devour.”
“A tasty treat?” she repeated and covered her cheeks as they heated with embarrassment when she processed what he had said. Pippa knew she was blushing. The funny thing was she adored knowing he was attracted to her.
His wink went right to her heart. Falling in love with Zale would be so easy.
CHAPTER 8
“Work here?” Pippa repeated.
“It was just an idea,” Aspen said quickly. “If you were here during the time you weren’t at home with Zale…”
“I wouldn’t be alone. It’s hard to get on a base, right?” Pippa asked, catching on to the reasoning behind Aspen’s suggestion.
When Zale and Pippa caught up with his team, the hunky soldiers occupied a picnic table outside with Aspen. Pippa got the impression they had lunch together whenever possible. Zale had run through what the detectives had shared, and Pippa watched the men’s expressions change, revealing their concern. That hadn’t helped her feel any better about the situation.
“Everyone has to show ID at the gate. A lot of people pass through the gates each day—delivery people, contractors, visitors, job applicants,” Caden said. “The guards screen everyone. That’s more than the street that runs in front of your house.”
“They didn’t like my printed ID and called the police station to talk to the detectives,” Pippa told them.
“I could see that they’d question that,” Jerico said. “A job here would keep you safer. What kind of skills do you have, Pippa?”
“I worked in an office, running files all over the building and town,” Pippa reported. “I kept meaning to go back to school.”
“That’s something you could do in the future. We’ll check into some programs,” Zale assured her. “As a runner, you’re used to being on your feet. Let’s see what positions are open now. That is if you’d like to work here.”
“Sure. I need a job. I can’t just live off you.”
“I am glad to take care of you,” Zale told her as he logged into the base employment system. “Come here. Check out these postings.”
He scooped her up and sat her on his lap so he could hold his phone for them both to see. Pippa had already scanned and dismissed a few skilled job openings before she looked up to see the men grinning at her. Instantly, she tried to slide off Zale’s lap. Her heart thudded inside her chest as she realized how much she had given away by her position.
“Stay here, little girl. They already know,” Zale told her.
“You told them?”
“Zale didn’t tell us anything, Pippa. He would never do that to you and whatever we suspect, we’ll stay quiet until you tell us personally. Your secrets are yours,” Hank said quietly.
Pippa met Hank’s gaze and felt her panic recede as concern for the stoic man took over. The anguish on his face was palpable. She didn’t know any of them well. But in the interactions she’d had with the entire team, she could sense how close they were and how different they were from other groups of men she’d encountered.
What had happened to the quietest member of the team? She immediately stopped worrying about being embarrassed and wished she could help him.
“Thank you. I guess it’s pretty obvious,” Pippa whispered.
“Only to us,” Koa said. “We’re used to seeing things others might miss.”
“They’re all daddies, Pippa,” Aspen told her. “You don’t have to worry. Each of them would fall on a grenade to save you now that they know you’re Zale’s.”
Surely, she was exaggerating. Pippa looked at the faces around the table. As her gaze met each man’s, he nodded. Her embarrassment faded. She leaned back against Zale’s chest. “But you just met me.”