Saving the Beast(20)

“How do you owe Zane?” Diane asked.

“He saved my life,” Kenzie admitted. “It was after we were all back state side. Holt went home for a bit to check on his parents and younger brother. I found myself in a bad situation, one of those caught in the wrong time and place sort of circumstances.”

“How wrong?” Diane asked.

“I was out numbered and unsure of how the hell to get out of the situation without getting myself hurt or without hurting someone seriously. Then Zane walked through the door.” Kenzie grinned again. “He has a commanding presence. He called my name and held his hand out to me. The look on his face. It was as if he were defying anyone to stop him. He was dominant and forceful.” Kenzie laughed. “Oh, God, you should have seen him. Picture this. I’m in a dark bar. There are six guys in there with me. I was drinking way more than I should have and not paying attention. I should have cared that I was the only woman in there and maybe got a clue there might be a reason for it.”

“Why were you drinking?” Diane interrupted to ask.

“I’d just decided to end things with Holt. I was afraid of hurting him, losing his friendship,” she admitted.

“Obviously, you didn’t.”

“No,” Kenzie said with a shake of her head. “He understood and agreed. We’ve been best friends since.”

“So what happened with Zane?”

“I was surrounded when he walked in. One of the guys had a hard grip on my arm. I was a little roughed up. I’d uttered the word no, and they didn’t take it very well.”

Diane looked at Kenzie’s tiny build. She was not just short but carried a smaller frame, as well. Her long brown hair was usually pulled back in a braid down her back, making her huge brown eyes the focus when you looked at her. She was beautiful, especially when she smiled, which was most of the time. But she was also quiet—almost to the point you didn’t realize she was there, until she wanted you to. Diane had noticed all the guys in their group had a tendency to be a little over-protective of Kenzie.

“I tugged my arm and tried to walk over to Zane, but the guy didn’t want to let me go. He asked Zane who the fuck he was. Zane said he was the one who was going to kill anyone who’d touched me. He looked pointedly at the guy’s hand still on my arm and just lifted his brow. God, his eyes! He let just enough of the animal loose so that they really glowed. It was scary as fuck. I thought a few of them were going to piss their pants. Here I am surrounded by a bunch of dickheads who think they’re really bad boys, and in walks six and half feet of pissed off muscle. Ebony skin that only seems to make his eyes look all the lighter, you know?”

Diane nodded. Yeah, Zane was gorgeous.

“The one who had a grip on me dropped my arm and practically shoved me toward Zane. He’s all, ‘we don’t want any trouble’.” Kenzie mimicked. “Zane swept the room with all of them before we left. My God, I knew he was lethal, but his control. When he was done, none of them were moving.”

“Did he kill them?” Diane asked with wide eyes.

“No,” Kenzie answered with another shake of her head. “He just taught them a lesson. The main guy kept saying no and begging Zane to stop hitting him. Zane would just hit him again and ask how many times the guy had ignored others saying the same things. When he thought the guy had enough, he took my hand and pulled me out of there.”

“What happened then?” Diane wanted to know. Good grief, she couldn’t control the fact she was feeling a bit jealous. Had Zane comforted Kenzie? Kissed her? Jesus! Had Kenzie been fuck buddies with Zane, as well?

“He chewed my ass out when I woke up,” Kenzie admitted with a shudder. “Lord, I’ve never seen him so mad. He was absolutely livid with me. Told me he didn’t care what I was dealing with, there was no excuse for stupid.”

“Oh, my,” Diane breathed out. Would he be mad at her for this plan to save him? “Sounds like he helped you out of tight spot. Wait a minute, what do you mean when you woke up?”

What had happened between Kenzie and Zane that had exhausted the woman? Kenzie gave a snort of laughter.

“What?” Diane demanded and even she could hear the growl in her voice. Good grief. She wasn’t even a shifter.

“Not what you think,” Kenzie stated. “I’ve never been anything more than friends with Zane. Never. To be honest, he scares me a little. He’s all intensity and control and intimidation without even saying a word.”

Diane knew what she meant, but where it scared Kenzie, it just turned Diane on. She wanted Zane like she’d never wanted another man. Truthfully, there was a part of her who relished the thought he would be her first lover, and if they were mates like she suspected, her only lover.