“I didn’t mean to make her cry. I was going to explain to her and then bring her back here myself.”
“Don’t worry about it. I don’t think this is entirely your fault. I think there is something else going on.”
Jake got up and moved toward the kitchen. He glanced around at all the fancy equipment. Considering how masculine Connor was, Jake couldn’t get over his feminine tastes. He owned a pink whisk. Shaking his head, he moved towards the fridge and grabbed a carton of orange juice.
A picture on the front of the fridge caught his eyes. He stared at it for a few minutes. Jake took the picture off the fridge and moved to the counter to sit down. His arms ached from the work he’d done at the mechanics shop during the day. The picture was taken at the picnic he’d attended with Connor and Brent. It was the traditional picnic that Law Castle had every year. There were always fairs and a large gathering of people. In the picture there was over thirty men lined up. At the time he’d believed it was one of the best days of his life.
Flicking it over he saw the note Brent had made, the words were, The Law Castle Bad Boys, followed by the date of the picnic. Andy, the wife of two of the guys who’d been part of the crew, had taken the picture.
“What are you looking at?” Brent asked as he walked into the kitchen.
“The picnic photo.”
“Why?”
“You said Tristan gave you a warning about Bill and specifically mentioned about the Law Castle Bad Boys,” Jake said.
Brent groaned. “I’m sick and tired of hearing about the, ‘Law Castle bad Boys’.” He signed the air with both hands. “It makes us all sound like some gang or rock group. I’m not a member of any gang.”
“Yes, you are. You agreed to it, and you’re in this picture.”
“Forget about the circus shit that surrounds our town. What are you getting at?”
“Do you think Tristan wants to get us involved?”
“With the Bill situation?” Brent asked.
“Yes.”
“I have no idea, but I don’t like the sound of it either way. If someone is trying to fuck up our town then I want them gone. Law Castle is a good place.”
“I agree with you.”
They both glanced at the ceiling when they heard the water running.
“I’ll talk to Tristan tomorrow about this.”
“Yes, I’m going to bed,” Brent said.
Chapter Seven
Zoe followed Connor into the bathroom. It was a huge room at the far end of the hall on the third floor. “This room is bigger than my apartment alone.”
“We all loved the house instantly.”
She smiled as he placed her bag on the floor next to the large bath tub. They hadn’t stopped off at her apartment. The only clothes she had with her were the ones she was wearing.
He took her jacket off her then turned towards the bath. She watched him put the plug in place then turn the tap for the water to begin filling up the tub. “Thank you,” she said.
Connor stood up turning toward her.
“For what?”
“Bringing me here and not asking questions. Most people demand answers and always fire questions at me.”
He cupped her shoulders, his gaze on her. That was one of the small things she liked about him. Connor made sure to look into her eyes. She knew he wasn’t taking a cheap shot at her breasts or any other part of her.
“I’ll leave you to get washed.”
Panic gripped her. She reached between them and caught his hand. “Don’t leave me,” she said.
Connor faced her, his gaze going from her to the bath tub. “I’m not that strong, Zoe.”
“I don’t want that from you. Please, don’t leave me.”
He frowned, staring down at her. She felt like a teenager again waiting for someone to tell her more bad news.
“How many people have you said that to?” he asked.
“I said it to my parents once.”
“Did they leave?”
“Yes, and they didn’t come back.”
“All right. I’ll stay. I’m keeping my clothes on.”
She smiled, which felt forced to her.
“Don’t worry, it’ll come back.”
“What?”
“Your smile. Everything will fall into place. I won’t let you go.” His arms were around her, and she closed her eyes. The panic disappeared with his presence.
Zoe knew she needed to remove her clothes and get into the tub. She’d not had a bath in a long time. The one she had at her apartment was chipped. A shower was the best for her.
Connor left her to turn the tap off.
She fingered the shirt tails while her mind flashed over every single sexual encounter in her life. Her first had been when she was eighteen. There had been another boy in the foster system. They’d run away together. Shaking her head, she cleared her mind. In all of her encounters, she’d rarely been naked.