Maybe they were hidden in the basement. Maybe they were in the boxes he was about to bring up...not before he searched through them, though.
And if that was the case, if he did indeed find the centuries old treasures, he could finally give back to his family what they’d been searching for.
He could also pursue Zara with his full concentration, because the way she’d been looking at him moments ago—yeah, she wasn’t over whatever they’d started, and he’d barely scratched the surface of all he wanted to do with her.
* * *
As soon as Braden was out the door, Zara blew out a breath. Mercy, but that man strutting around in his black boxer briefs was a sight to behold. He could easily put models to shame with that broad chest, those lean hips and those muscles...she’d felt every single one of them, and if she were totally honest, she wanted to again.
No matter what she told herself, no matter the common sense that normally kept her grounded, all she could think of was how amazing Braden would be if they actually took advantage of this situation and stayed in bed exploring each other.
But what would happen once the roads cleared and Braden went home? She’d work his party in a few weeks, and they’d be professional...sure. How could she watch him from across the room, knowing full well what an attentive lover he was while she should be focusing on the hors d’oeuvres and making sure the Riesling fountain kept flowing?
Zara closed her eyes and willed herself to gain some sort of control over her emotions before he came back. She needed to concentrate on sorting through these boxes. Who knew, with all of the antiques and treasures her grandmother hung on to, maybe Braden would be interested in some pieces for the auction house.
There. When he came back, they would focus on work and not the fact they were going to spend another night together. Granted, it didn’t matter whether it was night or not—they’d had sex in the middle of the day.
Day sex. That was new for Zara. Not that she had some big grand arsenal of partners and experiences, but she’d always been a night, dark room, vanilla type. Maybe that’s why she wanted to explore more with Braden. He’d awakened something in her, and she wasn’t sure she could ignore it now. What else could he show her? Braden O’Shea was a full-body experience, that was for sure.
Zara shook her head, hoping to clear some of these crazy thoughts. She reached into the box and pulled out another paper-covered object. As she unwrapped the oblong container, she wondered what could be in this tube she’d never seen before.
Zara set the paper to the side and concentrated on the silver caps on each end. She pulled on one, then the other. Either they didn’t open or they were seriously stuck. Whatever was in there was extremely light. She shook the tube, but nothing rattled.
“I forgot a flash—”
Zara turned toward the door just as Braden’s eyes zeroed in on the container she held.
“Don’t touch that.” One second he was by the door, the next he was kneeling at her side, taking the tube from her hands. “Did you look inside?”
Stunned at his reaction, Zara stared at him and shook her head. “The caps are stuck.”
He ran his hands over the outer shell as if he was dealing with the most precious of gems. She’d never seen this side of him. She could sit here completely naked, and he’d not even notice she was in the room. For a man who was hell-bent on seduction and succeeding rather well at it, he was completely focused on this container.
Which made her wonder, what the hell was in that tube, and why was he so mesmerized with it?
Eleven
Braden had no idea if he was actually holding one of the coveted scrolls. All he knew was he wanted to get inside this tube now, but he didn’t want to break anything or cause damage. This container was old, not as old as the scrolls themselves, but he had no idea what they would be stored in at this point. And with the way the caps were so secured, they’d obviously been in place a while. Which only added to that layer of hope.
Holding on to the tube, he glanced toward the box.
“Anymore like this in there?”
Zara reached in but only brought out a wrapped vase that was rather valuable with familiar etching. He’d worry about the other treasures later, because if he was truly holding a scroll that dated back to the time of Shakespeare, that meant the others could be in the boxes in the basement.
Braden lifted the tube and pulled gently on one of the caps again. It was sealed good and tight. While he was maneuvering as cautiously as he could, Zara got up and went out the door. He had no clue where she was going or what she was doing; all he knew was he needed to get in this compartment right now.
Both ends were good and stuck, and all he could think of was how fast he could search the other boxes for more tubes and how quick he could get Ryker to look into this. Something akin to elation flooded him as he gripped this container. Could he have found what his father hadn’t been able to? Could he finally bring these back to the O’Shea family? As head of the family, he felt the pressure to do what his father hadn’t been able to.
His family prided themselves on their business, yet they hadn’t been able to relocate their own inheritance after decades of trying. All the frustration and anger and stomps on their pride may finally be coming to an end.
They’d hunted down so many false leads over the years, but now Braden wanted to focus on the last point of origin. This house held the answers; he just had to know where to look, and he may have struck gold.
Braden held on to the tube and stepped into the cool hallway. Where had she gone? He called her name, waiting to hear her reply. Silence greeted him, but then she appeared at the top of the stairs with the kitten beneath her arm. Even though the little guy nestled against her, Zara still didn’t look comfortable with her new friend.
Maybe Laney shouldn’t get this kitten, after all. Perhaps Zara needed this bonding experience to get her to open up, to not be afraid of any type of a relationship. Animals had that effect on people.
“What were you doing?” he asked.
“You left the door open, and he darted out.” She stopped before him and held the cat out to his chest. “You were too preoccupied with whatever is in that cylinder and didn’t see him run out the door.”
Braden winced at the harshness of her tone and knew he needed to come up with a quick cover so she didn’t get too suspicious. He’d never expected her to be around when he found something of interest, so holding back his emotions hadn’t crossed his mind.
“Sorry. Occupational hazard. Old treasures get the best of me.”
She quirked a brow as if she wanted to argue, but didn’t say a word as she brushed by him and went into the bedroom. Braden followed, closing the door and placing the cat back down on the rug. He immediately went to the paper and packaging beside the box and started swatting and playing.
“Did you get that open?” she asked, pointing to the tube.
“No.” He needed to be careful how he approached this. The last thing he needed was for Zara to distrust him. “I’d like to have Ryker look, if you don’t mind.”
She shifted slightly, and her brows drew in. “Ryker is a friend of yours?”
“He’s more than a friend.” How did he even explain Ryker? Ryker was more of an experience than a person. The man was a force to be reckoned with. He butted heads with Braden more often than not, but the man was loyal to a fault. “If anyone can get into this and not do any damage to the container, it would be him.”
Zara stared at him before her eyes darted to the tube in his hand. “What do you think is in there that’s so important? It felt empty to me.”
A paper wouldn’t weigh much, and if this was indeed one of his family’s scrolls, Braden wanted it to be opened without Zara present. Waiting to get this to Ryker would be a true test of self-control, but Braden had come this far; he wasn’t about to destroy the tube by breaking it to get in.
“Old documents could be hidden,” he told her. “You never know what you can find stored away. We’ve uncovered some pretty important things from all over the world when people thought containers were empty.”
“I don’t care if you take it to look in, but you’ll let me know what’s inside, right?”
“Of course.” He refused to feel guilty about lying to her face. If the scroll was indeed inside, it would be of no use to her.
Well, she could sell it for a ridiculous amount of money, but the worth to the O’Sheas was invaluable. Braden was so hyped up on adrenaline with the possibilities, he could hardly stand still. He needed to contact Mac.
Braden set the tube on the side table by the door and pulled his cell from his pocket. He quickly shot Mac a text that he’d found an old tube, but couldn’t confirm the contents.
“I’m going to head back downstairs.” Braden glanced around the room, searching for the flashlight. “I’ll get those other boxes.”
“I’d like to talk to you about selling some pieces.” Zara had taken a seat back on the floor and was wrapping items back up and placing them in the box. “I’m not sure how that works or even if you’d be interested for the auction house, but...”
She was back to being nervous. And to be honest, he was a bit nervous, too, because he had no clue how to proceed from here. He’d never been in this position before. Sex with women was something he’d always enjoyed, yet he’d never gotten emotionally attached. Casual relationships worked fine, but in his line of work, getting too close to someone was difficult. One day he wanted a family, but he truly had to find the right woman who would fit into his life...first he had to steer the business into a bit more legit territory.