“Yes, sir,” she said, and then bit her lip hiding a tiny smile. “Okay . . . then, can I extend a peace offering?”
“Not necessary,” he muttered. “I just need to get my suit and put this tux back in the bag for your stylist. I’ll call in the next shift and will leave when my security detail replacement gets here.” Zach looked down at his suit and noted a missing cuff link. “Please let your stylist know that I’ll pay for any damages.”
“Javier won’t require all that, if I give him the blow-by-blow recount of how your suit got damaged . . . and you don’t want to be on the hook for designer diamond and onyx links— we’ll work it out.”
“No, I insist,” Zach argued and folded his arms.
“How about a cup of coffee, since I’m pretty sure you won’t have a drink while on duty— you just seem like the type.”
“I wouldn’t mind a cup of joe; it’s been a long day.”
“How about a hot shower to go along with it?” She smiled wider when he simply stared at her.
“There’s towels and stuff in the guest bathroom. After all the drama, I don’t know about you but I’m ready to get out of the heels, get this makeup off my face.” She shrugged and walked toward the kitchen. “I’m gonna start the coffee, shower, and put on some sweats— you can do as you like.”
It was an offer he couldn’t refuse. Just a little time to decompress and find his way back to center was in order. The hard spray and warm water unkinked his tight muscles and felt like a sedative. Until he’d stepped into the multihead spray, he hadn’t realized how much he’d been running on fumes.
That didn’t change the fact that Anita Brown was the most exasperating woman and at the same time she had a heart of gold. He’d quickly jumped in and out of the warm water, and to his surprise, she’d beaten him to the task. When he met her in the kitchen, her face was scrubbed clean and she had on an oversized tank top and a pair of soft grey yoga pants. The only evidence that she’d been at the awards gala was her hair was still done up in crystal pins.
“Hey . . .” he said quietly as he entered the kitchen and leaned on the center counter. “I’m sorry I yelled back there. Still had a lot of adrenaline in my system and was worried about what could have happened to you.”
“Don’t worry about it. At least you were fussing at me for a good reason . . . and I’ve been thinking a lot about what you said. I do tolerate a lot of mess I shouldn’t.” She brought him a coffee mug and leaned on the counter. “I like the change . . . the shirt with no tie, sleeves rolled up, no jacket. You look a little more relaxed. Cream and sugar?”
“No . . . just black . . . and you were right about the shower,” he said, accepting the mug from her and taking a sip. “And right about the coffee. Thank you. Anita,” he added with purpose.
She smiled brightly and took a sip from her mug.
“You have a really beautiful smile,” he said. “If you don’t mind me saying.”
“I don’t mind you saying,” she said and then nodded toward the coffee table. “Thank you for getting that put in the limo. It can take days before they ship your stuff sometimes.”
“You worked hard for that award and should be able to look at it tonight,” he said quietly. “Your performance was outstanding.”
“So was yours,” she said, lifting her mug to him in a small salute. “I didn’t feel like I was by myself tonight— I knew there was somebody there, for once, who even if it was part of their job, gave a damn about whether I . . . I don’t know.”
“It wasn’t just because it was a part of my job, Anita,” he said, abandoning his coffee as he stared at her. “You d
eserve to have somebody treat you nice, that’s just basic.”
“So, you don’t believe the tabloids?”
“Why should I? That’s not the person I’ve seen.”
She made a little tick with her tongue against her teeth. “Everybody thinks I’m some kind of—”
He held up his hand. “I’m not everybody.”
She looked at him, watching how the small appliance lights of the kitchen mixed with moonlight played across his handsome face. “No, you’re not everybody at all.”
For a long time neither of them spoke and finally he looked away.
“I should call in.”
She shook her head no. “Not yet.”
“You have an early flight I’m told.”
She rounded the counter and came to stand in front of him. “I know.” She rested her palms against his chest and looked up.