And lost wasn’t a good place to be…no matter how damn good it felt.
Chapter Three
The sound of the phone ringing again jerked Zoe out of the seductive spell Declan had so easily pulled her under. She tore her lips from his, breathing heavily from the effort it took to stop kissing him. “I have to get that.”
“Call whoever it is back.” He tried to claim her mouth again.
Her hands gripped his shoulders and she leaned away from him. “I’m expecting…it’s important.”
For a moment he looked like he would argue, but then he nodded and released her. Zoe took the instant of freedom to scramble to her feet and grab the phone. She needed to get her call, but she also needed to get a grip on herself. Normally, a hot guy and a pizza would be a damn good combination. Tonight, with so much junk going on in her life and in her head, it seemed dangerous. No. It was Declan that was dangerous. Other men didn’t impact her the way he seemed to.
“Hello,” she said, punching the button on her phone.
“Hey. It’s Chris. I’m headed to a dinner meeting with that building investor I told you about last week, but I got your message. I also just flipped on my car radio. What the hell is going on?”
An architect for an up-and-coming firm, Chris’s team was close to landing the design of a high-rise in Houston. It would make his career. She hated this thing with her father was happening smack in the middle of negotiations. Zoe headed for her sliding glass door and pulled it open. She wasn’t about to have this particular conversation in front of Declan. Stepping onto the balcony she struggled with the door and it jammed half open.
“And,” Chris continued, “why the hell don’t I know about it before the rest of the world?”
“Hey, don’t feel bad,” Zoe said, feeling the heaviness of the hot night slide along her skin. Abandoning her efforts to shut the door she went to the far corner of the tiny balcony and tried to keep her voice low. “I’m in the same city as Daddy, and I know nothing.”
“Damn,” Chris said. “I was hoping you called with information, but I should have known better. Like always, the two who chose a path outside of Marks are excluded.”
“We aren’t in the ‘club’, but then we’ve known that a long time.” She paused. “I’m worried. I can’t reach anyone. I even went by the office and they were all in meetings. I’d go by Daddy’s house, but no telling what time he’ll be home.”
“You think it’s bad and they don’t want to tell us.” It wasn’t a question.
“I don’t know, Chris. I’m mad as hell for being left in the dark, though. I work for the damn newspaper. You know what kind of pressure having my family in the headlines puts on me?”
“I can imagine, Sis. I’m sorry.” He paused. “Damn. I hate this. I have to go. If you find out anything, leave me a message and I’ll call back as soon as I can.”
“I will. Good luck in your meeting.”
“Thanks,” Chris said. “I need it with this on my mind.”
“Chris?”
“Yeah?”
Just thinking about the question in her mind made Zoe’s stomach flip-flop. But she had to know what Chris thought. He was the youngest of her brothers but the wisest in her book. “You don’t think he’s guilty, do you?” she asked, the words barely-there as she forced them from her lips.
A moment of silence. “He’s an ass, not a thief. There’s a difference.” Then, “Call me. Gotta run.” And with his harsh words of clarity and truth between them, they disconnected.
* * * * *
He’d come here tonight hoping to convince himself that his distraction over Zoe came down to great sex.
But he now knew that wasn’t the case. Not at all. She intrigued him in some deeper way. Beyond the physical. Everything about her. From her cozy little apartment, full of dark colors and overstuffed furniture, to the sexy sway of her nicely curved hips.
The new, more vulnerable, Zoe of this night held no less appeal than the sensual kitten of their last meeting. Sensing she was bothered, he found himself wanting to comfort her. Proof he wasn’t interested in just sex. And when she’d seemed almost nervous with him, and not at all the bold, hungry woman who had led their lovemaking just hours before, he’d wanted to know why. It wasn’t likely they would be repeating the wicked romp of their first encounter but that didn’t discourage his interest in her at all. When he’d kissed her, Zoe’s resistance had started to fade. He’d felt her relax and start letting go of whatever had her so concerned. That he had managed to pull her out of the stress she felt, if only for a short time, seemed to confirm their connection.