Her teeth dug into her bottom lip. “Really?”
“Yeah. Really.” I pushed her hair behind her ear. “Did Deacon give you any trouble today?”
“No. He doesn’t even look at me anymore. I imagine being glowered at by you a few times a week wasn’t something he wants to continue. And Ireallydoubt he had any desire to get up close and personal with you.”
I scoffed. “Me? I’m a lamb. Nothing to be afraid of.”
It’d been a month since Zadie had last received a poem. She’d relaxed, but her guard was always up. I’d caught her checking over her shoulder more than once or running her hands over her arms to smooth out goose bumps. The only thing that was stopping me from eviscerating this Deacon fuck was Zadie begging me not to. There wasn’t much I’d deny her. As long as Deacon kept away and quiet, he wouldn’t be hearing from me. But if he eventhoughtabout taking another shot at her, all bets were off. There was only so far a man could be pushed before he had to step up and sayenough.
Zadie nipped at my chin. “I’m not afraid of you.”
“Good.” I tapped her forehead with mine. “You have nothing to be afraid of when you’re with me.”
Her pretty blue eyes narrowed slightly. “Are you going to tell me why you looked so angry when you first got home? Did something happen?”
I exhaled through my nose. Normally, I liked that Zadie was attuned to me and my moods, but this wasn’t one of those times. Discussing what Krasinski had said to me would only lead to her worrying or questioning my job. Both options were unacceptable to me.
“I had to remind myself I didn’t want to rip Julien’s head off for being so close to you. That’s all.”
“That’s all?” Two words so loaded with skepticism, I almost buckled.
But this topic wasn’t for Zadie, and that was for her own good.
“That’s all.”