He stepped forward, sweeping her behind him, yanking open his knife, and facing the nearby bedroom door. Whoever opened it would not get through him to Mia.
There was a rap on the door, then it flew open.
“Hey, you two,” Holly called. “I washed some of Papa’s linens at my house. Of course the sheets on your beds are all clean, but the towels just came out of the dryer.” Holly marched in with a stack of towels in a variety of sizes in her arms. She stopped and looked at Zeke standing defensively in front of Mia with his knife pointed threateningly at her and Mia leaning against the wall behind him as if she’d lost all strength.
Zeke felt slightly disoriented. He couldn’t get into a compromising position with Mia again. Not only had he let down his guard, but an unfamiliar fear coated his throat. He was inexperienced with women and he had played right into Mia’s knowledgeable hands. She’d dated hundreds of men and had bragged that they all fell for her. Zeke was just a challenge to toy with and dump at will. He was being naïve and very stupid about this whole thing. Just because he’d never enjoyed a woman’s touch or touching a woman didn’t mean he and Mia had something special. He wouldn’t be anything special to her.
“Hey,” he grunted out. He closed and pocketed the knife, reached out and took the towels from Holly. “Thank you.”
Hurrying away from her too-knowing glance, he went into the bathroom and put the towels, hand towels, and washcloths into a few empty drawers. He looked at himself in the mirror. His cheeks were flushed and he’d never seen his own eyes look that blue. He wanted to splash water on his face, take a cold shower, or better yet, go jump in the icy lake.
Why couldn’t he hear the women talking?
He forced himself to walk back out and face them, rubbing at the back of his neck.
Holly jerked her gaze from Mia, who was giving her a hands-up, helpless-looking shrug. Helpless? Mia Burton was the furthest thing from helpless. A delicious shiver went through him as he thought of her pinning him to the wall. It was probably all a joke or a game to her, but nothing had ever felt so incredible to him.
“Everything okay?” Holly asked him.
“Sure. We were just going over the case.” His gaze flickered to Mia. Why was she leaning against the wall like that? Why did she have to look so appealing? Was she the most perfect fit for him that had ever been created, or was she a flirt and a player as she’d basically admitted to him?
He clenched his fists and looked away. Nobody was his perfect fit. Even if by some miracle Mia was interested in him for more than a few days, he could never be the kind, attentive man she needed. Relationships with women couldn’t be part of his life. Even if his career wasn’t ultra demanding, he would never settle down and risk messing up his offspring like his parents had him.
“Okay, then.” Holly smirked at him as if she knew exactly what was happening and she wanted it to happen. She wanted him to fall for Mia, touch her, kiss her, the whole works. But why would Holly want that if Mia flitted from man to man? Holly wouldn’t want Zeke hurt. Was this more of her teaching Zeke how to tolerate human contact? Somehow Holly had found the most desirable woman on the planet, who was also conveniently in danger, and asked Mia to help Zeke learn how to enjoy being touched and touching someone? That was ludicrous, and besides, he didn’t need anybody’s help. He was an elite military weapon, not some touchy-feely guy. Letting his barriers be penetrated could risk his perfect fighting execution.
“Well, I’ll let you get back to your … case.” She winked, spun on her heel, marched out the door, and shut it behind her.
Zeke rubbed at his neck and had no idea what to do now. He’d let down his guard like a newbie idiot. Mia was the elite warrior in this “touching” situation trying to train the recruit. He didn’t need her help or her pity. He had to find some self-control and create some distance from her, and quick.
Her soft footsteps approached and then the scent of lemon candy. Zeke closed his eyes, but he let himself inhale.
“Zeke?” she questioned softly. Thankfully, she didn’t reach out for him. Didn’t touch him. Normally he didn’t want touch because it startled, unsettled, or repelled him. With her, it was the complete opposite. He could get sucked in by her touch or by touching her and drown with his head above water.
“Yeah?” he managed, opening his eyes, but only because he refused to be a wimp.
Her gaze appeared so open and innocent. Was she toying with him or not? How could he be this ultra-accomplished man and have no clue about how women worked?
“Are you interested in … talking more?” She gave him a sweet smile that he doubted any man could resist.
His hands started rising of their own volition, wanting to cup her smooth jawline again, and then they could “talk.” He wanted to “talk” for a long, long time.
But he clenched his fists and his jaw and forced his hands back to his sides. He stood military straight as if the Commander-in-Chief was about to walk by.
He had to know one thing.
“Have you ever had a man you were interested in resist you?” he growled.
Her eyes widened. She met his gaze, and she looked … chagrined. That didn’t fit with his idea of her chewing men up and spitting them out. “No,” she admitted, biting that dang lip of hers.
He let his gaze drop to her lips, then forced it back to her eyes. Those brown-sugar eyes threatened to pull him under.
“Have you ever dated a man for longer than a week?”
Apparently he had to know two things.
She licked her lips and looked down. “No,” she said softly.
That settled like a rock in his stomach. She was toying with him. It was obvious, and he’d be a fool not to see it. The first woman who he was drawn to, who he’d liked touching him, who he desperately wanted to touch, who he’d loved talking to and teasing with and simply being around, and she was the exact wrong woman for him.