ChapterThree
Zeke was reeling at what he’d agreed to. Protection detail. For a gorgeous British woman in extreme danger. The Sneaky Stalker was a filthy animal, but he must be incredibly smart as well. It appeared to be a sick game for him. For over three years now, he’d gotten around police protection, witness protection programs, and private securities. He’d captured every woman he’d threatened, and except for a few random sightings that had never paid off, the women still hadn’t been found.
He snuck a glance at Mia as she and Holly pulled out some leftovers from the fridge and warmed them up for dinner. The stalker wasn’t getting to Zeke’s woman. His hand balled into a fist.
Mia caught him looking at her and gifted him with a smile. He didn’t return it.
Turning back to Joseph’s schedule on the computer, he rubbed at his neck. Had he just thought of her as his woman? He needed to control his thoughts or he might stupidly act on them. Would he get the chance to touch her again during his protection detail? Probably. It would be good to know if her touch was truly unique and actually felt good to him, but he’d keep his distance like he always did.
“Thank you for planning this out,” he said. Every hour was scheduled with either one of Mia’s security guards or a Delta family member monitoring the exterior perimeter and the security sensors and cameras that were in a basement room of Papa Delta’s house. Zeke remembered the setup and schedule well from being here in September. But now he wouldn’t be rotating through the protection detail. Now he’d be shadowing a gorgeous woman.
Hooyah.
No. Not hooyah. The opposite of hooyah. Danger he couldn’t fight or win against if he let her trap him with those deep-brown eyes of hers.
“Of course.” Joseph focused the Delta blue eyes on him. “You’ll stay by her side night and day and the rest of us will take care of everything else.”
Night and day?
Night?
“Joseph?” His voice was sharper than it needed to be. Well, maybe he should’ve made it sharper. “Night?”
“Maddie’s not here to stay in the room with Mia like she was with Jessie.”
Joseph’s daughter Maddie was an impressive warrior. Zeke wished she was here. He rubbed at his neck and snuck another glance at Mia. That dress fit her … really well. Did she have her clothing custom made? He’d never understood or related to wealthy people.
“We took the liberty of moving an extra twin bed into Papa Delta’s master suite,” Joseph told him.
They’d have their own beds, but still … Zeke closed his eyes. He’d slept in barracks, berths, racks, bunks, tents, caves, or open air with soldiers all over the world. Sometimes they’d been in far too close of quarters and accidentally pushed against him while they slept. That had been rough, but he’d gotten through. On military assignments. This was just another assignment.
He didn’t let himself look at Mia. She looked and felt nothing like any assignment he’d been around before. Had he actually liked touching her hand? It concerned him, especially as he’d almost unwittingly touched her again.
“Come eat,” Holly called. “And then we’ll walk you over to Papa’s, introduce you to the security guys, and let you get settled in for the night.”
Why were her eyes twinkling at him?
Zeke’s jaw tightened. This was a serious situation, but he had the uncomfortable feeling Holly was match-making him with her adopted niece. She wouldn’t dare. Would she? Holly seemed to care for him and think the best of him, but she’d know he wasn’t interested, and nobody would want to match someone they loved with him. Holly was a positive sweetheart, but she was mature enough to know that damaged and intense warriors like Zeke would only hurt a charming woman like Mia Burton. He would never hurt a woman physically, but emotionally he was stunted or twisted or whatever was wrong with him. He didn’t want to hurt Mia, but he would have to be strong, and probably hurtful, to keep his distance.
He and Joseph stood, walked over to the long kitchen bar, and waited for the ladies to go first. Then they each loaded plates with reheated roast, potatoes, veggies, and homemade rolls with butter. They sat at the kitchen table where Holly and Mia already had ice water, silverware, and napkins waiting.
“Thank you,” Zeke said, then dug his fork in. It smelled almost as good as Mia had, and he was starved. He hadn’t eaten since he’d left Virginia Beach this morning. No peanuts on the military flight he’d hopped.
“Zeke,” Holly admonished in a soft but firm tone. “Prayer.” She held out her hand to him.
Zeke was chagrined and dropped his fork immediately. He hated prayer time. Growing up, his dad had said every mealtime and bedtime prayer as the “patriarch” of the family. Zeke couldn’t remember a prayer where his dad didn’t beseech heaven for help for his wayward son and list all of Zeke’s shortcomings. At least his family hadn’t held hands during those never-ending sermon prayers.
He knew the Deltas were religious, but he’d luckily escaped most of the group meals and family prayers when he’d been here before. He and the other SEALs had stayed at the Admiral’s house, which had been stocked with lots of food options and quite often the family would bring them plates loaded with delicious food since his men were usually on patrol duty when the family had a joint meal.
He swallowed and looked at Holly’s extended hand. She and Joseph and Joseph and Mia already had hands clasped and were watching him. Mia’s brown eyes were intrigued, and concerned, by his reluctance.
Holly nodded to him and reached out, obviously trying to help. Zeke gritted his teeth and quickly clasped her hand in his, tight.
“Okay, relax it a little,” Holly instructed.
Shoot. He softened his grip and thought he could tolerate this much contact through a prayer, as long as the offering over this meal was a lot briefer than any of his father’s had been.
“Now Mia’s hand.” Holly tilted her head toward Mia.