“Yeah. I was talking about it with the guys. He probably found him through Zach’s business listing, you know.”
“I mean…maybe, but that doesn’t explain the company he kept when I saw him. Unless you’re saying he brought his own small army to deal with a little guy like Zach.”
“Yeah,” Slade replied. “That stumps us too.”
Zach came out of the bedroom and smiled as he reached for the coffee pot and I turned my back on him, as if I was doing something bad.
But he’d been through so much I didn’t want to concern him and have him worrying twenty-four-seven about Victor.
“All right. I have to go. We’ll talk later,” I said and hung up before Slade could say another word, and turned to face Zach. “Good morning.”
Zach hugged a mug of coffee close to his chest and he beamed at me with his own greeting.
“How did you sleep?” I asked.
His eyes looked puffy, and his shoulders were hunched. But he was still as adorable as ever.
“Good, yeah.” He glanced out the window. “It’s getting colder, isn’t it?”
I jolted, as if I’d just woken up, and rushed to the thermostat.
“Sorry. I’ll turn the heating up. I forget not everyone has the body temperature of a furnace,” I said and Zach laughed as something tickled my throat and I coughed.
“Are you okay?” he asked when I stopped and rubbed my chest.
“Yeah.” My voice came out hoarse. “I don’t know where that came from.”
I cleared my throat and took a sip of my coffee to soothe my insides, but Zach kept staring.
“Are you sure? That guest room sure was cold a week ago. It must be freezing in there now with the temperature drop.”
I chuckled.
“Don’t worry about me, Zach. I can take care of myself.”
“Oh, I know. I also know how stubborn men can be.”
I laughed.
“You say that as if you’re not a man.”
He shrugged.
“I’m usually the exception, not the rule.” He smirked.
God. It didn’t matter what he said or did— smirk, or laugh, or smile—they all made me go wild.
“I’m fine,” I said, and as if to drive my point—or Zach’s—home, I had another coughing fit that earned me a very smug glare. “Okay. Maybe it is a little bit cold. I just need to fix the heating.”
Zach didn’t say anything. He just took a sip of his coffee and smiled.
“What?” I asked when his gaze didn’t waver. Not that I was complaining.
“Didn’t you say that last week?”
I rolled my eyes and took a sip of my own coffee.
“Okay. Yeah. I guess I’m a typical man who says he’ll do something and then never gets around to it.”
