Page 29 of Finding You
“Harassing you? Are you fucking kidding me right now?” he roared, and she quickly turned the volume down. “I’m calling to check on you and my kids, and you think I’m harassing you? You have lost your mind.”
Raven’s heart was beating a mile a minute. Something was seriously wrong with this man. She pulled over and put the car in park before taking a few steadying breaths. No way was shegoing to let this man get to her, and it was time she put a stop to whatever game he was playing.
“I’m done, Maximus.” Struggling to keep her voice steady and calm, she inhaled and exhaled slowly. “You calling me at all times of the day and talking crazy is emotional abuse, and I’ve had enough. Don’tevercall me again. Otherwise, I’m getting a restraining order,” she said through gritted teeth.
He cursed under his breath, and the moment he started to say something else to her, Raven disconnected the call. She had to remember to block the number he was calling from. She didn’t want to go through the trouble of getting a restraining order or whatever was available to her in this case, but she would if he forced her hand.
After mentally and emotionally pulling herself together, she continued to Zion’s house. They had a lot to discuss this evening, and no way was she letting Maximus get into her head.
Following GPS, she made another left and then another one before she slowed. His house should be coming up shortly, and she started looking for his address. She pulled up to a brick, ranch style home with a two-car, street-facing garage and a long driveway.
“Here we are,” she mumbled to herself as she took in the beautiful, manicured hedges and a huge oak tree in the front yard. Instead of parking on the street, she drove up the driveway, unsure of where to park. Before she reached the house, the garage door opened and there he was, the man of her dreams.
Zion was inside, standing near his huge truck as the overhead door rolled up. Raven’s pulse amped, and her breath hitched. Something it did whenever she saw him.
Goodness.The man seemed to get finer with each passing day. He was wearing an old T-shirt that hugged his upper body and had Marines stamped on the front of it. Well-wornwhitewash jeans covered his long legs and gym shoes were on his feet. He looked totally relaxed and absolutely delicious.
How the heck was she going to have a platonic sleepover, when what she really wanted was him naked?
As Zion headed to her car, his dark eyes steady on her, Raven got an even better look at him. Geesh, the man was too hot and sexy for his own good, and the five o’clock shadow he was sporting on his cheeks made him that much more alluring.
Okay. Just be cool.
She swallowed hard and rolled down the driver’s side window.
“Hey,” he said, his appreciative gaze sliding down her body before glancing in the back seat. “I’m glad you guys made it. Any trouble finding the place?”
Raven shook her head. “Not at all. Where should I park?”
“In the garage.” He pointed to the empty parking spot to the right of his truck. “If you want, I can pull the SUV in for you.”
It didn’t take her long to decide to let him do just that. His truck seemed to take up a lot of space, and the last thing she wanted to do was scratch it with her bumper. She also didn’t want to lose a side mirror either.
After she stepped out, Zion climbed in and pulled into the space as if it were no big deal. Maybe it wasn’t. Maybe he did it all the time for women he invited over.
Shoot! I’m not going there.
No way was she going to torture herself with thoughts of all the women he’d probably been with since her. Nope. She wasn’t going to do it. So what if every second of every day of the last 12 months were filled with thoughts of him? Heck, she saw his face not only in her dreams, but also in her babies’ features. While he probably barely remembered what she looked like because of being with God knows how many other women.
She sighed, frustrated with herself at the route her thoughts had gone. If she kept this up, she might ruin a perfectly nice evening. It was kind of him to invite her over, so they could plan the next steps. She wouldn’t tank it with insecure or jealous thoughts about women who may or may not exist.
When he climbed out of her vehicle, Raven noted there was more than enough space on each side of her SUV. It wouldn’t be any problem getting the babies out.
“Thank you,” she said.
“Anytime.”
“Do you have a girlfriend?” she blurted, the words flying out of her mouth before she could pull them back. So much for being cool.
The right corner of Zion’s kissable lips quirked up. “No and for the record, if I did, I wouldn’t have invited you and the kids here for a sleepover. I haven’t been in many committed relationships, but I wouldneverdisrespect someone I was dating.”
Raven nodded. She headed to the other side of the vehicle to get Andrew from his car seat, but Zion stopped her when he touched her hand. He gently pulled her close, and Raven let him. It had been a long time since she’d been in a man’s arms, and right now, she could use a hug. She loved her babies more than life, but this was something she missed. Intimate adult contact.
As if knowing exactly what she needed, Zion wrapped his muscular arms around her and held her tight. Melting into him, Raven’s eyes drifted closed, and she absorbed his heat. When he placed a lingering kiss on the side of her forehead, it took everything within her not to whimper.
He was so sweet, and he was being so gentle. She could get used to this, though she knew thinking like that wasn’t a good idea. Yet, she’d allow herself this moment to just be.
They stood that way for a few seconds while she inhaled his masculine scent. The fragrance he wore was spicy with a hint of leather that almost made her swoon. This, spending time with him like this, was going to be hard. Harder than she originally thought, especially knowing he wasn’t involved with anyone.
