I recognized the business name as a florist in town but not why they were delivering anything to me.
Zed seemed to ponder for a moment, then pressed the gate release button to allow the florist in. "Wait here," he told me, and I arched a smile at him.
"Wasn't planning on moving," I replied, picking up my coffee.
Zed huffed a laugh and pulled a gun from one of his hiding places before going to answer the front door. One never could be too careful with unexpected deliveries, after all.
He was gone for a couple of minutes, within which Lucas and I ate our breakfast. Zed was seriously ruining me for the day I had to move back into my own place and survive off takeout again.
The door closed once more, and Zed strode back into the kitchen carrying an enormous bouquet of black roses. Immediately the food in my stomach soured, and I snatched the card before he’d even set the vase down on the counter.
"He never fucking lets up," I muttered as I ripped into the envelope and flipped the card open. "Dinner was sensational, Darling. I already feel so much closer to you."
"What does that mean?" Lucas asked, screwing his nose up at the morbid bunch of flowers.
Zed and I exchanged a long look, and I shrugged, tossing the card on the counter. "With Chase? Who fucking knows." Sliding off my chair, I grabbed the whole bouquet and carried them over to the trash. "I'll get changed, and we can go."
After the night I'd just had and the new connections forged with Lucas and Zed—most importantly with Zed—I refused to let Chase ruin that. He was trying to get into my head, constantly trying to stay in the front of my mind. I wouldn't let him. Not today.
I showered and dressed for work, making sure my carefully crafted mask was firmly in place. The bruising on my lip was still slightly puffy, but extra makeup covered it well enough that it wasn't noticeable.
Lucas and Zed were waiting for me by the car when I got back downstairs, and both of them watched me approach with the kind of predatory hunger that instantly made me reconsider the need for work today.
"Keep looking at me like that," I muttered as I reached for the passenger-side door handle, "and we're not leaving the house."
"Fine by me," Lucas replied with a grin.
Zed gave a frustrated sigh. "Wrong answer, Gumdrop. You wanna gain everyone's respect and be treated like an equal? You need to upskill enough not to need bodyguards. Get in the damn car."
Lucas pouted in playful disappointment but did as he was told, sliding into the backseat of Zed's Mustang. I couldn't help smiling at Zed as we took our own seats, and he shot me back a heated look.
"If you manage not to get your ass kicked too badly today," Zed continued, glancing at Lucas in the mirror, "I'm sure Dare will be open to rewarding hard work."
I gave a short laugh. "You pimping me out, Zeddy Bear?"
He turned on the ignition as the garage door rolled open, then leaned over to kiss my neck. "I told you, Boss. I like to watch... and be watched." His voice was low and husky, sending a palpable wave of desire rushing through me from head to toe. Fucking hell, working with Zed was going to be a whole new experience with these new developments.
I didn't reply but leaned into his touch when his hand found my knee.
"Well shit," Lucas drawled from the backseat. "I'm on board with that plan. Grumpy Cat probably won't be, though."
Zed and I exchanged a knowing look, remembering the way Cass had encouraged Zed to watch when he ate me out by the fire.
"I think you'd be surprised," Zed commented with a chuckle as we slowed down to wait for the front gates to open.
"That's weird," Lucas murmured, sitting forward and pointing through the windscreen. Across the road from Zed's main gates, another property had an ornate entrance, and it was opening as a car idled on the other side. That same property had been vacant for almost six months, the owner’s children being locked in an inheritance dispute.
"Huh," Zed huffed. "I didn't know anyone had moved in."
"Why does this give me a bad feeling?" I groaned, shaking my head. Zed glanced at me with concern but turned the car out of the driveway a fraction of a second slower than his new neighbor. The other car turned toward us, slowing as we started to pass, and the driver's window rolled down.
Zed immediately hit the brakes. My breath caught in my chest as the sick feeling peaked.
"What the fuck?" he snarled. Shooting me a pained look, he rolled his own window down.
"Good morning, neighbor!" Chase called out with a broad, smug-as-fuck grin on his bruised face. "Lovely morning, don't you think?"
"You can't be fucking serious," Zed snapped, his jaw ticking with fury.
Chase scoffed a laugh. "I never joke about a nice day, old friend." His one-eyed gaze shifted past Zed to me, and it sparked with excitement. "I trust you got my flowers, Darling? I'd love to stay and chat, but you know how it goes. Business waits for no man. See you round." With a cheery wave, he hit the gas and accelerated down the street.
Both Zed and I just sat there a moment, speechless. Then Lucas sat back with a long string of curses.
"I couldn't have said it better myself," Zed murmured, hitting the gas once more.
I had no words, though. Fucking Chase was still four steps ahead.
31
The groan of pain that escaped Lucas as he rolled back to his feet made me flinch internally, but I did nothing to intervene. Instead, I just nodded to Alexi, who'd grabbed a towel to wipe his sweaty brow.
"Go again," Lucas grunted.
Alexi sighed, then shrugged and tossed his towel aside. "You're tough, kid," he commented with an edge of respect. "Try to keep your left guard up a bit tighter."
"Boss," Bulldog spoke up, his voice strained, "mind if I sit this round out?" He was still hunched over in the corner with an ice pack to his groin. Lucas had caught him with a sly knee after I offered him some advice on fighting dirty.
I gave a sharp nod, then left them to it. Alexi and Bulldog had been kicking Lucas's ass up and down the training gym for almost two hours, but I felt like Lucas was learning a lot. So I'd let him make his own calls on whether he was okay to continue, and so far he wasn't giving up.
"I think I'm starting to like that stubborn little shit," Zed muttered, falling into step with me as I strode across the Anarchy grounds toward the offices.
I scoffed a laugh. "Starting to? You're so full of shit."
Zed didn't disagree, just arched a lopsided smile as he caught my hand in his. After a quick look around us, he tugged me into his embrace. Two steps and he had me against the wall, his lips on mine as he kissed me.
"Zed," I whispered against his lips as his hands found my waist. "We're at work."
"I don't care," he replied. "I can't keep my hands off you." Or his lips, apparently, as he kissed me again softly. His tongue traced the seam of my lips, lightly stroking over the aching split and making me arch my body into his. Tossing professionalism aside, I kissed him back eagerly.
"Hey, Zed." Hannah's familiar voice jolted through the bubble we'd just constructed. "Have you seen—" She cut off as I jerked out of Zed's grip and cleared my throat. "Oh. Boss. Uh... Shit, this is awkward now." Her wide-eyed gaze darted between Zed and me.