Zayn panicked.
He hadn’t seen Rina for just a couple of weeks, but now that she was right in front of him, it felt like years. He memorized her face again, searching for the slightest chances. Her eyes appeared unfocused and her breath was tinged with the smell of beer. Her hair was an endearing brown today, and that damn pearl he loved was on her elegant neck, calling out softly to him.
When she didn’t move, Zayn fought hard to stop himself from doing anything. He reminded himself that this was only existing because of the contract and they had to stick to the terms to see it through.
But her lips. They were so inviting, making Zayn imagine what they would taste like pressed against his. He wondered if her gloss was strawberry-flavored. Would he be able to taste the beer on her lips?
He felt her eyes casually flick through his, and Zayn knew that if he didn’t act now, something was going to happen. There was barely any distance between them now, so all it would have taken was a slight lean forward and he would be able to answer all of his questions.
“Why did Joel drop you home?” It was the only thing he could think of at that moment, the only thing that plagued him from the minute he saw the headlights of the car when they stopped. Zayn had been unable to control the sense of possession that overtook him. He knew it was misplaced since they hadn’t even gotten around to signing the contract.
But how was he supposed to manage these strange urges? He felt an insane need to keep Rina away from the world, and he was well aware of how impossible that was. Hell! He had told himself that a million times.
“What?” Rina couldn’t count the number of times she’d used that word today. It felt like she had constantly been put in a point of confusion that she couldn’t waddle out of.
“You didn’t want anyone finding out where you lived. Doesn’t he count as anyone?”
“No.” Rina shook her head. “Joel has been nice to me. He got me this job that has landed me the chance to climb my way back up the ladder. I can’t think of him as just anyone since he was the only one that offered me anything.”
“That’s not a valid line of argument and you know it.”
“How are you correct?”
“I would have gladly helped out and gotten back on track, but you expressly told me not to.”
“That was because we agreed to keep this a secret,” Rina said, pointing at the space between them. “And yet, you keep on doing things that could put us on the verge of being discovered. You sent a whole food truck and flowers to my workplace. Didn’t you think people would ask questions? Joel was just asking if I was hiding something from him and I didn’t know what to tell him.”
“I do. Tell him he can mind his business, or go shove it elsewhere. His choice really.”
“I’ve told you, Rina. I don’t like him. I don’t like that he knows where you live, or that he gives you a ride in the middle of the night, or that you went drinking with him.”
Rina rolled her eyes. “It was a celebratory dinner with the rest of the media team. I needed to leave early because I was tired and Joel just offered to drop me off.”
Zayn closed his eyes and sighed. Then, he did the most unexpected thing next. Easily reaching out, Zayn wrapped a hand around her waist and pulled her flush against him. He inhaled the scent of her shampoo and closed his eyes, feeling soothed already.
God! He missed her terribly, but he wasn’t about to admit that to her.
“You don’t have to explain yourself,” Zayn whispered. “I know you’re only doing what’s best for everyone and yourself. It’s just me and my inability to come to terms with you working for him. But I’m going to get used to it.”
He felt her relax in his touch, the tension that had gathered in her shoulders loosening. Releasing her slowly, Zayn led her out of the basement, closing the door behind them. They strolled into the living room, where Zayn left the wine on the table, eyeing the roses, but not saying anything.
Zayn heard Rina come in after him as he retrieved glasses from the drawers.
“I was supposed to run to the store to get new vases,” she explained, sticking the flowers into the same vase as the tulips that she had left in the kitchen the previous night. “They’re going to have to share for tonight.”
Her speech was slow, and her steps sluggish. Zayn recognized the fatigue etched on her features and decided to make this a really short talk. The only thing he thought about the moment his private jet got into the country was his need to see her. He hadn’t even factored in the possibility that she would have had a long day, before getting into the car and driving all the way down there.
They returned to the living room together and Zayn poured her half a glass. He didn’t need to explain it was because she already had a beer earlier, but Rina didn’t ask any questions about it either.
“When did you get into the country?” she asked as they settled in comfortably on the couch next to each other.
“About two hours ago,” Zayn answered. Not wanting her to think she was the first person he’d wanted to see the minute he touched down, he added, “You left your purse in the car when Williams came to get you the other night. I wanted to bring it back to you. But don’t you think it’s strange that you lose a purse and don’t even bother searching for it? Don’t tell me you didn’t even realize that it was gone.”
Zayn turned to look at Rina and his face stretched into a smile when he saw that she had already fallen asleep, her glass of wine in one hand.