Wrapped in You (The Monroes 1)

* * *

The firemen had gone. Braxton had given Sophie a ride back home when Zach insisted she go rest because it was so late. And now Liam was practically looming over Zach’s shoulder.

“Back the hell up.” Zach couldn’t focus on the wiring with his brother waiting to call him on a mess-up. “I’m going to be a while. You might as well go home too.”

Liam took a step back, a small step. “I’m not leaving. This is my project too, and I want to know what the hell happened.”

Zach honestly had no clue. The fire department said faulty wiring, but Zach knew that wasn’t the case.

As he looked over the blackened wires, he was starting to grow concerned. Some of this was not his work. Who else would mess with the new electrical?

Braxton didn’t know how to do this, and Liam sure as hell wouldn’t attempt it. Which placed the speculation straight onto Zach, but . . .

He blew out a breath, raked his hands over his beard

, and turned. “I have no clue what happened. I didn’t wire this like that. There are rookie mistakes here.”

The average person might not see what Zach saw, especially with some of the wires black, but there were wires running in areas he hadn’t even touched yet.

Zach didn’t add that they were lucky the entire house didn’t go up in flames. Luckily Braxton was here when it happened. Zach didn’t even want to think of any other outcome, because this old house would’ve gone up fast and unforgiving. There would’ve been chimney and foundation left had no one been around to catch it in time.

“Maybe you’re too busy burning the candles at both ends.” Liam crossed his arms over his chest, narrowing his eyes. “Why don’t you try focusing on the house instead of sniffing around Sophie.”

Zach shifted his stance, turning fully to Liam. “What?” he asked, sure he’d heard wrong.

“Leave Sophie alone,” he warned. “You’ve done enough to her and the last thing she needs—”

Zach’s fist connected with Liam’s jaw. Before Liam could recover, Zach had hold of his brother’s shirt and was backing him across the room until they collided with the wall.

“Don’t you ever talk about Sophie to me,” Zach growled. “Our relationship is none of your business.”

Liam punched Zach in the stomach, forcing Zach to release his hold and double over as the wave of nausea consumed him. Damn it. He was too old for this.

“I don’t want to see her hurt again,” Liam shouted. “I won’t sit back and watch you use her for a time and then push her away when you’re finished. You weren’t a friend to her when she needed you most, so don’t act like you’re anything more now.”

Trying to pull in some much needed air, Zach held on to his stomach as he straightened. “What are you talking about?”

“You turning her away when you were in prison,” Liam spat out. “For some asinine reason she went to see you. Often. You always declined her visit.”

Because he hadn’t wanted to see her. He was humiliated, and there was no way in hell Sophie was going to see him behind glass . . . not when he was there partly for the damage he’d caused her.

“I had reasons.” Finally he was getting air and breathing without too much pain. Definitely too old to be getting into a fistfight. “None of that matters now. Sophie and I have an understanding.”

Liam’s mocking laugh really grated on Zach’s nerves. “Do you?” his brother asked, propping his hands on his hips. “Because she defended you earlier. When I arrived she was quite determined to keep me away from you until I calmed down. She’s special, Zach. Even you can’t be that much of an asshole to think you can just mess around with her.”

No way was Zach getting into this with Liam. Partly because it was none of his business, but mostly because Liam was right. Zach had no right to think he deserved any part of Sophie’s beautiful world shining into his. But he wanted . . .

What? What did he want? A commitment? A chance at forever with her? Marriage and babies and sharing bills?

When anger rolled into guilt meshed with reality, he had no choice but to look at the grand scheme of things. He’d slept with Sophie. He wanted to sleep with her again, but there had been a bond that had formed when they’d been intimate. And if he slept with her again, he knew that bond would only bind them even tighter. There would be no way to sever it later without completely breaking her heart. Or his.

Zach turned and stared across the room at the frayed wires, the blackened wall, and the mess he’d have to clean up. It was late, he was beyond tired, and he wanted to be alone.

“I’m going to clean up, then head out,” he said without turning back to his brother. “I’ll meet you and Braxton here in the morning and we’ll regroup.”

“Fine.” Footsteps pounded over the floor, then stopped. “Don’t think I’ll let this go,” Liam warned. “Sophie is my friend and I would look out for her no matter what. If you’re honest with yourself, you’ll know this is wrong from every angle.”

Continuing to stare at the wall, Zach clenched his fists. The front door opened and closed with a slam. Alone with his thoughts was a dangerous place to be. Alone with his thoughts after Liam pounded common sense into him could prove to be crippling.