Wicked as Lies (Wicked & Devoted 3)

“I’ll get it in a minute. Coffee pods are—”

“In the pantry, I know.”

“Do you notice everything?”

“Pretty much. Occupational hazard.”

Tessa got that. The guys who worked for Colonel Edgington all had that sharp, watchful quality. Josiah rarely failed in the friendly smile department, but he observed others way more than he spoke. Same with Cutter. Since Trees wrestled with cybersecurity, he was more into machines than humans, but he’d proven that he was always paying attention. And One-Mile? He did everything with an intensity that scared her.

As the automatic brewer finished another mug, presumably Zy’s coffee, Hallie finished eating. Another burp later, and Tessa righted her pajamas, settled the baby in her swing, then claimed her tea in the kitchen. Zy stood at the island, drinking black coffee and watching her approach. She wished she knew what he was thinking.

“Eggs, bacon, and biscuits sound good?” she asked as she added some sugar substitute to her tea.

“Great. Need help?”

Tessa shook her head. “This will only take a few minutes.”

“All right. Mind if I ask you a few questions?”

About Hallie? About breastfeeding her? About the way he’d watched? “Go ahead.”

“I want more information about Cash.”

That was a relief. Those questions were far less personal.

“Like what?” She preheated the oven, then grabbed eggs and bacon from the fridge.

“When he came here last time, he was drunk, right?”

“Definitely.”

“Does he drink a lot?”

Tessa considered that as she set bacon in the skillet and set the biscuits on a cookie sheet. “Maybe more than I realized. On our first date, he had a beer or two. I had a glass of wine. But looking back, things escalated after that. On our third date, we went to an outdoor music and arts festival. He had a lot more to drink that night. And he got a lot more assertive.”

Cash had kissed her on their first date. It had been nice. He hadn’t pressed, demanded, or overwhelmed. But after that festival? He’d pinned her against his door, laid his lips over hers, and pressed her mouth open. At the time, she’d assumed it was passion…and she’d had enough tequila to give in without thinking as much as she should have. Inside his bedroom, he’d all but torn off her clothes and invaded her body. The whole thing had been over and he’d been snoring beside her in ten minutes. Until now, she hadn’t realized their next few dates had followed a similar pattern.

“The other night, he got violent. Had you seen that before?”

She slid the biscuits into the oven. “No.”

“Do you think he’d hurt you?”

That question was harder to answer, and she considered it carefully as she flipped the bacon and began whisking the eggs. “Until the other night, I would have said no. But I never imagined he would break my window because I pissed him off.”

Zy’s slow nod said her answer didn’t surprise him. “Had you ever seen him angry before?”

“No. He was always the cut-and-run type. I think that’s why I was so shocked.”

“What does he do for a living?”

“He works in construction. For his cousin.”

“Listen, the colonel only asked me to stay until you return to work on Monday, but…if Cash ever threatens you again, call me. And if he hurts you, I’ll kill him.” Zy’s expression said he was one-hundred-percent serious.

“I appreciate that, but I don’t want to keep dragging you into my mess. I’m sure the police can handle it.”

“You’re not dragging me. I want to know. Promise me.”

Why? Did Zy enjoy playing protector? Did he get a kick out of putting assholes in their place? Was he taking the colonel’s request a step further? Or…was this is way of showing some interest in her? “A-all right. I will.”

“Good.” He pasted a sudden, blinding smile on his face. “You sure I can’t help with breakfast?”

“Set the table?”

“On it.”

By the time he finished, she was removing bacon from the skillet and scrambling the eggs. In between, she handed him the butter. “Want honey or jam for your biscuits?”

He took the glass dish. “This is fine. I’m not much for sweets.”

Tessa sighed. “I wish I could say the same. My neighbor brought me these homemade peach preserves that are to die for.”

“So eat them. A teaspoon won’t hurt you.”

She plated the eggs and carried them, along with the bacon and biscuits to the table. “Tell that to my pants. They still won’t zip. Six and a half pounds to go. But I think our walk yesterday helped.”

“Then we’ll do more exercise today. I could use some, too.”

Tessa eyed him. “Are you supposed to be doing much while you’re healing?”

“No one at the ER said I couldn’t.”

“Do you even remember what the doctor said that night? You had a concussion.”

Zy shrugged. “Not my first one, probably not my last. My shoulder is healing up. No bones were broken. I’ll be fine.”