The Beauty and the CEO

They found the men in the living room. By “the men,” Zoe meant she found Will, Stephen, Nate and a handsome young man dressed in a black tuxedo pinned against the wall by sheer fear. Nate, Stephen’s brother, was cleaning what appeared to be a shotgun while Stephen polished his pistol. And Will, not wanting to be left out, sat in a recliner sharpening a bowie knife.

“Seriously?” Kimber wailed. “Aunt Lexi.”

With one hand on her hip, Lexi pointed toward the kitchen. “I can’t believe you two.”

“And you,” Zoe added, glaring at Will. “Put that knife down right now. We’re about to leave.”

“Say goodbye to Will, gentlemen.”

Doing as they were told, the brothers rose from their seats. “Bye, Will,” they chorused.

Nate Reyes hung his head low so he couldn’t flirt with his green eyes. Last fall Nate had met the love of his life, Amelia Marlow, when she bought him for a hefty fee at the Back to School Bachelor Auction. The “tea,” or gossip on the street, was that the two shared a sexy one-night stand and then more. Whatever the truth, Amelia stayed in Southwood and Nate ceased his womanizing ways. Nate patted Zoe’s arm on his way into the kitchen. The doorbell rang.

“Luke is going to be here any minute to take you guys for your photo shoot.”

“And chaperone!” Stephen called out from the kitchen.

“That’s right,” both Will and Nate said from either side of the house.

This felt like a glimpse into any future family she might have with Will. He’d be the perfect, overly protective father to their daughter and coach to their son. Damn it, Zoe muttered to herself.

Beside her, Lexi cocked her head to the side. “You okay?”

“Oh, yeah.” Zoe blinked and brought herself to the present. “I’m fine.”

The afternoon sun spilled into the foyer at the front door. Luke stepped inside, hugged both ladies and then performed a man ritual—a handshake and half hug with Will. A few days ago they hadn’t known each other. So? a voice in Zoe’s head taunted her. A few days ago she hadn’t known Will either, and now here she was, mentally planning their future.

Outside, the little pink militia saluted them once again. Will led Zoe back to the car with his hand on the small of her back and opened her door. She slid inside and unlocked his.

“That was fun,” Will said with a genuine smile. The engine roared to life, just as her heart had from his constant flirting.

“Scaring a teenage boy?”

“I was helping my brethren.”

“Brethren?” Zoe laughed, “Boy, you are crazy.”

“Stick with me. I’ll show you crazy.”

* * *

Had Will not witnessed what a hurry Zoe was in to get over to Lexi and Stephen’s, he would have thought forgetting her hotel key in her childhood bedroom was just a ruse to get him alone again. But since Zoe declined the offer to get to her room through his, he believed her. They arrived back at her family’s old home just after dark. There were no cars in the driveway, but that didn’t mean Frank Baldwin wasn’t outside watching. Even though Frank wanted to encourage a relationship between Will and Zoe, Will did not want an audience. Also not wanting to be tempted to a second session in Zoe’s bedroom, Will waited on the hood of the car for Zoe to return from getting her key.

Before the door to the back porch opened with a rickety creak, a light flashed on and then off. “Can you believe my key was on my bed?” Zoe asked moments later as she bounced toward him in the moon’s light.

“I can believe you were preoccupied.” Will straightened and opened his arms. Zoe instinctively walked into his embrace. “I’m sorry about earlier.”

“What’s there to be sorry about?” Zoe glanced upward.

To meet her at eye level, Will leaned against the car again. “I don’t want the first time anything intimate happens between us to happen on your bed in your childhood home.”

“I have to apologize about your family tree.” Zoe sighed. “I was pretty obsessed when I was younger. I’m not sure why my dad put them up. I used to have cut out magazines of faces I remade using crayons and markers. Maybe those were too creepy to keep on the walls.”