Page 16 of Wicked Stranger

Zane watched as Rose crawled toward him. She was such a sweet, beautiful child that Zane was drawn to her. Kneeling, he waited patiently for her to make her way to him. Once she reached him, she used his knee to stand up. Her legs wobbled, but Zane was ready to catch her if needed. This girl would never be hurt on his watch, ever.

“Hello, Rose.” He smiled at her as she studied his face. Slowly, her hand reached out, touching his scars with her little hand. No one ever touched his scars. Her eyes which looked like Wicked’s, stared at his scars, then searched his gaze as if wanting to ask something. She did this all the time, and at first, he was very uncomfortable, but not now. It brought him some comfort, which was odd but true.

“Hurt.”

He heard the word that was gibberish, but he heard it as if it was clear as day. He smiled at her. “Not anymore, Rose.”

After that little moment, she gave him a good smack, then crawled back down his leg hitting her butt on the floor, and off she went. He cherished those little moments with Rose. It made him feel less of an oddity. One day, when she was old enough to understand, he would thank her for that kindness.

He rose from his kneeling position, his gaze landing on Raina, who was watching him closely. He knew she had witnessed the small moment between himself and Rose. Normally, that would bother him because, in that short time, he was vulnerable to anyone watching, but with Raina, he didn’t care that she saw it. That spoke volumes about what he felt for her.

Raina gave him a small smile just as Jamison dove into her, sending them both back to the ground in a fit of giggles. He watched them for a long time before feeling eyes on him. His gaze went to Thorne and Wicked, who were watching him with huge smiles on their faces. Rolling his eyes, he sighed, went and made himself a plate, and then slipped out the back, not realizing that Raina was also watching him.

CHAPTER12

Raina watched, disappointed as Zane got himself a plate of food and then left. She had been waiting for lunch so that she could see him. The scene with him and Rose almost brought tears to her eyes. It was sweet and very profound. It also showed what kind of man Zane was. To be patient with a small child, caring and sweet, said everything she ever had to know about this man.

“Okay, munchkins, it’s nap time.” Linda walked in with a huge smile. “I think you have worn Raina out.”

Jamison gave Raina a tight hug, almost cutting off her airflow before he waddled toward Linda. Rose crawled past her, looked up, and gave her a slobbery grin before crawling away. She watched as Linda picked up Rose and held Jamison’s little hand, disappearing down the hallway.

“Go get you something to eat.” Wicked ordered from the table. “It’s getting cold.”

Raina stood, brushing off her jeans and straightening her shirt. “I can’t believe how awesome your kids are.”

“They take after me,” Bruce said as he passed her. “I taught them everything they know.”

“What? Slobbering and gibberish?” Thorne snorted with a wink at Raina who grinned. “Yeah, you taught them real good.”

“You just wait,” Bruce warned, giving Thorne a narrowed glare. “When my balls hang in the Cat Balls Hall of Fame, you will not be treating me this way any longer but worshipping my golden encased balls.”

Raina watched Bruce regally walk out of the room. She laughed, shaking her head.

“What in the hell is that fucking cat talking about?” Thorne snarled before taking a bite of his sandwich.

Fixing her plate, Raina continued to chuckle. Turning, she saw Wicked eyeing her suspiciously. “Okay. It was me. He was talking in his sleep about not wanting to get his balls snipped, and I may have suggested that there was a Cat Ball Hall of Fame.”

“And they call me Wicked.” Wicked laughed, giving Raina an appreciative nod. “We used to do that to him all the time when he talked in his sleep. I forgot about that.”

“Good times.” Raina smiled and started to sit down but stopped. “Where is Zane?”

Wicked and Thorne shared a look.

“What?” Raina asked, glancing between the two.

“He doesn’t eat in front of people,” Wicked said, getting a glare from Thorne.

“We don’t know that for certain,” Thorne said, not looking Raina in the eye.

“I’ve never seen him eat. Have you?” Wicked frowned at Thorne.

“No,” Thorne admitted with a shrug. “Maybe he just likes his privacy. Needs a minute alone.”

Both women snorted. “It’s because of his scars.” Wicked said what they were all thinking out loud.

“Well, that’s just sad and ridiculous,” Raina said, picking up her plate. She hated eating alone, which was what she did most of the time. Walking to the door, she ignored Thorne’s loud sigh.

“Don’t embarrass the man,” Thorne warned just as she exited the house. She heard Wicked giving him shit as the door closed.